Managing Projects Assessment: Key Stages, Analysis, and Diagram

This report provides a comprehensive overview of project management, encompassing key characteristics, stages, and stakeholder analysis. It begins by defining the core attributes of a project and explaining the five key stages of project management: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, and closure. The report then delves into the purpose and importance of project initiation documents and explores the nine knowledge areas in project management. It also outlines the five crucial attributes of a project manager, including effective communication, decision-making, leadership, team building, and technical expertise. Furthermore, the report examines the purpose and importance of stakeholder analysis, including a stakeholder's interest in the project. The report concludes with a project life cycle analysis, including a network diagram and critical path analysis, providing a practical application of project management principles to a real-world scenario. The report also includes project details, initiation documents, and deliverables, offering a complete view of the project management process.

Managing Projects
Assessment Question

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1) Key Characteristics of any project.....................................................................................1
2) Explain the five key stages in project management...........................................................1
3) Purpose of project initiation document..............................................................................2
4) Knowledge areas in project management and their importance........................................3
5) Five attributes or characteristics of a project manager and its importance........................3
6) Explain the purpose of stakeholder analysis and why it is important in project management
................................................................................................................................................4
7) Draw the corresponding network diagram and show the critical path...............................4
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................6
Project life cycle.....................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Project management involves planning and organization of a company's resources to
move a specific task, event or duty towards completion (Braglia and Frosolini, 2014). It is the
discipline of using particular principles, procedures and policies successfully guide a project
from conception through completion. It is based on the expectation where effectively and
efficiently guide all aspects of a project from start to finish with the ideal goal of delivering the
outcome on time and on budget. The particular report divided into two task. In task, one focused
on following topics such as characteristics of any project, key stages of project management,
purpose of project initiation document and area of project management. In task, two develop a
project for young people regarding to their job, employment and complete in particular time with
sufficient budget.
TASK 1
1) Key Characteristics of any project
 Project has a set objective to accomplish with in a different time, cost and technical
performance.
 Any project is based on planning, managing and controlling by an assigned team the
project team planted with in the owner's organisation to obtain the objectives as per
specifications.
 In general, project is a result, which is responded to environment opportunities and
economies.
 With the help of the project include future activities for completion of the project to
predict and involves complex process of budget with a particular mission.
 At the time of implementation of project, include a co-ordination of works by project
manager (Parker and et.al, 2013).
2) Explain the five key stages in project management
Dividing project management efforts into five phase, which can help to design structure
and prepare strategies according to project. It is a series of logical and manageable steps, which
are -
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 Project Initiation – It is the most important phase of any project as it sets the terms of
according the run of the business. If this is not done well project will have a high
profitability of failure.
 Project Planning – Planning and creating is the first task of project management when
undertaking any project. Many times project planning is ignored in favour of getting on
with the work.
 Project Execution – In this phase that is most commonly connected with project
management. Execution is all about building deliverables that can help to satisfy the
customers. A team leader can play important role to allotment resources and keeping
team members focused.
 Project monitoring and control – Monitoring and control are sometimes combined with
execution because they are relate to same time. There are including guarantee of delivery
to calculate key performance indicator and allotted cost and time according to track
variations (Richardson, 2014).
 Project Closure – when team close a project that time delivery finished project to the
customer, communicating with stakeholders, and releasing resources to other projects. It
is a critical step in the reference of project life cycle to evaluate and document the
project.
3) Purpose of project initiation document
A project initiation document is one of the most important components of project
management, which forms the foundation for a company project. The purpose of the project
initiation document is to capture and record basic information, which is needed to correctly
define and plan the project. In this PID plan includes various dates when the PID was approved
through project board. There are including three items which can include in PID -
Project goals – In this term described about the achievement of the project, it means
every project set particular goals. Therefore, in this phase provided detailed information about
the project goals.
Project size – Based on project goals there are decided size of the project such as large,
medium and small. There are also mentioned about the how long does it takes and how many
people are involved.
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Project organisation – The particular item described about project detailed and related
their tasks, responsibilities and power of authority.
4) Knowledge areas in project management and their importance
There are including nine project management knowledge areas
 Project Integration management
 Project scope management
 Project schedule management
 Project cost management
 Project quality management
 Project resource management
 Project Communication management
 Project Risk management
 Project procurement management
 Project stakeholder management
There are defined importance of project management knowledge area -
Project integration management – The importance of this particular knowledge area
that it includes the directing and managing the particular project work, which is related to
production. It is developed as a roadmap for the project to reach a successful end (Chih and
Zwikael, 2015).
Project scope management – In this area include work break down structure, which can
present in graphical format. It is going to change over the course of the project for control the
scope like a project falls behind schedule.
