Summary of the project

            Federal agencies in the US have been tasked to offer various services to the people. This is through the implementation of the multiple strategies that the government of the day has put in place. Among the policies to be implemented include the launching and execution of multiple programs that are of help to the people. Unfortunately, the government has been having a series of problems while performing the plans due to mismanagement. At other time, the issuesare brought about the lack of proper evaluation of the projects. However, in the recent past, the government has employed project management tactics to help in service delivery as well as timely completion of the projects. In as much as the right measures have not been put I place in all agencies, those that have tried it have achieved positive results. This is to show that organizational project management is the way to go for all government agencies.

The success of a project is however dependent on other factors. At the end of it all, it sums up to proper project management. One of the primary factors that influence the success of program management is the presence of capable leadership. Leaders must make informed decisions and are directly involved in all the operation in the various agencies. At the same time, the administration educates the rest of the stuff on the measures being put in place.This ensures that the workforce as a whole is working on a common goal. Commitment to the organizational project management is vital as far as the accomplishments of the set targets are concerned. The presence of a transparent and effective communication is the other important factor (Project Management Institute, 2014). Lack of proper communication is likely to bring out some misunderstandings making it challenging to implement the particular programs.

Adequate training of the workforce is as well crucial in the attainment of the set targets. At some point, the workers have to be educated on the various requirements of the projects. This will create room for familiarization and thus better results.According to the Project Management Institute (2014), team building is another important factor that plays a crucial role in the actualization of any project. It also involves the engagement of the shareholders. This creates a better sense of understanding of the project as well as respect among the parties. Free engagement help in the generation of ideas as the members can brainstorm among themselves. Additionally, the members have to be held accountable for anything that happens within the project. The best way of promoting accountability is having proper techniques of risk analysis accompanied by appropriate data storage. All this is possible when technology is brought in. With technology, cases of mismanagement are likely to decrease.  However much such agencies formulate policies to help in management, they continue to struggle due to underfunding. The lack of funds has paralyzed many of the operations and this a huge problem that the majority of the organizations and agencies are facing.

Failures of traditional project risk management

Risk assessment and management is a critical step as far as the implementation of any project is concerned.Although the process of risk management has evolved, traditional practices are still documented for future analysis. One of the primary features of the conventional way is it dealt with insurable features alone.This is to mean that the functions who risk was accessed ought to be insurable in the sense that they are material things. The fact that the non-insurable factors were never consideredleaving the implementation of such projects hanging in the balance. The other problem is that it was primarily focused on loss prevention. Profit generation should never be the only focus for any project. Therefore, targeting the whole energy on mitigating losses and forgetting other risks that may be involved is a huge letdown. In some instances, it is possible that the assessment won’tconsider human resources which are likely to lead to the failure of the project.

The other challenge facing this form of assessment is that it is one-dimensional. Thisis to mean that the focus is directed towards a particular thing which is primarily preventing losses. At the same time, there is atendencyto manage risks one by one. Every healthy business is faced with numerous threats. Managing one at a time means that it may take forever for firms to deal with their risks which in turn may lead to other problems. On the same note, these traditional forms are done in only one business. This shows that strategies meant for a particular business cannot be used in the other. This brings about time wastage as a lot of time has to be used to come up with policies for various businesses (Simona-Iulia, 2014). Unlike modern techniques, the traditional approach represents disjointed activities. No particular event has a relation to the cultures of the people, the previous events or the other aspects of society. All this indicates that such businesses with the approach have a high probability of collapsing due to poor risk management techniques.

Levels of uncertainty and complexity for the project

Any business set up is usually faced with up to four levels of difficulty. The first is a predictable future. Here, there is a clear view of the challenges affecting a business; thus it is easier to make the necessary decisions. The second is alternative futures. Unlike the first, this represents a variety of possible outcomes. It is therefore difficult to make any decisionssince the outcomes are not clear to the management. It is therefore essential to evaluate markets as well as the close monitoring of the competitors to ascertain their moves. The next is the range of variables.The situation here is no better in that a few variables in terms of choices exist. At the same time, there is no sure choice,but then the best option for the project is in between the few available opportunities. The last stage is the trueuncertainty.It is in rare occasion that this scenario manifests itself.In most cases, it is due to the adoption of extremely new technologies.

