Managing a Successful Business Project: Unilever Case Study

This project report focuses on managing a successful business project, using a case study of Unilever to analyze talent management challenges. The report begins with an introduction outlining the project's aims and objectives, followed by a detailed project management plan, including cost, time, scope, quality, communication, risk, and resource considerations. It incorporates Gantt charts and work breakdown structures for effective project organization. The report also includes a small-scale research component, exploring talent management practices, and utilizes both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Data collection sources, including primary and secondary sources, are discussed. The report offers recommendations based on the findings and concludes with a reflection on the project's value and the challenges faced by Unilever in retaining and managing its workforce.

Managing a Successful
Business Project

Table of Contents
TITLE..............................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
Objective and aim of project..................................................................................................3
Project management plan.......................................................................................................4
Gantt chart and work-break down structure...........................................................................6
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................8
Small-scale research ..............................................................................................................8
TASK 3..........................................................................................................................................11
Finding data and information...............................................................................................11
Recommendation..................................................................................................................20
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................21
Reflect value for undertaking project...................................................................................21
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................21
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................22
APPENDIXES...............................................................................................................................24
Log book...............................................................................................................................24
Performance review template...............................................................................................27

TITLE
“To analyse the key challenges and obstacles that are faced by business or organisation to
retain and manage talented workforce.” A case study on Unilever.
INTRODUCTION
Talent management perform an important role and according to this talent workforce aids
management to complete work with use of appropriate skills and capabilities. The term strategy
plays a crucial role among organisation and it support management for generating productive
changes in workplace. Various operations and functions performed by management and with
implement of right strategy organisation perform all roles and responsibilities by managing
motive of talented workforce. The selected organisation for this report is Unilever and it is a
British multinational organisation which operate business in consumer goods. A large number of
workforce is engaged among company operations that manage business in international market
so respective organisation is appropriate for understand of talent-management. The headquarter
of Unilever is situated in London, England from where management operate its operations at a
global level specifically to monitor and control talent management. Moreover, this report will
have centred on project aim and objectives (Abou-Moghli, 2019). Research tools are also
developed and it helps to perform all work within informative manner. In the last, small-scale
research will also include in the upcoming report to analyse valid and meaningful results from
organisation methods.
MAIN BODY
TASK 1
Objective and aim of project
Research perform an important role for analyse and understand of talent-management for
development of workforce. It aids individuals to enhance and improve skills of engaged
workforce for performing organisational roles and responsibilities in proper manner. Moreover,
with formulate of appropriate strategy overall efficiency of organisation is improved and it aids
to gain competitive-edge in market. Consumer good industry is implemented by management
and it is used to perform work by completing task with analysis of food, beverage and personal
care products. The major motive to manage company workforce is to gain sustainability in

market by improving talent of overall workforce in order to overcome from the challenge related
with managing workforce in global market (Baghizadeh, Cecez-Kecmanovic and Schlagwein,
2020). Working capabilities and potential is increased and it generate certain perspective through
which persons are motivated towards performing all operations in an organised manner. Along
with this Unilever perform work with talent-management because it support to gain sustainability
by development of capable workforce in organisation. U
AIM
“To analyse and identify key challenges and barrier which is faced by organisation for
overcome from the issue related with workforce.” A case study on Unilever.
Objective
 To understand issue and barrier that generate problems for workforce to perform their
roles and responsibilities in organisation.
 To study about methods through which organisation overcome from issue of workforce
and talent-management.
 To analyse all principles that improve skills and workforce capabilities of employee's to
enhance talent-management capabilities of organisation.
Project management plan
Plan of project management is considered as a formal document that is used for
examining methods and steps for completing a project. It includes objectives, budget, scope and
goals that are generated for requisition of project in a proper manner. Along with project
management plan it also ensure that project is completed according to decided path. An
organisation work with motive of accomplishing various goals and objectives in minimum time-
period. Project management also play an important role and it support management to perform
their work with systematic methods through decided steps in project management plan (Belz and
et. al., 2019). This is also used to promote and develop appropriate results to process project
activities in an organised manner. Detailed information which is used to manage research is
mention as follow:
 Cost- One of the most important basis to manage research, relates with certain amount
that is important to conduct research for an organisation. The estimated cost for this
project is £50 that is expend on transportation, purchase of materials and gather of
information. It is considered as a cost aspect which is provided by researcher to perform

