PMAN501 Advanced Project Management

Introduction

The project that has been selected for the report is arranging for the student award ceremony for the department of business. The significance and relevance of project management is huge for any of the projects in any of the industries. The case is the same with this particular project as well. There will be numerous project activities that will be carried out while arranging for the award ceremony. All of these activities will be managed efficiently by applying project management techniques and methodologies.

Project success or failure largely depends upon the project management methodology and the project approach that is selected. The efficiency of the project manager and the project team members also determine the success of failure of the projects (Ika, 2009).

There is a lot of money that gets wasted because of the failed projects. The money that is already spent does not come back and the organizations are also required to pay additional penalties. The organizations must therefore select an adequate management approach and must also make sure that the project progress is verified in a timely manner.

Project Charter

Arranging for Student Award Ceremony for the department of business

Project Justification

The project has been approved as it would make the adequate arrangements for the successful execution of the award ceremony for the students.

Measurable Project Objectives and Success Criteria

• The award ceremony shall be carried out successfully – Execution of the award ceremony on the due date.
• The project shall be completed in the budget and schedule that is estimated – Comparison with the actual and estimated budget shall have no gaps (Rose, 2010).
• The attendees must have had good experience in the ceremony – Positive feedback from the attendees

Major Project Stakeholders

• Project Sponsor
• Project Manger
• Students
• Organizing Committee
• Project team members
• Suppliers and Vendors

High level Requirements

• The venue for the award ceremony shall be selected and booked for the date of the ceremony.
• The list of the guests, hosts and attendees shall be prepared.
• The invitation cards shall be designed and distributed for the ceremony.
• The tools required for the ceremony in terms of furniture, microphones, speaker, computer systems, projectors, and awards shall be acquired from the vendors.
• The caterers shall be booked for the ceremony.
• The food and drinks menu shall be designed.
• The speakers shall be provided with the duration and slot.

Assumptions and Constraints

• The project team will be provided with the tools and equipment required for the ceremony.
• The funds for the ceremony will be arranged and provided by the project sponsor.
• The schedule assigned for the project is 21 days.
• A budget of USD 30,000 has been allotted for the project activities.

High level Project Description

The project revolves around the arrangements for a successful execution of a student award ceremony for the department of business.

The project will comprise of a number of activities in terms of selections, booking and execution. The project shall be managed using the project management methodology as PMBOK.

High level Risks

• Budget and Schedule Risks: The estimated values may not be maintained and followed.
• Technical Risks: The tools such as microphones, speakers or computer systems may turn faulty (Gladden, 2010).
• Third-Party Risks: The vendors and suppliers may not deliver the products and equipment on time.
• Resource Risks: The project team members must not bring forward their efficiency and productivity levels.

Milestone Schedule

• Milestone 1: Project Charter - 28^th August 2017
• Milestone 2: Project Plan – 4^th September 2017
• Milestone 3: Venue booking confirmation receipt - 6^th September 2017
• Milestone 4: Invitation cards – 11^th September 2017
• Milestone 5: Confirmation receipts – 13^th September 2017
• Milestone 6: Ceremony activities – 14^th September 2017
• Milestone 7: Booking confirmation from caterers – 15^th September 2017
• Milestone 8: Closure Report – 18^th September 2017

Budget Summary

An overall budget of USD 30,000 has been allocated for the project. It would include the cost of tools, cost of booking, management and resource costs along with the operational costs.

Project Approval requirements

The project shall be approved only after a feasibility study of the ceremony is carried out. The results shall be present to the approving parties in the form of a formal document.

Also, there shall be project estimates in place such as project scope, cost and time.

Assigned Project Manager Responsibility and Authority

The project manager will be responsible and accountable for the following tasks:

• Planning and analysis activities along with estimation of scope, budget and time.
• Communication planning and decision making
• Management of the project resources
• Reviews and inspections
• Communication with the project sponsor and project team

Sponsor Authority and Responsibility

The sponsor of the project will have the following authority and responsibility:

• Providing project specifications and requirements
• Providing project funds
• Recommendation on the changes
• Approvals and acceptance on the deliverables

Stakeholder Management Strategy

The following strategies will be used in association with the stakeholders during the project:

• Effective communication channel to gain and share information with the stakeholders (Willems, 2015).
• Reporting systems for understanding the progress and status.
• Application of Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) for resolution of disputes and conflicts
• Development of a transparency between internal and external stakeholders

Requirements Documentation

Scope Management Plan

Authority and Responsibility for Scope Management

The project sponsor will have the authority to approve the changes in association with the scope and will also review the same from time to time.

The project manager will be the prime resource responsible for the management of scope. The project team members will assist the manager in the management of the project scope (Waddell, 2010).

