Running Head: REFLECTIONS 1

Reflections of OGL 320 - Intro to Project Management.

Harley A. Bode

Arizona State University

OGL 320 Module #7

February 28, 2021

Reflections of OGL 320 - Intro to Project Management.

Last week we took a closer look at some more aspects of project management: making

adjustments to plans, managing positive and negative risks, and controlling quality. This week

we wrapped up the class by learning about project closeout phases, best practices in project

management, and documenting projects for future reference. The paper for this week challenges

us to look back on the last seven weeks, analyze what we have learned, and talk about where we

go from here. I hope to look at what I can learn and solidify the teachings from this lesson and

use these essays as a reference for future projects in my professional career.

Planning and scheduling are the first of three principles and practices essential to

effectively managing projects. Before even meeting with the project team, it is important that the

project team sit down and discuss the project as a whole (from start to finish) and begin to work

out the details. If leaders dive into planning without a clear goal in mind, the whole project can

be misdirected or actually derailed, which would end up costing the stakeholders massive

amounts of time, money, and other resources. There is also the issue of just diving in without any

sort of plan. Getting a good start on a project is almost impossible without planning even the

most basic steps before beginning. Brian Sauser wrote in his article Why projects fail? How

contingency theory can provide new insights – A comparative analysis of NASA’s Mars Climate

Orbiter loss, “Often the problem (with projects that fail) is rooted in management’s failure to

select the right approach to the specific project” (2009). Just as this article states, sometimes

choosing the wrong approach is detrimental to the overall project. I want to emphasize the

importance of pre-planning before even sitting down with the team members for the first time.

This is to prepare the team leader for that first meeting so he or she can share an overview of
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what needs to be done because it will actually give the team the motivation and steps to hit the

ground running.

Communication is the second principle and practices essential to effectively managing

projects. As laid out in our textbook, Harvard Business Essentials: Managing Projects Large

and Small, “the qualities needed to have a successful project team are: competence, a clear and

common goal, commitment to the common goal, an environment within which everyone

contributes and everyone benefits, a supportive structure, and alignment of project goals with

organizational goals” (2004). In addition to these listed, I believe that there are several basic

traits that members need, communication being the most important. Communication is important

to the foundation of any relationship, and a project has one of the most complex relationships of

all. Projects often get delayed, stopped, or reworked, and I believe this is the case because team

members were not being open and honest with each other, or there was no talk or agreement on

the project's goal. Just as it is important to know where to begin, it is equally important that

everyone knows where the project is going and ending. As projects progress, it is essential that

everyone is on the same page and is open about both the struggles and accomplishments they are

experiencing. If one team member were to hide information about a flaw or problem in the plan,

the whole project could fall apart (especially if the information was hidden for a long period of

time). Project managers and project team leaders should be open and honest with the team

members just as team members should be open and honest with their team leads. Without this

communication within the team's relationship, projects can come to a screeching halt right as

they’re trying to take off.

The third principle and practice I feel is essential to effectively managing projects is

understanding your team. Every workcenter, workshop, organization, corporation, etc., has a
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culture. A workplace culture is a way of life that “is shaped by the common experiences of

members of the organization” (Thompson, 2021). Workplace culture focuses on the project leads

and how they decide to go about leading the team. It is so important to get to know the ones

working for you and with you because a project team is just a big complex relationship. As stated

in the slides for module two, things that affect workplace culture “can include, but are not limited

to: shared visions, mission, values, beliefs, and expectations; regulations, policies, methods, and

procedures; motivation and reward systems; risk tolerance; view of leadership, hierarchy, and

authority relationships; code of conduct, work ethic, and work hours; and operating

environments, such as the physical layout of an organization” (2021). Because there are so many

different things that go into an environment/culture and, if you're working in a Matrix

Organization (pulling people together from different departments/sections in the organization), it

is so important that you take the time to understand your people and how they work. You don't

want to jump into a project without understanding how your team functions, it can determine

how you proceed with the project and affect its planning/execution. Not understanding your

people can lead to all sorts of issues: poor communication, misdirected planning, conflicts

among team members, etc.

