The Huduma E-Platform Project - Case Study Example

MGT8022 PROJECT-BASED MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT 1 MARK SHEET Student name (insert your full name) Student number (starts with 00xxxxxxxx) (insert your student ID) It is recommended that you start writing your assignment on the last page of this document. Alternatively, you can attach your assignment to this mark sheet but be careful that formatting is the same for both documents before doing so. Assignments submitted without this mark sheet will lose marks. This mark sheet: provides students with details of the marking criteria for this assignment including penalties for non-compliance with specific requirements, acts as a checklist to ensure that students have addressed all requirements, and is used by markers for providing feedback and marks for the assignment. FORMATTING You may have to adjust the page formatting before attaching your assignment. It is suggested that you use the following formatting for your assignment before pasting it onto the last page of this mark sheet: TOP MARGIN – 2.5 cm BOTTOM MARGIN – 2.5 cm SIDE MARGINS – 2.5 cm FILE NAMING GUIDELINES Your assignment file name should be MGT8022_2016_S1_A1 IMPORTANT NOTE Remember to submit a copy of your assignment (without this mark sheet and appendices) to Turnitin and to obtain an Originality Report for submission through EASE www.turnitin.com See the Introductory Materials for more information MGT8022 ASSIGNMENT 1 MARK SHEET – PROJECT-BASED MANAGEMENT (Note to markers – indicate level of achievement for each row by highlighting relevant text or cell - do not provide a numerical score for each row) Non-compliant Poor/inadequate Basic Adequate Good Excellent Mark ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS (out of 60) 0 0 to 29 30 to 38 39 to 44 45 to 50 51 to 60 /60 Critical analysis essay Introduction to the essay No introduction provided Poor introduction provided, or irrelevant information Basic introduction provided Adequate introduction provided Good clear introduction provided Clear, concise and comprehensive introduction providing essential details Analysis: Write a critical analysis of the chosen project business case in the form of an essay about the issues that you think are important in the context of the business case for your chosen project. IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS IS A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF THE BUSINESS CASE AND NOT OF THE WHOLE PROJECT. No analysis of the nominated topic Poor or inadequate analysis of the topic Basic analysis of the topic, with limited use of theory to support the analysis Adequate analysis of the topic using appropriate theory Good analysis of the topic using appropriate theory Clear, concise and comprehensive analysis of the topic, supported by appropriate theory, figures and tables. Conclusions drawn from the analysis No conclusions provided Poor or inadequate conclusions provided Basic conclusions provided Adequate conclusions derived from the preceding analysis Good conclusions derived from the preceding analysis Clear, concise and comprehensive conclusions derived from, and justifiably supported by, the preceding analysis RESEARCH & ACADEMIC THEORY (out of 30) 0 0 to 14 15-22 23 to 30 /30 Quality of critical analysis - uses appropriate theoretical principles as a framework for analysis No use of theoretical principles Poor or inadequate use of theoretical principles Basic use of theoretical principles Adequate use of theoretical principles Good use of theoretical principles Extensive use of theoretical principles and appropriate application to the project and its environment Argument is well structured, logical, and well reasoned (compelling) No logical argument provided Poor or inadequate structure and argument Basic structure and argument Appropriate structure and argument Good structure and argument Well structured, logical, and well-reasoned Figures and tables are appropriately used and adapted in the analysis to clearly illustrate/ compare/contrast theoretical principles with project practices. No use of tables and/or figures where their inclusion is justified Poor or inadequate figures and tables where used Basic figures and tables where used Adequate figures and tables where used. Good figures and tables where used Excellent adaptation of figures and tables where used Evidence of research is provided to support the analysis and argument. No evidence of research into the topic Poor or inadequate evidence of research Basic evidence of research Adequate evidence of research beyond the study materials and set text Good evidence of research beyond the study materials and set text Evidence of extensive research beyond the study materials and set text to support the analysis and argument Evidence of knowledge of study materials and general knowledge of the project management domain is provided No indication of knowledge of study materials Poor or inadequate indication of knowledge of study materials Basic indication of knowledge of study materials Indication of adequate knowledge of study materials Indication of good knowledge of study materials Evidence of extensive knowledge of study materials and of PM domain Quality of resources – evidence of use of research resources from quality sources (e.g. journal articles, texts, conference papers, etc) No use of research resources Poor quality sources of reference materials (e.g. websites, Wikipedia, etc.) Basic quality sources of reference materials (e.g. websites, Wikipedia, etc.) Adequate quality of sources of research Good quality of sources of research Excellent sources of research resources, including journals, texts, conference papers, etc. Citations are effectively and appropriately provided (and consistent with the Harvard referencing system) No use of citations Poor or inadequate use of citations within the text Basic use of citations within the text Adequate use of citations within the text Good use of citations within the text