A Project Management Plan for Christmas Market Scenario - Essay Example

Project Management Plan

Introduction

It would not be a mistake to suggest that many people prefer to enjoy an even rather than planning it. However, the latter is an inseparable element of a successful event since it minimises the risks that are associated with this event. This paper will present a project management plan for Christmas Market scenario. It must be noted that there is a tradition of holding this kind of even on the Christmas Eve. It traditionally takes place the weekend before the holiday and lasts for two days. Over the years the annual Christmas Market has become an important element of the culture of the community. That is why it is important to carry out this event. Keeping in mind the popularity of it and the available statistics as well as assuming that the number of people will increase in the future, one might expect that this event will gather roughly 50,000 per day. All essential steps will be outlined in this report.

Alignment to LESP documentation

To begin with, it may be essential to state that there is a certain framework that the given event will have to operate within. One would make no mistake suggesting that it is crucial for aligning the event with the requirements of Lincolnshire Event Safety Partnership (LESP). Speaking of all the documentation, it should be noted that all the necessary details can be easily found online. As for the times, LESP has developed a detailed plan that encourages the project managers to report their progress at certain periods of time; they are one year before the event, nine, six and three months before it, six weeks, and one month ("Lincolnshire Event Safety Partnership" 2016). This means that if these guidelines are followed, the event will be carefully supervised by the authorities and they will be able to introduce changes that they deem necessary for the success of it.

Other than that, it is important to appoint people who will be responsible for cooperation. According to LESP, different aspects of event planning should be discussed with Safety Advisory Groups (SAGs); so, it is obvious that a single person will not be able to contact them all and carry out discussion effectively which leads to the necessity of appointing people who will take each of the SAGs ("Working in Safety Advisory Groups" 2015). The role that these groups pay in the event planning is crucial: each of them is responsible for a certain issue and if the latter is settled with it, the event is likely to go as planned. That is why a project manager should delegate responsibility and allow a sufficient amount of freedom for one’s representatives so that they will be able to negotiate the conditioned effectively. Therefore, the key to success here lies in the ability to contact the right groups.

Tasks and decision-making

Now, it may be beneficial to focus on the tasks that are to be carried out. Damster and Tassiopoulos (2009) insist that planning should be regarded as the heart of project management. Indeed, the preparation for the event must involve planning and the latter is likely to contribute to avoiding the unpleasant outcomes. This means that it is essential to design a plan that would list all activities needed for successful preparation for the Christmas Market. The next task to be carried out is risk management. In spite of the fact that many might this that the event in question does not involve any risks, this is not completely true. A large number of people will come to the event and there are all sorts of risks that might emerge starting with crowd control to a terroristic attack. Finally, another important task to be mentioned here is getting the approval of the local authorities. As it has already been mentioned, there is a framework that should be adhered to.

The question of decision-making in event management is also extremely important. Mallen and Adams (2013) show that the success of an event is directly connected to the agreement between the party that holds it. With this in mind, one might suggest that it is essential for all the members of the planning committee to come to an agreement. In addition to that, it may also be quite beneficial to find viable alternatives since it is possible that the plans which were made will be changed by the authorities. In other words, the decision-making process should work properly and enable the group that deals with every issue that they encounter. Finally, it is also essential to be able to introduce changes in the on-going preparation. If the latter starts a year from the event, there are numerous factors that might change. As a result, this should not endanger the project.

Control systems

Wagen (2010) argues that the success of preparation for an even largely rests on the ability of the group to implement effective control systems. Indeed, this means that every step that is made will be evaluated against a certain set of criteria that will determine whether it is beneficial or not. In the case of the Christmas Market, one of the elements of the control system will involve the approval of SAGs. It must be noted that the latter were specifically designed to make sure that all elements that are carried out in this region adhere to the set of standards which were created by the authorities. Therefore, the first element of control system would incorporate the requirements set forth by SAGs. If one considers the case of the Christmas Market, one will be able to see that several groups have to be contacted which means that the control system will reflect a combination of those requirements.

Raj and Musgrave (2009) also note that it is crucial to design control systems in a manner that would incorporate the previous experience. As it has been mentioned before, the Christmas Market as an annual event; so, there is evidence from the past that should be taken into consideration. One would make no mistake that one of the major problems is crowd control and the way in which the even affect the local community. Therefore, it is essential to make sure that the event that will take place this year will avoid making the same mistakes that were noticed before. As a result, control systems should be designed in such a way that would approve the steps which will help the event to minimise the negative impact on the community and maximise the ability organisers to manage the crowd.

Critical network path analysis

It may be quite useful to apply critical network path analysis to this project. Liotine (2003) believes that this may be one of the most effective ways to structure the preparation for the projection. It can be visualised in the following form. The letters stand for A – Initial preparations; B – Emergency services; C – Security services; D – Weather; E –the Event; F – Firefighter services; G – the Police; H – City Hall. As one can clearly see, the critical path shows that the most important line of preparation includes emergency, security and weather. The involvement of the firefighters and the police is less critical for the project. Moreover, it must be noted that the police should be contacted only after all the considerations regarding emergency, security and fire safety. Indeed, the Police is the SAG that should be contacted when all the details have been carefully outlined so that cooperation will be fast.

