Developing Project Management Competence of Individuals - Example

Project Management: Assessment 1 Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Table of contents Table of contents 2 List of Figures 4 List of Tables 5 ASSESSMENT 1 6 1.0 Part 1: Define Project 6 1.1 Project scope document 6 Table 1: Project scope 6 1.2 Project stakeholders 7 1.3 Communication plan 8 Table 2: Communication Plan 8 1.4 Project information 8 Table 3: Project information 8 1.5 Project managerial responsibilities 9 1.6 Meeting stakeholder expectations 10 1.7 Project outcomes 10 Table 4: Project outcomes 10 1.8 Project learning and review 11 Part 2: Develop Project Plan 12 1.9 Major project tasks in sequential order 12 1.10 Task breakdown of major activities 12 Table 5: Task breakdown of major activities 12 1.11 Assigning project tasks 13 Table 6: Assigning resources to tasks 13 1.12 Project management tools 14 1.13 Project time-line and the Critical Path (CP) 14 Figure 1: Project time line for Red Office Move 16 Figure 2: Network diagrams showing Critical Path (CP) 17 1.14 Risk-Management Plan 18 Table 7: Risk management plan 18 1.15 Project Budget 19 Table 8: Project budget 19 1.16 Stakeholder consultation 19 1.17 Managerial Approval of project plans 20 Reference list 21 List of Figures Table of contents 2 List of Figures 4 List of Tables 6 ASSESSMENT 1 7 1.0 Part 1: Define Project 7 1.1 Project scope document 7 Table 1: Project scope 7 1.2 Project stakeholders 8 1.3 Communication plan 9 Table 2: Communication Plan 9 1.4 Project information 9 Table 3: Project information 9 1.5 Project managerial responsibilities 10 1.6 Meeting stakeholder expectations 11 1.7 Project outcomes 11 Table 4: Project outcomes 11 1.8 Project learning and review 12 Part 2: Develop Project Plan 13 1.9 Major project tasks in sequential order 13 1.10 Task breakdown of major activities 13 Table 5: Task breakdown of major activities 13 1.11 Assigning project tasks 14 Table 6: Assigning resources to tasks 14 1.12 Project management tools 15 1.13 Project time-line and the Critical Path (CP) 15 Figure 1: Project time line for Red Office Move 17 Figure 2: Network diagrams showing Critical Path (CP) 18 1.14 Risk-Management Plan 19 Table 7: Risk management plan 19 1.15 Project Budget 20 Table 8: Project budget 20 1.16 Stakeholder consultation 20 1.17 Managerial Approval of project plans 21 Reference list 22 List of Tables Table of contents 2 List of Figures 4 List of Tables 6 ASSESSMENT 1 8 1.0 Part 1: Define Project 8 1.1 Project scope document 8 Table 1: Project scope 8 1.2 Project stakeholders 9 1.3 Communication plan 10 Table 2: Communication Plan 10 1.4 Project information 10 Table 3: Project information 10 1.5 Project managerial responsibilities 11 1.6 Meeting stakeholder expectations 12 1.7 Project outcomes 12 Table 4: Project outcomes 12 1.8 Project learning and review 13 Part 2: Develop Project Plan 14 1.9 Major project tasks in sequential order 14 1.10 Task breakdown of major activities 14 Table 5: Task breakdown of major activities 14 1.11 Assigning project tasks 15 Table 6: Assigning resources to tasks 15 1.12 Project management tools 16 1.13 Project time-line and the Critical Path (CP) 16 Figure 1: Project time line for Red Office Move 18 Figure 2: Network diagrams showing Critical Path (CP) 19 1.14 Risk-Management Plan 20 Table 7: Risk management plan 20 1.15 Project Budget 21 Table 8: Project budget 21 1.16 Stakeholder consultation 21 1.17 Managerial Approval of project plans 22 Reference list 23 ASSESSMENT 1 1.0 Part 1: Define Project 1.1 Project scope document Writing the project scope will require an understanding of the project objectives, constraints and deliverables. It will also include total project cost, stakeholders, resources, duration and parties to the project for sign-off. The Red office relocation project scope document is provided in the table below. Table 1: Project scope PROJECT SCOPE Project Sponsor: Nick Mitchell, Managing Director Project Name: Office relocation of Red Publishing Company Scope: The objective of this project is to move the Red offices to a new, larger location more appropriate to the company’s needs. Constraints: Cost not to exceed $120,000 To be completed within 3 weeks Relocation work is limited to Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm Minimal disruption to customers, suppliers and employees Fragile items securely moved Deliverables: Red offices moved from old location to new location Excellent office fit-out Correct cost estimates of new stationery, additional IT hardware, and moving costs Staff, customers and suppliers notified of the new office location Furniture, staff materials and equipment and company assets moved to the new location Exclusions: No need to purchase new furniture New offices already partitioned and equipped with water and electricity Lease of the new office is complete Milestones: Nick Mitchell approves the relocation successfully done Staff satisfied with the office move Customers and suppliers are aware of the new location Checklist approval for all delivered items to the new offices Current offices inspected for complete move Estimated time: Planning: 1 days Notification to staff, customers and suppliers: 2 days Stock taking: 3 days Sorting and packing: 5 days Transportation: 2 days Receipt and verification: 2 days Arranging and furnishing the new offices: 3 days Fittings: 2 days Inspection: 1 day Approval for use: 1 day Opening the new offices: 1 day Estimate Budget: Packaging and loading: $12,000 Transportation: $30,000 Office fittings and accessories: $15,000 Additional IT hardware: $28,000 Communication costs (Newspaper and Posters): $13,000 