Importance of Communication and PRINCE2 Model in Project Management

This report discusses the importance of communication between project manager and team members and the analysis of the PRINCE2 model for effective project execution. It also evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the PRINCE2 model in the context of a college campus refurbishment project.

Short report to the
sponsor
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CONTENTS
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Communication need between project manager and team..........................................................3
Analysis of method used for running project..............................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
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INTRODUCTION
Project management is a process of organising, managing and controlling the set of
activities involve within a project so that desired objectives can be achieved. Throughout the
project several number of skills, tools and expertise are being implemented to achieve the desired
outcome (Lientz and Rea, 2016). The current report is based on the refurbishment project of
college campus in Manchester, with an aim to increase the space of teaching as well as seating
arrangement. The project is divided into three part where project 1 contain information regarding
project initiation, shareholder analysis and project 2 contain risk register, Gantt chart and critical
path for effective execution of project. The current project is 3 which include importance of
communication between team members and critical evaluation of PRINCE2 model.
MAIN BODY
Communication need between project manager and team
As the QAHE wants to restructure its college by adding more space in classrooms for
enhancing the educational practices, so it become necessary that action must be perform in right
direction for getting outcome as per plan. This is so because the success of project is depend on
way team perform over it and coordinate as a whole to bring desired outcome (Kerzner, 2019).
Therefore, a project manager must focuses toward maintaining a structured communication
between team members that are involved within the process as it help in,
 Ensuring that right message get delivered to team members so that they work in
appropriate manner. This support in avoiding any kind of delay or error in the working
process.
 Well-structured communication also ensuring that employees get a clarity in their mind
regarding their roles and responsibilities which further help in avoiding the chances of
dispute among them. This will further help in ensuring high quality performance with
maximum utilisation of resources.
Hence, communication is very crucial within project manager as well as team members as it
support in delivering the rights instruction and guidance to people so that work get perform in
right manner as per plan (Pinto, 2014). But for ensuring well structured communication to be
maintained among team members it is crucial to follow right process or method of performing
communication among team members as well as project manager. There are number of sources
that can be used by the project manager of conveying messages and communicating information
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among team members related with the instruction about the QAHE project. These sources are
email, power point presentation, voice calls, meeting etc. which ensures that timely information
get delivered to the employees so that work get perform effectively without any error or delay.
But for effective communication it is crucial to adopt right process of communication to convey
message among team members. The process of communication that must be followed for better
execution of project is mentioned below:
 Sender: - The project manager must have a clear idea regarding the message that they
have to deliver to its team members so that it become easier to explain them.
 Message: - It is a set of information or instructions that are being conveyed to team
members accordingly (Heldman, 2018). Under this step the project manager is
responsible to generate a message or instruction about the set of activities to be
performed by the team members along with the responsibility each individual have.
Here it must be ensure that message must be written in a language that is easier to
understand.
 Encode: - After creating a message by the project manager, the next step is to add
graph, charts, flow diagrams in order to ensure that the message get converted in
more meaningful manner which present a clear image in front of team members
regarding the main objective behind the message.
 Media:- Under this stage the project manager must focuses toward selecting the best
media to deliver a message. For the QAHE project it can use the media such as email,
power point presentation, voice calls, meeting etc.
 Decoding: - In this stage the message will be get decoded by the readers in order to
explain the actual meaning that are being encoded by the project manager within the
message so that team members can work over given instruction.
 Receiver: - These are the team members for whom the message is generated by the
project manager (Silvius and Schipper, 2014). Here the team members are responsible
to get through message and try to understood effectively and make other people
understand it so that chances of error can be avoided.
 Feedback: - This is consider to be most crucial stage as here the receivers will
provide their feedback that help in getting an idea that whether the message is decided
by the receivers in a manner in which it is being send by the sender. This will help the
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project manager in ensuring that message is being effectively understood by team
members and they started working over it.