Extensive and appropriate use of citations to reflect use of theory in analysis and argument List of references is provided and shows quality sources No list of references Poor or inadequate list of references (10) Comprehensive list of relevant references Harvard referencing system is used and conforms to Harvard style as defined on USQ Library website (e.g. alphabetical order) No use of Harvard referencing system Poor or inadequate use of Harvard system of referencing Basic use of Harvard system of referencing Adequate use of Harvard system Good use of Harvard system Comprehensive use of Harvard system in accordance with conventions of AGPS 6 style PRESENTATION OF REPORT (out of 10) 0 0 to 4 5 to 7 8 to 10 /10 Page Numbering - page numbering to comply with normal conventions (e.g. see Summers & Smith - Communications Skills Handbook) No page numbering at all Incorrect use of page numbering Limited or basic use of page numbering Correct use of page numbering Language Skills - grammar, spelling, clear and concise writing style, correct punctuation Very poor language skills Poor language skills Basic language skills Adequate language skills Good language skills Excellent language skills Word count Significantly over or under nominated word count Slightly over or under word count margins (+/- 10%) Within word count margins * Total Assessment Mark (out of 100) /100 Penalties applied to... Marks to be deducted for... Maximum penalty Actual deduction Mark sheet – to be attached to front of assignment No mark sheet 10 Turnitin Report – to be submitted with assignment No Turnitin originality report (mark of 1/100 allocated until report submitted) 10 ** Total Deducted Mark (TDM) Overall Results * Total Assessment Mark (TAM) ** Total Deducted Mark (TDM) Final Assignment Mark = TAM – TDM (capped at 1/100 until Turnitin originality report received) Comments and feedback from Marker: Ways to improve: The balance of this page should be left blank. Please start or attach your assignment on the following page (which has been separated by a section break) Make sure your formatting matches the formatting of the mark sheet Project Business Case Name Professor Institution Course Date Project Business Case Introduction As the 21st century unfolds, projects have faced several challenges more than propounded. Alotaibi and Mafimisebi (2016, p. 93) claimed that project managers have experienced ceaseless project delays, cost overrun and project failures making it difficult to know what make up a project success. Hence, Joslin and Müller (2016) stated the hypothetical problems project management have been analyze and the study results show that there are numerous means by which project managers can know whether the project will be successful. Allowing an expert to conduct a project business case is one of such ways which have proved to be successful in evaluating the benefit, cost and risk of alternative options for the project. Therefore, this essay conducts a project business case for The Huduma E-platform Project and shows it cost benefit and risks which the project manager and sponsor are likely to derive from the proposed project. Problem Description Huduma is a Swahili word translated as service. In this context, the proposed project Huduma E-platform means providing government services such replacing lost identification cards, getting birth certificates and producing driving license among others but within electronic platform. In other words, Huduma E-platform is a form of E-government. The logic here is that project would lead to better performance hence increasing processing time, enhancing customer satisfaction, and reducing the cost of system maintenance. The project is about changing inadequate electronic system to a more sophisticated and modern electronic system which will enhance the face of operation at the government offices (McLaughlin 2009, p.45). The proposed project is sponsored by the Kenyan government and is to be done by The Felix Solutions who have the responsibility of evaluate numerous potential gadgets which will replace the legacy system currently owned by ministry of Immigration. Over the years, Ministry of have been blamed of poor service provision especially on matters of provision of identification cards, birth certificates and other government documents, and even replacements. The process will be carried out by selecting and determining a device that can effectively replace the current system and enable company growth in the next 15 years. Once chosen, the new project can replace the current system in the phased execution strategy and be concluded the moment the new system starts working and the old legacy system is discontinued. The proposed project will run independently from Ministry of Immigration and be stationed at Huduma Centers. Benefits The proposed project will bear several benefits to the government and citizens. Project in companies are normally directed to bring more change and create a competitive advantage to organization (Sheffield, Sankaran & Haslett 2012, p.129). Jackson (2003, p.34) stated that the project will influence process, divide responsibilities and roles among government officers in a positive way to enhance competition of the government institutions. Legacy framework in this perspective is considered as a tool because it has been used to manage administrative activities (Project Management Case 2016). Replacing it with a more efficient tool would improve working and service delivery. The proposed Huduma E-platform Project has been tested at earlier states by the project team and has several capabilities of automatically printing report, executing registration and generating reports and documents. However, staff will need to be undertaken through training so as to familiarize with the new system (tool) and to understand Huduma E-platform Project links up with some of the organizational tools. In the past, legacy has been inefficient as it take a lot time to create a report and full of errors hence