The two passages below require critical analysis and breakdown

A) One of the most complex projects I have worked on is a work project for field recruiting. This was the first project that I had ever led at work, and I was very nervous about how it would be received. I am not a very organized person naturally and it takes work for me to stay on a schedule. According to Jacobs (2020), project management can be defined as planning, directing, and controlling resources (people, equipment, material) to meet the technical, cost, and time constraints of the project.

The team was preselected, and we were given the task to create a guide for recruiters to follow when recruiting in the field. We had no other guidance other than that and created something from scratch. Due to the fact that we all worked on this project and kept our normal duties the project would be considered a functional project. Some of the advantages of a functional project are a team member can work on several projects, technical expertise is maintained within the functional area even in the event a team member leaves a project or organization, functional specialists can advance vertically, and each of us had a specialized skill that we brought to the table. We were also able to pull in other employees who were specialist in certain areas of the project to help on specific areas of the project.

We had several meetings to plan out the outline of the project, each part was assigned to a team member, and each time we met we would critique and add input to each part until the project was complete. I put everything together and with the help of a digital editor created the finished product. We then rolled it out to each recruitment manager and then from there all the other recruiters. The project was deemed a success and we were able to have a guide to upload to the recruitment SharePoint website.

B) The most complexes project I have been involved with in recent memory is the construction of commercial tilt up buildings on an old landfill. Building on a landfill presents various geotechnical and structural challenges. One issue arose when there was a lack of communication between the two groups. The geotechnical requirements resulted in an extremely dense soil filled with large cobbles and various pieces of trash. The structural requirements called for 40-60 helical piers installed below the foundation. The instillation process for the piers included predrilling the holes with the drill rig, then driving the piers in with an attachment to an excavator. The problem was the drillers inability to predrill the holes. The dense cobble rich soil was breaking the drill rigs daily, and in turn delaying the whole project. In theory the drillers could have used a different bit/method to shatter the cobble as they drilled down. Issues arose when these types of drill bits/methods encountered the trash and the soft trash would tangle and clog the bits. Various drilling bits and methods were tried throughout the process. Larger and larger drill rigs had to be brought to the site. The costs of continued to grow from both the drillers expenses and the delayed building completion for the developer.

I would define this project as a matrix project, showing a mix management of the lead developer in charge but also each contracted crew having someone in charge as well. Operations and Supply Chain Management lists one having two bosses as one of the disadvantages to this type of project (Jacobs & Chase, 2020). The scheduled time allowed for this project was not enough. Just about every step took longer than originally designed and made it difficult for various contractor to know when to mobilize. The scope of the project was subdivided into various groups and this is were the time problems began. The project needed a single leader who truly understood the project from start to finish. Instead it got a money guy on top and several specialists taking the projected through their step until they handed off to the next specialists. This approach resulted in the lack of continuity throughout the whole project. The recourse was always there and the only thing that kept the project somewhat on track. When the smaller drill rig didnt work, they got a bigger one. When the bigger one was too slow, they got 2 or 3 of them with day and night crews. Where the main project manager lacked in scope and understanding he made up for by providing plentiful resources to get past obstacles. Overall, the project was going to be challenging from the beginning. The project manager and his team of specialists got the project done, but better communication and continuity could have helped the budget and the timeline.