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.
As a Project Manager of MTD, we will adopt the Iterative Project lifecycle approach when the designs are approved because of the possibility of changes in environment.
As a PM working with MTD , I will first identify the problem, then use the VUCA framework tools in developing suitable response to the issue and challenges and also apply iterative and agile approaches to solve the during the implementation of the Project.
As a PM working with MTD, I will identify the problem, then use the VUCA framework tools in developing suitable response to the issues and challenges of the event project and apply the iterative and agile approaches to tackle problems faced along the line of implementation.
As a project manager that has an event to work on, I would start my mapping out plans that will suitable for the events by listing the positive and negative outcomes then draw a conclusion from the both options. I’d like to use any of the approaches that will help achieve a positive result, it could be linear or iterative approaches.
As a PM working with MTD, all i will do is to identify the problem, then use the VUCA framework tools in developing suitable response to the issues and challenges of the event project and also apply the iterative and agile approaches to tackle problems faced along the line of implementation.
As Project Manager collaborating with MTD water project…
The goal and objectives of MTD is recognised and made clear
Hence in each water project, challenges may occur which is embedded in the VUCA framework.
Hence it is important to make use of either iteration or agile response
As a Project Manager who understands both approaches will apply the iterative and linear approach for a successful project, this would be done after after understanding the objectives of the project to be carried out.
Comfort k. Hussaini
As a project manager oF MTD an event coampany.Thinking of the challenges and issues MTD face in their projects such as:The world is experiencing rapid and unpredictable change. Just think about the change being driven by new technology, globalisation of trade and competition, social and political upheaval, and the environmental crisis.However how MTD understands and responds to this complexity will affect the projects it chooses to deliver and how it manages them.
The VUCA framework is a tool that helps us to build an awareness of the organisation’s situation and develop suitable responses to the challenges that we face in the external, or macro environment. VUCA stands for:
Volatility occurs when change, for example in commodity prices, is so fast or unpredictable it becomes impossible to make predictions. This is despite having up-to-date information about commodity prices, and understanding the system that commodities are traded in. The response to volatility is agility, or the ability to perceive quickly and respond to changes in the macro environment.
Uncertainty comes if we do not know what the impact of an event will be. For example, a multinational organisation with operations in a country going through political turmoil or regime change cannot know all of the possible implications for its business and staff in that country. Responding to uncertainty therefore means gathering and analysing all available information, and filling any gaps in our knowledge, to inform our response actions.
Complexity is the challenge of making sense of a situation that involves many interconnected parts, processes and players. It requires considerable expert analysis and judgement. There is likely to be multiple viable responses rather than a single solution.
Ambiguity occurs where there is no relation between cause and effect, except in hindsight: without any reliable precedents, prediction becomes guesswork. Planning is of little use because we can only move forward through probing and experimentation.
volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous
the first task is to orient myself: is this a simple, complicated or complex challenge? Unless I orient myself, my risk responding to the challenge will be inappropriately:It is important that projects have a controlled start, middle and end
The lifecycle is a management tool that determines how resources are allocated and the activity of the project team
A typical linear project lifecycle may look like this:
Concept: The development of an idea (is there a need for this project?) and an assessment of its viability (can we do it?).
Definition: A detailed description of the project, and its plans and requirements, including a full justification of the work.
Deployment: The implementation of the project plans, and testing the project work to ensure that it will deliver the intended outputs, outcomes and benefits.
Transition: The handover of the project outputs to the project sponsor and users, and the closure of the project.
The linear approach is an efficient way to deliver projects in stable environments, when you:
have good information about the required outputs
can be sure you understand what users and stakeholders need and want
have expertise in the domain.
Some businesses employ variations of the linear project lifecycles for their everyday work..
iterative projects do not begin with detailed specifications, project plans and schedules; they may start with just an idea, hypothesis or vision.
Iterative projects usually use ‘timeboxes’ or ‘sprints’.
This means that a single iteration involves specifying, designing, coding and testing all at once. In a linear project, specifying, designing, coding and testing would be done one after the other over a longer period of time; in an iterative project they are done all at once in a shorter period of time – usually two to four weeks. the implications of taking an iterative approach to setting up an event as a project it delivers results on time.It does not take into effect the cost of outcome of the event.
the implications of an agile approach?
Its aim at creating better ways of managing both software &non software projects that frequently exceedes their costs and schedules, as well as failed to satisfy users’ needs.
If I was asked to advise the company, my advice would be: I would advice MTD
Even company to adopt the agile such as schum framework because in a VUCA world agile still make things happen. when circumstances change rapidly and unpredictably. One response to volatility is agility, or the capacity to act at least as fast as the rate of change in the environment.Agile teams are able to respond quickly by working in short mini-project iterations, or sprints, and by limiting the amount of work in progress. By limiting the number of tasks being worked on at any given time, not only are agile teams more productive – they finish what they start rather than working on many things for longer – they are able to re-prioritise and change direction quickly.
Also when we cannot predict the consequences of developments or change in the environment. The response to uncertainty is information and expert analysis. Agile teams are able to respond to uncertainty through continuous, dynamic planning. It is sometimes said that agile projects do not involve planning; this is mistaken. Iterations or sprints are mini-projects of two to four weeks’ duration, and each one has a goal, a plan and a backlog or list of priority tasks. Tasks are prioritised based on their value (to the user and to the business), but also information and level of confidence that these tasks are the right tasks to do now and they are ready to be done now
In conclusion : agile framework offers:
.speedy outcomes
.Task priority
.efficient ultilisation of resources
.dynamic planning
.expert analysis
.team work
. Problem solving
. Efficient time management
.project completion
.Timely
.Result driven
Therefore : a bit of vuca+ iteration + agile will give a dynamic result when combined in a future project.
As a PM In MTD, we are all aware if the lifecycle of iterative been not begin with any detailed specification, no project plan and schedule but all is needed is idea, hypothesis or vision. In an event where as a PM all you have is idea about the event but don’t know how it will end but iterative will drive you to be able to rest the knowledge of taking the event to the right track. Also not in the case of Iterative where challenges occure either change in project plan, agile is the best respond through immediate continuous and dynamic planning and help to manager any product that tends to exceed their cost.
As the project manager, I will ensure that there’s effective communication among team members, stakeholders, and clients. Then, I”ll try to Identify the problem in time to contain further problems.
If I were asked to advise MTD on its project management approach, I would suggest merging iterative and agile methodologies.
Using a hybrid approach combining iterative and agile methodologies can enhance their projects.
As a 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.
I will like to advice company the following:
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.
Prioritize Customer Satisfaction: Place a major standard on meeting customer needs and incorporate their feedback throughout the project lifecycle to ensure a successful and satisfying event experience in other to achieve the positive results.
As a project manager I have learnt that the knowledge of vuca is very important
One needs to apply iterative approach and also agile approach is needed too to resolve issues as soon as possible to reduce risks and also to maintain quality
As a project manager working with MTD, first I would identify the problem, then take decision in solving the problem then implement the use of VUCA tools to enable me develop a suitable response for the challenges of the given project.