Mastery Journal Discussion

Project and Team Management Synopsis

This course is a comprehensive study of Project Management with an emphasis on developing a complete project management plan and budget. The main objectives are Defining The Project, Planning The Project, Executing The Plan and Project, Monitoring The Plan and Project, and Closing The Project. The written text is authored by Eric Verzuh and called “The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management”(2016). An emphasis is based on the development of managing a project from the initial stages to the end stages. Students are encouraged to role-play while taking the course as well as recognize and understand the different aspects of project managing. Learning to be a project leader along with conflict resolution techniques are also segments that are taught in this course. 

The first week begins with an introduction and brainstorming assignment. Students are to brainstorm ideas from their particular field of entertainment. These idea’s will be used to define the Gantt Chart. The Gantt Chart is the template used to place all of the pertinent information needed to accomplish the project. This is where you’ll find the stakeholders, task to do, equipment to use, and materials to purchase, etc. 

In week two, the discussion activity is about different types of methodologies pertaining to management. This will be used to plan the project for the course. Students are encouraged to choose no more than two methodologies to use through the process. The WBS or Work Breakdown Structure is introduced for the main activity in week two. Students work on the process of putting information on the Gantt template. The information required is as follows: tasks, activities, and resources, to begin the timeline associated with the Gantt Chart. This is the beginning stages of charting information for the project.

The week three discussion begins with the study of conflict resolution. The students research different conflict resolution techniques to add to their management styles. The purpose of this is to learn how to manage any conflicts when working with teams while working on a project. The students then create a conflict resolution policy of their own to follow when leading a team. Risk management is the main activity for this week. Students will learn to plan their budgets by taking into consideration the risks involved in a particular project. A risk management plan is created to add to the project management plan.

Week four is the culmination of all four weeks combined with added activities. It begins with a personality assessment for the discussion to let students understand, through the process of a short survey, what their personality traits are. Students take the Myers-Briggs and DiSC personality assessments and get to evaluate their traits. The surveys are there for the students to learn how to group certain individuals by their traits on a project. It is basically designed to help one manage a team by understanding their traits. The next activity is the team and quality management activity. Students will learn to put a team performance management plan together to help them manage their teams successfully by using feedback and keeping a pulse on the over-all changes to their projects. The students will also work on quality management to ensure that the project meets certain specifications. This teaches the students to be vigilant on maintaining an understanding of certain requirements that need to be met. 

The final project is to create the project management plan using all the templates from the weeks before, to pitch the project. Students will learn to pitch their project to future companies by presenting to a live class. This will help them in their future endeavors in the entertainment business. To complete the course, this journal is created to post on the student’s Mastery Journal on WordPress. The purpose of this post is to demonstrate an understanding of the entire project and team management process by writing a synopsis or journal of the course. 

In reflection, I feel that I learned a tremendous amount of information through this course. I particularly liked the hands on template work we did in generating the project management plan. The instructions were overwhelming at times and could be simplified however, the professor does a wonderful job of explaining the step-by-step process for each activity in his archive videos. The sections on conflict resolution and personality assessments were great for leading a team. I will definitely use some of the techniques I learned when managing a group of individuals. To pitch a project with conviction and understanding in front of an audience is not an easy thing to do however, a must if one wants to move forward with their projects. I believe that I will be better prepare with a better understanding of how to present a project with a solid project management plan. This will allow me to take advantage of the opportunities afforded to me in the future.

Reference:

Verzuh. E. (2015) The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, 5^thEdition. Retrieved from Safari. Full Sail University.