Managing Projects

This document discusses the key characteristics of projects, importance of integration management, scope statement and role of WBS, approach for generating a specific project budget, project risks and responses, quality methods used for project evaluation, and Gantt chart and critical path. It also includes a project management report for refurbishing and renovating the library and lecture halls of a university.

MANAGING PROJECTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
Key characteristics.......................................................................................................................3
Importance of integration management.......................................................................................3
Scope statement and role of WBS...............................................................................................3
Approach for generating a specific project budget......................................................................3
Project risks and responses..........................................................................................................4
Quality methods used for project evaluation...............................................................................4
Gantt chart and critical path.........................................................................................................5
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
Project Management Report........................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
Project management is an exhaustive process that often requires too much time and
resources management (Burns, 2016). In the report, two different tasks will be discussed related
to the project management and a plan will be prepared for a specific case study as well.
MAIN BODY
TASK 1
Key characteristics
The key characteristics of a project are that:
 It is performed with one definable goal or end item.
 Projects are not permanent activities and are bound to get closed or completed one day.
 Every project is unique i.e. different from one another.
 Organisations usually put something at stake when they undertake any project.
Importance of integration management
Integration management is mainly the collection of the different processes and activities
that are required to be performed in order to coordinate and complete the different elements in a
project management (Sadgrove, 2016). Therefore the integration management helps in
integrating i.e. coordinating the activities throughout the project life cycle so that the objectives
of the project can be achieved satisfactorily.
Scope statement and role of WBS
The scope statement is basically developed in order to ascertain the activities that will be
covered in the entire project and the key deliverables that are desired for the potential investors
and stakeholders. It further specifies the limit or the area of operation beyond which the project
will not function and the list of all the affected parties is prepared comprehensively.
The WBS structure basically helps in defining the scope of the entire project as it divides the
project into different activities or categorise which are further divided into even smaller activities
(Meredith, Mantel Jr. and Shafer, 2017). This categorisation helps in increasing the applicability
and the overall manageability of the different tasks that are to be performed.
Approach for generating a specific project budget
There are two broad approaches that can be used in order to create a comprehensive budget
i.e. a top- down budged and the bottom up approach. The top down approach is adopted by
allocating the respective amount for each of the work activity or category of costs that the project
3

might incur and then total up the budget collectively to ascertain the final amount (Mousaei and
Javdani, 2018). This is referred as the top down approach because the budget is moving from
upwards to downwards. The bottom up approach is exactly the opposite of the top down
approach where the total amount is already fixed and has been ascertained beforehand. All the
activities are allocated costs or budget based on the availability of the total funds and the
importance of the activities or the cruciality of the resource. Here the constraint in the form of
budget is present.
Project risks and responses
There are a variety of project risks that can occur in the project such as:
Scheduling risk: This arises when the project and its activities does not go according to the
schedule that has been developed for the project collectively (Flemin. and Koppelman, 2016).
This causes delay in the overall completion of the project.
Scope Risk: The scope risk arises when the project is not clearly defined i.e. the set of activities
that are required to be performed and the objectives that are to be achieved must be understood
very clearly so that this risk can be avoided.
Resource Risk: The resource risk basically signifies the shortage of resources that might occur
due to inappropriate distribution, allocation or consumption in the different activities that are
performed under a single project.
Technology Risk: This kind of risk arises when there are defects in the equipment or systems or
machineries that are being used in the completion of the project currently undertaken.
The responses that can be used for the two risk i.e. schedule and resource are:
 Schedule risk: In order to minimise this risk, the estimated time should be ascertained based
on the previous experience, historical data or by using different software and techniques
(Ng, 2018).
 Resource risk: This can be avoided by constantly comparing the actual costs and the
standard costs where the variations that are identified can be tried to minimised or avoided
so that this risk does not incurs.
Quality methods used for project evaluation
Benchmarking technique, control charts, costs of quality etc. are some of the most
commonly used quality methods (Kerzner, 2017). The control charts is the preferred method as it
4

helps in ascertaining the acceptable limits so that the manner in which process is to be sampled
can be identified.
Gantt chart and critical path
The total time that is taken to complete the project will be ascertained on the basis of the
critical path that has been identified. The critical path is 1- 2- 4- 6 i.e. a- b- d- f. Therefore the
time required to complete the project would be:
7 weeks + 4 weeks + 6 weeks + 7 weeks = 24 weeks i.e. 168 days collectively.
TASK 2
Project Management Report
Project Objective:
The objective with which the Project- Xperts- 20 (PX20) is being intended to carry out is to
refurbish and renovate the library and the lecture halls and the class rooms of the Sutherland
London Campus University. The objectives of the Sun Project 20X20 can be categorised as
follows:
5

