John has just been assigned as the Project Manager for a new software system imp

Question

John has just been assigned as the Project Manager for a new software system implementation. In his past projects he has learned a lot about the human factors aspect of running projects, and why these are so important. In meeting his team, he quickly assessed that there are several very strong personalities within the individuals, and some likely frictional combinations. John was also given some background around the project sponsor and benefitting departments. It appears that the accounting department really likes their current system, and is not on board with the goal of this project, which is replacing it. The other impacted departments: sales, procurement, and finance are all luke warm to the benefits and haven’t been fully convinced. Taking what you have learned in this unit with regard to the human factors of project management, assess this situation and discuss how you would use people, team and organizational factors to increase the likelihood of the project’s success. Each student should write a 1-2 page paper, 1,000 word minimum, explaining how they would leverage these human factors in their own project management style to ensure that their projects were successful and achieved the desired goals. Make sure as part of your paper you address the following: how you would use the people factors to address the strong personalities of the individual team members, how you would use the team factors to reduce the likelihood of friction due to the personalities and dynamics, and finally how you would use the overall organizational factors to address the lack of sponsorship buy in and organizational support the project currently has.

Explanation / Answer

One of the factors of success or failure in the implementation of a project rests largely on the quality and suitability of human resources incorporated, which is derived from the set of policies, procedures and instruments used for identification, recruitment, bonding, orientation and direction necessary for the implementation of the project.

The starting point of the project implementation is the appointment and assumption of responsibility by the project manager, whose first decision is in the selection and development of its management team. In most cases the appointment of the project manager is an act of consensus among the main actors of interest, we refer to owners and investors. The latter tend to be very cautious about the firm or organization, but specifically the professional who defend their interests and achieve deliver the new installed capacity (deliverables) in the best conditions for the operation. Therefore the process of announcement, selection and recruitment is usually rigorous, as a professional coated of the best human qualities, expertise, knowledge, ethics, maturity, character and also a proven ability to adapt to the unique challenges it seeks of any project of some magnitude. Some additional considerations on the qualities of the manager, on the main activities and how the assumed, any situations you have to face, the information required and the terms in which reliability is guaranteed and the interlocutions or relationships that must be established with agents various internal and external interests are among other permanent and routine tasks of a project manager.

It should be noted incidentally, that nepotism and policy recommendations in the appointment of managers of public projects constitutes the heaviest burden to reach the target. The worst enemy of a project is the incompetence of their manager. In fact the qualities contained in a resume (experience and education), interpersonal skills or soft skills: leadership, ability to team, motivation, communication skills, influence, decision making, political and social awareness, besides talent for negotiation they are also important.

The ability to achieve synchronicity talent necessary for the success of the projects is a difficult virtue to define but essential for any PM. How this is taught in business schools? Difficult. This virtue has more to do with personal qualities of people with the training itself. But still, it is possible to work this aspect of leadership based on a strong training in the tools of Neuromanagement and classical skills of Emotional Intelligence. Aside from knowing how the brains of people work, you must know and properly handle the emotions and feelings as much as others, besides having the capabilities of motivation and self-motivation, etc. This determines the suitability of a leader to properly manage human relations.

It is a universally accepted fact that the organizational world people, rather than technical procedures, make the difference. Hence the importance assigned to this to enable more flexible production areas and directed towards assessing the human being as a whole, not just as a more productive resource. Hence, almost as a rule, successful companies are the result of the combination of success and individual fulfillment of the human element that gives shape and substance to its internal structure. This makes a successful team is always more than the sum of the parts.

This model of success based on the welfare of their employees is the result of a new organizational paradigm that views the company as a system with its own internal dynamism, as a kind of living organism in which the health of their "cells" ensure health entire assembly. So, happy and self-motivated employees ensure the success of the organization. Indeed, in relation to the human capital of a company, it is possible to say that KNOWLEDGE + TALENT + MOTIVATION = SUCCESS. That simple. Achieving this is one of the responsibilities of any good leader at any level of the organization.

In order to achieve success and addressing the lack of sponsorship, using various types of personalities it is advisable to take into account the views of all as one member, that is to say, assess the talent involved to keep you motivated to the fullest. To avoid friction is always advisable to motivate the team aside inequality and differences between the types of personalities involved in each of the teams involved in the project. It is important to remember that when work best leaders are made, people will say: We did it ourselves! " (That is why their projects always had successful.)

I hope my explanation has been useful.

Good luck!

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse J
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.