MS Project and Critical Path Analysis (1 Day Training Program for Level 6 UG Students) - Essay Example

? Executive Summary This report is submitted to Big Ideas Ltd. who have hired Project Management Ltd. as their consultants to study feasibility, plan, execute and review the one day training program on ‘Project Management and MS Project and Critical Path Analysis (CPA)’ for level 6 undergraduate students of all universities. The training program is scheduled for 1st of October 2012 and the project consulting team has been entrusted the job of planning and executing the program. The team has a project manager and team members who have played active role in identifying, planning, measuring, monitoring, controlling and reviewing the plan for efficiency. The project stakeholders including Mr. Smart and Big Ideas Ltd. have been regularly updated of the progress of the plan report and the suggestions and feedback have been promptly incorporated into the report. The report also outlines the training content and other resources as per initial requirements communicated by Mr. Smart. The program specifically focuses on using MS Project and CPA in Project Management Methodology. Table of Contents Purpose of study Background Defining project requirements Definition of project management Project life cycle Phase 1: Initiation Phase 2: Planning Phase 3: Execution Phase 4: Closure Reflection Summary References Purpose of study Project Management Ltd. (PML) has been invited to prepare the project management plan for Big Idea Ltd. The project is a one day training program on ‘project management and the use of MS Project and Critical Path Analysis (CPA)’ for level 6 undergraduate students. The project plan, including costing, marketing and controlling will need to be incorporated in the report. Background Big Ideas Ltd. has approached us to prepare the plan for the one day training program and requires us to be associated on it throughout the project life cycle, from doing the feasibility study to completion of the project. Although, the company has started the feasibility study for the project, it requires PML to start from this stage of the project. The project is a one day training program aimed at level 6 undergraduate students of all universities. It is intended to teach the students the importance and use of MS Project and the Critical Path Analysis (CPA) in Project Management. As students are set to enter the professional world after college, their knowledge and skills at Project Management tools and techniques would be handy in carrying out their day-to-day management and reporting activities easily. Defining project requirements Big Ideas Ltd. expects the consulting team from PML to carry out the following tasks: a. Define the team’s approach to developing the plan using the Project Life Cycle; b. Develop a scope statement; c. Outline the main themes for the training day, with a brief statement of each presentation; d. Develop a work breakdown structure and explain it; e. Include a suitable team structures for each phase of the project; f. Estimate time and cost durations of activities both before and on the day; g. Construct a Gantt chart to determine the baseline cost and duration of the project and analyse it; h. Provide a process for monitoring and controlling the project; i. Construct an outline project risk register; j. Conduct a Stakeholder Analysis of the project; and k. Provide a recommendation. Definition of project management Firstly, we define what project management is and its scope. “Project management is concerned with the overall planning and co-ordination of a project from conception to completion aimed at meeting the stated requirements and ensuring completion on time, within cost and to required quality standards. It is normally reserved for focused, non-repetitive, time-limited activities with some degree of risk and that are beyond the usual scope of operational activities for which the organization is responsible.” (Project Management (1.7 ProjectManagement.pdf), 2012). Project management includes the managing of resources, time, schedule and performance and costs of a project. A project is defined as a “one-shot, time-limited, goal-directed, major undertaking, requiring the commitment of varied skills and resources”. A project forms the basis for project management and has a beginning and closure stage. It also has constraints in terms of resources, time and performance. Project management takes into account the inherent risks of a project and tries to efficiently manage the project for success through developing and executing plans in the areas of finance, management, marketing, human resources, etc. Typical steps in project management as an activity involves: 1. Project Definition and Scope 2. Technical Design 3. Financing 4. Contracting 5. Implementation and 6. Performance Monitoring (Project Management (1.7 ProjectManagement.pdf), 2012). Project life cycle The project requirements or goals are achieved in the project life cycle that involves four phases of project implementation: initiation, planning, execution and controlling and closure. A typical project life cycle involves all the four stages as above and is a series of activities aimed at achieving the objectives of the project. The purpose for which the project is taken up comprises the objectives and the activities carried through the four stages in the project life cycle