Project Management-1

Project Management

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Meetings are seen as the third major time waster in the work place. 50% of the working time is spent in meetings. These can either be one-on one meetings or group meetings. Most people see this 50% of their time as wasted. However, meetings are not such time wasters if they can be planned and executed well. Meetings are basically business tools which are meant to exchange information and ideas, reviewing progress as well as solving problems. They thus must be managed and used effectively. There are several ways in which efficiency in a meeting can be increased as well as the improvement of the results. These include;

Assess if the meeting is really necessary

Most meetings turn out to be unnecessary. There are other ways that one can achieve the same goal. This can be through the circulation of a memo to pass the information, a conference call can be made, speaking to people individually as well as bulkpostponing the meeting to a time where you are expected to have another meeting (Whitehead Jr, 1984).

If a meeting is not necessary, you should avoid having it as much as possible. If the meeting is necessary, you should ask yourself whether you really have to attend the meeting all the same. If you find it not beneficial for you, do not attend it after all. If someone else may not benefit from attending that meeting, inform the person as well.

Write down an agenda

If you have made an establishment that the meeting is indeed necessary to attend, be sure to make an establishment of a very clear purpose of the meeting and hence write an agenda for the meeting (Doyle, & Straus, 1976). For time management, it is important to write a one-paragraph statement that is able set explain well the purpose of the meeting. For example, you can start with a statement, “we are having this meeting in order to achieve this particular goal.” After this, write down the exact objective of the meeting.

Make out a list of everything that needs to be covered. Next to every item, you should ensure that you state every person that is expected to carry out every task. Distribute the agenda early enough so that every person is aware of the task they are to undertake in time.

Be able to start the meeting and stop it in time

Set a schedule of the clear time to start and end the meeting. If the meeting is supposed to start at 10 and end at 11, you should ensure that the meeting starts at 10 and ends at 11 on the dot. The worst meetings are the ones that start at the exact time but do not have a clear ending time.

Another rule to add to this, it is good not to wait for the latecomer. Make an assumption that the latecomer is not coming at all and start the meeting without them. It is normally unfair to punish the people who have arrived early to wait for a person who doesn’t know how to keep time. Most companies have developed a strict policy of locking the door from inside once the meeting starts. The latecomers are thus not allowed inside the room. This will ensure they never come late the next time.

Be able to go through the important items first.

When writing up an agenda, be sure to apply the 80/20 rule (Whitehead Jr, 1984). Ensure that the top 20% of the important issues are covered first. If you run out of time, you will have already covered the most pressing issues.

Make a summary of each conclusion.

When you make a discussion of an item in a meeting, make a summary of the discussion and get a closure. Ensure each item gets a discussion and a completion before going to any other issue at hand (Doyle, & Straus, 1976). Restate what has been concluded and agreed on every item before proceeding to the next item at hand.

Assign a specific responsibility

If a decision has been made, assign responsibilities for all the specific actions that have been agreed upon and set the deadlines as well. Keep it in mind that a discussion and an agreement without the assignment of the responsibilities turns out to be merely a conversation (Doyle, & Straus, 1976). Be very clear about who is going to do what and by when.

Keep the notes and circulate the minutes

A very key way to getting maximum effectiveness from a meeting is to ensure that you keep accurate notes as well as circulation of minutes within 24 hours of the meeting if possible. Keeping accurate minutes can be of much help if a misunderstanding arises later (Whitehead Jr, 1984). The minutes can be produced to provide clarification. Agendas which are prepared in advance and followed by accurate meetings afterwards ensure that every person is clear about their responsibilities as well as the deadlines set.

Other very key aspects that can make meetings productive are; turn- taking whereby a member speaks only when it is their turn to speak and give a chance to others to speak as they wait for their turn. Additionally, members in a meeting should only speak when they have something sensible and not speaking just to be heard.

A project Management Maturity Model is formal tool that is meant to measure the maturity of an organizations project management (Crawford, 2014). Once the initial level of maturity has been identified as well as the areas of improvement have been identified, this model provides a roadmap which outlines the steps that need to be taken to help towards project management maturity performance improvement and advancement. It comprises of five levels. The first is the common language. This is the part where the organization makes a recognition of the fundamental principles of project management. This is the first step of project management which all projects need to go through. The second step is the common process. This is the stage where the organization is able to use project management as well as develop the processes and the methodologies to support its effective use (Crawford, 2014). The behavioral expectations of the organizational personnel are at this point necessary for the methodology to be executed repetitively. Singular methodology is the third step. It is at this level that the maturity of the organization is able to recognize that process control and synergism can be achieved best through the development of a singular methodology rather than by the use of multiple methodologies. Most companies that are at this stage are committed totally to the project management project.