New stationery: $17,000 Contingencies: $ 5,000 Contracts: Transportation ‘SuperOffice Movers’: $30,000 Scope signoff: This scope has been approved by: Nick Mitchell________________Project Sponsor Department: Managing Director Date: _____/_____/_____ 1.2 Project stakeholders Project sponsor: Nick Mitchell Managers: Alexis Schuler (Production/Project Manager), Meg Natoli (Accountant), Byron Page (Sales manager), Sandra Ngo (Editorial manager), Bob Breman (IT Manager), Stella Gallanis (Office Manager) Employees: Production staff, writers, editors, support and adversting, and marketing and sales staff. Relevant key personnel: Alexis Schuler (Project Manager), Work-safety officers, freelance writing staff Other staff with special roles: Production coordinators, graphic designers and proofreaders Customers: Associations, government departments and large organizations Funding Bodies: Red Magazine Publishing Company 1.3 Communication plan The table below shows the communication plan for the Red office relocation. Table 2: Communication Plan Delegating authority Why/when to contact How to contact Project sponsor Approve funds/report progress/approve completion. After the project brief, during implementation and after the office move is complete E-mail/Face-to-face Procurement Send the requisition and compile list of project requirements. Contact after approval by the sponsor Face-to-face, follow-up email Transport contractors To provide transport services. When all the office items have been removed and packed Phone call or SMS Staff To be aware of the move. Immediately after the approval by sponsor. Town-hall meeting, individual emails Project team Discuss the project deliverables and milestones. At every phase of the project Face-to-face meetings Company Customers/Suppliers Notify on decision to relocate. As soon as the relocation budget is complete Word-of-mouth/ Phone calls/ SMS/emails Media companies To communicate to customers, suppliers and general public. When the relocation funds have been released email/fax/face-to-face 1.4 Project information The table below shows the project parameters and whether the information is available, gained or needed. Table 3: Project information Project parameter Information available? Information gained or needed? Scope of project Yes Gained Project outcomes Yes Gained Legislative requirements No Needed Quality standards affected Yes Needed Timelines Yes Gained Finances Yes Gained Integration with organisational goals Yes Gained Risks No Needed Stakeholders’ reporting requirements No Needed Resources required Yes Needed Organisational procurement processes Yes Gained Resources available Yes Gained Resources that must be obtained No Needed 1.5 Project managerial responsibilities The issues that I will raise as the project manager are; Costs/ Schedule / project quality: I will need to discuss with Nick on the total cost of ‘the Red Office Move’ activities. This will involve learning from previous moves with other firms and from transport companies. The project team will help in drawing the project schedule and quality. Risks: The issues arising such as delays in transportation, damage to fragile items and pilferage of office items will be discussed by the project team and staff notified. I will be responsible for identification, assessment and mitigation of such risks. Communicating progress: I will be responsible for communicating progress at every level to the project team, staff and Nick. Relationship with stakeholders: I will be responsible for communicating with customers, general public and suppliers on the intention to relocate and its progress. Teamwork: Every member of the project team will work to their abilities in delivering the project with minimal risks. The staff will also be prevailed to provide their input such as verifying their belongings and safe keeping of precious items. Human resourcing: Recruiting the best team based on experience and skills will be essential. The project team will comprise individuals with cooperation and teamwork. Procurement of project items: I will consult and request the procurement manager to prepare a bill of quantities and pricing for IT hardware, office stationery, and communication costs and loading costs. 1.6 Meeting stakeholder expectations Stakeholders are important parties in any project. For the project to succeed, the needs or expectations of the stakeholders must be fulfilled (Smith et al., 2013). As earlier noted, internal stakeholders include the Managing Director (sponsor), management team, and employees while external stakeholders are the customers, suppliers, government and municipal authorities, property managers, and general public. For example, the sponsor is interested in knowing how the project funds and schedule is being implemented. The staff will desire a move that has little disruption of their programs, equipment and their relationships. On the other hand, customers and suppliers expect steady and uninterrupted supply of company services as well as materials and skills to the company. To ensure smooth operations and successful project delivery, timely reporting and choice of information to report will be vital (Smith et al., 2013). Feedback of information from the stakeholders will be necessary for easy and complete communication (Project Management Institute, 2000). By developing a comprehensive communication plan, the project will be able to report and receive timely feedback from the key stakeholders in the planned relocation of Red Office. Moreover, a risk plan will be prepared alongside a stakeholder risk management plan which will identify risks related to performance or non-performance of specific stakeholders. 