Management & Leadership

Question 1

Define what is the Critical Path in a Programme?

Answer 1

A critical path is the sequence of project network activities which add up to the longest overall duration. This determines the shortest time possible to complete the project. Delayed activities on the critical path delay completion.

Question 2

What are often described as the three constraints of project management?

Answer 2

Time, cost and quality. Other factors are safety, resource, benefits, scope and risk.

Question 3

What is the definition of Management? What is the definition of Leadership? What are the differences between Management and Leadership?

Answer 3

Management is about planning, organising, commanding, controlling and coordinating activities and people.

Leadership is the ability to establish vision and direction, to influence and align people to a common purpose and empower and inspire people towards a successful endeavour.

A leader innovates whilst a manager does things that as they been done before. A manager relies on control whilst a leader inspires.

Question 4

What is the Risk Management Maturity model (RM3)?

Answer 4

The Risk Management Maturity model (RM3) was developed by the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) in collaboration with the rail industry. It is a tool for assessing an organisation’s ability to successfully manage health and safety risks, to
help identify areas for improvement and provide a benchmark for year on year comparison. RM3 covers the 5 key elements of a health and safety management system:
• policy development,
• organising for control and communication;
• securing the cooperation and competence of employees;
• planning and implementing health and safety arrangements;
• monitoring, auditing and reviewing health and safety outcomes.

Each element is broken down into further sub-elements (26 in all) and for each an organisation can achieve one of 5 increasing levels of “attainment”, which: excellence, predictable, standardised, managed and ad hoc. On average, LU is currently between the 3rd and 4th levels.

Question 5

How might you assess and manage stakeholders?

Answer 5

1. Identify – through research, interviews, brainstorming and checklists.
2. Assess – determine the power and buyin (for, against, neutral) of each stakeholder.
3. Plan – work out whether you should: monitor, manage, keep involved or keep informed. Don’t try to reduce the influence of a stakeholder, try to increase their buyin.
4. Engage – carry out the plan.

Question 6

What is Leadership?

Answer 6

One opinion of leadership is that there are 10 main qualities:

 1. Honesty – A good leader will be able to establish an honest connection with his or her peers. A relationship based on trust and reliability makes the team know that their leader is always there for them, which in turn inspires them to be there for their leader.
 2. Ability To Delegate – Each person in a group will be able to bring something different to the table, and a good leader will work with each member’s strengths and weaknesses in order to make sure that the best is being done.
 3. Ability To Communicate – By clearly describing his or her idea to their team, the leader will be able to create a sense of ease and understanding with his peers. When every member of the team is striving towards a common goal, then there is nothing that cannot be accomplished.
 4. Sense Of Humour – Negative situations will always arise, but a good business leader will know how to diffuse them and help give his team peace of mind. A stress-free work environment often garners the most results, and sometimes all that is necessary to help push your team forward is a healthy dose of humour in the face of difficulty.
 5. Confidence – A good leader will show confidence in the face of challenges, and will inspire confidence in his team by reminding them that obstacles are just there to be overcome. The confident leader will keep his eye on the goal and will not allow anything deter him or her, or their team, from success.
 6. Commitment – Some leaders may drive their teams to work hard, while others will constantly be at their sides, giving every task their one hundred percent. The latter is the type of leader that can expect to achieve more. Teams work better when they see that the one that they answer to is right by their side, sharing their struggles and triumphs.
 7. Positive Attitude – Motivation is the key to success, and it can be hard to stay motivated in a negative environment. By keeping your team’s spirits up, you will be able to motivate them to achieve more, and not let them be bothered by minor setbacks.
 8. Creativity – Sometimes a difficult situation will arise that will require you to think outside of the box and help your team do the same. At such crucial movements, a good leader will be able to demonstrate a unique type of creativity that can help his team push through any situation.
 9. Ability To Inspire – Inspiration can take many forms, but a capable leader will be able to demonstrate his ability to lead and inspire by motivating his team to share his vision.
 10. Intuition – A good leader will have intuition. Sometimes obstacles will arise that nobody will know how to handle, perhaps even you. In such situations, it is important to be confident and make a decision. No matter what the decision is, if you show that you are giving the problem everything you have got, it will inspire your team to do the same, which can often be just all that is needed to help get past the situation.

Question 7

How did Management come about? Provide some insight to the History of Management.

Answer 7

Management theory originated in 1909 from a mechanical engineer. It was about simplifying jobs to improve productivity, as well as managers working with their employees to find efficiencies, plan ahead and match skills to work effectively, rather than just issuing orders. Adam Smith developed this by arguing specialisation improves productivity.

Question 8

Define the various types of Float in a Programme.

Answer 8

• Free float – the duration between planned completion of an activity and start of the next. This is available to either the Employer or the Contractor (on a first come first served basis) to mitigate delays caused by compensation events or slow progress, i.e. its is ‘owned’ by the project.
  
  • Time-risk allowance – this is the duration allowed in each activity by the Contractor to account for the risk in not completing that activity in the minimum possible period. It is ‘owned’ by the Contractor and cannot be used to mitigate the effect of a compensation event.
  • Terminal float – the duration between planned completion and the current contract Completion Date. This is also ‘owned’ by the Contractor and cannot be used to mitigate the effect of a compensation event.