Assignment for project Environment Unit

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Project management
Introduction
Project management is a diverse and complex discipline which involves organizing, planning and management of resources to achieve a given set of goals and objectives. A project is described as an endeavor with a defined beginning and end and is aimed at adding value or beneficial changes on completion. Project management differs considerably with business management in the sense that a business is a repetitive endeavor which can last indefinitely while a project has specific goals and objectives to be achieved within a given a given set of period. Project management therefore involves a series of steps which are initiation, planning, execution, controlling and finally closing (Robert, James, 2001, p.24). Successful project management involves four key elements which must be effectively managed and measurable at every stage of the project. These elements are notably resources which include equipments, materials and people. Secondly is time which focuses on the work duration, critical paths to be taken and dependencies to other external factors. Thirdly is money which includes the total financial investment and benefits (Martin, 2002, p.61). Lastly is the scope which entails the goals, requirements and size of the project. This paper seeks to discuss the use of project management in introducing change. It also focuses on the project environment and context in which projects are conceived and realized. The author takes the discussion a step further by analyzing the overall framework and processes of projects management as well as the nature of project success and failure.
Use of project management in introducing change
Managing complex and long duration projects is marked with many challenges because unpredictable things can happen and hinder the progress towards the achievement of a common goal. In this interest therefore, the traditional project management and analysis is insufficient to be used in these complex and long time projects which behave dynamically. The challenge is compounded by the fact that the business solution to those challenges might not feature in the modern business needs and techniques. It is in this context that project managers need to be knowledgeable in change management plans and apply them effectively to make change in the management and achieve the intended goals.
. Change management in a project involves understanding and defining the real problem at hand and then applying the essential concept to implement the intended changes. Several tools are used to facilitate the adoption to change and the overall satisfaction of the involved parties in the project.
The first step in managing changes in a project is to identify the need for the change. This is achieved by awarding a classification code to the change based on certain standards. The sets of standards may take several forms and can be marked either of high importance or medium or marked in alphabetical orders. The second step is change recommendation (Robert, Randall, 2004, p.19). This stage involves the evaluation and weighing out of the impacts of the change to the overall success of the project. If the change is found impassive, it is taken to the next step which is the analyzing of feasibility of change. This stage entails entirely of the economical evaluation of the change and the possible initial investment which is required to implement the change. Succeeding the feasibility study is the scheduling of a meeting by the project manager to make decisions on the change. This is termed the steering committee approval and main participants of the meeting should include the project sponsors, the project manager, the change review committee and any other stake holder in the project (David, Robert, 2004, p.96). The project manager will then proceed to present a proposal of the change and the subsequent evaluation which is inclusive of written illustrations of the possible impact of the change to the project. The person who realized the change can now be called to defend the request and the evaluation on behalves of the change committee and the evaluators. The project manager will know feature in if the proposed changes are approved and accepted to cause a significance impact to the intended out come of the project. The proposed change is then approved by the sponsor of the project and is now ready for implementation.
After the evaluation, acceptance and approval, the next step is to implement. The complexity in implementing change depends on the size of the change and the overall the acceptance of the employees to the change (Reiss, 1995, p.22). Constant review of the project is essential to ensure that the whole process is within the procedural structure approved by the steering committee and the sponsors.
Adopting the change is another challenge to project management. Research based methods call for the use of the following techniques to enhance and accelerate the process of adopting and appreciating change. Key of these techniques is effective communication plan to all the involved parties in the project. Employees should be effectively explained why the change is necessary and the possible alteration from the normal schedule which might be attached to the change (Frame, 2002, p.65). Further to this, the police makers should put into consideration how the employees will be compensated if the changes call for an extra working hours.
Still to be noted here is the need to train the workers. Changes in many times are characterized by changes in technology or deviation from the normal way of doing this which the employees do. Training is therefore essential to ensure that the employees have the technical know how of huddling their responsibilities. Training normally includes formal education within or outside the organization. Coaching plans are also essential in project management because it ensures that the employees are in a position to apply their knowledge to the actual work and hence increase efficiency and productivity.
Several changes have different impacts to the overall out come of the project and require different approaches. A change in project goals can happen because business needs are changing quit often due to competitors exploring and adopting new business models. As a consequence therefore, the project goals will have to change if out come have to be competitive. The project management team has to adopt the best project cycle and practices to save the situation. Another type of change which can occur in an organization is the organizational structure (Howes, 2001, p.76). In many times, an organization undergoes restructuring during the project duration. This may include a change in management personnel, change in sponsors, new location and a change in product. In such situations, the project management should uphold design decisions until the system is stable and everybody is aware of the next step to be taken and has equally appreciated what has been done so far. Further to this, a change in technology can also occur. Technological advancements are taking place quit often and therefore it is the responsibility of the project management to make an attempt of exploiting the new technologies. New technology comes with a need to train, coach or hires new personnel in order to keep the whole project in track towards the achieving of the projects goals. Another probable change occurs when an organization changes its priorities (Larson, Gray, 2001, p.80). Despite the fact that an organization has to achieve the intended goals, the order of the objectives might change often to address new opportunities which might emerge during the project execution. Another worthy noting change which might occur in a project is the change in legislation and regulation. Change in legislation and the rule of law is one of the external factors which are out of the control of the project managers. Such legislations may include regulation of data privacy and advertisement regulatory rules. To remedy such a problem, project managers need to focus on the new legislation so that they don’t act against and hence end up been fined. Further to this, they should find the best alternative to achieve the intended goals or even change the goals to feature the new working conditions. Globalization is another factor which cannot go unmentioned because of its effect to the development and sustainability of any project (Droullard, 2006, p.14). The global entity is characterized by a change in standards and competition and therefore project managers should not only be focused on their goals but also the sustainability of the organization in the future. As a consequence therefore, and organization should revise certain standards such as database definitions, cooperate knowledge and website designs.
The political and social changes in any country can affect to a great deal the sustainability of a project and hence the achievement of its goals. Out brake ok civil wars and societal violence can result to destruction of property and life. As a consequence therefore, project managers should be quick enough to predict the possible impacts of such political and social instabilities to avoid unnecessary loses in the organization
Project environment and context in which projects are conceived and realized
The project environment and context in which projects are conceived and realized refers to the internal or external inputs which are incorporated into the project management system to facilitate the accomplishment of the project either directly or indirectly. Different projects depend on different factors while different project managers determine their own essential inputs (Tom, 2003, p.29). However, if these factors are not well identified and written down, they may not be realized and appreciated as part of the project reporting process. These factors are discussed as follows.
The project manager is the key factor for conceiving and realizing of a project goals. Although the project manager does not guarantee the success of the project, he plays a vital role in guiding the rest of the team to effectively accomplish the intended goals. The project manager should have special skills and the technical know how. Key of these skills include but not limited to communication, technical skills, responsiveness, result orientation, realism, operational and leadership skills. The perception that project managers leadership and technical knowledge is ineffective in the success of a project is misleading and is based on the hypothesis that their tasks is quantifiably difficult to measure and prove (Richman, 2002, p.36). However, there guidance and directories are important in keeping the project goals in track. Another role of the project manager is to build the coalition needed with the sponsors and the managers as well as the employees. They also have the responsibility of communicating the project message about any changes in the project.
The second factor is the project team. The success of any project depends entirely on the management team. As a result therefore, the project team should have skills which can be utilized into capabilities and competencies for the benefit of the whole organization. All the project team members should be willing and committed to achieve the overall mission of the project. Further to this, they should have good communication to the...