1.7 Project outcomes The project outcomes will be listed below, how they are measured and their means of verification. Table 4: Project outcomes Project outcomes Performance measures Means of verification New and larger office space to accommodate increased company needs Staff happier and motivated to work Staff satisfaction surveys Relocation of office items, equipment, furniture and staff belongings with minimal damage and disruptions No. of items packed /no. of items delivered at new offices Checklists Delivery of office relocation within the stated duration and budget Measure time and cost overruns Gantt chart Increased awareness and satisfaction among customers, suppliers on the new offices Monitor new demand for company services Random customer / supplier calls to assess knowledge of new offices Customer surveys Random calls 1.8 Project learning and review Projects provide vital lessons and feedback that can be used to determine baseline conditions for future projects. In the ‘Red office move’ project, lessons will be learned regarding; cost, time or duration and quality. For example, if the project took exactly 2 weeks for the relocation to be completed and any other purchases done then future projects can estimate costs and time based on this project. By obtaining secondary data on previous projects of this magnitude and carrying the same goals, it is possible to analyze and investigate their relationships. The project is evaluated and assessed if the original objectives have been made. For example, if the cost of the move exceeds $120,000, then the project costs or duration may have been underestimated. A post-project review document will guide in the closure phase where questions on quality, costs, schedule, teamwork, accountability and integration will be answered. Questions on whether the project achieved its objectives or goals depend on the satisfaction of management, staff, customers and suppliers. Part 2: Develop Project Plan 1.9 Major project tasks in sequential order a) Staff needs to be told what they need to do. b) Staff needs to be given a schedule of the move, tasks involved and dates. c) Customers need to be informed of the move ahead of time and again afterwards, on multiple occasions. d) Banks, suppliers, Yellow Pages and White Pages all need to be advised. e) Staff needs to be told where to park in the new location f) Staff needs to be able to pack up their own supplies so they can quickly locate items after the move. g) New stationery needs to be printed. h) Phone numbers will stay the same but you need to put a notice in the window of your old offices with your new address. 1.10 Task breakdown of major activities The table below shows a breakdown of major tasks with time frames and dependencies. Table 5: Task breakdown of major activities ID Major task Time frame Dependencies 1 Staff needs to be told what they need to do 1 day - 2 Provide staff with move schedule, tasks involved and dates 2 days 1 3 Inform customers on the move before and after, on multiple occasions 3 days 1 4 Advise Banks, suppliers, Yellow Pages and White Pages 1 day 3 5 Advise staff on new parking location 1 day 2 6 Staff to pack up supplies for quick item location after move 3 days 3,5 7 Print new stationery 2 days 6 8 Place a notice on old office window on the 1 day 7 1.11 Assigning project tasks Assigning of tasks to responsible parties is a very essential step in project management. Tasks are assigned to people with specific skills, experience and education for quality output and better teamwork. Assigning tasks is also based on the relationships that people within the project have to particular tasks and to individuals (Project Management Institute, 2000). When tasks are assigned appropriately, it becomes easier to manage the project phases and deliverables. On way of assigning tasks is identifying the specific tasks then create roles and add users. All the users defined in the role will be assigned the task by the project administrator. MS Project 2010 allows people to be added to the project roles to perform specific tasks. In the MS project, the Gantt chart page provides the task names, duration, start and finish dates, predecessors and the resource names. In the ‘Resource Names’ column, the team members can be inputted before assigning to specific tasks or new names added as the task are being listed. To assign someone a task, clicking the Assign Resources button will assign 100 percent or 50 percent of the resource to the task. Internal tasks will require internal resource names while tasks external will require external stakeholders to liaise with the project manager. Table 6: Assigning resources to tasks Project task Resource Name Rationale Planning of the relocation Alexis, Nick, all managers Requires managerial support Notifying staff on the decision to move Nick Leading authority to declare such as strategic decisions Inform customers on the move before and after, on multiple occasions Byron Accesses customer and supplier databases Advise Banks, suppliers, Yellow Pages and White Pages Nick Has the authority to communicate with external stakeholders Purchase additional IT hardware, stationery and Meg In charge of company finances and procurement Set up IT and communication equipments in the new office Bob IT manager Advise staff on new parking location Alexis Part of the roles of project manager Staff to pack up supplies for quick item location after move Alexis Role of project manager Print new stationery Meg Procure new stationery Place a notice on old office window on the relocation Alexis Within the role of project manager Gantt chart is a favorite tool to be used in assigning tasks and resources for this project. For example, MS Project 2010 can be used to assign tasks and resources listed in a logical and sequential order. It lists resources, milestones, tasks and phases of the project. Others are Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), PERT chart and Logical Network. 