Operations and Project Management

This study material covers the concepts of operations and project management. It discusses data silos, internal communication, and the email replacement project. Explore the benefits and disadvantages of different communication channels.

Operations and Project Management
1

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASKS.............................................................................................................................................3
Data Silos in LTR context of data sharing and digital collaboration..........................................3
Internal communication in LTR other than emails......................................................................5
Email Replacement project: project management business case.................................................6
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11
2

INTRODUCTION
Operations and project management is based on the planning as well as execution in service.
it concerns about the process of production and redesigning enterprise operation in the
organization. Operations and project management deals with approaches day to day enterprise
activities. It helps for easily handle planning, controlling, organizing and motivating resources to
achieve specific goals/ objectives. The report will discuss about the Data silos that applicable
within LTR firm with provide an appropriate hosing for community. It will describe about the
internal communication which help for establishing a good coordination between one or more
departments. The report will identify another internal communication other than Email such as
“YAMMER”. Furthermore, it will describe about the Email replacement project which
applicable project management plan to identifying benefits, advantage within organization.
TASKS
Data Silos in LTR context of data sharing and digital collaboration
A data silo is based on the situation where only one group in LTR firm to access set or
source of data. It is important factor that server various type of facilities and services to the
organization. in another way, data silo is considered as repository of fixed data which remain
under control one department and also isolated from rest of organization (Alnaggar and Pitt,
2019). It tends to increase in large companies because one small unit has different goals,
responsibilities and priorities.
As per case study, LTR is housing Association operating in Luton with significant mission
to establish a strong communication between one or more departments. The organization has
been divided into two different departments such as General-purpose housing and Supported
housing. Each department has been coordinated strong communication through email (Awad and
Rafiq, 2020). It is mainly used as internal communication channel which help for sharing
information from one place to another. According to case study, it can be identified the different
data silos where each team uses separate system to retrain, track information within system.
Share Point Drive
LTR company is mainly used the share point drive which is based on the document
libraries that mapped as network drive. It enabling user to connect with share point library within
network system. it is a kind of trusted drive which always maintain the security aspects.
Sometimes, it also mapping with network drive to collect large amount of data or information
3

(Hovland and Lumsdaine, 2017). Share point drive that is managed in centrally where it become
most effective by finance team. It must ensure that access and version control for financial
documentation.
As per given scenario, it can be identified that finance team uses primarily share point
drive for purpose of accounting. It directly establishes the connection with centralise server, with
restricted access to unauthorised employees.
Cloud-based system
It is a term that refers to service, applications and resources which are mainly available
for user on specific demand through internet. It provides the better cloud computing provider
services to the organization (Azhar, Riaz and Robinson, 2019). LTR company typically utilise
the cloud-based computing as way to increase performance of organization, enhancing
functionality and also adding services. According to case study, it has been identified that
facilities maintenance within general housing department uses the specialist cloud-based system
called 360 facility for securing large amount of data in cloud network. In this way, team
members have significant authority to directly access information in cloud 360. Therefore, it can
be identified that cloud-based system beneficial for maintenance department for maintaining
information or data in proper manner.
Personal coaches
As per given case study, it is mainly used the functional team with system to manage their
facilities. It also assigned the personal coach to each resident for assessing their individual needs.
Sometimes, it is arranging the support service where it will be required. The personal coach use
password- protected word document through company laptop (Bailey, 2019). It always supports
for protecting and securing personal information or data in effective manner. Many leaders have
provided authority to personal coach where it easily identifies information. Sometimes, it helps
for organization to do regular backup onto secure hard drive which always kept in the LTR
enterprise.
Currently, LTR Firm is mainly used the most effective communication channel such as
email. There are several staff members face difficulties in manging large amount of data send
from one department to another by using email (Broadhurst and Trivedi, 2019). The
organization has shared the information to each employee for establishing an effective
relationship between them.
4

