Six Sigma: Deliverables at the end of the Define Phase
Well Defined Scope of the Project: A well-defined scope of the project is perhaps the most important deliverable of the Define phase. Scope document goes a long way in finding the solution. A lot of organizations resources have been wasted and no substantial results have been obtained because of the failure to correctly scope a […]
Selecting the Correct Hypothesis Test
Hypothesis testing is a very detailed subject. Understanding how to correctly conduct these tests is beyond the scope of this manual or the Six Sigma methodology itself. However, since the Six Sigma project team is expected to be applying these tests to uncover facts and these facts will then be used to base decisions on, […]
Viking Economics
The Vikings were some of the most brutal people that the world has ever seen. The nations that they built were carved out of violence. However, their descendants have turned out to be the most caring and civilized people on the planet. Today, the Scandinavian way of life is a role model for the rest […]
Service Module – Setting Up and Configuration Control
It is of utmost importance for any business enterprise to maintain their existing customers. A proper after sales service through quick response prompt delivery is needed for enhancing customer satisfaction. Service need may encompass scheduled as well as unscheduled maintenance, warranty management, defect identification etc. Salient feature of a service related module: Proper and Systematic […]
Effect of Domestic Politics on Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
In previous articles, we talked about how the ongoing global economic crisis coupled with domestic pressures affect the outsourcing of back office operations. In this article, we look at a hot topic and a burning issue in the West i.e. the hue and cry over outsourcing and shipping jobs overseas especially at a time when […]
There are several components of project management that encompass the spectrum of project management. Right from the initial setting up of the project to the closure, each phase brings a new set of challenges and components to the art of project management. Specifically, the project manager has to manage the team and take bottom-line responsibility for the deliverables along with managing the stakeholders of the project.
If we take each of these components individually, the initial setting up of the project involves establishing procedures and processes for subsequent phases and defining the roles of the team members. In organisations that lay emphasis on processes, this phase is crucial to the success of the project. There are many organisations that subscribe to the SEI-CMM guidelines on processes and these organisations take measures to ensure that they are in tune with the guidelines.
There has been much debate about what the Project Manager can or cannot do. And the argument is also centred around on whether to take a proactive or a subdued approach towards the issues surrounding the management of the project. The proactive approach favours an interventionist and hands on approach that includes intervening in day to day affairs of the project.
This approach is manifested in the IT industry where the Project Manager is called upon to involve themselves in the technical aspects of the project that would include participating in design, coding and other activities. This phenomenon cannot be said to be restricted to the IT industry alone as there are several instances in the other sectors where the Project Manager has to get their hands dirty, literally and metaphorically.
There are organisations that define the role of the project manager clearly and delineate the roles and responsibilities. This usually happens in Matrix organisations where the structure of the organisation is such that there is lot of emphasis on clarity of the role. Thus, after a review of the literature, it would seem that there is no single answer to the question of whether the project manager has to be at the centre of the universe or like a conductor directing the symphony.
In this section, we look at the specifics of managing the stakeholders for the project. Any project has multiple stakeholders that need to be taken care. A stakeholder is someone who has either invested in the project and derives value from the outcome or a third party who contributes to the success and conversely to the failure of the project.
The first task before the Project Manager is to ensure that the stakeholders are clearly identified and then their roles and responsibilities demarcated and delineated. The task of identifying the stakeholders assumes importance as there should not be any confusion over who is a stakeholder and who is not. For instance, an IT project would have the stakeholders listed right from the systems and the network administrators to the client and the project sponsor. But, there might be other stakeholders like the staffing team who flit in and out of the project phases as and when they are required.
Thus, the need is to establish boundaries and identify the roles of the different stakeholders appropriately. Apart from this, the project manager must make it a point to ensure that stakeholders are categorised according to their importance and relevance to the project and the start of each phase accordingly.
Stakeholder satisfaction should be the bottom-line goal towards which the project managers must work to. Customer satisfaction and customer delight are some of the phrases that are used as an adjunct to good project management and its practice. Customer delight is achieved when one measures up to the needs of the customer and takes appropriate steps to ensure that they are met.
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Costs in Project Management – Costs associated with the Projects
February 12, 2025
