Personal Reflection: Project & Team Management

December 18, 2022:

Over the course of the last month, I spent my time learning about the tools and strategies needed to successfully plan and execute a project, while also empowering the team members around me to contribute and bring the project to fruition.

As explained countless times in class by my professor, Lester Frederick, project team management skills are “universal and tangible”, meaning that they could be applied in any industry, under any position. For example, the acronym “PLOM” (plan, lead, organize, monitor) stands as any project manager’s northern light when attempting to start and finish any kind of project. No matter the industry, a project must first be planned and researched. This is where project managers (PMs) initially define the project scope or plan of action. Usually this results in a project definition and a work breakdown structure is made. Secondly, PMs must take a leadership role by organizing tasks and assigning responsibilities to the project stakeholders. These actions ultimately initiate the plan of action, and the PM monitors the progression of the project to ensure that every task is being completed on time, on budget, while meeting customer quality expectations.

While all this seems relatively easy to complete in theory, it’s easy to forget the countless number of ways a project can go wrong. For example, team chemistry could demotivate team members, unexpected expenses could push the project over budget, or unforeseen obstacles could move tasks and deadlines back. In my opinion, project managers should also be considered “problem managers” because problems are inevitable. As a PM manager, you must consider all these possibilities before executing the project and have a gameplan on how to deal with them.

As an overview, my project team management course provided me the foundational knowledge and skills to confidently pursue and execute any project that may confront me. I plan on using the PM skills I’ve gained to establish my own event promotion company, Loading.doc, and host our very first event by the time I graduate September 2023. It has been a dream of mine to begin curating my own lifestyle branded events, and I’m appreciative to Lester Frederick for helping establish my skills as a leader and project manager. Until next time!

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