Quản lí dự án - Chapter 2: The manager, the organization, and the team

Chapter 2The Manager, the Organization,and the TeamIntroductionProject manager usually selected after project is selectedIt is job of project manager to make sure that the project is properly planned, implemented, and completedProject manager then recruits qualified people for the projectLearning project tools and techniques is easy, succeeding as a project manager is hardThe Project Manager’s RolesFacilitatorFacilitator versus supervisorMust ensure that those working on project have the appropriate knowledge, resources, and time to accomplish their responsibilitiesSystems approachMust understand how everything impacts the overall projectCommunicatorMust communicate effectively with the various stakeholders of the projectCommunication Paths for a Project ManagerFigure 2-1Virtual Project ManagerMore and more often, project teams are geographically dispersedOften referred to as “virtual projectsMuch of the communication is conducted via email, through websites, by telephone, or video conferencingTo succeed, communication between project manager and project team must be frequent, open, and two-wayResponsibility to Senior ManagementMust keep senior management up to date on the state of the projectParticularly important to keep management informed of any problemsOr any likely to affect the project in the futureNever let the boss be surprisedResponsibility to the ClientThe project manager is also responsible to the clientClients often want changes to the projectCost, schedule, scope changeCost of changes often exceed client’s expectationsProject manager must be certain the client understands the impact of the changes on the project’s goals of delivery time, cost, and scopeResponsibility to Project TeamFacilitate the work of the teamHelp the team succeedServe as advisor, counselor, confessor, and interested friendThe Project Manager’s Responsibilities to the ProjectAcquiring resourcesIt is the project manager’s responsibility to ensure the project has the appropriate level of resourcesThis is especially difficult with human resourcesFighting fires and obstaclesEarly obstacles linked to need for resourcesLater fires associated with technical problems, supplier problems, and client problemsThe Project Manager’s Responsibilities to the Project ContinuedLeadership and making trade-offsTrade-offs are between cost, schedule, scope, and riskScope is usually the most importantAnother type of trade-off occurs between projectsNegotiation, conflict resolution, and persuasionCannot meet these responsibilities without being a skilled negotiator and resolver of conflictSuccess depends on the project manager’s skill at persuading others to accept the projectAs well as changes in its methods and scope once it has been acceptedSkills of PersuasionEffective persuaders must be credible to those they are trying to persuadeEffective persuaders must find goals held in common with those being persuadedEffective persuaders must use “vivid” language and compelling evidenceEffective persuaders must connect with the emotions of those they are trying to persuadeSelection of a Project ManagerCredibilityTechnical credibilityAdministrative credibilitySensitivity to political issues and interpersonal conflictLeadership, style, and ethicsOnly project manager has the view of the entire project to provide the necessary leadershipMost effective overall style is participativeAnother aspect of leadership is a strong sense of ethicsGrowing Importance of Multicultural ProjectsProject managers have to be aware of cultural differences between countiesCommon practice in one country may be illegal in anotherDiscovering another culture’s ethical standards is difficultProject managers have to be trained to the highest ethical standardsProject Management As A ProfessionProject management is a demanding jobMastering the use of project management tools requires specialized knowledgeProject Management Institute (PMI) is a project-oriented organization with more than 300,000 members worldwide PMI publishes The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)Career Path for the Project ManagerStarts with work (not as manager) on a small projectMoves on to larger projectsMoves on to a project engineer or deputy project managerProject manager for a small projectMoves on to larger projectsMay manage a “megaproject”Fitting Projects into the Parent OrganizationProject managers rarely have any influence over the interface between the project and the parent organizationThis is a matter of company policyAs such, it is decided by senior managementHowever, it has a major impact on the project mangerMore on “Why Projects?”Emphasis on time-to-marketNeed for specialized knowledge from a variety of areasExplosive rate of technological changeNeed for accountability and controlRapid growth of globalized industryPure Project OrganizationFigure 2-2Pure Project AdvantagesEffective and efficient for large projectsResources available as neededBroad range of specialistsShort lines of communicationPure Project DisadvantagesExpensive for small projectsSpecialists may have limited technological depthMay require high levels of duplication for certain specialtiesThe project begins to take on a life of its ownFunctional Project OrganizationFigure 2-3Functional Project AdvantagesHas immediate, direct, and complete