Managing Complex Project Management assignments: Tools, Strategies, and Challenges
Question
Task: How can engineers effectively manage and resolve Complex Project Management assignment challenges, and what tools and strategies are essential in this process?
Answer
Introduction
Project process planning and control in most situations sees engineering encountering complication while managing a project. Any seasoned engineer will know that every project carries with it an 80% chance of encountering a complexity. The complexity is likely to slow a project and require the engineers to develop innovative approaches, solutions, and tools to resolve the problem (Pollack and Remington 2012). For a seasoned engineer, this is what makes the engineering profession thrilling, since you are always encountering hurdles and developing solutions to resolve them delivers true satifaction.
Definition of Complex Project Management assignments
A Complex Project Management assignment is any process, procedure or project which encounters a complication or hurdle making is difficult to execute and complete. The nature, size or type of project does not limit it from being a Complex Project Management assignment and Complex Project Management assignments can be found right from ones home to multimillion civil and mechanical engineering projects (Thamhain, 2013).
The secret behind these projects is being able to anticipate and resolve the problems without encountering serious delays or even halting the entire project. To understand the versatility of a Complex Project Management assignments two examples shall be discussed below which a better understanding will related to the definitions of Complex Project Management assignments.
Household Complex Project Management assignment – Terrace Leaks
Many top floor apartments will begin experiencing water seepage and leaks as the building grows older. This is directly related to the roof slab developing cracks over time which allows water to seep into the apartment. Sadly many apartment owners will face major complications related to stopping this water seepage and this will have a direct negative effect on the property value.
The situation is even worse if the water seepage finds its way in to the electrical wiring pipes can cause shot circuits within the terrace (Vokey, 2012). Removal of the terrace is not an option and laying additional layers of concrete is not effective resulting in a complex and unresolvable problem for the home owner.
Complex Industrial Projects
Oil and gas have become a basic energy source most people depend on globally. To reduce and lower transportation costs oil companies lay under-water pipelines to transport the oil and gas. Earthquakes and other natural forces will sometimes damage the pipeline resulting in a serious problem. These are classified as being among the most complex industrial projects due to the nature and location of the pipelines which need maintaince (Wang, Cao, Luan and Zhang 2008). Engineers are forced to work under water using specializes tools and will face serious limitations which hamper the projects.
Mapping Project Complexity
Complex Project Management assignment surround us in our daily lives making it important to be prepared for such incidents and retain an open and cool mind towards resolving the complication. Only by remaining open minded towards the projects complications can any individual or engineer be able to devise solutions to the problem. Once a problem has been encountered the first step linked to finding a solution is mapping the problem and its complexity.
This allows the engineer to understand the extent of the problem thus allowing them to consider approaches to resolve the problem. Mapping the complexity is critical towards understanding the problem and tracing it back to its origin or cause (Gransberg, Shane, Strong and Puerto 2012).
This is important as is helps resolve the problem from its source thus preventing such a problem from developing again in future. For an engineer simply replacing a broken part is not the solution but understanding why the part was compromised in the first place allows the engineer to first resolve the trigger than replacing the broken part which ensures smooth and undisturbed operations. Always look beyond the broken part to understand what causes the part to break in the first place. In some situations, this could be directed identifiable and in other situation requires additional intuition but this is the train a project engineer must have to tackle Complex Project Management assignments and achieve success.
Complex Project Management assignment Tool Development
Every project will require certain tools to be used on the project making it important for the engineer to know all available tools so and how they are used so as to utilize them on a project. Tools used on projects are not necessarily limited to hardware used on the project but also include computers, software, robots and another specialized tool (Brinkkemper 1996) An engineer should be able to understand the problem and request for or design a tool to be used on the Complex Project Management assignment.
Analysis of the Problem
The first steel linked to Complex Project Management assignment tool development is being able to understand the problem and its causes. This requires the engineer to analysis and studies the problem closely and devises an approach linked to resolving it.
Tool Design and Development
The Tool development process involved the designing of a new tool or redesigning of existing tools to fix the problem. This could involve using conventional tools, computers as well as robots to handle a scenario (Selby, Treffinger, Isaksen, and Lauer, 2004) There is no limitation related to Complex Project Management assignment tool development but in most situations, this tool will be a prototype which would continue being used on the project.
Tool Redesign and Refinement
Over time the tool will also continue to be redesigned and modified to improve its performance and ability to resolve even more complex problem scenario which may be encounter on the project. Most projects are long terms thus the tools used for each project will continue being utilized throughout the duration of the project.
Staff and Engineer Tool Use Training
Projects which have long term duration will also require the senior engineer to train staff on how to use the tools developed specifically for the project. This frees the engineer to focus on other areas of the project which may require his attention and would allow the staff and personnel to utilize the tool to resolve the complex problems they encounter on the project. Project problems are only classified as complex when they are new, recurring because not identified and no permanent solution identified (Corbridge, Rugg, Major, Shadbolt and Burton 1994). Once solutions and tools have been designed and developed to resolve the complex problem the issues are classified as just a problem since a solution to resolve it has been identified.
Conclusion
Process Planning, Control, and effective management require for every engineer to analysis a problem without focusing on its complexity so as to develop an effective solution to the problem. Every project is expected to experience some major complication which would require for tools to be developed to resolve the complex problem. Having the knowledge and experience to utilize computers, software and existing hardware to develop tools to resolve the complex problem are what certifies engineers as a qualified, experienced and capable professional capable of handling even Complex Project Management assignments.
References
Corbridge, C., Rugg, G., Major, N.P., Shadbolt, N.R. and Burton, A.M., 1994. Laddering: technique and tool use in knowledge acquisition. Knowledge Acquisition, 6(3), pp.315-341.
Pollack, J. and Remington, K., 2012. Tools for Complex Project Management assignments. Gower Publishing, Ltd.
Selby, E.C., Treffinger, D.J., Isaksen, S.G. and Lauer, K.J., 2004. Defining and Assessing Problem?Solving Style: Design and Development of a New Tool. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 38(4), pp.221-243.
2013. Managing risks in Complex Project Management assignments. Project Management Journal, 44(2), pp.20-35.
Vokey, D.E., Detec Systems Llc, 2012. Method and apparatus to detect and locate roof leaks. U.S. Patent 8,319,508.
Cao, Q., Luan, N. and Zhang, L., 2008, April. Development of new pipeline maintenance system for repairing early-built offshore oil pipelines. In Industrial Technology, 2008. ICIT 2008. IEEE International Conference on (pp. 1-6). IEEE.
