Proper leadership forms the key foundation for successful project completion. This is why concurrent sections of this report will analyze on most important leadership skills that will help in the management of the overcoming trade show in Sacramento, CA. This report will further illustrate the application of best practices in project management during the trade events perpetration, the actual running of the event, and even post-event activities. Some sections of the report will highlight the importance of the project management practices to be used—consequences of failing to apply best practices will equally get address.
A successful project manager should have a good understanding of all activities that would be undertaken in the respective project. This helps in the process of structuring activities in ways that would not conflict with each other. For instance, the manager will be able to cluster activities into three distinct stages. First would be those dealing with the preparation of the trade show. It is in these activities that communicating needs to suppliers, transport material to Sacramento, making travel arrangements, and structuring the entire process.
The second part would include activities taking place during the event, they may include: division of labor between participating employees, channels of providing feedback to overall management, and arranging for daily meetings during the trade show so as to assess progress. The third part of the activities would take place after the official end of the trade show. This would include wrapping up the LRH Products stand, transporting materials back to company premises, and the eventual analysis of the event by participating employees and representatives from the marketing department.
Excellent budgeting skills are also vital for successful project management. There are two major phases of the budgeting process that respective project managers should understand and consequently practice. First, the managers should be in a position to come up with a budget dealing with all the three aspects stages of project management (Cleland, 2003, p. 96). In developing a budget to cover the three stages, project managers should first have an understanding of budgetary allocations on previous projects similar to the current one. In LRH Products’ case, the managers would be considering the projects that would be considering allocations on pasts years’ trade shows.
This should form key foundations of the current budget, though some necessary adjustments will have to be made. The second set of budgetary skills involves abilities to implement budgetary measures for the current project. This calls for higher degrees of communication with the rest of the team members regarding the project. Having all these skills is important for proper communication with team members regarding the importance of following project budgeting regulations. Poor development of these skills lead could lead to the development of an insufficient budget that will create challenges in the latter days of the project.
Proper time management skills are also vital to project success. Proper time management skills lead to various phases being completed in a timely manner and with high degrees of inefficiency (Kirkwood, 2003, p. 253). Matters pertaining to time management in the LRH Products trade show are already on top gear, starting with the understanding amount of hours that each of the participating employees can allocate to the project. This skill enables project managers to allocate duties in accordance with employee availability, exactly what is being done at LRH Products. The participating employees are being allocated duties in accordance with the amount of time they have available.
Project managers should also be in a position to understand that high standards are expected on each and every activity they undertake. This is indeed the foundation of meeting customer demand and therefore increasing satisfaction. Quality control is central to LRH Products’ participation in the incoming trade show. Here, all activities would be geared to ensuring a high standard that has been the company’s tradition. This high-standardization process has already begun in earnest by selecting individuals with higher degrees of professionalism. The selection of highly qualified personnel is followed by the formation of a strong team that would ensure high-quality work.
Each of the participating team members has to be taken as an expert in their respective field and thus expected on providing the best of their abilities in their respective field (Frame, 2006, p. 106). This would lead to individuals understanding the importance of respective skills in the project and thus embark by doing their best. The role of project manager will therefore embark on developing strategies that would create a strong working team. In addition, the manager would further embarking on overseeing the work being done by respective working teams, and consequently provide advice on various matters relating to the project.
This calls for respective project managers to develop teamwork skills to be used in creating strong work relationships in the group. The lack of teamwork and organizational skills could lead to a lack of proper direction for the group and therefore reduce efficiency and output. LRH Products is however working on modalities of improving teamwork skills to escape inefficiency throughout the project’s three phases.
A successful project manager should be a good communicator of goals and procedures to stakeholders (Burns, 2005, p. 129). Most importantly, the individual should be in a position to inform members of the project team on the progress being made in respective projects. Undertaking such a process helps in creating awareness among group members. Having team members understand future projects helps in the process of preparing themselves to face accruing challenges. In addition, helping group members understand dates and deadlines they have to meet increases the ability to develop their own plans.
Proper communication with team members further helps in individuals providing ideas on respective projects. Team members further get chances to express their concerns regarding various strategies. This would result in problems being detected before matters get out of hand. Generating a culture of communication between team members also has the benefit of providing opportunities for opinions.
Team members feel more appreciated and therefore volunteer ideas that would be beneficial during the project activities. However, it is upon the respective project manager to embark on providing the right environment that would allow team members to embark on taking part in improving operations during the project. The project manager should further ensure communicating to senior management on progress being made in day to day running of the project.
This is in understanding that senior management is well-positioned to provide advisory on various matters. Keeping the management motivates them to be supportive of the project team. Team managers should in this regard embark on arranging for a regular meeting with respective management representatives, the reasons being to keep them well informed and seek their much-needed counsel. Failing to develop this important issue could lead to robbing the team the support from senior management.
Successful project managers should also possess good risk management skills. In other words, the managers must be able to understand risks that could befall on projects and consequently embark on providing solutions. The developed solutions serve as preventative measures to the risks. The understanding of risks should be followed by communication of the same to team members, who get invited to participate in solution-finding. Inviting team members to solution-finding mechanisms leads to the strengthening of working bonds between them, which leads to individuals working harder to provide solutions.
Just like in other activities, project managers should embark on communicating solutions to senior management. Another important skill for project managers to have is that of procurement. This calls for a greater understanding of the importance of all matters pertaining to sourcing equipment and materials that are needed to make the project a success. The manager should be in a position to compare prices, terms, and extra services offered by various vendors before choosing the most appropriate entity to deal with.
All of the above skills are vital for projects success. Project managers thus have little choice other than to develop the skills. However, the managers should learn the skill of delegating duties to other team members in accordance with skills and expertise (Lewis, 2007, p. 57).
This helps in improving the amount of work done by respective members of the team because they are all allocated duties they can do with ease. Providing duties and responsibilities to individual members of the team further helps in motivating them. the overall team leader who often doubles as a project manager should further embark on recognizing efforts puts by individual members, as well as providing advice on various matters.
References
Burns, T. (2005). Risk Management During Projects. Arlington: ESI.
Cleland, D. (2004). A Handbook on Project Management. New York: Van-Nostrand-Reinhold.
Frame, D (2006). Managing Projects. San Francisco: Jossey & Bass.
Kirkwood, C. (2003). Making Strategic Project Management Decision. Boston: Sage.
Lewis, P. (2007). Mastering Project Management. New York: Routledge.