Running head: THE KEY TO BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT MANAGER

The Key to Becoming a Successful Project Manager

Arianne Morin

Arizona State University

OGL 321 – Module 2 Paper

March 20, 2021

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THE KEY TO BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT MANAGER

There are constant successful project around us all over the world. The cars we drive, the

homes we live in, the phone we rely on, and even the shoes you put on your feet. As we are

surrounded by tons of successful project, we do see some that fail. These projects that fail are

due to the lack of decision making skills, and not knowing when the best time to strike is. When

decisions are made, they affect the entire project, stakeholders, and the organization itself. Tons

of things can account for a failed project, and they don’t just have to be due to a lack of

resources, or team members. This has to do with the certain decisions that are made, and how

careful the leaders are at making decisions that can the affect the entire project and company.

Taking away from Chapter 1, I learned that projects usually have three main objectives;

These objectives are meeting the budget, finishing on time, and meeting product performance

(Buede D, & Powell, R. 2009). Team that are able to reach all three of these objectives are more

likely to succeed in a project. Something that plays a big part in understanding decision context

is determining what comes first, the objectives you must work towards, or make the decision

itself. If a decision has to be made first, the project manager will have to decipher the context of

the decision being made, and that is what helps them determine what objective needs to be

addressed first (Buede D, & Powell, R. 2009).

The first blog I chose was on Project Management.com. This blog written by Luke

Sheppard talks about how in some situations, you will have to make quick decisions. He talks

about how using a pro/con list may be beneficial in making quick, non-stressful decisions. He

talks about how making a pro/con list is the fastest tool to use when considering what decisions

should be made. (Sheppard, 2021). It’s free, and sometimes it can help make ideas more clear

through your head. Sheppard explains how he approaches making the list itself. Dividing a piece
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of paper, writing pros on one side, and cons on the other. I like how he states that he implies a

rating system, in which it makes it easier to see what scored higher than other things. This

resource will help me enhance my knowledge of project management by becoming more and

more confident and comfortable making decisions. I think making this type of list is a great entry

way to make decisions that may look scary.

I agree with most of Luke Sheppard’s assumptions. I use pro/con lists in my daily life,

and therefore, I believe this would help me in project management. I feel that this is the easiest,

most efficient way to make a decision that has a lot of parts to it, or maybe a decision that would

impact the entire project / company. Luke Sheppard talks about three steps to create a pro/con

list. The first is to define the criteria. This has to do with actually writing the pros on one side,

and the cons on the other (Sheppard, 2021). The second step is to assign a rating of 1, 3, or 9 in

the center. A score of 9 fills the entire square, and a score of 1 fills just a portion of the cell. I

think this is a great system to use because it shows the level of importance of the pros and cons

on the list.

Relating to simulation A, I felt like making a pro/con list would have been extremely

beneficial. I felt myself getting stressed out due to too many decisions to make at once, when I

should’ve just written them down, and looked at them with a new light, and clear mind. This can

be used as a tool that can be added into your toolbox, and does not replace any other leadership

skill or ability. Due to not having any project management experience, I don’t have a whole lot

of experience that relates to planning projects. I do though have experience in making pro/con

lists all throughout my life. For example, I would make pro/con lists for potential careers I was

interested in pursuing. I also use these type of lists in school. This helps when a decision has to

be made about a certain assignment, or team project.

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The second blog I chose is on 3 Lessons In Leadership, by David Wakeman. I really

enjoyed reading his blog, because everything in life is negotiable, but in order to do this we must

know what are objectives and goals are, and the most efficient way of reaching those preferred

goals. The three takeaways key lessons are “leadership based on position is less impactful than

leadership built on vision, communication is for the listener, not for you, and negotiation is life”

(Wakeman, 2021). The first key lesson is all about leadership being based on being influenced

by other people / leaders. The second key lesson is huge, because communication can solve a lot

of problems in the common workplace. A great idea that was mentioned about being a great

communicator is to think about the objectives that you want to deliver to the person you are

communicating with (Wakeman, 2021). The third and final key lesson has to do with how

negotiation is an essential skill to have when we are required to deliver projects, and lead a team.

These resources will enhance my knowledge of project management by understanding

how to be an efficient communicator. Personally I like to believe you never stop learning. I look

for ways to become a better communicator any way I possibly can. This will help me in my

professional career, and be able to lead a team with confidence knowing I can have trust in my

team that they know what is expected of them.

I do agree with most of David Wakeman’s assertions. I would say the only one that I

questioned was the second key lesson. This one says “communication is for the listener, not for

you” (Wakeman, 2021). I do believe communication is for both sides, because it confirms that

everyone is on the same page. If the leader and team are on different pages, but think they’re on

the same, this is where the disaster happens.

I feel that learning from other project managers would help me in the simulation because

it would familiarize myself with some of the decisions I have to make, and what the best ways to
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make these decisions are. I feel that these three life lessons in project management will be

extremely beneficial to me because it shows the areas where I need to grow, and shines light on

some of the areas I have a strong suit in. I believe I will be able to take all the key points away

from both blogs, and incorporate the knowledge and show them in my skills for my future career.

The more I learn about how to be a better, more efficient project manager, the more successful I

will be in hopefully landing my dream job!

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References

Buede, D., & Powell, R. (2009). Project manager's guide to making successful decisions.
Management Concepts.

Sheppard, L. (March 18, 2021). For Quick Decisions, Use a Pro/Con List. Project Management.

Wakeman, D. (March 15, 2021). 3 Lessons In Leadership. Voices on Project Management Blog