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Achievements vs Activities In Project Management

By Exforsys | on December 17, 2006 |
Project Management

Achievements vs Activities in Project Management

To successfully complete a project by using project management techniques, it is important to understand the difference between achievements and activities. In this article, I will explain the differences, I will also explain why learning how to emphasize achievements can allow your project to become a success.

It is first important to understand the definitions of activities and achievements in the context of the project management process. Activities can simply be defined as methods that are used to achieve a desired goal. Achievements can be defined as the goals that activities are used to achieve.

Even though the two concepts are different, they are still interconnected. The project managers who truly understand the difference between the two will have a powerful advantage over those who do not. When you give a member of your team an assignment, all you have basically done is told them to carry out a specific task. More often than not, the task that is carried out by the member will not be as impressive as it should be. At the same time, there is also a small possibility that they will do too much work, and will exceed your expectations. Can you see the problem with this method?

The primary problem with this method is that you have not given your team member a clear expectation of what you want from the task. When you don’t give a clear expectation of what you are looking for, it will be difficult for a team member to become commited to the assignment. To be successful, you must set up what I will call a performance standard. This way, you will have something by which the performance of your team members can be measured. Then you create this standard, you are creating what is called an achievement. You will make it clear to your team members what you want, and you will have a standard by which the task can be measured.

Once this has been done, the members of your team will be able to commit to the tasks that they have been given. This will also increase the chances that your project will become a great success. In other words, you must create a system of both rewards and punishments. While the concept of rewards and punishments may seem like too much to some, there is nothing wrong with this system as long as a clear standard has been created. One of the things that separates assignments from achievements is that achievements require you to be detailed. Giving your team member a task with no understanding of how their work will be measured can be frustrating to them.

As the project manager, you can’t assume that the lines of communication between you and your team will be open. You must make sure that they fully understand the task that they’ve been given. You don’t want to play the "I don’t know if I’m doing it right game." More often than not, the team member will not carry out the task to your liking, and both of you will be frustrated. The situation will become worse when the project manager blames the member of their team. It is the project manager, not the team member, who made the mistake. It is your responsibility because you are the one who is giving out the tasks. You must make it clear to everyone how the task must be carried out, and you must tell them exactly what you are looking for.



When you give out tasks based on achievement rather than assignment, there are a number of things you will accomplish. First, the members of your team will know exactly what you want. In addition to this, you will give the members of your team the opportunity to develop a commitment towards the task. Perhaps the most important aspect of this strategy is that the members of your team will be satisfied, because they know exactly what is expected of them. This will build up morale, and the end results of your project will be highly successful. One of the reasons why many projects managers choose to emphasize assignments rather than achievements is because that is an easier course of action. However, this will also reduce the chances that the project will be completely correctly.

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Editorial Team at Exforsys is a team of IT Consulting and Training team led by Chandra Vennapoosa.

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