PM665Project Management Capstone

Project Charter/Project Management Plan

Project Name

Your Name

Date

Table of Contents

Table of Contents PAGEREF _Toc468360063 h 2

1.0 Project Initiating PAGEREF _Toc468360064 h 3

1.1 Project Charter PAGEREF _Toc468360065 h 3

1.1.1 Justifying the Project PAGEREF _Toc468360066 h 3

1.1.2 Aligning the Project to the Organizational Strategy PAGEREF _Toc468360067 h 3

1.1.3 Identification of Stakeholders PAGEREF _Toc468360068 h 3

2.0 Project Planning PAGEREF _Toc468360069 h 4

2.1 Defining the Scope PAGEREF _Toc468360070 h 4

2.2 Work Breakdown Structure PAGEREF _Toc468360071 h 4

2.3 Project Schedule PAGEREF _Toc468360072 h 4

2.4 Project Budget PAGEREF _Toc468360073 h 4

2.5 Communications Matrix PAGEREF _Toc468360074 h 4

2.6 Risk Identification PAGEREF _Toc468360075 h 4

3.0 Project Executing PAGEREF _Toc468360076 h 5

3.1 Quality Assurance Tools and Techniques PAGEREF _Toc468360077 h 5

3.2 Managing the Project Team PAGEREF _Toc468360078 h 5

3.3 Procurements PAGEREF _Toc468360079 h 5

3.4 Managing Stakeholder Engagement PAGEREF _Toc468360080 h 5

4.0 Project Monitoring and Controlling PAGEREF _Toc468360081 h 6

4.1 Cost Control PAGEREF _Toc468360082 h 6

4.2 Risk Control PAGEREF _Toc468360083 h 6

5.0 Project Closing PAGEREF _Toc468360084 h 7

5.1 Project Finalization PAGEREF _Toc468360085 h 7

5.2 Closing Procurements PAGEREF _Toc468360086 h 7

6.0 Program Management and Emerging Trends PAGEREF _Toc468360087 h 8

6.1 Letter to Senior Management PAGEREF _Toc468360088 h 8

6.2 Program Management PAGEREF _Toc468360089 h 8

6.3 Emerging Trends PAGEREF _Toc468360090 h 8

References PAGEREF _Toc468360091 h 9

Appendix PAGEREF _Toc468360092 h 10

1.0 Project Initiating

1.1 Project Charter

1.1.1 Justifying the Project

1.1.2 Aligning the Project to the Organizational Strategy

1.1.3 Identification of Stakeholders

2.0 Project Planning

2.1 Defining the Scope

2.2 Work Breakdown Structure

2.3 Project Schedule

2.4 Project Budget

2.5 Communications Matrix

2.6 Risk Identification

3.0 Project Executing

3.1 Quality Assurance Tools and Techniques

The project will involve several quality assurance tools and techniques.This will ensure that the project carries out all the required quality requirements. It will help ensure that the project does not land into issues with the respective authorities.Some of the quality assurancetools and techniques that wewill carry out are quality audits,process analyses and quality management tools.

Quality Audits

The project will have quality audits.The quality audits will be carried out both by a team of internal auditorsand external auditors.The quality audits will be carried out by an internal audit department thatwill specificallyhave that as their main duty and responsibility.Quality audits will always have to be carried out. This is to help ensure that the project is following all the requirements that it should have this type of a project. It will therefore keep the project from landing into issues with the authorities and probably be kicked out of the market.

For the external quality audit, we shall outsource quality auditors from R & S Company Limited.They shall provide us with a team of four auditors fromtheir company. This will audit our firm. They will audit each and every department of the project’s department. They will check in everystandard required to be followed by the project is followed.They will check if the standards are followed as they should be and report any weaknesses that are seen in any standards that are supposed to be followed by the project.They will also advice on how the weaknesses noted in following the standards are supposed to be done for improvement.They may also decide to offer some training on how the work is supposed to be carried out.This will help to ensure that the project performs very well, free of any issues from the authorities arising from failure to follow the provided standards.

Internal auditors will also play part inperforming quality audits.They willalways check to ensure that the standards required to be carried out and the requirements for ISO certification are carried out. They will also ensure that the project has all the standards followed to the core. They will point out any issues or weaknesses of the standards regarding how the company carries them out and advice on improvement.

Process Analyses

Process analyses areanother quality assurance tool that we shall incorporate in the project.The project will have diagrammatic illustration of how the project is progressing. This shall be shown in each and every stage of the project.

