Information Required for Developing an Introductory Supplier Cost - Essay Example

Project Scope Management Name Institution Date Table of Contents Project Scope Management 1 Name 1 Institution 1 Date 1 Table of Contents 2 Part 1 3 The big Dig project 3 Part 2 4 Information required for developing an introductory supplier cost 4 Part 3 5 Integrated change control process on projects 5 Trait theories in leadership 6 Application of trait theory in leadership in project management 9 References 10 Part 1 The big Dig project The big dig project is considered one of the most complex highway projects to be undertaken in the United States of America. It lasted for almost three decades under construction. This was mainly due to the challenges that were encountered during the implementation but had not been foreseen during the loaning of the project. During the planning process, an environmental impact assessment was conducted to determine the viability of the project. The assessment gave the go a head for the project and it was estimated to cost $ 2.8 billion. The main task was carrying out underground excavations for the purpose of paving way for the building of the highway. The multiple railway lines were also to be relocated during the tunneling process. The project was then approved and actual construction began in 1991. Several problems were encountered during the planning project as the tunnel to be dug has many underground water pipes and the red line and blue line were also present in the area where the pipeline had to be dug. Unforeseen problems were also encountered during the excavation as there many geological and archeological barriers which slowed down the work. The other problems that were encountered also included foundations of houses and buried ancient ships. The relocation of the railway lines proved to be a difficult task as modern techniques of construction were required. None of these problems were expected and as such it impacted on the financial aspects of the project. This led to the delay of the project as some processes had to stop while alternative solutions were being sought. The delays also impacted greatly on the workmanship of the project (LeBlanc, 2007). Part 2 Information required for developing an introductory supplier cost The development f a successful course requires the knowledge of the partners who intends to join the company on offering the training. This requirement determines how much will be needed to train all the employees in the course. The market trend information is also necessary. This is considering the training contents always change continuously. The information of the right contents to be used is important to avoid training the employees old concepts. It is also important to know the level at which the employees have been trained. Some employees could be more knowledgeable than the others and as such it may lead to confusion among the employees during the training. The introductory cost may also be quite costly if the training is started on a very low note or high note that the employees may fail to understand. The information on the level of training of the employees should thus be availed. On the other hand the information about the recent software in the market should also be established so as to determine the best approach to use. Project management skills greatly benefit the employees and as such, the information about their level of understanding of project management is required. Information about their knowledge on project management should be availed so as to determine their levels of judgment. Introductory supplier training also requires the employees to be familiar with software develop0ment and as such their information is required and also the recent software should be determine and the most appropriate method of training the employees be developed. The barriers to the training problems should also be identified in advance so as to put in place measures that will be useful to counter them (Gareis, 2006). Part 3 Integrated change control process on projects Changes are a common aspect of any project and no project will ever run smoothly. Changes must be made at one point or another or they may come along in the course of the project. The changes can either be positive or negative depending on how they are handled. Integrated change control, process mainly acts as a control measure during the monitoring and evaluation of the project for the purpose of dealing with changes. The integrated change management process is also very important as it gives corrective measures to a project whenever a negative change is noted. This ensures that the project is brought back to track and the faults are eliminated. Validation of defect repairs is also an important aspect of the integrated change control process. The process is also important in documenting and approving any changes that may occur during the project. Integrated change control process is also closely related to the project scope (Dinsmore, 2005). The project scope pertains all the requirements of the project and what needs to be accomplished. This is considering that most projects have strict datelines which have to be met. The use an integrated change control process ensures that the changes that may hinder the delivery of the project are dealt with and hence enable the managers to beat the datelines of the projects. However, despite the importance of an integrated change management change process, it is important to note that a good change control system is required. A good change control mechanism addresses al the risks that the project may face. This will be important in preparing the managers to deal with any uncertainties that may occur. A good change control system will also ensure that the changes in the project are done in an orderly and coordinated manner as opposed to carrying out the change in an arbitrary manner (Stevens, 2002). Trait theories in leadership The trait theory of leadership tries to explain why some people ends up being good leaders while others are never successful. This is despite training several people together under the same condition. While some portray good leadership skills and qualities, others will not. The issue of leadership being an in born characteristic is this put into question. An effective leader is defined as the one who is able to assert a position of influence and authority over the followers or subjects. An effective leader is also able to ensure that the followers are satisfied with the decisions they make regardless of the outcome. In terms of performance and overall effectiveness, the leader with such a trait performs exceptionally well under any circumstance. This has made some scholars who came up with the theory to believe that some people were born with leadership characteristics while others were not born with the leadership characteristics and it explains why some people are effective leaders while others are not (Bader, 2004). Personality trait is also an issue in the theory and it is important in explaining the leadership characteristic of some individuals. The issues of personality traits have also elicited a lot of discussion on the influence it has on the leadership skills. According to the theory, effective leaders differ from other people and are always unique in their leadership styles and skills. Organizations always benefits from the leadership traits of individuals and it determines the success or failure of the entire organization. The recruitment of leaders in organizations is also guided by such traits. This determines the quality of training the leaders has to undergo or how much investments should be made in training of