The Art of Project Management:IBEK Ltd - Assignment Example

The Art of Project Management:IBEK Ltd Introduction A project is a group activity which involves pooling of resources to achieve a common goal (Schwalbe, 2008: 1). Projects are temporary in the sense that they usually have a defined beginning and time when they come to an end. Therefore, every project should have a defined scope as well as required resources. These resources are mainly financial, human and material. In order to make a project successful, there ought to be a project manager. This is the person who applies knowledge and skills as well as techniques in execution of a project to make it effective and efficient (Horine, 2009: 15). This paper outlines the guidelines for getting started with the project, qualities of a good project manager, theory application, and stages of the project cycle as well as specific activities for enhancing operations. Getting started IBEK Ltd started as a small business but it has now expanded into a large global business. As such, it requires a project manager who will carry out a project of coping with the changes that will emerge due to expansion. The manager will consider all aspects of the business including human resource, financial resources and consultancy (Kerzner, 2009: 3). The project starts with definition of its scope whereby the manager determines the objectives of the project (Williams, 2008: 5-10). This is followed by looking at available resources for the project inception and completion. Thereafter, the manager determines a time frame. This could be pre-determined by the company’s management but can be modified to fit the needs of management and the project manager. The manager also assembles the project team which comprises of goal-oriented people (Williams, 2008: 8). The plan should allow for adjustments at any stage. The manager also ensures that every person and activity is monitored. The manager also oversees good record keeping of all activities carried out. These could be required by facilitators or donors. These guidelines will be well understood by looking at the project cycle. Qualities that the manager will possess It is instructive to note that the manager must be a good communicator (Berkun, 2005: 232). He or she will be dealing with several stakeholders and communication through writing, speeches or presentations must be effective. This ensures that all stakeholders understand what is expected of them. In this case, the manager will deal with IBEK Ltd employees including top management and other stakeholders. Effective communication will ensure all workers understand their roles and responsibilities in the new business. The manager should also possess analytical skills. This enables him or her to assess the impact of the project on the targets (Lewis, 2006: 60). A manager is a team leader. In our case, the manager will portray this by staying focused on the vision of the project to ensure IBEK Ltd is operated appropriately. A good manager is a time manager (Lientz & Rea, 1998: 146). The manager will ensure that all activities are implemented within the timeline of 6 months to complete this project. The manager will always be calm and listen to the needs of IBEK Ltd as well as team members and avoid blaming anyone when things go wrong. Theory application The theory of constraints by Eliyahu Goldratt is important in studying project management. It has been employed in this paper to guide the project manager in the project. Critical chain project management allows a company with many operations, different structures and resource dependency to complete projects within the specified period. It involves creating a long chain of tasks that are dependent and shorter chains. It is dependent on critical chain (foundation of project) and buffer management (monitor) which are crucial in projects. The theory suggests that trust, not finance, and within an organization reduces constraints of achieving operational goals (Goldratt, 1984: 10-20). This project will go through ac cycle of five stages; need assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The manager will create trust among stakeholders. Skills, plans and auto parts will be used to create more wealth for the company. In every stage, the project manager is required to demonstrate high level of expertise to make the project successful. Project operations –configuration and monitoring Project Attainment Work Breakdown structure The above work breakdown structure displays activities that are likely to be done in order to accomplish the objective and aim of the opening of new building recently acquired by the organization. Every major event towards accomplishment of the opening function has minor events that the organization needs to accomplish. The above information can be relayed in the following Grantt chart. The Grantt chart below shows how the activities will be carried out. TASK DESCRIPTION Day 1-5 Day 5 -10 Day 10 -15 Day 15 - 20 Day 20- 25 Day 26 1.0 Opening the new building 1.1 1.1.1 1.1.2 Acquiring of necessary documents Acquiring sales documents Acquiring of the title deed 1.2. 1.2.1 1.2.2 1.2.3 1.2.4 Recruiting and selecting staff Announcing vacancy Short listing applicants Interviews Selecting and deploying successful applicants 1.3 Budgeting for the event’s day 1.4 1.4.1 1.4.2 Invitation of stakeholders and visitors Informing the stakeholders (hosts) Inviting the guests Network Diagram for the Project The above network diagram shows how the events or activities will be accomplished in a bid to ensure that the objective of the same is attained. Phases of the project Project identification This starts with assessing the needs of the project targets and defining a project to be carried out to satisfy these needs (Schwalbe, 2008: 60). It also requires selection of a team that will work alongside the manager. In our case, the project has already been identified- initial opening and running of expanded IBEK Ltd. Therefore, the project team will look at the needs of the new company. The manager will choose a working team based on their technical skills and will include members such as project designers, implementers, monitors and evaluators. These will possess in-depth information about dealing with auto parts at a global level since IBEK Limited will now operate on a global scale. They will conduct a study among the employees to know what needs to be increased in the company. Moreover, they will assess the offices and decide if more office equipment and auto parts