Blog Assignment: Learning from a Project “ Post-mortem”
Project:
Art Car Float entry
Scope:
Design and create an Art Car that will be entered in the Art Car Parade
Timeline:
about 2 thousand dollars
Client:
My High Schools Art Department
The journey to
Art Car parade
The school art departments had recently
been given money to be used primarily for supplies and to participate in the Houston
Area Art car Parade. This parade sees cars from around the country come down for
a week to show of unique and zany designs. The school had recently decided to participate
because other local area schools were making appearances in the parade with their
own designs, and we felt it necessary to represent ours.
Was
the Journey Planned well?
Were there plans
approved?
Yes, it was approved, and we were only
tasked with the design and the look of the car, nothing dealing with approval matters.
Did you meet your
milestones?
What were your
resources?
The student class was the seniors. This
was something they could do which would look good on their resume participating
in community events. We had the well-worn out and used Toyota Camry which I believe
was from the year 1985. Additional resources were all of the supplies we had in
the Art Department.
What unexpected
events happened?
A few arguments or decisions on which
direction we should go with on the theme of the car. Some wanted an overall theme,
and others wanted it to be wild and all over the place.
How
many issues impacted?
What worked and
what didn’t
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteYour blog was interesting, I have never heard of an “Art Car Parade.” It does sound like fun. Your story again, for me anyway, drives home the necessity of a competent project manager with a well-thought out plan. In your scenario, a little arguing about decisions might not be too big of a deal. However, the stakes are much higher when acting as the project manager of a multi-million dollar project.
Every project regardless of size needs a manager. The primary responsibility of the project manager is to lead all of the stakeholders while encouraging them to work as a team. This includes the three project management functions of project definition, project planning, and project control (Verzuh, 2008).
Within project definition, the project manager will:
• Enlist a sponsor
• Name stakeholders
• Create project rules (Verzuh, 2008)
Through the use of a:
• Statement of work
• Responsibility matrix
• Communication plan
• Charter (Verzuh, 2008)
Within planning, the project manager will:
• Define project risks
• Create a detailed schedule
• Estimate costs (Verzuh, 2008)
Through the use of a:
• Risk log
• Schedule
• Budget
• Resource plan (Verzuh, 2008)
Within control, the project manager will:
• Measure progress
• Communicate effectively
• Take corrective actions
• Close out the project (Verzuh, 2008)
It might be a little overboard for your Art Car Parade example, but even with your project, you can see how the aspects above could apply. There are many things for the project manager to consider that will ensure a project that meets the client’s needs while preserving the integrity of the team and conserving resources.
Cal
Verzuh, E. (2008). The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management. Hoboken: John Wiley & sons, Inc.
David,
ReplyDeleteAsa former teacher of Industrial Technology and Engineering for two middle schools simultaneously (grades 6-8 Day 1 at one school and Day two at the other) I can definitely empathize with the project manager of this project. Were you acting in this capacity or as a project contributor?
In Greer's Project Management Minimalist article he lists the 10 steps to project success. I would appear the project manager completed step 1 in getting what support and approval was necessary and defined the project concept. Step 2 and 3 are to get the project members together and and get started by figuring out what the finished product would be. It would appear from your statement "A few arguments or decisions on which direction we should go with on the theme of the car. Some wanted an overall theme, and others wanted it to be wild and all over the place" that having a process for participants or key stakeholders (art teachers?) to generate and determine the direction may have helped at this juncture. Did any of the participants put up roadblocks when their ideas were not chosen or acknowledged?
Did the students take an active part in step 4 of figuring out what was each person or group needed to do to complete the work products or was it trial by fire or controlled by key stakeholders? I would also be interested in seeing your reflection on each of the remaining 10 steps to project success as outlined by Greer and whether each of them might have led to a better outcome.
Hey David,
ReplyDeleteThat seems like an excellent project for a High school Art class. I was wondering if you think the art teacher or the person in charge of/over seeing this Art Car project had any prior experience or knowledge of project management? If so is there any thing in particular you could point to that would contribute to the success or improved management of the project?
First of all... LOVE the pictures!!! What an excellent way to hold my attention throughout your entire post.
ReplyDeleteHere's my question, to add to the others... would the project have been more successful had the students had a longer (or shorter) timeline?