This assignment covers text chapters 6 and 7 PROJECT MANAGMENT EDITION 4 APA FOR

Question

This assignment covers text chapters 6 and 7 PROJECT MANAGMENT EDITION 4 APA FORMAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Some questions are adapted from Discussion Questions in the text. Be sure you complete all questions. Your answers should be well-documented and include detailed references to the readings and other sources of information. Each essay should begin with an paragraph that introduces the topic of your essay and what will be conveyed.  Several paragraphs should follow that incorporate responses to the leading questions as well  as your individual analysis, examples, and conclusions. Describe the steps you would take to assemble a project team. [MO3.1] Groups mature over time, increasing their effectiveness and productivity. How would you describe the stages of group development, and what do you feel is the responsibility of a project team leader in fostering group development? How does a mature group act more effectively? [MO3.1, 3.2] Personal conflicts are inevitable in a team environment. What general types of conflicts typically arise? What are the most common sources of conflicts? Finally, what are the most common methods of resolving conflicts? [MO3.3] How do you define risk management and project risk? What is the relationship between risk and opportunity? Why does the period of highest risk impact occur during the latter period of the project life cycle? [MO3.4]

Explanation / Answer

BUILDING THE PROJECT TEAM - Stage One: Forming

Identify Necessary Skill Sets – Assessing realistic skill sets required to build a team with a skills matrix and responsibility activity matrix (RAM) methodology, that will compliment the different members offering the ability to perform the project duties. Once the skill set required is established, identifying the personnel to match the skills is necessary.

Identify People Who Match the Skills – The team leader can hire new personnel or train current personnel. The final decision comes down to cost effectiveness versus benefit.

Talk to Potential Team Members and Negotiate with Functional Heads – Begin communication with possible candidates for the project team, assessing interest, ability and availability. Once interests levels are established, the project team leader can begin negotiations with functional heads for the services of prospective project team members. Negotiations may be complex and lengthy due to current obligations and department heads being concerned with their departmental requirements. Common negotiation questions include length of service required – full-time, part-time and how many days or months, who chooses the person to serve the team and special or emergency circumstances – will the team member be able to be removed, if so for how long.

The organization supports the project, therefore, the department heads will show support.

Build in Fallback Positions – Limited or unavailable resources? Negotiate partial assistance and/or adjust crucial schedules to meet with talent schedules. IF neither of these compromises works with department heads, notifying top management of lack of talent available with the consequences would be necessary.

Assemble the Team – The team is approved and staffed. Clarify individual team member roles and responsibilities. Along with team standard operating procedures (SOP).

Stage One: Forming AKA Floundering stage

Meet and greet stage, moulding a collection of individuals from various backgrounds and specialities into a coherent project team. Learning the purpose, roles and goals of the project, communication patterns and acceptable behaviours are established. The team leader establishes structure and sets the tone for future cooperation and attitude.

STAGES IN GROUP DEVELOPMENT

Stage One: Forming – meet and greet, lay of the land, SOP-standard operating procedures, project goals, communication patterns are established and the team leader establishes structure and sets the tone for future cooperation and attitude.

Stage Two: Storming – Conflicts start to arise within the team, related to; authority, hidden agendas and prejudices. Alienation of certain members and low morale can set in relatively quickly if not attended to by the team leader. Leadership patterns, reporting relationships, and norms of work and interpersonal behaviour are challenged and perhaps reestablished.

Stage Three: Norming – Cooperation between members begins operating procedures start to be followed, developing closer relationships and committing to the development process of the project. Team skills start developing, rebuilding morale while confronting previous issues, establishing mutually agreed upon practices and attitudes.

Once the previous three stages are dealt with appropriately, allowing the team to grow and mature… their individual talents emerge, allowing the team to be productive.

Stage Four: Performing – Moral is high, trust levels sore, mutual appreciation for other team member’s performance and contributions with a willingness to actively seek to collaborate. Team members are working confidently and efficiently, individually and together.

Stage Five: Adjourning – Transitions can be difficult… as the project wraps, certain individuals may be returning to their original departments. Some members of the team may be apprehensive as to their future assignments. Morale can start to deteriorate and momentum on final submissions can slow. It can be a distressing time for many and an uncertain time for many more.  

Punctuated Equilibrium – Gersick’s research found;

Initial impressions are often lasting – therefore meetings, messages, interpersonal skills and communication need to be appropriate the lasting impression desired.

