Managing Operations and Projects: Graduation Ceremony Project Plan

This project plan, prepared for Bloomsbury Institute, outlines the comprehensive management of a graduation ceremony. The plan encompasses various critical aspects of project management, including scope definition, time scheduling (using Gantt charts and network diagrams), cost budgeting and control, and communication strategies for stakeholders. It also includes a detailed risk management plan, identifying potential risks and proposing mitigation strategies. The project plan covers the roles and responsibilities of key personnel, a work breakdown structure, and a budget breakdown. The project aims to provide a framework for a successful graduation ceremony, ensuring efficient resource allocation and effective communication among stakeholders.

MANAGING
OPERATIONS AND
PROJECT
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Table of Contents
Section 1. Scope Management Plan.................................................................................................2
1.1 Project Description................................................................................................................2
1.2 Project Scope.........................................................................................................................3
1.3 Assumptions..........................................................................................................................4
1.4 Constraints.............................................................................................................................4
1.5 Roles and Responsibilities of Project....................................................................................4
1.6 Work-breakdown Structure (WBS) of project ceremony.....................................................5
Section 2. Time Management Plan..................................................................................................6
2.1 Project Activity/Time/Dependency base table......................................................................6
2.2 Project network Diagram......................................................................................................6
2.3 Project Gantt Chart................................................................................................................7
Section 3. Cost Management Plan...................................................................................................7
3.1 Cost Breakdown and Budget.................................................................................................7
3.2 Project Cost baseline.............................................................................................................8
Section 4. Communication Management Plan.................................................................................9
4.1 Project stakeholder................................................................................................................9
4.2 Stakeholder Communication Plan.........................................................................................9
Section 5. Risk Management Plan...................................................................................................9
5.1 identification of Risk, Analysing and its Action Plan...........................................................9
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12
Section 1. Scope Management Plan
1.1 Project Description
The present report comprises of project conducting a graduation ceremony by
Bloomsbury Institute to be taken place on November this year. The main purpose behind
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conducting such ceremony is students development and encouragement in institute of
those who are going to join the ceremony on date. This report covers required details and
information for ceremony consisting its scope, objective, time and cost management, risk
management, communication management, budget, Gantt chart, network diagram, etc.
that all are very necessary to conduct an effective ceremony. Later it also includes
identification and resolution ways of few risks or hurdles that can emerge during an
event.
1.1.1 Project Objectives
Every project or ceremony happens to achieve some objective likewise this graduation
ceremony is also conducted to fulfil certain objectives. The objectives for event are
mentioned below:
 Evaluating concepts of operation theories and management regarding organisational
resources, planning and measuring its effectiveness pertaining to Bloomsbury Institution.
 Comparing and analysing different organisational constraints which gives an impact on
execution of project.
 Evaluating and measuring various techniques of planning which are used for execution
and enhancement of Bloomsbury Institution in resolving their problems.
 Employing suitable techniques for project management into situations of organisation and
analysing its effectiveness.
 Encouraging skills related to Project Management.
1.2 Project Scope
A term scope comprises of certain technique that is used to show certain deliverables
including assumptions, constraints, requirements, milestones, and many more. Listing of project
scope assists management team to have better decision when planning to have some changes or
modifications in order to bring effectiveness into ceremony event.
Bloomsbury Institute describes its operation that are involved in deliverables of project.
This comprises of possible results, objectives, specifications of related project, identification of
risks, and many more.
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Bloomsbury Institution reaches to achieve overall figure of students who are going to
attend ceremony, institution's success rate, possible results after ceremony with their usefulness
in measuring success and failure of event by institution.
1.3 Assumptions
Few assumptions regarding happening of graduation ceremony project which needs to be
analysed for getting confirmation related to sustainability and development of event helping in
attaining targets or objectives in institution.
The assumptions for ceremony are listed below:
 Motivating and encouraging students in using technology that provides better facilities to
Bloomsbury Institution as a tool to influence students and their relatives.
