PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT
Sample Assignment
Team members –
Change History:
Table of Contents
Globex Corporation – Project Charter & Management Plan. 2
Introduction. 2
About Globex Corporation. 2
Executive Summary of Project Charter. 2
Purpose of the project. 2
Business objectives of the project. 3
Scope Management. 3
Work breakdown structure. 4
Change control management. 4
Schedule/Time Management. 5
Cost/Budget Management. 5
Quality Management. 5
Human Resource Management. 6
Client resources. 6
Project team resources. 6
Communications Management. 6
Risk Management. 6
Risk rating. 6
Risk Mitigation. 7
Issue Management. 7
Procurement Management. 7
References. 8
The research project primarily aims to illustrate and explain the fact that project management strategies and tactics are not only for service based or technology based applications wherein the requirements are gathered, analyzed and then the team of members work on the development piece, test it and then delivers it to the client. The concept of project management is far wider than that wherein it encompasses various strategies required to deliver a project – be it in the field of construction, infrastructure, or any other labor extensive projects as well.
The current case example used for the project analysis is Globex Corporation; which is based out in the agricultural sector. The firm provides best in class solutions to farmers with an aim to better the existing agricultural infrastructure of the country. The sections below would discuss and deliberate on the key factors or implications that effective project management skills and acumen bring to the agricultural sector. (A. Al-Kharashi and M. Skitmore (2009))
As mentioned, the line of business for Globex Corporation is in the agricultural domain. The firm is a completely owned Australian company which specializes in providing customized solutions to the agricultural sector. The firm operates with the below mentioned goals –
The project charter, considered to be the bible of project execution & decision making, would have multiple factors of consideration related with agricultural solutions. Although the structure of the charter would be more or less on the similar lines; the implications of each of them would be different and customized to the agricultural sector. Amongst the sections with major modifications would be the delivery mechanisms, approval structure from government (as the intervention of government of agriculture is high), and more importantly on implementation strategy (i.e. how to encourage farmers to use the solutions). (J. Gonzalez, R. Sol ´ ´ıs, and C. Alcudia (2010))
The key objective of the project is to understand how project management planning & strategy enable better and prudent decision making in the agricultural sector by enhancing the yield of the farmers, at affordable rates and at the same time, does not have any adverse impact on the quality of the crops or on the environment at large.
In addition to this, the project also includes the implementation strategy as how to position the product or solution before the farmers and the agricultural department so that it gets the requisite approvals to be used across the country.
The list of activities which are in-scope and out of scope for the current project engagement are mentioned below for reference - (R. Singh (2009))
The work breakdown structure for an agricultural project is mentioned below for reference -
The figure introduces another aspect in the work breakdown for agricultural project i.e. the go to market strategy – the channels that farmers should ideally opt for in order to position their crops to the market in the best possible price.
Quite similar to most of the projects, ‘unfreezing’ and taking out the farmers from their previous processes and comfort zones is the toughest ask.
In order to do so, farmers should be communicated on the key improvements that can possibly come on using the new solution; and more importantly, the amount they are losing due to the inefficient system that they are following currently.
Budget management is an important aspect specifically for agricultural projects as the product or solution cannot be premium priced as the affordability of the product or solution needs to be taken into consideration as well. Therefore, a probable plan can be to divide the entire project into multiple phases and allocate cost or budget to individual line items. This would enable them to track the costs in a better manner, and flag immediately when there’s any deviation in plan.
Quality measurement in such cases can be done via referencing the below mentioned use cases –
There may be other factors as well; but the above three are the primary ones.
The communication management strategy can be two fold – firstly, internal communication between the team is quite similar to other businesses wherein the requirements, review etc. would flow in from managers to implementers while the other technical escalations and concerns would flow in the reverse direction. The project manager would be responsible for all external communications with farmers or agriculture department.
The issue management in the entire project happened via the usage of a tracker application (on the web) wherein the testing team logs defects after testing the application and the same gets assigned to a developer. The developer then fixes the issue and changes the status in the portal. The tester then tests the changes and finally closes the ticket.
In the context of agricultural products and solutions, the procurement management mainly deals with the raw materials required to plant and process crops, and ensure that the quality of the crops is not hampered.
J.Woodward (1997), Construction Project Management: Getting it Right First Time, Thomas Telford, London, UK.
CIOB (2002), Code of Practice for Project Management for Construction and Development, Chartered Institute of Building, Blackwell, Oxford, UK, 3rd edition.
Project Management Institute (2013), A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), Project Management Institute, Philadelphia, Pa, USA, 5th edition.
Association for Project Management (2012), APM Body of Knowledge, Association for Project Management, Buckinghamshire, UK, 6th edition.