5) Five attributes or characteristics of a project manager and its importance
There are mentioned five characteristics of a project manage in the context of project
management -
 Effective Communication skills
 Good decision maker
 Strong leadership skills
 Team building skills
 Technical expertise
There are explain the importance which are mention above these are -
3

 Good decision maker – In project management a manager through taking many decisions,
which are important to taking in effective way. The manager have skills to tackle all
situation in effective way and take good decision.
 Effective communication skills – During to project a leader can meet many people which
are related to project that time need to attract them in their project. So it is important
communicate with them with good skills and attract to take interest in project planning so
there are need to effective communication skills.
6) Explain the purpose of stakeholder analysis and why it is important in project management
A stakeholder is either an individual, group or organization who is interested into
organization consideration in direct and indirect way. They are affected by organization's actions,
policies and objectives. These peoples are taking interest in the success and growth of the project
and they have positive and negative impact on the organisation.
The purpose of stakeholder analysis to gathering information from different sources after
that analysing qualitative information to evaluate to that person who should consider interest to
develop and implement a policy. It is important for successful management, which is used by
people to support to others (Samset and Volden, 2016).
Stakeholder analysis important in project management in order to managing stakeholders
to provide helps them to ensure about the project succeed where other might fail. There is also
analysing that the interest of all stakeholder may affect or may be affected by the project.
7) Draw the corresponding network diagram and show the critical path
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This project can be completed in four ways i.e. the shortest duration is of 37 days and
longest is 50 days. Prior one can be achieved by completing activity A-B-C-D and later one can
be accomplished by working on activity A-B-C-G-E. A-H-E is another path, which will take 39
days, and A-F-G-E would take 42 days. Critical path for this project will be A-B-C-G-E (50
days). Below are few important timings related to critical path:
Forward path (Earliest start) – Activity 1 will start on 1st day and completion of activity
B will take 8 days so for activity B earliest starting time is 9th day. For C it will be 27th day as
activity B will take 18 days. Activity G and E will start on 30th and 33rd day as their predecessor
take 3 days to for accomplishment.
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Backward path (Earliest finish) – The earliest time for ending activity B is 26 days as
activity A will take 8 days to get finish and B will take 18 days. Activity C cannot be finished
before 29th day, as it will start after a (8) and B (18) task ends. Earliest time for G is 32nd day and
for E it is 50th day.
Float – Slack is zero as delaying any activity by single day will increase completion date
of project.
Late start time – As float is zero, late start time will be same as of earliest start time. All
activities are needed to be done in given time, as there is no scope of delaying.
Late finish time – Earliest finish time will be late finish time as there is no slack. When
an activity cannot be delayed then it is starting and ending time remains same as changing those
results in delaying whole project.
TASK 2
Project life cycle
Project Details - London skills concern is a new and young organization, which is
registered as a charity and trading in arm to operate public and private sector and support to
young people. The aim of the company is to be able to collaborate and work with the local
authorities and the local authorities required reporting the numbers of NEET young people who
are required to report the numbers of NEET young people to central government. Since the
Coalition government came in during the acute economic downturn, local government budgets
were severely cut so there are need to arrange the services on large way and develop individual
schools (Eskerod, Huemann and Savage, 2015). There are need to play role of local authorities to
with NEET young people. So as a project manager to apply IT skills in to London skills concern
because the senior management team have little detailed knowledge regarding to careers of
advisors. For the particular project as a manager, create project life to complete project in
particular time with appropriate budget. There are mentioned project life cycle for particular
project -
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Project initiation – In this phase provide detailed information about project started,
named and defined about timing of the project. The aim of the phase to describe about the project
at broad level. It is usually related to business case and provide detailed information about
research of the project. There are identified business problem or opportunity to response the need
of document in business case. There are conducted feasibility study is conducted to investigate
whether each option would be addressed or not. For this project, firstly analysing and gathering
information related to this project. The particular project based on IT so there is need search
those young people who recently done their study in this field and interest to work with this
organisation and provide their services to those people who needs to study. It may require
conducting all appropriate information regarding to
Project Initiation Document
Project Name Eclips
Company Name London Skills Concern
Budget 1.8 m
Time period 18 Months
Start date 1 May 2019
End date 1 December 2020
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Project Sponsor Mr Daniel Fraser
Objective This project document related to social welfare where project
document based on lightweight and including various topic such
as business case, objectives, schedule, deliverables and significant
risks of the project plan. Based on timing the particular document
has been updated on monthly basis with the recent changes
(Badri, Gbodossou and Nadeau, 2012)...
 The main deliverables of this project included easier
interaction of customers with the company in regards to
the advice sought as well as any type of information
required on their part.