 To develop a proper and comprehensive team for addressing the different tasks that re to
be performed.
 To upgrade the current libraries, classes and lecture halls with all the latest technological
equipments in order to enhance the learning.
 To develop the required workstations for the students.
 To resolve the problem of noise produced by DSLR trains.
 To complete all the actions within the allotted time line.
Scope:
The scope of the project is limited to the University of Sunderland in London and the
major objective would only to refurbish and renovate the classrooms, the lecture halls and the
libraries in the three storey building of the university (Schwalbe, 2015). The project will also
address the problem of enhanced noise that disrupts the learning process but all the rooms and
other aspects of renovation that might be required in the remaining parts of the University of
Sutherland are out of the scope of the current project Sun Project 20X20.
Work Breakdown structure:
Project life cycle stages:
The project life cycle consists of the five major phases through which the project
manager is able to synthesize and integrate all the activities that are to be performed by
segregating them into proper categories and ascertaining the time and cost that is required to
perform the different activities towards success and achievement of the overall objectives that
6
Sun Project
20X20
Project
Initiation
Project
Planning
Project
Execution
Project
Evaluation
Formulation
Of the Idea
Formulation
Of Aim
Budget and
Timeline
Collection of
Funds
Implementatio
n of the
Project
Interpretation
of Results
Monitoring
and
Evaluation
Reflection
Closure

have been set up (The Project Management Plan, 2019). For the current project i.e. Sun Project
20X20, these can be applied as follows:
Project Initiation: At the stage of project initiation, the basic idea behind the project that is to be
undertaken is identified and the relevant aim and objectives of the intended project are also
ascertained. It is identified that the current aim of the Sun Project 20X20 would be relevant to the
refurbishment of the classes, lecture rooms and the libraries in the three floors of the Sunderland
University. At this stage, the project manager will basically understand the need for this project
and the management or the investors will be attracted towards the project of Sun Project 20X20
justifying the manner in which the current project will improve the overall environment in the
Sutherland University, and also justify the viability of the project. All the assumptions and the
constraints that are necessary for the project will be illustrated here in the initiation stage itself so
that the limitations of the project can be ascertained well in advance (Heagney, 2016). For
instance, the current project, the assumption is that there are no classes right now and hence the
project can be effectively completed. Further, it is during this stage that feasibility study is
conducted and it is identified that whether the project is viable or not.
Project Planning: This is the second stage where the map regarding the Sun Project 20X20 will
be prepared. The project manager will formulate the budget and timeline and also identify the
relevant stakeholders for the project.
Budget
Resources Name Cost ( in millions)
Labour £ 0.5
Machinery and equipment £ 2.5
Experts required £ 0.8
Technological assistance £ 0.8
Suppliers and contractors £ 1.2
Stationary £ 0.01
Refreshments £ 0.04
Salaries £ 1.5
Transportation Cost £ 0.1
Telephone and communication £ 0.05
7

Others £ 0.5
Total £ 8 million
This is the potential budget for the Sun Project 20X20 where the different activities and
tasks will be completed within the allocated budget of £ 8 million.
Timeline:
TimeLine is the second important aspect that needs to be ascertained where the different
milestones that the project manager needs to achieve are ascertained and the time that will be
taken in order to achieve those milestones is also identified (Harrison and Lock, 2017). The total
time that will be taken is a period of 2 years within which all the refurbishing and renovation
work will take place in the company.
Stakeholders:
Since the project that is being undertaken for the development and upgrading of the
university itself, the trustees, the board of the university, Dean and the HOD’s would be the
major stakeholders as they will be the major investors as ell ad the financers of the project and
hence their satisfaction would be the key to the project completion.
Project Execution: The project execution is the third stage where the planning that has been
done by the project manger and the different aspects that have been taken into consideration are
actually implemented in a step by step manner and by using the proper planning and
implementation techniques (Walker, 2015). The scheduling is the key task in the project
execution where the overall project is being distributed into a number of different activities and
sub activities that are to be performed and then the appropriate time that will be required to
complete those tasks is also ascertained.
Scheduling:
This collectively helps in simplifying the overall procedure of the execution of the entire
project and ultimately the project gets completed more effectively with better timelines and
propositions. For the current project this can be prepared in a following manner:
Task
Mode Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessors
Auto
Scheduled Project Initiation 47.5 days Mon 6/8/20 Wed 8/12/20
8