Analysis of method used for running project
For conducting this project of QAHE regarding restructuring of college campus the
project manager has decided to make use of PRINCE 2 model while executing the project for
managing each and every activity effectively. This is so because the PRINCE 2 model is
consider to be world widely used embraced venture administration techniques which is mainly
used by several businesses in order to reach up to their goals (Teller, Kock and Gemünden,
2014). PRINCE 2 Is acronym as Project In controlled Environment which ensure that situation
remain under controlling by putting g emphases toward activities as well as environment in
which it is operating. Therefor it is consider to be best method to be adopted for executing this
project successful as it support in conducting each and every activity much effectively which
further contribute toward bring most favourable and positive outcome. But in order to further
evaluate this model as per the current restructuring project of the college its strength as well as
weakness of this approach which are mentioned below,
Strength:- Predictable:- The main objective of this model is to keep all the tasks as well as practices
in control so that negative consequences can be avoided and for this it focuses over
maintaining the activities within project from its starting phase. This in tuirn further
support the project manager of refurbishment in analysing in advance the risk that may
get arises while execution of project. It will support in formulating effective strategies to
deal with such issues or eliminating them while operating project so that pre specified
objectives can be achieved.
 Cost and time effective: - PRINCE2 model also focuses toward completing the project in
the pre specified time as well as cost by keeping each activity of the project in align with
action plan (Turner, 2017). This support in keeping all the factors in control as it provide
a project manager insight regarding the prospect risk that may arise while working that
may result into delay or may cause more expenses. So that activities can be scheduled in
that manner which when execute doesn’t let any issue to increase the cost and time of the
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project. This support project manager to complete its refurbishment project effectively by
formulating effective strategies toward accomplishment of set objectives.
 Act as a guide: - The PRINCE2 framework is a step by step execution of a process,
which is a all round requested technique that focuses over all the activities within a
project from starting to its end. When a project manager focuses toward analysing its
current position in project and interlink it with this methodology with appropriate
judgement over action to be taken then it supports in extracting out most productive
outcome.
Weaknesses:-
 Non realistic:- The major drawback of implementing this model is that it mainly focuses
toward evaluating the risk that may be faced at the initial stage of the project that may or
may not remain realistic (Alias and et. al., 2014). Additionally, the strategies can only be
formulated at the starting of the phase while planning but in case any risk may arise
between its execution then it doesn’t have any factor for this as it is not possible for the
project manager to make changes in middle of project.
 Cost overspend: - As the PRINCE 2 model focuses toward several sections such as plans,
organisation, risk, control etc. it requires huge resources as well as finance to perform all
these evaluations and at the same time execute it effectively. Hence one of its drawbacks
is that it help in executing the project plan in effective manner by avoiding risk but at the
same time sometimes results into overspending that affect the budget and cost
management.
From this evaluation over the methodology of project management, it has been found that the
PRINCE2 model will proves to be most beneficial framework for the restructuring project of
QAHE. This is so because the current project involves a larger investment for restructuring its
building (Heldman, 2018). Therefore it become crucial to perform this project with more careful
manner so that each thing get performed as per planned and doesn’t result into any kind of
failure or loss. Hence the PRINCE2 model will support in formulating effective action plan that
involve all the actions to be taken for avoiding as well as dealing in potential risk to ensure that
objective get achieved behind this project.
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CONCLUSION
From the above performed investigation it has been found that project management process
involves set of stages where number of skills, tools and expertise are being implemented as per
preplanner in order to achieve the desired outcome. But execution of project and its success
mainly depends on effective communication which helps in ensuring the work get performed as
per planned and not results into delay or increase in cost by ineffective utilisation of resources.
Additional it is also required that project manager must adopt fright approach to execute the
project effectively. PRINCE 2 model is one among them which is consider as approach that
support in ensuring proper organising as well as controlling of activities from its start till end
stage.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Alias, Z. and et. al., 2014. Determining critical success factors of project management practice: A
conceptual framework. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences. 153. pp.61-69.
Heldman, K., 2018. Project management jumpstart. John Wiley & Sons.
Heldman, K., 2018.PMP: project management professional exam study guide. John Wiley &
Sons.
Kerzner, H., 2019. Using the project management maturity model: strategic planning for project
management. John Wiley & Sons.
Lientz, B. and Rea, K., 2016. Breakthrough technology project management. Routledge
Pinto, J. K., 2014. Project management, governance, and the normalization of deviance.
International Journal of Project Management. 32(3). pp.376-387.
Silvius, A. J. and Schipper, R. P., 2014. Sustainability in project management: A literature review
and impact analysis. Social Business. 4(1). pp.63-96.
Teller, J., Kock, A. and Gemünden, H. G., 2014. Risk management in project portfolios is more
than managing project risks: A contingency perspective on risk management. Project
Management Journal. 45(4). pp.67-80.
Turner, J. R., 2017. Contracting for project management. Routledge.
Online
PRINCE2 Methodology. 2018. [Online] Available through<https://www.prince2.com/uk/prince2-
methodology>./
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