Project management is a discipline that is closely related to, if not completely

Question

Project management is a discipline that is closely related to, if not completely interrelated with, operations management. Operations management requires a good deal of analysis and planning (like in the SWOT analysis), but managers must also turn these ideas and plans into actionable initiatives. In this discussion, describe your experiences with project management. Have you taken a class in project management? Have you managed any major projects from start to finish? If so, please describe your management techniques, including what you did well and what you could have done better. Finally, regardless of your previous experience, share some ideas about how you will produce a viable project plan for your capstone project.

Explanation / Answer

I have worked with a major video game development company as the assistant team manager and I can share my experience with you. The project was for a mobile platform release so there were budget constraints and the project in itself was rebuilt over and over in the efforts to be able to get the idea running. Even with a small project, the team consisted of 30 full-time employees and 20 freelance artists that had to be micromanaged efficiently. The scope of the project was simple, deliver a playable demo by the end of the third quarter. The schedule was hard for the workforce but it was due to the inefficient management style of the team leaders and the upper management. The upper management made all the decisions while we followed their orders. They were not aware of the day progress of the project, neither did they have the same exposure to the problems as we had. It came to a point where the whole team had to be replaced because they had a falling out with the management. Due to the incident, the upper management realized their approach to be incorrect and changed the environment to one that could be considered democratic. This allowed us as the manager for the teams working at their level to be able to perform our duties better. We still had oversight but no interference was provided on that behalf. The project was divided into three section which included art, programming and music and all the three departments had to coexist with each other. Conflicts need to be resolved every day, schedule readjusted, goals reassessed but in the end, with efforts of the employees at every level, the management and the leaders the project was able to be completed.

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