Answer to Question #248803 in Management for yonatan

Question

Suppose you are a project manager, how can you use the findings of the study (the
conceptual model) in practice in sustaining high performing project teams?

Answer 1

Discussion

A conceptual model is a representation of a system. It consists of concepts used to help people know, understand, or simulate a subject the model represents. It is also a set of concepts. Conceptual models are often abstractions of things in the real world, whether physical or social.

Conceptual models range in type from the more concrete, such as the mental image of a familiar physical object, to the formal generality and abstractness of mathematical models which do not appear to the mind as an image. Conceptual models also range in terms of the scope of the subject matter that they are taken to represent. The variety and scope of conceptual models is due to the variety of purposes had by the people using them. Conceptual modelling is the activity of formally describing some aspects of the physical and social world around us for the purposes of understanding and communication.

A conceptual model's primary objective is to convey the fundamental principles and basic functionality of the system which it represents. Also, a conceptual model must be developed in such a way as to provide an easily understood system interpretation for the model's users. A conceptual model, when implemented properly, should satisfy the below fundamental objectives.

• Enhance an individual's understanding of the representative system.
• Facilitate efficient conveyance of system details between stakeholders.
• Provide a point of reference for system designers to extract system specification.
• Document the system for future reference and provide a means for collaboration.

Project managers can sustain high performing project teams using conceptual model by;

• Establishing Entities. By establishing and defining all the various entities and concepts that are likely to come up throughout the course of a software development life cycle, a conceptual model can help ensure that there are fewer surprises down the road, where entities or relationships might otherwise have been neglected or forgotten.
• Defining Project Scope. A solid conceptual model can be used as a way to define project scope, which assists with time management and scheduling.
• Base Model for Other Models. For most projects, additional, less abstract models will need to be generated beyond the rough concepts defined in the conceptual model. Conceptual models serve as a great jumping-off point from which more concrete models can be created, such as logical data models.
• High-Level Understanding. Conceptual models serve as a great tool by providing a high-level understanding of a system throughout the software development life cycle. This can be particularly beneficial for managers and executives, who may not be dealing directly with coding or implementation, but require a solid understanding of the system and the relationships therein.

Reference

Carroll, A. B. (1979). A three-dimensional conceptual model of corporate performance. Academy of management review, 4(4), 497-505.