Internal communication in LTR other than emails
Most communication within LTR occurs using email, with several employees complaining
about the difficulty in managing the large volumes of email sent and received every day
(Hovland and Lumsdaine, 2017). It has been analysed that information is shared through daily
newsletters, which are emailed to everyone at LTR every morning. In order to implement the
effective communication LTR can make use of other means like communicating through social
media channels. This can help them in overcoming the issues which is being faced by LTR
(McNair, 2017). This method of communication is really easy and can also assist them in
reducing their operational cost as interacting through social media consist of low cost. As
printing of newsletters can also increase the cost and expenses of company. Also LTR can make
use of skype calls. In this they can communicate with employees who are at far of place.
In order to reduce the use of emails, LTR can also make use of video chat. This can also
assist them in implementing effective flow of communication (Hovland and Lumsdaine, 2017).
By this it will be easy for LTR to analyse the issues and overcoming the problems which has
been faced by them. It will also assist them in increasing the quality of services that is being
provided by them. If they created a Facebook group for a department, for example, they can use
the message function to send out updates to all the members of the department. This will assist
company in achieve their goals and objectives. It will also help them in increasing the quality of
services that has been used by them. It has been analysed that LTR can also make use of skype
calls. It is really easy to connect with different employees (Hovland and Lumsdaine, 2017). It
will assist them in building up better relationship with employees, which is very essential for
LTR to achieve their goals and objectives.
LTR can also make use of Enterprise resource planning. It will be useful for them to make
employees communicate about the strategies that has been implemented by firm. This can help
them in achieving their goals and objectives. Emails are really hectic and can also become
chaotic to be managed. This can assist LTR in analysing the risk and also overcoming them.
Enterprise resource planning software is really easy and flexible to be used. It also takes less
amount of time in delivering information from one place to another. This will assist firm in
analysing the problems which is being faced by them and also they will be able to find out
possible solutions related to it. This will help LTR in achieving long term as well as short term
goals and objectives. LTR can also make use of YAMMER. It is a software that assists business
5

in communicating. This software also makes sure that no information is been leaked and also the
data of employees is being kept private.
In above, it has described about the different type of internal communication, alternative to
emails such as clouds, Facebook, video chat and skype. These types of internal communication
would be done by computer, pc which always support for transmitting signals from one node to
another (McNair, 2017). It is an effective way to maintain the large amount of information
related different departments, those are establishing collaboration between them. Every
department consists of multiple team that perform significant task for business management. In
order to increase business performance and efficiency in global marketplace.
Email Replacement project: project management business case.
Executive Summary
The project is based on the email replacement where organization uses other alternative
for internal business communication between one or more department. The project has acquired
the information about the expected benefits, disadvantage, time scale, major risks. These are
important that require for considerations before email replacement so as it become easier to
identify the overall budget and how it will beneficial for business expansion in global
marketplace (Hovland and Lumsdaine, 2017). Furthermore, it also understands that email
replacement project will not easy to complete change style of enterprise but it will adopt new
communication channel for developing strong coordination different departments. The benefits
of replace email project is to establish collaboration, save tremendous time, minimize confusion
and also increase productivity of organization in global marketplace. Th return of investment will
be calculating for financial perspective, mainly used to take benefits in percentage return.
Reasons
Communication is constantly changing the demand of business in global marketplace.
There is no doubt about that. In the organization, everything points to the probability that adopt
new alternative tool in place of email. There are some common reasons to replace email within
organization.
 Finance team will be increased the time, money of organization. in this way, it can save
25 to 40% of all time. if organization will replace its primary communication channel
with email. They will centralise and organise better communication, which makes it
easier to handle business performance in global marketplace.
6

 By using email, it has become generate low profit margin in marketplace. LTR attracts
towards other communication channel such a video chat, ERP. It always supports for
delivering any kind of message with any problem (McNair, 2017). In management
software, staff member work with clear priorities where information gathers related to the
specific tasks.
 Lack of collaboration and poor coordination are main problem within organization due to
email. in this way, it can be adopted highly efficient system that support for recording
and managing large amount of data in proper manner (McNair, 2017). The reason of
email is to increase poor coordination.
In this way, it should be considerations all negative points that will decrease the efficiency of
business in global marketplace. that’s why, it will make plan to replace email in organization and
adopting new tool for achieving specific goals or objectives.
Business options
LTR firm will choose alternative options such as enterprise resource planning systems,
YAMMER cloud-based services, Facebook and social media. These are different type of
communication system that help for improving overall business capabilities and abilities. For
purpose of internal communication, it will be required to adopt new tool for enhancing overall
business productivity in global marketplace. in another way, it also builds a strong connection
between one or more departments (Singh, Kumar and Singh, 2019).
Expected Benefits
The benefits that team will replace email as communication channel within organization.
It can be identified that handle to avoid missing message because there are chances for loss data
through email. The benefits of project that will deliver to express in measurable term against
situation. Sometimes, it is to consider in both qualitative as well as quantitative ways. In context
of quantitative, it should be considered the delivered extremely fast and also calculating the
overall post. It also eliminating the extra process to come in cost effective (West, 2019). The
project will provide benefits to set up specific measurement and aggregated with another one.
Expected Dis-benefits
The disadvantage of project is to loss vulnerability that would take manual efforts on the
part of business whereas it can easily access all important information from documents.
Sometimes, sensitive information should be untaken through email because lot of sensitive data
7

