Financial monitoring and control proposal

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Business Finance

Description

Project Objectives and Description

As you probably know or will learn as the class progresses, some of the management practices used in organizations today are not ideally suited for monitoring and controlling project finances.

The PMBOK indicates the monitoring and controlling process group “…consists of those processes required to track, review, and orchestrate the progress and performance of the project; identify any areas in which changes to the plan are required; and initiate the corresponding changes”. The process group also involves: (1) “controlling changes and recommending corrective or preventive action in anticipation of possible problems”; (2) monitoring the ongoing project activities against the project management plan and the project performance baseline”; and (3) influencing the factors that could circumvent integrated change control and configuration management so only approved changes are implemented”. (PMBOK, page 57).

The objectives of this individual project are twofold:

  • First, to investigate management practices used by your organization and to identify issues that may detract from the organization’s ability to monitor and control project finances.
  • Second, to propose changes to these management practices to help resolve these issues and explain how these proposed changes will optimize project financial monitoring and control efforts.
    My organization is : Raytheon

You will develop a Project Financial Monitoring and Control proposal documenting these efforts, making use of: (1) this course and past project management and financial management coursework; (2) your own professional experience; (3) knowledge and experience resident in your organization; and (4) additional research. The majority of the coursework pertaining to this assignment will be covered in sessions 1 through 5. This assignment is due in session 10.

A template for the proposal will not be provided. If it hasn’t happened already, you should expect, at some point in your career, to develop a white paper, a proposal, or some other type of document with only a final objective or two for guidance. You are free to organize the proposal as you see fit as long as the following particulars are included: (1) a statement describing the organization type (e.g., state, local, or federal government, etc.); (2) a discussion of the organization’s business line(s); (3) and a discussion of the organization’s strategic objectives. The organization’s identity shall be masked in the proposal and the proposal shall be free of any proprietary or closely-held company information, as well as any other information that could reveal the organization’s identity.

The purpose of any proposal is to sell a product, service, idea, etc. In this case, you are selling a set of recommendations aimed at resolving issues associated with your organization’s ability to monitor and control project finances. Address your proposal to your organization’s decision makers. Put yourself in their shoes on the receiving end of the proposal. What would you want to know?

  • What are you selling?
  • How does it apply to me?
  • Why should I buy it?
  • What benefits do I receive?
  • What actions do I need to take to realize the benefits?
  • How long will it take to realize the benefits?
  • How much will it cost?

For the purposes of this assignment, the last two questions (time and cost) should be addressed, at least, in relative terms. A detailed time and cost analysis is not required. However, if you intend to share the outcome with your organization, you might want to consider including a more detailed analysis at some point in time.

THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT TO ORGANIZE YOUR PROPOSAL IN THIS FASHION. THIS IS SIMPLY A LIST OF THINGS YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER WHEN PREPARING YOUR PROPOSAL.

Other things to consider:

  • This is not a proposal to do a study to identify issues and propose solutions.
  • One or more past project efforts may be used to illustrate existing issues impacting the organization’s ability to monitor/control project finances. However, the proposal must address the organization’s overall ability to monitor/control project finances.
  • For this assignment, assume at least part of your target audience (the organization’s management) does not understand anything about project management concepts, tools, and techniques or managing project finances.
  • Issues should be narrowly focused. Broadly stated issues typically result in broadly stated solutions. Management may be reluctant to invest time and money unless the scope of the effort is perceived to be manageable. Provide sufficient detail to fully explain the issue and its impact on project financial monitoring and controlling activities (see the third bullet above).
  • Proposed solutions must address the associated issue(s). Sufficient detail must be included to describe how the solution resolves the issue(s) and how the solution is to be implemented (see the third bullet above).
  • There are issues that impact an organization’s ability to complete a project on time and within budget that do not necessarily impact an organization’s ability to monitor/control project finances. Make sure you can articulate a clear connection between the issues you choose and the organization’s ability to monitor/control project finances.
  • The effectiveness of your message can be adversely affected by writing mechanics issues and the clarity of your proposal

Project Milestones

You will provide two interim milestone reports before submitting your proposal. The purpose of the interim milestone reports is to make sure you are headed in the right direction.

Milestone 1 – Explain the project objectives and requirements to decision makers within your organization to gain organizational support for your efforts and access to organizational information (excluding financial data). If you are unable to gain organizational support for your project, choose an imaginary organization.

Develop a statement describing the organization type (e.g., state, local, or federal government, etc.); and the organization’s business line(s) and strategic vision or objectives. You may chose the entire organization or a portion of the organization.

Report your progress in the Individual Project Milestone 1 discussion forum by Sunday of Session 2. A milestone report template is provided in course content.

Milestone 2 - Identify the issues that may detract from the organization’s ability to optimally monitor and control project finances. Put yourself in the shoes of a project manager in your organization. What would you do, starting in the planning phase of the project, to make sure you could successfully monitor and control project finances? What elements of the project management plan or associated planning artifacts would you focus on? Now translate these to the organization level. What must be present (processes, procedures, instructions, practices, tools, training, etc.) to establish a firm foundation throughout the organization for successfully monitoring and controlling the finances of all projects? Where are the holes?

