Case Studies in Project Management

Table of Contents

TASK 1............................................................................................................................................ 2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.................................................................................................... 2

TASK 2............................................................................................................................................ 1

INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 1

PROJECT ORGANISATION................................................................................................ 1

SCOPE MANAGEMENT................................................................................................. 2

COST MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................. 4

SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT........................................................................................ 8

RISK MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................. 10

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT ..................................................................... 13

QUALITY MANAGEMENT......................................................................................... 15

CHANGE MANAGEMENT ......................................................................................... 17

TASK 3.......................................................................................................................................... 19

CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................... 19

RECOMMENDATION................................................................................................................. 20

REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................. 21

TASK 2

INTRODUCTION

Project management plan (PMP) refers to a formal document which is initially approved then can be used for managing the whole project execution. In modern world, all the business man in professional line offer their own guidelines to follow for accomplishment of projects. It is a formal document to execute program (Project management, 2014). Management body provide counsel on the level and type of information. In other words, PMP deals with statement of when and how a projects can be accomplished by showing and providing summary, strategies and scope to achieve objectives effectively and efficiently. Firm which has been taken under this report i.e. Senheng Electric which is one of largest consumer electronic retail store who have decided to open its physical store in Kuching City, Sarawak, Malaysia in 5 months because chosen city is having high potential which will help them in improving their own profit margins.

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PROJECT ORGANISATION

It has been analysed that every single organisation when comes up with a plan, it consist with a number of issues and factors that can mainly affect the whole management of a plan. Some of elements which can affect the project are : rivals of company, functions of the organisation, different departments and other existing currently running projects. Since, Senheng Electric is opening its store in Kuching where organisation may find high competition and both cultural and structural differences as well. On the other hand, it has also been found that internal functions like hiring process of employees, acquisition of finance and more may impact upon whole project (Managing project, 2016).

On the other hand, the project organisational structure of Senheng Electric is Programmatic based on which it is required for project manager to focus on different aspects such as key team members like managers, stakeholders and researchers etc. cost, roles and responsibilities as well considering the governmental authorities like developed policies and acts so that no offensive legal matter is being faced by Senheng Electric while executing or planning the whole project (Boud, Cohen and Sampson, 2014). The management of Senheng Electrc needs to address the customer needs, monitor and manage social media, prepare and formulate marketing budget and develop plans that foster the opening of store in Kuching.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

Project management plan is a formal document that defines the structural framework as to how a project is executed, monitored and controlled.A project management plan covers management areas like scope, cost, schedule, quality, communication, change and risk.

SCOPE MANAGEMENT

Project scope management is being considered as a process which helps in defining the scope of whole project in an accurate sense (Chou and Yang, 2012). Here, it has been analysed that there are a number of techniques which helps in enabling the responsibilities of project managers so that allocation of different tasks and duties can get assigned in an effective and efficient manner. This helps the management in addressing areas of concern in a project and identifying the section of project that should be excluded from its scope. In context of Senheng Electric, it is important for project manager of a specific plan to execute the whole project within the pre-decided timeline.

Proper planning, controlling and monitoring are some of main factors that may aid firm in reaching much more closer to attain goal of Senheng Electric i.e. to open new store in Kuching City.

Project Requirement : Reviewing existing stock levels and list of suppliers at Kuching, building relation with them, setting up suppliers and their accounts, creation of merchandising so that opening of a physical store in Kuching can be done effectively.

Scope Statement (SOW) :-

• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) :- In present context, WBS is being considered as an essential component which will aid in distributing work on the basis of desired time frame for rightful completion of the project (Gauthier and Ika, 2012). Here, WBS which has been developed by project manager for opening/launching the store in Kuching is given beneath:

(Sources : Project Scheduling, 2018)

Work break down dictionary:

With the help of above mentioned WBS, it can be said that it is necessary to analyse the environment in which Senheng Electric will open its new physical store at Kuching and to plan and monitor the activities that will result in successful opening of the new store.

