Free The New Project Management Essay Sample

In the recent past, organizational activities are being performed through collaboration of efforts from adhocracies; small teams which have been mandated to bring about organizational resources together for the attainment of the desired goals. With the increased need for projects in organizations, possession of knowledge and skills for effective project management has become very vital. In fact, project management has become an increasingly specialized field that embodies specific principles, metrics, tools as well as meticulous procedures. J. Davidson Frame, a Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of Management and Technology (UMT) is exceptionally gifted in the field of management. His extensive experience reverberates in the book, 'The New Project Management'. In this book, Frame endeavors to bring the framework of project management right into the contexts of a modern organization with precise and accurate focus. Frame draws an intensive analysis of the process of project management in an organization by discussing the building blocks of the entire process of project management. The book comprises of two parts divided into chapters. Each part addresses a certain issue. However, the two parts are linked together through elaborate transition and connection.

The first area covered in the book contains mainly the introduction. In the introduction, we get a glimpse of the new environment that businesses are faced with in the modern setting. Similarly, we are enlightened on the importance of project management in a purely new way. As part of the introduction, problems associated with the traditional project management approach are discussed in detail. The introduction also briefly discusses the nature of the new approach to project management. As an essential requirement, the introduction highlights on the traits that a new project manager needs to posses for effective performance. Besides, emphasis is laid on the roles and value of project managers. Finally, the introduction looks at the scope beyond the project manager.  

After the introduction, the first part begins. This part discusses the new business management environment. The first area in this part is also chapter two of the book. It addresses the complexity of managing giving techniques vital for realizing fashionable order amidst immense chaos. In the discussion, natures of chaos as well as complexity are adequately discussed. Similarly, the facets in which complexity thrives are outlined. A firsthand encounter with complexity of projects is discussed as well as how it can be managed. The third chapter is concerned with change. It analyses how to engage with change. Three aspects of change are discussed: embracing it, accepting as well as challenging it. Important areas discussed include the origins of change, strategies through which change can be managed, how to embrace flow of quick prototyping, how change can be resisted through management configuration, steps for management configuration development as well as how change can be controlled.

Chapter four delves on risk management. It discusses the identification, analysis as well as planned responses. Areas of concern include the risk perspectives, variability and risk, risks and their ranges, projects' sources of risks, trade-offs on risk-rewards, relationship between horizons of time and risk, exposure to risk, managing project risks, relevance of documentation as well as modeling.  Chapter five discusses customer satisfaction. It covers intensive customer knowledge. Similarly, customer expectations are addressed alongside traits needed for an effective customer needs analyst. Also discussed are the steps for improving definition of needs, responsibilities of customers in need definition, how to organize attainment of customer satisfaction as well as measures to take in case of lack of customer cooperation.  Chapter six is concerned with customer-development gap. The chapter discusses where needs and requirements are placed in the process of project management. It also discusses how to capture requirements, the management process and key players in definition of requirements, challenge in communication, model standard of communication, tips on how to handle requirements and bringing communication into joint application development.   

Part two of the book discusses the tools necessary for new project management. It is also composed of various chapters each discussing a certain aspect. Chapter seven discusses the acquisition of political skills as well as influence building. Under this, politics is defined, its presence in projects, project environment and players contended with, being a politician in a better way, how to act and build authority, effective use of authority as well as how to manage the managers. Chapter eight discusses how teams can be built using borrowed resources. Under this, the team is made tangible in the best way possible, good behavior is rewarded and a personal touch is developed. Similarly, the chapter discusses teams which are self-managed; their prospects as well as pitfalls. Finally, it elaborates on team structuring. Chapter nine gives insight into successful project selection. It expounds on the importance of choice through the cost-benefit analysis. Important techniques of choice like Buss's Technique of projects ranking, poor man's hierarchy and the murder board are also discussed. Finally, review of peer and rules for project selection are addressed.

Chapter ten is committed to improvement of quality of project estimation by staff on resource requirements, costs and schedules. The chapter draws useful techniques through which project estimation can be improved remarkably with an effect of lowering the possibility of slippages in schedule as well as overruns in costs. Chapter eleven looks at two scheduling techniques: critical chain scheduling and time-boxed scheduling. It is hoped that most projects can deliver products faster through adoption of the techniques.  Chapter twelve examines the phenomenon of modern business environment. It discusses vital principles of contracting on projects as well as suggestions on effective operation in outsourcing.

Chapter thirteen emphases the need for simultaneous review of schedule performance and cost for effective project control. It provides a graphical approach on integrated cost and schedule control as well as a cost-accounting technique for complex earned-value. It is apparent that the earned-value technique is an emerging concept of modern project management. Chapter fourteen scrutinizes improvement of accountability in projects. It is evident that managing with borrowed resources presents a major shortcoming on accountability. Therefore, if evaluation is used constructively, accountability can be greatly sharpened. Inherent pitfalls in evaluation are also discussed as well as a model of a user-friendly methodology of evaluation-IBM's walk-through structure. Chapter fifteen gives a description of how organizations can develop meaningful performance metrics. This is very important for effective evaluation. The chapter also discusses the role played by measurement during project management. Similarly, the nature of measurement and how measures are generated are discussed. Finally, the shadow aspect of measures is discussed in an in-depth manner.

Chapter sixteen deals with the contemporary trends towards project management. Areas such as changes in the role of project managers, traditional program as well as offices for projects and location are also discussed. The chapter also discusses how to staff the project support office as well as disposal of the office through selling. Finally, chapter seventeen gives a review on how project support offices can be established and maintained for the benefit of the organization. It elaborates on how such offices can dramatically improve projects. For instance, the offices are useful in the removal of administrative burden from members of the project team as well as provision of expertise in project management to organizations in sustaining projects.

 

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