contact with the most important technologies it may needFractional resource problem is minimizedProjectitis will be minimalFunctional Project DisadvantagesLines of communication outside functional department can be slowTechnological breadth can be missingProject rarely given high priorityMatrix Project OrganizationFigure 2-4Matrix Project AdvantagesFlexibility in way it can interface with parent organizationStrong focus on the project itselfContact with functional groups minimizes projectitisAbility to manage fundamental trade-offs across several projectsMatrix Project DisadvantagesViolation of the unity of command principleProject workers are often faced with conflicting orders from the PM and the functional managerThe organization’s full set of projects must be carefully monitored by the program managerComplexity of managing the organization’s full set of projects intra-team conflictMixed Organizational SystemsFigure 2-5The Project Management Office and Project MaturityAnother way of solving some of the problems of choosing an organizational form for projectsParent organization can set up a project management office (PMO) like a functional groupIt can handle the budgeting, scheduling, reporting, scope, compliance with corporate governance, and risk management activitiesThe functional units supply the technical workThe PMO often serves as a repository for project documents and historiesThe Project TeamThey must be technically competentSenior members of the project team must be politically sensitiveMembers of the project team need a strong problem orientationTeam members need a strong goal orientationProject workers need high self-esteemMatrix Team ProblemsThe smaller the project, the more likely it is to be organized as a weak (functional) matrixAs a result: Project manager may have no direct reports Ability to communicate directly with team members will be critical Important to maintain good morale since team loyalty may be limited A project “war room” may be helpfulMatrix Project Teams and Unusually Difficult to ManageSuch teams are seen by their members to be temporarySo, the tendency to develop team loyalty is limitedThe technical specialists working on the teams are often perfectionistsHave a strong desire to keep tinkering with a project deliverable that already meets requirementsProject teams can cause scope creepHigh levels of conflictIntrateam ConflictsMatrix projects have lots of conflictSources of conflict differs when the project is in different stages of its life cycleFour common threads for reducing or preventing these conflictsCareful project planningParticipative managementInteraction and negotiation between the project manager and the functional managerCommunication between the project manager and all project stakeholdersMultidisciplinary Teams-Balancing Pleasure and PainUsing multidisciplinary teams on projects raises serious problems for the project managerA.k.a. transdisciplinary teamsManaging the way these groups work together is called interface coordinationArduous and complicatedCoordinating the work of these groups is called integration managementArduous and complicatedFive Dysfunctions of a TeamAbsence of trustFear of conflictLack of commitmentAvoidance of accountabilityInattention to resultsIntegration ManagementIndependent and sequential tasks are difficult to optimize at the system levelLeads to conflicts between the various functional groupsChanging to where the tasks are performed concurrently (parallel) solves sequential problemKnown as concurrent engineering or simultaneous engineeringParallel tasking has been widely used for a great diversity of projectsInterface Coordination-Interface ManagementOne of more difficult problems with multidisciplinary teams is coordinating the workTeam members come from different functional areas and are not used to working togetherHave no established dependencies on each otherOne approach to the problem is to expose the structure of the work assigned to the teamNo single approach to interface coordination is sufficient aloneThe Design Structure MatrixBoth integration management and parallel tasking are fundamentally concerned with coordinating the flow of informationThe use of multidisciplinary teams tends to magnify this challengeCompounding problem is that traditional project management tools are primarily intended to coordination the execution of tasksThe Design Structure Matrix (DSM) can address the issue of information flowA Coordination Structure Model for Project ManagementFigure 2-8Comments on Empowerment and Work TeamsTeams generate high-quality solutions to appropriate problemsMicromanagement is avoidedThe team is given accountability for some part of the project deliverableSynergistic solutions are frequentThe PM has a tool for timely team evaluation and feedbackSix Signs of Excessive Stress in the WorkplaceInability to switch-off work issuesDisturbed sleepLack of pleasure in non-work-related leisure activitiesDifficulty concentrating or making decisionsTendency to anger quicklyLack of energyWays to Keep Stress Under ControlKeep a journalPrioritize all tasksGive yourself time to unwindEngage in after-work physical activitiesImprove your physical surroundingsBecome aware of the control you haveCopyrightCopyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.All rights reserved. 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