Planning
Planning is a very important step in any project as it lays the foundation for all the other functions of management to build off of. The manager involved with this project was specifically educated in project management and has led similar projects in the past. She made use of software tools to come up with a schedule. This gave her an advantage in the planning stage ultimately leading to the project ending on time and on budget.
Improvements could be made to the overall function of the team by making some changes to the way teams are selected. As it is, whichever employees happen to be available at the time are all grouped together and given the job. It is important to match personalities and skills that complement …show more content…
Each team member works with all other group members to assign tasks, get work done, and compile their efforts. There are no formal due dates or responsibility designation. This loose structure is inefficient and could easily cause confusion. Weekly meetings are held to keep everyone up to date. At these meetings the manager could check in with each member to review their progress and organize tasks. This would allow for much clearer idea of how much progress the team is making and help meet, or even beat, deadlines. If at all possible, keeping the same team together for multiple projects would allow them to continue the momentum from previous projects and get things done efficiently.
Leading
The leadership aspect of this project left much to be desired. There is no official reward or incentive system in place. The employee that gave their best effort and provided valuable input to the team would get the same amount of recognition as someone who only put in the minimum amount of work. This is not good for keeping the team motivated to do their best.
They could implement some form of motivational system. Rewards for exemplary work could include individual rewards, for example cash bonuses, vacation time, or gifts. Rewards could also be more public and less fiscal. Public recognition can be an excellent motivation tool. Awarding “most valuable employee” type awards for each project not only helps reinforce the recipient’s confidence and motivation, but also encourages others to work hard to try and achieve the same