Cambria,
Great points about the nature of the different phases being "intertwined". Having said that what approach would you take to ensure that people understood the relationship among the different phases?
Dr. Eric Goodman
You have to get your project scope and objectives right from the start. Understanding all these steps are important, I still have to go with that important first step of defining and organizing the project. I've been involved with projects in the past where the needs assessment was conducted after the project was complete and people were hired to work in the program. Not a good way to make things happen.
Thanks Kent and you make an important point about the drawbacks of not conducting a complete needs assessment up front!
Picking the right team and making sure they work well, communicate, and help each other is critical to the success of any project. "People - Purpose - Project completion". Without the right team in place, the project is doomed for failure or at the very least problems, problems, and more problems.
As many of my peers have noted, all phases are important. The set up, the definition of the roles and clear communication is pivotal for the success of a project.
In my experience, it is the lack of having an effective mechanism to correct mistakes that crushes the success of a project. Not a lot of managers create these mechanisms or the contingencies because they see that everything will go according to plan.
Great contributions from a lot of people, great work!
German,
Thanks for the thoughtful reply and I'm pleased to see that you looked at what your peers are saying. Nice point about having a mechanism for correcting mistakes.
Dr. Eric Goodman
I think defining the goal at hand is the most important and being realistic with the resources from the people and their abilities to the timeframe allotted has a huge role in the success of a project. Every step is necessary and each step is important in its own way. Overall defining the goal with realistic expectations is what I have found through observation to be the most important. This goal almost sets the pace of the remaining steps along with defining the next phase of a project.
Jennifer,
Great answer! I'm pleased that you recognize that each step is necessary and important in its own way. Yes, clearly defining the goal is critical as someone once said if you don't know where you're going then any path will take you there...
Dr. Eric Goodman
The Defining and Organizing phase is the most important. You might have the best planners in the world and the most effective and efficient execution phase ever but if you are working on a project which doesn't support the organization's requirements you are bound to fail.
Gilbert,
Thanks for the excellent pint about the importance of defining and organizing. Implicit in what you are saying is the need to make sure that the project is aligned with the organization's needs. That is really critical to the buy in and project support.
Dr. Eric Goodman
I think the Project Manager has the greatest responsibiilty of the team. He has the job of defining the need for the project and recruiting participants. He sets the pace or milestones for its completion and manages the budget, along with making sure the project is on schedule. He has to be a real trooper because the responsbility does allow him to have authority over anyone so his leadership skills play are a real asset in getting people to follow his lead.
Bernice,
Excellent points about the role of the project manager! So,I'm wondering if you were hiring a project manager what would be the most important criteria you'd consider on the selection process?
Dr. Eric Goodman
Advance planning, open communications, peer support, Timeframe all are essential factors for project success.
ATUL,
Excellent points about the essential factors and they all would help contribute to the success of a project. I'm wondering though if you had to focus on a particular area where would you start? Also, what would you consider the most important?
Dr. Eric Goodman
I think step one is the most important phase of Project Management. Why? If you defining and organizing the project, you should be able identify the need of the business. One thing, if you clearly write down the objectives and complete the demands the project should go smooth. Second if you make sure that everyone involved knows thier responsibilities and complete thier tasks on time. The project would be a success.
Murry,
Excellent points about the need to define and organize the project. You also mention the importance of people knowing their responsibilities and completing their tasks on time...would consider that as another step?
Dr. Eric Goodman
I feel that the first phase, "Defining and Organizing the Project" is the most important aspect. This phase is crucial to understanding ALL parts of the project. It allows for time to study potential issues that may arise and for solutions to them. It kinda defines the scope automatically as it positions assets in their critical areas.
It also begins to define the cost flow structure as the assets are rolled into production. I worked on several film projects and the one thing that a lot of people do not understand is, "How come a movie only takes 4-6 weeks to shoot and 2 years from start to release date?". The answer lies in the pre-production phase. The post-production phase is where all the bits from the pre-production and production are assembled.
Fred,
Thanks for the comprehensive response and the example from movie production. So, would you also suggest that the definition and organization portion is the most important aspect of a film?
Dr. Eric Goodman
I think it is possible for team members to work diligently on a project that is well planned and implemented, only to get half way through the project, and begin questioning themselves-"Are we addresssing the underlying problem or need?
A project may "look" successful but if the team does not idenity the need that is eventually carried out through the project's life cycle, the result could be alot of wasted time and money.
I think identifying the project need is the most important phase to a project's success. It is important to initially ask all the fundamental questions to identify the need instead of possibly masking a symptom. Identifying the project need sets up the rest of the phases that follow through the project's life cycle.
Pearl,
This is a great point as you want to clearly define the project. So, in terms of this course which phase of the project process would this technically occur in? Also, in your experience what can you do to prevent this? What type of fundamental questions do you ask?
Dr. Eric Goodman
