a project introduction

“Project Overview: Describe and Justify the Project”

The idea will be a cultural festival. It is a celebration in which many of the world’s countries and cultures will be celebrated. - nation will be embodied by locals, and each participating country will have the opportunity to highlight its culture, customs, cuisine, dance, and music. It will provide students with an opportunity to learn more about life outside of the United Kingdom and the disparities between countries.

The Cultural Festival will last four days. The estimated attendance will be 2000 students

Planned activities will fall under these main departments (?):

Legal Contracts

Catering

Resources

Ticket Management

Entertainment

Set Up

Cleaning

^JUSTIFY WHY THE PROJECT IS GOOD!

Project Introduction: Describe the parent organization of your project

The chosen parent organisation for this project is the University of Sussex. The University of Sussex is a leading university in the United Kingdom. Its strategy is linked to

Project Introduction: Justify your project

^JUSTIFY WHY THE PROJECT IS GOOD IN REGARDS TO INFORMATION ABOUT THE PARENT ORGANISATION!

Project Introduction: List similar projects in the past

Project Stakeholders-

Identify key stakeholders of your project

Stakeholder

Power

Interest

Are they key?

Management plans about them

Students

High

High

xxx

University

High

High

xxx

University Societies

High

High

xxx

Staff

Low

Medium

xx

Merchants

Low

Low

x

Teachers

Low

Medium

xx

Develop a communication management plan for your project

Key stakeholder

Info needs

Info Value

Technology/method

Producer

Frequency

Students

Culture knowledge ；offer for amusement；volunteer opportunity

University

Fame；good publicity

University societies

publicity；new memberwant to join

staff

Culture knowledge ；offer for amusement；environment retention

Merchants

advertising chance；profit

Teachers

Culture knowledge ；offer for amusement；student interest

Plan for influencing your project stakeholders

Explain the origin of the core project team

Identify a project champion for your project

Project Scope

Defines a realistic project scope (i.e., includes a comprehensive WBS without any obvious omissions)? Full WBS included as an appendix?

Presents a clear and SMART project objective?

Defines the project’s key deliverables compatible with the project’s objective and also the excluded activities?

Develops the several DUMBS work packages?

Discusses some ways in which the project might suffer from scope creep and includes a reasonable exclusions list?

Outsources two work package using appropriate contract types?

Define a SMART project objective

We are going to do a cultural festival for our parent organization to make a profit of £1000. The festival will be held in Sussex University Library Square which will be attended by 2000 students on the 11th of January 2017 at 1.00pm-3.00pm to 14th of January 2017.

Scope Creep( EXPLAIN WHAT SCOPE CREEP IS)

A scope creep has been defined as changes which can be controlled or continuous or even uncontrolled growth that happen in the scope of a project that occurs once the project has begun (Dayal, 2008). Scope creep is considered risk in many projects and happens due to poor definition of the project, lack of clarity, weak project supervisor, unrealistic time frames, lack of proper documentation or poor control strategies (Kerzner, 2013). Scope creep represents an unexpected additional investment in not only money but also time due to a newly required effort as well as the need to redo work that is already completed (Kendrick, 2009).

How can you go off track and end up spending time and money on it? (Must be added to the project plan)

It is possible to go off-track and end up spending time and money on the scope creep. For example, if there is lack of clarity as well as depth on the initial specification document for the menu, a lot of time might be spending redoing the menu of food that has already been paid. It is important to be on how many people will attend the function and the nature of the cuisines that will be needed during the event. Scope creep might also result in an unrealistic timeframe. For example, time might want to be supplied with certain cuisines which might require more time on the part of the catering company. Other issues such renting traditional clothes for each country as well as dancers ought to be inquired in advance. Some of the clothes might need to be sourced from far, or the dancers might have to rehearse for some days before the event.

NAME THREE THINGS THAT COULD SUFFER FROM SCOPE CREEP.(EXPLAIN HOW)

These can make us go off budget.

CATERING

Catering can lead to a scope creep if activities are not planned in advance to avoid uncertainties associated with costs. While the project team may prepare a good plan on paper, it may be difficult to implement if issues such as specific cuisines, costs, and the catering company are not known with certainty. Therefore, it might require that the team contact the catering company in advance.

MARKETING

Marketing ought to be planned in advance. The scope of the marketing should be defined including the most cost-effective ways. For example, social media might be free and effective, but the team might choose other expensive methods.