comprise the complete cycle of the project before closure. It can be seen that a project is a onetime activity and not a continuous activity over the long term. The four phases of the project life cycle are as in Figure 1 below: Figure 1: Stages of a project life cycle. Source: (Wideman, 2007). The project life cycle for the one day training program on project management also involves the four stages. But before the start of the cycle, the business requirements need to be identified clearly to understand the feasibility of the project in terms of time and costs. The following sections identify and define the business case for the one day training program and also study the feasibility of the project for initiation and further implementation. Phase 1: Initiation Figure 2 represents the steps in the first phase, initiation of the project life cycle: Figure 2: Steps or activities in the initiation phase of project life cycle. Source: (Wideman, 2007). Business case There is a need for students at the undergraduate level (6) to learn the skills of project management and the tools and techniques in project management. Expert training on the basics of project management and the further enhancing of skills to enable students to use the different techniques that are implemented in the tools used in project management are also important in equipping the students with some of the professional skills while at college. The students who are expected to be involved in managing single or multiple projects in their professional careers can utilize the knowledge and skills gained in the training program. This program is also set to enhance the employability of the students after college. Feasibility study Since Big Ideas Ltd. has already initiated the feasibility study, PML is required to complete the same and it is found that the budget and time allocated for the one day training program can be planned and utilized efficiently to achieve the targeted objectives of the project. A feasibility study for a project includes evaluating the suitability of the project in terms of its commercial viability, technical feasibility within the constraints of the project environment, suitability of the project design to achieve the project objectives and the availability of time and other resources like human resources and infrastructure for the management to decide favourably in implementing the project by allocation of resources (Project Management (1.7 ProjectManagement.pdf), 2012). Commercial feasibility- A budget of ?10,000 has been allocated to the project for implementation during the month of October on 1st. The project team is expected to utilize the allocated funds to employ team members to help execute the different tasks of the project and also carry out the marketing activities, hire experts from the industry and academia and give hand outs to the participants. Costs for the project also include providing refreshments and lunch buffet to the participating delegates. The hand outs contain a handbook of the presenter notes and a welcome pack is also included in the project cost that is delivered to the delegates once they are registered. Management or organizational feasibility- It is seen that the project requires us to hire an expert in the field of project management who preferably has experience in using project management tools and techniques extensively. Also, an academician with sound knowledge of the concept of project management and its implementation using MS Project and CPA will also be required to conduct the training program. Technical feasibility- As PML is required to use presentations for the training program without the need for licensed tools, the project is feasible technically. Design feasibility- The training program is implemented with proper utilization of the plan developed by PML who are the expert consultants for project management and planning. Terms of reference ROI- Return on Investment is a comparison of costs of the project to the benefits expected to achieve. CPA- Critical Path Analysis is the minimum set of tasks that need to be completed for a project to be successful (Jenkins, 2005). Vision- To register level 6 undergraduate students of various universities for the one day project management program to emphasize the use of MS Project and CPA in project management. Objectives- To achieve the project requirements through a detailed analysis and planning and To aim for maximum ROI for the project. Scope- It is a one day program intended to train the level 6 undergraduate students of many universities. The scope or quality triangle can be used to understand the relationship between the three key factors of a project that can be used to achieve a trade-off between cost, quality and time. Figure 3 represents the scope triangle: Figure 3: Scope or quality triangle. Source: (Project Management, 2003). Deliverables- Conduct the one day training program, send hand outs to registered students, provide presenter notes on the day of training and provide refreshments and lunch to the delegates. Project team The project team involved in the life cycle of the project includes project manager, team members, project sponsors, faculty, customers, project proposal team, customer representatives, internal and external stakeholders. The project team is a group of individuals involved in the project life cycle and the project manager and other team members have