all project activities in decided budget. It also aids researcher to analyse budget through
which all task is managed in proper manner by dividing cost of project.
 Time- The main element relates with research activities is time as it is essential for
researcher for perform all task in specified time-period. On the other side, investigator
also analyse estimated time-period that is used for performing each activity. It aids
researcher to perform and complete research on talent-management within eight to ten
week. Researcher also include time efficiency by which project outcome is managed in
proper time-frame.
 Scope- With understand the term scope, all information related with project activities and
talent-management is understand. This aids researcher to utilise all skills for improving
workforce results by use of study related with talent-management. The research within
this study consists to understand and analyse challenges related with workforce and
talent-management. It is also reclaimable in future because this helps researcher to
monitor workforce issue and identify of methods that help to overcome from barrier
related with talent-management.
 Quality- It includes about all those aspects which are generated with definite standards
for performing all work with quality factors (Caldera, Desha and Dawes, 2019). The term
quality also ensures that all strategies, resource etc. that are utilised by investigator is
focused towards complete of research activities in effective and organised. It also aids
researcher to perform their task with more efficiency by managing and using resources
that are good in quality.
 Communication- Researcher and it team worker complete all task by collecting data that
aids persons for managing work in proper manner as communication help for generating
better interaction with respondents. E-mail and questionnaire are two main methods that
is used by for communication with other team members. By understand of authentic
results individuals also manage and utilise verbal and non-verbal communication
methods for interacting and performing work with decided communication factors.
 Risk- According to the term risk, it is analysed that future possibility and uncertainty
impact on the task that are performed by researcher. So this generate problems to
understand and analyse specific outcome from study or research. Investigator face several
risk such as inappropriate response from respondents, problems in equipments etc. So it

is also important for investigator to perform research activities by identify methods like,
monitor and control of project task that minimise risk from research project.
 Resources- According to resources aspects, there are various set of assets such as
computer, internet and many more is required by researcher. With use of all resources
individual or investigator manage all activities in a systematic manner and it also support
to generate meaningful outcomes from research (Chen and Yang, 2019). This also aids
individuals to perform research activities in appropriate manner through utilising research
tools in a proper and organised way.
Gantt chart and work-break down structure
Work-Break down structure- It is defined as a technique that is implementing for
completion of project for performing research in proper manner. Work-Break down structure
undertake boundary related with research. This also aids researcher for dividing and delegating a
complex project into small manner. This determine by decomposition of work, as it is easy for
management to perform their work in a useful manner (Jitpaiboon, Smith and Gu, 2019). The
main role of researcher is to delegate all task and activities for complete of research in minimum
time-period. So WBS helps to divide complex and large task into small activities and it helps to
perform task with understand of activities.
Gantt chart- Researcher perform a set of different activities that are engaged together
towards completion of project according to decided plans and programmes. The main aim of
formulating Gantt chart is to identify path for building project activities in proper manner. Gantt

chart is also developed for performing all task with a proper manner. Moreover, start and end
date of project is also undertaking within Gantt chart. The main motive of generating Gantt chart
is to generate technical project management activities that enable organisation to monitor how
project activities is managed and completed in decided time-period. (Dybå and Dingsøyr, 2015).
It is also used for compare the estimated and completed time of project and it helps to complete
research with decided duration of activities that is to complete research within a period of three
months.

TASK 2
Small-scale research
Talent-management
According to the Behzad Pagheh, 2017 a search for knowledge yield about something
meaningful results that enhance knowledge of individuals. With analysis of overall results it is
identified by use of meaningful information this is easy for individuals to conduct better
information through generating ideas that aids to recruit talented workforce in organisation.
Along with this environment of an organisation relates with global level. This also states about