For this assignment please contact us on www.punjabassignmenthelp.com or email at punjabassignment help@gmail.com
Team members –
| Name | Student Id | Role |
Change History:
| Date | Description of Change | Reason for change | Author of change | Version No. |
| Initial draft | 1 | |||
Table of Contents
Globex Corporation – Project Charter & Management Plan. 2
Introduction. 2
About Globex Corporation. 2
Executive Summary of Project Charter. 2
Purpose of the project. 2
Business objectives of the project. 3
Scope Management. 3
Work breakdown structure. 4
Change control management. 4
Schedule/Time Management. 5
Cost/Budget Management. 5
Quality Management. 5
Human Resource Management. 6
Client resources. 6
Project team resources. 6
Communications Management. 6
Risk Management. 6
Risk rating. 6
Risk Mitigation. 7
Issue Management. 7
Procurement Management. 7
References. 8
Globex Corporation – Project Charter & Management Plan
Introduction
The research project primarily aims to illustrate and explain the fact that project management strategies and tactics are not only for service based or technology based applications wherein the requirements are gathered, analyzed and then the team of members work on the development piece, test it and then delivers it to the client. The concept of project management is far wider than that wherein it encompasses various strategies required to deliver a project – be it in the field of construction, infrastructure, or any other labor extensive projects as well.
The current case example used for the project analysis is Globex Corporation; which is based out in the agricultural sector. The firm provides best in class solutions to farmers with an aim to better the existing agricultural infrastructure of the country. The sections below would discuss and deliberate on the key factors or implications that effective project management skills and acumen bring to the agricultural sector. (A. Al-Kharashi and M. Skitmore (2009))
About Globex Corporation
As mentioned, the line of business for Globex Corporation is in the agricultural domain. The firm is a completely owned Australian company which specializes in providing customized solutions to the agricultural sector. The firm operates with the below mentioned goals –
- Identify the market needs specifically those which are not fulfilled, and work towards fulfilling the same
- On-time delivery of services
- Provide consultancy on the best practices in terms of technical acumen to farmers and other agriculturists
- Environment friendly
Executive Summary of Project Charter
The project charter, considered to be the bible of project execution & decision making, would have multiple factors of consideration related with agricultural solutions. Although the structure of the charter would be more or less on the similar lines; the implications of each of them would be different and customized to the agricultural sector. Amongst the sections with major modifications would be the delivery mechanisms, approval structure from government (as the intervention of government of agriculture is high), and more importantly on implementation strategy (i.e. how to encourage farmers to use the solutions). (J. Gonzalez, R. Sol ´ ´ıs, and C. Alcudia (2010))
Purpose of the project
The key objective of the project is to understand how project management planning & strategy enable better and prudent decision making in the agricultural sector by enhancing the yield of the farmers, at affordable rates and at the same time, does not have any adverse impact on the quality of the crops or on the environment at large.
In addition to this, the project also includes the implementation strategy as how to position the product or solution before the farmers and the agricultural department so that it gets the requisite approvals to be used across the country.
Business objectives of the project
| Business Goal | Evidence of Goal achieved | |
| 1 | Higher productivity and performance output by farmers | Increased yield of crops with the same resources |
| 2 | Improved techniques of agriculture involving less manual labor | Increased yield, and quality of products |
| 3 | Mild on the environment | Measuring environment factors such as greenhouse emissions, carbon footprint and so on |
Scope Management
The list of activities which are in-scope and out of scope for the current project engagement are mentioned below for reference - (R. Singh (2009))
| In Scope | Includes |
| As-is analysis of the current agricultural processes | Insights on the agricultural process used by farmers listing down the manual labor and redundant steps and how can the same be avoided. |
| Identification of existing risks, and circumventing the same | Analysis of the key challenges faced by farmers in relation to growing their plantations and crops; and positioning or placing them in the market for sale |
| Customized solutions to better the existing yield of crops | Post understanding the key challenges and risks faced by farmers, designing a solution which could help alleviate the risk factors; and recommending them to use the same |
| Training of the new solutions | Once the solution is approved by the agricultural board, the next step is to train the farmers on how to best use the solutions to increase yield |
| Out of scope | Includes |
| Decision on which farmer should grow which crops | Although the effectiveness & efficiency of the agricultural solution would depend on the nature of crops grown; still the business would have no right to suggest farmers on the crops that they would grow in their farm |
| How much to price for their crops? | Advising farmers on the price they put on their crops is beyond the scope of this project |
Work breakdown structure
The work breakdown structure for an agricultural project is mentioned below for reference -
The figure introduces another aspect in the work breakdown for agricultural project i.e. the go to market strategy – the channels that farmers should ideally opt for in order to position their crops to the market in the best possible price.
Change control management
Quite similar to most of the projects, ‘unfreezing’ and taking out the farmers from their previous processes and comfort zones is the toughest ask.
In order to do so, farmers should be communicated on the key improvements that can possibly come on using the new solution; and more importantly, the amount they are losing due to the inefficient system that they are following currently.
