Project managment

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Description

Assessment item 2

Project Initiation

Value: 15%

Due date: 21-Apr-2017

Return date: 15-May-2017

Submission method options

Alternative submission method

Task

Case Background

As the project manager you are required to present an initial project report to the project sponsor that shows how you propose to implement this project. As the project manager you may make any assumptions you think are necessary.

Case study – Social Media Research Centre

During a meeting with his boss (David Wright), Bruce has been asked to establish a researcher centre. The research centre, which will commence operations in February 2018 first as an informal research group, should be established by June 2017. Alex’s decision to proceed with this major project is spurred by the fact that an associated organizational centre, which researches in a closely related area, has recently ceased operations. There is also a tremendous pressure from David’s senior executives to produce high quality research that is focused in nature. In fact one of David’s senior executives’ comments was that David’s Unit does not have a clear identity when it comes to its scholarly research output compared to the one in Australian National University. After several meetings with subject matter experts (consultants) and a rigorous analysis of the current trends in research in the area of information technology it has been decided that the most appropriate research area for the proposed research centre to focus on is social media. Fortunately several of David’s Unit staff are active researchers in this area. What made this direction even more attractive is that demand from Master and Doctoral students has been largely for programs in this area. David’s Unit also enjoys a very good relationship with an international expert Craig Bamworth in the social media area who has kindly agreed to offer his expertise to Bruce (the program manager).

One of the projects within the Social Media Research Centre larger project that Bruce has identified as important is the development of a web application for the proposed centre.

This application would include an internet website and section for members on the intranet. Bruce has appointed You as the manager of this project commencing work on 1 April 2017. Bruce’s team has conducted the feasibility study and financial analysis to confirm that project must go ahead and must commence as you join your role.

You must assist Bruce in preparing the project charter that need to be submitted within first week of May 2017 via a kick-off meeting to be held with all major stakeholders presenting and discussing the charter before they all signoff and approve charter.

This website should contain information about the major research projects, list of supervisors, Masters and PhD student projects, publications (conference and journal papers), and project reports. The application manager Sonia Reed should update all these details on the website using the intranet login. Members can also update their project details via their member account. It has also been identified by Bruce that displaying the information, program, recorded presentations and reports/publications of the events held in the area of social media research will help in promoting the centre. Sonia would collect this information from the events manager and update the information on the web application before, during and after the events as needed.

Your team must include appropriate experts to assess the application, network and database software and hardware needs to support this project.

Your manager, Bruce has given you guidance that the project needs to be completed within 8 months and that costs should be minimised wherever possible with given budget of AUD 50000.00

Task 1: Prepare Project Charter as per below template – 55 marks

Basic details Including (5 marks): Title of the project, Name and email of the Project Manager (yourself), Duration of the project, and High level budget

Project Objectives (10 marks)

    • Clear, concise reasoning for why the project is being performed
    • Clear, concise definition of what the project’s activities will entail ( high level scope)
    • Brief description of primary deliverable(s)
    • Clear description of the project’s benefits to the organisation
    • Recognition and description of any limits that the project will not cover and address

MOV - Measurable Organisational Value ( 15 marks)


(This is the goal of the project and is utilised to define the value that your team project will bring to your client)
Identify the desired area of impact - Rank the following areas in terms of importance: Strategy / Customer / Financial / Operational / Social
With reference to your project, identify one or two of the following types of value:

  • Better - is improving quality important to your client?
  • Faster - does your client want to increase efficiency?
  • Cheaper - is cutting costs important?
  • Do more - does your client want to continue its growth?

Develop an appropriate metric - this sets the target and expectation of all the stakeholders. It is important to determine a quantitative target that needs to be expressed as a metric in terms of an increase or decrease of money. ( 5 Bullet Points)

(Note: the MOV should inform everyone what the project will achieve, not how it will be achieved. It should also focus on the organisation, not on the technology that will be used to build or support the information system).

Acceptance Criteria (5 marks)

    • Identification of specific factors against which the project can be compared to determine success/failure
    • Identification of specific deliverables for the project as a whole
    • Inclusion of due dates for the deliverables
    • Clear identification of milestone and milestone exit points
    • Factors should include a specific metrical comparison

Assumptions and Constraints (5 marks)

    • Any assumptions made during the course of the project
    • List of constraints that entail the limitations that are required to be addressed

Stakeholder List (5 marks)

    • Complete list of stakeholders including the sponsor, PM, executive members and few important members that are required to contribute to high level decisions

Lessons Learned (5 marks)

    • Identification of pitfalls to be avoided, based on the past projects and experience
    • Evidence of thought as to what can and cannot affect the project in terms of how the project will run

Charter Sign off (5 marks)

    • This section should include the stakeholders signing off the charter for commitment.
    • Some key stakeholders must comment make comments


