Reflect on the assigned readings for Week 7 and then type a two page paper regarding what you thought was the most important concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any other thing that you felt was worthy of your understanding.  Define and describe what you thought was worthy of your understanding in half a page, and then explain why you felt it was important, how you will use it, and/or how important it is in project management.   After submitting your two page paper as an initial post in the “Reflection and Discussion Forum,” then type at least two peer replies in response to your classmates posts (200 word minimum each). 

Responses 

response for Sana Khan

Kloppenborg, Anantatmula, & Wells (2019) discussed the project supply chain management in Chapter 13, which is one of the most important aspects of project management because it includes significance of supply chain management in defining the success of any project, determining how to plan, control, conduct and close the procurements in any project, and the best approaches used to partner and collaborate for the project success.

 In today’s highly competitive business environment, more and more organizations are coming forward to build cooperative collaborations to succeed together in the demanding marketplace (Kloppenborg, Anantatmula, & Wells, 2019). One of the most important aspects of project supply chain management is the identification of the needs and wants of the project, so that the outsourcing can be done accordingly (Kloppenborg, Anantatmula, & Wells, 2019). Contracts are used to manage the relationship with suppliers and they also contain specific requirements that the buyer has (Kloppenborg, Anantatmula, & Wells, 2019). These specifications include purchasing details that help the organizations meet their customers’ specific needs (Kloppenborg, Anantatmula, & Wells, 2019).

According to Sillanpää (2015), different approaches are used for make-or-buy decisions and one of them is transaction cost theory which is a classical approach and a company uses this to make a decision based on  factors, such as reduction in the production and transaction cost. In his research study Sillanpää (2015) developed a tool to enable companies to create an agile supply chain by working in collaboration with the company’s suppliers and also by determining what to outsource and what should be subcontracted. Conducting procurement is another big part of project supply chain management which deals with getting a response from the seller, selecting an appropriate seller and awarding contract (Kloppenborg, Anantatmula, & Wells, 2019).

In chapter # 14, Kloppenborg, Anantatmula, & Wells (2019) discussed how to determine if the project is on right track which is project progress and outcomes. One of the most important aspects of tracking project progress is managing the change control which is all about analyzing the impact of change on the project, managing changes to any of the project deliverables, budgets, timeline, and the project management plan (Kloppenborg, Anantatmula, & Wells, 2019). Another important aspect of project progress tracking is monitoring the project risks (Kloppenborg, Anantatmula, & Wells, 2019). It helps the project manager deal with the project elemenst, such as the project cost, schedule, and quality (Nicholas, Ann, & David, 2008). Implementation of a solid risk response strategy is another important part of tracking the project progress, which includes understanding of and controlling of the WBS, close monitoring and controlling of project activities, documenting all change requests, and being proactive about challenging issues and so on (Kloppenborg, Anantatmula, & Wells, 2019).

Chapter # 15 discussed finishing a project and realizing its benefits which include determining when a project should be declared completed or when it should be terminated, what will be the process of terminating a project, what will be the project closing activities, what is the transition plan and the on-going support and looking at the lessons learned (Kloppenborg, Anantatmula, & Wells, 2019).

According to , project managers can make their project management more effective by implementing lessons learned from their previous projects and for this purpose project managers must conduct lesson learned consistently and incorporate them in the organization’s procedures for the future and upcoming projects (Vignos, 2014).

In conclusion, from chapter # 13, 14 and 15 I have learned the importance of project supply chain management, project progress tracking and project closing and realization of project benefits and the different tools and techniques used in all three stages, such as the make-or-buy decision, change management, risk monitoring and response, and determining what concludes a project, capturing and implementing lessons learned.

References

Kloppenborg, T., Anantatmula, V., & Wells, K. (2019). Contemporary project management (4th ed).  Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

Nicholas, K., Ann, K., & David, K. (2008). Implementing Risk Mitigation, Monitoring, And Management In It Projects. risk, 273-312.

Sillanpää, I. (2015). Strategic decision making model for make or buy decisions. International Journal of Logistics Economics and Globalisation, 6(3), 205. doi: 10.1504/ijleg.2015.073894

Vignos, T. (2014). Implementing lessons learned best practices in project management.

response for shiva tej

Chapter 13

From chapter 13 I learnt several concepts that are related to project supply chain management. A supply chain is made up of all parties that play part in the satisfaction of customer needs. The integration of supply chain in project management is associated with a significantly enhanced management of a project. Project supply chain management refers to the system approach for the management of flow of information, physical products and finances from producers and suppliers through the retailers or wholesalers and the project organization for the satisfaction of customer needs. Some of the components of SCM include type of the contract, in-source or outsource decision and system integration.

Furthermore, supply chain management decisions include supply contracts, logistics and product design. Some of the sources of potential suppliers for a project include trade journals, shows,  supplier catalogs, information files and websites. Project supply chain management is very crucial as it ensures that products, raw-materials as well as services are made available to the project site in time to ensure that no delays or extra costs re incurred by a project. In my future career as a project manager I will be able to plan procurement as well as control it ton ensure that the project is completed within the allocated time as well as using the allocated resources.

Chapter 14

This chapter covers the aspects of project determination which are outlined as reach a decision, limit in scope, to offer direction, come to a conclusion or to influence. During the execution of a project, a project manager can be in a position to give directions, re-plan, guard rtjhe scope and influence, the decision making of a project manager may include delegation of decisions, being part of the group and make decisions and personally make decisions. In addition, the chapter covers than various internal issues in project management that includes risk monitoring, communication management and monitoring and risk response implementation. From that chapter also I earned the two types of project control that are go/no go and steering control. Decisions monitoring as well as control may include revisiting the project charter and adjusting to the project plan. Finally project performance can be assessed through weekly reports, emphasizing on specifics and updating risk register.

The determination of project progress and results is a very crucial part of project management as it helps in assessing any risks as well as failure that the project may be undergoing and provide the possible mitigation plan for the project to be successfully completed. Furthermore it helps in assessing the success rate as well as the speed at which the project is progressing and make future predictions about the project. As a project manager the knowledge I have gained will help me to request for weekly assessment that are based on specific. As a result I will be in a position to ensure that the progress of the project is swift.

Chapter 15

Chapter fifteen covered the project completion as well as the realization of its benefits. A project is said to have moved to a completion stage when the customers accepts its deliverables. The validation scope of a project includes a formal project deliverables acceptance, provision of a customer written acceptance by the seller, the transition from execution to closing stage and use of a closeout checklist to itemize deliverables. A project may be terminated through the following acts mutual agreement, default and termination by convincing the customers or the buyers.

Some of the steps taken for an early termination are quick and honest communication, project manager early recommendation for the termination and looking for other stakeholders. The termination as well as benefit realization of a project is very crucial as it brings to the end of the purpose of the project. Through this stage the project must be assessed whether or not it satisfied the customer’s requirements. As a project manager I will be in a position to follow that required steps during making an early termination or during reporting the success and benefits the project will have offered to the customers.

References

Heagney, J. (2016). Fundamentals of project management. Amacom.

Kloppenborg, T. J., Anantatmula, V. S., & Wells, K. N. (2019). Contemporary project management.