Project Management: Characteristics, Integration, Scope, Budget, Risks, Quality, Gantt Chart, Project Life Cycle

This assignment covers the key characteristics of a project, the importance of integration management, scope statement and work breakdown structure, approaches to generate a project budget, identification of project risks and responses, quality methods, Gantt chart plotting, and project life cycle stages. It also focuses on a refurbishment project of University of Sunderland handled by Project-Xperts-20.

Project

Table of Contents
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1. Key characteristics of any project............................................................................................1
1b. Discussion of the importance of integration management in Project Management setting. .1
2. Scope of statement for a project and role of work breakdown structure have in the statement
.....................................................................................................................................................2
3. Approaches that exist to generate a budget for a specific project budget................................2
4. Identification of different types of project risks and outlining of different responses which
could be focused to overcome two of the risks............................................................................2
5. The quality method which should be introduced to ensure that project is successfully
completed.....................................................................................................................................3
6. Plotting a Gantt chart and identification of the critical path along with analysis of the days
in which the project will be completed........................................................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................3
Life cycle states of the project.....................................................................................................3
Processes which will be undertaken............................................................................................7
Management and Control problems associated with the project.................................................7
Possible actions which could be taken to achieve the set goals on time.....................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Managing projects can be defined as the process of formulating effective strategies to
complete a project successfully. It is very important for managers to be aware of all the major
steps which are required to followed to complete a project as it is essential to meet the goals. If
the managers are not able to take appropriate actions to complete a project in the predetermined
time limit then it may lead them towards failure (Bao, Shi and Kalra, 2017). This assignment is
segregated in two parts. First task is based upon basic terminology of project management.
Second task of the report is based upon a refurbishment project of University of Sunderland. This
project will be handled by Project-Xperts-20 which is a company working of such projects. This
report covers various topics such as characteristics of project, scope statement, approaches to
prepare budget, quality methods, formulation of Gantt chart etc. Additionally, all the stage of
project life cycle, processes to be undertaken, management and control related problems along
with the actions to complete the project in set time limit are also covered in it.
TASK 1
1. Key characteristics of any project
Following are some of the main characteristics of a project:
 Project scope: It defines the elements that are covered by the project.
 Resources: The sources which could be used to meet the scope.
 Time: The period which will be required to complete all the tasks.
 Quality: The deviation or spread which is allowed from a desired standard.
1b. Discussion of the importance of integration management in Project Management setting
In the setting of project management integration management is very important. With the
help of it all the skills, knowledges, processes, methods and experiences could be applied to the
project to meet its predetermined goals successfully. It can also help to tale control over all the
activities that are performed to meet the deadlines (Brandon and Guimaraes, 2016). Integration
management guides to make sure that all the elements which are required to complete the project
successfully are coordinated with each other or not.
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2. Scope of statement for a project and role of work breakdown structure have in the statement
Statement for a project is very useful and important project as it outlines the deliverables
of the project and help in the identification of key success factors, constraints and assumptions.
Work break down structure plays a very important role in it as it helps to analyse that all the
planned activities will be performed in systematic manner or not. In such type of statement, it is
essential to identify the resources that will be needed to meet the predetermined goals.
3. Approaches that exist to generate a budget for a specific project budget
Two different types of approaches are used to create a budget for project. Both of them
are described below:
Top-down approach: Under this approach the cost of whole project is decided and the
amount between all the work packages in divided (Caizzi, Young and Zellner, 2017).
Bottom-up approach: While using this approach to create a budget the cost of project is
estimated with the help of rolling up and lowest-level work packages.
4. Identification of different types of project risks and outlining of different responses which
could be focused to overcome two of the risks
The risks which are associated with a project are described below:
Scope: When the scope and objectives of the project are not clearly stated or defined to
the individuals who are working for it then this type of risk may take place.
Schedule: When the predetermined schedule for all the activities of project is not
followed then it may result in this issue.
Resource: If there is a shortage of resources which are required for completion of project
successfully then this risk takes place.
Technology: All the defects in systems, used devices and equipment may create the risk
of technology as it results in failure of service.
