Product Management

Every planned action can be considered a project. One must identify the goals of the action, formulate how to reach this goal, and then apply the decided process. Most of these actions are done with little time to prepare such as any sport, a social game, or leaving for a scheduled destination. However, there are less trivial projects that require much more forethought such as obtaining a college degree, buying a car, repairing a car, planning a social event, or passing an evaluation. These larger projects are heavily impacted by one’s project management skill, which like all things can be learned and improved.

I am learning this skill to better both my personal and professional success and am applying Kolb’s Learning Cycle to both aid my learning and provide hard evidence for myself that I am learning.

 Kolb’s Learning Cycle: Learning Project Management

Step 1. Experiencing: 

After research from Dr. Elger’s site, Project Management is done efficiently by adopting a few key values and following a step-by-step process.

            Important Key Values:

Being Goal Oriented- One must set goals and then strive to achieve those goals until they are met.

Accountability- One must be responsible enough to complete the goals established to their best ability.

Teamwork/Collaboration- One should strive to reach their goals in the best possible way which usually leads to working with a group for either the entire project or for parts of the project. Two minds are always better than one and one can never have too many hands when it comes to achieving a goal.

                        Critical Thinking- One needs to be data based and rational.

            Step-by-step Projects:

1.      Create a powerful drive for one to generate valuable goals.

2.      Establish one’s goals that are motivating by making them valuable, feasible yet challenging, and measureable so one can identify when the goal is reached. Generate these goals by using a diamond approach:

                                                              i.       Ask oneself what is success when this project is complete

                                                            ii.      Outline guidelines for goals

                                                          iii.      Brainstorm

                                                          iv.      Identify the best goals

                                                            v.      Analyze and modify the best goals

                                                          vi.      Decide on the goals to be set

3.      Break project down into small tasks/sub-goals, again using a diamond

4.      Assign tasks evenly among the collaboration team

5.      Complete the tasks/sub-goals

6.      Meet regularly to monitor task process, solve problems, identify and assign new tasks, and practice reflective thinking to improve.

7.      Achieve project goals

Step 2. Reflection:

Project management is not only time management, leadership, and perseverance, but a logical systematic approach to projects that can be replicated to reach success despite the circumstances. Personally in the past I have been successful in projects that innately were on importance to me, however, if I take a second to identify an important reason for valuable goals I can achieve things that are not within my main focus.

Step 3. Conceptualization:

I need to find the importance of projects that are at first not within my sphere, so that they can become part of it. This will result in more project success as well as an enlargement of my interests and abilities. By enlarging my interests and abilities I will become more competent in all things, making me an important asset professionally and making my personal life more productive and enjoyable.

Step 4. Planning:

I need to take time to identify the importance of projects and continue to expand my project management through real world experience.

Step 5. Repeat:  

1.      Experiencing: I am currently planning an ugly sweater party for my dorm hall.

My Step-by Step Process:

1.      Drive: The holidays are approaching as well as finals, everyone needs a light, small chance to unwind, have fun, and bond.

2.      Establish goals using a diamond:

                                                              i.       What is a successful Ugly Sweater Party?

                                                            ii.      Goals must be: Practical, obtainable, and measureable

                                                          iii.      Brainstorm:

Have Fun

Have over ten people present

Have everyone wearing ugly sweaters and other silly garb

Have entertainment

Have holiday food and drink

                                                          iv.      Identify the best goals:

Have fun

Have everyone wearing ugly sweaters and other silly garb

Mingling between guests

Have food and drink

                                                            v.      Analyze and modify the best goals:

Fun isn’t very measurable, but laughter and smiling can indicate fun

Ugly sweaters are important and silly garb helps to reduce exclusion of people

I want my hall to bond so mingling is very important and can replace entertainment/include entertainment

Food and drink cost money and I don’t have a lot of funds.

                                                          vi.      Decide on the goals to be set:

Have a Ugly Sweater Party with neighbors from my hall that have attempted to wear something ugly or silly, with cookies, crackers and cheese, eggnog, and juice that is full of light hearted conversation.

3.      Break project down using a diamond:

                                                              i.      What is do I need to do to accomplish my goal?

                                                            ii.      Tasks must be simple

                                                          iii.      Brainstorm:

Get cookies

Get decorations

Get crackers and cheese

Get juice

Advertise party to hall

Set up decorations

Get utensils for eating/drinking including plates and cups

Find number of people planning to attend

                                                          iv.      Identify the best tasks:

All of them

                                                            v.      Analyze and modify the best goals:

The number of people attending needs to be determined before food/drink and plates, cups, etc. are bought

Advertising must be done before I know how many are interested

Decorations can be bought at any time but shouldn’t be set up too early; they also must be bought according to a plan and need to be organized with enough time to set up

                                                          vi.      Decide on the tasks:

1.      Advertise- include a system to count those interested

2.      Plan and buy decorations

3.      Buy cookies, crackers, cheese, eggnog, juice, and cups and plates appropriately for the number of guests

4.      Set-up decorations (be done at least 30min before planned time)

5.      Set out food (out as soon as a handful of guests have arrived)

4.      Assign tasks evenly among the collaboration team

1-      Self

2-      Sarah and Michelle

3-      Will and Sean

4-      All

5-      All

5.      Complete the tasks/sub-goals

6.      Meetings:

1.      Established Goals and tasks

2.      Advertising poster are set up there is a sign-up sheet.  Everyone decided on also verbally advertising and updating count individually

3.      Updated count, planned budget, helped brainstorm decoration

7.      Achieve project goals

The party is not until Dec 7^th.

Step 2. Reflection:

This project had some tasks that were poorly defined. The decoration planning was difficult sense it was such a broad task, it took the whole team to decide on decorations meaning assigning it to just two people was a poor decision. Establishing a specific goal helped the project to have direction, making the tasks easier to identify. Having a drive of relaxing before finals makes the whole process more enjoyable because a very positive end vision is in place that benefits not only the team, but our entire hall.

Step 3. Conceptualization:

The key to success is goal setting. Goals give direction and vision, without them it’s very easy to become lost. Small goals are very helpful also, our decoration planning task had no goal and it hurt its execution.

Step 4. Planning:

I need to be specific in goals and tasks and each task should have a goal.