Monitoring and Reporting for Successful Solar Installation Project

This report explores monitoring and reporting methodologies for successful solar installation project. It includes project plan, performance matrices, communication and risk reports.

Student Name
STUDENT NUMBER
THE ATA CASE

Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................1
Project Plan................................................................................................................................1
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................4
References..................................................................................................................................4

Introduction
A small Australian not-for-profit and non-government entity has offered a project proposal
that involves installation of over hundred lighting system. This project is to be done in
Quelicai East Timor which is a remote village in Australia. The overall scope of this project
involves raising funds, training the crew, preparation of project plan and selection of
beneficiaries. This report would focus on monitoring of time as well as how exactly yhe CEO
needs to be updated regarding progress of the project. Apart from this, the execution and
project control would go along with the project control and monitor. Apart from this,
monitoring also allows the project to make sure that the most important deliverables such as
the vendor selection, solar lighting equipment and the vendor selection goes according as per
the plan and if at all there’s any variation, it needs to be reported accordingly. This
monitoring would be used for all major components such as the time, cost, the risk, quality,
change management and communication.
Project Plan
It also needs to be ensured that there are no major deviations within the deadline and the
budget of the project and that the Earned value method is primarily used. EVM is quite
famous in project management and it mainly uses work performance, schedule and cost of the
project. Afterwards, it provides the actual status of the projects. It gives the project manager
the ability to figure out the trends and predict the overall status the project is in. Although,
this method is based SPM or the simplified project model, it is however quite useful in terms
of knowing the status of time and cost of any given project (Milosevic, 1987).
Major performance matrices would be defined by using Earned Value Method (EVM) or the
(RV) Resource Flow Variance, then the (CV) Cost Variance, (SV) Schedule Variance, (TV)
Time Variance, (RI) Resource Flow Index, (CI) Cost Index and finally (SI) Schedule Index
(Adler & Smith, 2009). Major matrices being followed here in this solar project are as
follows
 Schedule deviation – This particular metric the status could be marked in the range of
0% to 100% wherein 100% denotes the project as complete and 0% indicates it as
under progress. This particular metric helps in capturing of any kind of deviation
within the project in particular the number of asks being completed at any point of
time, the actual start date, the actual completion date among others. If the overall

value of the SV or Schedule Variance is positive then the project is considered to be
ahead of it’s schedule and vice versa.
 Cost deviation –The overall budget associated with the project is around 28,000$.
This particular metric would measure the deviation of the overa plan. Furthermore, it
will give an idea about the estimated budget vs the decrease or increase in the budget.
Again, if the Cost Variance is positive then the project is well within the budget and if
the value is negative, then it means it is over the allocated (APM Group Ltd, 2017).
The time and budget can be impacted by changes made within the project. Key performance
metrics could provide overall number of requests of changes made, the requests that were
approved, the requests that were denied among others. This would also denote the total
amount of issues in the project, the issues that are closed as well as pending.
The project manager would require to update the CEO about the progress made in the project.
In such case, there are majorly 2 types of reports that needs to be communicated to the team
as well as ATA management. These are sent before the projects are started and it is sent to
them management that details about the general information regarding the project. The next
report is then sent to the CEO or the top-level management detailing the following:
 Overall tasks completed
 Overall tasks delayed
 Overall pending tasks
 Whether a project is considered to be ahead of it’s time or behind the schedule time
 If the project is under or over the estimated budget.
 After this, there are risks reports that are to be sent that would contain the overall risk
profile of the project and the lists of risks involve such as non-availability of funds,
non-availability of skilled resources, break down of machines, lack of funds and so
on.
 Change report is a report which details all of the changes that have been made in the
project. This involves the overall changes accepted, rejected and the total number of
changes recommended.
 Work load report for resources
 Time report for resources.
 Tracking of expenses.

Apart from the management, the PM would also need to communicate with all of the team
members of the project. The team would need to provide update regardin their role within the
project combined together with the status. The very first of the report would be a general
report that details basic information regarding the project such as the title, the start date, the
end date, duration and the congingency plan for the project. This is sent to the team members
(La Trobe University, 2017). The second report given to the team members details includes
the deatails of every single team member involved with the project and it includes their email
ID, contact number, name and address of the member as well as their reporting manager.
There would likely be a weekly meeting regarding the project status that would provide an
action plan as well as minutes of meeting. The overall action plan needs to include the things
which has already been done, the follow-up tasks, date for the next tasks and the person
responsible for it. Simultaneously, communication report would also need to be created
which would end up providing how exactly the team members communication with one
another specifically the mode of communication, frequency of communication and who are
involved in it among others. The risk report also needs to be shared with all of the team
member and this invludes: Risk owner details, description of the task, impact on the given
project and the contingency plan for it. (La Trobe University, 2017).
Conclusion
This paper explored 2 different methodologies to get the installation of solar successful.
These includes monitoring and reporting. Project reporting ensures the team is information
regarding the project, it’s progress and the development. On the other hand, project
monitoring monitors that the budget and the schedule are adhered and do not go overboard.
The same is communicated to the management and CEO of the organization. Both reporting
and monitoring ensures that the resources are utilized optimally and that there are no wastage.
References
Adler, T., & Smith, W. (2009). How organisational cost reporting practices affect project
management: the issues of project review and evaluation. International Journal Of
Project Organisation And Management, 1(3), 309. doi: 10.1504/ijpom.2009.027541
APM Group Ltd. (2017). DEFINING RISK: THE RISK MANAGEMENT CYCLE. Retrieved
September 14, 2017, from https://ppp-certification.com/ppp-certification-guide/52-
defining-risk-risk-management-cycle36

La Trobe University. (2017). Video 4: Project Risks. Retrieved September 14, 2017, retrieved
https://lms.latrobe.edu.au/mod/book/view.php?id=2493632&chapterid=201714
La Trobe University. (2017). Video 3: Stakeholder Engagement and Management. Retrieved
September 14, 2017, retrieved https://lms.latrobe.edu.au/mod/book/view.php?
id=2493632&chapterid=201713
Milosevic, D. (1987). Organizing project control systems. International Journal Of Project
Management, 5(2), 76-79. doi: 10.1016/0263-7863(87)90031-7