Put yourself in the role of a project manager collaborating with MTD, an events company.
Considering the difficulties and problems that MTD encounters in their projects, what insights have you gained this week that could offer assistance?
If an iterative approach were employed in organizing an event as a project, what would be the consequences? Similarly, what are the implications of adopting an agile approach? If the company sought your advice, what would you recommend?
Contribute your thoughts and ideas to the discussion.
The MTD project is a multifaceted, multi-layered one which involve multiple stakeholders. An in-depth analysis of the project in its entirety would reveal that the project cannot rely on the iterative or linear approach only, but would require an integration of both, a hybrid.
As the PM, the evaluation I would carry out would break the project into multiple smaller projects, maximizing available resources and bearing in mind the budget. Each smaller project will then be further evaluated to agree on the approach to utilize for them. Of course, the projects that will form the foundation of the entire work will be prioritized while those that can run in parallel will run at the background.
The progress for each mini-project would be computed to plug into the overall report that showcases the progress of the full project. This way, all stakeholders are abreast of the status of the project at every critical moment.
Regular reviews will be carried out to understand what is on course, delayed or missed target, with appropriate actions taken to avoid unsavory situations.
As a Project manager, if I have to carry out a project like that of MTD, my approach will be interactive bearing in mind the VUCA framework.
As a project manager, the linear approach will be my first course of action to know how things are going step by step and to know both the outcome and if we are seeing results or not. Constant changes due to environmental circumstances can lead to iterative approach if the shareholders or customers are not seeing quick results are almost frustrated with the work.
So both approach will be on hand to make sure the project is successful.
To be a good project Manager, i will have to understand the project first if linear or iterative approach will best suit the project. The use of VUCA framework will help to identify what method or approach to use.
Understanding the environment and the people to be used for the project is also a plus as well as knowing what value the sponsor also want and at what stage of the project did the sponsor expect to see the value will also make me standout as a project manager.
To be a competent and successful project manager, i need to build my own toolkit of proven methods and techniques and know how to use them to get the best results in different circumstances.
i would combine tools and techniques from both linear and iterative methods to create a flexible and adaptable project lifecycles suited to the context of MTD project.
the project would not begin with detailed plans and schedules, which makes the project lack foresight at the beginning but regular and periodic assessments will be put in plce to ensure each project stage /phase gives a desired output.
As a project manager, a wholistic review would be carried out to know exactly what the environment in which the project is been undertaken is, once I’ve ascertain that, the next will be the nature of the project as the nature of the project also determines the approach to apply whether Linear or Iterative.
However, to help me deliver the project well, I may choose to apply both methods and Incase both approach isn’t bringing the expected outcome, I may have to come up with a custom made approach to get results as results is what is important to the sponsor of the project.
Also, to help me monitor project, regular reviews will be made to ascertain what is working and what needs to be improved upon.
As a PM of MTD, I will not use one method but will apply both the linear and Iterative approach.
I will start with the linear approach and as the project progresses, the iterative two weeks spin will be implemented.
To be a competent and successful project manager, i need to build my own toolkit of proven methods and techniques and know how to use them to get the best results in different circumstances.
i need increasingly combine tools and techniques from both linear and iterative methods to create flexible and adaptable project lifecycles suited to particular contexts.
the consequence of choosing an iterative method is that they do not begin with detailed plans and schedules, which makes the project lack foresight at the beginning.
As a project manager in MTD events company, I will advise a combination of the linear and agile framework.
Maybe a switch from the linear frame work to agile framework where mini projects are set and completed rather than waiting a long time to deliver a project.
As a project manager, it is always good to have the intuitive ability to improvise so that as the situation is changing rapidly as in the case of MTD,you will be able to combine both approaches to achieve your goals.
iterative and agile approaches may be necessary when faced with changes and some volatility during events as communication and review on a timely basis is engaged.
Reply
Anonymous
August 8, 2023 at 12:45 pm
As an MTD PM, My most suitable approach will be First, identify the problem and challenges, and then apply the VUCA framework tools so as to come up with a suitable response to the problems already identified.
Advice for the Company:
Embrace Iterative and Agile Practices: Encourage the use of iterative and agile approaches in event project management to increase flexibility, reduce risk, and enhance stakeholder satisfaction.
Agile emphasizes close collaboration among team members and stakeholders, promoting transparency and effective communication throughout the project.
As project manager I will not be rigid on using only one method. As it’s rightly said, a project manager can’t say one method is better than another method. There could be instances were you can use more than one method in execution of a project.