Project management practice

1. Project
Management
Practice –
Insight from academic projects
Loan Cam Tran- KVS53

2. Agenda
Project lifecycle
Project phases
Sharing part
Effective communication
(benefits & action plan)
Academic projects
Characteristics of
academic projects
CSFs
Theory CSFs and
individual CSFs
Conclusion &
Limitations
Recap and
attention

3. INTRODUCTION
1. PROJECT LIFECYCLE
2. ACADEMIC PROJECTS
3. CSFs

4. Project Life cycle
(Artto et al. 2011, 38)

5. Characteristics of Academic Projects in UTU context
Academic environment
No individual performance
competition
Focus team work
Project context
Operational task
Short-time (1 week-2
months)
Project type
Only execution phase
(no pre- and post-project phase)
Task-solving, time management
(Not related to cost, personnel,
procurement management)
Project process
No official project manager
Shared leadership
Consensus decision-making
Leadership
Random chosen by teachers
Diversification in culture, age,
background
Team composition
Online
Offline
Communication tools

6. KVS5 Managing
International Innovation
Time: 3.9-1.10
Tasks: 3 weekly group assignment
Issue: Non-attendance of 1 member in
1st assignment & synthesis quality in
1st and 2nd
Solutions: open communication, trust,
consensus decision-making
Outcome: increased grading through 3
phases (4,4,5)
YR6 Corporate Entrepreneur
Time: 22.11-12.12
Tasks: 3 weekly group activities and a final campaign for a
selected company
Issue: Unexpected
Solutions: internal communication, consensus decision-
making, collaborative problem-solving
Missing things: external communication to teacher to check
expectations, change management, project schedule
Outcome: fair grade (3.5)
KVS8 Intercultural MKT
Management
Time: 2.9-14.10
Tasks: 5 weekly group assignments & 1
final marketing plan
Issues: Time management of 1 member
and different ideas of members
Solutions: open communication, time
contingency, collaborative problem-
solving
Outcome: excellent grade for final project
(5)
FUTUs4 Strategic Corporate
Foresight
Time: 3.2-7.4
Tasks: a final foresight proposal for Meyer
Issues: knowledge gaps among members, unclear task
requirement
Solutions: internal & external communication,
collaborative problem-solving. effective task allocation,
change management
Outcome: excellent grade for final project (5)
Individual Academic Project List
Individual
Project List

7. Critical success factors of PM
1. Project Mission
2. Top Management
Support
3. Project Schedule/Plan
4. Client consultation
5. Personnel
6. Technical Tasks
7. Client Acceptance
8. Monitoring and Feedback
9. Communication
10. Trouble-shooting
(Pinto & Prescott 1988, 7).
1. Communication
throughout the
project
2. Clear objectives and
scope
3. Breaking the project
into `bite-sized
chunks'
4. Using project plans
as working
documents.
(Clarke 1999, 140)
1. Project Management
Actions
(communication,
control, feedback,…)
2. Project Procedures
3. Human-related
Factors
4. Project Related
Factors
5. External
Environment
(Chan et al. 2004, 154)
“Success factors of PM are context- and situation-specific,… no all-encompassing solutions to a wide
range of project management issues” – Artto et al. 2011, 2

8. Individual learnings of PMP
Effective
communication
Project
schedule
Collaborative
problem-
solving
Effective &
flexible task
allocation
Change
management &
risk
contingency

9. Individual approach
Professional project Academic project
Project
Communication
Management
No boss
No direct individual competition
Learning environment
=> Manage people through communication
(Tirado, 2013, 2)

10. SHARING PART
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

11. WHY EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS IMPORTANT FOR PMP?

12. Importance of effective communication
—Guide 2001, 228
“communication planning
becomes increasingly important
in a virtual team environment”
“communication was ranked
highest important factors in
most project phases”
—Hyväri 2006, 39.

