Q2
Singh (2014) notes that organised data becomes information, properly interpreted information becomes knowledge, knowledge when used correctly supports the processes of decision-making.
The job of a project manager is such that there is an ongoing requirement to align the triple constraints (Wysocki, 2014). In order to do this as efficiently and precisely as the information and knowledge allow, it could be argued that the more tools a project manager has at their disposal the more likely they are to be able to achieve this.
Statistical analysis can form part of a project at many points: day-to-day managing of the project, project projections and probabilities for future phases, the data collection and analysis that may form part of the project itself, and retrospective analysis of the project outcomes.
As much as a project manager should not be expected to be a statistician, the statistical processes and knowledge that are required would depend on the project itself.
It is possible that the project manager will delegate the actual work of gathering and analysing data to a team member, however being able to interpret the outcomes is crucial. Once the results are encoded, graph literacy will be an important tool; put simply graphs put numbers into pictures. Wakeling et al, (2014) refer to ‘the user’s ability to effectively understand, interpret, and utilise various data visualisations through which data is presented them’. The skill will not only allow them to interpret data, but it could also identify anomalies that may be due to human error.
Our organisation, at a project management level, does not currently make use of graphs for decision-making on projects, most information is in spreadsheet form. I have made a recommendation that graphs would be a good visual tool. There is currently work being done that will allow our software to generate graphs. We can share these with our clients to support decision-making.
Do you think (generally) organisation make the best use of statistical tools? What recommendation could you make for them to improve project outcomes by better using these tools?
References:
Singh, H. (2016) Project Management Analytics: A Data-Driven Approach to Making Rational and Effective Project Decisions. Pearson Education Limited. Available from the VitalSource Bookshelf.
Wakeling, S., Clough, P., Wyper, J., Balmain, A. (2015). Graph Literacy and Business Intelligence: Investigating User Understanding of Dashboard Data Visualizations’. Business Intelligence Journal 20(4): 8 -19. Available from: http://0-eds.b.ebscohost.com.serlib0.essex.ac.uk/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=fe788905-7c68-4bd8-91de-cf6f03518bb4%40pdc-v-sessmgr06 [Accessed 20 June 2020].
Wysocki, R.K. (2014). Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme. Seventh Edition. Indianapolis; Wiley. Available from The VitalSource Bookshelf. [Accessed 31 January 2020].
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