Task 2: Prepare Communications Plan as per the template given- 20 marks

Communication Plan Template

  • Plan purpose – A brief description of why and how the plan was developed, and an overview of the overall team communication philosophy. Also states types of communications planned, for lateral, downward, and upward communication.
  • Identification of stakeholders – The “who” in the project that requires information, (i.e. team members, project sponsor, class professor, etc.) and also the responsible parties to receive and/or communicate information.
  • Information to be shared – The “what” in terms of project information communication. Describes types of information that the team uses to communicate amongst its own project members, and also to the sponsor
  • Frequency of information exchange – The “when” describes how often communications will be held (i.e. daily, weekly, monthly, as needed, etc.)
  • Location of information exchange – The “where” states the location of the meeting or other interactions
  • Purpose of communication – The “why” description assures that communications are held effectively.
  • Mechanism for communication – The “how” describes the media for communication (i.e. physical meeting, email, phone, message group, etc.)
  • Change management – Description on how the team will handle changes in the project, whether it is in terms of project scope, schedule, or resources. This includes how the team plans to communicate changes as well as how the team plans to make decisions about changes.
  • Meeting agenda – Gives a brief overview of what the team plans to accomplish in each of its meetings, how it documents goals and objectives for meetings, and defines and assigns actions for the team to accomplish project objectives.

Rationale

This assessment task covers first four topics and has been designed to ensure that you are engaging with the subject content on a regular basis. More specifically it seeks to assess your ability to:
    • Identify the responsibilities of a Project manager when participating in a real world project;
    • Define the role of management in projects, particularly from the view point of the practitioner as a member of the project team;
    • Apply project management skills, methods, techniques and tools to a real world problem typical of a project manager;
    • Explain areas of knowledge relevant to project management; and
    • Discuss the many problems facing the project manager and to note the "best practices" being utilised in order to produce effective, efficient and quality projects on time and within budget

Marking criteria

STANDARDS

Criteria

FL

P

C

D

HD

Task1 SWOT-Threats (5 marks)

Weak attempt at threats of the chosen organisation, 1-2 points given

Some attempt at threats of the chosen organisation, 2-3 points given

Average attempt at threats of the chosen organisation, 3-4 points given

Good attempt at threats of the chosen organisation, all 4-5 points given

Excellent attempt at threats of the chosen organisation, all 5 points relevant to the case study given

Task 1 Project Charter :Project details and Objectives(15 marks)

Not Considered

Objectives are defined but unclear. Little Details given

Objectives are defined but do not cover business need. Some Details given

Objectives are defined and limited to business need. Most Details given

Objectives are defined including need, ROI, benefits to stakeholders and success factors. All Details given and correct

Task 1 Project Charter: Provides an MOV and

identifies the target and expectations of all

stakeholders in a suitable format. ( 15 marks)

The MOV fails to cover one or more

specified project requirements.

The MOV illustrates the student’s

generalised consideration of the target; however analysis of the expectations of all

stakeholders is not clear. The format is

suitable to the information presented.

The MOV illustrates the student’s

generalised consideration of the target and an attempt at analysis of the

expectations of most stakeholders is

evident. The format is suitable to the

information presented.

The MOV illustrates the student’s detailed consideration of the target and an attempt at analysis

of the expectations of all stakeholders is evident. The format is logical and appropriate to the

information presented.

The MOV illustrates the student’s detailed consideration of the

target and a thorough analysis of the expectations of all

stakeholders. The format is logical, clear and well-structured.

Task 1 Project Charter Acceptance Criteria(5 marks)

Not Considered

Check-list is defined but unclear

Check-list criteria are defined but do not cover signoff process

Check-list criteria are defined with signoff process

Check-list criteria are defined with signoff process including template/ forms/approvals.

Task 1 Project Charter Constraints / Assumptions(5 marks)

Not Considered

Defined but unclear.

Only Assumptions or only Constraints are defined.

Few Assumptions and Constraints are defined, but not detailed enough.

Most Assumptions and Constraints are defined with required details.

Task 1 Project Charter -Stakeholder list(5 marks)

Not Considered

Only Student team is covered.

Student team and Customer are covered.

Student team, Customer and Sponsoring agency are covered.

Student team, Customer, Sponsoring agency and other stakeholders (e.g. Vendors) for the project are covered.

Task 1 Project Charter -Charter Signoff(5 marks)

Not Considered


Defined Charter signoff process but unclear.


Defined Charter signoff process with forma/templates / approvals

Task 1 Project Charter- Lessons learned(5 marks)

Not Considered

Only considered personal experiences.

Considered lessons learned from past projects / best practices.

In addition to past projects, on-going learnings from current project have been considered.

Considered lessons learnt / best practices and applied to project appropriately & developed contingency plan.