leading to delays in communication, misreporting and provision of poor service to clients. Larson (2012, p.43) contended that the new system will enable the organization to provide accurate reporting, efficient communication between employees and quality service delivery to clients. Similarly, the situation will give managers ample time to concentrate of their duties without have to divert their attention resolving system inadequacies (Project Management Case 2016). When the new system is adopted responsibilities and roles will be clear due to efficiency that will be brought into the organization. The employees will have to manage their administrative roles within their desks without having to move from one department to another. Both executive and employees will have autonomy due to clarity of tasks as assigned within the system (Messner 2013a, p.67). As human resource company, Huduma E-platform Project Company will have some staff creating job requirement, others will conduct online equipment while others will create online database for applicants of different types of documents. The system will also have an interface for receptionist to create a report for clients who came to the company. System administrators will manage and control the system. One of his roles will be to create an interface for every department and also managing network to enable efficient flow of communication among employees, and between staff and clients (Syed & Sankaran 2009, p.6). The system administrator will be reporting to information technology expert. Together with new software, the company will need to buy extra servers in order to provide more efficiency through supporting several computers and databases for another ten years. The scenario is expected to yield growth as a result of improved data management, efficient communication and enhanced administration and operation (Larson 2012, p.11). Security of the system remains a key agenda to smooth operations. During the project implementation, the proposed system is made of strong security measures such as passwords, strong database, network security and antivirus which can secure from hackers or internal breach. Unlike the existing system where personal information or the staff and employees were at risk, the new system will strongly secure such details from phishing software and hackers. The practice will increase the confidence of Felix Solution and government customers, especially the online ones. Alternative analysis Cicmil and Hodgson (2006, p. 113) claimed that project business case for any project normally has the alternative which the project sponsor can consider. The alternative for the government of Kenya is to do nothing or remain with status quo. The current E-government system that the government was using was centralized in the capital Nairobi and few towns. Choosing status quo means the government has chosen centralization of its major services (Müller, Pemsel & Shao 2014, p.1310). The government might also select status quo because they are not prepared to use cause confusion among their employees. In addition, the government might fear for outsourcing experts to work on its automation due to cost associated with them or disruption which the process might come with it (Svejvig and Andersen, 2015, p.279). However, as the company continues supporting more citizens in various places, administration of the staff has turned to be more complex hence the need embrace change (Schaltegger & Wagner 2006, p.7). For instance, the increase of number of people seeking various documents and information has prompted the government to adjust to a decentralize form of business model. Risks factors The Huduma E-platform Project does not escape various risks which come with technology. One of such risks is that the Kenyan government can use much money and may not get efficient system as they had wished. Similarly, financial risk is that much money may be needed to develop, implement and maintain the system. Furthermore, Syed and Sankaran (2009, p. 12) project may be overtaken by events as advancement in technology take place so fast. For instance, in the middle of project implementation, the project manager can learn that the software he is installing may not meet the performance benchmark at organization. Furthermore, Syed and Sankaran (2009, p.13) asserted that there might be problems within the platform the project team has applied in building software of a vital tool which does not support various functions anymore. Huduma E-platform might present operational risks. The truth is that majority within people within the organization might not be able to use the new technology since it comes with new functions. As a result, members of organization might frustrate the project since it eliminates their comfort zone or comes with fear of unknown. Cost Benefit Analysis A good project is measured through the breakdown of its cost benefit analysis (Biedenbach & Muller 2011, p.87). A good presentation of this part is highly required because its enable the sponsor to easily interpret the project and make a sound decision. Our analysis covers the costs and even saving which are linked with Huduma E-platform Project from the first year to the third in which the project is poised to be completed. The first cost-benefit action is associated with purchasing licenses and web-oriented product. This phase marks the initial investment in Huduma E-platform Project. This first phase shows that the company anticipates using up to $400,000. The second phase of the project but within the first year will involve installation of software and conducting training on the same. The company will spend $100, 000 on IT group in installing the new software and training all staffs. Kenyan government anticipate saving in the third action which entails reduction of human resource executives by just five staffs. The government will save funds worth $ 183, 5000. An assessment of the Huduma E-platform Project shows that managers will not be needed to