Running head: BEST PRACTICES IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT Running head: 1

Best Practices in Project Management

OGL 321
Writing Assignment #2
Lindsay Snowden
April 1, 2018
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Best Practices in Project Management

A project is never guaranteed to go according to plan. In fact, it’s more likely guaranteed

that a project will not go according to plan. While wrenches, kinks, and road blocks are bound to

happen unexpectedly along the way, developing strategies to cope with unanticipated events can

minimize the effects of them. Though one obvious strategy to minimizing the impact of risk is to

develop a risk management plan, having best practices in place will not only have a project team

off to a good start, but will have the team well equipped throughout the project to handle any

flying wrench that may come their way.

The Handy Man

In his book “Project Management: Best Practices - Achieving Global Excellence”, Harold

Kerzner (2010) emphasizes the importance of behavior during a project. He points out that “poor

employee morale, negative human relations, low productivity, and lack of commitment”

(Kerzner, 2010, p. 376) can negatively impact a project and even lead to failure. Because

behaviors can have such a dramatic impact on a project, a project manager should “be hired for

their overall project competency, not their technological knowledge alone” (Kerzner, 2010, p.

379). Unexpected events are something that can cause stress, negative behaviors, and affect

morale. Because of this, there is a vital importance for a manager to be proactive rather than

reactive, Kerzner says; a strategy that can not only minimize negative behaviors, but positively

impact the success of the project, too (2010, p. 394). With a proactive mindset, a project manager

plans the work up-front, looks ahead to plan for the upcoming work, constantly assesses, and acts

“in advance to deal with unexpected difficulty” (Kerzner, 2010, pp. 394-95). Thus, a project

manager that can behaviorally manage themselves and the team, as well as utilize technical

strategies to effectively manage a project are more likely to experience success (Kerzner, 2010).
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The Tool Box

While Kerzner (2010) emphasizes the behavior of a project manager and his team, a good

leader is nothing without the proper tools. So, in conjunction with “behavioral excellence” a

project manager must not only develop best practices, but utilize them as “a way to remove

barriers that keep your company or team from operating at the highest of levels of effectivity”

(Hardy, 2010).

Project Manager dot com suggests that one of the best practices is planning (Chittoor,

2012). They also mention that prioritizing, or deciding which tasks are the most important ones,

is a best practice as well (Cooper, 2014). Being able to develop a plan and prioritize tasks

relieves the stress of having to plan as you go along. And while it doesn’t eliminate risk,

planning and prioritizing can help minimize the impact of risk and negative events (Cooper,

2014). Other best practices that project managers can use to minimize negative events or changes

during a project include developing a risk management plan, creating a work breakdown

structure, and holding team meetings to evaluate progress. Developing and practicing healthy

project management strategies can help form behavioral norms that make for successful projects.

The Project

In the Harvard business simulation B, a team is prompted to create a printer within a

certain scope: 17 weeks and $42, 400. With proper planning, perhaps this project could go off

without a hitch…perhaps. Or perhaps there will be a wrench thrown into the plans and the scope

of the project, as well as management strategies will have to change. Indeed, during week 5 of

the project half the staff leaves to work for a competing company (thanks, guys!). This causes a

challenge not only in the scheduling of the project, but for team morale and the budget as well. In
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reality, the ability to predict half of the staff leaving in the midst of a project is probably pretty

low. In fact, it’s probably unlikely that it is something project managers plan for. But in this

setting, it is something that has to be dealt with.

Project Manager dot com suggests using planning and prioritizing best practices to

minimize the impact of unexpected events and prevent scope creep; specifically, a scope change

management plan (Chittoor, 2012). When half the team left during the project, it was difficult to

stay within the schedule and budget. I knew I had to devise a plan. So, after the team members

left, it was necessary to change the skill level and amount of outsourcing for the project. After

the HR hiring freeze ended, I knew I would need to add more members to the team to make up

for lost time. It was difficult to keep team morale high, balance skill and outsourcing, and stay

within the budget with the allotted time frame. Success in all of these areas became more

reachable when the schedule of the project was extended. With the opportunity to replay the

scenario (as would definitely not be offered in real life), I was able to develop a risk-

management plan and prioritize changes in the scope in order to prepare for the fifth week.

Because of planning, I knew I could have higher skilled (a.k.a. higher cost) team members in the

beginning of the project knowing that my budget would drop when my team abandoned me. I

also learned to extend the schedule immediately after the hiring freeze rather than waiting to do it

towards the end.

While my behavior could not possibly impact an online simulation, my choices certainly

can. As I made changes to the scope and the team after the fifth week, I monitored and responded

to my team’s comments and morale. At my current job, having both best practices in place and

monitoring my behavior towards my team plays a role in the success of every shift. The types of

behaviors that Kerzner (2012) says demonstrates ‘behavioral excellence’ include open
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communication, developing close relationships with team members, humility in leadership, and

thinking proactively rather than reactively (among a long list of other attributes) (p. 391). Being

able to keep a level head during stressful times should also be listed here, as I have witnessed

first-hand how both negativity and stress can affect a team.

The simulation proved useful in applying some best practice strategies such as proactive

planning, risk mitigation, and flexibility. It was also an example of how changes and unexpected

events can impact the morale and behavior of the team.

Making A House A Home

In conclusion, it is not only necessary to have best practices in place to reduce the impact

of risk and negative events during a project, but also practice behavioral excellence to help your

team maintain positive morale and build healthy relationships. Once the walls of these practices

have been built into the norms of a project manager’s behavior, then they can dwell in a place of

confidence throughout every project.

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References

Chittoor, R. (2012, April 22). Project management best practices. Retrieved March 31, 2018,

from https://project-management.com/project-management-best-practices/

Cooper, S. (2014, April 17). Project Management Best Practices: Prioritizing and Planning.

Retrieved April 1, 2018, from https://project-management.com/project-management-best

practices-prioritizing-and-planning/

Hardy, T. (2010, June 4). What is Best Practice? Retrieved March 31, 2018, from

http://www.betterprojects.net/2010/06/what-is-best-practice.html

Kerzner, H. (2010). Project management best practices: Achieving global excellence. Hoboken:

Wiley.