One of the key pillars of organizational success is team work; which refers to a working relationship characterized by people working together towards the same target or objective.
One benefit of being able to assign tasks to team members is that it enables the manager to consolidate the efforts, skills and abilities of the team members. Team work enables the manager to encourage the active participation of all team members in the achievement of the set goals and objectives. It also leads to enhanced employee performance as well as productive work environment (Carayannis, 2005).
Another benefit of being able to assign tasks to team members is that it leads to innovativeness because employees are likely to use their skills and capabilities to their fullest since they are able to express their creativity and demonstrate abilities and talents. The team members give their suggestions freely and are involved in decision making (Weinstein & Jaques, 2010).
One of the tools used by managers to assign tasks to team members is the responsibility matrix. This is a tool which outlines all the tasks to be performed, why they should be performed, where they should be performed and who should perform them. Having a responsibility matrix helps the manager to assign tasks because he or she is able to look through the tasks and identify what skills, education and experiences are required to undertake the tasks.
The manager is therefore able to match the employeesâ skills, experiences and education to the tasks to be performed thus increasing organizational efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. Managers who rely on responsibility matrix achieve good results because tasks are undertaken without delay (Parker & Craig, 2008).
In project management, mind mapping is the process of putting together information for it to make sense. It is also known as a conceptual frame work of a project, which entails putting ideas on paper before actualizing them in a project. It begins with the name of a project; which is followed by listing and defining all deliverables of the project. An example of a project name is âFactors influencing economic dependency levels among educated youths: the case of Nairobi County in Kenyaâ.
The potential deliverables of this project include establishing the influence of entrepreneurial skills on dependency levels, assessing the influence of access to sources of funds for income generating activities on dependency levels, establishing the influence of welfare provision (donations) on levels of dependency and establishing how unemployment influence dependency levels among youths in Nairobi County.
Other concepts which may be related to the project include age, dependency ratio, economic dependency, entrepreneurial skills, income generating activities, marginalization, poverty, sustainable development, youth development, youth empowerment, underemployment, unemployment and welfare (Neider & Schriesheim, 2007).
In project management, a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) refers to the decomposition of a project into smaller units. The basis of a WBS is to organize a project in a manner which is easy to understand and implement.
It enables project managers to have a clear picture of a project in terms of what needs to be done, why it should be done, who should do it, where and when to do it. It also answers critical questions of the costs involved, how to get the funds and what other resources are required for the success of a project as well as the risks involved and the relevant mitigation measures (Wankel & Stoner, 2009).
A WBS can be described as a nerve center of a project because it gives a detailed description of the project. Everything concerning a project is contained and explained in the WBS. Without a WBS, it is almost impossible to implement a project due to lack of direction and logical conceptualization of the activities of the project.
The success of any project therefore depends on the WBS; meaning that if the WBS is good, the project is effective, efficient and therefore successful. On the other hand, a bad WBS leads to gross inefficiency and sometimes total failure of projects (Lewis, 1998).
The components of a WBS include the scope of the project, the time frame, budget and address of the person in charge of the whole project. The scope of a project explains what is covered and not covered by a project. It serves as a guideline for project managers and acts as a buffer to restrain the managers within the boundaries of a project. This helps in ensuring that managers stick to the initial conceptualization of a project. It also helps in proper time management as well as in proper utilization of the resources allocated for a project (Senaratne, 2011).
Time frame of a project has to do with the life span of a project. In most cases, time frame is given in terms of months. It can also be broken down into phases, with each phase having a constant or varied number of months. It helps project managers to maintain the pace of a project and avoid incomplete projects (Brown & Hyer, 2010).
Budget outlines the resources required for a project and their costs. Budgeting helps project managers in allocating the funds to project activities in a coordinated manner to avoid wastage or duplication of duties which may lead to financial deficits in projects. The person responsible for the whole project may be an executive director, a general manager or even a project manager. He or she must be consulted when major decisions affecting the project are made.
References
Brown, K. A., & Hyer, N. L. (2010). Managing projects: A team-based approach. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Carayannis, E.G. (2005). The story of managing projects: an interdisciplinary approach. Westport: Praeger.
Lewis, J.P. (1998).Team-based project management. New York : American Management Association.
Neider, L.L., & Schriesheim, C. (2007). International perspectives. Charlotte, NC : Information Age Pub.
Parker, W. D., & Craig, M.A. (2008). Managing projects, managing people. South Yarra, Vic. : Macmillan Education.
Senaratne , S. (2011). Managing change in construction projects: a knowledge-based approach. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell.
Wankel, C., & Stoner, J.A. (2009). Management education for global sustainability. Charlotte, N.C. : IAP/Information Age Pub.
Weinstein, J., & Jaques, T. (2010). Achieving project management success in the federal government. Vienna, Va. : Management Concepts.