Thursday, June 21, 2012

Dynamic Strategy - Practitioner - Smoothing the Turbulence: Project Management Strategies for the Changing Workplace by Bruce W. Dearstyne, Ph.D.

In the article Smoothing the Turbulence: Project Management Strategies for the Changing Workplace by Bruce W. Dearstyne, Ph.D., the author defines turbulences as shifts in workplace culture, technology, and legal and regulatory requirements, and diminishing resources; which presses organizations to change. For him, projects are good strategic tool for those turbulences, and he suggests strategies to manage projects to success.

The author notices that the number and importance of projects seem to have increase in recent years. The most important findings of Dearstyne, Bruce W. in the article are the three strategies that help to manage projects successfully.

The first strategy is an essential factor in acquiring resources and support in difficult financial time is projects need to be lined up in some obvious ways to the business objectives and priorities.

In the second strategy he advices that because managers are those who get things done through their teams, they need to have “well-developed skills in inventiveness, and organizing and motivating individuals to function as part of a team.” They also need to be focused, flexible, patient, decisive, people focused, and goal focused.

Another trend in project management is speed is more important than perfection, which requires managers to accelerate their project work. To support this idea, Dearstyne, Bruce W. refers to Chris Murphy and Robert Wysocki. In the February 2011 issue of InformationWeek, Chris Murphy, in his article “IT Is Too Darn Slow,” discussed “velocity is more important than perfection” and managers may accelerate to finish in 90 days a project which used to be one year. In The Executive’s Guide to Project Management, Robert Wysocki advises strategies to speed up projects; which mainly guides managers how to use time effectively.

The strategies suggested by the author are very important for project managers. Let’s take an example of a mutual fund company that raises funds from investors around the world then invests in a developing country in Asia. This company invests in many projects such as land, infrastructures, and energies. Each project may need a project manager who plays a very essential role in it. If the projects finish long over deadline and beyond their budget or even fail, they will cause negative impacts on investors’ returns. Consequently, the company will have difficulty in raising funds, thus its income which is the service fee from the funds will be shrunk.

Those strategies suggested by Dearstyne, Bruce W. are very helpful for project managers. Applying the first strategy, projects will be fully supported by stakeholders, clients, and customers who decide the success or failure of the projects. Under high-pressure projects, managers really need hands-on management skill which helps them release stresses. Finally, many advices from Chris Murphy and Robert Wysocki show project managers how to speed up their project works; which is a trend in the changing workplace.


References
Dearstyne, B. W. (2012). Smoothing the Turbulence: Project Management Strategies for the Changing Workplace. Information Management Journal, 46(2), 28-33.

6 comments:

  1. I am very interested in project management. the compressed timeframe that projects are estimated to be completed in often do not seem realistic, and it calls the estimator's abilities into question. It seems to me that the project can easily fail if underestimated from the beginning. The project manager then has to make some tough choices to determine if the project will be worth the variances uncovered early in the project.

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  2. I agree I understand higher productivity and finishing a project in a timely matter is important. It does seem unrealistic though to take on massive projects that are expected to be completed in a short time frame. I would say it's like being rushed in everything you do all day every day. Can you imagine that kind of pressure.I have to question a one year project to ninety days, I know with the technology today it speeds up the process but you have to think if there's a price to pay if we cut back so much where it affects the quality.Project management is a very interesting topic and we live in a society where we want fast results but I agree with Craig if the time-frame is underestimated it should be reevaluated.If the project was given a reasonable amount of time(realistic)and the expectations of everyone were on the same page then investors, project managers, employees could have many successes.I have to say I'm a bit surprised I thought that these strategies are something that most project managers practice already.

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  3. This article was a good read because I like the idea of a time crunched environment. Though some consequences such as it not being perfect or underestimating time are very critical, the ability of a project manager to accomplish a great feat sounds good because there is always something to be done and you get to be inventive. The second strategy from Dearstyne that you wrote about I think plays a huge rule in smoothing turbulence during a changing workplace because the lack of a team with those skills can be the most detrimental.

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  4. I found this article very interesting in that I do agree with the message that is trying to convey. However, I am trouble with the notion of "speed is more important than perfection". Jeanette is right in that today's world everyone wants projection completed in a small amount of time, however that project should be done right the first time, especially if a project has a construction aspect.

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  5. Project managers play a big role in a company. These people have a lot of pressure on them to finish a project on time, on budget, and the right way. I believe, project managers should always strive to continue learning as much as possible. Great article.

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  6. As Gilbert mentioned, project management definitely plays a big role in companies and the concept is more than ever being adopted by many businesses. The importance of project management is an essential topic because it provides businesses with a path to greater success. The second strategy that the author advised in the article really got my attention because I think it is very important for project managers to have strong management skills to lead a successful project. As the author mentioned, it is vital for project managers to be inventive, have strong organizational skills and be able to motivate their team in order to accomplish desired objectives and goals. Thus, the three strategies that the author mentioned in this article are significant for any business to be successful.

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