Following steps could be taken to reduce resource and scope risk:
 Scope risk could be reduced if the manager will define and state the scope clearly at the
initiation stage.
 In order to reduce the resource risk, the managers are required to make sure that they are
having all the resources which are required to meet the project goals (Edwards, Serra and
Edwards, 2019).
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5. The quality method which should be introduced to ensure that project is successfully
completed
Project monitoring is the main quality method which will be introduced to ensure the
project is successfully completed. Main reason for using it is that it can help to evaluate that the
quality which is required for the project is appropriate or not. With the help of it, risks or
mistaken that are made while completing the project could also be identified.
6. Plotting a Gantt chart and identification of the critical path along with analysis of the days in
which the project will be completed
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Total days to complete the project = 217 days (31 weeks * 7 days per week)
TASK 2
Life cycle states of the project
Project Xperts 20 which is a project management company has been awarded the contract
to refurbish the three floors of the University of Sunderland London Campus. These are ground,
first and second floor. The libraries, classrooms and lecture theatres will be refurbished under the
contract which is acquired by the organisation. The project manager of it is responsible to head
the whole project and handle the team which will be working on it. All the work of
refurbishments of classrooms and lecture theatres will be made by keeping in mind that gadgets
for contemporary learning are required to be incorporated. These are smart bards, interactive
gadgets etc. Apart from this the project manager is also responsible to make sure that the
problem of the noise produced by passing DLR trains in the building could be dealt or resolved
permanently. The specifications of project are installing 20 new workstations on the second floor
of building and 5 new work stations to complement the existing ones so that it can help the
students to search jobs for themselves without any difficulty. For the completion of the project,
project life cycle will be focused by the manager (Five phases of project lifecycle, 2020). There
are five different stages of it which are described below in detail:
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(Illustration 01: Five phases of project lifecycle, 2020)
(Source: Five phases of project lifecycle, 2020)
Project initiation: It is the first phase of the project management in which the project
manage will be responsible to measure the value and feasibility of the project. In order to
complete the project Sun-Project 20X20 the manager will be responsible to make sure that all the
arrangements are made at this stage. It will help to make sure that the project is completed in the
predetermined time limit. The business case document is created at this stage. It covers the
information of all the key elements of project. It determines the scope or object, funds needed,
quality focuses etc. The scope of project is performing all the activities properly so that it can
help to meet the targeted deadlines. The funding which is provided by University of Sunderland
in London is 8 million pounds. The duration of the project is 2 years which means the
organisation will be required to complete it in 24 months. All the assumptions and the
estimations which will be made for the project by managers will be according to the duration. All
the major needs of the project are being justified by the manager. The main requirements of it are
skilled employees, funds, proper planning and control etc.
Apart from this, feasibility study in context of the project is also conducted by the
management. According to it, the main goals of the Sun-Project 20X20 is to meet the expectation
of the client which is University of Sunderland (Feise, von Hatzfeldt Trachenberg and Maria,
2019). The time required for the project is 2 years and the resources which are needed to start the
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work are monetary resources and skilled labour. The manager also decided to formulate different
teams which will be working on the project so that all the deadlines could be met. The
stakeholders which are defied by the manager are the board of directors of university, staff
members who will be working on the project etc. At the initiation stage risks are also required to
be identified. The major one which may affect the Sun-Project 20X20 is technology because the
duration of project is very long and, in this duration, various changes in technology may take
place. In order to deal with it, the organisation is required to be aware of all the latest trends in
the technologies which will be used to refurbish class rooms, lecture theatres etc.
Project planning: It is the second phase of project life cycle which is also required to be
focused by the managers as they have to plan for performing all the future activities. It is one of
the crucial processes in project management. The manager who will be working on Sun-Project
20X20 will be responsible to document all the plans and define all the requirements so that all of
them could be fulfilled and deadlines could be met. The project manage of the project will be
responsible to make sure that effective plans to meet the deadline and the predetermined goals
are formulated (Hass, 2017). All these plans will be beneficial to implement all the strategies
which are required to accomplish the goals successfully. Some of the plans which are made by
the manager of Sun-Project 20X20 are measuring quality of work every month, checking
availability of resources on regular basis, monitoring that all the activities are performed in set
time limit etc. All these plans are made to make sure that the whole project is completed properly
and able to meet the desired objectives. If the management will not be able to form effective
plans then it will affect the successful completion of project.