Task 2- Communication Plan: Purpose $ Team Meetings Agenda ( 5 marks+)Not ConsideredDefined but unclear.Internal team meetings are planned and conducted as per a schedule.Meetings are planned, conducted followed by Minute of the MeetingsMeetings are planned, conducted followed by Minute of the Meetings and Action items.
Task 2- Communication Plan 5 marks
(Who, What and When,)

Not ConsideredDefined but unclear.Defined Who and What communication will take place.Defined Who (most stakeholders), What and When (Frequency) communication will take place.Defined Who (all stakeholders- to receive and to communicate, When, What (all types of information) communication will take place. Forms / Templates are covered.
Task 2- Communication Plan 5 marks
Where, Why and How)

Not ConsideredDefined but unclear.Defined Where and How communication will take place.Defined Where (location of the meeting or other interactions), Why and How (method) communication will take place.Defined Where (clearly and appropriately states the location of the meeting or other interactions), Why(description), How (i.e. physical meeting, email, phone, message group, etc.) communication will take place. Forms / Templates are covered.
Task 2- Communication Plan Change Management (5 marks)Not ConsideredEscalation method is defined but unclearEscalation method is defined, but without process documentationEscalation method is defined including process documentation.Escalation method is defined including process documentation & Issue log template.

Requirements

Students are required to submit the range of documents describing their proposed project solution for the above tasks.

All referencing in the project material must be in accordance with the APA style guide. A guide to the A

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Explanation & Answer

Hey, please see the attached. Let me know if you want anything rectified. I am here to help😉

Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH CENTRE

Social Media Research Centre
Name
Institution
Course
Tutor
Date

1

SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH CENTRE

2

ADVANCE SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER PROJECT CHARTER
Project manager: Bruce Reid
Duration: A maximum of eight months
Budget: AUD 50000.00

INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this project charter is to highlight the significance of a preliminary research
website on information technology. The specific area of focus will be social media. The
objective will be to engage in a quality research, which will be guided by expected timelines for
the project. The cognizance of the vacuum in the area of the given research is due to the collapse
of the once existing research center that must be filled. This project is a consequence of a need
assessment. It provides an opportunity for the members to drive it forward. It is efficient and cost
effective.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The feasibility study shows the growing need for internet oriented researches in the area of
information technology. Technology is a fast advancing field and area of great scholarly
interests. Researches in social media are of particular interest. The once existing platform has
ceased to function yet there is growing number of Masters and PHD students. The supposition is
that there will always be demand in the use of technology. There is the expression that
technology is larger than life. It demonstrates how social media deeply influences people’s life.

SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH CENTRE

3

The key objectives will be:
1. To create a skeptical, critical and easier forms of using websites for quality
research.
2. To enhance quality and efficiency of research in social media in concurrence with
researchers that are focused on nature.
3. Finally to give the company a marked identity of distinction from other already
existing ones.
MEASURABLE ORGANIZATIONAL VALUE - MOV
Customer satisfaction is the most integral part of the research. The company intends to get
direct information from the general public on their personal satisfaction with products and
services that are offered.
Companies are capable of transacting sufficiently specifically when they have a unique identity
to sell. The operation of a business is the second key for this project. This is marred with the
maintenance of uniqueness as being of paramount significance.
Branding differentiates a winning business from others. This project will aim at ensuring the
marketing strategies to be deployed will highly benefit the research and the outcomes
specifically marketing through social media. Branding is not exactly a crucial part of the research
as it lies in the realm of a marketing department, however, it is apparent that the research can do
with the coherence of the entire organization.

SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH CENTRE

4

Financial stability of a company is ensured when there are smooth and successful operations of
business. This will be achieved after everything else has fallen into place. This includes the
mentioned critical items.
Social responsibility is the final stage of a successful business. A company will be able to
indulge in social corporate responsibility once financial stability has been achieved and there is
an existence of surplus that can be redirected to social causes such as conservation of the
environment and charitable trusts.
Quality and efficiency
Improving the efficiency of work and the quality of products and services will considerably
change the cause of the business. Customer satisfaction is an important aspect of any business,
whereas this will be achieved with better merchandise and faster service.
Business Metric
➢ Customer satisfaction and loyalty. Surveys will determine whether there are great
customer satisfaction and specific ways we can change tact in order to capture a vast
customer base.
➢ Productivity ratios. The company must gauge the capability of the staff in achieving the
company’s goals. In order to determine this, the departmental revenue of each department
will be divided by the number of the staff under it.
➢ Sales revenue. In order to increase the sale revenue, the company must consider to lower
its costs and increase its sales margin. This will include branding costs, price variation
and seasons. Branding is very important specifically when it comes to increasing the
sales. It is the key to increasing the revenue of the company.

SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH CENTRE

5

➢ Profit and loss per month. This measure can be controlled with the dutiful clearance of
monthly dues, rents and debts. This will curb overdue debts that may hinder the operation
of the business in the long run.
➢ Customer acquisition and retention. This pertains to branding and marketing. The
company will determine this metric by calculating the total acquisition cost by the
number of new customers.
ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA
Factors of comparison
There were already earlier providers in the same area hence there will be competition.
We stand the danger of being de-marketed. The Australian National University has already a
marked identity in the area. There is a danger of the company failing to pick. This has already
been demonstrated when a similar company ceased to function.
Deliverables of the project
The cost should be minimized whenever possible however a ...


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