...Global Finance Risk Assessment Introduction What is project management? What are the roles of a project manager? What are the various industries that employ project managers? Are there some industries that experience more success with project management than others? These are some of the questions that will be explored in this essay. Project Management as a Discipline and Its Role What is project management? Before examining project management, it is important to understand a project. The Project Management Institute defines a project as “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.” This means that its start and end date is defined with a scope and resources (PMI, 2015). The Institute goes on to further state that a project is “unique” and “not a routine operation” but one that is created for a specific goal. Individuals for this team are often from many different fields of employment and can be from different physical locations. There are numerous tasks that are projects. For example, the involvement of the Red Cross following Hurricane Katrina, the update of Microsoft Office, and the building of the Eiffel Tower are all examples of projects. With a clear understanding of a project, one can examine project management. The idea of project management has been in existence for thousands of years but has only recently been recognized as a specific profession in the 20th century (PMI, 2015). This concept is very similar to a quarterback on...
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...What is the role of a Project Manager? Project managers are the point people responsible for coordinating activities of project team members to achieve project objectives. Whereas project team members tend to have narrowly focused skills and expertise, and are primarily concerned with day-to-day functions, Project Managers focus equal attention on near- and long-term activities. Historically the role of Project Manager focused on the larger, more technical projects. However, in recent years it is being applied to a variety of smaller, less technical projects as well. The Project Management function has received a lot of attention over the last 10 years and has become a highly desired competency in most organizations. Specifically, what are the responsibilities of a Project Manager? A true Project Manager is responsible for effectively and efficiently: • Defining the scope of projects; • Developing project schedules; • Estimating project costs; • Gaining stakeholders’ approvals; • Measuring project progress; • Controlling project changes; • Closing out projects. Why are soft skills important to being a great Project Manager? The common thread running through all the essential skills needed to be a great Project Manager is working with people. Whether it’s defining the scope of a project, exercising change control or closing a project out, the more comfortable Project Managers are with interacting with people the more successful...
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...Managerial Roles of a Project Manager Sara Guenther Liberty University The Project Management Institute defines project management as “the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements” (PMI, 2013). Using a combination of human and non-human resources, project management is designed to provide a sustained management for an organization to achieve an objective. In a journal article, And Then Came Complex Project Management, Stephen Whitty and Harvey Maylor state that “project management is recognized to be the key enabler of business change and a vital contributor to future business success” (Whitty & Maylor, 2004). To achieve these objectives, the project manager steps in. They are the people “assigned by the performing organization to lead the team that is responsible for achieving the project objectives” (PMI, 2013). The Project Management role has become more and more necessary in today’s economy. Businesses have become more reliant on the projects within their corporation to achieve the organizational goals. There is a growing need for more cost-efficient, higher quality and faster projects, which increases the demand for well-developed and experienced project managers. In a structural survey, “research shows that the number of roles undertaken by a project manager changes with age and also the nature of the roles undertaken moves with the maturity of the project manager” (Sommerville, Craig & Hendry...
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...What is the role of a Project Manager? Project managers are the point people responsible for coordinating activities of project team members to achieve project objectives. Whereas project team members tend to have narrowly focused skills and expertise, and are primarily concerned with day-to-day functions, Project Managers focus equal attention on near- and long-term activities. Historically the role of Project Manager focused on the larger, more technical projects. However, in recent years it is being applied to a variety of smaller, less technical projects as well. The Project Management function has received a lot of attention over the last 10 years and has become a highly desired competency in most organizations. Specifically, what are the responsibilities of a Project Manager? A true Project Manager is responsible for effectively and efficiently: • Defining the scope of projects; • Developing project schedules; • Estimating project costs; • Gaining stakeholders’ approvals; • Measuring project progress; • Controlling project changes; • Closing out projects. Why are soft skills important to being a great Project Manager? The common thread running through all the essential skills needed to be a great Project Manager is working with people. Whether it’s defining the scope of a project, exercising change control or closing a project out, the more comfortable Project Managers are with interacting with people the more successful...
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...Technology Project Management Dr. Hammad Elbedour July 20, 2016 The Role of Project Managers Project management discipline is how things are setup for planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling what is around you to achieve a goal set forth. Many projects are defined with a beginning and end that is sometimes held up by time- constrained along with constrained by funding as well as deliverables. Meeting these goals and objectives usually bring about change that are beneficial values. How the nature of the project stands up to business operations that are repetitive, permanent activities which produce products for services. The system is different which requires the development of technical and management skills. One of the top industries that is in high demand for project management is the health industry. As someone who previously worked in the health industry, this gives me the knowledge to know that this is a continuous growing and evolving industry. The complexities of an effective health industry is made up of: material supply, supply chain network, operations management, outside resources for customers, recruitment teams, IT teams, technical teams, hospital networks, ambulances, and police, etc. The future growth of the aging population makes this industry one of the best for project managers. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the population of forty million in 2010 sixty-five and over is project to increase...