The fourth level is benchmarking. This is the level where the organization uses benchmarking to compare other professional projects with theirs so as to know where to make improvements. Continous improvement is the last stage where the organization looks at the information it collected during benchmarking and implements the changes that are necessary to make improvements (Crawford, 2014).

In this paper, I provide a case study of a motor vehicle manufacturing company and subject it through an assessment basing on the Project Management Maturity Model. A motor vehicle manufacturing company notices that it will not be in a position to satisfy its customer’s demands. The major issue is that they have realized an increased demand of 15% year in year out for their brand of vehicles over the last four years and it is clear that the situation will remain the same in coming years. The executive director asked the internal team to carry out a review of the present processes of manufacturing and come up with changes to the same coupled with proposed upgrades on various equipment in order to meet future demands. The team recommended that an upgrade be done on manufacturing equipment including the redesigning of the line of production with no definite figures regarding the number of projected increases. Another critical aspect that was missing was a critical analysis of what would befall the departments of procurement, delivery and warehousing. The question was whether the changes that are to be made to the process of manufacturing would be comfortably managed by the three departments. The team directed by the director had obviously come up with a plan that had short falls. The director had previously gone through a similar experience in another company and not wanting to go through a similar experience he decided to engage a project planning and management company, XYZ Projects to come up with a project plan for the initiative. XYZ Projects were specialists in process improvement initiatives. The director was well aware that the efforts will bear fruits if well implemented and managed.

XYZ Projects came up with a plan outline with timelines and costs to boot. The plan covered identification of needs as a result of an increase in production in addition to mapping out affected departments and processes in case the increase in production is to be carried out.

XYZ Projects basing on their expertise knew that some other areas apart from the manufacturing line would obviously be affected. The procurement department for example had a budget already set for purchases. Cleary then the expenditure required for raw materials that were not to be utilized in manufacturing would interfere with the flow of cash and therefore a consideration of how materials would be stored until time for manufacture. Additionally, more vendors would be needed to meet increased demand for raw materials. Similarly, more suppliers would be required. It was clear that there was a need for the integration of the manufacturing process and the procurement department for a smooth flow of raw materials to production.

A detailed plan was identified with the aim of identifying stakeholders and gathering of data accurately for manufacturing process using similar questionnaires to gather data for detailed documentation. A plan for risks and their management was formulated just in case they occurred. They were aware that changing a process for example could lead to a domino effect in the company for example if the procurement department is unable to get materials from a particular vendor there could be a shortage which could result to delays hence need for a backup.

A change management team was also put in place because there was need to communicate changes in the whole company and bring people who mattered on board and prepare them for the new process. People in the production line were also needed to test the new equipment to meet client demand. Support from all these people was needed. All employees were notified of the on- goings. Their input would aid the success of the project. Regular meetings were done to check status and ensure all employees were participating.

The results to this was that the manufacturing process gradually improved and satisfied client demands and the company was even ready to in another site of manufacturing. Some challenges were noted during the project for example procurement capacity was limited because of finances, budget and storage issues. Production of more vehicles meant a demand for bigger warehouse and more deliveries.

To conclude, this management approach made the company realize their production requirements with compromising current client demands. Continuous communication served to ensure that everybody was roped in hence increasing employee participation to meet the needs of clients. The adherence strictly to the standard project management procedures enabled the manufacturing company implement the project effectively, within the budget hence meeting future strategic goals thus pushing the company to the next level.

A job description is a very critical document for every position. It takes care of various important functions. It is able to describe the skills of a person as well as the competencies that are required. It is meant to make a definition of where the job might fit in the overall company hierarchy. It is also the basis for the employment contract. It is also a very valuable performance management tool. The following are the fundamental steps for making an efficient job description for a position.

First of all, write down the job title. It should be described appropriately and should as well have the following qualities. It should reflect appropriately the ranking order with the other jobs in the organization (Berber, Nel, & Van Dyk, 1987). It should appropriately reflect the job’s nature as well as the duties to be performed and should not make an exaggeration of the importance of the job. It should also be very free from age and gender implications. Lastly, it should be self-explanatory for the purposes of recruitment.

Secondly, a good job description should have a list of the duties that one is expected to undertake as well as the time that each task is expected to be undertaken. This should not be longer than 2-3 sentences. The skills as well as the competencies should be well listed and should be separate from each other as they are two different things. Skills is what can be achieved through practice and study. A competency are the attributes or the traits that the candidate is expected to display.