13. Effective communication helps the team to progress & perform
Storming
Norming
Performing
Forming
Working with each other
Challenging with each other
Working as one
Learning about each other

14. Effective communication leads to project success
Among team members
(Artto, 2001, 223)
Inside
Outside
The management board of the
organization, the customers, other
stakeholders
(Artto, 2001, 224)
Developing trust among members
Managing conflicts effectively
Encouraging collaborative problem-solving
Encouraging effective decision-making
(Guide 2001, 229 & 239 ).
Understand the requirements
Get adequate supports and resources
Manage stakeholders’ expectations
(Artto, 2001, 224).
Promoting commitments from the team
>
>
Effective
communication
Project success

15. BUT WHY BUILDING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS SO DIFFICULT?

16. Communication process
( PMP 2007, 6)

17. What is hidden from me to understand the others?

18. The consequence of ineffective communication
Poverty points
No-growth points
Project failure

19. HOW TO PRACTICE & BUILD EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT?

20. Understand a sense of self & communicate consistently to members
Inner you Outer you
Practice with
corresponders,
averters,
detesters,
unknowns
* Notes: A corresponder is someone you know who likes you and help you out. A detester is someone you know who dislikes you. Averters are people you know but don’t like.
Unknowns are those people you simply don’t know well enough. (Tirado 2013, 9-49)
Step 01

21. Understand team dynamics
Step 02
(Tirado 2013, 100)
Members’ profile:
- Experience
- Background
- Strengths
- Weaknesses
- Like/ Dislike tasks
- Aspirations
(Tirado 2013, 106-119)
High-performance
team:
- Common team purpose
- Clear roles
- Excellent
communication
- Independent leadership
- Effective process
- Solid relationship
(Tirado 2013, 99)

22. Understand project context & organizational politics
Step 03
• Understand project
environment (internal &
external): project
scopes, goals, team
composition,
stakeholders, funding,
investment,…
• Understand project
complexity and
uncertainty (contextual
changes)
(Hanisch & Wald 2011, 11-13)
Project context
• Understand project
priorities in the
organization
• Understand the power
and interest of relavant
stakeholders (top
management, key
influencers, boss,
customers,..)
(Tirado 2013, 124-139)
Organizational politics
• To communicate
effectively with team
members and
stakeholders about
project requirements;
stakeholders’
expectations; acquiring
adequate support and
resources (Artto 2001,
224), and change
management (Hanisch &
Wald 2011, 11-13)
Outcomes

23. Build a project management Information System
(PMP 2007, 21)
War room
Step 04
A war, or control room is a facility that provides stakeholders with a
location to communicate, collaborate and brainstorm the ideas
Or shared folder

24. Build effective project communication strategies
Step 05
(Cervone 2014, 76-77)
Storytelling communication: focus “big picture”, well-designed stories
with convincing arguments
External stakeholders (customer, top managements,..)
A defined pattern of communication from the project outset to ensure good
communication among members: communication tools (meeting, video
conference, call,…), collaborative problem-solving, grounded rules of conflict
management, etc
Internal Stakeholders (team members)

25. RECAP CONCLUSION & LIMITATIONS

26. Conclusions & Limitations
• Key success factors of PM are varied and
context-specific.
• Yet, effective communication is important for
most of the project phases
• Building effective communication should start
from understanding a sense of self first, then
with the teams and the environment, finally
with the communication system and
strategies.
• Practicing effective communication takes
time.
Conclusions Limitations
• This proposal is only focusing on practicing
effective communication in project
management
• The insights gained from personal experience in
academic projects in short-term period without
an official project manager
• To achieve project success in different types of
projects (work project or long-term projects),
other critical factors should be considered, such
as people management, change management,
project plan, etc.

27. REFERENCE
Artto K., Martinsuo M., Kujala J., 2011. Project business. Helsinki, Finland, http://pbgroup.tkk.fi/en/ , (ISBN 978-952-92-8535-8)
Cervone, H. F. (2014). Effective communication for project success. OCLC Systems and Services: International digital library
perspectives.
Chan, A.P.C., Scott, D. and Chan, A.P.L. (2004). “Factors affecting the success of a construction project.” Journal of Construction
Engineering Management, 130(1), 153-155.
Clarke, A. (1999). A practical use of key success factors to improve the effectiveness of project management. International journal of
project management, 17(3), 139-145.
Guide, A. (2001). Project management body of knowledge (pmbok® guide). In Project Management Institute (Vol. 11, p1-507)
Hanisch, B., & Wald, A. (2011). A project management research framework integrating multiple theoretical perspectives and
influencing factors. Project Management Journal, 42(3), 4-22.
Hyväri, I. (2006). Success of projects in different organizational conditions. Project management journal, 37(4), 31-41.
Pinto, J. K., & Prescott, J. E. (1988). Variations in critical success factors over the stages in the project life cycle. Journal of
Manage¬ment 14(1), 5-18
Tirado B. (2013). Maximizing Project Success Through Human Performance. Berrett-Koehler Publishers
PMP, R. L. K. (2007). Effective communications for project management. Auerbach Publications.