Why the project fails Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Why the project fails - Essay Example A common factor in all projects is the presence of employees assigned to the project. Most projects are led by a project manager or team leader. The success of a project is dependent on a variety of factors. A lot of times projects fail and companies pay the consequences in terms of monetary and time losses. The purpose of this report is to analyze the different reasons projects fail. The report will also include an analysis of the Smithers case study. One of the most important aspects of working in a team is to have good communication among the team members. The members of a team must communicate well in order for a project to be successful. A lack of communication can lead to undesirable behaviors such as friction, arguments, and a lack of cohesiveness among the employees. â€Å"Effective communication occurs when the intended meaning of the source and the perceived meaning are virtually the same† (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, 2003, pg. 339). A lack of communication can lead to misunderstandings between the workers. A way to improve communication between people working on a project is by the members becoming active listeners. Active listening can improve productivity and it enhances the ability of people to communicate, persuade, and negotiate (Mindtools, 2013). A second major obstacle that diminishes the ability of a company to achieve success in its projects is a lack of teamwork. Teamwork has become a critical success factor in the 21st century. Individualism is an undesirable trait among members of a team working on a project. Teamwork occurs when the members of a group work together in ways that utilize their skills well to accomplish a purpose (Schermerhorn, et al, 2003). A project is doom to fail if the members of the team do not work together as a cohesive unit. Companies can enhance the teamwork skills of its employees by offering training and development. â€Å"Problems in project management teams begin when not everyone feels involved or som e are doing a lion's share of the work while others are perceived as doing very little† (Zaphyr, 2013). An employee that plays a critical role in the success of a project is the project manager. This person is responsible for providing leadership for the team. Project managers that do not have good leadership skills are a liability for a company. The presence of strong leadership is needed to guide the efforts of the members of a team working on a project. Without leadership the people working on a project lack the direction and guidance needed for them to perform at a high level. Leadership is important because it enables a person to influence the work behavior of the people working on a project. Three effective leadership styles are transactional, charismatic, and transformational leadership. Without strong leadership the chances of project failure increases dramatically. A factor that is critical towards the success of a team is having adequate resources. A lack of resource s is a constraint that can lead to project failure. Some of the important resources that projects must have are financial, human labor, and machinery and equipment. Sometimes companies undertake a project that they can not fully finance. A shortage of cash can lead to disastrous results for a project such as complete stoppage of work or bankruptcy. A labor force with inadequate skills and capabilities can lead to the demise of a project. Old obsolete machinery and equipment hurts the ability of success of a project. Another factor that is important for the success of a project is the implementation of technology. Analysis Smithers Case Study The Smithers case study discusses the role John Smithers had on a change management initiative of implementing a project to improve the quality control of the company Sigtek. There were

Female representation in computer games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Female representation in computer games - Essay Example The essay "Female representation in computer games" discovers the Images of Women in Computer Based Gaming. The game World of Warcraft allows the player to create their own representation, but most of the females and males have sexualized representations that engage the user in very real objectification of the human form. In a discussion of the theories proposed by John Berger, the nature of the consumer to art can be seen through the examination of the art and imagery that has been developed in the gaming world. The nature of gaming is such that it creates an alternative space in which female and male objectification is engaged so that not only is the concept of the human shifted into a different space, the actions that are taken as representations of heroic are placed within the sexual fantasy space. Images that are used for gaming are representations of contemporary art, created through different mediums used for different purposes. Most of it is created through computer generatio n, but there is a great deal of art that is done through the traditional medium of canvas and brush with either oils or acrylics. These pieces are used for promotional value, although computer generation of images has advanced to the point where artistically rendered work is very similar to that which used to require canvas and paint. As an example, Fig.1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are a female and male characters from World of Warcraft, rendered artistically as an emotive piece which is intended. to engage the consumer by creating envy. Berger discusses the role of envy in glamour, the nature of plying the consumer with attributes of a representational figure that can never be achieved, thus maintaining an envious connection which is never transferred to the consumer. La Grange paraphrases Berger and states that â€Å"The imagine themselves transformed by buying the product and envy this transformed self. In effect, the publicity image has lowered the spectators’ self-esteem and of fers it back if they buy the product† (8). Gaming literally offers the experience of becoming the enviable figure, the consumer able to manipulate the actions of the character, achieving goals and setting a course through that image. Berger discusses the way in which the identity and the self are interlaced with the concept of ownership and envy. In owning a thing, the desired effect is to have become the representation of how that thing creates the identity of the self. In owning something, there is never a pay-off of real happiness, but a movement towards acquiring the next thing. La Grange states that Berger proposed that â€Å"The individual is trapped between what he is and what he would like to be† (9). In choosing what to buy, the individual seeks to find happiness, but because happiness cannot be achieved by the acquisition, the individual is essentially powerless. In some ways, gaming fills this gap as the manipulation of the image that has been chosen becomes an extension of the self, the individual placed within the space of the game as that image and acquiring through the choices that are made about the actions of the image. La Grange explains the relationships of the ownership of art as it is relevant to the identity. She states that through Berger, it can be seen that â€Å"oil painting celebrated private property; it expressed the idea that you are what you have†