Assignment 3 9203
Assignment 3 9203
(Gareis, 2000)
Critical success factors (CSFs) are necessary for complex project initiation, planning,
execution, and completion. Based on project management concepts, these criteria are
essential for project success. Each phase of a large project contains CSFs:
Initial Phase:
a. Well-defined and quantifiable project goals are needed. Clear goals provide the
groundwork for the project and help stakeholders define success.
c. Feasibility Analysis: Assess financial, technical, legal, and operational feasibility to assess
project viability.
d. Project Sponsorship: Get strong project sponsorship from someone with power and
resources. This aids decision-making, resource allocation, and problem-solving.
e. Risk Assessment: Assess project risks early to build risk management solutions. Plans for
risk minimization, contingency, and acceptance.
a. Comprehensive Project Plan: Include scope, timetable, budget, quality standards, resource
allocation, and communication techniques. A thorough strategy guides the process.
b. Risk Management strategy: Develop a thorough strategy to identify, analyze, and mitigate
risks. This strategy should include risk reduction, contingency, and reaction.
c. Resource Allocation: Give the project enough people, equipment, and materials. Project
goals need sufficient resources.
d. Manage project scope, schedule, and budget modifications via a change control procedure.
This documents, evaluates, and approves modifications.
e. Quality Assurance and Control: Set quality standards and institute a quality assurance
(prevention) and quality control (detection) plan to assure project success.
Phase of execution:
a. Communication: Keep the project team and stakeholders informed. Sharing information,
resolving challenges, and measuring progress requires clear communication.
c. Scope Management: Monitor and regulate project scope to avoid scope creep and maintain
project goals.
d. Quality Control: Ensure project outputs satisfy quality standards via quality control
methods. Address discrepancies immediately.
e. Risk Management: Monitor and analyze risks and execute reaction methods as appropriate.
Adjust to changes and uncertainty.
Ending Phase:
a. Project Completion Checklist: Create a detailed checklist to close out all tasks and
deliverables and satisfy project goals.
c. Project review: Record lessons learnt. These findings may enhance future projects and
procedures.
d. Plan for project deliverable handover to end users or the operations team if needed.
Smooth the transition.
e. For future reference or audits, properly record and preserve all project-related papers and
data.
The project management concepts of clear goals, stakeholder participation, effective
planning, risk management, resource management, and quality control support the important
success elements above. Following these parameters promotes project success and
stakeholder satisfaction.
Answer-1.2
(Rockart, 2022)
To meet project goals, key success factors (CSFs) must be implemented at each step. CSFs
are essential to project success. This is a broad guide on implementing them at various project
stages:
Start by precisely outlining your project's CSFs. They should be explicit, quantifiable, and
related to project goals. Each project has different CSFs, but they usually include quality,
time, money, and stakeholder satisfaction.
Project Start:
Align all major stakeholders with the CSFs. Project start meetings, seminars, and writing can
achieve this.
Planning:
Incorporate CSFs into the project plan. Create project plan tasks or deliverables related to
CSFs.
Risk Management: Assess and prepare for CSF risks. Prepare for emergencies.
Monitoring and Reporting: Track CSF progress using a rigorous system. Report status to
stakeholders regularly.
Quality Control: Ensure work meets CSFs using quality control.
To handle CSF concerns or modifications, communicate with the project team and
stakeholders.
Closure:
Verification and Validation: Check CSFs at project closing. This may need official
stakeholder approval.
Change Management: Adjust the project plan to match CSFs if scope, resources, or
stakeholder needs change.
Reviewing regularly: Review progress and make modifications to stay on track with the
CSFs at regular intervals.
Improve continuously:
To learn from the project's accomplishments and issues, examine it after execution. Take this
input to enhance CSF implementation in future projects.
Training and Development: Ensure project team members have the skills and expertise to
accomplish CSFs. If gaps exist, consider training and development.
Management Support: Ensure senior management supports CSF adoption. Success depends
on their support.
Comments Loops: Allow team members and stakeholders to submit CSF and project
performance comments.
CSFs must be defined, integrated into project planning, monitored, communicated, and
adapted throughout the project's life cycle to succeed. Project success depends on regularly
reviewing progress against the CSFs and making modifications.
Answer-2.1
(Gareis R. , 1989)
Examples and descriptions of emotional intelligence characteristics that people may need to
improve on depending on their experiences:
Self-awareness: Understanding how your emotions effect your conduct. Self-awareness may
be needed if someone reacts emotionally in difficult circumstances without assessing their
emotions. An employee may grow annoyed while dealing with tough clientele. Self-
awareness may help them realize this tendency and take deep breaths or a pause to calm
down.