specific roles as listed in table 1 below: Team Members No. Roles Selection Mr Smart 1 Selecting proposal and planning team, decision making and facilitating planning Planning Project Manager/ Group Leader 1 Planning of the training program and allocating tasks and responsibilities Marketing Group members 2 Marketing of the training program to register students from various universities Procurement Team members from Big Ideas Ltd. 3 Prepare handouts for sending to registered delegates, presenter notes to delegates during the training program and procure refreshments and requirements for lunch on the day of training Execution Team members from Big Ideas and PML 6 Ensure implementation of all activities in the execution phase of the project Monitoring and controlling Mr. Smart and Project Manager 2 Monitor and control the execution of the training program and the project plan Closure Mr. Smart and Project Manager 2 Review and decision making for closure of project Project office The project office is established at the University campus where the project team members operate from and also communicate with the team from Big Ideas Ltd. Review After initiation of the project through a feasibility study, identifying the key members of the teams and establishing a project office, the next step in the project is to plan the activities in detail and communicate the same to the team members of both PML and Big Ideas and also the internal and external stakeholders of the project. Phase 2: Planning Figure 4 represents the activities in the second phase of the project life cycle: Figure 4: Steps in planning phase of project life cycle. Source: (Wideman, 2007). Project planning involves ten steps that can be carried out to manage cost, risks, time, staff, suppliers, quality, change and issues during execution. These ten steps are planned efficiently and executed by the team to ensure timely delivery of the project and within the budget (Project planning phase, 2012). Project plan Project plans can be developed and documented during this stage. It involves developing a work break down structure for the set of activities and phases of the project. The project manager uses the plan to schedule, assign and communicate tasks, roles and responsibilities to the team members and allocate resources required to carry out the tasks. Gantt chart, Critical path method or PERT can be used to develop the plan. Table 2 below gives the project plan: Table 2- Project plan. Task Project Manager PML team Mr. Smart Big Ideas team Suppliers Stakeholders Project planning             Project plan approval             Choosing team members             Allocating tasks             Identifying roles and responsibilities             Requirements specification             Costing             work breakdown structure (WBS)             Resource allocation             Quality plan             Identify risks             Communication plan             Acceptance plan             Procurement plan             Review             Resource plan Table 3: Resource plan for the project. Resource Responsibility Allocated to Cost Human resource Project manager PML team ?1200 Mr. Smart Big Ideas team ?1200 Financial resource Project manager PML team   Mr. Smart Big Ideas team   Material for training venue, hand outs, presenter notes, refreshments and lunch Project manager PML team ?4000 Mr. Smart Big Ideas team ?3600 Financial plan Table 4 represents the financial plan for the project: Table 4- Financial plan. Task Resource Cost Choosing project team and allocating budget Mr. Smart   Allocate budget for each task in project plan Project Manager   Hire team members Mr. Smart ?1200 Project Manager ?1200 Training venue Mr. Smart ?1000 Marketing Mr. Smart ?1000 Creating hand outs Big Ideas team ?500 Faculty pr0curement PML ?1000 Presenter notes PML ?500 Refreshment PML ?800 Lunch Big Ideas team ?1500 Quality plan The quality plan defines the quality of the management process and is given in Table 5 below: Table 5- Quality plan. Task Responsibility Ensure experienced and skilled consultants are chosen for the project Mr. Smart Ensure experienced and skilled team members are chosen for the project Project Manager Allocating enough resources for the project Mr. Smart Preparing project plan and taking approval of Mr. Smart Project Manager Communicating tasks, roles and responsibilities project Manager Allocating, monitoring and controlling tasks and resources Project Manager/ Mr. Smart Procurement of material Project Manager Preparation of material for delegates Project Manager/ PML and Big Ideas team members Monitoring execution Project Manager/ Mr. Smart Preparing project deliverables Project Manager/ PML team Procuring faculty Project Manager/ Big Ideas team Risk plan Project risks are inherent to the project but effective risk identification and management can reduce the impact of risks. Table 6 represents the list of risks and action in place: Table 6- Risk plan. Risks Action Responsibility Choosing inefficient consultants Monitor progress and working at every stage Mr. Smart Choosing inefficient team members Train and communicate clearly Project Manager Ineffective project plan Discuss feasibility and take approval Project Manager and Mr. Smart Insufficient resource allocation Review of resource plan Mr. Smart Lack of effective communication plan Encourage continuous feedback Project Manager/ Mr. Smart/ PML and Big