Process Stage Risk assessment

Initial StageLow risk

Planning StageLow medium

Execution StageHigh medium

Implementation stageHigh medium

Monitoring and Reviewing stageLow medium

Quality Management Tools

I shall also use several quality management tools to perform quality analysis for the project.

Some of the quality management tools that I shall incorporate in the project include check sheet, control chart, flow chart,and cause and effect diagram.

3.2 Managing the Project Team

For the project to be very successful, it has to have a perfect team workand ability. I will therefore need to manage the teamprofessionally so that it comes out very strong and successful.To make my project team very successful, I will use several techniques as follows.

Empowering the team– i will impact them with positive energy that will help them create a very positive attitude for the project. As a lead, I will have to lead with examples. I will myself have a greatattitude for the project.I will show them how great value theyare adding to the project and how important they are.I will also let them take part in decision making. Through this, they will know that they are valued and that their opinion matters alot.Every opinion shall be respected and looked into.We shallalso be holding debates to have people brainstorm each other and this will help come up with the best strategies and ideas for the project.It will motivate people to do their best for the project with the best attitude.Doing this will help have a great team that is united to make the project prosperous.

Proper communication–I will ensure that the team gets proper and timely communication suing the set communication matrix. During our meetings, I will also ensure that I pass all the information that is required.Urgent communication may have to be communicated using cellphones.This will help ensure that the information gets to the intended receiver as promptly as possible so that they can execute the actions as demandedor required.

Appreciation of good work by the team–appreciating the team either materially or by word of mouth I of great help.It makes themembers to know that their work is appreciated.This therefore motivates them to even work harder and give the project their best.Also appreciating a particular team is also good.They will know that their work is ofgreat valueand therefore get motivated to work harder.

Holding team building programs– I will also organize team building programs for the company. In these programs, I will organize these programs during the weekends, whereby we will go to the field and play, for instance, compete to see who plays bets. Inthis case, the subordinates will have equal interaction with the directors. Therefore, theywill therefore bridge that gap that exists between the subordinates and the directors.SO when they go back to work, at least they will be able to approach the directors without the fear that they usually have. This willalsohelp the team to become stronger and united.It will help the members to interact and know each other so that when they go back to work, they will be able to work even better with the recognition that they are team working towards a common goal.

Conflict handling for the team

Conflicts are bound to occur while working with a number of staff in the project.It is therefore very important that there exist a set of strategies to resolve these issues.The strategies have to be very good to ensurethat at the end of it, the parties involved in the conflict come together in agreement and agree to continue to work together and in unity for the success of the project.Incase of conflict that I need to solve, I will first ensure a peaceful relationship and a good environment for solving the problems.With an open mind, I will listen to both sides of the conflict.After that, I will collect information regarding the particular conflict, while at the same time trying to establish the root cause of the conflict.I will therefore pin point the problem and ensure that every party to the conflict assents to it.I will let them ignore individualinterest and come together to solve the solution for the betterment of the company.While trying to find a solution, I will brainstorm the parties to the conflict to bring their suggestions on the solution.This is very important since it will help the participants to feel like they are part of the solution. We will record all the ideas, be open-minded and take the best solution that will besthelp solve the problem for the betterment of running the project.

3.3 Procurements

There are particular items we will need to purchase for the completion of the project.We willseek the best suppliers with the best quality of goods at fairprices.

Supply of Stationery

We shall require a company to supply us with stationery.This will include pens, books, notebooks, and any other form ofstationery.Crane & Co. will supply us with stationery that we need.We choose this company because its stationery is of proper quality and also because it has offered fair prices to supply us the stationery at fair prices.It will be supplying these goods whenever we run out of stationery.They shall also be delivering this stationery whenever we need it.

Printing Services

We shall also outsource printing services. We will, for instance, need to print our designed questionnaires.These we can have another company that is offering at fair prices of printing print for us.Once we design out questionnaires, Archives Printing Company will print for us and deliver the questionnaires to our office premises.For other printing services such as printing leaflets with our project information with , they will print and bring them to our office premises.They will also design the leaflets and brochures for us, so the only thing we need to do is give them the information that we suggest should be included in the brochures and / or leaflet.

Transportation and Logistic

To visit several companies in several towns and cities for the sake of collecting the information required for our project, we shall seek a logistics company to offer the services to us.Sanjay Logistics Company will supply these services to us. Whenever we need to travel to a particular place, Sanjay Logistics Company will be the one to supply us with the services.

3.4 Managing Stakeholder Engagement

Managing stakeholder engagement is very important to the project.A stakeholder management plan is very important for every for this project. There are several stakeholder engagement levels.The stakeholder management plan shall include these levels of stakeholder engagement.