Answer-2.2
(Gareis R. , 1989)
Understand the basic features of a professional project manager before evaluating your own
talents, traits, abilities, and knowledge. Professional project managers should have these
traits:
1. Leadership: A project manager should inspire and lead a team to success. They must
inspire team members and make key choices.
2. Effective communication is essential in project management. Project managers must
communicate ideas, instructions, and expectations to team members and stakeholders in
writing and verbally.
3. Organizational Skills: Project managers manage timelines and scope. Project planning,
scheduling, and monitoring need strong organizational abilities.
4. Problem-solving: Projects regularly face unanticipated issues. An effective project
manager can detect challenges and provide inventive solutions.
5. Time Management: Project managers value time. Effective time management helps meet
deadlines and maximize project efficiency.
6. Risk Management: Project managers must identify and reduce risks that might impact
project results. Assessing, planning, and responding to risks is crucial.
7. Leaders must understand team dynamics, resolve issues, and create a collaborative work
atmosphere to manage a team.
8. Stakeholder Management: Project managers work with clients, sponsors, and colleagues.
Relationship management is key.
9. Budgeting and Cost Control: Project managers handle budgets. Financial knowledge and
cost management are crucial.
10. Unexpected events might affect project plans. Project managers must be flexible.
11. Technological Knowledge: Project managers should understand important
technological ideas and tools, depending on the industry.
12. Quality Management: The completed project must match quality standards and goals.
PERSONALITY, TALENTS, QUALITIES, ABILITIES, AND KNOWLEDGE:
2. Communication: Evaluate your written and spoken communication abilities. Can you
explain difficult concepts?
3. How effectively do you plan and arrange tasks? Can you multitask and stay on track?
6. Risk Management: Have you assessed and mitigated risks in past projects?
7. Team Management: Consider your team experiences. Conflict resolution and teamwork—
how?
Answer-3.1
(Gareis R. , 2000)
During the course of both the first and second assignments, I was given the option to
participate in group projects, which proved to be a very beneficial educational opportunity for
me. The accomplishment of any given group endeavor is often dependent on successful
communication, negotiation, decision-making, dispute resolution, and management of
available time. In the following article, I will provide a summary of my experiences in each
of these areas, as well as discuss how the contributions I made as a member of a team
impacted our overall effectiveness.
Transfer of information:
Communication is the essential component that ensures the success of every team. From the
very beginning, our group worked to ensure that all lines of communication were open and
honest at all times. We decided to employ video conferencing for more in-depth
conversations, but in the meantime, we set up a group chat for rapid updates. Because of this,
we were able to maintain our level of awareness and consistency on the project's goals.
Personally, I made it a point to take an active role in the talks, express my thoughts with my
coworkers, and actively listen to what they had to say. My contribution to communication
that was both clear and precise, I feel, helped our team work more efficiently and averted
misunderstandings.
Discussion of terms:
The art of negotiation was an essential component to the functioning of our team. Negotiation
was an essential component in many aspects of the project, including determining project
responsibilities, establishing timelines, and settling problems. During the course of these
conversations, I saw the significance of being flexible and willing to compromise. My part in
this was to maintain an attitude that was receptive to other ideas and points of view. I feel that
the success of our conversations was in part due to the fact that I was prepared to compromise
and take into account the perspectives of others.
Formulation of Decisions:
Making sound decisions in a timely manner is very necessary to ensure the success of a
project. Our team had to make a number of important choices, including those on the overall
direction of the project, the distribution of available resources, and the order of importance of
certain tasks. We used a process called collaborative decision-making, which enabled
everyone to have their say and provide input on the options that were ultimately selected. My
responsibility was to provide advice that was well-reasoned, and I feel that this contributed to
the group's ability to make educated choices that were ultimately beneficial to the project.
When working on group projects, conflict is unavoidable; nevertheless, how that conflict is
handled may have a significant impact on the overall performance of the team. We had
several disagreements in our group due to the fact that our working techniques were all
different and that we had opposing ideas. I was the one who took the initiative to handle
disputes in a calm and productive manner. I discovered that successful tactics for conflict
resolution include first admitting the problem, then carefully listening to all parties, and last
searching for common ground. I feel that we were able to keep both our productivity and our
morale up by contributing to an environment of harmony within the team.
It is very necessary to have efficient time management in order to achieve project deadlines.