Focus your efforts on four to five of the most significant issues. Submit this summary in the Individual Project Milestone 2 discussion forum by Sunday of session 6. A milestone report template is provided in course content.

Note: If your organization has no apparent issues with respect to its ability to monitor and control project finances, create some simulated issues.

Submit the completed project report in your assignment folder by Sunday of session 10. The project report must be submitted as a MS Word document. Line spacing: 1½; font: 12 point; pages: 15 (maximum).

Evaluation

You will be evaluated on:

  • The organization and content of the completed project report. Does it tell a complete and compelling story in a logical and readable manner? Are issues clearly linked to project financial monitoring/controlling activities? Is sufficient detail provided to clearly explain the issue and its impact on project financial monitoring/controlling activities?
  • Adherence to project milestones and other assignment requirements
  • Correct application of financial management concepts, tools, and techniques
  • Correct application of project management concepts, tools, and techniques
  • Rationale for proposed solutions. Are solutions clearly linked to associated issues? Is sufficient detail provided to clearly describe how the solution resolves the issue(s) and how the solution is to be implemented?
  • Feasibility of proposed solutions with respect to their associated issue(s).
  • Writing mechanics and adherence to APA standards

Unformatted Attachment Preview

PMAN 650 Session 5 Individual Assignment (v3) Earned Value Management Introduction All of you have had at least an introduction to earned value management in the project management fundamentals course. Many of you may have had the opportunity to use earned value management in your professional careers. In practice, most EVM analysis results are generated by scheduling software or other applications. As a project manager, you must have a good handle on the concepts and be able to verify the accuracy of EVM analysis results. In this assignment, you will have an opportunity to brush up and expand upon your EVM knowledge and skills by applying EVM concepts to a practical problem. THIS ASSIGNMENT REQUIRES A MANUAL ANALYSIS - DO NOT USE MICROSOFT PROJECT. Problem Background Your project consists of seven activities shown in the table below, along with: (1) planned start and finish dates; (2) activity budgets; and (3) earned value (EV) accrual rules from you project cost management plan. Activity Planned Start 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 6-Jun-16 11-Jul-16 20-Jun-16 25-Jul-16 19-Sep-16 17-Oct-16 7-Nov-16 Planned Finish 8-Jul-16 5-Aug-16 12-Aug-16 16-Sep-16 14-Oct-16 4-Nov-16 18-Nov-16 Budget 25,000 20,000 50,000 60,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 EV Accrual Rule Percent Complete with Gates Fixed Formula - 0/100 Weighted Milestones Percent Complete with Gates Fixed Formula - 40/60 Fixed Formula -30/70 Fixed Formula - 100/0 Assumptions 1. Assume a five-day work week including holidays occurring during the work week. 2. For all activities (except activities 3 and 4), assume the expenditure rate is constant over the duration of the activity, i.e., the amount planned to be spent each week is the same. 3. For activity 3, the planned expenditure profile is shown below: PMAN 650 Session 5 Individual Assignment (v3) Earned Value Management Activity 3 Weekly Planned Expenditures 9000 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 4. For activity 4, the planned expenditure profile is shown below: Activity 4 Weekly Planned Expenditures 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The project sponsor wants you (the PM) to present a project cost and schedule performance assessment using data through Friday, July 29, 2016. You have collected the following information: Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Actual Start 6/6/2016 7/11/2016 6/20/2016 7/25/2016 Actual Finish Expended 7/8/2016 22,000 7/29/2016 25,000 40,000 8,000 0 0 0 PMAN 650 Session 5 Individual Assignment (v3) Earned Value Management For activity 1, three equally-valued gates have been established and all gates are complete as of July 29, 2016. For activity 3, five milestones have been established with the following values: (1) milestone 1 – 10%; milestone - 20%; milestone 3 – 15%; milestone 4 -20%; milestone 5 – 35%. Four of the milestones are complete as of July 29, 2016. For activity 4, four equally values gates have been established. As of July 29, 2016 none of the gates have been reached but the activity owner estimates 30% of the work required to reach the first gate has been accomplished. Show all work. Round dollar values to the nearest dollar. Calculate all other variables to three decimal places. 1. Earned Value Measures a. Calculate earned value measures for each activity and for the cumulative project as of July 29, 2016; fill in the table below: Activity Planned Value (PV) Earned Value (EV) Actual Cost (AC) Activity One 22,000 Activity Two 25,000 Activity Three 40,000 Activity Four 8,000 Activity Five 0 Activity Six 0 Activity Seven 0 Entire Project 2. Earned Value Performance Measures a. Calculate earned value performance parameters for each activity and for the cumulative project as of July 29, 2016; fill in the table below: PMAN 650 Session 5 Individual Assignment (v3) Earned Value Management Activity Schedule Variance (SV) Schedule Performance Index (SPI) Cost Variance (CV) Cost Performance Index (CPI) Activity One Activity Two Activity Three Activity Four Activity Five Activity Six Activity Seven Entire Project b. Is the project ahead of schedule, on schedule, or behind schedule? What EVM information are you using to make this assessment and why? c. Is the project over budget, under budget, or on budget? What EVM information are you using to make this assessment and why? 3. Earned Value Forecasts a. What is the value of the “Cumulative CPI” Estimate-at-Completion (EAC)? b. Using the “Mathematical” or “Overrun to Date” Estimate-at Completion, what is the value of the Estimate-to-Complete (ETC)? c. Using the “Cumulative CPI times SPI” Estimate-At-Completion, how much more or less money (other than the current budgeted amount) will you need to finish the project? d. How much would the Cost Performance Index (CPI) have to change in order to complete the project within the original budget?
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Explanation & Answer

Attached.

