Managing a Successful Business Project

This report focuses on the study of Aston Martin and explores the managerial policies related to promotion of equality and diversity at the workplace. It discusses the aims, objectives, and timeframes of the project, along with project planning and small scale research. The findings of the research are presented, highlighting the importance of equality and diversity in creating a better working environment.

Managing a Successful
Business Project

Table of Contents
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................2
TITLE..............................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
Aims, objectives and timeframes of project along with the planning....................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................8
Small scale research along with the data collection method..................................................8
TASK 3..........................................................................................................................................10
Presentation of findings........................................................................................................10
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................20
Reflection.............................................................................................................................20
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................21
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................22

TITLE
“To ascertain that how the managerial policies related to promotion of equality and
diversity assist in creating and developing better working environment at the workplace of
company.” A study on Aston Martin.
INTRODUCTION
Every business needs to be expanding their operations at a large extent and for managing
their business projects in an adequate manner they require to expand their workforce. These
employees have been changing means that employees belong to the different backgrounds,
religions and beliefs which all work together within a business organisation. It is requisites for
the businesses to establish the better environment of equality and diversity so that the working of
an organisation done in a proper and effective way (Bendl and et. al., 2015). As equality aid in
facilitating the equal opportunities to each and every individuals that are essential for
encouraging them to work effectively and efficiently. Whereas, the diversity assist in
collaborating the working of company of diverse workers so that they can adopt their skills as
well as ideas for accomplishing the goals and objectives. The present report is based on the
Aston Martin Lagonda which is an independent manufacturer of British and deals in luxury
sports cars as well as grand tourers. This was founded by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford in
the year 1913 in London, United Kingdom. As the company employ various employees who
belongs to the different cultures, backgrounds, age, religions and sex so that it is essential for
them to manage and establish equality and diversity at workplace within a business enterprise.
Under this report, the project planning along with the small scale research is to be done that
assist in using management practices at their workplace so that all workers can be able to work
together effectively and efficiently.
TASK 1
Aims, objectives and timeframes of project along with the planning.
Project planning is associated with the planning and controlling the ways in which the
project activities will be performed so that goals and objectives of company can be attained
effectively and efficiently. It is essential to the Aston Martin to emphasise on management
policies and procedures such as providing feedbacks, raising employee’s inclusion and so on. All

these things can assist in increasing workers performance and motivate them to work effectively
and adequately.
Aim: “To ascertain that how the managerial policies assist in creating and developing
better working environment at the workplace of company.” A study on Aston Martin.
Objective:
 To analyse policies and practices that can aid in maintaining the workplace equality as
well as diversity at company’s workplace.
 To ascertain the influences of these policies on the work place environment where
employees are performing their tasks.
 To identify several ways through which the managerial policies can be implemented in an
organisation.
Questions:
 What are the policies and procedure that can be used for improving and maintaining
equality and diversity at working premises?
 What can be the influence of managerial policies which are implemented on working
place?
 What are the ways in which execution of policies can be done?
Project management plan:
Project management plan is defined as a collection of outlines such includes scope, cost,
schedule etc. Which are required to effectively communicate with all the members in detail so
that objectives can be achieved appropriately. It is related to the managing and controlling of
project activities and it is essential to developed because with which the objectives of business
are to be accomplished effectively and efficiently. It is based on the several deliverables that will
aid investigator for completing projects properly.
Quality: It is essential that the quality of investigation is to be maintained superior level
so that research can be done in an authentic and reliable way. Investigator adopts tools and
techniques of research effectively and gathers information from valuable source so that correct
information will be gathered.
Scope: It is related to the ascertainment of outcomes which are intended to be
accomplished throughout the execution of tasks and the ways with which it can be done
effectively. Several factors are considered for the scope of project such as resources, objectives,