work on the administrative tasks and non-billable payroll. Currently, eighteen regional managers work on non-billable duties for sixteen hours a week on average. However, the new arrangement that will be brought by the new system, the hours of work on the same tasks will reduce by 2 a week hence helping the company to save some money. The calculation done by the project team showed that the company will save $36 every hour and $9072 per week. {($36.00*16 x 18managers) =$9072}. The full cost benefit analysis is shown in figure 1 below. Figure 1: cost benefit analysis Another cost-benefit factor deduced from project is that the company will need to carry out system maintenance after three months not as the current system which requires monthly maintenance. In the process, the government will use less financial resource on IT making them to save approximately $42,000 yearly. Employees’ turnover is another activity which company can rely on to provide cost benefit. The new system has effective functionalities which will motivate staffs to prolong their stay at the company and work towards achieving organizational goals (Project Management Case 2016). Reduced staff turnover will save the company up to $50,000 every year because they will no longer need more money to hire and train employees. Recommendations E-government system projects have become a common practice in different government of the world today. Alotaibi & Mafimisebi (2016, p. 95) contended that this is because experts advice that it improve service delivery, accountability, access, and efficiency. However, despite the success, the system has faced numerous challenges including expensive implementation and fragmentation. Therefore, this essay provides recommendations which Kenyan government when they approve the Huduma E-platform Project. One is that, the project manager must liaise with Ministry of Immigration to integrate their system and that of the new Huduma E-platform which will be stationed at Huduma Centers. In other words, the project sponsor and project manager must create a clear structure of how the E-government at the Ministry of Immigration and that Huduma Centers will coordinate to achieve the stated objectives. The process will prevent a situation where information of some citizens not reflecting at Huduma Centers. Fortune et al. (2011, p. 556) argued that proper structure and assigning of roles makes the system smooth and efficient because it determines what each officer does in the system. Also when roles are assigned role duplication and conflict is reduced. Secondly, since the number of people that are likely to seek services from Huduma E-platform are likely to go up hence rendering to slower and inefficient in terms of processing. Therefore, the management will need to create a policy which provides that the Huduma E-platform be maintained in every three months. Conclusion As the government ponders whether to approve the new projects, this project business case provides them with reason why they ought to go ahead. Huduma E-platform offers several benefits including increasing the process of service delivery, offering efficiency to processing important government documents. However, the project also presents various risks such high cost of implementation and high cost maintenance. Another is that the system might breakdown during operations. However, the cost benefit analysis carried out shows that the government is likely to benefit in the long run. The government is likely to reduce time taken to process documents and financial resource used for maintenance. References Alotaibi, A.B & Mafimisebi, O. P 2016, ‘Project Management Practice: Redefining Theoretical Challenges in the 21st Century’, Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, Vol.7, No.1, pp. 93-99 Biedenbach, T & Müller, R 2011, ‘Paradigms in project management research: examples from 15 years of IRNOP conferences’, International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Vol. 4, No.1 pp. 82-104 Cicmil, S & Hodgson, D 2006, ‘New Possibilities for Project Management Theory: A Critical Engagement’, Project Management Journal, Vol.37, Vol.3, pp.111-122 Fortune, J, White, D, Jugdev, K & Walker, D 2011, ‘Looking Again at Current Practice in Project Management,’ International Journal of Project Management, Vol.4, No.4, pp.553-572 Joslin, R & Müller, R 2016, ‘The relationship between project governance and project success’, International Journal of Project Management Vol.34, pp. 613-626. Jackson, M.C.J 2003, Systems Thinking: Creative Holism for Managers, Wiley, Chichester Larson, P.D 2012, Supplier Diversity in the GTA: Business Case and Best Practices, University of Manitoba. Messner, W 2013a, Making the Compelling Business Case, Houndmills, Palgrave Macmillan McLaughlin, S 2009, ‘The imperatives of e‐business: case study of a failed project’, Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 30, No.1, pp.40 – 49 Müller, R, Pemsel, S & Shao, J 2014, ‘Organizational enablers for governance and governmentality of projects: A literature review’, International Journal of Project Management Vol.32, pp.1309-1320 Project Management Case 2016, Business Case, Viewed 31st March 2016 http://www.projectmanagementdocs.com/project-initiation-templates/business-case.html#axzz44YQCGK9q Schaltegger, S. & Wagner, M 2006, Managing the Business Case for Sustainability. The Integration of Social, and Economic Performance, Sheffield, Greenleaf. Sheffield, J, Sankaran, S & Haslett, T 2012, ‘Systems thinking: taming complexity in project management’, On the Horizon, Vol. 20, No.2, pp. 126 – 136. Svejvig, P & Andersen, P 2015, ‘Rethinking project management: A structured literature review with a critical look at the brave new world’, International Journal of Project Management Vol.33, pp.278-290. Syed, G & Sankaran, S 2009, Investigating an interpretive framework to manage complex information technology projects, Proceedings of the International Research Network on Organizing by Projects, Berlin. Read More