Project Management and Leadership Project Management is described as the application of knowledge, tools, experiences

Kumara Sharath Chandra Rachamalla

Discussion – 1

COLLAPSE

Project Management and Leadership

Project Management is described as the application of knowledge, tools, experiences, skills, and techniques to achieve the project specific deliverables within a constrained schedule and budget. (APM, 2019). It is a combination of planning, initiating, executing, monitoring, and closing the project along with managing the people associated with it. It involves in planning and organizing the necessary resources and finances to complete a task or achieve an objective prior to the deadline dates. Companies related to Engineering, Manufacturing, Construction, Healthcare, etc., that follow complex hierarchical structure use project management to produce and deliver an effective product or service. It is the responsibility of a project manager to oversee the project from start to finish. The responsibilities of a project manager include laying out project proposal, project planning, budgeting, resource management, time management, etc. Project management helps in keeping track of the progress and enables the project manager to act accordingly.

Different projects use specific project management methods to achieve the desirable results. Some of the project management types are, Waterfall, Agile, and Lean. Project manager must consider time, cost and scope of the project and develop a structure that is socially, economically, and environmentally responsible. (Watt, 2019). There are several cases where project managers failed to use appropriate project management tools to achieve anticipated results. It is very important to select a designated person who has good amount of experience to lead and manage a project.

Leadership has many definitions, framed by many authors, scholars, and laureates. A project leader leads the project by planning and strategizing, while a project manager plays more of managerial role by handling the functioning and issues associated with the project. Project managers major responsibility is to convince the stakeholders, clients, team members, and sponsors, through effective communication and managerial skills. The project leadership ensures that the teams are motivated enough to meet the customer expectation of delivering the project prior to the deadline dates. It helps in providing a platform for the innovators and creators to produce new systems, techniques, designs, etc., and acts as a catalyst to the change. Unlike the project managers, Project leaders create a vision to the project and communicate it effectively to motivate the team members. They make long-term plans associated with the projects to ensure the people involved are served with achievable goals. They also work towards improving the performance of teams and create an environment that encourages the employees to improve their performance on a regular basis. It also improves the efficiency and quality of the final product. Project Managers with project leadership qualities always succeed in their field of work. They help people involved with the project and the organization at the same time. Both project management and project leadership are complimentary and play an important role in the success of a project. (Collazo, 2021).

References

APM. (2019). APM Body of Knowledge . APM.

Collazo, J. (2021, June 3). Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil…

Watt, A. (2019). Project Management. BCcampus Open Education.