Amy Agnola

OGL 320

January 16, 2022

Paper 1 – Project Management Skills

Project management is an important tool for modern management that requires a

lot of different skills. In doing my reading assignments and looking through the articles in

module one, the key things I have learned that there are four phases of project

management: (1) defining and organizing the project, (2) planning the project, (3)

managing project execution, and (4) closing down the project. Having this as a tool

creates a better guideline that will help make future projects more successful. By dividing

these into four different sections and making bullet points of what needs to be done in

each, this creates better organization for projects.

In the article, 10 Project Management lessons from the Titanic Disaster, some of

the lessons that stood out to me were: distractions are dangerous, little things add up,

stakeholders should be kept informed. These stood out the most to me because I have

been in situations where this has happened to me and it’s caused the outcome of my

project not to be the best that I could have made it. Distractions are dangerous and it

causes procrastination as well. To prevent this from happening, I know there are ways to

stay more focused and not allow things around me to become a distraction. Then having

little things add up produces a build up, which causes more work that needs to be done.

Definitely prioritization and getting things done in a timely manner will help me function
better. Lastly, stakeholders should be kept informed about the progress of the project. I

believe this is something I do quite well but can improve on. Connecting with

stakeholders from time to time to update them on the progress helps projects flow better.

Also keeping them informed not only makes them happy, but it could also benefit the

project itself.

Project management seemed a lot more complex than I thought it was. Generally,

I thought it was putting together a project within a certain time frame and planning

according to budget. While I don’t think I’m entirely off, there’s definitely more steps

into what needs to be done to complete a project. What I’m already aware of is

identifying project requirements, addressing the needs, concerns, and expectations, and

setting up, maintaining, and communicating among all parties. Though, the aspects that

are new to me are a project’s scope, quality, schedule, budget, resources, and risk. The

projects I’ve done mostly had to do with work or projects I’ve taken on for myself.

My project management skills assessment score is at 67. This score says that my

project management skills are okay but have room for improvement and need to take

time and prepare for the unexpected. I will say “preparing for the unexpected” is

something I do need to work on considering the last project I worked on. My last project

being a photo shoot that lasted several hours, there were 3 different shoots and outfit

changes. I edited 400 photos and realized in the end there were files that were larger

which would make printing photos in a higher resolution, so I had to re-edit 400 photos.

This caused a bit of a delay in getting these photos to my client, but they were very
understanding. I believe that’s where planning ahead for different obstacles comes in

handy.

Some of the characteristics of project managers that best describe me are being

organized, flexible, and having a strong work ethic. Organization is important to me and

in a sense also correlates to my general planning; having things not in order will not be

productive in completing a project. It’s something I do everyday at work and how I

manage my shifts. Flexibility comes a bit easier to me where I can adapt to changes that

happen. It’s a great skill to have especially since everything is always changing. Being

able to be flexible shows my ability to adapt. And I have a strong work ethic where I put

a lot of hard work and determination in getting the projects done.

Some of the characteristics that I need to work on developing further are self-

starter, good communications skills, ability to work critically, can easily shift from “big

picture thinking” to detail-oriented planning, and ability to get things done in the face of

ambiguity. I know when it comes to self-starter, I end up needing something to guide me

into beginning anything. I do believe that being able to learn this tool will create a great

basis for my projects. I do believe that I can improve my communication skills overall.

Having the ability to work critically can help me learn to shift my focus to the things that

need more attention. Being able to shift from “big picture thinking” to detail-oriented

planning is something I also think I need to improve on. Though I’m great with detail-

oriented planning, I tend to not see the big picture and feel that is just as important as the

details. And lastly, having the ability to get things done in the face of ambiguity is
something I struggle with. It’s definitely a great skill to have because that creates

someone to become creative and get the project done regardless.

Most projects I do, I approach in a systematic way. Planning is something that is

essential for whatever project I take on. How I approach my projects are with tools but in

a systematic way. I believe both go well hand in hand, constructing an overall effective

development. Though it’s a tool I had to learn for myself, time management plays a big

part in planning projects as well. A great real life example is being a Shift Supervisor at

Starbucks, it’s imperative that we plan our shifts ahead of time by looking at our Daily

Coverage Report. It shows what breaks need to be taken for each person’s shifts for that

day. Ahead of time, I plan breaks in advance so I can easily plan the tasks that need to be

done before the end of my shift and transition to the next Shift Supervisor that comes in..

Learning about project management, as well as refining my skills can greatly help

me professionally. Though there are things that come with practice and with any

particular job, studying and understanding this on a more educational level can teach me

different tools I probably will not learn in a work setting. Tools such as being organized

and having a strong work ethic for my job are essential in getting projects done for my

shift. Also when working with my partners and customers, using tools such as “big

picture thinking” and being detail-oriented are important mindsets to carry through

projects I’m asked to do throughout my shift. In having these additional tools, it will

create more options for me that I didn’t have before.