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Project Reflection PM571

Running Header: Project Reflection

When I reflect on a project that I worked on, there are many that come to mind as I have had the opportunity to work on a few different projects in my professional career. A few years back I remember working on a project with UMAY Foundation Inc. UMAY Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit organization that was established in 2005 in metro Atlanta, Georgia. UMAY Foundation Inc.s mission is: To serve youth in urban communities throughout the United States of America and abroad through community services initiatives, mentorship, self-awareness workshops, and self-help programs. . In 2008 UMAY Foundation Inc. launched an idea to promote a concert, and community event that would also serve as a fundraiser for the foundation called; The YoYo Project Concert and Community Event. The concert was highlighted by UMAY Foundation Inc. board member; D.WOODS and her R&B Girl Group; Danity Kane. The concert was held in Baltimore, Maryland in conjunction with an UMAY participant extra-curricular event, it was taped by MTV as well as documented by UMAY Foundation Inc. UMAY participants competed in an elite basketball tournament in the Baltimore area over a three day period, a meet and greet with Danity Kane on the day of the concert, tour of the concert arena, backstage access, and sit down with D.WOODS. By participating in this one day event U.M.A.Y. Foundation Inc.benefited from the exposure and sponsorship it needed to sustain its premier program at the time; The YoYo Project. UMAY was in need of capitol to ensure the success of such a dynamic vision. The timing of this project was also critical due to the schedule of programming, as many of the participants took part in a travel basketball league sponsored by the foundation, and its partners. The staff, board, and partner organizations were all fully committed to the complete success of UMAY Foundation Inc.

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A project in a sense is one time effort that is confined by time, a budget, resources, and performance specifications designed to meet customers needs. (Gray & Larson, 2008).In my opinion, the goal of a project is to fulfill the goals and or to meet the needs of customers. Projects establish objectives, define the lifespan, and involve several different departments and professionals, innovative in its approach, and specific in time, performance and cost. The YoYoProject Concert and Community Event consisted of all of these elements. Itinerarys had to be set, television appearance releases had to be signed, competition schedule had to be worked out, MTVs legal team was involved, and a budget to facilitate the project had to be developed. The YoYo Project consists of a residential living facility for high schools students. The students who take part in the program participate in extra-curricular activities but live in environments or have experienced situations, which have placed them in situations where they may have a disadvantage in their pursuit in their academic and extra-curricular activity success. These students, some who are gifted musicians, artist, and athletes are given the opportunity to go to school at a local Metro-Atlanta area public high school. They will be given the resources needed to focus on their academic and extra-curricular activities. The student participants are assisted by qualified mentors; participate in financial aid preparation for college, receive tutoring assistance,career training, SAT/ACT preparation courses, cultural, and social activities. The goal of the YoYo Project is to assist high school students who need a second chance to get back on track with their futures, and offer them the tools they need in order to enroll in a college, university, trade school or technical program. The program has provided assistance to high school students from all over the United States and abroad. Students, who originate from complex environments, are given the

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opportunity to take part in an experience of a lifetime as well as learn from their engagement with other student participants. The students are provided with academic, socioeconomic, and extra-curricular support system to directly impact their lives. The goal of the program is to inspire student participants to actively pursue their goals of success in education, and their extracurricular activity of their choice. The project was captured on film in the efforts to document the experience and socio-philanthropic experiment. The footage collected highlighted the residential living facility as well as the day-to-day activities of the student participants. Also, the socio-development opportunities offered in partnership throughout the Metro Atlanta area will shed light on the human character study UMAY FoundationInc intends to bring to the forefront of our nations collective consciences. UMAYS organizational structure seemed to be aligned with the example featured in the text. The strategic plan for UMAY was to gain exposure, and to secure funding in the early stages of its programming. I would consider this attempt successful as UMAY Foundation Inc. capitalizedon the influence of UMAY board member, music and television entertainer, D.WOODS to assist with the project.Integration assumes the existence of a strategic plan and a process for prioritizing projects by their contribution to the plan. A crucial factor to ensure the success of integrating the plan with projects lies in the creation of a process that is open and published for all participants to review.(Gray &Larson, 2008.) There are too many organizations in which many managers cannot identify a projects priority and link it with the strategic plan. Every project should contribute value to the organizations strategic plan, which is designed to meet the needs of its customers. The larger and more diverse an organization, the more difficult it is to create and maintain this strong link. (Gray &Larson, 2008.)UMAY Foundation Inc. currently operates as a small organization so that the strategic plan for the foundation remains clear. UMAY is culturally diverse and its
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participants who take part in the program hail from cities throughout United States and countries all over the world. The hope for UMAY is to continue to positively affect one individual with the hopes of them inspiring someone else In conclusion, serving as a project manager for the YoYo Project Concert and Community event was a learning experience for me, as I had the chance to take the lead in a project that was in an industry that I was unfamiliar with. I would suggest focusing on the planning and analysis stage more in the future for UMAY, as this section in the Project Life Cycle provides support and research for the direction a company may choose to take.Going forward I will continue to place a great deal of emphasis on the organizations strategic plan, structure and cultural diversity.

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References Gray, C. F., & Larson, E. W. (2008).Project management: The managerial process (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. www.umayfoundation.net