Auto
Scheduled Idea formulation 2 wks Mon 6/8/20 Fri 6/19/20
Auto
Scheduled
Developing aim and
objectives 1.5 wks Mon 6/22/20 Wed 7/1/20 2
Auto
Scheduled
Building up project
charter 6 wks Wed 7/1/20 Wed 8/12/20 3
Auto
Scheduled Project Planning 102.5 days Wed 8/12/20 Fri 1/1/21
Auto
Scheduled Developing budget 7.5 wks Wed 8/12/20 Fri 10/2/20 3,4
Auto
Scheduled ascertaining timeline 5 wks Mon 10/5/20 Fri 11/6/20 4,6
Auto
Scheduled
identifying and
attracting investors 8 wks Mon 11/9/20 Fri 1/1/21 6,7
Auto
Scheduled Project Execution 350 days Mon 11/9/20 Fri 3/11/22
Auto
Scheduled Developing a schedule 1 wk Mon 11/9/20 Fri 11/13/20 7
Auto
Scheduled Implementation 50 wks Mon 1/4/21 Fri 12/17/21 8,10
Auto
Scheduled Interpretation of results 12 wks Mon 12/20/21 Fri 3/11/22 11
Auto
Scheduled Project Evaluation 50 days Mon 3/14/22 Fri 5/20/22
Auto
Scheduled Monitoring and control 8 wks Mon 3/14/22 Fri 5/6/22 11,12
Auto
Scheduled success measurement 2 wks Mon 5/9/22 Fri 5/20/22 12,14
9

Auto
Scheduled Closure 5 days Mon 5/23/22 Fri 5/27/22
Auto
Scheduled End of the project 1 wk Mon 5/23/22 Fri 5/27/22 15
Based on the scheduling that has been done above, a Gantt chart can be prepared for the
activities that have to be undertaken in order to generate effective results that will be most
rewarding:
The implementation of the entire plan will take place in a phased manner where activity
will be completed within the timeline that has been ascertained so that the entire project can be
completed on time and maximum benefits can be drawn from the implementation aspect. The
project manager of Sun Project 20X20 will also need to undertake regular measurements of the
result and in the interpretation along with it. This will help the team in ascertaining what are the
areas or activities on which they are not going right and hence the company would be assisted in
the integrating the corrective actions and measures as soon as it is possible and viable for them to
do so (Binder, 2016). Thus the execution stage is the critical stage and is the longest stage where
10

the entire work that is to be performed takes place effectively and the majority of the work is
undertaken in this stage only. Therefore the project manager is liable to observe very closely the
market trends and take relevant decisions so that resources do not get wasted unnecessarily and
the project with its objective can be completed and achieved successfully.
Project Evaluation: The project evaluation is the fourth stage where the project manager of the
Sun Project 20X20 will implement the monitoring and evaluation technique by developing
different check points. This will help in measuring the amount of resources that are being
consumed, identifying and removing the redundant activities from the entire project being
undertaken etc. It will also help in regularly monitoring the use of resources and the overall
expenses that are taking place so that if any of those activities or areas where the resources that
are being consumed are identified to be proportionately higher, can be easily identified and
corrective actions and strategies can be used immediately to minimise the overall consumption
and impact (Kerzner, 2018). The techniques that can be utilised by the project manager of the
Sun Project 20X20 are the benchmarking technique, the 360 degree feedback technique, standard
costing, performance standards etc. as all of these collectively will help in generating maximum
results by adequate monitoring and control.
Closure: Closure is the last stage of the entire project management plan where the entire project
has been delivered successfully and the activities have been completed comprehensively and
satisfactorily. In this stage the success of the entire project that has been undertaken is evaluated
so that it can be identified that how effective was the entire project management plan and duties
that were undertaken. In the case of Sun Project 20X20, refurbishment of all the classes, lecture
halls and the libraries in all the three floors of Sutherland University, the effective installation of
the updated technology, developing workstations for the students and blocking the noise that is
generated were the key objectives and all those will be achieved successfully (Fewings and
Henjewele, 2019).
Therefore the entire project of the Sun Project 20X20 can be termed as successful if the
stages are implanted in the manner that has been ascertained above.
Project Management Processes:
There are a variety of project management processes or techniques that can be used by
the project manager in order to effectively undertake and monitor all the activities that are to be
performed in the Sun Project 20X20. Since the project being undertaken is longer i.e. for a
11