Modern-day projects are primarily on technology innovations. In as much technology is the way to go, numerous challengesare associated with the adoption of technology in project management. Some of the complexities that face the government agencies managing their projects is the fact that technology is somehow predictable (Riesch, 2012). This is to show that it may fail and bring about some confusion among the staff. At the same time, dynamics in projects change from time to time making it hard for the managers to come up with concrete decisions.Uncertainty and the type of relationship that exists between the projects and the society is the challenge that brings about complexity in business.

Communication to the consumers

Previously, it has happened that lack of communication on the progress of the projects brings about some conflicts between the projects and the consumers. In most cases, it happens that there is no connection between the community and the project. In such cases, it becomes for the products of the project to sell. At other time, the products have a potential market in the society,but due to lack of a proper communication system, the project ends up generating. The best way to avoid this backlash from the community is by creating a link between the projects and the society. The products ought to have some integration of the culture. At the same time, it would be advisable that the leadership provides a briefing now and then. This way, society will be informed on the projects. On the same note, the federal system should provide proper funding so that the funds can be used in civic education. An educated society will be prepared for the products and thus better relations between the projects and the societywhich in this case are the consumers.

Risk identification

            The whole process of risk management starts with the identification of the actual risks. There exist several methods of identifying the risks that may be associated with a particular project. The most informed method of identification is the reviewing of documents associated with the project. They may involve the available assets or other articles from other sources but in close relation to the project. At the same time, thereexist several techniques for gathering the required information. The use of technology in managing government projects is never an easy task and therefore requires a closes analysis of the situation.The first method that can be applied is brainstorming. Here, the members of the management team engage their brains to come up with the risks that are viable in the project.

Additionally, the management may opt to look for assistance from outside their organization. A team of experts can be consulted for their personal view commonly known as the Delphi Technique.The experts are then allowed to consult among themselves until a list is identified. Checklistanalysis as well can be used to identify the additional risks for the project. According to the Journal of Systems and Software (2013), swot analysis is the other primary technique of identifying risks in any project. It involves the identification of the strengths of the projects, weakness, created opportunities as well as the threats of the business. All the above techniques are meant to aid in the identification of the associated risks. Once the risks are identified, they are documented and then the management can use the documentation to plan for the risks. Proper planning is vital when it comes to dealing with risks in business.

Contingency planning and the management challenges of informing stakeholders

Contingency planning is something close to the identification of risks associated with a particular project. However, it is more of a systematic approach toanalyzing the present and the future proceedings of the project. This form of planning removes the management from their comfort zones and thus higher chances for the success of the project. In as much as contingency planning is essential, its primary objective is not to develop a solution to each challenge that is identified during the planning phase. Its main purpose is to encourage the management to think beyond the challenges and obtain the appropriate responses to future problems. An organization that has proper planning is likely to meet its set goals with relative ease. Some of the information required in this form of planning include the events that may occur within the project that require some response. At the same time, it is possible that some challenges can manifest themselves during the implementation. It is upon the planners to take note of such situations. Proper planning entails the indication of all factors that are likely to hinder the execution of a plan. All this information is vital for the success of any projects. Federal projects are often affected more because there are several parties involved among them the financers of the projects.

Whenever there is a project in progress, there are normally several stakeholders behind it. They include the federal government as well as the local leadership, the financers, the society and the consumer community. All these stakeholders require an update on the proceedings of the projects. The government which is the main part of the projectsrequires updates on the progress. The rest of the stakeholders as well are supposed to be briefed on the same. It is however impossible to address them under one gathering owing to the dynamics involved. The financers and the government require some formal communication. The fact that the management has to balance between the information given to the agency and the public is itself a challenge. Meaningful and timely communication is, therefore, part of the successful implementation of any project.

References

Project Management Institute. (2014, June). Milestones to Efficiency Factors that Influence Program Management Success in U.S. Federal Agencies. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/case-study/program-management-success-goverment.pdf

Raspotnig, C., &Opdahl, A. (2013). Comparing risk identification techniques for safety and security requirements. Journal of Systems and Software, 86(4), 1124-1151.

Riesch, H. (2012). Levels of uncertainty. Handbook of risk theory: Epistemology, decision theory, ethics, and social implications of risk, 87-110.

Simona-Iulia, C. (2014). A comparative study between traditional and enterprise risk management–a theoretical approach. THE ANNALS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ORADEA, 274.

 
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