Project management is a process of applying various skills, methods, and knowledge to accomplish certain project objectives. A project manager typically regulates the whole process and allocates the budget for the expenses. Project Management Institute provides 12 principles of leading a successful project (see Appendix A). From these principles, adaptability and resilience, team and leadership are extremely important ones that should not be undermined when leading a project.
To begin with, adaptability is an ability to respond quickly to changes from outside and inside of a project. It ensures that the project is flexible enough to function despite external or internal conditions. Resiliency is the ability to observe the impacts, focus on outcomes and recover from them. Henke et al. (2019) suggest that adaptability is a key skill of both task-oriented and relationship-oriented leadership types, leading to the success of the project. By the principle of adaptability and resiliency, a project manager will easily accommodate changes, observe limitations and advance the work of the project. As such, it is crucial to maintain this principle in project management.
The second important principle is having an effective team that aims to succeed in the project. There is a need for cooperative and supportive work while doing the project as such work provides the quality. When people in the team know each other well and are driven by a common goal, they become a strong workforce that deals with obstacles. Moreover, they brainstorm and attempt to solve the issues through discussions that can bring a fresh look for the project leader. Additionally, teams support a leader in their working process by identifying features of the project that require adjustments. As it was suggested, collective action is more effective than individual one (Radujković & Sjekavica, 2017). Therefore, a good team will clearly establish goals is an integral part of the project management.
The third principle is leadership, which holds almost all the responsibility for the success of the project. Leadership and project management are significantly correlated as the main aspects of the project are depended on a leader. Choosing a team, allocation of the budget, responding to the changes and making operational decisions are charged by the leader. Hence, it is critical for the leader to be rational and demonstrate leadership behavior in facing milestones while working on the project and communicating with the team and external partners. After investigating how to lead the team and apply relevant knowledge, a project manager can ensure the success of the work.
In the case of not following above mentioned principles, a project manager can fail the project and not reach the initial goals. If there is no adaptability and resiliency, the project may not respond to the changes in a proper manner, so not progressing. Without a quick response, external factors can fail the project at the beginning of its application. If there is no effective teamwork or a leader, the project cannot function as it should due to a lack of people who will do the operations. Therefore, following the principles of project management is a vital process that should not be neglected by a project leader.
In conclusion, project management is a set of complex processes that requires applicable knowledge. Within the twelve principles of project management, three of them, adaptability and resiliency, team and leadership were addressed as necessary aspects of every project. Undermining these principles may cause a decline of the project or even its failure. As such, a leader should ensure that they follow them to reach the success of the project.
Appendix A
12 project management principles (Project Management Institute, 2021):
- Stewardship.
- Value.
- Tailoring.
- Risk.
- Team.
- Systems Thinking.
- Quality.
- Adaptability and Resiliency.
- Stakeholders.
- Leadership.
- Complexity.
- Change.
References
Henkel, T. G., Marion, J. W., & Bourdeau, D. T. (2019). Project manager leadership behavior: Task-oriented versus relationship-oriented. Journal of Leadership Education, 18(2).
Project Management Institute. (2021). PMBOK guide. (7th ed). Project Management Institute. Web.
Radujković, M., & Sjekavica, M. (2017). Project management success factors. Procedia Engineering, 196, 607-615. Web.