Assignment title: Management
ssessment item 2
Project Initiation
Value: 15%
Due date: 23-Dec- 2016
Return date: 19-Jan- 2017
Submission method options
Alternative submission method
Task
Various tasks as outlined below after the case background.
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 – Grand Wines
You are an employee of Grand Wines Ltd and project leader of a proposed project to equip each of
the company's 20 sales representatives with a wireless data entry device by which they could
instantly communicate customer orders to the company's central sales database in Sydney. The sales
representatives operate over all areas of NSW and service around 400 independent wine and liquor
stores in the state.
Currently, the sales representatives complete customer orders manually and after leaving a copy with
the customer, they forward the customer orders by mail or fax to the sales department in Sydney,
where the orders are entered into the sales database and processed through the inventory system for
shipment to the customer.
The problems with the current process are:
At least one-day is lost in supplying customers with products because of the delays in getting
orders into the system.
Sales representatives do not know the latest inventory position of their products when they
accept orders from the customer. Delays in delivery can result when orders are placed on
"back-order" because of a lack of stock.
Orders are often "lost" or entered into the sales database incorrectly through human error.
The sales representatives and many customers are dissatisfied with the current situation.
Competitive wine companies have improved their order systems and are outperforming Grand Wines
Ltd in terms of delivery speed, order accuracy, availability of ordered stock and overall customer
satisfaction.
Your CEO has stressed the importance of the project to the company and asked you to use your skills
as a project manager to make sure the project is successful by following the relevant project
management processes.
You have been assigned a project leader of this project. Your manager has given you guidance that
the project needs to be completed within 6 months and that costs should be minimised wherever
possible with given budget of AUD 60000.00.
Task 1: SWOT ANALSIS – 10 marks
Conduct SWOT analysis giving 5 points each for S, W,O,T as per descriptions below to help project
managers.
Task 2: Prepare Project Charter as per below template – 5 marks per topic – 30 marks
Template for Project Charter
Basic details Including: Title of the project, Name and email of the Project Manager(yourself),
Duration of the project, and High level budget
Project Objectives
o Clear, concise reasoning for why the project is being performed
o Clear, concise definition of what the project's activities will entail
o Brief description of primary deliverable(s)
o Clear description of the project's benefits to the organisation
o Recognition and description of any limits that the project will not cover and address
Acceptance Criteria
o Identification of specific factors against which the project can be compared to
determine success/failure
o Identification of specific deliverables not only for class, but for the project as a whole
o Agency-specific deliverables
o Inclusion of due dates for the deliverables
o Clear identification of milestone and milestone exit points
o Factors should include a specific metrical comparison
Assumptions and Constraints
o Any assumptions made during the course of the project
o List of constraints that entail the limitations that are required to be addressed
Stakeholder List
o 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
o Identification of pitfalls to be avoided, based on the student's past experience
o Evidence of thought as to what can and cannot affect the project in terms of how the
project will run
Charter Sign off
Task 3: 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 team members, and also to the agency sponsor and the class professor.
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 five 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
SWOT Analysis
o Strengths – what the organization currently has the capability to do well.
o Weaknesses – areas in which the organization is not competitive.
o Opportunities – possible things a project team can do for additional success.
o Threats – areas where outside competition may limit effectiveness.
o Each of these provides insight into the possible choices of projects as well as how to
structure each to capitalize on strengths and opportunities and to avoid or overcome
weaknesses and threats.
Project Charter
The criteria on the following page pertain to the charter. The PMPs judge each component on a five-
point scale.
STANDARDS
Criteria FL PS