Schedule/Time Management
| Project Milestone | Deliverable | Expected Date |
| Project start-up | Impact an status-quo analysis on the methods used in the agricultural sector | 2 months from the project initiation date |
| Solution planning | Understand the challenges and risk items associated; plan how to circumvent them and plan solutions for the same | 2 months post the completion of the first line-item |
| Solution prototype | Once the solution plan proposed is approved; the next step is to create a prototype of the project highlighting the working model | 6 weeks post the approval of the solution plan |
| Solution development | Post the approval of the solution prototype; the development phase starts wherein the actual solution is developed | 3 months or 1 quarter post the approval of the solution prototype |
| Training & development | Once the solution is developed and approved for usage, the farmers need to be trained on how to best use the solution | 2 months post the approval of the final solution |
Cost/Budget Management
Budget management is an important aspect specifically for agricultural projects as the product or solution cannot be premium priced as the affordability of the product or solution needs to be taken into consideration as well. Therefore, a probable plan can be to divide the entire project into multiple phases and allocate cost or budget to individual line items. This would enable them to track the costs in a better manner, and flag immediately when there’s any deviation in plan.
Quality Management
Quality measurement in such cases can be done via referencing the below mentioned use cases –
- Firstly, the solution must not increase the total cost of production for the farmers as that would cut the margin for them
- Quality of the product in terms of the impact of the solution on the nutritional value of the crops
- Impact on environment due to the solution
There may be other factors as well; but the above three are the primary ones.
Human Resource Management
Client resources
| Role | Name | Availability |
| Specialist (Agriculture dept.) | <add name of client manager> | 5 days a week (4 PM to 6 PM) |
| Farmers | <add name of user representative> | All working days in the second half |
Project team resources
| Role | Name | Timeframe |
| Project Manager | <add name of the team members> | Manager takes care of multiple agricultural projects at the same time; hence 30% of his bandwidth allocated to the project |
| Developers | <add name of the team members> | 100% of the bandwidth |
| Testers | <add name of the team members> | 100% of the bandwidth |
| SME | <add name of the team members> | Takes care of multiple engagement; hence 40% of his bandwidth allocated to this project |
Communications Management
The communication management strategy can be two fold – firstly, internal communication between the team is quite similar to other businesses wherein the requirements, review etc. would flow in from managers to implementers while the other technical escalations and concerns would flow in the reverse direction. The project manager would be responsible for all external communications with farmers or agriculture department.
Risk Management
Risk rating
| Id | Possible unwelcome event | Likelihood (L) (1, 2, 3) | Severity (S) (1, 2, 3) | Ranking (L*S) |
| 1 | Yield not up to mark | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Environment adversely impacted via the solution | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Usage of the solution increasing the overall cost of the products | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | The project team missing on the time schedules due to certain unforeseeable reasons | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Risk Mitigation
| Id | Event | Risk mitigation or contingency |
| 1 | Yield not up to mark | The solution must be built in phases and at the end of each phase, the impact on yield needs to be considered (both theoretically and practically) |
| 2 | Environment adversely impacted via the solution | Proper checks on the raw material and other procurement items that goes into the solution |
| 3 | Usage of the solution increasing the overall cost of the products | Proper checks on the raw material and other procurement items that goes into the solution |
| 4 | The project team missing on the time schedules due to certain unforeseeable reasons | Schedule checks and monitoring at the end of each phase |
Issue Management
The issue management in the entire project happened via the usage of a tracker application (on the web) wherein the testing team logs defects after testing the application and the same gets assigned to a developer. The developer then fixes the issue and changes the status in the portal. The tester then tests the changes and finally closes the ticket.
Procurement Management
In the context of agricultural products and solutions, the procurement management mainly deals with the raw materials required to plant and process crops, and ensure that the quality of the crops is not hampered.
References
- Al-Kharashi and M. Skitmore (2009), “Causes of delays in Saudi Arabian public sector construction projects,” Construction Management and Economics, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 3–23.
- Gonzalez, R. Sol ´ ´ıs, and C. Alcudia (2010), “Diagnostico sobre la ´ Planeacion y Control de Proyectos en las PYMES de Con- ´ struccion,” ´ Revista de la Construccion´ , vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 17–25.
- Marzouk, A. El-Dokhmasey, and M. El-Said (2008), “Assessing construction engineering-related delays: Egyptian perspective,” Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, vol. 134, no. 3, pp. 315–326.
- Singh (2009), “Cost and time overruns in infrastructure projects: extent, causes and remedies,” Working Paper 181, Department of Economics, University of Delhi, Nueva Deli, India.
J.Woodward (1997), Construction Project Management: Getting it Right First Time, Thomas Telford, London, UK.
CIOB (2002), Code of Practice for Project Management for Construction and Development, Chartered Institute of Building, Blackwell, Oxford, UK, 3rd edition.
Project Management Institute (2013), A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), Project Management Institute, Philadelphia, Pa, USA, 5th edition.
Association for Project Management (2012), APM Body of Knowledge, Association for Project Management, Buckinghamshire, UK, 6th edition.
- Liviu, E. Crisan, and I. Muresan (2010), “Best practices in project management,” Review of International Comparative Management, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 43–51.
For this assignment please contact us on www.punjabassignmenthelp.com or email at punjabassignment help@gmail.com
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