Everything we have learned so far resonates with us differently. There are a lot of things

that I have yet to learn and even more I cannot wait to put into practice so I can learn more. As

stated in our slides, the characteristics associated with successful project managers are: self-

starting, organized, flexible, good communicators, ethically strong workers, critical thinking, can

easily shift from “big picture thinking” to detail-oriented planning and have the ability to get

things done in the face of ambiguity (Thompson, 2021). I think that I am really good at being

able to shift my perspective from seeing the big picture to detail-oriented planning. While
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planning events for 400+ people in my workplace, I know that I have been able to switch from

looking at the event and picturing it as well as being able to see the details that need to happen in

order for it to be done. I do know that I need to work on my organization, flexibility, and

communication skills (which was also reinforced by the questionnaire taken in week one).

Overall, I think that I am doing OK with my project management right now. “OK” is not my

standard, but I have a grasp on what I need to work on, and that is an essential first step to

growth.

In general, I learned that project management is a lot more complex than I initially

thought. In my mind (I have not been a part of many large projects yet), a project consists of an

outcome, a budget to support that outcome, willing people, and stress. That being said, one of my

major takeaways from this first section of learning was the phases. As stated in our textbook,

HBR Guide to Project Management, “Whether you’re in charge of developing a website,

designing a car, … just about any project (large or small), you’ll go through the same four

phases: planning, build-up, implementation, and closeout (2012).” I haven’t ever seen it laid out

so neatly. It is very helpful to be able to see a massive undertaking minimized to four steps. My

biggest growth in knowledge about project management has been in the planning stage. I had no

idea how much went into the planning of a project or how much should go into it. These steps

are in no way easy, and each step is more complex than we could imagine, but I feel it is always

helpful and important to see the big picture. It is too easy for us to get lost in the details and

become overwhelmed. Being able to go over all of these things in the last seven modules

definitely helped me understand the basics of project management.

Project management is an essential part of organizational leadership and any professional

development. It is a fundamental skill needed to be in any supervisory role. As soon as you are
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promoted past the entry-level jobs, you will be put in charge of projects. If one hopes to “climb

the ladder,” project management will help you achieve it. After I graduate from ASU with my

degree in Organizational Leadership, I hope to apply and become an officer in the United States

Air Force. The specific job that I will be applying for is a pilot; as a pilot, I will be responsible

for organizing important missions and extensive training routines. Without the skills of project

management, I would not be able to achieve that effectively. As stated before, project

management is the process of leading a team of people to achieve a specific goal within a

specific timeframe. The primary challenge is to complete that goal within the time given, if not

sooner (Phillips, 2004. p.345). I look forward to applying what I have learned in my day-to-day

life and as I grow as a leader. It is a part of the leadership that I struggle with and is arguably one

of the most important parts of being a leader.

Last week we took a closer look at some more aspects of project management,

specifically: making adjustments to plans, managing positive and negative risk, and controlling

quality. This week we wrapped up the class by learning about project closeout phases, best

practices in project management, and documenting projects for future reference. The paper for

this week challenged us to look back on the last seven weeks, analyze what we have learned, and

talk about where we go from here. I hope to be able to look at what I have learned and solidify

the teachings from this lesson, as well as use these papers as a reference for future projects. I

look forward to continuing the development of skills for successful project management.

-
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References

Harvard Business Press (2004). Harvard Business Essentials: Managing Projects Large and

Small. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation.

Harvard Business Review. (2012). HBR Guide to Project Management. Boston, MA: Harvard

Business School Publishing Corporation.

Phillips, J. (2004). PMP Project Management Professional Study Guide. United Kingdom:

McGraw-Hill/Osborne.

Sauser, B. (2009). Why projects fail? How contingency theory can provide new insights – A

comparative analysis of NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiter loss. International

Journal of Project Management, 27(7), 665–679.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2009.01.004

Thompson, Curtis (2021, January 24). Setting a Project Up for Success: Identifying Influencing

Factors [PowerPoint slides]. Canvas.

https://canvas.asu.edu/courses/80763/files/26884134/download?wrap=1