 Bloomsbury Institute wishes to admit more students for graduation with a combination of
knowledge enhancement plus providing better education to candidates.
1.4 Constraints
Few constraints that emerges while conducting graduation ceremony are listed below:
 Management team is facing time limit issue as they are only having period of 90 days (3
months) for conducting ceremony which is found to be very short.
 The project team is also facing issue with short of funds for effective conduct of
graduation ceremony. They are having a limitation of using only £7000 to execute
ceremony plan which seems to be hard in fulfilling all objectives.
 Project management team does not have competent resources and facilities for
conducting a successful graduation ceremony that gives rise to possibility of
ineffectiveness and inefficiency during ceremony.
1.5 Roles and Responsibilities of Project
Various roles and responsibilities of all those persons who are associated with conducting
graduation ceremony are listed below:
Associated Persons Roles and Responsibilities
Ceremony In-charge Giving clean chit to ceremony activities along
with a regular check on their progress.
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Co-ordinator ceremony Main role is to coordinate all activities with in-
charge and volunteers. Responsible for giving
updates regarding progress of activities
involved in ceremony.
Technical person Is responsible for arranging all technical
support tools and staff who will assist in
conducting effective graduation ceremony.
Main role is to make available all required
technical resource.
Program Anchors Are responsible for starting program, jotting
down ceremony script, words for speech, or
other things which comes under their role.
Their main role is to proceed graduation
ceremony.
Ceremony Volunteers Are responsible for managing affairs of
ceremony and ensuring all the activities are
going in perfect manner as planned and
expected.
1.6 Work-breakdown Structure (WBS) of project ceremony.
The term work-breakdown structure refers to a technical tool for shaping process of
business comprising several steps like designing, formulating, introducing and implementing
project plan to have its real execution (Brewer and Dittman, 2018). The tool helps manager in
sorting a whole plan into parts to achieve them effectively and bring efficiency into it.
Bloomsbury institute is planning to organise a graduation ceremony covering related
activities such as subject teachers, teaching mode, classroom, technical lab, and many other
facilities. Management team takes immense care while offering all facilities and comfort learning
for students who enrolled in their institute along with teachers who are going to provide good
education.
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Section 2. Time Management Plan
2.1 Project Activity/Time/Dependency base table.
Bloomsbury institute is having following work-breakdown structure:
Task Time period Dependency
Budget allocation 7 days 1
Investors or sponsors 6 days 2
Ceremony Venue 5 days 4
Food and Beverages outlining 6 days 5
Seating Arrangements of
attendees
7 days 2
Preparation of guest list 14 days 4
Guests Safety 14 days 6
Human resource allocation 14 days 6
Co-ordination of staff
members
7 days 3
Post execution activities 6 days 7
2.2 Project network Diagram.
Project network diagram is a optical representation of detailed structure comprising
various symbols or connections with a certain network joined through a line (de Moraes and et.
al., 2020). Network diagram is a way which represents a blueprint of optical presentation in order
to make it easy to use and understand.
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2.3 Project Gantt Chart.
Gantt chart refers to a form of bar chart that enlists the whole scenario of related project
which is usually applied in managing a future project (Hübner, Volk and Schultmann, 2018).
This is a most common and useful chart to narrate project tasks in efficient manner.
Bloomsbury Institute's graduation ceremony gantt chart is made below:
Section 3. Cost Management Plan
3.1 Cost Breakdown and Budget
Budget is a tool used to listing all the expected expenses and sources of income which is
meant for achieving future goal (Nijhuis, 2021). It is very useful in segregating and allocating
money that are to be used in conducing effective graduation ceremony by Bloomsbury Institute
in the month of November this year. A institute is having only £7000 in their budget form which
the management team is required to manage all arrangements very smoothly.
