The Project Environment

The Project Environment
Chapter Two

In chapter one we learned about the rapid change that our world in going through. This change is lead by the new products and services introduced to consumers. What facilitate this change are the numerous projects that are lead by competent project managers. However, every project is but a one time process that ends with the achievement of objectives set forth by consumers. Once the mission is accomplished and the product is completed and the service is taking shape, there is another process that needs to take place to put the newly produced item into the hands of the user to meet the need that it was created for. This process is an ongoing series of steps that is called ongoing operations. By examining these two individual processes, we realize that although they are so related and both eventually produce the same item, yet they are completely different and require different managerial skills and posses different challenges.

Some of guidelines that caught my eye and do apply to my MIST project could be summarized in the followings:

Definition of Ongoing Operations:
Ongoing operations have some characteristics that are different from projects like it is a repeated process and has no end. A good example will be In-N-Out restaurants. Once the hamburgers are designed and the prototype produced the project is over, but the daily service of millions of hamburger lovers to provide them with their favored meals is a repeated and never ending process.
The ongoing operation will apply to my project directly. Once my project/module is designed and the material provided, it will be a repeated process of offering Arabic language learners the same information and evaluating their comprehension at the end of the class. The project/module by design is flexible enough to accommodate upgrades from time to time.

The definition of success:

For every production there has to be some factors that will bring success to the project. These factors could be the components that the final recipe is in need for to achieve its objectives and allow the process to end exactly where the client had it envisioned first. Some of these factors are in the followings:

Timely completion:
It is usual to have some projects finishing later than anticipated or delivery dates changed from time to time, but that luxury could not be afforded in some projects. There are those projects that if not delivered on certain date, it would be useless. A good example for that would be building shelters for natural disasters victims. Or rescue operation projects that are designed to be implemented over certain period of time while the victims are still alive.

Budget and quality:
Finally, completing a project within proposed budget with high quality product are significant factors that contribute to the success of any project. Although my project has no budget to take into consideration, nevertheless, the high quality end product is essential to the success of the program. Where the main objective is to raise the proficiency level for Arabic language learners, one level higher on the ILR standards.

Reference:

- Verzuh, Erick (2005). The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management. 2nd edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.