Unit 1 Project Management Basics and Traits of a Project Manager
Overview
Welcome to PMPP 201. Project Management is at the core of most organizational behavior. Organizations are either in the midst of project work to create a process (or a product), or they function in the processes they have created. Organizations and their structures vary. Processes (and products) can vary. But Project Management (PM) systems remain constant. Great Project Management tends to lead toward more favorable results, while poor Project Management creates the highest risk of project failure.
This unit will consider a high-level view of the PM world. The Project Management Institute is considered by most as the world’s foremost authority in the sphere of Project Management (PM). Given that, PMI’s Body of Knowledge (called the ‘PMBOK’) is at the core (and usually behiond the scenes) of our curriculum and Learning Outcomes. Every PMPP course textbook is geared to lineup with the PMBOK and offers a (more) detailed analysis. For more details about the Project Management Institute:
Learning Outcomes
When you have completed this unit, you should be able to:
- Recognize that projects are all around; and using PMI’s terms, techniques, and concepts aid in improving project success
- Identify the (best) personal skills that a PM needs, and recognize how that fits into your personality, skills, and passions
- Examine and consider that there may be several answers to a solution and that sometimes creative/ innovative solutions are the ones that work best
- Determine one’s Leadership Styles to aid in team building and management.
Activity Checklist
Here is a checklist of learning activities you will benefit from in completing this unit. You may find it useful for planning your work.
Learning Activities
- Watch and Reflect – Good vs Bad PM’s
- Watch and Reflect – The 4 Essentials of Innovation
- Self Reflection – Determining Your Leadership Style
Assessment
- In this course you demonstrate your understanding of the course learning outcomes in different ways, including papers, projects, discussions and quizzes. Please see the Assessment section in Moodle for assignment details and due dates.
Planning Ahead
Before you examine the topics in this unit, take a moment to watch this video that has been provided by the instructor. This video will introduce each topic and help support your learning. You are encouraged to re-watch this video if you are struggling with any of the concepts you will be learning about in this section.
1.1 The Traits of a Project Manager
A good Project Manager possesses a strong understanding of self and a solid collection of tools to understand and communicate with people. “Being a good communicator” is not enough… there are numerous ‘people skills’ that go beyond (just) being a good communicator. These skills/tools will be constantly discovered and discussed during this course and used at times of Stakeholder Management, as a PM navigates problem solving, risk mitigation, and other project management actions. There are times when a PM must deal with problematic team members. It may seem like childcare, but the strongest PM’s have people-management skills that minimize these challenges.
Activity: Watch and Reflect – Good vs Bad PM’s
This video discusses 13 areas to evaluate yourself as a Project Manager. There are a couple of assumptions that drive this, and they are presented at the beginning. As you watch, think of the top three that pertain to you (those you have the strongest skills at). Plus, think of the three that you are the weakest at.
Watch: Good vs Bad Project Managers - Project Management
After watching the video, you are to consider the 13 areas presented in the video and determine which 3 you are strongest in, and which 3 are your weakest areas.
Be prepared to share your three strongest and three weakest areas with other members of the class.
1.2 How Innovation can Mean the Difference Between Success and Failure in Project Work
It is common for a PM to wade through challenging situations. There are times when the best solution is a creative one. This could happen when fixing a current process or product, but could also be required when establish a new process or product. Understanding the value of innovation and how it fits into success offers and important advantage to a PM. Having a Plan B sometimes helps. But having a Plan C and Plan D may need to be invoked. Plus, getting input from non-typical stakeholders could also prove to be valuable… For example, I try to include the newest hire into a company’s brainstorming meetings, as they are not yet tainted by the organizational culture and can provide ‘out of the box’ solutions.
Activity: Watch and Reflect – The 4 Essentials of Innovation
Watch this video to develop a thorough understanding of all 4 Essentials:
Watch: The Four Essentials of Innovation - Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast
After watching the video, considering the “4 Essentials of Innovation,” create a list that ranks each of these elements – include examples to support your choices.
