Practicing discipline in managing projects

Both for-profit and nonprofit organizations need to practice discipline when managing projects. The project management discipline aids in the achievement of organizational goals. Ideally, research has shown that business and non-profit organizations have different approaches to project management. There are some parallels between the daily project management practices used by for-profit and nonprofit businesses. However, there are noticeable disparities in how resource management is carried out, how hiring is carried out, and how they handle troublesome people. The main distinctions and parallels between project management in for-profit and nonprofit businesses will be outlined in this research study.
Project Management in Profit and Non-profit Organizations: Similarities and Differences
In both non-profit and profit organizations, the projects follow a concisely prepared plan. The project plan must identify the organizational goals and scope (Verzuh, 2015). Ideally, the tasks assigned to individuals must be described in the plan in both organizations. Project management in both profit and non-profit organizations has measurable outcome criteria. On the other side, Ragsdell, Espinet and Norris (2014) suggest that the project management process must further have strategic goals of the organization in both profit and non-profit organizations. Additionally, they both have scheduled for the organizational tasks. The project management team must, therefore, conduct periodic reviews on the schedules and the assignments.

Verzuh (2015) note that both profit and non-profit organizations have project teams that ensure resource accountability. In both organizations, the project costs are regarded as critical matters. To ensure that the project costs are regulated, the managers research to ensure cost-effectiveness. For smooth operations, both profit and non-profit and profit organizations use effective communication with their key stakeholders (Butler & Wilson, 2015). All the risks that might affect the operations of the organizations are managed. To mitigate such risks, the project teams must identify all the risks that might have the highest impact on the organizational operations.

Moreover, the profit and non-profit organizations are similar when it comes to flexibility in making changes that can help in improving the organizational outcomes. In as much profit maximization might not be the motive of the non-profit organization, service quality remains at the core of operations (Golini, Kalchschmidt & Landoni, 2015). The operations are geared towards achieving the greatest returns for the organizations. The level of commitment depends on the scope and the goals of the organizations. The project teams, therefore, commit to the schedules, rules as well as the standards of operations to ensure that they achieve the highest goals.

Project Management differences between the profit and non-profit organizations

Studies have revealed that there are major differences between the profit and non-profit instance, the level of skills exhibited by the employees in profit organizations are higher than the level of skills portrayed by the individuals in non-profit organizations. Ideally, the level of education among the employees in profit-oriented organizations is higher than the level of education among employees in non-profit organizations. Most employees in the profit organizations demonstrate in-depth knowledge in project management. They have skills and knowledge in executing the project operations. However, employees in non-profit organizations tend to be less knowledgeable on project management matters. As such, they often seek help from their fellow employees to complete their tasks (Golini et al., 2015).

Unlike the profit organization staff that have extensive knowledge on technology, the non-profit project management staff may not have expertise in using the technologies required. Employees in non-profit organizations tend to know little when it comes to technical matters. In most cases, staffs in non-profit organization demonstrate minimal skills in project management (Butler & Wilson, 2015). As such, the employees tend to consult widely with one another to ensure that they understand the recommendations of the tasks they do (Ragsdell et al., 2014). Profit organizations are compelled by the demands of the clients. The profit organization will, therefore, recruit individuals who know much about technology. They look for tech-savvies who are experts in technology (Butler & Wilson, 2015).

In non-profit organizations, measurable performance is not of the essence. However, profit organizations pay more attention to the measurement of the organizational outcomes. They use numerical performance criteria to gauge the performance of employees as well as the overall performance of the organizations (Ragsdell et al., 2014). The profit organizations are more interested in high performance rather than in service delivery. They demonstrate agility in project management methods to achieve greater outcomes. In non-profit organizations, service delivery is of great consideration. Nonetheless, the level of performance is given little attention.

In non-profit organizations, diversity is thought to be an ingredient of equality and great performance. The non-profit organizations tend to be more reluctant on the qualifications of employees. Profit organizations, on the other hand, tend to be more aggressive in identifying employees. They ensure that all the qualified individuals have all the skills that are required (Golini et al., 2015). The non-profits, therefore, offer low costs for their services. In certain situations, they offer free services to attain the organizational objectives. On the other side, profit organizations tend to be more income-oriented. As such, they offer services at relatively high prizes.

In conclusion, both profit and non-profit organizations have a clear platform which ensures smooth flow of their projects. Both have well defined strategic goals of their organizations included in the project management process and have their management conducting periodic reviews on the schedules and the assignments. However, it must be noted that the level of skills displayed by employees in profit organizations is relatively higher than that of the non-profit organizations. While employees in profit organizations demonstrate in-depth knowledge in project management, their colleagues in not for profit organizations portray less technical knowledge required for the efficient project management





References

Butler, R., & Wilson, D. C. (2015). Managing voluntary and non-profit organizations: Strategy and structure. Routledge.

Golini, R., Kalchschmidt, M., & Landoni, P. (2015). Adoption of project management practices: the impact on international development projects of non-governmental organizations. International Journal of Project Management, 33(3), 650-663.

Ragsdell, G., Espinet, E. O., & Norris, M. (2014). Knowledge management in the voluntary sector: a focus on sharing project know-how and expertise. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 12(4), 351-361.

Verzuh, E. (2015). The fast forward MBA in project management. John Wiley & Sons.