Apart from this, the managers also allocate responsibilities to all the staff members so
that they can contribute in the success of project. At this stage, all the managers will guide teams
to perform specific tasks which are required to be performed by them and inspire them to work
effectively. Additionally, the specific leadership style which will be followed by them during the
project will also be selected at this stage. The best suitable mode of supervision is autocratic in
this type of project as the number of labours will be very high as compare to the supervisors. If
democratic leadership will be followed then it may result in delay because there will be end
number of opinions from which the managers will have to select one therefore autocratic style of
supervision will be the best suitable for the project (Marnewick and Marnewick, 2019).
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Project execution: When all the plans are formulated by the managers then it is the next
stage where they implement them so that the goals could be met successfully. It is the most
commonly associated stage with the project management. If the managers are not able to handle
it properly then it will be very difficult for them to meet the long-term goals that are required to
be accomplished. Main objective of this stage is to build deliverables which can satisfy the
customer or client for whom the project is being completed. The project manager of Sun-Project
20X20 will allocate the resources to different activities which are required to be completed to
meet the deadlines. Here, the team leaders will also make sure that that responsibilities to all the
employees to work on the project are allocated systematically or not. Main responsibility of the
managers is to make sure that all the labours are focussed with the tasks that are assigned to
them. This stage relay upon the planning stage of the plans are well structured ad properly
formulated then it will be very easy to execute them (Medina, 2018). On the other hand, if the
plans are confusing and not well defined then it will be very difficult to execute them as the staff
members will not have knowledge to perform them. The managers will assign tasks to all the
employees, measure their performance, analyse the quality of work and progress on regular basis
etc. All of them will be performed to make sure that all the goals are met successfully.
Project control: It is forth stage of project life cycle where the main responsibility of
managers is to take control over all the activities so that possibility of failure could be reduced.
Control could be part of execution sometimes because they often occur at the same time. For
example, if the manager will execute the plans then it will be very important to monitor the
progress. As there are various plans which were formulated by the managers and they executed
the same so it is the responsibility of them to make sure that they are controlling them. While
working on Sun-Project 20X20 it will be essential for project manager to make sure that the
plans are under control. In order to guarantee the delivery of project successfully it is essential to
make sure that teams are performing their work appropriately. Apart from this, the managers are
also responsible to take appropriate actions to control the unfavourable situations of the risks
such as technology change. Proper focus on this stage can help to keep the project moving ahead
successfully and smoothly. Here, the project manager of Sun-Project 20X20 will make sure that
all the risks are dealt properly and if any activity is affecting the completing of project then it
will be controlled (Sanghera, 2019).
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Project closing: It is last stage of project life cycle where all the teams working on the
project close their work as they have finished the project according to specifications of client.
The project manager of Sun-Project 20X20 will communicate the completion with all the
stakeholders and release resources to other projects that will be completed in upcoming period.
This stage allows the teams, managers and workers to evaluate the project and move to the next
one. The main thing which is focused at this stage is to assure that all the mistakes which were
made during the completion will not be repeated in future while working on the same kind of
project.
Processes which will be undertaken
While working on a project it is very important for the managers to make sure that they
undertake specific processes so that they can meet the deadlines. As Sun-Project 20X20 is
required to be completed in 2 years so following processes will be focused to complete it:
Recruitment of staff: It is one of the main process which will be undertaken while
working on the project. The managers will be responsible to recruit new employees who can
contribute in the successful completion of the whole project of refurbishment of three floor of
University of Sunderland (Sundararajan and Tseng, 2017).
Management of all the employees: The managers will also be responsible to undertake
this process to manage the employees. It is required to make sure that all of them perform all
tehri jobs properly and in systematic manner. If they will not be managed then it may leave
negative impact upon the whole project.
