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.
Project management isn’t a cast-a-stone process and different approaches are required for different issues. Oftentimes scope creep delays the project timeline and brings down team morale. Global factors can also affect project deliverables thereby expanding the proposed project timeline and increasing estimated cost.
Highlighted below are actions that can assist PMs in mitigating risks:
• Clear-cut communication with full-blown transparency ensuring there are no loose ends whatsoever.
• Critical review to track, critique and monitor project progress.
• Adequate planning to cover frictions or disruptions that may arise.
Some benefits of an iterative approach include:
• Early feedback and refinement as an iterative approach allows for early feedback from stakeholders and users, which can help to identify and resolve problems early on.
• Iterative approaches are more flexible than the traditional waterfall approach, making them better suited for projects where the requirements are not fully known at the outset or where there is a need to be able to adapt to change quickly.
• Iterative approaches often promote greater collaboration between team members and stakeholders. This is because everyone is involved in the feedback and refinement process, which helps to ensure that everyone is aligned on the project goals and objectives.
• Iterative approaches provide greater visibility into the project’s progress. This makes it easier to identify and address potential problems early on and to keep everyone informed of the project’s status.
The benefits of the Agile approach include:
• Faster delivery of value which allows early feedback.
• Improved quality as this helps to reduce the number of defects in the project outcome.
• Increased customer satisfaction as this helps to ensure that the customer is satisfied with the outcome of the project.
• Agile approach leads to improved team morale and productivity.
In conclusion, if the company seeks my advice, I would recommend using both the linear and iterative approaches that would birth a better project outcome.
Managing a project need not be a choice between one method or the other, it can be well combined to achieve success of the project.
As a project manager setting up an event as a project manager seems to tilt towards a linear approach. However, using iterative agile approach can also aid speedy completion of the project.
It is also important to not miss out on any detailed part of the event planning while using sprint amongst team members. The implication could be omitting details, inability to source for clients wants, planning an event, sourcing, meeting with vendors etc to executing the project in 2 to 4 weeks might be stressful and challenging.
As an event company, some of the challenges and issues the company face could include:
-frequent disappointment from vendors, lack of reliability on the part of the vendors
-environmental crises which may be as a result of lack of adequate venue
-the number of guests to be invited
As a way to curb these challenges listed above, a linear approach to project management is better this is because it often begin with series of planning of how the event is supposed to be , the number of guests, the number of vendors to provide services.
Iterative and Agile approaches are similar, the implications would include the following:
-flexibility, plans can change as a result of unforeseen factors. Feedback can be gotten each time, to make sure the event is going in the right direction.
-Agile approach is less risky: discovering risks on the go and finding solutions to them as quickly as possible.
If I was advise the company, I’ll advise the company to start with a Linear approach to setting up events and then switching to Hybrid which is a combination of linear and Iterative or Agile approach to ensure the best event is planned.
Setting up an event as a project manager seems to tilt towards a linear approach. However, using iterative agile approach can also aid speedy completion of the project.
It is also important to not miss out on any detailed part of the event planning while using sprint amongst team members. The implication could be omitting details, inability to source for clients wants, planning an event, sourcing, meeting with vendors etc to executing the project in 2 to 4 weeks might be stressful and challenging.
In an ineternational sporting event, changes may arise due to environmental crisis, political upheavals, behavioural pattern of the community members, economic crisis and social unrest.
As MTD Project manager, i will adopt iterative and agile approach to tackle challenges from a VUCA world pespective.
With this, rapid solutions will be derived from rapid responses to any unpredictable circumstances.
Agile teams have the capacity to adapt to uncertainties and are dynamic in planning. So quick attention will be given to contigencies with the right information and expert analysis to ensure project success.
Even though planning an event looks linear in nature as it has a way or process to achieving it, it is also time bound and requires a consistent feedback. For example, planning for a 12th year anniversary for MTD is an event.
It should start with the PM meeting the stakeholder in order to have a clear understanding of what they will like to have.
2. Who are the guest of the event
b. How should they be entertained
3. How many guest will be invited
4. Is the event strictly by invitation
a. If not, how many people should be expected and planned for
Know the pre expected guest will
5. Which hall should be used based on planned cost of expenditure
6. Which hall has the capacity
7.how should the hall be decorated
8. Feeding and refreshment
And many more.
After the project has been kick started, it requires feed back periodicly to the stakeholders to avoid unnecessary headache.
It also require a fixed time to in order to mske progress and achieve excellence.
Even though planning an event looks linear in nature as it has a way or process to achieving it, it is also time bound and requires a consistent feedback. For example, planning for a 12th year anniversary for MTD is sn event.
It should start with the PM meeting the stakeholder in order to have a clear understanding of what they will like to have.
2. Who are the guest of the event
b. How should they be entertained
3. How many guest will be invited
4. Is the event strictly by invitation
a. If not, how many people should be expected and planned for
Know the pre expected guest will
5. Which hall should be used based on planned cost of expenditure
6. Which hall has the capacity
7.how should the hall be decorated
8. Feeding and refreshment
And many more.
After the project has been kick started, it requires feed back periodicly to the stakeholders to avoid unnecessary headache.
It also require a fixed time to in order to mske progress and achieve excellence.
As a project manager working with MTD
I will say communication and collaboration are crucial in overcoming challenges and issues. It’s important to foster open dialogue, encourage feedback and ensure everyone is on the same page. Additionally utilizing cloud-based project management tools can help steamline processes and help
I learnt that a project manager should not be limited to a particular project management style. At the same time, each project are unique in their own right as two project aren’t the same
The realization of the VUCA forces that may affect the success of projects is an eye-opener to the fact that managing projects successfully requires the employment of a mixed approach most times to mitigate the level of project failure due to several issues encountered in between project management processes, hence the need to consider the Agile mixed with Linear Project Lifecycles.
The MTD Projects can be complex as client needs change rapidly from various location to another simultaneously.
In order to mitigate risks, manage cost, schedule delivery time and clients effectively
within projects, the Agile Lifecycle approach is what I will advise the MTD Project Team to embrace the more but shouldn’t abandon the Linear approach for simpler tasks.