ENTERTAINMENT

While entertainment is one of the most critical requirements, it might cost more if the team does not inquire in advance. The cost is not the same for all the entertainers. The entertainers might have packages for entertainment, and the team might have budgeted for a basic entertainment which they might adjust the budget to get what they desired. Additionally, the entertainer might also need to be informed in advance to prepare for the event and not short notice.

Create phased deliverables

Are the main breakdown of the scope in order of the time to do them in. (Main things that the project needs to create or change over time.

OUR PHASED DELIVERABLES

LEGAL CONTRACTS

CATERING

RESOURCES

MARKETING

TICKET MANAGEMENT

ENTERTAINMENT

SET UP

CLEANING

Define DUMB work packages( MUST HAVE AT LEAST 40 PACKAGES)

De Furia (2008) defined work package as an element of work that can be finished in a period of 40 to 80 hours. It is interchangeably used with the terms “activity” and ”work.” Every work package has an individual assigned to perform the tasks.

Forms of the lowest level in WBS represents a unit of work at the level where the work is performed.

UNDER PHASED & DUMB WE CAN PUT A SCREEN SHOT OF THE SPREADSHEET.

List key scope exclusions

A list of things that is relevant but excluded work so that the client knows.

1. Have no alcohol

2. Not allowed to buy the camera or clothes.

Outsource some work packages(EXPLAIN WHAT OUTSOURCE MEANS)

Outsourcing has been defined as a practice where an individual or company is contracted or subcontracted to provide certain services, performs tasks, or manufactures products for another individual or company (Kleindienst, 2016). The outsourced functions are either usually done in-house. In this case, the outsourced services would include entertainment from the dancers and music, catering, photography, clothing, tents, and chairs.

1. Catering

2. Rent of the cameras/ clothings/tents/chairs

Project Schedule-Sharmin

Estimate the duration of each work package

The most important package is in the legal contract phase which is asking Sussex University for permission which can take up to seven days to get a answer from the parent organisation, this is because we will need to fill out a form and it will go through a administration process.

We are going to estimate every work package in days to give us accurate time scale. (See Appendix 1)

Asking the sponsor for money and getting the venue will take five days each as we will have to ask and get final confirmation contracts.

Calling the catering company and asking for the different food and cutlery will take one day, however making the reservation will take two days as this will need to be confirmed by the team.

Selling ticket will take the longest as we will be selling it as long as we can to get the most profit and customer, roughly will be selling for 14 days.

Making and printing and putting up posters will take about 5 days altogether.

Cleaning work packages will be done at the end of the festival and will take 1 day.

Define the dependencies of all work packages

Mandatory Project Dependencies are those that are legally or contractually required, in our project we have legal mandatory dependence which contains work packages such as , asking for permission of parent organisation and asking for money off our sponsors which both will have a contract. Our discretionary dependencies are ticket management and marketing as they should be done so that we can sell the tickets and make posters before the festival to make profit due to experiences from previous projects. Our external dependency is the catering as they will make the food and deliver it to us on the day, we will have no control on the quality of the food.(See Appendix 1)

Schedule the work packages and identify the critical path

The ones highlighted red indicate critical path which has zero slack and if we do not do these work packages in time it can delay the whole project which will have significant impact on time and cost. It will mean we will not be able to do the next work package until the first one is done. The ones in blue and orange is known as a slack which provides a buffer. The amount of time that a work package (WP) in a project can be delayed without causing a delay to subsequent WPs or project completion date.This means that the work package isn’t that important and that we can find another alternative or it can be done on another day.(See Appendix 1)

Project Budget-

Plan outgoing cash for your project

Determine cost reserves for your project

Plan incoming cash for your project

Analyse the cash flow of your project

Analyse the financial performance of the project

Project Risk Management-

Identify key risk factors in your project

Risk factors are things that might of wrong in the project which can cause risk events which will affect one project objective such as time, cost, scope or quality. Ignored risks might lead to project failure and blame. We will use PESSTEL to identify risk in our WBS.

Numbers

Risk Factors/ Event

Likelihood

Impact

Impact Potential= Likelihood x Impact

1

Weather (wind/rain) ruining the tents

(2+2+4+3)=2.75

(3+3+3+3)=3

2.75 x 3=8.75

2

Outsider disrupting the festival

(2+3+2+2)=2.25

(3+2+2+2)=2.25

2.25 x 2.25=4.5

3

Fire is caused by the electric wires.