Neutral– These are the stakeholders that know about the project but are neither resistant nor supportive to the project.These are mostly people of high hand and influential.Here, there should be commitment towards making these stakeholders move to a better level.

Leading–These are stakeholders that know about the project and are committed to see it do well.(Creswell, 2013)

Supportive –These know about the project and are flexible and willing to adopt changes that come up. It is good that every stakeholderinhibits this level.

Resistant–The stakeholders in this level of project engagement level know about the project and its merits, but are resistant to change.

Unaware–Stakeholders in this level of engagement are not aware of the project. They need to be trained on the project and told the advantages.

4.0 Project Monitoring and Controlling

4.1 Cost Control

Cost control is very important to this project. It will help that that cost are well controlled and are spent well within the project activities.

Earned Value Management

The projectwill use earned value management toassess its progress. This will also be used to measure the performance of the project. The performance will be done relative to the cost of the project, the costs and the time.The earned project management will also provide the predetermined issues that are negatively affecting the project.Through this, we shall be able to know how the project is fairing on and the issues or problems it is currently facing or the ones it might face. For instance, the graph below illustrates he earned value management(Creswell, 2013)

PLANNED VALUE

LEVEL OF

WORK DONEACTUAL VALUE

Jul.Aug.Sept

TIME

Project Management Software

We shall also use a project management software to monitor ourproject. It shall also help us to control costs.A project management software will be very important and especially for this project. This is because it will help control the way he budget assigned for the project will be spent.One big merit of project management software is that it is accurate and faster. It is also less cumbersome since it is not manual.A project management software will therefore be used to ensure a proper control of the projects.

Reserve Analyses

We shall also use reserve analyses for the project. This will enable us provide forcontingentfor inadequate skilled labor in a particular technology.It will create buffers depending on the level of risk involved. There are some risks in the projects that are not yet identified. The reserve analyses will provide for such risk, so that the project does not come crumbling down once such risks come up.We shall therefore incorporate reserve analyses for our project to help in monitoring and controlling the project(Creswell, 2013)

4.2 Risk Control

Risk control is very important to any project. It will help ensure thatrisks that come up are easily curbed and therefore do not get into the project and affect it negatively. The methods that I will use for the risk control are as follows:

Risk audits

The project will be subject to risk audits. The internal auditors and external auditors will perform the risk audits. The internal auditors, who are responsible for performingaudits internally, willcheck to see the level of risk that the firm is exposed to.It should detect the risk that is facing the project. Theseforms of risk may be financial or even technical.Once they detect any risk for the project, they will communicate and then using the policies on dealing with risks, we will deal with it accordingly.Our external auditors willalso audit the risks that are related to our project and alert us in case of any.They will also offer their advice on how to deal with the riskalongside using out model to deal with the risks accordingly.

Variance Analysis

Variance is also a measure that we will use to measure the level of risk for the project. It will help us control risk. If the level of variation from the required amount is greater, then it means that the project is more risky n advice versa.Therefore, we shall analyze the variances for different figure and be able to knowwhere there is more risk and eventually control it.Once we come across figures that have a smaller variance, then it will mean that the level of risk is low.Therefore, this may require method of controlling risk that is not as serious. For instance, such risk may just be avoided or even retained.

Reserve Analysis

Reserve analysis may also be used to control risk.It will involve predetermining problems that may arise from a particular department or even the project. It also involves setting upbuffers or provision for risks that may occur, so that once they occur, one may be able to handle them better and more reliably.This method of risk control is very reliable,effective and efficient.That is why we have to use it in our analyses.

Meetings

We shall also use meetings to control risk. We shall be meeting weekly to discuss how the project is fairing on and the risks that may be preventing the project from running swiftly.Members shall outline the challenges that they are facing in implementing the project.The whole team shall then brainstorm for ideas that will enable us to come up with strategies to control and avoid the risks, while coming up also with strategies to deal with the risks in the case that they become severe.

Risk Reassessment

We shall also be performing risk reassessment for our project.During this process, we shall eliminate the risks that no longer face the company and those that do not threaten the project any more.We shall also assess how the current risk isaffecting the project and any changes that need to be done for the project, for instance, new ways of handling the current risks.We shall also update our list of risks facing the company.We shall include in the list the new risk facing the company and the best proposed ways of handling them.(Project Management Institute 2013).

References

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches(4th ed.). [Couresmart version]. Retrieved from http://wow.coursesmart.com/9781452226101

Project Management Institute. (2013). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (5th ed.). [Coursesmart version]. Retrieved from http://wow.coursesmart.com/9781935589815/?CSTenantKey=coloradotech&spid