Plan for the mid-life crisis – due to a lack of concrete results and escalating interpersonal tensions. Recognize and plan for interim milestones and other indications of progress, the more they can mitigate the adverse effects of project team conflicts.

Project Sources Of Conflict

Conflict over project priorities

Conflict over administrative procedures

Conflict over technical opinions and performance trade-offs

Conflict over human resources

Conflict over cost and budget

Conflict over schedules

Personality conflicts

Goal-oriented conflict – associated with results, performance, specifications frustrations, criteria, priorities and objectives.

Administrative conflict – associated with management hierarchy, organizational structure, or company philosophy, disagreements about reporting relationships, authority and administrative control for functions, project tasks, and decisions.

Interpersonal conflict – Occurring from personality conflicts, stakeholders, work ethics, behavioural styles and egos.

Organizational causes of conflict –Most common causes of organizational conflict include; reward systems, scarce resources, uncertainty, and differentiation.

Interpersonal causes of conflict –Misconceptions about the reasons behind another’s behaviour or implied disregard for another. “Many individuals do not have the ego strength to acknowledge and accept objective disagreement, preferring to couch their frustration in personal terms.”

Faulty communication – lack of clarity

Personal grudges and prejudices

There are three schools of thought that exist about how conflicts are perceived:

The traditional view – seeing the conflict as having a negative impact on the organization, traditionalists believe the conflict should be suppressed and eliminated.

The behavioural or contemporary view –view conflict as natural and inevitable in the life of an organization, their solution to the conflict is to manage it effectively rather than attempt to eliminate or suppress it.

The interactionist view – the behaviourist manage conflict, the interactionist encourages conflict to develop. Believing it prevents an organization from becoming stagnant or apathetic. Introducing an element of tension that produces innovation, creativity, and higher productivity. Controlling the conflict, preventing intense or consequential actions in the organization. Interactionists seek the optimal level of conflict— too little leads to inertia and too much leads to chaos.

5 Methods for Resolving Conflict

Regardless of the methods chosen to resolve the conflict, it’s important to remember conflict is often evidence of a team’s progress. First and foremost the project manager needs to determine the method that best applies to the specific conflict.

Will the project manager be siding with one party?

Is the conflict professional or personal in nature?

Can team members resolve the issue on their own?

Is there time and inclination to mediate the dispute?

MEDIATE THE CONFLICT – Direct interest in the conflict seeking to find a solution, either through defusing or confronting the problem and negotiating a solution. When a project manager is not comfortable imposing a judgment, mediation is a promising solution.

ARBITRATE THE CONFLICT ­– The project manager will be imposing judgment. After actively listening to both positions, an impartial and impersonal decision will be rendered final.

CONTROL THE CONFLICT – The project manager may not need to resolve the conflict. A pragmatic response allows a couple of days for the two parties to resolve the conflict on their own or at the very least cooldown. Controlling the conflict through limited interaction can sometimes be effective until the situation rectifies itself.

ACCEPT THE CONFLICT – Unmanageable conflicts may need to be accepted. Distinctly different personalities often times can be managed into a strictly professional and limited relationship.

ELIMINATE THE CONFLICT – If the project, team members or organization are at risk due to a conflict. It may be necessary to transfer a team member or make other changes to the positive experience and success of the project. Ongoing conflict can damage the morale and influence the cohesion of the team, impacting results dramatically.

RISK MANAGEMENT:

Comprised of four steps:

• Risk identification — Determining specific risk factors expected to affect the project. I.e. financial from developing a project, technical risk from unique technical elements or unproven technology, the commercial risk from the unknown is their degree of commercial success, execution risk from unknown specifics related to the execution of the project plan, contractual or legal risk from exposure.

• Analysis of probability and consequences — Potential impact of these risks

• Risk mitigation strategies — Strategies to minimize potential risks and possible impact of those risks

• Control and documentation — Accumulating a knowledge base for future projects based on lessons learned.

PROJECT RISK MANAGEMENT: Common forms of risks to projects include;

Absenteeism • Resignation • Staff pulled away by management • Additional staff/ skills not available • Training not as effective as desired • Initial specifications poorly or incompletely specified • Work or change orders multiply due to various problems • Enhancements take longer than expected.

Without risk, an organization isn’t able to gain market share. There must be a risk in order to grow. The highest risk impact occurs during the latter period of the project lifecycle because that is when the highest tensions arise, the most funds are put forth and allocation of funds may be determined as insufficient to complete the project.

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