Advanced Project Management: A Structured Approach Essay

First Discussion reply on establishing project priorities

The thesis of this thread "Establishing project priorities is a crucial part of the project process" is correct. When managing a project, the executive team requires organization and significant planning; therefore, criteria for project priorities should be established based on their different factors. It's explicitly stated that priority is a preferential rating (Merriam - Webster.com, 2018).

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Some specific points in the thread are entirely justified and clarified, hence making it easier for the reader to understand. For instance, the referenced textbook, "The management: The managerial process" indicates that some of the project priorities include the constrained time and resources (Larson, 2018). However, it is important for the management team to be vigilant enough in case there are changes in those priorities to make necessary adjustments. Moreover, the thread uses the appropriate biblical comparison, where priority is made the subject. For instance, the first four commandments from the book of Exodus 20:3 in the NIV holy bible are quoted, where the lord is supposed to be our priority. God made it clear that he was the number one priority, "You shall have no other Gods before me" (Holy Bible, NIV, 2005).

Basically, for a project to be marked successful, the management team should have attained the project goal within the limited time and budget, and also the specifications should have been followed for it to perform as expected. Therefore, for a project to be deemed a success, it should have been completed within a narrow range of tolerance of time, budget, and specifications. Both time and resources relate to priority in a project because they are measure whether a project has been completed successfully. When making a decision, it may benefit or compromise some parts of a project. A reasonable justification for this argument is an example of an information system project that was over budgeted and delivered late; this benefits and disadvantages the user at the same time (Bannerman, 2008).

Second Discussion reply on the project network

This thread has an excellent introduction, which is the definition of project network; it is essential since not all the readers know the meaning. Larson's explanation, which says "project network is the sequence, dependencies, and relationships of a visual flow diagram of all the activities to be carried to complete a project" (Larson, 2018), is entirely justified and understandable. The thread entails a clear explanation of the eight basic rules that are needed to create a project network. It is factual that when these rules are correctly followed, one can achieve a flawless network diagram. Moreover, an appropriate biblical evaluation concerning the subject has been used; where a perfect example from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 has been used. The verse justifies that anything can be accomplished through teamwork. Similarly, effective collaboration can complete any project with the right choice of tools.

Project network can be used for the projects in many different ways. Therefore, it can be useful for the projects that need to show progress, interdependencies of activities and the workflow so that the managers can know the sequence (Harrison, 2017). A project network tool can as well be useful to projects that need help with justifying the estimated time. Projects that also need the assistance of planning, organizing and controlling require a network diagram. However, project networks can come along with some shortcomings. For instance, it can become very complicated hence leading to misinterpretations; it can take a lot of time and cost to produce; and also a threat of external factors such as weather can cause problems. Ultimately, I think writing a project scope statement and identifying essential milestones are also crucial steps in a project network.

References

(2018). Retrieved from Merriam - Webster.com: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/priority

Holy Bible, NIV. (2005). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2018).Project Management: The Managerial Process, 7e. New York: McGraw - Hill Education.

Harrison, F., & Lock, D. (2017). Advanced project management: a structured approach. Routledge.