• Phase 1 : Defining the evaluation of current status of business environment at Kuching.
• Phase 2 : Planning of implying every single activity on plans structure so that project execution can get done in a successful manner (Gemünden, 2015).

Scope Baseline :

Implementation of WBS, work break down structure dictionary, scope statement of present plan can help project manager in assigning right job to individuals as per the needs and requirements of the over all plan of opening a new store at Senheng Electric.

Project General Assumptions :

Project manager of Senheng Electric have assumed that the whole assignment will not cost much to company and the plan will successfully gets achieved right on time (Hanisch and Wald, 2012).

Project Constraints :

Setting targets for new place, analysing historic sales information, increased shop floor size, setting standards for cost to be incurred and timeline for the execution of project will help in proper formulation of project with effectiveness.

Project Success Factor :

Effective project team members, modifications of budget, implication of new technological tools and ideas will help Senheng Electric in reaching to a whole new level (Heagney, 2016).

Project Scope

Specification – Opening a new physical store of Senheng Electric at Kuching City

Third party provider  -

• The install of different informatics systems
• The creation of the products on the supplier’s database
• The installation and set up of scales

COST MANAGEMENT

Cost management refers to a process of planning, estimating and controlling business budget. This form of practices manage flow of accounting which allow an organisation to plan in advance, reduce expenditures. Organisations need to prepare fund before implementing projects. In present project, it is much required for project manager to develop a specific standard for cost so that company do not face issues related to finance. Away with this, it is also required for Senheng Electric to create a project cost baselines so that a brand new store can be launched at Kuching (Kerzner and Kerzner, 2017).

Project Cost Baseline :

Budget versus Timeline : In present context, setting a timeline in advance of starting the project lets clearing up any possible misunderstandings between project manager and the plans as well. On the other hand, setting a budget will depend hugely on the project itself. There are some best practices to follow whether the project is taking place in-house or with an external client. Away with this, it is required for both project managers and team workers of Senheng Electric while executing the over all plan in much effective and appropriate manner. Both budget and timeline can help Senheng Electric in opening a new store (Korhonen, Laine and Martinsuo, 2014).

Project Budget :

Change Budget :-

SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT

Schedule management is being considered as a process of communicating, developing and maintaining resources for time. To accomplish projects, organisation needs to follow steps like writing task, establish order task, calculate time duration for completing task, allocating them to employees and finally follow up.

In present context, it has been analysed that every single project needs a critical path which can help companies in improving profit ratios. Therefore, it is essential for project manager to develop Gantt chart as they can help in executing the plan in much effective manner which directly impacts positively on the firm and aid in reaching to a whole new level (Larson and Gray, 2013).

Project manager have developed a schedule which will help in reaching to the goal of the company i.e. open a store of Senheng Electric in Kuching in next 5 months which is mentioned beneath:

• Research on the required subjects will aid in execution of the plan.
• Setting time for every single activity of the plan related to opening the store in Kuching.
• Helping the employees (project team mates) to execute plans in reaching to a whole new level.
• Making changes as per the requirements of the plan that may aid in developing effective plan.
• Meeting goals with the help of monitoring plan on a regular basis.
• Regular monitoring will aid in removing number of risks.

Gantt Chart has been prepared by management for construction of plan defining sequence of activities conducted. Problem identification, selection of suitable topic, formulation of aims and objectives, literature review, research methodology, data collection, analysis are other activities which are stated in the chart.

RISK MANAGEMENT

Risk management is termed as forecasting, identifying and analysis financial risk. Organisation need to take corrective action to reduce and avoid their impacts. To minimise treats enterprise should take care of monetary funds, employee stability, legal liabilities etc (Meredith and Mantel Jr, 2011).

Risk Register:

Risk Matrix:

Responsibilities of Risk owner:

Management of risk is critical. It is crucial for the risk owner to minimize the risk to facilitate healthy working environment in the organisation. The project manager of Senheng Electric is accountable to the organisation and has certain responsibilities which are as follows:

• Project manager of Senheng Electric is responsible to identify, assess, manage and monitor the potential risk factors (Müller, Glückler and Aubry, 2013).
• The risk statements prepared by the project manager must clearly articulate the risks.
• He should be able to determine a proper level of risk tolerance.
• The project manager is responsible to assign duties to internal stakeholders for each sub-risk recognized within an organisation risk.

