CHAPTER 3

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Blending Project and Meeting Management

 

LEARNER OUTCOMES

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A. Compare and contrast the major roles in a project management-based organization

B. Identify the project management process groups and knowledge areas.

C. Differentiate the appropriate responses for a project threat.

D. Differentiate the appropriate responses for a project opportunity

E. Describe the differences between the meeting planning role, meeting/project manager role, and meeting/program manager role.

 

Chapter Summary

 

Project Management (PM) is a business tool, a process, and a career path for many meeting professionals and it should not come as a surprise that many enterprises of a sufficient size can utilize the expertise of a project manager.  By definition, Project Management has a start and end date.  Based on this definition, a meeting professional serves as the project manager because all meetings and events have a start and end date.  

 

The personnel roles in Project Management will utilize various tools and techniques to accomplish the project goals.  In larger organizations a project manager will work for the program manager.  This program manager overseas many activities that could include multiple meetings held around the country.

 

The portfolio manager is usually next in the business hierarchy and will oversee multiple programs and projects that may appear independent and yet are connected by virtue of their responsibilities.  For the purpose of this chapter you will be differentiating the responsibilities of the meeting/project/program manager.  The responsibilities are essentially divided into three areas:  

 

1. Meeting Logistics - where discrete tasks are performed, adherence to budget limits are defined, following policy, and reporting to the manager.

2.  Meeting/Project Managers - where tasks are assigned, stakeholders are informed, resources are requested, and budgets are monitored.

3. Meeting/Program Managers - supervising planners and other managers, monitoring the multiple meetings, setting policy, and committing resources.

Project Management as a process recognizes that the process flows across the project’s life cycle.  The lifecycle includes initiating, planning, executing, and closing the project.  All while monitoring, and controlling aspects of the project.

The Project Management Institute (PMI) has identified the knowledge areas for their discipline as integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resource, communication, risk, procurement and stakeholder management.  Overlap exists between the PMI and the Certified Meeting Professional International Stands (CMP-IS).  

 

Defining Project Management Knowledge areas begins with project integrations management.  This involves a project charter, a committee or enterprise leader, and defined resource limits and estimates.

 

Project scope management requires the project manager to define the scope of the project, which is critical to a successful project completion.  It is at this stage that the project team will create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).  The WBS identifies task and create a framework for a timeline or schedule for each identified task.

Project time management involves the development of a project schedule and identifies key stakeholders and the necessary involvement from each department.  Tools used for the project time management are:

 

1. Gantt Charts (named after an engineer and management consultant

2. PERT (Program, evaluation, and review technique)

3. An Intranet system of reporting utilizing a “dashboard” to follow the charts and graphs used by a project manager

4. Understand the Critical Path Method (CPM) which provides timelines, tasks, relationship to those tasks, and may evolve as the product life cycle  advances

No meeting or event can meet its goals without an understanding of the project management costs.  This goes beyond simple budgeting.  It means following contract obligations, accounts payable/receivable, and timing cash flow.  This monitoring helps the project manager maintain control of expenses across the multiple stakeholders.

 

Project quality management provides the student of meeting management the insight of what it means to truly value customer satisfaction. This concept is especially important to the outcome of a project.  The Project Manager (PM) and the Meeting Professional (MP) share a focus on quality management.  Key elements to this process include; customer focus, employee involvement, process orientation, integration of departments, systematic and strategic techniques, continual improvement, fact-based decision making, and critical communication.

 

It is not uncommon for a Project Manager to request specific people to serve on his/her team.  Looking to build a team that can meet the tasks and associated deadlines.   The Project Manager will also work with Human Resources Office who are responsible for the issues of salary and benefits.  

 

Many organizations put procurement (purchasing) into a specific department, but as it relates to the meeting and event industry the Project Manager and/or Meeting Professional must know all of the policies as it relates to procurement for the project.  It is particularly difficult for these managers to know when, how much, and from whom to purchase.  Again, referring to the policy requirements is key to procurement.

 

There are two classifications in Project Stakeholder Management.  The first are the internal stakeholders, such as employees and volunteers.  The second set to consider for Project Stakeholder Management are the external stakeholders.  These include exhibitors, suppliers, meeting attendees, potential customers of meeting artifacts, and media.

 

Project Communication Management is another essential feature to Project Management and concentrates on the collaboration and excellent communication required of the project team for key stakeholders.  Communication forms include; e-mail, phone calls, oral presentations, and reports detailing tasks and responsibilities.

Project Risk Management is the concept of risk associated with negative and positive events that impact the project’s critical path outcome.  Threat and opportunities are numerous and are on-going within any project.  The three characteristics association with risk management is; probability, potential damage, and resource needs.  

 

The expanding areas of management bring about two areas of concern for the Meeting Professional and the Project Manager.  They are supply chain management (identifying and or tracking potential threats and opportunities in the chain) and change management (a process focused on people and how they will be managed when change is imminent). It should be noted that Project Manager and Meeting Professional are not necessarily interchangeable terms.  However, learning project management skills will be an essential professional development focus for the entry-level meeting professional.

 

 

每章的测试放在第二周的第一节课，成绩计入平时成绩。