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Budget for Bloomsbury Institute graduation ceremony is made below:
ACTIVITIES SUB-ACTIVITIES
SUB-ACTIVITIES
AMOUNT AMOUNT (£)
Catering
Drinks 200
Starters 250
Dessert 550
Main Course 1000 2000
Human Resource
Event Planners 1400
Decorators 1200
Technicians 1100
Cleaners 400
Waiters 900 5000
TOTAL £7000
3.2 Project Cost baseline
Project cost baseline is a management tool concerned to a planned project comprising
proper allocation of money used in upcoming graduation ceremony of Bloomsbury Institute.
Cost baseline presents a time limit to use the fund within a specific deadline. Cost, Schedule and
scope baseline are three main components which are always associated with every project to
achieve desired targets (Shanka and Taylor, 2003). The institute analysis each cost before
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executing graduation ceremony to have adequate availability of funds to manage event
successfully.
Section 4. Communication Management Plan
4.1 Project stakeholder.
Stakeholders are those who are connected with en event whether directly or indirectly.
These can be internal or external to an institution whose interest lies in it (Sharr, 1991). For
Bloomsbury Institution its stakeholders can be management team, faculties, students, other staff,
government, parents, sponsors, or others.
INTEREST LEVEL
POWER LEVEL
LOW HIGH
Low Technicians Candidates
High Legal authorities Management team
4.2 Stakeholder Communication Plan.
For Bloomsbury Institute its stakeholders communication plan is made below:
Communication Type Team allocation and board discussion with related group.
Objective of Communication To give necessary required information regarding graduation
ceremony activities.
Mode of Communication E-mail, telephonic and one to one interaction
Audience to be communicated All stakeholders.
Section 5. Risk Management Plan
5.1 identification of Risk, Analysing and its Action Plan
To manage risk, risk matrix is employed to analyse and minimise the chances of
appearing risk during real execution of plan. Controlling risk occurrence is a very crucial part in
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conducting successful event as this tries to disturb a free flow of program (Silvius and de Graaf,
2019). Bloomsbury Institute analysis certain risks along with analysis of its probability, impact
and response during graduation ceremony are mentioned below:
Risk identification Probability Impact Overall Risk analysis Risk response
Risk of Brand
Loss
5 5 10 Under this
manager fears of
failure in
developing good
brand image of
their event
company.
For this event
manager takes
care of all
attendees and
ensures all
facilities are
provided perfectly
by not breaking
any ethical code.
Fear of
registration
cancellation on
last time.
4 5 9 This talks about
last moment
cancellation of
attendees
registration for the
ceremony.
An event manager
keeps try to have
pre registration for
all attendees so
that last moment
cancellation may
be minimised.
Fear of missing
necessary
equipments.
3 4 7 Under this
category manager
bears a fear of
getting necessary
equipments
In order to
minimise this risk
team can take care
and look
availability of all
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misplaced at the
time of need.
required
equipments befroe
starting of
ceremony.
Finance shortage 3 3 6 This talks about
less money for
conducting
successful
graduation
ceremony.
Prior allocation of
adequate funds are
useful in reducing
financial risk.
Managing
attendees
1 2 3 This talks about
taking immense
care of audience
comfort so that
non of them feel
any kind of
trouble.
To minimise this
risk manager can
ensure all
facilities for
audience pre and
post ceremony
especially at the
time of coming in
and out.
CONCLUSION
From the above project report it can be easily concluded that managing and operating a
project is a very tedious task for every manager that needs very kind attention while planning and
executing a plan. Planning a graduation ceremony is not a cup of tea for institutions to conduct
because this requires a huge management of all resources. The ceremony invites all related
stakeholders including students and their parents who are treated as key people for any institution
for achieving success. Planning an effective event in advance is a prior requirement and needs to
work a lot on certain things which are inseparable from event like fund allocation, proper
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facilities, time and cost management, communication, risk reduction, and many more. Mangers
uses network diagram, work-breakdown structure and Gantt chart to divide whole task into parts
so that no confusion can be there while fulfilling event objective.
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