If one carefully examines the plan, one will be able to notice several important elements. Thus, the preparation of the event is immediately preceded by the examination of the weather. This is extremely important since it would be useless to try to prepare for the day will occur far the future. In other words, it is logical to consider the weather issues right before the event since there will be more clarity in this case. In addition to that, one should also note that the cooperation with the city hall is depicted as an action that is distinctly different from other actions. This is indeed so since the only thing that the organisers need is the approval and it may be negotiated simultaneously with other tasks. Moreover, the outcome of it has a direct impact on the event. Therefore, it is crucial to make sure that this approval is obtained so that, the Christmas Market will be successfully held.

Reflection of project management process

It is rather obvious that project management process is quite continuous and reflecting on a different stage of it may prove to be rather beneficial. It would not be an exaggeration to state that planning should be regarded as one of the major elements of it. This idea falls in line with that Robinson, Wale, and Dickson (2010) states about the role that planning plays in project management. Thus, even though Christmas Market will be held far in the future, it is crucial to start the planning of it today. Indeed, an activity that is well-planned is more likely to be successful. That is why it is not only common knowledge but also a scientific investigation that supports the need for planning. Another point that should be mentioned about this activity is that it provides a sufficient amount of time to introduce changes that are conditioned by news facts that are discovered. A good example is weather: no one knows that it will be on the weekend before Christmas, but it is essential to prepare for everything.

Tum, Norton and Wright (2006) also state that consulting with others whether they are group members or authorities plays an important role in project management. The same can be witnessed in the project in question. As it has been mentioned before, there is a strict framework that must be adhered to; that is why it is natural that the project manager will have to consult with the authorities to make sure that the event complies with the requirements. What is even more important is that the outcome of this interaction will also condition the manner in which the event is carried out. For example, originally the project manager had one vision regarding the Christmas Market, but later the authorities set forth some requirements and they changed the course of the event. However, this was perceived as a suitable opportunity for making the Market even better.

Potential issues

It may be particularly important to discuss the potential issues that the event in question will face. Mallen and Adams (2013) report that such occasions often depend on the weather. Indeed, the day may be sunny and the people be active and enjoy it; however, there might be heavy snow or ice on the roads which will make the trip to the Market almost impossible. As a result, one should consider the weather conditions as one of the major issues. What makes the situation even worse is that climate change. It is obvious that some might suggest that the project manager takes a look at the history and contact meteorologists that would predict the weather for that day, but these predictions are not likely to be accurate due to ever changing nature. As a result, the only reliable prediction may be made days before the event, but before that it is essential to be prepared for every situation.

In addition to that, one should also consider the threat of terrorism. The latter may be called the real plague of the twenty-first century. Bowdin (2010) reports that no event may feel itself absolutely safe since terrorists often try to spread destruction in the places where they are least expected. The Christmas Market may be a suitable target for Islamic extremists, for example, ISIS, since it will not only gather a lot of people but also represents Christianity which is regarded as a rival religion by these people.

Finally, it is also essential to think about the manner in which the changes in the environment will affect lives of the local people and businesses. Thus, different road blocks will be installed to control the crowd and the traffic. As a result, the traditional routes that people took will no longer be available. The same goes for businesses. It is crucial to make sure that the event does not have a devastating impact on these parties.

Areas of improvement

As it has been mentioned before, there is some evidence which was collected after a similar event had been carried out in the past. That is why it may be logical to come up with a number of improvement that will make this year's Market a more organised event. To begin with, it is important to state that in the case of an extremely cold weather people should be provided with blankets and hot beverages. Since it is impossible to take this event into some kind of a pavilion, the project managers should be ready that weather will have a significant impact on it. Therefore, it is crucial to provide as many people as possible with things that will help them keep warm.

Speaking of the threat of terrorism, it is important to follow all the available security procedures which were designed by LESP. In addition to that, it may also be important to have several disguised agents in the crowd. The recent events in Europe showed that citizens may be particularly vulnerable during such times. Therefore, it is an imperative to make sure that the Christmas Market will not witness any tragedy or negative events.

The impact of the event on the local life may be one of the most difficult. On the one hand, this impact is evident and can hardly be avoided. On the other hand, the event should not be perceived as a negative as well as stressful action by the local people. That is why there should some actions be made to make sure that the above-mentioned parties do not feel any significant inconveniences. For example, the local citizens may be entitled to some bonuses provided by the administration. Speaking of businesses, they might be offered an opportunity to trade freely during the event.

Conclusion

Having examined all the points which were mentioned in the paragraphs above, one is able to come to the following conclusion: if the event in question is carried out according to this plan, it is likely to be quite successful. Indeed, it is crucial to make sure that all the preparation is aligned with LESP documentation. Speaking of the latter, it can be easily found online. There is a number of important tasks that should be carried out by the project managers, such as planning, managing the risks as well as obtaining the approval of the local authorities. The decision-making process should focus on seeking the agreement of all the group members, finding the alternatives for the problematic aspects of the project and implementing changes if necessary. The control systems should fall in line with the requirements of SAGs and reflect the experiences which were obtained in the past.