Ideas team Inability to stick to project schedule Weekly reviews and change management plan Project Manager Inability to stick to project schedule for procurement of material from suppliers Integrate with suppliers and communicate regularly Project Manager insufficient registrations Ensure sound marketing plan Project Manager Inability to procure right faculty Mix of faculty from academics and industry Project Manager/ Mr. Smart Inability to address needs of target segment Industry relevant training program Mr. Smart/ Project Manager/ Stakeholders Acceptance plan Acceptance of deliverables for the project needs to be taken to ensure that the project is successful. It is important to ensure that the deliverables meet customer requirements. The project deliverables in terms of plans, costs and quality are to be ascertained by Mr. Smart before the PML and Big Ideas team members can be communicated about the respective tasks, roles and responsibilities and time for achieving the tasks. Project manager has the responsibility to ensure that the tasks are appropriately identified and assigned to achieve the objectives of the project. Communication plan The communication plan includes the information shared with the team members of both the teams, information and progress communicated with Mr. Smart and other stakeholders including the customers through the various channels used for the project. Information like project plans, project milestones, project schedules and inventory is shared with the different stakeholders at different times as per project requirements. Procurement plan During this stage of project planning, the material to be procured for the successful completion of the project is listed and procured. Material like hand outs for delegates, office infrastructure, refreshments and lunch from suppliers and material for presenter note preparation are all part of the procurement plan that are assigned to each of the teams and team members for efficiency. Suppliers Planning for identifying and establishing the role of suppliers and the material to be procured from them is at the core of supplier identification and contracting. Suppliers are communicated of the material requirement once the project plan is in place and the material to be procured has been identified. Review A review of the project plan is ensured by the project manager and Mr. Smart. This helps ensure that the next two stages are effective and successful. Phase 3: Execution Figure 5 below represents the stages involved in the execution of a project: Figure 5: Steps in execution phase. Source: (Wideman, 2007). Deliverables Deliverables for the project are delivered to cater to the customer requirements. All activities that aid in deriving the deliverables are undertaken mostly in an overlapping sequence of activities in any one method of project development, waterfall, iterative, etc. The level of activity in each of the phases of development life cycle changes to deliver the final output as in Figure 6 below: Figure 6: Progress of phases to deliver final output. Source: (Project Management, 2003). Monitoring and controlling To deliver the final output of the project that satisfies the customer need in terms of training program, the project manager is required manage the series of activities and monitor the progress and control the process. Table 7 below lists the activities that the project manager needs to monitor and control: Activity Description Time management Time spent by team on each activity is recorded and project manager monitors and controls the amount of time spent to control the project outcomes Cost management Faculty, team members, infrastructure, material and other costs are recorded in the expense forms and manager monitors, approves and controls the expenses Issue management Identifying and tracking problems with time and costs and controlling for the smooth transition of each activity and phase of the project is the responsibility of the project manager Quality management The activities and their outcomes are to be monitored and controlled to ensure compliance with the final project deliverables that are planned in the initial phase of project life cycle Procurement management Procurement of materials from suppliers is monitored and controlled to ensure timely and quality project outcomes. Invoice forms and other registers along with communication with suppliers is key to achieving success Risk management Risks are inherent in a project are to be identified at every stage of the project life cycle. Once identified, risks are to be measured or quantified and based on severity, they need to be addressed through a series of actions that the manager plans and communicates Acceptance management Methods for communicating project deliverables are identified like marketing, training program schedule, etc. and customer participation and approval are sought for the same Change management Any change in project deliverables, scope, timeline or cost will have to be identified at the earliest and appropriate change management procedure be undertaken before implementing the plan and can be done during the life cycle with the approval of the concerned stakeholders Communication management Communicating throughout the project life cycle is important for tracking and controlling the project deliverables and to ensure timely and quality delivery of the project within the budget Review