share between one or more department. In this way, it has more chances for data loss within
organization. Sometimes, the outcome that perceived as negative by stakeholders within
company. It is actual consequences of business activity whereas it also identified uncertain risk
such as unauthorised access, mismanagement of data or information.
Time scale
The overall project will be completed within 1-month and over realized that it is
beneficial for organization to increase overall business productivity as well as profitability in
marketplace (Singh, Kumar and Singh, 2019). Manger of LTR will develop specific time
schedule where divided different activities. Email replacing project need some time for
identifying their drawback and how it will be maintained by alternative tool.
Project plan
It will be divided into different phases where directly associated with different
departments. In order to establish an effective coordination between them.
Stage Plan
 Initialisation
 Planning
 Analysing
 Adopting communication channel
 Monitoring
 Identifying result or outcome
 Maintenance
 Delivered
Benefits
 To increase overall business performance and efficiency
 To build a strong coordination between employee and customer.
Cost
The overall project cost is approximately $1200 of calculating the estimation as per
analysis. For replacing email project, it should be considered the important factors which help for
identifying essential business requirement in order to fulfil enterprise goals or objectives.
8

Activity $ Cost
Ongoing operation $ 500
Maintenance $ 400
Funding arrangement $ 400
Total $ 1300
Table:1
In above table, it can be identified the overall cost or price required in email replacing project.
Investment Appraisal
The investment appraisal is based on the technique that help for identifying internal rate
of return, net present value, profit margin and accounting rate. It is primarily applicable in
project for identifying their overall performance and how it become effective for business
expansion (Singh, Kumar and Singh, 2019). In the project, it will be calculating the cash flow
statement by finance department. It able to define entire value of email replacing project as
investment. It also focused on the bank load and other funding sponsors to invest in the project.
In this way, it will generate positive return of investment
Major risk
In this project, it will be identified the different type of risk in email replacement whereas
typically escalation of project cost. In most of cases, it is very difficult for maintaining overall
budget for project management. Poor cost estimating will increase the risk in the project that
directly affects on the overall business activities (Singh, Kumar and Singh, 2019). On the other
hand, Schedule risk is also considered in the organization because sometimes one task is not be
completed within specific time intervals. Therefore, it directly impacts on the overall business
performance as well as efficiency.
9

CONCLUSION
From above discussion, it concluded that Operations and project management is a type of
process that mainly used for execution planning. It also deals with approaches day to day
enterprise activities. It helps for easily handle planning, controlling, organizing and motivating
resources to achieve specific goals. It has summarised about the Data silos that applicable within
LTR firm with provide an appropriate hosing for community. It can be identified the internal
communication which help for establishing a good coordination between one or more
departments. The report is mainly focused on the internal communication other than Email such
as “YAMMER”. Furthermore, it must be replacing the Email as internal communication within
organization through social media and other one which applicable project management plan to
identifying benefits within organization.
10

REFERENCES
Book and Journals
Alnaggar, A. and Pitt, M., 2019. Towards a conceptual framework to manage BIM/COBie asset
data using a standard project management methodology. Journal of Facilities
Management.
Awad, W.S. and Rafiq, W.M., 2020. Improving Spam Email Filtering Systems Using Data
Mining Techniques. In Implementing Computational Intelligence Techniques for Security
Systems Design (pp. 43-72). IGI Global.
Azhar, S., Riaz, Z. and Robinson, D., 2019. Integration of social media in day-to-day operations
of construction firms. Journal of Management in Engineering. 35(1). p.06018003.
Bailey, B.D., 2019. Improving electronic communications: reaching Medicaid providers through
email. South Carolina State Documents Depository.
Broadhurst, R. and Trivedi, H., 2019. Malware in Spam Email: risks and trends in the Australian
Spam Intelligence Data (SID)(January-September 2016).
Hovland, C.I. and Lumsdaine, A.A., 2017. Experiments on mass communication. Princeton
University Press.
McNair, B., 2017. An introduction to political communication. Taylor & Francis.
Singh, A.K., Kumar, V. and Singh, S.P., 2019, May. A Study on Email Security Through
Cryptographic Techniques. In International Conference on Computer Networks and
Inventive Communication Technologies (pp. 342-348). Springer, Cham.
West, S.M., 2019. Data capitalism: Redefining the logics of surveillance and privacy. Business &
society. 58(1).pp.20-41.
11