(2+2+1+2)=1.75

(4+4+5+5)=4.5

1.75 x 4.5=7.9

4

Food poisoning

(2+2+2+2)=2

(3+3+2+2)=2.5

2 x 2.5=5

5

Not many people attending the festival

(2+2+2+2)=2

(3+3+4+4)=3.5

3 x 3.5=7

6

Too many people attending the festival

(2+3+3+2)=2.5

(3+3+2+3)=2.75

2.5 x 2.75=6.9

7

Not enough staff

(2+2+1+2)=1.75

(2+2+4+3)=2.75

1.75 x 2.75=4.8

8

Transport causing people to be late or not come

(3+4+3+2)=3

(3+2+2+2)=2.25

3 x 2.25=6.75

9

Not enough food for everyone that attended

(3+3+3+2)=2.75

(1+3+2+2)=2

2.27 x 2=5.5

10

People trying to steal the rented/hired items such as cameras

(3+2+2+2)=2.25

(4+3+3+3)=3.25

2.25 x 3.25=7.3

11

Student timetable clash with the festival

(3+2+2+2)=2.75

(2+2+2+2)=2

2.72 x 2 =5.5

Analyze the impact potential (risk exposure) of the identified risk factors

Risk analysis consists of assessing each risk factor/risk event based on its likelihood and consequence so that they can be prioritised. 20% or risks are likely to cause 80% of delays and over-run also projects have limited resources. We will be using Risk Impact Matrix, impact potential can be calculated for each risk factor in a project. Having a numeric system to of 1 being low to 5 being high on the risk matrix will help to prioritise which risks deserve attention and response. Looking at the table above our two main risks factors are weather ruining the tents at 8.75 and electric wires causing a fire at 7.9 by using Impact potential (risk exposure) = Likelihood × Impact.

Plan risk mitigation strategies for top risks

Risk mitigation is to reduce the likelihood that the risk event will occur and reduce the impact of the risk event on the project. In our project the the top two risks are weather and fire caused by electric wires. For weather ruining our project we can not have the festival outside but rather in a hall at the university or have a marquee. We can also check the weather forecast beforehand. We can have umbrellas available for customers or have everyone wear a raincoat. As for the electric wires causing a fire we have water proof covers over the wires and not have them exposed and have them hidden. We can have someone in charge to look out for the wires. We will also have health and safety regulations.

Project Execution, Control, Closure and Evaluation-

Plan coordination of key integration points in the project

One of the most important integration points in the project is ‘Setting up’. It is an integration point which brings together the activities from the ‘Resources’ work package (getting the tents, booths and the photography company) and the ‘Catering’ work package (reserving the food). These resources and reservations should be available on the day

Integration point: Setting up

What are the things that have to be integrated: Resources and Catering

Coordination plan: making sure that all resources and catering are available on the day.

Plan key progress control tollgates

When is it: Day 15

How progress is going to be measured: Milestone

Decision:

If all the work packages are complete then the project can be continued

If the one or more of the work packages is yet to be complete, the decision is

either to delay or kill the project

Plan for evaluating and demonstrating project success

How success is going to be demonstrated:

-number of guests turned up (approx 2000 people)

-Reaching the suggested profit (1000 Pounds)

-Was it on time

Plan for evaluation:

-Guests: check number of tickets sold

-Profit: compare budget with profit and loss accounts

-Time: make sure all milestones are reached, check if the festival started and ended at the exact timing intended at the beginning of the project.

References

Bénaud, C-L., & Bordeianu, S. (1998).Outsourcing Library Operations in Academic Libraries: An Overview of Issues and Outcomes. Englewood: Libraries Unlimited.

Dayal, S. (2008). Earned Value Management Using Microsoft Office Project: A Guide for Managing any Size Project Effectively. J Ross publishing.

De Furia, G.L. (2008). Project Management Recipes for Success. London: CRC Press.

Kendrick, T. (2009). Identifying and Managing Project Risk: Essential Tools for Failure-Proofing Your Project. New York, NY: AMACOM

Kerzner, H. (2013). Project Management Metrics, KPIs, and Dashboards: A Guide to Measuring and Monitoring Project Performance. John Wiley & Sons.

Kleindienst, B. (2016). Outsourcing Engineering Activities. Analysis and Improvement of the Process. Grin Verlag.