DEALING AND MANAGEMENT OF COMPLICATED PROJECTS

For the complicated project, management and dealing are as follow:

        Almost seven candidates are considering their project size as small and medium. With this, seven projects of the candidates are considered as good and very good due to the overall success of projects.  More than 50% area of detailed processes that stand in between a good and very good success is directly controlled by the project manager. Less successful is only the procurement area of knowledge. The project manager didn't influence the procurement directly and normally outsources as a separate department. In simple, another detailed knowledge area and overall knowledge area are confirmed as successful.

        But different questions are going to emerge with this result. Most of the projects are going to fail or not going to be successful according to chaos report. To manage complicated projects, do participants in the research use unique ways? By the PMI standards, does success depend on the structural approach? If the project is not completed on time nor within budget, is it going to be successful if it fulfills all the requirement of clients and demand for quality?

Management of Complicated Projects

        For the complicated projects, the management is working very differently. The complication of the project is not eliminated or ignored as suggested by the interview and literature. Many disadvantages are going to be faced by the project if project complication is going to be eliminated as the best solution. When the complication is going to be recognized then the immediate action must be taken, this is stated by eight participants in the interview. The complication is going to be controlled or reduced in the project. Scientific methods may be used here. Managing, controlling, and minimize over complication is the best way to meet the market demand and protect their goods as recommended by scientists.

A rational (constructive) and reality (cognitive) method is going to be selected by the participants for controlling the complications.

        On the actual situation, the project managers base their decisions for controlling complications. Different approaches are suitable in different conditions because it is difficult to control, changing status is spontaneous, and normally complications may also be characterized by many different interrelations. Many participants try to explain the target and with possible alternatives like rational and constructive approaches, describe the solution process that depends on the problem and situation. For controlling complications, the cognitive approach is going to use the implications, abstractions, and realistic considerations with a subsequent simplification. A planned method is going to be used for reducing complication instead of spontaneous action in the current situation. But there are many mistakes which will appear after these methods like eliminating the significant feature and eliminating the product, and due to this, the market viability is going to reduce. For simplifying the complication what can be reduced is long lasting learning for the project. Different approaches are going to be used by the manager to determine the situation of complication by standardizing the existing complication, structuring with labels, and learning from others. In the automobile industry, the model kit technology is going to be introduced in recent years. In more than one type of cars, the model kit is going to be used that is developed by the original manufacturers. The technology range is going to start from simple parts to complete parts from steering wheels or entertainment system and more to the complicated model kit that is used for different brands in the automobile industry. To simplify management, the project managers of other industries depend on the existing model kits.

            The interview, as opposed to the studies, didn't prefer a decrement in handling complications. Contractual and fixed signed scope or view is tough to be decreased. No general method is proposed by some participants for handling complications. In various ways, it can appear and also result in different impacts. Instead, it must be controlled with the creation of information sponsors and sub-packages in time where there is a possibility of potential risks. It was also mentioned by participants that the project manager's attitude is relevant to problem management. Proactive action, experience, and methodology are important in carrying out a project predictably and successfully. “eXtreme model” was suggested by Hass (2009), which is also explained as a method of situational experience and flexibility of project managers.

        Managers, in ambiguous situations, must consult their sponsors and team, so a decision could be based on a mutual agreement while keeping the support of management and team.

        Overall, the method of reducing and controlling complications appears logical. However, participants confirmed this in the study. A conversation about flexibility and adaptation to a certain situation is quite important. Otherwise, the advantage of the project may not be provided and the fundamentals of projects may be reduced.

Handling of complicated projects

        What is the area in which complication should be expected by managers? Top sensitive processes were named by participants including controlling scope, identifying risks, collecting requirements, managing stakeholders, and defining a scope. Mainly, they appear in the execution and planning phases of projects. In fact, these processes correlate with the previous five enablers for complications including organizational changes, work division, communication process, stakeholder, and customer requirements. In the closing and initiation phases of projects, rarely sensitive processes make an appearance. In the phase of initiation, the project has yet to start. In the phase of closing, the project or product is developed in such a way that it can be inspected and accepted by stakeholders. There is definitely a relation between affected processes and enablers.

        Complication enablers have a huge impact on different projects which are farther along in the process of development. Their impact increases with the time consumed in their identification. Thus, complication enablers should be immediately determined and managed. 7 participants believe that their projects are complicated. Their projects were estimated at eight percent as inefficient by them. But literature indicated that over sixty percent of projects are not successful at present (M. Frank et al., 2011; The Standish Group, 2010).

In projects, how can such a different occur in success?

        An explanation might be that every participant is a credential holder of PMP and knows how to manage and structure complicated projects. They seem to have experience. Participants don't confirm a direct connection among the project success and certification of managers of projects. Therefore, the standard of PMI wasn't confirmed as a technique for solving complications. However, certified managers of projects influence the results of projects in a positive manner. Studies (chaos report) have a wider view of all the projects which are not executed explicitly by certified managers of projects.

        Interviews and literature review conclude that project success directly depends upon the mindset of the project manager, methodology, and experience. Success depending upon the methodology can be presented in the form of standards. Big and famous companies have established some standards to be followed by their project management teams and managerial staff with the purpose to ensure successful completion of a project (no matter from which field of industry it relates). Meanwhile, gaining the PMP methodology is also taught in details. Project manager's experience is relevant and confirmed by the approach of How (2009). According to research findings, the complicated project requires previous project management experience of a project manager, skills, equipment knowledge, and exceptional level of leadership. Quality of Project leadership and management highly relates to soft skills. According to the participants, we can call these soft skills as seniority and experiences of project managers in a specific field of industry. PMI’s navigating complications are not related to the project manager’s experience, somehow it relates to the techniques and strategies employed by the project managers in business and project management. Leadership skills and techniques of project management can be earned by project management experience. These are the findings and opinions of the research participants in interviews.        

        Experience makes the project managers capable to apply appropriate methodologies in the real projects. Customer service standards can be developed in light of project management standards. However, PM standards are not evidence of success. Success can be fostered in a complicated situation through proactive actions. Only experience cannot guarantee successful completion unless it is defined by the appropriate methodology that people can follow. Moreover, success goals cannot be accomplished in the presence of methodology and experience if the staff is insufficient (Project Management Institute, 2014).   

        Summarizing this, we can say that managers and applied methodology influence the successful control or handling of a complicated project. The successful completion is not only dependent on specific project management standards such as PMI but the implied methodology. Greater skills of project managers are directly related to the greater abilities of complicated project handling. That skillset consists of strengthening interpersonal relations, the abilities in soft skills, leadership, experience in the practical implementation of a project, and proactive actions.