The Process that Led to Marco’s Appointment
Marco was appointed to this project by the Chief Executive Officer of the company. In particular, he received an email according to which he had to manage a new distribution software migration project (Hartley 2008). It should be noted that Marco was not informed why he had been chosen for this task and what had been expected from him. One should take into account that in the past he worked together with a leading finance manager of the company Simon who will be the main sponsor of the future project (Hartley 2008). Probably, Marco’s performance during previous projects distinguished him among other candidates.
These are the main events that led to Marco’s appointment. Overall, the new role prompted Marco to think about his strengths and weaknesses as well as previous experience (Hartley 2008). At this point, Marco has to determine whether he can accept this post and cope with his future responsibilities. This ambiguity is the main cause of his confusion.
Marcos the Right Person for the Project or Not
It seems that Marco can be the right person for this assignment even despite his doubts and uncertainty. First of all, he has an in-depth expertise design and business analysis, and these skills can help him gain the support and loyalty of other team members and senior executives (Hartley 2008). One should admit that Marco does not have sufficient experience in leading or managing the projects (Hartley 2008). This is why he does not feel confident enough.
Nevertheless, this weakness can be overcome through practice and active cooperation with colleagues. Moreover, in some cases, lack of experiences means that a person is free from common stereotypes and conventional beliefs that are not always useful. He may look at the same problems from a different perspective, and in this way, he can bring improvements to the project. Finally, judging from the case study, Marco is a person who is willing to take a critical look at himself, and this character trait should be possessed by leaders or managers working in large companies. This is why his candidacy could have been chosen among others.
The Anticipated Success Areas of the Project
As it has been said before, Marco’s main strengths lie in business analysis and design (Hartley 2008). This knowledge can help him evaluate positive or negative aspects of the project and minimize possible risks. This skill is vital for a project manager who should be able to identify various pitfalls. Moreover, he can coordinate the work of different team and explain they should interact with one another. On the whole, these tasks are important for effective leaders. If Marco copes with them, he may achieve success and recognition of his colleagues. These are the main strengths that Marco should rely on when working with other people. This is the main strategy that he should adopt.
The Advice to Simon Regarding Marco’s Appointment
Marco is not confident of his ability to lead and manager projects and he may even reject the offer of the Chief Executive Officer. It is possible to give him several recommendations regarding his feeling and current position. First of all, Marco should remember that his strengths and weaknesses were assessed by corporate executives of the company and their choice was well-informed. This means that he can be competent enough for this project.
As it has been said before, Marco cooperated with Simon, who will be the main sponsor of the project (Hartley 2008). So, his colleagues could have given positive assessment of Marco’s work. Moreover, corporate executives may expect Marco to bring a new vision to the project. Thus, Marco should not suppose that other people do not place any trust in him. Furthermore, his colleagues can provide him with necessary information about the project and they will explain what is expected from him. Overall, Marco should at least learn more about his future tasks.
Evaluation of Marco’s Visibility
One can take several steps in order to improve his visibility across the company. First of all, he should be given a chance to explain his vision of the project, the main goals that should be achieved and how different professionals should cooperate with one another. In other words, he should be given an opportunity to demonstrate his expertise to other people. This is the critical step that he should take at the beginning. Moreover, other employees of the company should know more about Marco’s previous performance. In this way, Marco can gain the loyalty of his colleagues. However, Marco can fully establish his reputation only through his successful initiatives and effective organization of project meetings.
Challenges that Marco would Experience
Marco will have to face several challenging with dealing with different stakeholders of the project. Among them one can distinguish the employees of the company, the users of the end product, and the senior executives of the company. First of all, they can have different expectations regarding the distribution software migration project. It should be noted that this task will involve several teams that will be engaged in various activities.
The representatives of each team will want to finish their own part of the project, but they do not want to think the work of their colleagues. So, Marco will have to make sure that these people have a shared vision of the project and the final product. Finally, the finance managers will pay more attention to the costs involved in the project, while developers will focus on the quality of the product.
Thus, Marco will have to reconcile such priorities as cost-efficiency and quality because they are equally important. Additionally, one should speak about the expectations of clients who want to take an active part in active part in the project. Moreover, they want it to be completed within the shortest possible time. In turn, the employees can tell that such requirements are not feasible. Thus, Marco must ensure that these stakeholders can explain their expectations to one another. These are the main challenges that he will encounter.
Managing the Stakeholders’ Influence
Marco can manage the relations between various stakeholders by relying on his background knowledge and expertise. First of all, he should describe every business aspect of this project and discuss the benefits that it should bring. He should use his knowledge and expertise in order to demonstrate that he takes full control of the project and knows what should be done. Secondly, he should regularly organize joint meetings that should be attended by team leaders, finance managers, and those people who will use the final product. This is how he can avert possible conflicts among different stakeholders and meet their needs. He should demonstrate that different expectations can be reconciled. These are the main steps that Marco should take as a future leader.
Reference
Hartley, S 2008, Project Management: Principles, Processes and Practice, Pearson Education Australia, Melbourne.