Report: Assessing Digital Technology's Impact on a Consulting Business

This report examines the impact of digital technology on Continental Consulting Ltd, a business consultancy. It begins with an introduction highlighting the importance of digital technology and the company's need to adapt. The report outlines project aims and objectives, develops a project management plan covering cost, scope, time, quality, risk, and resources, and includes a work breakdown structure and Gantt chart. Small-scale research is conducted using qualitative and quantitative methods. The report analyzes research data using appropriate tools and techniques, and provides recommendations based on the findings. The main body covers project aims and objectives, a project management plan, work breakdown structure and Gantt chart, research methodologies, data analysis and interpretation, and concludes with recommendations and a reflection on the project.

MANAGING A
SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS
PROJECT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
LO1..................................................................................................................................................1
P1. Devise project aims and objectives for chosen topic............................................................1
P2. Presenting a project management plan that covers different aspect.....................................2
P3. Producing a work down structure and Gantt chart to provide time frame............................4
LO2..................................................................................................................................................7
P4. Small scale research to meet out project aim and objectives................................................7
LO3..................................................................................................................................................8
P5. Analyse research and data by using appropriate tools and techniques.................................8
P6. Recommendation as a result of research of data analysis...................................................18
LO4................................................................................................................................................19
P7 Reflection.............................................................................................................................19
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................20
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