Be prepared to share your list, and justify your choices, with other members of the class.
1.3 How Personal Leadership Styles Affect PM Success
In the textbook, you learned about the “6 Leadership Styles” - most people relate to at least ONE form the list. One’s Leadership Styles typically do not change over time, but they can certainly DEVELOP. For example, many do not consider themselves “leaders” (this is common with introverts). Discovering, and developing, your leadership styles is a critical element to your success as a Project Manager.
Activity: Self Reflection – Determining Your Leadership Style
The goal of this activity is to help you discover your leadership styles so that you can work towards developing and refining them. In addition to what you read in the textbook, consider the following styles:
- Visionary Leader
- He or she has a clear picture in mind of what the future could hold. They shamelessly appeal of others to get on-board. They are idealistic and faith-filled. They believe that if they cast their vision clear enough, it will become reality.
- Directional Leader
- Uncanny ability to choose the right path for their organization, especially through critical intersections. Able to sort through the options. Can assess the health of the values of the organization, the mission, the strengths, the weaknesses, the resources, the personnel, and the openness to change. They may not have a high profile. They are great consulting privately.
- Strategic Leader
- They have the God-given ability to take an exciting vision and break it down into a series of sequential, achievable steps. They form a game plan that everyone can understand and participate in. “Stay on target.”
- Managing Leader
- This leader has the ability to organize people, processes, and resources to achieve the mission. They LOVE bringing order out of chaos. They thrive in day-to-day operational oversight.
- Motivational Leader
- Simply put, they keep their team fired-up\ They have a keen sense of discerning who needs public recognition and who needs private encouragement. If morale sinks, they kick into high gear to raise everyone up.
- Shepherding Leader
- This person builds the team from within by nurturing, supporting, and listening. Community dynamics matter most to this person. They do great in a one-on-one setting. Team success (as a collective) starts with healthy team members (as individuals).
- Team-Building Leader
- These people have an exceptional skill finding and developing people – placing them in a best-fit setting (abilities/competencies, character, and chemistry). They can perform even better if the vision is extremely clear. They are the best at selecting and developing a team.
- Entrepreneurial Leader
- They function best in start-up mode. They lose energy once something is up and running. They are constantly thinking about possibilities and have the desire to see it start. Once they have some practice, they can start just about anything… but they have to hand it off eventually, and sometimes more sooner than later.
- Re-Engineering Leader
- These people LOVE stepping into a mess and fixing it. They hate working in the land of ‘vague’ and thus assign vision and strategy (or surround them with those that do) to turn the situation around. However, once fixed, they will be looking for the next challenge.
- Bridge-Building Leader
- They can work through the collective differences of an organization and develop a consensus for the group… with everyone on board. Complexity or an organization is no problem. They like the challenge of getting varying people on-board. They win by being an effective advocate for ALL groups.
After considering the 10 Leadership Styles above, pick the three styles that best describe you. (Note: This is NOT an exercise about picking the ones that you aspire to – rather, this exercise involves picking the styles that describe you now!)
Be prepared to share your top 3 styles, and justify your choices, with other members of the class.
Assessment
Refer to the course schedule for graded assignments you are responsible for submitting. All graded assignments, and their due dates, can be found on the “Assessment” tab.
In addition to any graded assignments you are responsible for submitting, be sure to complete all the Learning Activities that have been provided throughout the content - these are intended to support your understanding of the content.
Checking your Learning
Before you move on to the next unit, you may want to check to make sure that you are able to:
- Recognize that projects are all around; and using PMI’s terms, techniques, and concepts aid in improving project success
- Identify the (best) personal skills that a PM needs, and recognize how that fits into your personality, skills, and passions
- Examine and consider that there may be several answers to a solution and that sometimes creative/ innovative solutions are the ones that work best
- Determine one’s Leadership Styles to aid in team building and management.