Defining the Project - Case Study Example

There are several deliverables that must be listed in order to create a work breakdown structure that can be used as a basis for the delivery of the soccer tournament project. A work breakdown structured breaks down complex projects into components in a hierarchical structure that defines tasks by facilitating resource allocation, assignment of responsibilities, and measure and control of the project (Netmba, 2011). To achieve a simple outline of the project the deliverables for the project are going to be broken down into three levels.

To determine the plan for the project a list of the different deliverables with the corresponding levels needs to be created. Three first level deliverables are obtaining the location, selection of teams, and marketing the event. Two second level tasks associated with location are visiting different stadiums and cross checking for prices. One third level deliverable associated with the location is to prepare the stadium for the event. A second level deliverable with the selection of teams is to prepare the uniforms of the players.

A third level deliverable associated with the team is the preparation of the schedules for the tournament. Two second level deliverables associated with marketing the event are the sales of tickets and the preparation of promotional campaigns for the community. A third level deliverable in regards to marketing is servicing the fans the day of the event which includes servicing fans at the entrance, selling t-shirts and other promotional items, and the sale of food and drinks at the event. 2. The use of work break down structure can alleviate a lot of the problems that occurred during the first meeting Nicolette had with the task force.

A major problem that occurred during that meeting was a lack of coordination between the members. The ideas that were been proposed by the different participants were all over the place. Nicolette could not exert any leadership because everyone wanted to be heard and nobody had a plan of action to be executed. As the coordinator of the event Nicolette has to be better prepared in the second meeting in order to get things accomplished. The use of a work break down structure can do wonders to the effectiveness of Nicolette as a leader.

She can bring a rough draft of a work break down structure. The WBS will help out a lot because it will guide the meeting so that everyone talks only about one topic at a time. For example the meeting can start with the first level deliverable of location. The task force can start brainstorming sessions to concentrate on the details about that deliverable. Once the team has reached a decision about location they can move on to another deliverable and so on. 3. The WBS is a foundational building block to initiating, planning, executing, and monitoring the processes of a project (Brotherton & Fried & Norman, 2008).

In order to prepare a good and effective work breakdown structure Nicolette has to do a lot of research about information regarding tournaments. This is the first time she has been the project manager of such a large event. Due to the fact that the event is a sporting event the insight of local physical education teachers would be very useful. Nicolette could schedule several interviews with different teachers to get their feedback about the soccer tournament. Once the interviews are complete she should inform her findings to the task force.

Software tools such as the WBS Chart Pro can help project managers such as Nicolette in the preparation process of work breakdown structures (Criticaltools, 2011). 4. The work breakdown structure breaks down components into smaller tasks to be performed (Heizer & Render, 1996). Each of these tasks is linked to the deliverable at the different levels. The use of a work break down structure can be very useful for the project manager in determining the total cost of the project. At first glance doing an estimate for the total cost of the soccer tournament project would be hard because the project manager has to determine all the variables.

The project manager has to determine the fix and variables cost. In a soccer tournament variables costs increase depending on the amount of fans that come to the games. The WBS level one deliverable of marketing the event can help the project manager determine how many people will come to the tournament. Based on the forecasted attendance Nicolette can determine how much food and drinks to buy for the food stands. The work break down structure can help the project manager determine the cost of each deliverable.

References Brotherton, S. Fried, R., Norman, E. (2008). Applying the Work Breakdown Structure to the Project Management Lifecycle. Retrieved May 13, 2011 from http://www.ca.com/files/whitepapers/fried_wbs__pmi_global_congress_202925.pdf Criticaltools.com (2011). WBS Chart Pro Software. Retrieved May 13, 2011 from http://www.criticaltools.com/wbsmain.htm Heizer, J., Render, B. (1996). Production & Operations Management (4th ed.). Production and Operations Management: Strategic and Tactical Decisions. Netmba.com (2011).

Work Breakdown Structure. Retrieved May 13, 2011 from http://www.netmba.com/operations/project/wbs/