Critical Issues in Project Management: A Reflective Journal

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL

INTRODUCTION
Project management involves the application of specific skills, knowledge, techniques and tools
in an attempt to deliver something valuable to the people or society at large. There is a
component of uniqueness and differentiating elements from the routine operations of an
organisation, so that the conclusion can be drawn by achieving the goals of the project. There are
five stages involves in the life cycle of project management that is, initiation, project planning,
execution, monitoring and controlling of project and the last one is project closure which aids in
converting the idea of the project into a working product. Talking about the issues pertaining to
any of the project means something that come up in the way of the project acting as an obstacle
and accordingly affecting the whole planning (Kwayu, Lal and Abubakre, 2018). Therefore,
issues too needed to be well managed by defining it as a risk and accordingly framing rules and
defining activities in order to control and manage such issues arising during the course of a
project. Some of the common issues that may arise during the course of a project are lack of
communication, undefined goals and criteria for success, budget related issues, inappropriate risk
management, lack of skills and training of project manager and their team members and lack of
accountability. Thus, the present report is based on discussion related to the critical issues
associated with the project management only. The report will be written in a reflective form by
highlighting the concept of organisational strategy and the reason behind the necessity of its
understanding for the project manager. This report will also include the discussion of the role I
have played as a project manager with reference to the two major project known as digital twins
which was based in China and Portugal. The various roles that I have played in accomplishing
these two projects are communication with stakeholders and team members, identifying issues
and resolving the same at earliest, I have prepared many budgets for establishing financial and
non-financial control, made schedule for managing time, and I provide my team members with
assistance to identify their strengths and address weaknesses along with motivating them through
monetary and non-monetary incentives to build a good team. The purpose of performing all these
roles is to ensure high level of effectiveness and efficiency throughout the project duration and
accomplishing it on the right time. The case study reveal that the project team at Chengdu faced
with various design challenges and this time I tried my best to provide team members with the
required strengths to overcome their weaknesses posing challenges in the project and accordingly
the project gets accomplished successfully. The first project is based on the use of digital twins
model for road construction project in Shanbanquio area of Chengdu, the capital of China. The
second project is based on the sustainable and integrated project for the management of the entire
urban water cycle in Portugal. I will also analyze the project environment of these two project
based on digital twins by conducting SWOT analysis of the project to assess its strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats. With the help of conclusion drawn from the SWOT
analysis, a set of recommendations will be made to the senior management.
MAIN BODY
Concept of organisational strategy and the role of a project manager
By accomplishing the project based on digital twins model, the concept of organisational strategy
has been understood by me as a dynamic road map that undertakes to describe how an