A Project Management Plan For The Orion Shield Project

An old adage-plan the work and work the plan, in essence this is the key to successful project management. Project Managers (PM) must first plan out the project and then monitor and control the execution of the program work. There is a tendency for projects to short change the planning process. This is a common mistake. The time spent properly planning will result in reduced cost and duration, and increased quality over the life of the project. Using tried and true best practices for a PM will provide assurance that the program /project will be beneficial and successful.

A project manager must be a skillful planner and can inspire his or her team to produce as needed. Per LaBrosse (2007), project management can be used throughout the organization to boost personal and collaborative productivity by building a standardized system that embeds best practices into the way projects are managed” (p.26).

The Orion Shield Project was analyzed, particularly in regard to the program manager, Gary Allison. Having never managed a program before, Gary was given an opportunity to do so on this valuable project. Several stakeholders came into play; some that helped contribute to Gary’s demise, and others who were often left to pick up the pieces where Gary may have failed. Ultimately, it was determined that in more than one way, Gary was not a successful program manager. Technical, ethical, legal, and contractual shortfalls were addressed to see where Gary and his team may have gone wrong.

The key to a successful project is in the planning. Creating a project plan is the first thing we should do when undertaking any kind of project. A project plan can allow a Project Manager to complete a project within a specified timeline and a specified budget.Reaching these important goals, will make the project customer happy and help the organization to build a good relationship with the customer for future projects. Project planning is fundamental in order to avoid failure and disappointment. In project management, effective planning is absolutely required if the individual or group wishes to deliver a finished project on time and on budget. From a Project Management article (http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/articles/40904.aspx) I read that during the project planning phase, plans are developed in the form of project baselines for schedule, cost, scope, quality and risks, all of which are components of the overall project plan. This gives the Project Manager basis for monitoring project progress and upon which to base decisions necessary for managing changes needed to help get the project back on track.

Executive Summary Project management is the science of planning, organizing, executing, and managing the resources needed to achieve a specific goal. Effective project managers (PM) strategically facilitate the entire project management process to ensure the project’s success. To do this the PM must adequately meet the specific requirements (i.e., time, scope, quality, and cost) set forth by the project and its stakeholders. It is theorized that PM must possess a set of core competencies in order to successfully manage a project. Those competencies are development of project management knowledge areas, application of appropriate project management tools and techniques, understanding of the project

Project managers play the leading role in the project management process: They are accountable for the completion and delivery of projects. They create an atmosphere of teamwork and collaboration in which a defined goal can be achieved in a controlled and structured manner by a group of people. Project managers manage projects on a day-to-day basis, maintain a continuous focus on moving projects toward their defined objective, drive the decision-making process and execute milestones according to plan

Project management is the performance based process focus on one o more deliverable. It is the process of identifying a problem or need coming up with possible solution, deciding on the best one and completing the project in a manner that is acceptable to

Project management is defined by BusinessDictionary.com as, “Approach to management of work within the constraints of time, cost, and performance requirements.” Project management requires careful planning and studying all of the factors involved with in the project. Project Managers must first establish the needs of the stakeholders and provide a project plan which includes the cost and time frame the project will be completed. In addition, projects requirements should be clear and concise to ensure the Project Manager stays within

Project management plan is the records of all the processes and procedures that are in effect to provide information to project team, manage the scope, costs, time and quality of the project.

Project management requires a solid management plan focusing on scope and scheduling risks, communication, good decision making, how to deal with uncertainties, ethics, and to utilize the situational leadership style. I feel that it is required to adapt and understand the type of

This is done through proper communication, and motivation using respect and trust (Institute, 2013). A project manager must be able to focus on the time, scope, budget and quality of the project, but they must also meet the objectives of the project (Schwalbe, 2011). A manager has to be both a leader and a manger. Project management is “the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.” (Institute, 2013)

Project Manager is responsible for performance measurement which includes finding variances between planned and actual work, cost and schedule. The project manager assigns the tasks to the team members and they follow the required course of action. The project manager provides the status reports to all the vital stakeholders in order to provide visibility. The Stakeholders review the metrics and variance and initiate necessary steps for the variances determined in order to complete the project within budget and time.

As part of the Defence integrated workforce, I would like to work under the broad direction of the project manager independently with the opportunity for reasonable autonomy and accountability for the achievement of project outcome along with best practices in project management methodologies.

The Project Management Plan (PMP) provides the general overview and establishes specific strategies and milestones for the preparation of study notes and delivery of presentation on the topic “Developing the Project Team “. The PMP will define the project 's requirements and expectations. This document will be updated as required, if there is any change in the subsidiary management plans.

Project management is a series of steps taken in sequence to manage a project through all phases from conception to completion. The steps are documented in a strategic plan. The plan is used to ensure that all parties are working towards a common goal. Project management requires applying knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to specific activities in accordance with established standards and guidelines. There are five basic functions of project management: planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. Basic activities of project management include: identifying project requirements to define the outcomes; addressing various needs, concerns and expectations of others; setting up, maintaining and carrying out communications; managing others; creating project deliverables; and balancing competing project constraints.