the leaders. An effective leader always requires very little training to become efficient and hence beneficial to the organization in terms of costs (Zaccaro, 2007). The trait leadership theory was put forward when the great man theory emerged. This theory suggested that the leadership skills where mainly from personal traits which were inherited. The theory was mainly based on personality traits until the twentieth century when the scholars discovered that personality alone cannot be used to determine the leadership qualities. This is considering that the leadership effectiveness varies from one situation to another. A leader may be effective in one situation but not effective in a different situation. This therefore puts forward one of the most important characteristic of an effective leader which is flexibility. This characteristic enables the leader to adapt to any situation and make the right judgment depending on the situation faced (Yukl, 2006). An effective leader according to this theory also suggests that the leader should be ambitious and effective when it comes to decision making. This trait ensures the leader develops a vision for the organization and hence leading to great achievements. An effective leader is also assertive when implementing decisions. Once a decision has been made, the leader should stand by it regardless of the pressure that may come along. This trait is important for any leader as decision making always comes along with challenges of some resisting while others supporting. The assertiveness should also be accompanied by another trait which is tolerant to stress as it is always a must for leaders to face a lot of pressure which amounts to stress. Lack of tolerance by a leader also amounts to lack of effectiveness. This results in leaders making wrong decisions by the followers and definitely leads to lack of support and hence more opposition from the followers. Lack of support by the followers is also likely to reduce the popularity of the leader and hence reducing the efficiency and effectiveness (Turkheimer, 2000). The theory of leadership trait also puts a lot of emphasis on self confidence. Self confidence is a driving force towards ensuring that a leader is effective. A leader who has no self confidence never wins the confidence of the followers. This therefore raises more questions than answers about the leader. The self confidence trait s thus important in ensuring the success of any leader and is considered a very important trait. With self confidence, the leader can achieve more for an organization even in times of difficulties. A self confident leader is also able to win the respect of the followers and can convince them to move on incase of difficulties. Dominance is also a trait that a leader should posses in order for them to work with the followers (Schaubroeck, 2007). The dominance should not be in a negative way but in a positive way. Dominance should be the ability to influence the followers to follower the directions of the leader. The dominance is an important trait that ensures the followers are loyal to the leader. Once the leader has achieved loyalty from the followers, then it is easy for the leader to implement any decision due to massive support. Winning the loyalty of the followers also requires the leader to be dependable. This trait ensures that the leader becomes more popular and can give solutions to any problem that the followers may have. A dependable leader always has means of getting the followers out of a difficult situation. This ability ensures that the followers are always looking upon the leader for advice and any other problem since the he or she will be able to solve them (Mumford, 2000). Taking responsibilities is also part ad parcel of leadership. This trait is very important in determining the credibility of the leader. A leader who is able to take responsibility always wins the support of the public. Taking responsibility means that the leader is accountable and is able to account for his or her actions. An effective leader should also be able to inspire the followers. The inspiration plays an important role in ensuring that the leader can solve spiritual problems of the followers. Honesty is also important as it plays a big role in wining the trust of the followers. A dishonest leader causes conflicts and public distrust. An honest leader can be trusted with the responsibility of taking care of the public finance. Intelligence is an important trait that is badly needed in leadership. This trait enables a leader to make wise judgments in any situation. Intelligence also ensures that a leader is capable of advising the followers accordingly (Woehr, 2011). Application of trait theory in leadership in project management Leadership traits are important in project management and it is important for a leader to posses certain leadership traits. However, the most important leadership trait for a project manager is the ability to be flexible and adapt to any situation. This is considering that project management has a lot of unforeseen challenges. A leader who is not flexible cannot handle any project successfully. This is because changes during the implementation stage will lack solutions as the leader does not have the ability to make changes immediately. However, a flexible leader is able to make decisions according to the situation. A flexible leader does not have a fixed mind and thus making it easy to make a change of mind at any time. Project management is also full of changes and it requires working with very diverse teams. The members of the diverse teams may be full of different opinions. If the leader is flexible, it becomes easy to work with the members no mater the diversity of opinions. Flexibility is therefore important for any project manager for the purpose of handling changes. A flexible leader is also be able to calm the team members incase of conflicts in the course of operation. Flexibility in leadership is not only about handling changes but also delivering in terms of performance. A project manager should thus be flexible to accomplish all the requirements of any project (Ireland, 2006). References Bader, P. (2004). Leader traits and attributes. The nature of leadership. (pp. 101-124). Thousand Oaks, CA, US: :Sage Publications, Inc. Zaccaro, S. (2007). Trait-based perspectives of leadership. American Psychologist, 62(1), 6-16. Yukl G. (2006). Leadership in organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice- Turkheimer, E. (2000). Three laws of behavior genetics and what they mean. Current Direc- tions in Psychological Science, 9(5), 160-164. Schaubroeck, J. et al (2007). Embracinag transformationl leadership: Team values and the impact of leader behavior on team performance. Journal of Applied Pschology, 92(4), 1020-1030 Mumford, M. et al (2000). Leadership skills for a changing world: Solving complex social problems. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(1), 11-35 Woehr, H. et al (2011). Great man or great myth? A quantitative review of the :relationship between individual differences and leader effectiveness. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 84(2), 347-381 LeBlanc, S. (2007). It's Official: Boston's Big Dig Will Be Done. Retrieved on 25 May 2012 from   Gareis, D. et al (2006). Global Project Management Handbook. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2006. Dinsmore, C. et al (2005). The right projects done right! John Wiley and Sons Ireland, L. (2006). Project Management. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2006. Stevens, M. (2002). Project Management Pathways. Association for Project Management. APM Publishing Limited. Read More