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

Communication management is systematic process to plan, estimate and monitor channels of communication between organisation. To achieve business goal, connection within employees plays vital role as proper coordination is done only through communicating.

Communication Management Process:

It is essential to manage the communication process in an organisation to ease the flow of information within various levels of the firm. The communication management process that the project manager of Senheng Electric must undertake for the successful opening of a new physical store in Kuching is mentioned below:

• Development of objectives: The first step of communication management process includes development of objectives and key messages needed to be delivered to the team members (Schwalbe, 2015).
• Development of Communication plan: A detailed communication plan is developed to convey the information which includes methods through which the communication will be established along with the materials used to deliver the information.
• Sample/Feedback: A sample is prepared by the project manager which sets a base for further process.
• Revise Plans and Materials: This is a crucial step in setting up the communication management. The communication plan along with the materials to be used are revised thoroughly by the manager before presenting it to the top management for approval.
• Obtain Approvals: These plans are further presented to the top management who will evaluate the method and check its feasibility. In case any changes are required, the plan is again handed over to the project manager for revision.
• Implementation: Communication plan is implemented after the approval and the information items are distributed within the team members.
• Managing: In this process, the team members along with the project manager determine if any updates are required in the communication plans, or performance reports, etc (Serrador and Turner, 2015).

Communication Governance:

Senheng Electric uses governance model for internal communication management. All the roles and responsibilities are clearly defined along with monitoring user perceptions, content governance and training and instruction for both the communicators and end users.

The responsibilities are divided in groups:

• Group Communication: This group is responsible towards strengthening the public relation of Senheng Electric. It handles all the internal as well as external communication of the firm. It aims at protecting and escalating the firm's position in the market.
• Digital Communication: It is a sub unit of Group Communication and works towards developing a digital workplace which would act as a communication platform for the firm. It manages the intranet and formulates strategies in enhancing the effectiveness and accessibilities of its sites. It is also responsible for training the employees to increase their digital performance (Teller, Kock and Gemünden, 2014).
• Business Areas: This group plans communication activities periodically for specific business cases. Each group has a head of communication who coordinates strategic communication needs of the internal and external environment of the firm. Each business area is independent and defines its own objectives, key messages and implementation communication plans as per the guidelines of the group.

Mode of communication:

It is necessary for project manager of Senheng Electric to establish definite modes of communication in the organisation where each mode of communication serves different purpose within the company. The modes of communication used in the firm depending on the project are as follows:

• Interpretive Mode of Communication: This method of communication weighs on interpretations. The receiver of the information understands the information conveyed to them, interprets it, and then analyses it on the basis of their understanding (Walker, 2015).
• Interpersonal Mode of Communication: This mode of communication is widely used in Senheng Electric. In this, the learners interact with the person who gives them information and negotiate the meaning of that message so that the receiver accurately interprets the meaning of the information.
• Presentational Mode of Communication: This mode is used when the project manager needs to explain a new strategy of the specific project or give presentation on some specific topic related to the team members. The team members in this case are considered as an audience and the information is conveyed through using an appropriate form of media followed by a detailed discussion about the presentation.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Quality management is being considered as a system that plays a crucial role for every single project management plan for an organisation. Quality management ensures that an organization, product/service or a plan is consistent. In present context where Senheng Electric is opening the store in Kuching. Therefore in order to complete this objective, it is to focus on quality planning, quality assurance, quality control and quality improvement. Quality management is focused not only on plan's quality, but also on the means to achieve it.

General Quality Statement

Comply to standards – Policy which has been followed by Senheng Electric is to deliver high quality products and services to its consumers in order to meet requirements and expectations.

Objective can originate from Corporate Policy – People of Kuching believes in delivering high quality products and services for improving their own living standards. Thus, policy and plan which has been followed and made by Senheng Electric can help in grabbing attention of targeted customers at Kuching City.