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...C Project Management Team roles C.1 Project Board The Project Board is appointed by corporate or Programme management to provide overall direction and management of the project. The Project Board is accountable for the success of the project, and has responsibility and authority for the project within the remit (the Project Mandate) set by corporate or Programme management. The Project Board is the project’s ‘voice’ to the outside world and is responsible for any publicity or other dissemination of information about the project. C.1.1 Specific responsibilities The Project Board approves all major plans and authorises any major deviation from agreed stage plans. It is the authority which signs off the completion of each stage as well as authorises the start of the next stage. It ensures that required resources are committed and arbitrates on any conflicts within the project or negotiates a solution to any problems between the project and external bodies. In addition, it approves the appointment and responsibilities of the Project Manager and any delegation of its project assurance responsibilities. The Project Board has the following responsibilities. It is a general list and will need tailoring for a specific project. At the beginning of the project: assurance that the Project Initiation Document complies with relevant Customer standards and policies, plus any associated contract with the Supplier agreement with the Project Manager on that person’s responsibilities...
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...and has decided to re-organize their project management system. They have defined the roles of all involved and outlined each individual's job duties. There are multiple roles involved in a project and making sure each person understands their job function is important. Shared responsibilities among employees can effect the company in many ways and sometimes it should be examined whether additional roles are needed. “Identify the common roles in a human resource project. Then, analyze these roles to typical human resource functions.” There are many roles involved in a human resource project. A variety of key positions are needed in order to successfully complete a project. One of the top roles in a project consists of the steering team. This team is sometimes referred to as the executive team and is made up of the corporation head and the people that report directly to them. This team is responsible for selecting projects and the general guidance of the organizational goals and priorities. The steering team often have project reviews at set dates or at project milestones. In addition, the steering team often works with the CEO to select the project sponsor. Once selected, the steering team may also assist the sponsor in selecting a project manager. The project sponsor is an important role in the process as well. This is the individual who provides the resources for a project. The sponsor is responsible for keeping the project in line with the organizational goals...
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...Management Control of Project Portfolio Uncertainty: A Managerial Role Perspective Tuomas Korhonen, Cost Management Center (CMC), Department of Industrial Management, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland Teemu Laine, Cost Management Center (CMC), Department of Industrial Management, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland Miia Martinsuo, Department of Industrial Management, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland PAPERS ABSTRACT ■ This article presents empirical results on different managers’ viewpoints regarding the sources and management of project portfolio uncertainty. As a key result, this study demonstrates the versatility of uncertainties experienced by managers, the limited degree of perceived control over them, the use of an almost complete management control package in managing uncertainties, and the necessity of managers’ cooperation in the skilled use of the management control package when managing uncertainties. In addition, a further research agenda is proposed. KEYWORDS: project portfolio management; uncertainty; managerial roles; management control systems; product development INTRODUCTION ■ n their product development, large companies have adopted project portfolio management (PPM) as a means for prioritizing and selecting product development projects among various options as well as allocating resources with the value maximization, balance, and strategic alignment of the portfolio in mind (Cooper, Edgett, & Kleinschmidt...
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...Management problems: It was apparent that there was no support from the functional and senior management on this project. There was also a lack of support by the project office and the line managers. The line managers finally realized that they had a role in the project several months after the project started. This caused a significant delay in the project and they were unable to make up any time that had already been lost. The functional manager never supported Reichart, the project manager, throughout the project. Even after corporate staff stepped in and made some dramatic changes to the project, the functional manager still did not provide adequate staff for recovery. It was apparent that there was a lack of communication amongst...Management problems: It was apparent that there was no support from the functional and senior management on this project. There was also a lack of support by the project office and the line managers. The line managers finally realized that they had a role in the project several months after the project started. This caused a significant delay in the project and they were unable to make up any time that had already been lost. The functional manager never supported Reichart, the project manager, throughout the project. Even after corporate staff stepped in and made some dramatic changes to the project, the functional manager still did not provide adequate staff for recovery. It was apparent that there was a lack of communication amongst...
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...The Project Management Role - Superhero? or Visionary Leader? The project management role is arguably the most challenging of roles within the project team. As the project progresses through its various life cycle stages, project manager's must be able to adapt themselves to the changing demands of the project and the team. Much can be found on management theory and practice, when applied to projects; consequently everyone will has their own opinion, and will be right in their own contexts. That doesn't help you find you formulate a practical view based on experience. We have distilled our experiences, beliefs, thoughts and opinions to what we believe the project management role is and the part the project manager plays in this. First and foremost, project management is a TEAM SPORT, and in today's modern society it relies on the principal players of the team taking responsibility and accountability for those aspects of the project they have been charged with. Indeed, this ethos should be passed down to all team members irrespective of their level of involvement in the project. All Teams need a LEADER, our view is that this is THE principal role of the one commonly referred to as the 'Project Manager'. We shall however, continue to refer to the principal project management role as the Project Manager. Many organisations and project sponsors set their projects up to fail because they do not fully recognise how important the project management role is, to successfully...