Scope Statement

In-Scope

• The implementation of the functional requirements in terms of the venue bookings, caterer bookings, invitation design and distribution along with food and drinks menu design.
• Non-functional requirements in terms of enhancing the experience of the attendees during the ceremony.
• Procurement of the tools and equipment for the ceremony
• Management of the project risks, conflicts and changes

Out-of-scope

• Negotiation with the third-parties by the project team.
• Decision on the partners and associates of the sponsor that shall be invited to the ceremony.

Work-Breakdown Structure

Student Award Ceremony

• • Initiation of the project
    • Technical and operational Feasibility
    • Economical and Environmental Feasibility
    • Project Chartering
    • Submission of the charter
    • Milestone 1: Project Charter
  • Project Planning
    • Scope management
    • Time and budget management
    • Risk management (Indelicato, 2010)
    • Communication and resource management
    • Project Plan document creation and submission
    • Milestone 2: Project Plan
  • Venue Selection and Booking
    • Short-listing of the venues
    • Discussion with the organizing committee
    • Selection of the venue
    • Check on availability
    • Venue booking
    • Milestone 3: Venue booking confirmation receipt
  • Guest list preparation and invitation
    • Acquiring of guest list from the sponsor
    • Designing of the invitation cards for students, hosts, speakers, special guests and attendees ‘
    • Distribution of the invitation cards
    • Milestone 4: Invitation cards
  • Procurement of the tools
    • Hardware for the ceremony – Microphones, speakers, projector and computer systems
    • Furniture and interior designing equipment
    • Milestone 5: Confirmation receipts
  • Ordering of the ceremony activities
    • Introductory speech
    • Notification to the speakers on their slots and assigned duration
    • Preparation of the speeches by host
    • Distribution ceremony slot
    • Food and drinks distribution in-between and the end
    • Vote of thanks
    • Milestone 6: Ceremony activities
  • Catering Activities
    • Design of the food menu
    • Design of the drinks menu
    • Payment to the caterers for final bookings
    • Milestone 7: Booking confirmation from caterers
  • Project Closure
    • Organization of the ceremony
    • Acquiring the feedback
    • Analysis of feedback
    • Acceptance of deliverables
    • Sign-offs
    • Closure report preparation and submission
    • Milestone 8: Closure Report

Measurement and Verification of the Scope

The scope will be measured on the basis of the requirements and specifications provided by the project sponsor. The scope will then be approved by the sponsor.

The scope will be verified by the project manager at the internal level and will be verified by the project sponsor at the external level.

Change Processes

The change processes that will be included in the project will include the enhancement of the project scope in terms of the non-functional requirements.

The organizing committee may arrange for the accommodation of the guests and attendees as stated by the project sponsor (Aubry, 2010).

There may also be changes in the number of guests which will be accepted with a variance of 10% from the original.

Acceptance of Deliverables

The acceptance of deliverables will be carried out in the closure stage of the project. The deliverables will be accepted and approved by the project client.

Change Management Plan

The changes associated with the project will be managed and will be carried out using three-staged management process.

• Planning for the changes: The planning processes will be carried out using the change request as the first step. The request will be accepted and approved by the sponsor with the time and effort stated on the same.
• Management of the changes: The changes will be executed as per the assigned schedule and budget and the management will review the progress.
• Reinforcement of the changes: The final phase will be the reinforcement of the changes to ensure that it has been successfully completed.

Change Request Form

Conclusion

Project planning is an extremely important phase in the project. It is necessary to make sure that the planning and the overall project management is carried out in the projects to achieve the success. In case of the arrangements for student award ceremony, there is a lot of management that is required to be done in order to accomplish the project goals.

References

Aubry, M. (2010). Project management in extreme environments. Project Management Journal, 41(3), 2-3. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pmj.20185

Bredillet, P. (2005). International Journal of Project Management. International Journal Of Project Management, 23(1), 86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2004.03.003

Gladden, R. (2010). Managing project uncertainty. Project Management Journal, 41(3), 100-100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pmj.20188

Ika, L. (2009). Project success as a topic in project management journals. Project Management Journal, 40(4), 6-19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pmj.20137

Indelicato, G. (2010). Work breakdown structures: The foundation for project management excellence. Project Management Journal, 41(3), 101-101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pmj.20190

Rose, K. (2010). The complete project management methodology and toolkit. Project Management Journal, 41(2), 82-82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pmj.20172

Waddell, S. (2010). Public-sector project management: Meeting the challenges and achieving results. Project Management Journal, 41(3), 102-102. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pmj.20187

Willems, L. (2015). Classification of articles and journals on project control and earned value management. International Journal Of Project Management, 33(7), 1610-1634. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2015.06.003