Our team was able to create precise timeframes and goals early on, but unforeseen obstacles
often surfaced over the course of the project. I volunteered to be in charge of monitoring how
far we've come and keeping everyone in the loop about approaching due dates. Because I
took a proactive approach to controlling the way in which we allocated our time, we were
able to guarantee that we hit all of the project milestones on time.
In conclusion, the experiences I had working on the team projects helped me to acquire key
abilities in communication, negotiation, decision-making, conflict resolution, and time
management. These were all areas in which I was able to progress as a team member.
Although there were certain difficulties associated with my efforts, I feel that our team's
overall performance was improved as a result of them. The capacity to cooperate, adapt, and
successfully traverse different parts of group dynamics is something that I've found is
essential to successful cooperation. This is something that I've learnt via personal experience.
These experiences have been really beneficial, and I have no doubt that they will influence
the way I approach future group endeavours.
Answer-4.1(a)
(Graham, 2004)
A number of departments or roles serve as the foundation for the organizational structure. In
this instance, we have five departments, which are the Finance Department, Human
Resources Department, Marketing Department, Production Department, and Engineering
Department. Each department is accountable for the completion of its own unique set of
specialized responsibilities, and they report their progress to senior management.
Answer-4.1(b)
(Graham, 2004)
Market Dynamics and Competitiveness: Technology, customer tastes, and trends change the
market. Organizations must change quickly and provide new goods or services to compete. A
project-based structure offers adaptability and fast market reaction, giving the company a
competitive advantage.
Project Complexity and Scale: Complex projects with cross-functional needs and different
skills may be difficult for a functional organization to handle. Project-based structures are
preferable for complicated projects because they form committed, multidisciplinary teams
that effectively achieve project goals.
Global expansion and various markets: Different market demands, legislation, and cultural
factors arise when expanding into new markets or serving diverse clients. A project-based
structure allows teams and techniques to be tailored to market needs, improving global
penetration and adaption.
Tech and innovation trends: Technological advances encourage innovation and need specific
skills and expertise. Project-based organizations demand flexible, cross-functional teams to
adapt to new technology. These frameworks foster information exchange and cooperation for
technology innovation and adoption.
(Egeland, 2009)
A fundamental issue with the Defence Project was a lack of honest communication
between team members. Because of this, problem-reporting channels were less open,
which exacerbated issues.
Failure to immediately and correctly address the problem of the cost overrun was a major
risk factor due to poor cost and budget management. The result was a loss of revenue and
the client's loss of faith.
There were technological difficulties with the project, particularly with the creation of
new materials for the Spartan missile. The strategy for managing risks did not account for
these problems.
The distribution of resources, particularly human resources, was inefficient. The project
manager struggled to get their hands on the necessary personnel in order to complete
crucial duties.
Answer- 5.2
The following issues may have been avoided or lessened in severity if a standardized
approach to project management had been used.
Earned value analysis is one example of a cost management approach that would have
helped catch the cost overrun sooner so that appropriate measures could have been
implemented.
A standardized technique will often use a methodical strategy for managing risks.
Technical concerns associated with material development may have been identified and
analyzed more thoroughly.
The proper resources would have been accessible when they were required if there had
been a uniform method for allocating and managing them.
Answer- 5.3
Problem: The issue is that scope shifts were not handled well.
Impact: Confusion and expanded responsibilities among team members (aka "scope creep").
Our advice for making things better is to set up a systematic change control mechanism to
evaluate and authorize alterations to the project's scope.
Problem: The findings of the accelerated aging tests were not shared openly.
Problem: The problem is that current methods of risk assessment and protection are
insufficient.
Impact: Problems with technology and extra expenses that weren't anticipated.
Suggestion for Betterment: Establish a system for identifying, evaluating, and mitigating
potential risks.
Problem: Lack of materials and technical difficulties are delaying progress on the project.
Answer-5.4
The Blue Spider Project is a fictional case study often referenced in project management
learning. The scenario involves a project where an engineering company aims to improve the
structural capabilities and performance parameters of their products (often related to
aerospace or mechanical components). For the purpose of this explanation, I will create a
general interpretation of what the tasks might be based on typical project management steps
in such technical ventures.
Given the complexity of project management tasks, creating a detailed work breakdown
structure (WBS), Gantt chart, and a comprehensive explanation with a conclusion within an
800+ word limit is a substantial undertaking. However, I will provide an overview here, and
for a real project, each of these components would be built using specialized software and
would require extensive collaboration and input from various project team members and
stakeholders.
Foundational tasks like scope definition and charter development have tight timelines.
Starts as soon as early ideas are available and continues simultaneously with other stages
since it involves project work.
Also starts early and continues throughout, keeping the project on schedule and maintaining
its scope and quality.