deliverables, tools, deadlines and techniques. It helps in determining the overall expenses of
projects for adopting management policies and practices in Aston Martin Company to develop
equality and diversity (Hutchinso, Mack and Verhoeven, 2017).
Cost: It is the major and most important consideration which is used to eliminate entire
costs which can be done by preparing budgets so that entire activities can be appropriately
performed. Researcher requires specific amount of all activities for completion of tasks such
includes £150. Whereas, the project manager of Aston Martin needs £400 in order to manage
various tasks such are discussed as follows:
Particulars Amount
Methods and techniques £100
Data collection £150
Assets and resources £50
Other expenditures £100
Total Cost £400
Time: It is the time estimation that will be needed to perform projects within the certain
period of time at a time of executing all the activities in an adequate manner. Researcher requires
2.5 months in order to collect information and apply tools and methods as well as develop teams.
So that all business tasks can be appropriately done.
Resources: It includes the tangible and intangible assets that can be needed for
completing project activities effectively. These are needed by the researcher at a time of
collecting data regarding projects in terms of office, laptops and team members and so on. So
that the activities can be performed appropriately in a desired way throughout the task
completion (Kim, 2015).
Communication: For executing tasks in an effective manner as it is most significant that
appropriate communication is required for all team members in order to share information and
keep informed ad aware them. There are several communicational tools and techniques such as
internet, e-mails and video conferencing which are used by investigators so that interactions can
be done effectively.

Risk: It is defined as a uncertainties that might be occur at a time of doing project
activities which impacts on the quality and delivery of tasks. Some of the risks that can be faced
by researchers at a time of collection of data such as choosing wrong sources and methods, lack
of skills and knowledge, wrongly interpret as well as inappropriate sampling techniques
(Kendrick, 2015).
Gantt chart: It is referred to the bar chart that shows several actions within the
respective time frame as well as the length of bar chart in which it represents the starting,
duration and ending dates of project activities. Gantt chart is firstly developed by Henry Gantt
which facilitates the visual presentation of work schedules along with the specified period of
time. In addition, it can be used by the manager as well as researcher in order to plan and manage
short or long term projects and showcase entire work which is to be done on a particular day.
These assist investigator in ascertaining the issues and drawbacks of projects or tasks so that they
can be able to minimise the unnecessary procedures which shows the better effectiveness of
activities.

Work break down structure: It is considered as a most effective and valuable technique
which facilitates better assistance to the investigator for dividing entire projects or tasks into the
small sections as it helps in managing and controlling the team work in different sections. Along
with this, it gives clear and systematic framework of entire planning as well as coordinating
activities in order to accomplish desired results and also it helps in decreasing the complexities
of project by compositing them into manageable manner. With the help of this, all the team
members can perform their best effectively and efficiently in order to complete tasks within the
certain time period (Hass, 2017).

TASK 2
Small scale research along with the data collection method.
Research: It is a kind of investigation that gives a systematic manner of study which aids
to shows, forecast or concern by implementing scientific techniques. In addition, it facilitates the
better way of gathering requisites information by considering all issues and creates new theories
through the considerations of them. Numerous methods and tools are adopted by investigator in
order to gather, understand as well as analyse information and records to make appropriate
decisions for achieving investigation goals and objectives.
Methods of research:
Qualitative research: It is related to the market analysis which focuses on the getting
information by using open ended to gathering detail and depth data towards their attitudes, nature
of participants, behaviour and perception which has been determined by the investigators. There
are numerous kinds of methods such includes case study, focus groups, in depth or deep
interviews and so on. This type of tool is descriptive as well as communicative in nature (Davies
and Wolfert, 2016).
Quantitative research: It is also defined as a systematic research which facilitates data
and value in numeric terms in different ways such includes mathematical, computational and
statistical techniques. Main aim of quantitative method is to make sure the arithmetical accuracy
by accomplishing accurate and correct results from the different methods of investigation that
should be statistical and logical. It mainly includes the questionnaire form of research.
Sources of data collection:

Primary source: it is widely used by the investigator in order to obtain data and
information from the direct sources or face to face data collection instead of getting from
newspapers, books and magazines. This information is to be obtained by investigator through
conducting interviews, polls, questionnaires and many more. Whereas, it is termed as a time
consuming and expensive source of data collection.
Secondary source: It includes the collection of data or records from the already existing
journals, websites or from libraries that are being studied earlier by other researcher. It is defined
as an expensive method in comparison of primary sources and highly in used by businesses and
individuals.
Sampling: It is a process of deciding the small amount of individuals from large number of
entire population on the behalf of their evaluation which has been executed. It facilitates the
basis of gathering accurate and reliable information which assists in achieving the objectives of
business entity. This can be done by doing appropriate analysis of methods and characters of
overall population. In this report, investigator use random sampling and select a size of sample is
40 for gathering detail and accurate information about a specific topic.
A questionnaire for a sample population of 40 people:
Questionnaire
Q1) Are you aware about workplace equality and diversity?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) Do you think equal treatment of diverse workforce is important?
a) Agree
b) Disagree
Q3) What can be the ways of implementing equality?
a) Equal opportunities
b) Participative leadership
c) No discrimination
Q4) How can a diverse workforce be built at Aston Martin?
a) Improved recruitment
b) Unbiased selection
Q5) What are the ways of implementing managerial policies in company?

