Project Management Research Part One: Positive Aspect (Essay Sample)

Project Management
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PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Professional bodies are organizations made of a group of elites from a particular career that seeks to provide a platform for them to exchange ideas, form a network of sponsors as well as career advancement. Various professionals have such organizations for instance the engineering and infrastructure body of professionals. Project managers are the most sought employees in the current world. Technical and disaster project managers lead in this least. Reports indicate that the panels in an interview for a project manager's post use the membership to a professional body as a criterion of eliminating applicants. Primarily, this paper will report on both positive and negative criticism for project managers with memberships in professional organizations specifically in the scope of legal, ethical and professional issues.
The role of a project manager is to over the success of the assigned project. Since one person can not do this work, the manager has to wear several huts while directing employees under his command. Additionally, they are mandated to adhere to the specified deadline, evaluate and manage risks that may arise during the project. Moreover, strict observation of the signed contract with the customer must be followed failure to which the person in charge of the project may lose the entire contract or has to pay a fine for violating the agreement. In cases where the initial drafted budget is less, the project manager must find financing by requesting the customer to add to the finances after accounting every penny given. Therefore, the role of the PM goes beyond directing to personal supervision of the ongoing project and examining the accountant's bookkeeping.
Part one: positive aspect
There are many advantages of joining a body of professionals. Recently, a career in project management is on the boom with a high demand for the qualified and certified project managers. After a person qualifies for the membership, he or she has exposure to a team of experienced professionals who may serve as their career mentors. Additionally, the new member has a free pass to local and international forums which involve an exchange of ideas as well as addressing emerging issues in the industry. As compared to non- members, the members have higher chances of getting jobs in their areas of expertise. As earlier mentioned, interviews panels use certification from professional bodies as a qualification to eliminate applicants.
Moreover, the certificate acquired from such organizations serves as proof of a person's qualifications as well as a commitment towards their careers. Before a person receives the membership, there are specific qualifications required. At least a high school diploma, an undergraduate degree from a relevant field in a recognized tertiary education institution serve as a prerequisite for qualifying to apply for membership. Furthermore, the examination test given assesses the abilities of a person as a project manager both theoretically and practically. Any employer wants a highly qualified employee with a little experience in their area of specialization. By hiring such an employee, the employer is assured of professionalism. Moreover, the education gained from schools forms a firm foundation for the skills one picks up from professional bodies. Such skills include high work ethic, discipline at work, adhering and observing the company's rules and regulations which amount to professionalism.
Ethics refer to as the underlying code of conduct that governs an organization. It defines the appropriate behavior in a workplace. As a professional, a project manager is expected to uphold high work ethic. Personal values determine how strong a person's ethics are, but professional bodies may improve the same characteristics through exposure. The exposure brought about by professional organisations reflect how the possession of ethics contributes to the success of an employee's career. The organisation offers a platform that displays how different work ethics can shape a person's career. For instance, through the acquired network, the new member is warned of people who may aim to ruin his career and steal his potential projects by befriending him. Real life examples seen are first-hand experiences first-hand making it easy to relate to despite one.
Human beings tend to learn from personal experience rather than another's. However, such mentality is a precursor for failure among project managers. Therefore, joining a body of similar professionals will serve as a forecasting agent to the probable shortcomings imminent due to the lack of high ethics. Additionally, investing in a membership to these organisations is both sensible and worthwhile considering that early employees in the same career provide a certain standard of ethics that steer their jobs into greater heights. However, the decision entirely lies on a person's objectivity and direction in their career.
Laws, rules and regulations provide a convenient environment for all employees in a workplace. Moreover, it outlines measures that may be applied when prohibited behaviour is committed in the workplace. However, legal issues in project management have increased over the years. Such problems include violation of binding contracts and disclosure of private company information. These mishaps lead to court cases and trials that lead to career destruction and tarnishing the company's name. There are several legal advantages associated with belonging to a body of professionals. As a member of such organisations, one's membership is reviewed annually. In these reviews, the competency and career advancement in the past one year. If the member is involved in a case where he or she may be accused of breaking the law, they may end up losing their membership and the benefits and privileges that accompany it.
Therefore, an individual who has a membership in the professional body will be very cautious as to involve himself in unlawful acts, especially contract violation, due to the strict rules provided by the organisation. Moreover, the organisation's management is keen on advising their members on how to avoid being entangled in court cases by educating them on how to deal with legal loopholes in their contracts. The advantages mentioned above, motivate many project managers to join professional bodies. However, several issues arise while working to earn that membership and even after receiving official membership certification. Such questions should be scrutinised before registering with any professional body.
Part two: Negative aspect
Despite the earlier mentioned positive aspect of joining professional organizations, every project manager should consider the downside before committing himself to the organization. Assessment for qualification of membership is primarily based on the educational prowess of a person. Many project managers have a different educational background from their current work status. Though having a business related educational background is required, the majority of the project managers were initially technical heads of a department who were granted the duty to lead a team in a project. Their leadership abilities do not qualify them as project managers but in the presence of leading the team to a successful project, new projects may be directed to him. After heading several successful projects, this person earns a promotion to a project manager. When such a person applies for membership in the professional organisation, he or she will have a hard time during the global conferences since he has a different educational background. Additionally, the individual may not understand everything presented during such events which will amount to a complete waste of time and resources.
Contrary to the general believe, belonging to a project managers' body of professionals do not imply that a person is himself a professional. It is wrong to assume that a person who associates with doctors will become a qualified doctor only by association. The same case applies for project heads. Conversely, the competence and professionalism of a person is not a matter assessed through generalisation. Instead, by way of assessing the quality of work done and the number of successful projects as compared to fails. Indeed, it is surprising how unprofessional certified experts can be despite associating with the world's greatest professionals. Companies' interview panels should focus more on practical qualifications rather than basing qualifications on a single certificate. Additionally, giving professional members a higher salary than the non-members is prejudicial and therefore unethical.
Moreover, the process of earning membership in these organizations is long tedious and time –consuming. Although it favors students mostly, the process is inconvenient for already employed project managers. As a result, their professional duty to their employer are disregarded as they try to focus on earning the membership. The extra effort required while studying for the entrance exam is absorbing. Consequently, the manager's productivity at his workplace reduces immensely. Furthermore, projects paced under his supervision are neglected resulting to contract violation especially when the quality of work done is poor and has exceeded the budget plans. Due to the customer's complaint to the company, the manager may lose his job. However, some customers may prefer the project manager to pay for the damages and for the extra money required in refining the project as per the customer's preference.
Nonetheless, if the manager is lucky to get away with unsatisfactory work, which is highly unethical, he may go on to joining the organisation. However, since his salary and allowances are not that much, the registration fee he had to pay befor...