The Commonwealth Games in India, an Example of Failed Project Management

Almost every single person is involved in any sort of sports activity but most of us particularly like watching the sports matches specially those held in various sports events. Commonwealth games are a big name in this regard. A large number of people from all over the world wait for this event all the time as this event happens after every four years. These games were started in 1930. The best thing about these games is that it has now become an international event in which sportspersons belonging to various sports from all over the world show their talent. Last time, the commonwealth game was organized in India in the year 2010 and to be honest it was a great shame for the whole Indian nation as it exposed the poor project management done by the project managers of India.

A project management can break or make any event and when it comes to a big event such as commonwealth games then you need to be extra careful as a little mistake can destroy everything. Unfortunately, there was not even a single area in the whole event which was managed well.

The common wealth 2010 was organized in Delhi which is the capital city of India. A 40 acre Delhi village was developed for the whole event. The whole world was doubted about the success of this event right from the start. In fact, various countries started criticizing the Indian nation before the game. In the start, the Indian government tried to hide their poor project management from the whole world but the eyes of camera showed the poor management and system collapse to the whole world.

If we discuss the whole event with respect to project management then we may see that there was lack of interdepartmental coordination. Moreover, the quality standards were completely neglected as the whole arrangement was very poor. Another common problem was the lack of planning and organizing. The project managers didn’t focus on the time limit as well as the minute things that resulted in the collapse of whole system. According to some of the analyses, the project managers and organizers did a corruption of thousands of dollars in this event. The organizers did not show any enthusiasm for the event. I personally believe that they were unable to delegate the tasks and the team buildings skills were also absent.

There were a number of incidents that occurred before this event. These incidents resulted in the boycott of thousands of sportsmen and athletes from this event. England, Scotland and Wales also gave the threat that they will not participate in this event. Two of the Taiwanese tourists were being attacked by a tourist attack just a few days before this event. There was a poor sanitation system and the rooms of athletes were very dirty with a lot of dust and filth in the washrooms. The pictures of rooms were showed by BBC just 2 days before the event and half of the athletes cancelled their trip after seeing those pictures.

Not only this, a footbridge which was leading to one of the entrances for the showpiece Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium collapsed just a few days before the event resulting in an injury of 27 workers 3 of which were in critical situation. Moreover, monsoon rain made the situation worst resulting in an attack of dengue virus. Scotland and Canada delayed their trip after seeing this entire situation.

Although this event started on the given date but it was simply an example of failed project management. People quote this event for explaining the adverse effects of poor project management.

By Steven Macdessi

Master’s in Project Management Versus Project Management Professional Certification

The demand for project managers has been increasing with the passage of time. Now days, almost every organization contains a whole team of highly qualified project managers that work on different projects at the same time. A project manager is the person who takes care of all the things required for the successful completion of a project.

Requirements for a Project Manager

In order to become a successful project manager, you must have some basic skills and education related to it. Some of the educational requirements include a bachelor degree, master’s degree and a project management professional certification. Different organizations require different qualifications according to the nature of their projects.
Master’s Degree in Project Management
The master’s degree is usually done after completing the bachelor’s degree in project management. This is one of the most common degrees with respect to project management.
Project Management Professional Certification
The project management professional certification is becoming popular these days. This certification ensures the entry of highly skilled and competent project managers in to the work force.
Difference between Master in Project Management and Project Management Professional
The master’s in project management does require bachelor’s degree but you have to have an experience of at least 5 years in project management before applying for the project management professional certification. If you have a secondary diploma in project management then still you can apply for the project management professional certification.
You can get a master’s degree in project management without having any working experience but you need to have a previous work experience for getting a project management professional certification.
Master’s in project management is relatively older degree as compared to project management certification that is why it has been losing its importance in the current scenario.
Project management certification is a step ahead from masters in project management as this certification is accepted by all the organizations at the global level.
Masters in project management not only focuses on the project management but also the operations and leading decisions so you can also become an operations manager after getting this degree but the project management professional certification purely focuses on the project management.
The major difference between masters in project management and a project management professional certification lies in the salary. The later provides higher salary.
Another major difference between these two degrees is that you do not need to re certify the master’s degree but the project management professional certification requires you to re certify tit after every 3 years in order to ensure that you have up to date knowledge about project management.

Best Degree for Job Hunting

Although, a combination of both these degrees ensures a good job but if we compare both these degrees individually then project management professional certification is more effective as compared to masters in project management as this certification confirms that you have a detailed knowledge about project management and you also have enough experience in this field.
If we talk with respect to the current scenario then most of the organizations select individuals only on the basis of project management professional certifications. Some organizations have made it compulsory for all the applicants to have a project management professional certification for applying on the project manager’s seat.

After having a rough idea of what path the project should take, the next task for a project manager is to list each and every action that has to be accomplished to get the work moving. Having this list is essential because it allows all team members to know their responsibilities, the deadline, the budget, and what is expected of them. Here are some tips on how to create the action steps in project management:

• Choose the Team Members – each person has unique strengths that he/she can bring into the project. The task of the manager is to identify the best team members and find out who is most suitable for certain tasks. The right team members would allow the project to flow smoothly.
• Allocate the Right Resources - once you have the project team, it’s time to equip them with the resources they need to get the job done. This can come in the form of equipment, access to information, and financial resources. The project manager has to know how much resources are reasonable.
• Set the Deadline – in any project, there should always be a deadline. Aside from being an important goal, it also serves to motivate the team. Without a deadline, there is no pressure to finish the task quickly and effectively.

The amount of resources a company can dedicate to a project play a crucial role in determining its success or failure. The reason for this is quite apparent. Having a sufficient budget allows the project manager to get the best equipment and recruit the best people. If your company has a tight budget though, managing the project may be more challenging. In this article, we’ll give you some tips on how to allocate finances property in a project.

• Negotiate – if you need to use external resources such as hiring suppliers or contractors, it may be possible to get a better rate by asking for it. The same is true even when you’re dealing with equipment or supplies.
• Ensure Improved Productivity – in many cases, the abilities and availability of staff member is not utilised to its maximum potential because there are too many people in the team. It is sometimes possible to get the same level of output from a smaller team who are committed.
• Hire a Project Manager – an experienced project manager can work with the budget you allocated and deadline. A manager can also see where savings can be made and will act accordingly.

The finances of a business determine the level of service it can provide to its customers. But this article shows that even if you have a tight budget, it is still possible to achieve good output.