Work Breakdown Structure and Resources Needed to Implement It - Case Study Example

Brief Reintroduction of Project and Rationale for the Choice of Option Made

In the organization of choice, there have been constant issues or environmental pollution caused by the production processes that the organization engages in (Laufer, Hoffman, Russell & Cameron, 2015). As such, the environment where the organization is located and the environment surrounding it have been adversely affected. The environmental pollution has not occurred for a long time because the organization has not been in operation for long but the impact of the environmental pollution is already visible.

In this approach, project management occurs in a complete cycle that entails several phases that include initiation, planning, execution, control, and conclusion. All these stages occur under the guidance of the project team (Pojasek, 2005). The traditional project management approach addresses the needs and demands of scope, cost, time, risk and the required quality within the confines of predetermined requirements of stakeholders (Rahmanian, 2014). What this means that that the traditional approach to project management works within set objectives and goals (Spundak, 2014). It requires that the importance of the project management process be clearly defined (PMI, 2004).

Dealing with environmental issues is not a short-term project in the end. Implementing the project could be short-term but the project will require constant monitoring and modifications. Therefore, setting up a new department in the organization and employing new employees who will be specifically tasked with implementing the project provides a way of doing this because the organization will have a department to deal with such projects both now and in the future. The costs associated are short-term in terms of setting up the department, hiring, and implementing the project but the benefits are long-term and this makes it a desirable option.

Define and Discuss a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for Your Preferred Option

A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a preview into the activities that will be going on when implementing the chosen option for the project. It defines all the important activities and personnel needed to do that. The chosen option to implement the project is setting up a new department in the organization and employing new employees who will be specifically tasked with implementing the project. This option involves several steps that can be broken down into a structure. Setting up a new department is not an easy task because there are several aspects that have to be done. There are several decisions that have to be made by the management of the firm in regard to implementing this option.

The decision-making phase will involve a number of issues. The need for a new department and its work has already been established. Therefore, the decisions that have to be made will entail issues of setting up the department. For instance, the management has to meet and determine the number of employees that the department should have and their qualifications, the number of managers to lead the department and their qualifications, the amount of resources needed and the level of the department compared to other departments within the organization, for example whether it should be under an existing department or it should be a department on its own.

Secondly, after the decisions have been made, the firm has to implement the decision. This means that the firm has to officially set up the department. This will involve setting up offices that will be occupied by the new employees. After the office has been set up, the firm has to move to hiring. The first step will be to hire managers. This is important because managers will help the organization in hiring the rest of the employees and help in purchasing the needed resources for the office such as files and other materials. After the managers have been employed, the organization can then move to hiring the other employees required in the department.

After hiring, the firm can move to training. The training will first involve the managers. This will involve getting the managers to understand their specific roles and responsibilities and their powers in the department. After this, the employees will also be trained on their roles and responsibilities. This training will ensure that the managers and employees not only understand their roles and responsibilities but also other aspects such as the expectations of the organizations on them, the culture of the organization and the values that should be inculcated on them. Therefore, training is one of the most important parts in the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

After the training, the firm through the new department will acquire and purchase all the needed resources for the department. This will be important in terms of ensuring that the department is functional before the project is rolled out. The implementation of the project will take a little more time, for instance, a month after the department is formed to help the managers and employees understand each other and form a good working relationship. However, this does not mean that the planning should not be happening. During this time preliminary planning, authorization and analysis of any important needs and details should be done.

After all the above has been done, the implementation of the project should begin following the stages proposed by the traditional approach to project management as discussed in Part 1 of the assignment under the main stages of the project section. In summary, these stages (top-down) include organizing the program, conducting pre-assessment, planning the program, conducting project feasibility analysis, implementation process improvement program and managing the process improvement program. The first step entails ensuring that the top management commits to the project, preparation and communication of the requirements of the project, assigning the project team, identifying and committing resources and training the team for the project. The second stage entails indentifying the relevant legal and other requirements, company policies and targets, total costs required and concerns of the stakeholders. The third stage entails identifying the opportunities for the project, evaluating, and selecting the options for potential solutions to the current problems. The fourth stage entails conducting a feasibility study for the project that includes carrying out an economic or profit/benefit analysis of the project. The fifth stage entails putting the project into work. This stage includes creating support mechanisms, securing approval for the project funding, collecting baseline data for the project, and documenting results, costs and benefits, creating a way of taking corrective actions and reporting the project progress to the management. The last stage entails conducting audits or evaluations to determine the success of the project or failures. Here, emphasis will be placed on physical measurements and financial benefits. Below is an initial Gantt chart for the above WBS.