Allocation of responsibilities and budget to teams: The managers are also responsible
to undertake the process of assigning responsibilities to all the teams. Apart from this, proper
allocation of funds is also required so that goals could be met successfully.
Management and Control problems associated with the project
Some of the control and management related project problems of Sun-Project 20X20 are
as follows:
Lack of accountability: While working on a project like Sun-Project 20X20 it is very
important for the managers to check accountability of all the activities. Lack of accountability
may take place for the project if the managers will not be able to control the unfavourable or
inappropriate activities.
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Decentralised information: When managers are working on a project it is very
important for them to keep some information secret and do not decentralise it. When it will be
decentralised then it may affect the management of work and result in failure in meeting the
deadlines (Van Offenbeek and Vos, 2016).
Exceeding the budget: It is a management related problem which is related to Sun-
Project 20X20. If the managers will not be able to perform operations within the limit of 8
million pounds then it will exceed the budget which is not right for organisation.
Possible actions which could be taken to achieve the set goals on time
Following are some of the possible actions which could be taken to achieve the set goals
on time:
 Managers should track the performance on regular basis so that control related steps
could be taken at right time.
 Funds should be allocated to all the teams according to their requirements so that
possibility of exceeding the budget could be reduced.
 All the requirements of project should be estimated by managers and they should make
arrangements accordingly to meet the deadlines (Wen and Qiang, 2019).
 Employees should be motivated to perform their jobs properly so that all the goals could
be accomplished with higher engagement of them in their work.
CONCLUSION
From the above project report, it has been concluded that for all the project managers it is
very important to make sure that they are able to perform all their jobs systematically as it can
help to meet the deadlines. While working on a project specific statement should be drawn so
that scope could be communicated with others. The project life cycle is required to be followed
when willing to complete a project successfully. The stages of it are initiation, planning,
execution, control and closure. If all of them will be focused then it can help to meet the desired
goals and timeline.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Bao, Y., Shi, M. and Kalra, A., 2017. Managing Project Selection Through Contract
Design. Rotman School of Management Working Paper, (3077351).
Brandon, B. and Guimaraes, T., 2016. Increasing bank BPR benefits by managing project
phases. Knowledge and Process Management. 23(2). pp.136-146.
Caizzi, C., Young, J.B. and Zellner, D., 2017. Project portfolio management at Northwestern
University Libraries: Developing an innovative solution to managing project life
cycles. Journal of Digital Media Management. 6(2). pp.195-204.
Edwards, P. J., Serra, P. V. and Edwards, M., 2019. Managing Project Risks. John Wiley &
Sons.
Feise, P., von Hatzfeldt Trachenberg, G. and Maria, P. P., 2019. The Effects of Digitalization on
Managing Project Teams.
Hass, K. B., 2017. Living on the edge: Managing project complexity. In Handbook of Research
on Leveraging Risk and Uncertainties for Effective Project Management (pp. 177-201).
IGI Global.
Marnewick, C. and Marnewick, A., 2019. Insights Into Managing Project Teams for Industry
4.0. In Agile Approaches for Successfully Managing and Executing Projects in the
Fourth Industrial Revolution (pp. 99-118). IGI Global.
Medina, R., 2018. Managing Project Competence: The Lemon and the Loop. CRC Press.
Sanghera, P., 2019. Managing Project Resources. In PMP® in Depth (pp. 381-417). Apress,
Berkeley, CA.
Sundararajan, S. K. and Tseng, C. L., 2017. Managing project performance risks under
uncertainty: Using a dynamic capital structure approach in infrastructure project
financing. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. 143(8). p.04017046.
Van Offenbeek, M. A. and Vos, J. F., 2016. An integrative framework for managing project
issues across stakeholder groups. International Journal of Project Management. 34(1).
pp.44-57.
Wen, Q. and Qiang, M., 2019. Project managers’ competences in managing project
closing. Project Management Journal. 50(3). pp.361-375.
Online
Five phases of project lifecycle. 2020. [Online]. Available through:
< https://project-management.com/top-5-project-management-phases/>
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