CHALLENGES IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT/COORDINATION AND WAYS TO OVERCOME THEM DURING IMPLEMENTATION
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1. Background
Project management of PM refers to the integration of various processes and techniques to attain particular objectives in accordance with the project criteria. The project coordinator plays a significant role in managing small tasks ensuring consumer satisfaction and facilitating communication with third-party vendors to highlight the required cost, timeline and scope (Safapour et al. 2022). AHNAIZN Ltd is one of the renowned business solution firms in the UK, which provides business enterprises, charities and public organisations with effective solutions to realise the organisational mission. The project coordinator of the firm has a significant responsibility to Manage deadlines, make financial assessments, and establish positive relationships with clients.
Additionally, it highlights the importance of adequate knowledge of documentation management, coordination, and communication skills for the project coordinator to manage smaller tasks and for the team to acquire higher performance. However, there are some common challenges to project management, which rise due to the lack of effective communication and clear goals. In order to reduce the negative impact of the challenges in the implementation process, adequate strategies are required to attain the project goals.
1.2. Research aim
The aim of the study is to analyse the challenges of the project management process and to deliver an appropriate recommendation to overcome challenges during the implementation.
1.3. Research objectives and questions
Objectives
- To analyse the role of the project coordinator in the project management process
- To determine the required skills of the project coordinator in the PM process
- To assess the common challenges of project management
- To highlight strategies to overcome challenges during the implementation process
Questions
- What role project coordinator play in project management?
- What skills and capabilities are required in project coordinators, which is essential in PM?
- What are the common challenges of project management?
- How can the challenges be reduced for a smoother implementation of PM?
Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.1. Concepts
2.1.1. Importance of project coordinator in project management
Project coordination refers to the management of daily tasks through adequate team management and meeting deadlines. According to Fashina et al. (2022), the project coordinator plays a crucial role in delivering projects within the timescale, cost and quality. Project coordinators are also responsible for collaborating with the pre-sale and commercial teams to effectively deliver small projects. They also communicate with the clients to determine plans and required resources leading to setting relevant expectations. It helps to provide the project teams with adequate guidelines and tools related to the projects. Mikkelsen (2021) states that project coordinators also overview the transition process of the project handovers and manage the reporting process in a timely manner. Therefore, it can be highlighted that the project coordinator plays a vital role in managing the team, clients’ expectations and timely delivery of tasks.
2.1.2. Required competencies of the project coordinator ineffective PM process
The project coordinator needs to have various skills, which help them manage various tasks simultaneously. As per Alvarenga et al. (2019), adequate document management and coordination are essential in project management as they help in determining the sequence of the smaller tasks within a project. On the other hand, communication is necessary between the coordinator and the employees, which helps the team members gain effective knowledge and insight regarding the project. Communication skills include adequate written and spoken capabilities in English to resolve issues and clarify details to the employees. Cramton et al. (2021) opined that coordinators need to be knowledgeable about workers unsupervised for a substantial period and have significant organisational skills.
2.1.3. Elaboration of the common challenges of the project management
One of the major challenges, which the project coordinator faces is the lack of communication with the employees. According to Ford and Lyneis (2020), a lack of communication results in reduced motivation among employees and increased errors in the process. In addition to that, acquiring proper financial resources has emerged as the biggest challenge for the coordinator as the clients and the higher management are responsible for providing the resources. The absence of proper resources often results in delays and reduced quality of the final products resulting in consumer dissatisfaction.
2.1.4. Probable mitigation strategies for reducing the impact of the challenges
Establishing an open communication channel among the employees. The project coordinator and the higher management are necessary to reduce communication challenges. Cramton et al. (2021) stated that open communication channels can help the project coordinator in highlighting the project objective to the employees. The team member can also assert their concerns and difficulties, which can reduce the scope of errors in the PM. open communication channels facilitate collaboration among the employees, which reduces challenges during the implementation process. On the other hand, creating a budget plan is often effective in reducing the chances of resource constraints.
2.2. Application of theories
Scientific management theory
Scientific management theory highlights the essentiality of implementing scientific concepts to determine the best way to complete a project. It depicts the importance of providing employees with effective training and cooperation to acquire superior performance. The work distribution process requires an in-depth assessment of the competencies and experience of the workers to allocate them to relevant tasks. The application of this approach can help the project coordinator in gaining positive performances from the employees.
Chapter 3: Methodology
3.1. Research philosophy
The term “research philosophy” refers to an expected viewpoint that emphasises what data should be gathered, evaluated, and used in relation to a specific event. Research philosophies generally fall into one of three categories: positivism, realism, or interpretivism (Köhler et al. 2022). In this research, interpretivism will be employed to identify the challenges of project management and its probable resolutions.
3.2. Research Strategy
Research strategy relies on the type of data, which has been identified for the research. The two main categories of data—qualitative and quantitative—determine the method of gathering information. Quantitative data are numerical facts gathered through the use of surveys and polls. Comparatively, qualitative data is informative in nature and is gathered through interviews, journals, and articles from previous studies (Skarbek, 2020). In this study, the qualitative strategy will be employed to collect relevant information regarding project management and its challenges.
3.3. Data collection and analysis
Based on the method of collection, the data-gathering process is further divided into two groups: primary and secondary. The method of gathering information directly from individuals using surveys, polls, and interviews is known as primary data collecting. It aids in compiling up-to-date information about an event (Dźwigoł, 2019). On the contrary, the method of acquiring information from already-existing sources is informed by the secondary process. This research will utilise the secondary qualitative data collection and the analysis process to gather information regarding various challenges and resolutions regarding the project coordination process.
3.4. Ethical consideration
The rules for doing research include ethical consideration, which aids in maintaining the objectivity and legitimacy of the research activity. The gathered data will be kept in a “password protected” folder to safeguard its confidentiality. Additionally, in order to ensure the validity of the data used in the research, reliable sources like “ProQuest” and “Google Scholar” will be used to gather information related to the challenges of project management.
References
Alvarenga, J.C., Branco, R.R., Guedes, A.L.A., Soares, C.A.P. and da Silveira, W., 2019. The project manager core competencies to project success. International journal of managing projects in Business, 13(2), pp.277-292.
Cramton, C.D., Köhler, T. and Levitt, R.E., 2021. Using scripts to address cultural and institutional challenges of global project coordination. Journal of International Business Studies, 52, pp.56-77.
Dźwigoł, H., 2019. Research methods and techniques in new management trends: research results. Virtual Economics, 2(1), pp.31-48.
Fashina, A.A., Abdilahi, S.M. and Fakunle, F.F., 2020. Examining the challenges associated with the implementation of project scope management in telecommunication projects in Somaliland. PM World Journal, 9(3), pp.1-16.
Ford, D.N. and Lyneis, J.M., 2020. System dynamics applied to project management: a survey, assessment, and directions for future research. System Dynamics: Theory and Applications, pp.285-314.
Köhler, T., Smith, A. and Bhakoo, V., 2022. Templates in qualitative research methods: Origins, limitations, and new directions. Organizational Research Methods, 25(2), pp.183-210.
Mikkelsen, M.F., 2021. Perceived project complexity: a survey among practitioners of project management. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 14(3), pp.680-698.
Safapour, E., Kermanshachi, S., Taneja, P. and Pamidimukkala, A., 2022. Exploratory analysis of human-, organizational-, and project-based reworks: Challenges and strategies. Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction, 14(1), p.04521045.
Skarbek, D., 2020. Qualitative research methods for institutional analysis. Journal of Institutional Economics, 16(4), pp.409-422.