Illustration Index
Illustration 1: Gantt Chart................................................................................................................5
Illustration 2: Network diagram.......................................................................................................5
Illustration 3: Work Break Down Structure.....................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Digital technology plays an important role in every small, medium and big firms. The
report focus on the impact of digital technology on Continental Consulting Ltd. It is a research
and business consultancy company whose aim is to provide best products to their customers by
applying latest and advance technologies into a work place (Muller, 2017). The aim of this report
is to understanding the scope of entrepreneurship and also about barriers to start-up business.
Further, it describes project aims & objectives and produce a project management plan that
covers aspect of cost, scope, time, quality, risk and resources. Report also present work
breakdown structure with a Gantt chart that provide time frames as well as stages for completion
of this project. The report carries out small scale research by applying qualitative as well as
quantitative research methods in order to meet aims. The report presents research and data by
using appropriate tools and techniques and provide recommendations for better result of research
and data analysis.
MAIN BODY
LO1
P1. Devise project aims and objectives for chosen topic
Background: Digital technology plays a crucial and significant role in business growth
as well as innovation. From last so many years, it has completely changed the traditional
business models and even transformed whole activities of business. The impact of digital
technologies on business environment creates a vast positive effect such as help in maximization
of profit, leading to increasingly diverse product list. That is why is it necessary for every firm to
cope up with new technologies in order to enhance its growth as well as development. These
technologies give an opportunity to small business firm to gain competitive advantage in this
global environment. It has been examined that about 84 percent of small business are using at
least one technology in order to provide information to their customers (Impact of digital
technologies, 2018).
Company's overview: Continental Consulting Limited is a small- scale research and business
consultancy company in London. As the company is set up before 8 years and due to rapid
innovation in IT industry and use of latest digital technologies made company's product obsolete
and there is a need to upgrade the use of IT in order to bring company's ability to its maximum
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limits. Now company making enough efforts in order to upgrade its business process which help
to creates a brand image in market (Turner, 2016).
Rationale: The reason to study this report is that scholars have interest they find that
there is a huge scope in future to study this. While on the other side, the university allot a topic to
study on this. Digital technologies create a vast positive impact on small scale industries and that
is why it is necessary to analyse importance for them. A person is working on Continental
Consultancy Limited and faces various issues regarding usage of this digital technologies and
through this project report, trying to resolve issues. As a firm wants to maximizes its profit as
well as sales revenue that is why report provides help to analyses its importance in business
environment (Muller, 2017).
Aim: “ To assess the effect of digital technologies on the growth and innovation of an
organization: A case study based on Continental Consultancy Limited
Objectives:
 To determine conceptual framework of various digital technologies used by Continental
Consultancy Ltd.
 To describe relationship between different digital technologies to raise working
performance of a company.
 To identify the impact of digital technologies on small scale industries growth and
innovation.
 To determine the challenges faced by Continental Consultancy Ltd in order to adapt this
digital technique into work area.
 To suggest some recommendations in order to resolve issues faced by a firm.
P2. Presenting a project management plan that covers different aspect
Project Management Plan is defined as how a project is examined, monitored and
controlled, overall, it is a summary or detailed report that includes baselines which help to
measure company's performance, subsidiary management plans where scope, cost, quality,
human resources are included. Research project plan is a formal document that provide a
baseline of what has to be achieved by a project (Sharp, Peters and Howard, 2017). It also
provides detailed information regarding a project that includes executive summary, strategic
alignment, requirement of Human Resource, budget estimate, risk management etc.
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Project Management Plan is a simplest process that help a company to achieve their goals
and objectives. The main objective of project plan is to identify an approach that is used by a
Continental Consultancy Ltd to deliver the supposed project management scope of a project. In
order to accomplish overall objectives of Continental Consultancy Ltd it has to cover all basic
aspects which are mentioned below:
Cost: To adopt particular project plan, Continental Consultancy Ltd has to follow cost
making in order to meet its project needs (Thomas, 2017). The costs are related to resource
spent, operational cost and company has to fix its budget in order to complete its project
efficiently. For this project the cost will be 125 pound.
Scope: By developing project management plan, a company can easily raise its working
performance and generate more revenue by using latest technologies. The importance of this
project is to identify current situation and help to cope up with advance applications.
Time: it is important factor in research, as all the activities are interrelated and
interdependent on each other, if in case one task get delayed, it has effect on the completion time
of complete project. The entire project will be completed within 1 month approx.
Quality: while using new technologies, the quality produced by a company must be
accurate and reliable and creates brand value for a product output (O'Leary, 2017). The quality of
a product directly creates positive impact on customers. So it is necessary for them to used best
quality resources for producing better services/ products.
Communication: To build communication plan is necessary for an owner because a
frequent communication help to develop better project plan. So it is quite necessary for a
stakeholder as well as employees to create better understanding and communication between
them.
Risk: There are chances to have risk while adapting new technologies and this hazard
may occur due to lack of efficiency and low cost or budget. This unexpected risk must be
mitigated by using proper technologies (Bell, 2014).
Resources: In order to accomplish project plan, a manager must use different resources
and must see whether they are available on demand or not and these resources must be help to
finish a project in better way.
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P3. Producing a work down structure and Gantt chart to provide time frame
Gantt Chart: A Gantt chart is most important element that is used in project
management. It basically specifies what work has been schedule in order to done on each
specific day (Appelhans and et.al., 2018). It is a horizontal bar chart which is developed by
production control equipment. Gantt chart may be a simple or in complex version. Therefore, it
provides a graphical illustration that helps in planning, coordinating and tracking some specific
task in a project. The simple versions of chart are presented in simple graph paper while the
complex are created by using project management application such as Microsoft Project or
Excel. While on the other side, PERT chart is another important project management map that
help to resolve those issues which a scholar is facing while using Gantt chart (Sharp, Peters and
Howard, 2017). The GC is basically used by trained project managers who have long term
projects and in the context of Continental Consultancy Ltd, which is a research business, they are
also used this chart in order to specify their work time scheduling.
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Illustration 1: Network diagram

5
Illustration 2: Gantt Chart
Source: (Gantt Chart, 2018)

Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessors
Research Project
Planning
Topic name 4 days 15/01/18 19/01/18
Statements of the research
issue 1 day 20/01/18 21/01/18 2
Allocation of resources and
time frame 5 days 21/01/18 26/01/18 2
Implementation
Review of literature 5 days 27/03/18 01/02/18 3
Selection of correct research
methodologies 1 day 02/02/18 03/02/18 4
Data analysis and
interpretation 4 days 03/02/18 07/02/18 5
Evaluation of results and
outcomes 2 days 07/02/18 09/02/18 5
Project closure
Giving conclusion and
recommendation 1 day 10/02/18 11/02/18 6
6
Illustration 3: Work Break Down Structure
Source: (Work Break Down Structure, 2018)

