read the artical snd writ 2 pages

5

Written Assignment 1

California Lutheran University

Main Ideas

There are a few main ideas that I found important over the other concepts in Project Management The Managerial Process by Gray and Larson and Creating Public Value by Moore. First, it is important to point out that a project differs from a program, in that a project is a “temporary endeavor” and a program is carried out “over an extended period of time” (Gray and Larson, 2014). A project manager must be able to distinguish a project from a program in order to develop a plan that works to achieve the project scope. The overall goal of a project is to satisfy the needs of customers. However, projects have individual project scopes, which are the mission or end result of the entire project. In other words, projects produce services for the client, customer, or authorizing authority. If a project manager confuses their project as a program, the project scope may take longer to achieve or the goal may never even be reached due to added obstacles that distract a team from completing its mission.

Although project and program managers are different, in the public sector, one individual takes on both responsibilities. When faced with these two tasks, project managers are faced with the challenges of achieving organizational and project goals in ways that are valuable and effective, operationally feasible, and satisfy political and administrative directives (Moore’s Triangle). The main connection between both books comes from the idea that project managers should have the ability to achieve project scope (Gray and Larson) while increasing public value (Moore). Moore states, “it is not enough to say that public managers create results that are valued; they must be able to show that the results are worth the cost of private consumption and unstrained by liberty forgone in producing the desirable results. Only then can we be sure that some public value has been created” (Moore, 2003).

Connections/Implications of Ideas Covered

Despite the readings focus on project management, the ideas are applicable to all types of management. The general role of a manager is to provide oversight and support to the employees they are in charge of, give direction and ensure that tasks are being completed, see that the goals of the agency are being fulfilled, and satisfy the needs of the customer.

How Can This Information Be Used?

As mentioned in the previous section, the information covered is appropriate for all managers. Although I am not titled a “project manager”, I believe my job requires a combination of duties related to project and program management. For example, similar to the ideas from the readings, I have organizational and project goals that must be achieved. I have a certain project scope that I, as an individual employee, am responsible for completing. Furthermore, above all, the main goal of my position is to satisfy the needs of the students I am in charge of. These are some of the project goals I work towards.

While I work toward completing those project goals, I am challenged with satisfying the customer’s goals, while answering to administrative directives and guidelines. I find this difficult while managing my caseload because providing students with the services they need sometimes clashes with what administration wants within the program. I do not think there is one correct way to deal with this challenge; however, I believe the solution involves prioritizing and finding balance.

For example, in the program I work with, I am given direction from an agency as well as a school district. Overall, the goal of the program is to have clients employed by the end of their two years within the program. The agency and school district often have different views of what a student needs to be successful in becoming employed. However, because I am the person who works with the students directly, I am given the discretion to implement decisions I find fit best. The agency that I work with is trying to become more involved with clients at the high school level, and recently, they have developed new guidelines and protocols that must be completed throughout a client’s time in the program. These guidelines are obstacles that I must learn to deal with in order to be as successful as I can as an employee overlooking the students of the program.

Ways I have found to overcome these challenges is by prioritizing and finding balance. There are many priorities in the program I work with but I have found the number one priority to be the success of the student. No matter the other goals or desired results that are added into the program, I have distinguished the overall mission of the program. Doing this has allowed me to find balance between the satisfying the student and satisfying the administrative agencies. Furthermore, balance and prioritization works in a way to keep me from becoming too engulfed in scope creep.

Does This Alter You Opinion of Project Management?

The readings have changed what I thought and knew about project management. Before reading the required texts, I was under the impression that a project and a program were the same things. I also thought of project management simply as managerial oversight of a project team to complete a desired project goal. However, after reading the texts, I know that project management is more complex than it sounds. Another important concept I learned is that the role of a project manager is similar to a conductor. Rather than doing the actual work of achieving a goal, the project manager acts as the conductor who makes the decisions, gives direction, and ensures that everyone is working to complete the tasks they are given. This is important to understand because if managers become too involved in the work, there will be nobody to provide oversight or reinforcement.