a) Training and development
b) Motivation
c) Performance appraisals
Another company which is taken so that data from a sample population of 40 can be
collected from the company is Rolls Royce which is also a British multinational luxury car
manufacturer headquartered in England, UK. Questionnaire prepared for a sample population of
40 employees in Rolls Royce so that the managerial policies related to equality and diversity can
be compared with Aston Martin:
Questionnaire
Q1) Does the company have an equal and diverse workforce?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) How is equality established in company?
a) Equal growth opportunities
b) Performance appraisals
c) Feedbacks
Q3) How is diversity established in company?
a) Unbiased recruitment
b) Managing cultural differences
c) employee engagement
Q4) What are the benefits of having equal and diverse workforce?
a) Increased employee retention
b) Improves innovation
c) Enhances reputation
TASK 3
Presentation of findings
Q1) Are you aware about workplace equality and
diversity?
Frequency
Yes 15

No 25
From this graph it can be said that out of 40 respondents in Aston Martin only 15 know
about the concept of an equal and diverse workforce whereas the other 25 are unaware about it.
this shows the lack of knowledge about having equality and diversity in company and its
importance in improving the performance of workers that can help the company in gaining a
competitive advantage in market. This is the reason that Aston Martin needs to implement
policies which can help in increasing equal opportunities among all workers without
discrimination so that all can work together in an efficient manner (Artto, Ahola and Vartiainen,
2016).
Q2) Do you think equal treatment of diverse
workforce is important?
Frequency
Agree 25
Disagree 15

From this graph it can be interpreted that 25 out of the 40 respondents agree that equal
treatment must be given in company to the diverse workforce that work together whereas the rest
15 do not agree on the same. Aston Martin is a large organisation with a large number of workers
belonging to different religion, culture, nations, skills, experiences etc. who work together in
company. It is important that all are given equal chances to grow so that they can feel valued in
company and they can be motivated to contribute their efforts towards achieving company goals
(Lientz and Rea, 2016).
Q3) What can be the ways of implementing
equality?
Frequency
Equal opportunities 20
Participative leadership 10
No discrimination 10

From this graph it can be seen said that company can follow various ways to implement
equality among workers. Out of the 40 respondents in company 20 say that equal opportunities
can help in establishing equality, 10 say that participative leadership can help in doing so while
the other 10 say that company needs to follow a policy of no discrimination. All the three steps
can be effective in implementation of equality among workers so that they can be treated equally
and fairly which can help in motivating them so that they can achieve company goals in an
efficient manner (Newton, 2016).
Q4) How can a diverse workforce be built at
Aston Martin?
Frequency
Improved recruitment 30
Unbiased selection 10

From this graph it can be interpreted that 30 respondents agree that diverse workforce can
be created by improving recruitment practices of company which can allow all the candidates
having differences in their culture, religion, sex, age, caste etc. to participate in company’s
recruitment process. The other 10 say that unbiased selection can help in having a diverse
workforce in company as employees having required skills and talents will be selected regardless
of their other differences.
Q5) What are the ways of implementing
managerial policies in company?
Frequency
Training and development 20
Motivation 20

This graph interprets that out of 40 respondents 20 say that traininga nd developnment
programmes can help in implementing managerial policies while the rest 20 say that motivation
policies can help in effective implementation of such policies. It is important that company adopt
both the methods so that a friendly working environment in company can be created and
collaboration and integration among workers can increae. Managers and leaders of company can
increase an equal and diverse working environent by using both these tools so that workers can
be motivatd to pwrform better along with increasing harmony amon them (Dickerson and et. al.,
2016).
The interpretation of data collected by the way of questionnaire from Rolls Royce from
its 40 respondents are given below:
Q1) Does the company have an equal and diverse
workforce?
Frequency
Yes 30
No 10

This graph shows that maximum workers in Rolls Royce agree that the company has an
equal and diverse workforce in company which means that the workers of company are not
disrminated and are given equal chances of growth and development so that the can stay
motivated and contribute towards company’s achievement of goals and objectives on time. They
also help in creating a friendy working environment in company so that all can work together
thereby enhancing company’s brand image in market.
Q2) How is equality established in company? Frequency
Equal growth opportunities 15
Performance appraisals 15
Feedbacks 10

