How effectively do you think Rachel spent her day?
Rachel spend her day effectively; this is because every single minute she had was spend on solving an issue that concerned the project she headed. This is also the case in that she managed to attend to issues as they came up without compromising on her to-do list. All the time she was on the move to solve an issue that involved the project. She made sure that the project was running on smoothly. She made sure that she was full of energy to undertake the various tasks that she was doing. This is shown in the fact that she made sure that she had energy in herself to push her throughout the day. She was effective in the way she handled communication during the day, as she was in touch with each and every detail that she was pressed on.
Rachel was also effective in handling the urgent matters that concern the project. Some equipment and materials were needed urgently so that the project would go on smoothly. She ensured that these things were provided in the shortest time possible.
Given that project managers are required to coordinate the different departments and external suppliers and providers. She did this effectively by making sure that the marketing department was well coordinated in order to give the right specifications concerning their marketing. This, she did by meeting and explaining to the marketing manager that the information that the marketing team gave to the clients were not to the expectations of their department. She therefore ironed this out by ensuring that the communication and the expectations communicated to the clients were up to date.
I also think that Rachel spent her day effectively because she had time for herself. She was not mean to herself as she had some time to listen to Ravel’s string quartet on her headphones. This way, she is replenished and prepared to take on the remaining part of the day with renewed strength. She effectively did with full knowledge that she would be interrupted; this, she managed to avoid by pinning a “Do not disturb sign” on the doorstep.
Rachel managed to inform all the concerned parties of the status of the project at the right time. She managed to inform the boss of the status of the project. She also attended the conference call during the day, as it is mandatory that the other stakeholders be informed of the status of the project.
What does the case tell you about what it is like to be a project manager?
Being a project manager needs to multitask as there are many tasks that come up during the day. One is required to handle issues as they come up. Rachel did this perfectly as the day went on successfully.
Bibliography
Anderson, E. S., Grude, K. V., & Haug, T. (2009). Goal directed project management: Effective techniques and strategies . New York: Kogan Page Publishers.
Lock, D. (2007). Project management. Mumbai: Gower Publishing Ltd.
Lock, D. (2007). The essentials of project management. Mumbai: Gower Publishing Ltd.
Schwalbe, K. (2009). Information technology project management. New York: Cengage Learning.