Running Head: RAYTHEON COMPANY

Raytheon Company
Student name
Institutional affiliation

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RAYTHEON COMPANY

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ABSTRACT
Threats vulnerabilities and risks are the challenges faced by security systems of any
organization. The paper will analyze the policies which are applied by Raytheon Company in
ensuring that information or data relevant to the institution is not leaked to the general public.
Every organization has a security department and is equipped with policies which govern
entry into any information system of the organization. They also have set restrictions on what
kind of people should access what the company upholds as its secrets. Some information if
leaked to the public may be fatal to the existence of firm thereby secrecy is highly considered
to ensure that information is kept within the organization. The paper will also handle the
recommendations on what should be done to a security system to ensure that no information
is leaked. Some of the recommendations might be effective for small organizations while
others are effective for larger organizations depending on the policies set aside by the
organization.

RAYTHEON COMPANY

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Description of the organisation
The organisation of choice is Raytheon Company which is one of the major American
industrial cooperation and defence contractor. Its main operations are the manufacturing of
weapons, commercial and military electronics. It is a state organisation which provides
innovative solutions in making the globe a safer place. It also specialises in civil government
and provision of cyber security solutions ensuring that the residents of the US and people
around the globe are safe from the threats of technology. The key element of the company is
the strong commitment to the worldwide market places. At the moment, the company sells
and delivers services and products in averagely 80 nations and its international pursuits and
opportunities are growing. Raytheon has also created a conducive work platform in terms of
rewarding employees and giving them a chance to explore their talents. The employees are
compensated whenever they make creative innovations in an inclusive atmosphere. Despite
all the above any organisation has the business lines in which its products and services are
channelled.
Branding and marketing strategies of the company have also played an attractive role in its
continuous success. The company has applied four imperatives which are critical for its
marketing. First, it has created an intensive customer-focus which puts more emphasis on the
wants and needs of the customer (Choi, Kim, Leem, Lee, & Hong, 2012). This has been done
through the company perspective of reaching people all over the globe. Second, the firm
recognizes the power of services and products which are well-designed. Third, it has a design
philosophy which is strong, adaptive, efficient and intuitive. Fourth, it has created a design
which reflects the lifestyle of the user and achieves interaction with them. The company has
also determined marketing strategies which ensure that all its customers are satisfied with
whatever it offers.

Raytheon products
Due to the resent technological advancements, cyber security has been a challenge to
overcome. Most of the organisations make complaints of an attempt or attack of their systems
since some people have specialised in hacking accounts with personal and selfish wants. The
internet economy is developing twice as more as the world’s economy. This has been driven
by the growth rate of productivity as well as increased innovations in the field of business. A
country is expected to prosper if it relies on cyber security in its day to day operations. There
are several opportunities in the cyberspace. Governments and businesses benefit from
enhanced mobile and online technology. It has, however, challenges which might be

RAYTHEON COMPANY

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destructive to the economy of a given country. There are business goons who are commonly
referred to hackers who spend their time on designing methods of accessing into systems of
institutions without the knowledge of the owner. The organisations should also beware of the
cyber security threats such as viruses which might cause harm to a given system. Raytheon
also offers products and services in curbing the issue of cyber security. For a successive
outcome, the paper will analyse some of the threats facing the organisation and give probable
and reliable approached to solving them.
IT Security & Technology Landscape
Due to large data breaches which are experienced by large corporations such as
Raytheon Company in the IT industry, data security has become a board-level theme. A
failure in the IT security can cause an organisation to collapse. Expounding the recent data on
the challenges of security, there is a massive gap created between the needs of the customer
and what the security technology can deliver. From the perspective of a consumer, security
technology is supposed to protect an organisation from anything which can impact it
materially. For a long duration, the security industry has focused on creating solutions than
providing holistic answers to the challenges of security. The Raytheon Company network
team has for instance deployed tools of network security (Choo, 2011).
The application team has employed tools related to application security. They have
attempted to give solutions related to their pieces to reduce claims of security lapse. There is
a large shift in the globe of data security. The various point solutions to security for example
firewalls can be thought as active sensors which cannot even detect any threat and neither can
they provide an action based on the threat. The sensors provide information which is not
sufficient in the whole process. There is a developing realisation of the prioritisation of
security needs. However, financial and usability costs of the security are prohibited since
much security may be required which hinders the process of performing transactions.
Companies should, therefore, identify which...


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