Assessment 02 Case Study Individual Assignment Draft

Author’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Individual Assignment Draft

Leadership Style Choice in Managing the Highlighted Project TeamOng et al. (2009) emphasise that project managers’ leadership styles, together with the application of project management techniques and tools, governance support, and project risk management are critical project success determinants. Among the six leadership styles discussed by Scheid (2011), I would choose the team leader and authoritative leadership styles over the democratic, all for one & one for all, and pacesetter leadership styles in managing the project team at Acorn Industries (Kerzner, 2006). This company underwent significant project management changes that could align well with these two leadership styles.

Tools and Techniques for Influencing the Project TeamWong (2007) proposes seven team-facilitation tools and techniques some of which I could leverage as a project manager to influence and advance the project team at Acorn Industries. The first is the technique of going slow to go fast, which entails an early investment in time to organise and clarify things before launching the project to enable the project team to move faster once the project commences (Wong, 2007). The second technique entails opening and narrowing team members’ thinking. The third technique involves breaking team stalemates by knowing what to do when the project team cannot make decisions. Another tool that would be vital in influencing the project team is the use of process checks.

Tools and Techniques for Managing CommunicationWhen commencing projects at Acorn Industries, individuals within impact groups, communities, and influential stakeholders outside the enterprise are involved. Also, once the project is complete, communication with parties outside the project group continues to relay information about the project evaluation and monitoring, including project benefits. Two tools and two techniques are deemed appropriate for managing communication outside of the Acorn project group. The first tool is a formal communications plan. The second tool includes various electronic communications means such as instant messaging, videoconference, web conferencing, and emails geared towards reaching remote stakeholders with important project information. Regarding communication management techniques, I would employ communications management analysis and scheduled meetings.

Power Types in Motivating the Project TeamAmong the five types of power described by Shenoy (2016), the two I would employ to motivate the team members to work collaboratively and impact the project success at Acorn Industries are the reward and expert power.

Approaches to Developing Self-Managed Teams for Agile ProjectsAgile projects deal with complex computational iterations and coding for software developments. Four approaches are essential to creating such teams, namely, hiring agile-oriented talent, empowering the team to collaborate, creating forums for innovation, and maintaining consistent, clear, and feedback-cantered communication.

Reasons for Selecting These ApproachesThe reasons for selecting these approaches revolved around the teams’ contribution to project success, the importance of team creativity, and the value of feedback-centred communication for team success.

Steps in Alleviating Challenges Faced By Project TeamsThey include making a focused execution strategy, reviewing skills, responsibilities, and accountability, refining project goals to ensure alignment with team efforts, providing proper and adequate information and resources, and identify and manage risk factors.

ReferencesKerzner, H. (2006). Project management case studies (2 Ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Ong, V., Richardson, D., Duan, Y., He, Q., & Johnson, B. (2009). The role of project leadership in achieving effective project management. In Proceedings of the European Conference on Management, Leadership & Governance (pp. 157-163).

Scheid, J. (2011). Project management leadership styles -Which one is the best?. Monitoring and Controlling the Project. Bright Hub Project Management. Retrieved November 4, 2019, from http://www.brighthubpm.com/monitoring-projects/64679-project-management-leadership-styles/.

Shenoy, S. (May 13, 2016).14 types of power you can use as a project manager. PMExamSmartNotes.com powered by Simplified Education Systems. Retrieved November 4, 2019, from http://www.pmexamsmartnotes.com/5-types-of-power-to-a-project-manager/.

Wong, Z. (2007). Human factors in project management: concepts, tools, and techniques for inspiring teamwork and motivation. John Wiley & Sons.