PROJECT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES 2

Project Management Strategies

1. Explain what it means to successfully direct and manage project work and
   identify and discuss 3-4 strategies you might use to manage and sustain
   progress in your HR project. Be specific.
   There are many things that need to happen for a project to be successfully directed and
   managed. One of them is project integration (Kloppenborg, Anantatmula, & Wells, 2019).
   Projects normally involve multiple activities. These activities go into making the ‘whole’ project
   successful. However, if they are not integrated properly, the overall project may either not be
   completed on time or it may be of low quality when it is eventually completed.
   Apart from project integration there is need to have effective scope and cost management
   in order for the project to be successful. Scope management involves ensuring that the project
   remains within agreed parameters (Kloppenborg et al., 2019). When a project goes beyond the
   relevant parameters there is risk of it incurring extra costs or failing to be completed on time.
   Cost management is just as important as scope management. All the resources consumed by the
   project should be ones that were budgeted for (Klojcnik, Sagadin, & Kralj, 2018). If this does not
   happen, the project may run beyond its budgeted cost and will, therefore, be eventually
   unsuccessful.
   Quality management is another important element that goes into making a project
   successful. Every project has deliverables. These deliverables need to not only meet the project’s
   performance standards but also its objectives (Kloppenborg et al., 2019). Thus, only through
   effective quality management can a project of very high standards be completed.

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Equally important in having a successful project is having effective human resources
management. Ultimately, the success or failure of a project is going to depend on the actions of
the human resources tasked with bringing the project to a successful conclusion (Kloppenborg et
al., 2019). There is need to get the right people and ensure that their output is high enough to
allow for timely completion of the project.
To manage and sustain the progress of my project, I will use three strategies. The first
strategy is choosing experienced personnel and motivating them through generous wages and
bonuses. Having experienced employees who know what needs to be done to have a successful
project will go a long way in ensuring that the project is completed on time and meets the
necessary quality standards. Since experience does not guarantee productivity, I will motivate
my employees with generous wages in order to keep their enthusiasm and morale high during the
course of the project.
Another strategy that I will employ is to put in place effective risk identification, analysis,
response, monitoring, and control measures. I will examine similar projects that had been done in
the past and some of the risk events that they encountered. Based on this information I prepare in
detail measures to be taken to manage the risks in case they happen. These measures are
important because poor risk management can prevent a project from being completed
successfully.
Lastly, I will ensure that there are effective communication channels to make sure that all
persons involved in the project have adequate information that helps them perform their roles
effectively. For instance, I will make sure that human resources receive clear and timely

PROJECT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES 4
instructions on what they need to do on a daily basis. Such communication will not only enhance
teamwork but also ensure that the project progresses smoothly.

2. Identify and discuss a minimum of 3 strategies that could be used to address
   and resolve any risks within the control of the project. HINT: See Exhibit
   14.5 in the textbook. Is any one of the strategies you selected more important
   than the others? Why?
   Risks are unexpected events that often have an impact on the progress of the project
   (Kliem & Ludin, 2019). Some risks are easier to address because they fall within the control of
   the project. One strategy to control such risks is to increase overtime (Kloppenborg et al., 2019).
   This strategy addresses risk situations that may lead to delayed completion of the project. By
   increasing overtime, employees work longer and, therefore, are likely to help the project remain
   on schedule.
   Another strategy is rescheduling activities (Kloppenborg et al., 2019). In every project,
   there are some activities that are not core of the project. When a risk event occurs that threatens
   to delay the project, such activities may be rescheduled to another time until it is clear that the
   project’s likely duration falls within schedule.
   Close monitoring and control of the activities of the project can also help address risks
   that are within the control of the project. When activities are closely monitored and controlled, it
   is easy to know when something wrong happens (Kloppenborg et al., 2019). Corrective measures
   are also taken quickly thus preventing errors from building up to a level that affects the delivery
   of the whole project. Close monitoring and control of the activities of the project also helps
   project manager know when changes need to be made to certain aspects of the project.

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Lastly, early research of challenging issues can help address these type of risks
(Kloppenborg et al., 2019). All potential issues that may impede successful delivery of the
project should researched on and contingency measures established. In this manner, any time a
risk event occurs there is already a well- researched solution to the problem. Of the strategies
that I have discussed, this one is the most important. Risks are best addressed when they have
been prepared for. Conducting early research on all potential problems to a project is key to
ensuring that the problem gets solved quickly and effectively any time that it occurs.

3. Describe 2-3 actions a project manager may take as they begin to close out
   the project. Be sure to justify using the actions you discuss.
   Closing a project is just as important as starting one. Unfortunately, many project
   managers fail to take this process seriously and make errors that end up costing them not just
   money but their reputation as well (Klojcnik et al., 2018). Just the same way planning goes into
   starting a project, project closing also requires planning.
   When closing a project, there are a number of things that a project manager does. One of
   them is conducting a post mortem of the project. This is where the project manager receives and
   documents feedback from the project’s core team (Klojcnik et al., 2018). This feedback includes
   what was done right and what needs improvement. Documenting lessons learnt at the end of each
   project is important because it helps the group avoid similar mistakes in future projects. Since
   current project participants may leave for other organizations, having the lessons recorded for
   future references means that future employees may also benefit from the lessons.
   Apart from documenting mistakes and successes and lessons learnt, the project manager
   also completes the project’s paperwork. Project activities often generate a large number of

PROJECT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES 6
documents (Kloppenborg et al., 2019). These documents mean nothing if they are not duly
signed by the project manager. It is also during this time that the project manager addresses
various outstanding payments such as bonuses, fees, commissions, and invoices.
Lastly, the project manager releases the resources that they had been working with.
Granted, there are some projects that entirely involve employees of the organization conducting
the project. However, many projects often involve resources that have been temporarily hired for
the project. As part of closing the project, these resources need to be formally let go so that they
can engage in other projects.

4. Review Project Management in Action: The Power of Lessons Learned
   (pages 518-520 in the textbook) and provide an overview to the project team
   on the significance of the information. Be specific.
   The information on Project Management in Action: The Power of Lessons Learned
   because they provide best practices to guide behavior during the progress of a project. In any
   project its participants get a lot of lessons and insights as they perform their activities on a daily
   basis. For the participants, these lessons and insights help them to perform future projects in a
   more effective way, avoiding the mistakes they made in their previous projects. However, little is
   often done to ensure that these lessons and insights also benefit other people who may not have
   participated in previous projects. Given factors such as high turnover in organizations and use of
   temporarily contracted teams, many organizations often lose these lessons and insights over time
   as new resources have no way of accessing information on lessons and insights from previous
   projects (Kloppenborg et al., 2019). There is, therefore, likelihood of committing errors that had
   been committed before.

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To make sure that lessons and insights gained in every project benefit other people in
future it is important to make recording of these lessons and insights as part of a team’s normal
daily activities. The recorded information should then be kept safely for use in future projects by
both current and future employees of the organization. To ensure that when projects are
performed, lessons from previous projects are applied it is important to develop a culture of
starting every project with questions about challenges that were faced in similar previous
projects and how they were handled (Kloppenborg et al., 2019). These types of questions force
participants of a project to look for information about previous projects.

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References

Kliem, R. L., & Ludin, I. S. (2019). Reducing project risk. Routledge.
Klojcnik, T., Sagadin, T. A., & Kralj, D. (2018). Project Management: A Systematic Approach
to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling Sustainable Transformation. International
Journal of Economics and Management Systems, 3.
Kloppenborg, T. J., Anantatmula, V. S., & Wells, K. N. (2019). Contemporary Project
Management. Cengage.