Management of a major technical project like the Blue Spider Project involves careful
planning, continual monitoring, and strict control measures. Each project lifecycle phase has
unique issues and demands various tools and approaches.
Setting goals, identifying stakeholders, and addressing risks at the start phase provide the
framework for the project. This phase sets the project's permitted baseline, therefore its
completion is crucial.
Plans for cost management, scheduling, resource allocation, and risk reduction are created
during planning. The project plan becomes the "source of truth" and the benchmark for
success at this crucial period.
Execution implements the project plan. The project team must collaborate with stakeholders,
manage resources well, and react to changes. This phase requires communication to ensure
project goals are reached and everyone is on the same page.
By frequently monitoring and assessing progress to discover deviations from the plan, the
monitoring and controlling phase meets project goals. This phase helps project managers
make changes effectively for quality control and scope management.
In the closing phase, the project is finished and handed over fully, ensuring all elements are
met. This phase allows retrospectives and learning, fostering organizational development.
Answer-5.5
Description: Identifying the causes of poor productivity is essential before solving the
problem. Without understanding the core reasons, all solutions may be superficial and
ineffective.
Consult team members and stakeholders for input. To find the underlying cause, utilize
Fishbone diagrams or the 5 Whys technique. If the team blames poor tools, investigate if it's a
training, accessibility, or appropriateness problem.
2. Clarified Goal
Description: When the team loses sight of the core goals or they are not clearly stated from
the start, projects might fail.
Application: Remind everyone of the project's main aims during the crisis meeting. This will
guide future conversations and choices.
3. Aligning Resources
Projects typically have bottlenecks when human, technical, and financial resources don't
match task needs.
Application: Examine project critical route. Find out which tasks are behind and whether
resources are mismatched. Perhaps certain duties are over- or under-resourced. Cross-train
staff or hire temporary help.
Application: Redraw the project timetable based on current problems and revised resource
plan. This revised timeline should include buffers for unexpected issues.
- Measured things are handled. The team understands what's anticipated and the manager can
measure progress with clear performance indicators.
Application: Use daily or weekly productivity rates as KPIs. Task completion, hours
recorded, and other indicators may determine this. Goals and benchmarks may guide the team
to success.
Answer-5.6
1. Executive Summary:
The Blue Spider case study project has made great progress since the previous status report.
This report summarizes the project's achievements, problems, and suggestions for scope,
timing, and cost modifications. The customer prioritizes quality throughout the process.
2. Project Summary:
The Blue Spider case study seeks to innovate web crawling algorithm optimization. The
project improves web scraping efficiency and accuracy to obtain data for numerous
applications. The project team includes specialists in data science, machine learning, and
software development.
3. Accomplishments: The project team has reached many key milestones since the last
progress report:
4. Obstacles
a) complicated Complexity: Web crawling techniques are complicated and need thorough
testing.
b) Data Volume: Processing big amounts of data from many sources requires strong
infrastructure and efficient processing.
c) Time Constraints: The project deadline is ambitious, thus resource management and
prioritisation are needed to complete all deliverables.
5. Recommendations: Based on customer consent for scope, time, and cost modifications, the
following proposals are suggested:
a) Scope: Review the project scope to meet the client's changing demands. This may entail
adding features or improving functionality.
b) Time: Assess the project timeframe for quality-preserving optimization opportunities. Task
dependencies, resource allocation, and delivery deadlines may need to be changed.
c) Cost: Analyze the project budget for cost minimization. This might include using open-
source materials, alternative technologies, or simplifying development.
6. QA:
High quality standards are essential to the project. Quality assurance will continue with code
reviews, automated testing, and continuous integration by the project team. To meet industry
standards and customer expectations, quality audits will be undertaken regularly.
7. Next Steps:
The project team will prioritize these tasks:
Scaling Up: Optimize web crawling technique for effective handling of bigger datasets.
c) Testing and Validation: Thoroughly test the solution for correctness, dependability, and
performance.
Rockart, John F., Chief Executives Define Their Own Data Needs, Harvard Business Review,
March 1979, accessed 24 November 2022
Gareis, R.1989. ‘Management by projects: the management approach for the future’,
International Journal of Project Management, 7(4):243–9.
Graham, R.J. and Englund, R.L. 2004. Creating environment for successful projects, 2nd ed.
USA: Jossey-Bass
Egeland, B. (2009, Mar 22). PMTips.net. Retrieved from Common Project Issues: Keeping
Bad News from the Customer: http://pmtips.net/Blog/common-projectissues-keeping-bad-
news-customer