Each phase of the project is to be review to identify pitfalls, risks and success of the activities of the plan being implemented. This can be done by the project manager along with Big Ideas team or Mr. Smart. Once the project deliverables obtained are and its success in achieving milestones are also ascertained, the project moves to the final stage of completion where the manager and the stakeholders agree to discuss the outcomes of the project. Phase 4: Closure The last stage of the project life cycle is closure of the project as it is a onetime activity. Figure 7 represents the activities in the closure phase of the project: Figure 7: Closure phase. Source: (Wideman, 2007). Table 8 below lists the activities and responsibilities of the last phase of the project life cycle: Table 8: Project closure phase. Project closure Final deliverables are released to the customer, project documentation to be handed over to the project initiator, team, or stakeholders, reporting of project success in quantifiable measures as agreed in the scope and deliverables, terminating supplier contracts, release of project resources and reviewing with the management or stakeholders on the success and experience of the project are the activities that are involved in this stage Project completion Stakeholders are responsible for assessing the success of the project based on conformity to agreed deliverables, time, cost, quality and processes. Project sponsor or customer will be informed of the achievements or the post-implementation review to formally complete the project and related activities. Reflection The team at PML along with the team of Big Ideas Ltd. has worked together to put the one day training program on Project Management to include MS Project and CPM. During the course of the project, there have been several risks that were identified in terms of addressing the need for course curriculum that is not just theoretical but also caters to the professional environment. Keeping this is mind, the teams have agreed to employ one academician and one professional from the industry to train the students in the one day program. Care has been taken to draft the course outline and contents to suit the specific needs of the student community and the same is listed below in Table 9: Table 9: Course outline and content. Topic Sub-topics Outcomes Project Management Introduction to Project Management Concepts Quality as it Relates to Service Project Planning Estimating and Scheduling Considerations Project Control Strategy Quality Assurance Revisited Action Plan Effectively manage and understand project schedules Get productive quickly Leverage existing data Build professional charts & diagrams Effectively communicate information Gain greater control on resource & finance Quickly access the information you need Track projects according to your needs Customize MS Project to your needs Introduction to MS Project Establishing a Project Managing Resources Tracking Progress Views & Reports Working with Multiple Projects Critical Path Method Project Control techniques (EVM) Review Summary The one day project management program has been planned after studying the feasibility of the project in terms of time, cost and quality. The project can be monitored and controlled throughout the project life cycle and the plans for the different stages of the project are helpful to implement the project on 1st of October in this year. The same plan can be utilized by the sponsors and Big Ideas Ltd. over the years with slight changes to the scope and deliverables as per the requirements at the time. References Project planning phase. 2012. Method 123. Available online: http://www.mpmm.com/project-management-methodology.php Accessed on: 26th April 2012. Project Management. 2003. Cognitive Design Solutions. Available online: http://www.cognitivedesignsolutions.com/Information/ProjectMgt.htm Accessed on: 26th April 2012. Jenkins, N. 2005. A Project Management Primer. Creative Commons. Available online: http://www.nickjenkins.net/prose/projectPrimer.pdf Accessed on: 26th April 2012. Bibliography Westland, J. 2007. The Project Management Life Cycle: A book review by R. Max Wideman. AEW Services, Vancouver, BC. West, KC. 2012. Reasons to Web Enable Your Project Management. ProjectInsight. Available online: http://www.projectinsight.net/white-papers/reasons-to-use-online-project-management-software.aspx Accessed on: 26th April 2012. Project Management Lifecycle. 2012. NYS Project Management Guidebook. Appendices Appendix 1: Diary of Activities Date Activity Member Problems/Outcome/Discussion Feasibility study Project Manager Based on time, cost and quality requirements, estimated if the project can be started Research Team members Review of literature on project management. Planning Project Manager Referred to literature extensively to identify what elements go into the planning of a project Estimations Team members Based on allocated budget (?10,000) for the project, costs have been calculated by understanding market rates for each element/ deliverable/ material required for the project Risks Team members Identified risks in a project through literature review and example plans Documentation Team members MS Word, MS Excel have been used extensively to make the final document in MS Word Review Project Manager Reviewed that the report meets the established assignment criteria communicated initially Read More