period of 2 years and involves a lot of activities, the best method that can be used is the Prince2
Methodology in the project where the product base approach is adopted in order to generate
maximum results and benefits (Kerzner, 2019). Using this technique the project manager will be
able to segregate the major activities into smaller tasks that are more manageable and
controllable as well. This technique will also ensure that the flexibility is being incorporated in
the entire project so that if any relevant changes that are needed to be incorporated n the project
can also be integrated and rigidness or redundancy of the projects is minimised. This technique
will also help in the risk measurement and monitoring continuously involving the development
of back- up plan as well so that in case any emergency breaks in, there is adequate control over
the entire project i.e. over Sun Project 20X20 and thus take corrective actions at the every stage
of the project management phases.
Expected problems or risks and their management:
Every project that is being undertaken is immune to certain kind of risks that are bound to
arise during the project and the best way is to identify these well in advance and then using the
correct risk mitigation strategies, these are tried to be minimised (Heldman, 2018). For the Sun
Project 20X20, these can be identified and evaluated in following manner:
Risk Analysis Risk Mitigation Strategy
External market related Risk This kind of risk is the most imminent risk or problem for Sun
Project 20X20 as the market trends and preferences are
changing regularly and the technology that is being
implemented now might prove to be redundant after a few
years. This risk can be either reduced or controlled by
predicting the future trends and using the affordable and the
latest technology that is available (Dohe and Pike, 2018).
Schedules related Risk This is problem that is most likely to occur where the longer
projects ad activities automatically cause a delay and the
timelines keeps getting extended. Here the role of project
manager will be crucial where they have to ensure that work is
being performed in a proper manner with appropriate deadline
thus adopting a transferring approach (Fernandes and et.al.,
2018).
12

Performance Risk This kind of problem, though rare, can arise if the entire project
becomes a huge failure where the project manager fails to
deliver the objectives that were set up. This can be avoided by
thoroughly evaluating the work that is being done at every
stage and implicating roper controlling tools as well (Lensges,
Kloppenborg and Forte, 2018).
Natural Risk This is the least likely risk to occur but the natural disasters can
occur at any time which might lead to the stoppage of the
project abruptly coming to a halt. In such cases, the only
measure is to accept the situation and deal with it in the best
possible manner trying to minimise the losses as much as
possible (Lyra and et.al., 2018).
Hence in this manner the overall project of Sun Project 20X20 can be completed effectively
by the project manger satisfactorily and successfully.
CONCLUSION
The overall research in the report helps in concluding that the overall project management is
a very comprehensive task that require too many processes and too many acitvities to be
performed.
13

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Binder, J., 2016. Global project management: communication, collaboration and management
across borders. Routledge.
Burns, P., 2016. Entrepreneurship and small business. Palgrave Macmillan Limited.
Dohe, K. and Pike, R., 2018. Integration of project management techniques in digital projects.
In Project management in the library workplace (pp. 151-166). Emerald Publishing
Limited.
Fernandes, G. and et.al., 2018. Project Management Practices for Collaborative University-
Industry R&D: A Hybrid Approach. Procedia computer science. 138. pp.805-814.
Fewings, P. and Henjewele, C., 2019. Construction project management: an integrated approach.
Routledge.
Fleming, Q. W. and Koppelman, J. M., 2016, December. Earned value project management.
Project Management Institute.
Harrison, F. and Lock, D., 2017. Advanced project management: a structured approach.
Routledge.
Heagney, J., 2016. Fundamentals of project management. Amacom.
Heldman, K., 2018. Project management jumpstart. John Wiley & Sons.
Kerzner, H., 2017. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and
controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Kerzner, H., 2018. Project management best practices: Achieving global excellence. John Wiley
& Sons.
Kerzner, H., 2019. Using the project management maturity model: strategic planning for project
management. Wiley.
Lensges, M. L., Kloppenborg, T. J. and Forte, F., 2018. Identifying Key Agile Behaviors That
Enhance Traditional Project Management Methodology. Journal of Strategic Innovation
and Sustainability. 13(2).
Lyra, K. T. and et.al., 2018, September. An agile project management experience: points of view
of graduate students. In Proceedings of the XXXII Brazilian Symposium on Software
Engineering (pp. 240-249). ACM.
14

Meredith, J. R., Mantel Jr, S. J. and Shafer, S. M., 2017. Project management: a managerial
approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Mousaei, M. and Javdani, T., 2018. A new project risk management model based on scrum
framework and Prince2 methodology. International Journal of Advanced Computer
Science and Applications. 9.
Ng, J. J., 2018. Tailoring a project management methodology that suits one's needs. IEEE
Engineering Management Review. 46(2). pp.49-54.
Sadgrove, K., 2016. The complete guide to business risk management. Routledge.
Schwalbe, K., 2015. Information technology project management. Cengage Learning.
Walker, A., 2015. Project management in construction. John Wiley & Sons.
Online
The Project Management Plan. 2019. [Online]. Available through
<https://2020projectmanagement.com/index.cfm?topNav=resources&subNav=project-
documentation&subsubNav=the-project-management-plan-pmp>
15

16