From this graph it can be saud that 15 respondents say that equality can be established in
company by giving same chance to all workers to grow and develop, other 15 say that
performace appraisals can help in increasing equlity in company while the rest 10 say that giving
feedbacks to all the workers can help in doing the same. In Rolls Royce all the methods are used
so that workers can be given a workplace environment where they can work together without
being discriminated on age, caste, sex etc. These methods can help the workers to grow equally
in company which is important so that they can all contribute towards achieving company targets
(Nicholas and Steyn, 2017).
Q3) How is diversity established in company? Frequency
Unbiased recruitment 10
Managing cultural differences 10
employee engagement 20

From this graph it can be said that 10 respondents say that unbiased recruitment help Rolls
Royce in creating a diverse workforce, other 10 say that the mangers of company well manage
the cultural diversity aamong workers while the rest 20 say that there is employee engagement
among workers in company which help in promotion of diverse workforce to efficiently
collaborate with each other and work in harmony.
Q4) What are the benefits of having equal and
diverse workforce?
Frequency
Increased employee retention 20
Improves innovation 10
Enhances reputation 10

From this graph it can be depicted that 20 respondents agree that a diversity in workforce
help in increasing employee retention, other 10 say that it help in improving innovation in
company while the rest 10 say that it help in enhancing reputation of company in market. Thus
there are several benefits of having a diverse workforce in company as it help in bringing diverse
and innovative ideas from different workers thereby increasing the ability of company to
improve their products or services in market and create an improved image in market (Heldman,
2018).
Recommendations
From the interpretations which are made by the researcher through the quantitative data
collected it can be said that implementation of policies which can help in building an equal and
diverse workforce in company is important so that the benefits of this working environment can
help in improving productivity and profitability of company can be increased. the respondent
who were chosen in both the companies were the employees of company so that the authenticity
and reliability of data collected can be increased and correct recommendations can be given to
Aston Martin are as follows:
The managers of company need to treat all the employees equally and fairly on a regular
basis so that employees can be motivated to work efficiently.
Training and development programmes can help managers on how they can promote
equal chances among workers and encourage them to participate in company activities thereby
increasing employee engagement.

Company can include rewards and performance appraisals so that employees are treated
based on their performance and do not get discriminated based on other factors.
TASK 4
Reflection
The topic on which i conducted my research was very interesting and have me an
opportunity to work for a large and internationally renowned organisation Aston Martin which
made the research even more exciting and knowledgeable. I was able to use my research skills
and other research tools and techniques so that efficient results can be drawn through research
and also so that the project gets completed on time and within budget. It also enhanced my
knowledge on importance of equality and diversity in workforce which is beneficial for my
future research and academics. While the research i used WBS, Gantt chart, project management
plan, graphs, questionnaires etc. so that the project can be completed with the greatest efficiency
and accuracy. I tried to make recommendation which help Aston Martin in effective
implementation of policies can so that an equal and diverse workplace can be created that can
help it in gaining various advantages in market and gaining a competitive edge in market. I used
my effective communication skills, analytical skills and data interpretation skills so that the
research can help in formulating efficient results. However i faced problems related to time
management, managing team, choosing sample size etc. which is was able to deal with by being
patient and taking help of my mentors so that i could do the research work efficiently. This
research can help me in getting future projects which are important for getting finances and also
improving my skills. The certificate that i will get after this research will also help me in getting
projects in big firms and also i can go to higher studies in research field.