1.12 Project management tools This project will require the use of Gantt chart because it is easy and simple to follow. Gantt chart consists of bar charts that can track tasks across time with interdependencies. The tool helps to show resources, phases, milestones and tasks required as part of the project. Although WBS is common in project planning, it is exhaustive and complex for simple projects (Crawford, 2007). This makes a Gantt chart a suitable tool for the Red Office Move project. I am not about to develop any new tool but will utilize the Gantt chart since it provides all the options and functionalities required to plan, execute and close the office move project. 1.13 Project time-line and the Critical Path (CP) MS Project 2010 has been used to list and sequentially plan the tasks for the relocation exercise. The Gantt chart and Critical Path (CP) are shown in the figure 1& 2 below. Figure 1: Project time line for Red Office Move Figure 2: Network diagrams showing Critical Path (CP) From figure 2 above, the critical path activities are shown (appears in Red color). 1.14 Risk-Management Plan The risk in the project were identified and analyzed for their impact and mitigation measures as shown in the table below. Table 7: Risk management plan # Risk Impact Frequency of Occurrence Responsibility Action 1 Delay in approval of funds by the MD High Low Nick Approve funds on time to avoid delay in relocation and expiry of lease of current offices 2 Late listing of IT and stationery requirements High Medium Byron Develop the departmental list of requirements immediately funds are approved 3 Protest by staff on poor handling of relocation exercise High Low Alexis Communicate with staff in every step of the relocation to avoid discontent 4 Damage to fragile company property or pilferage High High Stella Handle glass and other brittle items with care. Use holders and boxes to position them on transit 5 Poor packing and retrieval of items Medium Low Stella Monitor and direct the packing process 6 Loss of data and authorized access to confidential company information High Medium Bob Use passwords and encryptions to protect sensitive documents. Lock confidential items in a safe 1.15 Project Budget The budget is developed based on the individual cost of services and items to be procured. The project budget is as shown in the table below. Table 8: Project budget Item description Cost (US$) Packaging and loading Boxes Glass holders Straps Tapes $12,000 Transportation Contract with transport company $30,000 Office fittings and accessories Curtains Flower vases and flowers Lockers Additional tables and chairs Kitchen accessories $15,000 Additional IT hardware Additional servers Storage devices Backup devices Routers and cabling $24,000 Advertising new offices Communication costs Newspaper Posters $13,000 New stationery Printing papers Staplers, Punchers, Guillotine and binders Pens Company merchandize (T-shirts, Caps) Advertising materials (Banners, pull-ups and tents) $17,000 Labour $4,000 Contingencies $ 5,000 Total $120,000 1.16 Stakeholder consultation Planning phase will involve a lot of consultation with various stakeholders. First, the staff or employees need to be notified and convinced why the relocation is necessary and how it will be done with minimal disruption on their schedules. Their feedback will be sought through open discussion in a town-hall meeting. On the other hand, the management should be cooperative and steadfast in ensuring that activities are undertaken seamlessly. Communicating through email and telephone will help respond to issues that affect on costs or timing of the relocation (Andersen et al., 2007). By consulting and receiving feedback from customers and suppliers, it will be easier to continue doing business without inconveniencing them of having to spend more money searching for the new offices. Consultation enables smooth project undertaking and minimization of risks associated with scope (time, schedule and quality). 1.17 Managerial Approval of project plans The steps taken to ensure the project plan deserves approval by the management team include; a) Develop a project brief detailing the scope and project charter b) Develop all the project plans to include communication, risk, cost, schedule, quality, human resource, integration, and change management c) Discuss and brainstorm all the possible challenges and successes that the project may face d) Develop an organizational structure and work breakdown structure for the relocation project e) The list of activities and items to be bought should be detailed and reflect the market prices f) Create the plans to be simple, easier to identify specific deliverables and milestones g) Submit the plans for approval by the sponsor Reference list Andersen, ES Grude, KV & Haug, T 2007, Goal directed project management. London:Kogan Page/Coopers and Lybrand.. Crawford, LW 2007, Developing project management competence of individuals. In Turner's five-functions of project-based management J.R. Turner (Ed.), Gower handbook of project management, pp: 678-694. Project Management Institute, 2000, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), Project Management Institute. Smith, NJ Merna, T & Jobling, P 2013, Managing risk in construction projects, John Wiley & Sons. Read More