Results of documentation 1 day 12/04/18 13/02/18 7
Work breakdown Structure: It is also known as CWBS which is a regular framework
whose structure element are product, data, services and so on. It also provides basic necessary
information of detailed cost estimating with proper scheduling for business development as well
as control. It is a hierarchical or tree structure which help to achieve company's objectives in
prescribed time (Roberts-Holmes, 2018). A well designed WBS helps to make a project easy to
analyse each activity and provides a necessary framework to identify detail cost estimating and
guidance for schedule development and control.
LO2
P4. Small scale research to meet out project aim and objectives
Research Methodologies
The reason behind selecting research methodologies is to have depth information about
the topic of research. It is a term which aids to collect information and data for making business
decision. This helps as to defines the systematic plan of doing research. For conducting the
present research on implication of technological advancement the following method or research
will be used as are-
Research type : There are basically two types of research these are qualitative and
quantitative. Choice of research type is completely based on the nature of subject matter. In
context of present study on topic effect of digital technologies on the growth and innovation of
an organization , researcher has conducted both research type that is qualitative and quantitative.
Reason for conducting both qualitative and quantitative research is that it helps researcher in
executing in depth investigation. In addition to this, by conducting quantitative and quantitative
research , scholar can gathered huge amount of information related to the topic. Both qualitative
and quantitative research provides researcher an ease in analysing the data.
Research philosophy- This process deals with source, nature and development of
knowledge. It is philosophy which defines the believes and with help of that data can be
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collected, analysed and used. Moreover, each stage of research process is based on assumptions.
There are number of research philosophies as are pragmatism, positivism, Realism and
Interpretivism (Budig and et.al., 2018). To determine impact of digitalisation over “Continental
Consulting Limited”, interpretivism and positivism philosophies will be undertaken.
Research approach- It is plan and procedure which works as to have broad assumption
to have detailed method of data collection, analysis and its interpretation. This can be divide into
three parts as are Deductive, inductive and Abductive. In order to determine the impact of
digitalisation the deductive approach will be used as it is helpful to test validity of assumption.
On the other hand, Inductive will be used to identify emergence of theories and generalisation
(Hawley, 2018).
Research design- It defines overall strategy which helps to integrate differed
components of study in coherent and logical context. This is defined in following manner as are
namely, exploratory, descriptive and explanatory etc. To understand the impact and to have
depth information descriptive analysis will be used. In this, it will have carried out three factor
are to be used these are case study, observation and survey (Thomas, 2017).
Data collection- This approach will be useful to get depth insights so that information
can be collected effectively. This is defined in manner as are primary and secondary. The
primary method will be useful to analyse and collect first-hand information (Lawton and
Hamilton, 2018). It can be collected with help of questionnaire, so that depth survey can be
carried out to determine the implication of digitalisation over “Continental Consulting Limited”.
Furthermore, secondary information can be collected with help of books, journal, articles and
blogs etc.
Sampling- in this, two ways of this technique as are probabilistic and non-probabilistic.
This study will be conducted with help of probabilistic method. It works as to provide equal
chance to each respondents so that impact of technological advancement can be determined
effectively. Under it, sampling size of 20 employees of “Continental Consulting Limited” has
selected with use of sample random technique.
Data analysis- It is process which includes coding, cleaning inspecting, and to
discovering the information so that effective conclusion can be drawn. The process of making
proper evaluation of data by using of analytical and logical reasoning so that each component
can be examined. It can be collected from sources as gathered, review and analysed to form
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finding and conclusion. There are two types of approaches these are quantitative and qualitative
(Hedley, 2017). To determine this research study, qualitative method will be adopted.
Ethical consideration- Under it, confidentiality of information is needed to be maintains
from any unauthorized access. Non-compliance to this can leads to have ethical issues
LO3
P5. Analyse research and data by using appropriate tools and techniques
Questionnaire
Name-
Gender-
Age-
1. Does technological advancement foster growth of an enterprise?
 Yes
 No
 May be
2. Is technical advancement will be safe and secure to use?
 Yes
 No
 May be
3. What barriers firm might face in implementing digital technology at workplace
 High operational cost
 Untrained workers
 Unspecified procedures
4. Do you believe technological advancement is cost and time effective?
 Yes
 No
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