QA for opening the store in Kuching of Senheng Electric:

Testing process :-

• Proper planning quality cannot get compromise of services in order to meet the final goal i.e. opening a new store which requires stock and modifications in products related to needs of customers in Kuching City.
  • Executing :- Plan execution, while considering or taken care of already developed quality based policy of Senheng Electric.
  • Checking :- Continuous monitoring may aid in reaching the final goal without hampering the quality of the plan and products of Senheng Electric as well.
  • Act :- Acting upon the predetermined planned activities are very much essential because this is where the actual, result-oriented tasks are carried out.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Change management refers to collection of data prepared by a manager to approach and support team in business world. Organisation practices cannot remain same for long period so, manager should anticipate changes to adopt new techniques to earn high revenues. This type of approach plays a crucial role and can be considered as a systematic one that helps in dealing with transforming of desired goals, technologies and processes (Wells, 2012). It can be said that purpose of change management is implementation of new strategies so as to bring alterations in the standard project. This is done because today's business environment keeps on changing on a regular basis. Thus, it is required to consider this section as one of the most important one when it comes to make changes in the project.

Authority is being majorly given to project manager of Senheng Electric who have made a project management plan of launching a new physical store at Kuching.

Change control system :- Change control is a systematic approach to managing all changes made to a product or system. The purpose is to ensure that no unnecessary changes are made that all changes are documented that services are not unnecessarily disrupted and that resources are used efficiently. In present context, it is required for project manager of Senheng Electric while launching a new physical store at Kuching to look into this aspect very critically as it may lead company to make unnecessary changes which may increase expenditures (Heagney, 2016.). There are simple steps which may aid in controlling the change in much effective and efficient ways which are given beneath:

Step by step process for a software change request :-

• Documenting the change request: When a plan requires change, it is important to analyse the need of change and the difficulties that the management will have to face in implementing it.
• Formal assessment: The justification for the change and risks and benefits of making/not making the change are evaluated. If the change request is accepted, a development team will be assigned. If the change request is rejected, that fact is documented and communicated to project manager of Senheng Electric related to opening the store at Kuching.
• Planning: The team responsible for the change creates a detailed plan for the implementation of change. It is also important make a plan for rolling back the change if in case, the change is unsuccessful. (Gauthier and Ika, 2012).
• Designing and testing: The team designs the program for the changing the strategy. If the change is deemed successful, the team requests approval and a date for implementation.
• Implementation and review: The team implements the program and stakeholders review the change.
• Final assessment: If the project manager of Senheng Electric is satisfied that the change was successfully executed, the change request is closed, otherwise, the project is reassessed and steps may be repeated so that maximum benefits can be gained with the execution this time.

Senheng Electric is introducing its new store in the coming 5 months in Kuching. In this regard, only project manager and board of director are the authorised person who approve reason of change. It can be said that at the time of project execution and after its execution, project manager evaluates all the factors by which change is required. As being a project manager, it is the responsibility of individual to firstly evaluate all process and methods which are going to be used in the whole project and if it is not working in the same direction, then change is essential.

In present context, Senheng Electric is opening a brand new store in Kuching in 5 months. Thus, it can be said that project manager needs to make alterations in its goals or budget as well which has been prepared by Senheng Electric i.e. opening a new store in Kuching in next 5 months. (Chou and Yang, 2012).

Here, for proper execution of the project management plan, manager of Senheng Electric have used Kotter's 8-Step Process for Leading Change Model which will aid in implementing the change in whole project as well of developing the program.

Kotter's 8-Step Process for Leading Change :-

• Create a sense of urgency: For change to be accepted, first step for Senheng Electric is to make them understand the need for change by making an aspirational opportunity statement that highlights the need for change immediately.
• Build a guiding coalition: Senheng Electric will create a project team taking employees from different job roles so that staff can relate with the change management team. This team accounts for implementation of change.
• Creating vision for change: Company needs to cre

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