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 type of project management approach to adopt depends largely on the environment and working conditions. The implications of each project approach will have an impact on the outcome or results.
The Linear Approach is more suited to a stable environment and helps for improved collaboration and continuous improvement.
However, an Iterative Approach is better when the business strategy and project scope is likely to change as such feedback is required after every iteration. This requires a clear and clean communication between all the stakeholders.
From my understanding of the project management approaches, I would advise for a Hybrid Approach to combine tools and techniques from both approaches in-order to create a flexible and adaptable project lifecycle.
How to get common understanding of aim and purpose of the project.
1. Project charter
2. Stakeholder engagement
3. Clear communication
4. Feedback mechanism
5. Regular reviews
How to foster collaborating working to allow various team members to work together
1. Team bonding
2. Conflict resolution
3. Regular meetings
4. Feedback culture
One of the experience of challenges I have had in a project is two team members had a disagreement that resulted in delay in the project. When it got to the knowledge of the project manager, a meeting was set up to resolve the conflict
A project team is the group of people responsible for executing the tasks and producing deliverables outlined in the project plan & schedule as directed by the PM at whatever level of effort or participation defined for them
What makes teams so great:
1. Positive atmosphere in the team
2. Cooperative relationships
3. Participative relationship
4. Distinctly stated objective & roles
5. Open & transparent communication
6. Effective decision making
7. Well adjusted participation
8. Effective management of conflict
This week, I have learnt that selecting the right approach to the challenges faced by projects depends on the environment.
The implications of taking an iterative approach to setting up an event as a project are
1. Improved collaboration
2. Continuous improvement
3. Adaptability to changing requirements
Implications of taking an agile approach are
1. Effective communication
My advice to MDT company is to understand the type of environment each project posits and select which approach is best to manage the project
As the project manager of MTD, the first thing I need to acknowledge is that a project may require different approaches. So, the project team will have to adapt to the challenges and needs of the project environment.
From my experience as a part of school event planning teams, there are three different phases of event planning: Pre-, During-, and Post-event with each having its own plan and activities.
The approaches should be tailored to the kind of activities involved as many tasks in the pre-event stage can be done simultaneously, favouring an agile approach.
Pre-event planning includes many activities, from research for the venue to hiring contractors, facilitators, choosing a date, coming up with the event schedules and marketing campaigns. Adopting an agile approach means the team can work faster to get all necessary things in place while being able to adjust quickly to any unexpected changes.
An agile approach will allow the team to take calculated decisions to reduce risks of failure during the event. Team members can do non-conflicting tasks at the same time. For example, after the event, the marketing team can work on the post-event communication at the same time the finance team is working on the financial reports for how the budget was spent throughout the event.
Setting up an event as a project can be complex, and an iterative or hybrid approach will help MTD negotiate these complexities, choosing the most viable response when faced with challenges.
An iterative approach brings the advantage of managing risks by exploring the environment in bits rather than at one go. So in planning an event, in an uncertain or new context, MTD should consider iterative approach in order to understand the environment and users better before drawing up a concrete plan that might be executed in a linear approach since it involves constructions.
As a project manager working with MTD, studying their past projects, I should know that projects are not carried out successfully using only one approach. That is where flexibility comes to play, combing both approaches will give a well detailed and successful project in which both clients, sponsors and even team member will be satisfied, taking the iterative approach allows for continuous improvement/growth, flexibility. As a PM in MTD the VUCA framework tools are very essential in developing the best and suitable problems and solutions to be given them
An agile approach can help MTD respond swiftly to clients evolving client needs.
My sincere advice to MTD is to integrate both approaches to ensure success to projects.
As a project manager working with MTD, It is very important to know that projects are not carried out successfully using only one approach. That is where flexibility comes to play, combing linear and iterative approaches will give a well detailed and successful project to the project manager in which both clients, sponsors and even team members will be satisfied. The linear approach allows you to work speedily, because their is deployment, while the iterative approach allows for continuous improvement/growth, flexibility, because their is no deployment.
To me, both linear and interactive Approaches are best ways to achieve a well successful project, but interactive is more suitable in my opinion, bcos it gives way or room fo more ideas and interaction as a strategy in accomplishing the project.
As a PM in MTD i will simultaneously use both the linear and agile approaches in managing the event projects and also derive wealth of information from all the historical projects and events executed by the company.
As a PM at MTD, I Would be flexible in my approaches.putting in mine that different projects comes with different challenges.
This week, I’ve learned that effective communication and coordination among team members are crucial for project success. Clear project goals, roles, and expectations contribute to smoother execution.
Taking an iterative approach in setting up an event allows for continuous improvement and flexibility. It enables MTD to adapt to changes, refine processes, and deliver a more refined event experience.
The environment dtermines the best suited approach or combination of both approaches that will enhance the most adjusted methods for achieving the goals of the project and sustaining success.
The VUCA concept is legendary considering the volatile nature of this part of the world.It’s the game for me because alot of external factors that are associated with the society that we live in and carry out projects affects project management in general.Both linear and iterative approach to management is required for commplex