Project Management Principles

Managing people and projects requires the adoption of effective strategies to foster efficiency. Therefore, project managers must undertake an exhaustive analysis of the projects under their control and make informed decisions (Jeremiah & Kabeyi, 2018). In addition, people management requires a mastery of several skills such as effective communication, motivating and inspiring people, and establishing meaningful working relationships.

Examples of Organizational Changes that I Will Implement at UPI Through Project Management

One of the significant changes that I will implement at UPI is reevaluating the organizational culture and laying the groundwork for a significant change to foster efficiency in project completion. Implementing a cultural change will involve a review of the organizational vision and mission as well as shared value systems. Reinforcing a positive organizational culture will ensure that the organization creates a favorable environment for increased productivity and high levels of efficiency (Jeremiah & Kabeyi, 2018). Adopting this approach will align the shared core values with project management approaches and ascertain that the organization meets expectations.

I would also introduce a project charter to enhance the project management lifecycle. Introducing the project charter to the organization will create a platform for better control of each project's objective, scope, and level of stakeholder engagement during project completion. Adopting a project charter will serve as a practical approach to managing projects and having better control of their completion (Larson & Gray, 2018). Moreover, the project charter will outline an elaborate implementation plan that will guide project implementation and provide a better apprehension of the potential risks associated with the project.

Suggestions on How to Gain the Trust of Employees to Learn About Management and the Corporate Culture

The best approach for gaining the trust of employees on my team would be listening to their concerns and assessing their motivation levels based on the working environment. According to Serrat (2017), listening to employees and paying attention to their distinctive needs forms the basis of gaining trust, which will open more opportunities for them to discuss the nature of management and corporate culture. I would also focus on conducting anonymous surveys to foreground the primary features of the organizational culture. In this context, the anonymous surveys would give employees more confidence to provide detailed information regarding the effectiveness of management and organizational culture. I would also create feedback forums that emphasize the input of employees to influence the decision-making processes. The feedback forums will allow employees to share their concerns and views regarding the organizational culture and management structure changes. In my view, it is ethical to use employees as sources of information that can guide the implementation of change. In this context, understanding employees' views will be an important step in identifying the factors that necessitate the change process. Therefore, I would ensure that the employees understand that their contribution in providing information will help foster positive organizational changes.

Identification of a Quality Resource that Will Help in Pursuing My Goal of Assisting the Management of UPI to Gain Control of the Corporate Project Portfolio

One of the resources that I would adopt to assist the management of UPI would be the implementation of annual project audits. Undertaking these audits will allow an assessment of accuracy and control levels in each project. The project audits for both short-term and long-term projects would provide a platform for determining the levels of efficiency and highlighting areas that need attention (Larson & Gray, 2018). Adopting project audits can empower the management to review the internal processes and external factors influencing project completion. The management will better understand the projects' scope, cost, and risks with regular project audits. Such information will help develop a proactive approach for addressing the identified problems.

Succeeding in project and people management must involve the mastery of effective approaches for motivating employees and maintaining control during project implementation. Without these approaches, it can be challenging to earn employees' trust and ensure that project completion is within the scope, budget, and initial timing. Therefore, I would implement the strategies discussed to assist the management at UPI.

References

Jeremiah, M., & Kabeyi, B. (2018). Evolution of project management, monitoring and evaluation, with historical events and projects that have shaped the development of project management as a profession. International Journal of Science and Research. https://doi.org/10.21275/ART20202078(Links to an external site.)

Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2018). Project management. McGraw-Hill Education. www.mheducation.com(Links to an external site.)

Serrat, O. (2017). Building trust in the workplace. In Knowledge solutions (pp. 627-632). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0983-9_69

Professor response

Good ideas for the company. An organization that has a strong competitive position has a wider range of choices than one whose strategic position is weak. The options available are also constrained by the mission and the goals of the organization, its resources, the style of the leader and the corporate culture. Externally, choices are limited by the conditions in the industry, such as maturity, level of concentration and foreign competition.

Because a new strategic thrust is generally inspired by dissatisfaction with the present performance, the alternatives under consideration are likely to involve repositioning of the firm. Therefore, the next question is which of the possible options is the most appropriate means of repositioning our firm? Which has the best strategic fit?