will be bought. E-business is common in many business transactions (Lientz & Rea, 180). IBEK Ltd is not an exceptional. It is anticipated that the work load will increase with more customers and suppliers. Project preparation This involves developing a plan on how to implement and monitor a project (Berkun, 2005: 256). The project manager will discuss with the team, the key objectives of the project. The main goal of this project is to open and maintain the expanded auto parts business. All stakeholders will be involved. At this stage, the manager will oversee the drafting of a plan which will give the procedure of opening and running the business. The main goal of the project is to initially open and run the business. The plan seeks to achieve the following: i) Retain old customers and establishing new customer links ii) Design a plan that will enhance global auto parts business operations iii) Set a reasonable budget with a variety of cost alternatives iv) Design a program for implementation v) Plan a monitoring and evaluation design vi) Outline clear expectations of team members vii) Identify potential risks and develop a plan to manage them Implementation This is the stage where the activities in the preparation stage are carried out. Financial, human and material resources are brought together to achieve the goals of the project (Horine, 2009:45). The manager will assign duties to stakeholders as per the design of the project. IBEK Ltd general manager will provide relevant records used in running the old company to the project manager. This will give the project manager a starting point for the implementation. The assistant managers will be charged with the responsibility of looking at how their operations can be enhanced. The sales staff will assume the role of marketing IBEK Ltd globally through advertisements of the company. The advertisements will be placed on daily newspapers, the weekly magazine of IBEK Ltd and on the internet. The internet will play a major role in reaching overseas customers. The warehouse staff will organize the auto parts in the warehouses in good order; record the number of auto parts that come into the company and those that are sold. The project manager will ensure that they are equipped with relevant skills to handle the large number of customers. Good worker-client relations will enhance retention of old customers and establish new customer links. Monitoring This involves putting checks and balances to ensure that the project runs according to the project design (Lewis, 2006: 79). The monitoring team will be responsible for ensuring that the project is carried out as per the plan. Project monitors will ensure that all stakeholders carry out the activities assigned to them within the specified time. Evaluation There will be a step-by-step evaluation and the final evaluation at the end of the project. The evaluators will review records of each stage. At needs assessment stage, there will be little evaluation and evaluators will check whether the aim of the project-initial opening and operation of new IBEK Ltd was achieved by the project. At the planning stage, evaluators will look at the project design against the project outcome. This will reveal to the stakeholders whether the project achieved the intended objectives. In the implementation phase, evaluators will check whether all stakeholders carried out their tasks appropriately within the required duration. At the monitoring stage, evaluators will assess the steps followed to monitor each stage and the findings from each stage. Eventually, project evaluation will assess the impact of the new business on key stakeholders; employer (IBEK Ltd), employees, managers, customers, donors and financial advisors. Activities for enhancing operations Specific activities will be required to have a successful implementation of the business. There will be an addition of assistant managers. The expansion means that the scope of business also expands and increasing the assistant managers to three will facilitate smooth running of the new enterprise. A successful business requires disciplined staff. Increasing the administration staff to four will enhance business leadership. They will formulate rules and regulations of the new company and monitor employees so that every employee will be focused on the aims and objectives of the new company. Sales and marketing is important in any business. It makes the business known to outsiders and the new IBEK Ltd will employ three marketing staff to add to the sales staff who already assumed the role of sales and marketing. The warehouse staff will also be increased to ten staff for easier handling of the auto parts. In order to get money to pay the staff and sustain the business, the manager will outsource finances from donors and grantors for five months before the company fully stabilizes. Thereafter, employees will have to work harder to make more profits that will cater for their remuneration. Conclusion Businesses expand due to different reasons such as competition and increase in number of customers. Every new business requires a new project manager to carry out a project for opening and running of the business. This manager should possess leadership skills to be a team leader and administration skills to ensure all activities geared towards implementing a project are adhered to. This will ensure good opening and smooth running of the business. It also leads to increase in number of customers and high profits for the company. IBEK Ltd will have plenty of customers if the project is implemented properly. This paper serves as a guideline for smooth running of a project and can be used by students, managers and employers. Bibliographies Berkun, S., 2005, The Art of Project Management (Theory in Practice (O'Reilly)), O’Reilly Media, Cambridge: 232-300 Goldratt, E., Theory of Constraints, North River Press, Great Barrington, MA: 10-20 Horine, G., 2009, Absolute Beginner's Guide to Project Management (2nd Edition), Que Publishing, New York: 15-50 Kerzner, H., 2009, Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, John Wiley and Sons, New York: 3 Lewis, J., 2006, Fundamentals of Project Management (Worksmart), AMACOM, New York: 60-80 Lientz, B., & Rea, K., 1998, Breakthrough Technology Project Management (E-Business Solutions), Academic Press, New York: 146-180 Schwalbe, K., 2008, Introduction to Project Management, Course Technology, Cambridge: 1-6 Williams, M., 2008, The Principles of Project Management, SitePoint, Melbourne: 5-10 Read More