Running Head: Module 2 Paper 1

Module 2 Paper

Jenna Forsberg

Arizona State University

OGL 321 Module 2

August 26, 2018

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To begin with, I found our first reading Good Decision Making: The Key to Project

Success to be very informative. While reading through the chapter I found a lot of useful

information that I believe will enhance my knowledge on project management. One key thing

that will stick with me from the reading is the fact that the decisions that we make as project

managers will determine if our project will be a success or a failure (Powell, 2009, p. 1). I found

this to be a very important fact to state because as a project manager I am someone who must

successfully run a project and to do so I need to know how to properly address the first steps to

running a successful project which is the decisions that need to be addressed and made. A project

could be run by one of the most highly rated managers with some of the most skilled and talented

team, but if the project manager fails to make decisions of good quality then chances are the

project will not be a success (Powell, 2009, p. 1). I have had encounters with poor decision

making made by myself and made by my bosses and from a first-hand experience it really does

make a big difference in the success of a project. Until reading this chapter I wouldn’t say I was

able to pinpoint the reasoning behind why past projects have failed. Now that I have a better

understanding I see why poor decision making was the biggest reason past projects were

unsuccessful. Another important statement that I read in the chapter is that projects traditionally

have three objectives which are meeting the budget, finishing on schedule, and meeting client

specifications (Powell, 2009, p, 2). During the simulation scenarios these were some of the

objectives that were set into play and needed to be met. It was nice being able to interact and

change different scenarios to try to meet these objectives and getting the instant feedback. It

really gave a good insight as to how tough it can be sometimes to meet all the required work, and

how to adjust plans accordingly to be able to meet the objectives.

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Next, I picked out an article titled Easy and Doable Steps to Ensure Project Success and I

found the article to have a good amount of useful information in it. Sometimes we as project

managers get discouraged and intimidated watching other managers breeze through task, and this

article talks about ways to be just as successful and how to achieve success (Mabunga, n.d., para.

1). One big factor that plays a role in being a successful project manager is nurturing ownership.

Making sure that your team knows the overall goal that needs to be achieved and providing them

with a can-do attitude will help build an emotional commitment (Mabunga, n.d., para. 6). I feel

that having a strong emotional connection with your team is important to understand how all

your team members work. Being able to connect with them on a more personal level allows them

to feel more comfortable around you and allows for them to feel more connected to the team. I

also believe that when we have a strong emotional connection to our team members they feel

more comfortable to address problems that arise with us because they do not feel intimidated by

us, and instead feel as if they can bring things that are bothering them to our attention. Another

strong way to practice nurturing ownership is to make sure you empower them, appreciate them,

and allow them to contribute to the team, thus, making each member feel they are a vital part of

the team and that they feel each success and failure as their own (Mabunga, n.d., para. 8). One

way that I encourage and appreciate my team at work is I fill out just a quick little note card with

a positive message on the back stating as to why I am proud of the work they have done or if

they have kept up a positive attitude. They really enjoy the fact that they are being recognized for

doing hard work which they thought had gone unseen. One final thing the article stated is how

important communication is and I feel this is one of the most important factors in project

management because in the majority of all my readings it always brings attention to the

importance of communication. Communication is so important in the world of project managers

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because we must communicate with our team, so they know what is going on, and we also must

communicate with our shareholders and anybody in between. By opening communication, the

team can work better and more effectively (Mabunga, n.d., para. 10).

The last article I choose to read was Effective Project Management Without Apps and it

discussed the importance of well-considered preparation. The article begins by stating that

establishing a clear agreed project objectives and measures is one of the very first steps to take to

have a successful project (Taplin, n.d., para. 2). Making sure that the project objectives are

specific and clear will help to ensure a successful project because people will not be confused as

to what the final goal of the project is. Having a clear and direct plan from start to finish will also

help with avoiding making mistakes a long the way. One other thing that was mentioned in this

article that I really enjoyed is that we need to ask ourselves if the project expectations are

realistic. I feel that many projects become failures because the main objective of the project is

not achievable and unrealistic. We must first always establish a goal that is obtainable with the

resources that we have. One thing I learned from a previous class of mine is that before ever

committing to a project one should always look over the project material to make sure it is even

possible. Many times, project managers accept a project without knowing what the end goal is,

how long till it needs to be completed, and the budget that is allowed for the project and end up

getting themselves in a situation that they can not achieve. Going along the lines of this it’s also

important for project managers to make sure that they do not allow stakeholders to add on extra

things without considering if it is possible. As a project manager it is your responsibility to give

the stakeholders what they want but it must be within reason and it must be something that can

be done with the resources that you currently have.

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References

Mabunga, M. (n.d.). Easy and Doable Steps to Ensure Project Success. Retrieved August 26,

2018, from https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/easy-and-doable-steps-to-ensure-

project-success.html

Powell, Robert Col. Buede, Dennis. (2009). Project Manager’s Guide to Making Successful

Decisions. Management Concepts, Inc.. Retrieved from 

https://app.knovel.com/hotlink/toc/id:kpPMGMSD08/project-manager-s-guide/project-

manager-s-guide

Taplin, P. (n.d.). Effective Project Management Without Apps. Retrieved August 26, 2018, from

https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/effective-project-management-without-apps.html