Decision-making

Decision Implementation (setting up department)

Hiring

Training

Acquisition of Resources

Project Implementation

June

July

August

September

October

November

The Various Resources Needed to Implement the Chosen Option

The chosen option is the best to implement the project for the organization. The option has several resource requirements for it to be successful. First, the option requires personnel. The new department cannot function without human resource. In fact, the existence of the new department is dependent on whether or not the organization is willing to employ new personnel. In specific terms, the department can only be formed by new employees. Therefore, in terms of human resource, the organization will have to employee managers and employees. The human resource is also needed not in terms of employment but consultation. Consultation will be needed when the training begins. The trainers will come in as consultants rather than new employees.

The other resources needed will be the new office and office equipments such as furniture, files, computers, internet, and stationery. Such resources and materials could be small but equally important.

There other resources that will be needed based on demand-supply analysis, such as kitchen requirements, ink and other resources that require refilling. Other resources will also include fire protection and life safety systems and pollution control systems.

Analysis of the risks associated with the chosen option and proposed strategies to manage them

Although the chosen option provides the best way to implement the project, it still has several risks. First, the option could be expensive in the long run. It is expected that the option will provide the best basis to implement the project and make it a success. However, if the project fails, then the purpose of creating this department would have been senseless. Therefore, this is one of the major risks of the option because it could lead to major losses for the organization if the project is not a success.

Another risk with this option if the employees in the new department fail to gel and create a good working relationship, it might jeopardize the project and create failure and losses for the firm. The success of the project depends on the work of the new employees. The organization does not understand the new employees in the department because they are new and the project will be the first that the department and the organization will be handling. Therefore, despite the fact that the project could be well planned and organized, it could also be considered a trial because it is the first for the organization and the department.

In addition, the project is also the first of its kind for the organization and this means that there are bound to be many errors and learning through the process. Therefore, this is a risk because no one can clearly claim to have experience of this project in the organization even if the new employees will be coming with experience from other firms.

Several strategies can be used to manage such risks. First, the planning and decision-making phases have to be well thought out. The department and the organization pay attention to every little detail. The organization should also provide all the needed resources to minimize risks.

Another strategy is that in the hiring phase, the organization must be clear on the qualities and qualifications that it needs from the new managers and employees. This will ensure that employees have similar characteristics suited for the work and can develop a good working relationship. This will help in minimizing risks that can cause a failure in the project.

Another strategy will be to start the project when every little detail is clear and all the resources needed are provided. The organization should not hurry in kick starting the project. The project should be planned along with time so that it can be implemented at the right time and with the required pace. The department should also be allowed to implement the project without interference from the top management. The top management should only come in when reports should be made, when decisions have to be made or when adjustments and modifications have to be made and the top management must be involved. This will be important in minimizing the risks and ensuring that the new team develops confidence to work without interference.

Final Gantt chart

Decision-making

Decision Implementation (setting up department)

Hiring (managers and employees

Consultation and Training

Acquisition of Project Resources

Project Implementation

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Managing the People Side of the Project

For projects to be a success there must be people implementing or directing them. People in terms of human resource are crucial for the implementation and success of this project. The main reason for forming a new department in the organization is because the project requires people who can initiate, implement and manage it. As such, this means that people are needed for this project to be a success. However, without managing the human resource, the possibility of failure in the project is a reality.

Therefore, the people side of the project will be managed by the human resource department just like in the other departments. The human resource department with the help of the top management will hire the new employees and will be responsible for deciding and providing the resources needed by the new department. The human resource department and the top management will also make decisions on the remuneration of the employees and managers in the new department. The managers will also be responsible for the employees in the new department in terms of their conduct and behaviour while implementing the project. All the complaints can be handled by the management of the department and when this is difficult, the human resource will manage this.

Conclusions on the Benefits and Challenges to the Traditional Approach to Project Management

The traditional approach to project management is an excellent approach especially for this project because it brings formality into the project and ensures that the project is under control (Hass, 2007). It provides clear and detailed steps that are followed systematically when implementing the project (Bobera, 2008). This helps to ensure that tasks within the project are handled in an orderly manner. This way, it could help trace where problems originate from and solve them.

However, the challenge with this approach is that it is rigid and gives little room for creativity in terms of handling the project. If a problem occurs, one would need to follow the sequence rather than find ways of modifying it (Attarzadeh & Ow, 2008). The systems approach to project management on the other hand is a bottom-up approach that relies on tools that allow the personnel to be involved throughout the project unlike the traditional approach that only involves employees in later stages of the project (Adjei & Rwakatiwana, 2010).

Reflections on future learning

From this project, it is clear that using the traditional approach to project management alone is less profitable because of its limitations. Therefore, it would be beneficial to combine the two to minimize the risks associated with using one. For example where the traditional approach is rigid, the systems approach could be used for purposes of flexibility. Both approaches are important for business and finding ways of combining them for a given project would be beneficial.

However, it is important to note that not all projects require a mix of the two approaches. This means that before making a decision on the project to be used, an analysis of the project must be done and the benefits as well as limitations of the approaches so that the right choice can be made.