Complex Project Management and Role of Manager

This article discusses the importance of leadership skills in managing complex projects and the role of a project manager. It explores the causes of conflicts in projects and provides ways to resolve them. The article emphasizes the need for effective communication, adaptability, expertise, emotional intelligence, and collaboration skills in a project manager. It also highlights the significance of questioning employees before assigning them to complex tasks. Overall, the article provides valuable insights into complex project management and the role of a manager in ensuring project success.

Running head: COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
Executive Summary
The project manager of an organization is very important for managing the
process of complex projects. The essential communication skills like positivity, adaptability,
communication skills, expertise in the required domain, emotional intelligence, instant
decision making skills and collaboration skills should be possessed by the manager to
manage the complicated situation during a complex project. All employees should be
questioned before being assigned to a complex task. The questioning of the employees will
help to finish the project on time. The cause of conflict during any project is different
interests of the stakeholders of the organization, poor leadership of project manager and
communication gap and lack of understanding of the objective of the project. Ways to resolve
the conflict in the project are the improvement of communication skill and resolving personal
disputes.

2COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
Table of Contents
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................3
2. Discussion..............................................................................................................................4
2.1. Leadership skills of a project manager required for managing a complex project:........4
2.2. Questioning the assigned staff before assigning for ensuring the success of the project6
2.3.1. Causes of conflicts in projects......................................................................................7
2.3.1.1. Different interests of the stakeholders of the organization:..................................7
2.3.1.2. Poor leadership of the project manager:................................................................7
2.3.1.3. Communication gap and lack of understanding of the objective of the project:. .8
2.3.1.4. Sudden change in the project:...............................................................................8
2.3.2. Ways to resolve the conflict in project.........................................................................8
2.3.2.1. Improvement of communication skill:..................................................................8
2.3.2.2. Avoiding personal conflicts:.................................................................................8
2.3.2.3. Conflict resolution.................................................................................................9
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
Recommendation......................................................................................................................11
References................................................................................................................................12
Appendix..................................................................................................................................15

3COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
1. Introduction
The project manager of an organization should have some basic communication skill
like positivity adaptability, communication skills, expertise in the required domain, emotional
intelligence, instant decision making skills and collaboration skills to manage the complex
situation during an assignment (Whyte, Stasis and Lindkvist 2016). The communication skill
of the manager in a team is very vital as the manager have to check the situation of the
employees. The manager should be able to take critical decisions within a split-second as the
complex project would be filled with complicated situations. The success of any project in an
organization depends on three basic factors which are cost, time and quality. The project can
be said to be a successful one if the service or product offered by the task is cost effective and
is of good quality and time efficient. The management of the employees by the manager of
the organization is a decisive element for achieving success in any project (Meng and Boyd
2017). The report will discuss the required leadership skills of a project manager to solve any
issues during complex projects and the process involved in managing the projects. Causes of
the conflicts in the projects and the way to resolve the conflict will also be discussed in this
report.

4COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
2. Discussion
2.1. Leadership skills of a project manager required for managing a complex
project:
According to (Hwang and Ng 2013) the leadership skills of the manager of any
organization is very important for maintaining the process of the complex projects. The
manager should have some essential leadership and communication skills to manage a
complicated situation during a project. The leadership skills comprise of some basic skills
like positivity adaptability, communication skills, expertise in the required domain, emotional
intelligence, instant decision making skills and collaboration skills (see appendix). The leader
of any team carries the burden of the situation in their own shoulder and distribute the
pressure evenly among the other employees.
The leader should have positivity in any situation. The managers should act as a
leader of the employees (Naile and Selesho 2014). Irrespective of the situation, the manager
needs to stay calm as his decisions would affect the mindset of the employees (Emil Berg and
Terje Karlsen 2014). The manager of an organization with good leadership skill can lift the
morale of the employees even during critical situations.
The manager needs to have a calm and composed nature even during complex
situations. The manager has the responsibility of the other employees working in that team.
The manager should be the role model for other employees as other employees follow their
leader and learn from their leader (Griffin 2013). The manager should adapt to any situation
and should lead the team from the front in any case. The manager should be adaptable to both
success and failure, as failure is a part of success.
The communication skill of the manager in a team is very vital as the manager have
to access the situation of the employees (Zulch 2014). To access the mental and physical state

5COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
of the employees the manager needs to communicate with the employees freely. The
employees working under a manager having good communication skill always try to give
their best, and they can instantly complain to the manager about any critical situation.
The manager should have in-depth knowledge about the domain. The workers who
are working under that manager can have some problem regarding the domain while doing a
complex project (Hodgson and Paton 2016). The manager should have the fluency to solve
that problem instantly. Without prior knowledge in that domain, the manager would not be
able to tackle the complex situations.
A manager should be emotionally very intelligent for understanding the mentality of
the staffs. The manager or supervisor is the one who is emotionally attached to the
employees. If any situation arises, the employees usually approach their manager for
resolving the issue (Mubeen, Ashraf and Nisar 2016). During any complex project, the
employees need their manager to support them emotionally, and thus the manager should be
emotionally intelligent to judge the mental state of the employees during a complex project.
The manager should be able to take critical decisions within a split-second as the
complex project would be filled with complicated situations (Block 2016). The complicated
situations should be handled by the manager instantly. The instant decision making the skill
of a manager is very important as the decision can have huge influence on other employees.
The manager should have good collaboration skill. Any complicated situation in an
organization needs to be solved by the collaboration of many employees or many groups of
that organization (Keil et al. 2013). The manager should be comfortable with all other
managers of other teams while doing a complex project.

6COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
2.2. Questioning the assigned staff before assigning for ensuring the success of
the project
The accomplishment of any assignment in an organization depends on three primary
factors which are cost affectivity, time consumption and quality of project. The project is said
to be a successful one if the merchandise or package presented by the assignment is cost
effective and is of good quality and time efficient (Alias et al. 2014). Project success criteria
consist of two main components one of which is the success of the manufactured goods or
package obtained from that project, and the other part is the accomplishment of the project
management.
The success of the project depends on three main factors. The factors of product
success are customer happiness and approval of the shareholders of that organization.
Customer satisfaction is the most critical factor in the success of the project. Stakeholders of
an organization is another valuable asset of that organization, Stakeholders are the leading
investor of the organization, and thus the decision of the stakeholders regarding any project is
very vital (Mir and Pinnington 2014). The strategic goal of the project administrator also
determines the success of the assignment.
The management of the employees by the manager of the organization is also a
decisive factor for the success of any project (Kerzner and Kerzner 2017). The project
manager needs to analyze the skills of employees before assigning any project.
The staff or the employees may not be comfortable with all part of the project (Dalkir
2013). Any staff can have a problem in a particular topic of the project; thus every employee
who is assigned to do the project should be questioned thoroughly by the manager before
being assigned with the project.

7COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
Time management is very crucial for determining the accomplishment of a project. If an
employee is not comfortable with any particular topic of the project, then they have to take
some time to get satisfied with that part (Crawford 2014). The time required to reassess the
project by the employees having a problem can be very costly for the completion of the
project within time.
The performance of the employee can also degrade if the employee is not
comfortable with the project. The degradation in the performance of the employee can lead to
deterioration of the quality of the project (Kissi, Dainty and Tuuli 2013). The customer will
not be satisfied if the quality of the project is compromised. The questioning of the staff is
thus critical to avoid complicated situations while doing a project.
2.3.1. Causes of conflicts in projects
Conflict in projects can arise at any time and can postpone the accomplishment of the
project. The origins of the conflicts in projects are discussed below
2.3.1.1. Different interests of the stakeholders of the organization:
The shareholders of an organization are very important for any organization as the
stakeholders are one of the leading investors of the organization. A different point of view of
the stakeholders from the other employees of the organization can be a potential cause of the
conflict (Florea and Florea 2013). If the manufacturing team and the marketing team of an
organization do not agree with the stakeholders of the organization regarding the project, then
an unavoidable conflict can arise.
2.3.1.2. Poor leadership of the project manager:
Poor guidance is one of the main reason for the disputes in the projects. The task
administrator has the duty to take care of the employees working for the project (Jiang
2014). If any situation arises, then the manager should immediately solve the issue to avoid

8COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
the conflict. The communication skill and leadership skill of the project manager are essential
for avoiding conflict in the project as other employees follow their manager.
2.3.1.3. Communication gap and lack of understanding of the objective of the project:
Communication between the project manager and the employees is very much important for
the conclusion of any task (Quirke 2017). The communication gap between the various teams
working under any projects or communication gap between the employees of an organization
can be a cause of conflict in a project.
Lack of understanding of the objective of the project can also be a cause of conflict. The
knowledge of the goal of project by every employee working under that project is very
important.
2.3.1.4. Sudden change in the project:
The sudden change in the project due to some additional demands of the client can
cause conflict in the project. The difference in the project can demand other employees to
have a different skillset. According to (Lappe and Spang 2014) the initial cost for the project
can also increase due to the sudden change in plan.
2.3.2. Ways to resolve the conflict in project
The various way to resolve the dispute the conflict in the project are discussed below
2.3.2.1. Improvement of communication skill:
The communication skill of the employees is one of the peak significant factors which
effects the conflict in the task (Binder 2016). The improvement in communication skill can
resolve the issue of conflict.

9COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
2.3.2.2. Avoiding personal conflicts:
The personal conflicts between the employees should be avoided for the benefit of the
project (Tjosvold, Wong and Feng Chen 2014). Employees should not bring personal issues
in between the project and should work unitedly to avoid the conflict of assignment.
2.3.2.3. Conflict resolution
The conflicts in the project should be solved by mutual agreement between the
conflicting parties (Brubaker et al. 2014). The manager should try to solve the issue with
immediate effect in order to avoid conflict.

10COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
Conclusion
The conclusion which can be drawn from the report is that the leadership skills
of the manager of an organization are essential for managing the process of complex projects.
The basic communication skill like positivity adaptability, communication skills, expertise in
the required domain, emotional intelligence, instant decision making skills and collaboration
skills should be possessed by the manager to manage the complicated situation during a
difficult project. The emotional attachment between the employees and the manager should
be maintained by the manager for a improved understanding of the mental condition of the
employees. The instant decision making the skill of a manager is very important as the
decision can have a enormous effect on the other workers. There can be a situation where the
manager of different teams will be needed to work together, then the collaboration skill of the
manager would be necessary. All employees should be questioned before being assigned to a
complex task. The questioning of the employees will help to finish the project on time. The
cause of conflict during any project is different interests of the stakeholders of the
organization, poor leadership of project manager and communication gap and lack of
understanding of the objective of the project. Ways to resolve the conflict in the project are
the improvement of communication skill and resolving personal conflicts.

11COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
Recommendation
The project manager of an organization should have some basic communication skill to
handle a complex task. The manager should bring positivity among the employees of that
organization. The manager of an organization should act as a leader for the employees. The
employees follow their manager. Thus the manager should act as the idol of the employees.
There can be a situation where the manager of different teams will be needed to work
together, then the collaboration skill of the manager would be necessary. The employees
should be questioned before being assigned with any complicated task.

12COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
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14COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ROLE OF MANAGER
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Appendix