It is also important to include the working relationships as well as the reporting lines that the in the job description. The reporting lines are able to lay down the responsibilities that he employee will have and shows who the candidate will be reporting to as well as who will be reporting to them (Berber et al, 1987). The working relationships on the other hand stipulates the people as well as the department that the person is expected to work really closely with. By use of an organization chart, relationships can be well represented in the job description.

Lastly, it is very important to mention the salary issue in your job description. Rather than mentioning a specific salary, it is important that you mention a salary range and include it in the job description. Also give an allowance of the experience as well as the education expectation. This would need an update from time to time as they pay scales keep changing.

A very good job description includes more than a list of the tasks to be undertaken as well as the responsibilities. If written appropriately, it is able to give the reader a sense of the priorities which are involved.

In an organization, it is common to have employees who have poisonous behaviors that could affect the organization. So if the employees just never seem to complete their jobs on time, this can be so frustrating and exhausting. There are however some tips on how best to deal with the employees who are not able to meet the deadlines. First of all, you need to set the expectations and communicate them as early as possible. It is good to sometimes ask them to establish their own deadlines (Flynn, 1995). This will put the burden of the completion of the job on them and they will work hard to ensure they achieve it since they set the target themselves.

Secondly, you should be able to note the conversations that you have with the employees that gives the clarifications, instructions as well as the reminders. This will help remind you later and follow up on it. Lastly, you can as well tie the payment to the performance. The employee who doesn’t deliver should get a lesser pay. This will motivate them to work harder.

Another hurdle is dealing with the employees who cause constant interruption. One way to deal with this is by keeping an interrupters log. Keep a record of the things that interrupt you during the day and at what times. Assess whether it was valid and urgent. Make an assessment after a while and know how to deal with the urgent interruptions and let go of the others. Telephone interruptions are also very common at the work place. If you have deadlines to meet, be sure to use the voice mail so as to screen your calls. This can help you deal with calls by priority and thus avoid a lot of interruptions. Lastly, learn to say no. let people know when you are available and when you are not and learn when you can say no to something that will disrupt your program.

Employers also have an issue about dealing with employees who need excess overtime. There are several policies which can help in dealing with excessive overtime issues. First of all, enforce a policy. Create a policy that gives guidelines to overtime and enforce it by use of disciplinary action (Flynn, 1995). For example, you should make it official that employees need not to arrive to work too early nor leave late unless given permission by their departmental supervisor. You can as well use the attendance and the time tools. The employees can undergo finger checks on the time they get in as well as the time they leave. The employee should thus set a strict time in and time out policy.

Personnel issues are quite a number and the employer has to deal with each one of them effectively. These issues include; the hiring practices. These can be tiresome as it is hard to get the right candidates. To handle this, it is important to take enough time to shortlist the candidates and carry out interviews effectively. The wage and hour issues can be a problem too. The employees might feel unsatisfied with the amount of wages they are paid compared to their hours of working. The employer as well can fail to make a determination of the amount of wages to pay. The employer thus needs to make a careful determination of the wages by making comparison with other similar organizations. This can also enable it to maintain its competency.

To deal with delegation of duties. An employer needs to ensure that they are specific in the duties they are delegating to the employees (Flynn, 1995). They also need to be measurable. They should not give too much work to one person. They should give a manageable amount of work. They also need to be realistic. Give the employee a job that they can handle if you need good results. As well, set the timelines that you need the work to be delivered to prevent an employee from staying with a task for too long.

At the work place, employees may be at times be overwhelmed by different tasks that they need no undertake. They thus have to device a way of dealing with this. First of all. One needs to have clear goals. Know what the priorities are and decide on the time you may need to undertake each task then tackle them one by one. One you have clear goals, set clear time blocks to decide on what to undertake and at what time or on which day. These two steps will be beneficial in handling the issue of multiple priorities.

A good procedural documentation is able to provide the step-by-step procedures that are able to ensure the continuity of a particular business. It should be able to offer clarity as well as the methods by which a business can be compliant. It should as well be able to be a training tool, increase the consistent quality, and provide the opportunity for a business to maximize on saving as well as provide provision of the supply chain improvement.

As a project manager, my attitude towards procedural documentation is that it is a very important aspect of a business because it is beneficial in the provision of a fundamental understanding of a particular task. It also enables another team member to complete a task you had started.

References

Berber, P. D., Nel, P. S., & Van Dyk, P. S. (1987). Human resources management. Southern Book drafters.

Crawford, J. K. (2014). Project management maturity model. CRC Press.

Doyle, M., & Straus, D. (1976). How to make meetings work. New York: Jove Books.

Flynn, G. (1995). Make employee ethics your business. Personnel Journal.

Whitehead Jr, J. L. (1984). Improving Meeting Productivity.