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...[pic] Project Human Resource Plan Template This Project Human Resource Plan Template is free for you to copy and use on your project and within your organization. We hope that you find this template useful and welcome your comments. Public distribution of this document is only permitted from the Project Management Docs official website at: www.ProjectManagementDocs.com Human Resource Plan Company Name Street Address City, State Zip Code Date Table of Contents Introduction 2 Roles and Responsibilities 2 Project Organizational Charts 3 Staffing Management 4 Introduction This section explains the purpose and importance of having a human resources management plan. It should provide a general description of what the plan includes and explain how the project manager and project team can use the plan to help them manage the project effectively. Human resources management is an important part of the Software Upgrade Project. The human resources management plan is a tool which will aid in the management of this project’s human resource activities throughout the project until closure. The human resources management plan includes: • Roles and responsibilities of team members throughout the project • Project organization charts • Staffing management plan to include: a. How resources will be acquired b. Timeline for resources/skill sets c. Training required to develop skills ...
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...Case Study 2: Project Leadership Roles at TriHealth Yuvonne Edwards Professor Brett Gordon Human Resource Project Management – HRM517 November 4, 2012 Identify the common roles in a human resource project. Then, analyze these roles to typical human resource functions. There are projects of different sizes that have different ways and requirements on how the people are organized. In small project, little organization structure is needed. There might be a primary sponsor, project manager and a project team. But, for large projects, there are more people involved, and it is important that people understand what they are expected to do, and what role people are expected to fill. Common project roles that may be required for any project would be, Analyst, stakeholder, project managers, facilitator and the customer. The Analyst is responsible for ensuring that the requirements of the business clients are captured and documented correctly before a solution is developed and implemented. In some companies, the person might be called Business System Analyst. (Mochal, T.) The stakeholders are the direct beneficiaries of a project or service, and these people play positive roles in a project. One of the first steps in project management planning is the identification of stakeholders. A stakeholder is a person or group of people who can affect or be affected by a given project. Stakeholders can be individuals...
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...Project Plan Project Name: Project Management Improvement Project Example Prepared By: Name1 - Project Manager Title: Project Manager Date: March 7, 2007 Project Plan Approval Signatures Project Name: Project Management Improvement Project Manager _______________________________________ __________________ (Signature) (Date) Name1 - Project Manager DoIT Project Manager Division of Information Technology – Systems Engineering and Operations Project Sponsor _______________________________________ __________________ (Signature) (Date) Name2 - Project Sponsor DoIT Process Manager Division of Information Technology – CIO Office Executive Sponsor _______________________________________ __________________ (Signature) (Date) Name3 - Executive Sponsor Associate CIO Division of Information Technology – CIO Office Document Change Control The following is the document control for revisions to this document. Version Number Date of Issue Author(s) Brief Description of Change V1.0 July 2005 Name1 - Project Manager Approved version. Definition The following are definitions of terms, abbreviations and acronyms used in this document. Term Definition CIO Chief Information Officer DoIT Division of Information...
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...Identify the common roles in a human resource project. Then, analyze these roles to typical human resource functions. Projects come in many different sizes depending on the requirements of the particulars needed to complete a project. There are small projects that require very little organization. Within a small project there may be a primary sponsor, project manager and a project team. Then there are larger projects, there is more involvement. There is more position involved, like project managers, facilitators to help assist the projects. There are more people involved, stakeholders and your customers. It is important that they understand what is accepted of them and what role they are expected to fill. The Project Manager plays and very important role in the beginning of the project. The project manager is the only one that has authority to manage a project. Which includes leading the plan and the development of all project deliverables? They also are responsible for managing the budget and scheduling all project management procedures. There is also the Project team, “they are full-time and part-time resources assigned to work on the deliverables of the project” (Kloppenborg, Nkomo, Fottler & Mcaffe, 2012 p. 15). This includes the analysts, designers, programmers, etc. organization is utilizing matrix management. The stakeholders are the just as important as the project manger. “The stakeholders play a positive role in the project outcome; they are direct...
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...Project Roles and Responsibilities This template can be used to define roles and responsibilities – Below is a few typical examples of the different types of roles involved in delivering a project and their respective responsibilities. Title Project Manager Role The person responsible for developing, in conjunction with the Project Sponsor, a definition of the project. The Project Manager then ensures that the project is delivered on time, to budget and to the required quality standard (within agreed specifications). He/she ensures the project is effectively resourced and manages relationships with a wide range of groups (including all project contributors). The Project Manager is also responsible for managing the work of consultants, allocating and utilising resources in an efficient manner and maintaining a co-operative, motivated and successful team. Responsibilities • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Managing and leading the project team. Recruiting project staff and consultants. Managing co-ordination of the partners and working groups engaged in project work. Detailed project planning and control including: Developing and maintaining a detailed project plan. Managing project deliverables in line with the project plan. Recording and managing project issues and escalating where necessary. Resolving cross-functional issues at project level. Managing project scope and change control and escalating issues where necessary. Monitoring project progress and performance....
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