external conditions and it define management of all organisation including Unilever perform task
by engage of talented employee's.
As per point view of Molly Fleming, 2018 top authorities states their are a lot of challenges faced
by large organisation. FMCG sector face a lot of trends are changing and it is complex for
management to identify. From last years, growth of consumer good industry is conservative. So
it is important for Heatfield management to identify different sector that relates with brands,
customer and market of organisation.
As per according to the viewpoint of Susan M, Heatfield, 2021, talent management is just
another way to represent the human resources terms what is right or wrong is going into the
business. Talent management is an organisation function to recruit, hire, retain, and develop the
most talented and extraordinary employees are available in the organisation. Talent management
is also a business strategy that the organisation is hoping to convert them to their topmost
talented and skilled employee. Just like the employee engagement or employee involvement.
The main role of research is to perform and manage project activities by using effectual
knowledge through which all task is performed with a motive of identifying information for a
specific area. Qualitative and quantitative are two most specific methods that is used by
researcher for conducting research on the topic of talent-management. Detailed information of
both methods is mention as follow:
 Quantitative method- This is used for generating emphasis by which measurement such
as numerical, statistical and mathematical is used for collecting information (Le Roy and
Fernandez, 2015). Moreover, with the support of questionnaire and survey all information
whether, statistical and theoretical is included to perform work with decided techniques.
 Qualitative method- It defined and explicated as a method by which all information and
data is collected by performing interview, questionnaire, first-hand observation etc. It is
beneficial for appropriate observation as well as documentation of project that is used for
recording data at a same place. This is also useful to analyse concept, opinion, experience
and many more for performing work with research ideas that is generated in proper
manner.
With the context of this research, it is identified that researcher utilise both methods to complete
research in proper manner. This refers investigator utilise methods by which project activities are
completed with use of theory and statistics information.

Source of data collection
Primary source- It is explicated as a resource that is used by researcher for collecting
data with a simple approach. The main role of primary resource is to gather and collect
information that is related with current market conditions. This also help researcher for perform
and conduct research with new information that is collected for a specific method. Primary
source of process defines it as a time-consuming process that provide results to perform research
by using relevant information.
Secondary source- The term secondary source is used to collect data from existing
resources that include financial sheet, articles, previous record etc. It is also useful for
completing research with using existing resources and this is a less time-consuming process. So
all the information that is collected for a specific topic is gathered in minimum time (Leopold,
Manktelow and Chan, 2020).
Researcher utilise both primary and secondary source because it helps for managing and
completing research by use of questionnaire and literature review. This process use of both
sources of research for managing their work in proper manner.
Sample- With the use of sampling technique it is easy to generate statistical analysis by which
individual determine all observation for calculating data from large-scale respondents. Simple
random sampling, systematic, stratified etc. are different types of sampling methods. For this
research simple random sampling is appropriate and this is chosen by investigator for performing
work by offering equal chance to all each collected information. The collected sample size for
this research is 20. Employee's are specific respondents for gathering data and information.
Questionnaire
Quantitative question
Q1) Do you have an understanding about strategic factors related with talent-management?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) Does management face challenges for managing talented workforce in organisation?
a) Yes
b) No
Q3) Does Unilever authorities implement and aware about techniques which is useful for
managing and controlling workforce?

a) Yes
b) No
Q4) Which approach is more useful to overcome from challenges related with talent-
management?
a) Improve in training and development
b) Increase in motivation of employees
c) Offering monetary rewards
Q5) What significant impacts are monitored at the time of managing methods related with
workforce and talent-management?
a) Increase in productivity
b) To retain skilled workforce
c) Less turnover of employees
Q6) Which type of challenges are faced by organisation to manage talented workforce at the
workplace?
a) Less motivation among workforce
b) For satisfying individual needs
c) Rigid workforce policy
Q7) What type of initiative is taken by Unilever for reducing the problems related with talent
management?
a) By offering rewards
b) With monitoring organisation performance
c) Managing employee's rights
Qualitative question
Q8) Which steps are implemented by Unilever to deal with challenges related with talent-
management?
TASK 3
Finding data and information
Quantitative question
Q1) Do you have an understanding about strategic factors related with Frequency

talent-management?
a) Yes 16
b) No 4
Q2) Does organisation face challenges for managing talented workforce in
organisation?
Frequency
a) Yes 11
b) No 9
Q3) Does Unilever authorities implement and aware about techniques
which is useful for managing and controlling workforce?
Frequency
a) Yes 15
b) No 5
Q4) Which approach is more useful to overcome from challenges related
with talent-management?
Frequency
a) Improve in training and development 11
b) Increase in motivation of employees 6
c) Offering monetary rewards 3
Q5) What significant impacts are monitored at the time of managing
methods related with workforce and talent-management?
Frequency
a) Increase in productivity 11
b) To retain skilled workforce 3
c) Less turnover of employees 6
Q6) Which type of challenges are faced by organisation to manage talented
workforce at the workplace?
Frequency
a) Less motivation among workforce 10
b) For satisfying individual needs 5
c) Rigid workforce policy 5