Action elements

Abstract

Nowadays, the schedule and budget are the fundamental consideration for project management. Nevertheless, plenty of projects still fail to meet these targets, especially on money and time. The reasons for failure have often been blamed on poor project definition, incomplete information, poor productivity, inadequate communications, uncertainties around labor and material costs, and the failure to use timely and appropriate project management practices and controls[1]. The solution to these problems from the root is to manage these project actions.

This article is mainly about the action elements in project management and introduces how action elements influence management of project to help project manager improve from detailed action management by action elements controlling. Being focus on the actions and interventions enable the monitoring and smoothing of group process, improve cooperation and communication, as well as maintain the health of group dynamics[2]

Action is the process to accomplish a discrete task, usually by a single individual or a small team or group. In order to make action be done successfully, it is significant to know what the action elements are. Action elements decide the action, fast or slow, organized or mess, high quality or low quality. In different models and situations, the required elements and the requirement for different elements also vary. Based on these elements analysis, actions in project could be controlled better to improve the management of whole project.

Action elements

Action elements must be allocated with specific action. Based on the various background and purpose of actions, the elements are supposed to be analyzed in different focus points. Normally, actions in project management could be divided into five classes due to the difference in phases of a project. They are respectively Conceptual Phase( Initial phase or Class 5), Analysis Phase( Planning Phase or Class 4), Definition Phase( Class 3), Execution Phase( Class 2) and Evaluation Phase( Class 1)[1].

Actions in Initial Phase

1. Initial feasibility assessment This action is to make description of the need from stakeholders and according to the need and possible cost to assess the feasibility. The main elements under consideration in this action are required deliverables and possible costs which have most decisive influence on the process of the action execution and the satisfied result.

2. Obtain authorization This action is to arrange the manager for project based on the positive decision by sponsor then to establish the initial structure of management frame in this project. The main elements here are the agreement of sponsor and application of human resource to set up the management system.

Actions in Planning Phase

1. Determination of project scope This action is to set down the scope of this project. The elements for the scope are the proper range, which should not cover the things over this project or lack the things in this project.

2. Setting up the sequence of project activities Sequence arrangement is a vital action in planning phase which could help improve the productivity and the effectiveness of other actions in this project and save the time cost to further reduce the money cost. The elements here are supposed to be the right and clear logic of this project, with which the sequence of steps could be settled reasonably.

3. Listing required duration and resource for each activity This action is to calculate the resource and duration needed in every specific activity to get the rough draft for the project plan and approximate amount of resource for advanced preparation. The correct information for every activities and accurate judgment is the essential elements in the listing action.

4. Schedule establishment As the duration are determined in last action, here this action is to establish the project schedule. The elements in this action are reasonable design rather than accuracy of date because project contains too much unknown factors when it is under execution in the reality. The reasonable design could make the project more smooth and avoid unnecessary waste of resource.

5. Budget estimation and spending plan As the resource for each activity is settled in previous action, this action is to transfer these statistic of resource into the specific money for the budget. At the same time, comparation between the budget estimation and acceptable budget should be done as well. The vital element of this action is the proper distribution of cost to make every coin spent meaningful.

6. Organization of staff and Communication plan As long as these activities planning action is finished, manager is supposed to start organizing people who participate in these activities and actions and to build the communication net among these staff who have collaboration with each other. The important elements in this action are the simple and transparent structure which could make the communication more directly.

7. Risk identification and responding measurements Risk identification is a very important action which asks manager to have considerate preparation for these unpredictable but possible risks to the project operation. The elements inside are the correct assumption for the risks including the possibility of risks, the corresponding cost on the responding and the effects on the settled plan.

Actions in Definition Phase

Execute project activities In this action, the deliverables are supposed to be created and change of the project situation should be identified[1]. At the same time, the progress in different periods and group performance must be recorded by the responsibility. The action elements are the response to change and the way of reducing the effects of change on other following or undergoing activities.

Actions in Controlling Phase

Control project activities Updating the project plan and scope is the main thing in this action[1]. Meanwhile, corrections and adjustment should be done on those finished work by following up with the late update. Important elements of this action are mainly the way to insert these correction into the original plan smoothly.

Actions in Evaluation Phase

Close out project activities Closing out of project is the action between the time when deliverables are all created and the time when hand-off work of project manager is all finished. The most important elements of this action are the responsibility transferring and final inspection to guarantee the project is well-finished.

Reference

[1]Uppal, K. B. (2008). Project management, cost engineering, project definition, action plans or what? Aace International Transactions, PM.01 (11 pp.), PM.01 (11 pp.).

[2] Rui Cao, Kong Bieng Chuah, Yiu Chung Chau, Kar Fai Kwong, Mo Yin Law, (2012) "The role of facilitators in project action learning implementation", The Learning Organization, Vol. 19 Issue: 5, pp.414-427, https:// doi.org/10.1108/09696471211239712