In the military, there is always action of some kind, from training to maintenance, and behind it all, there is a plan. Successful leaders, both in and out of the military, need to know how to plan and manage projects, which includes adjusting plans as needed to ensure success.
All forms of project management are a means to solve a problem. In the military model, can be your training will be on how to resupply, or how to plan a battle. In the business model, project management goals may be building a product, providing a service, or achieving a particular result. If you want to avail military project support refer to https://www.versar.com/military-programs.html.
Following is an overview of the Project Management process groups:
- Initiating
This is where you create a project charter. You will receive a warning order if you don’t know what the military equivalent is. Here we attempt to understand the problem.
- Planning
This process group’s most important output is the creation of a project plan. This can often be broken down into many parts. This best describes your military experience in the preparation of operation orders (OPORD).
- Executing
This is the place where projects are directed, executed and managed. This is often called conducting the mission or exercising in the military.
- Monitoring & Controlling
This group is responsible for project management and project control. The military is known for its ability to perform internal review and performance evaluation. Our missions and operations are adjusted using fragmentary orders (FRAGOS).
- Closing
In the last phase of the project lifecycle, the project is closed when the mission is complete. Success is judged in terms of meeting time and quality goals and, often—even in the military—cost.
This is the whole process of project management in the military. Having a general knowledge of the process is helpful—what will get you a shot at a job is knowing the industry-specific language. As a service member, you may not have a great depth of technical experience in a particular industry, but you have leadership experience.