CONCLUSION
It can be summarised from the above discussion that every business works for gaining
competitive advantages within the emerging market and develop better environment at their
work place. It is essential to create equality and diversity at working premises as it assists in
building employee’s confidence and performance along with the betterment of entire
organisation in terms of productivity as well as profitability. It will result in enhancing and
managing workers trust within an organisation that means they will optimally utilised its efforts
and actions for accomplishing objectives within the certain period of time. This will also result in
raising goodwill and image of company within the ever changing market place thereby it attracts
large number of customers towards the business and retaining them for longer period of time and
get better results in terms of success.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bendl, R. and et. al., 2015. The Oxford handbook of diversity in organizations. Oxford
University Press.
Hutchinson, M., Mack, J. and Verhoeven, P., 2017. Women in leadership: an analysis of the
gender pay gap in ASX‐listed firms. Accounting & Finance .57(3). pp.789-813.
Kim, M., 2015. Pay secrecy and the gender wage gap in the United States. Industrial Relations:
A Journal of Economy and Society .54(4). pp.648-667
Kendrick, T., 2015. Identifying and managing project risk: essential tools for failure-proofing
your project. Amacom.
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.
Davies, R. and Wolfert, R., 2016. From Earned Value to Value Realisation: From managing
projects to managing business outcomes in change programmes. Further Advances in
Project Management: Guided Exploration in Unfamiliar Landscapes, p.219.
Artto, K., Ahola, T. and Vartiainen, V., 2016. From the front end of projects to the back end of
operations: Managing projects for value creation throughout the system lifecycle.
International Journal of Project Management .34(2). pp.258-270.
Lientz, B. and Rea, K., 2016. Breakthrough technology project management. Routledge.
Newton, R., 2016. Project Management Step by Step: How to plan and manage a highly
successful project. Pearson UK.
Dickerson III, C.L., Wang, J., Witherspoon, J. and Crumley, S.C., 2016. Work zone management
in the district of Columbia: deploying a citywide transportation management plan and work zone
project management system. Transportation Research Record, 2554(1), pp.37-45.
Nicholas, J.M. and Steyn, H., 2017. Project management for engineering, business and
technology. Taylor & Francis.
Heldman, K., 2018. PMP: project management professional exam study guide. John Wiley &
Sons.

Project Logbook for the chosen organisation:
Name of the learner: Name of the Supervisor:
Project Title: “To ascertain that how the
managerial policies related to promotion of
equality and diversity assist in creating and
developing better working environment at the
workplace of company.” A study on Aston
Martin.
Date:
Update of weekly research/ tasks achieved
(Account for a minimum of six weeks with
dates)1- What have you completed?
2- Did you fulfil Task requirements?
3- Are you on track and within deadlines
set?
4- Did you need to make any changes to
your project management plan?
I have completed research on how management of
Aston Martin cab implement equality and
diversity policies.
Yes, all the tasks were completed on time.
Yes.
No, the activities occurred as per plan.
Any risks and / or issues identified?
 Did you identify risks/issues with a
lack of skills required for undertaking
Yes, shortage of time and resources.

research tasks?
 Did you identify any additional
risks/issues that have an impact on the
project management plan?
Yes impatience and problem in deciding
sample size.
Problems encountered
 What barriers did you face?
 How did you overcome them?
Lack of effective communication.
Using communication tools like laptops,
mobiles etc.
New Ideas and change of project direction
What Have I learnt about myself this week?1. How did I feel when I had to deal with
tasks/problems?
2. How well have I performed? What did
I contribute?
3. What can I improve on next week?
I felt stressed and impatient.
I gave my 100% so that the quality of
research can be improved.

4. How might this learning apply in the
future?
My researching skills can improve.
Tasks planned for next week
 Which tasks are priority?
 Have you set aside sufficient time for
completion?
Arrangement of the complete work and
dividing it in accordance with time
With the help of WBS I was able to do so
efficiently.
Project plan status to date (on, ahead, behind)
Supervisor comments to address
Signature of the Supervisor and date:

Template for Performance Review to be attached with the report by the learner:
What was the Project supposed to accomplish?
Through this project the importance of equality and diversity in company was studied and how policies
can be implemented in company to establish an equal and diverse workforce.
Did the project succeed in its aims/ how do you know? Specifically, please outline any evaluation
and assessment undertaken?
Yes, the project succeed in its aim as i used various tools like questionnaire, project management plan,
graphs etc.
What things do you think worked well and why? Evaluate all aspects of the project?
Effective communication skills helped me in managing the team and collection and interpretation of
data so that recommendations can be formed.
What problems emerged during the project and how were they tackled? Was there timely
identification of issues and resolution during the project process?
Conflicts among team members and growing impatience among them. I tackled this by managing their
conflicts and distributing tasks among them.
What did you learn from undertaking the project?
I was able to enhance my research skills and gained knowledge upon equality and diversity and its
importance for company.
How would you rate your performance as a management consultant leading the project
As a management consultant in a research, I rate myself as 8/10.
What strengths and weakness of your performance did you identify?
Strengths: Communication skills, analysis skills and data interpretation
Weakness: Time management, managing team
How will this inform and support your continuous professional development?
This will help in enhancing my research abilities so that i can grow personally and professionally in
future.