 In addition to this, LSC aims to provide a quick and
interactive learning platform through its product Eclips
 Provides strategic advantages in terms of service offered
and cost of providing the service.
Project Deliverables  Customer Satisfaction
 Integrated interaction based services
 Quick response towards queries and advice sought
The company has applied information system from predominately face-to-face method of
advice provision to a hybrid system. There are involving limited face to face because now they
are contact and try to support with the use of social media and online use of games, which are
based on the learning of young people and provide advice to regarding their careers. The system
believes in provide strategic advantage in the order to prove services and cost related to other
services. In this phase, prepare PID to present in front of stakeholders and examine that it will be
successful or not in future. Due to come coalition government there are acute economic
downturn as reflected local government budgets were several cut. The company has again
formed initiative by evening standard and collaboration of inner London local communities. In
this project mainly responsibility of local authority in order to continue of stream of contracts
and operate contract for long term (Córdoba and Piki, 2012).
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Project Planning - This stage involves focus on blueprint of budget and planning in
order to achieve organisation's goals. This budget is useful to guide the team through execution
of project plan. In this stage or phase solid project, strategy can be developed that helps to run a
business project or government projects. This planning contains costs, available resources,
expected outcomes, risk and strategic planning to set project's programme. In additional,
government and local authority prepare budgets every year that helps to measure performance,
progress and shows project tracking. Project tracking means if project is running or at the stage
of tracking where it can be evaluate how much part be completed. Such as London skills concern
is registered as a charity and providing support and guidance to young people that relates to good
education and employment careers. It has a budget of £8m that is contributed by London donors
and well-wisher’s. Government is facing economic problem because coalition that involved
cooperation of multiple political parties and reducing dominance of a party. To solving this
situation, local government should have planning tools to develop individual schools. For
developing local authority works with NEET young people in order to provide support and
guidance. To get solution of this problem local government information system should make
planning to change from predominantly or integration of multiple political party that will helps to
reduce the misunderstanding among parties. LSC should use a hybrid system that will helps to
get problems by contacting face to face, through social media, and by using online games that is
based on learning and suggestion to youngsters (Rees-Caldwell and Pinnington, 2013).
As an IT manager in LSC need to focus on budgets and people's budgets in order to
provide support and learning to young people. It should develop E clips and other programme
that will help to provide basic careers and study information in order to provide employment and
other services. This online system, social media or E clips will give strategic benefits at low cost.
In planning phase, IT manager will decide how and when these plans should be executed in order
to solving problems by maintaining budgets. This planning also will helps to manage risk and
proper communication with public and get solve issues.
Project Execution - This stage is associated with real project management that helps to
define require budget in executing the planning. Moreover, this involve government project and
documents that helps to execute, monitor and control the projects. It serves main cooperation and
communication in establishing a planning. In involves awareness and knowledge of project
objectives and budgets. In London, skills concern IT manager need to focus on planning and
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execution of plans that will help to prepare a budget. By using new technique such as online
game system, face-to-face communication and Eclips will helps to define the problems and
provide solution. Local authority need to get information about project and should manage
according to requirement and people's education and employment guidance. The mainly project
execute according to planning and control all activities according to procedure of planning.
There is need to follow lot of tasks to capture of projects metrics through various meetings.
Firstly, the plan implement as trial base after that monitor all activities. In this phase, also
include monitor and control activities in order to understand process of planning. The London
skill concern through game monitor activities of young people and focus on local authority.
There is continuing stream of contracts and projects to ensure about the operations and
implement in effective way for survive in long time perspectives (Martens and Carvalho, 2017).
Project monitoring and control – In this phase monitor and control all activities, which
is related to project. At the time of execution this activities applied and control all activities.
According to this phase measure performance and progression of this project plan and verify the
scope to control of occur process. There are checking and monitor for scope creep and change
track for control and manage particular changes in order to get success in project plan. For the
plan analysis through key performance indicator because there are including financial and non-
financial data to measure the degree of cost and time which done in different variation. Through
the indicator measures to evaluate and suggested to keep a project on track. To gain project plan
as success consider about the projects are likely to consider and prevent to those ways, which are
failing. As an IT manager monitor and control all activities related to social media and control
activities related to games because most of the people engage with games so they are using in
much more way. Most of the activities undertaken in house and by local council education
departments. All activities are based on mix of some in house provision as well as mix private
sector companies. Thus, there was certainty in income related to good number of clients so there
are related activities central or local government level. After the economic downturn, the
company mainly focus on their services to develop individual London schools (Drury-Grogan,
2014).
Project Closure - This phase, as the name suggests, is the last stage of any project life
cycle. Under this stage, the project is officially declared completed and the overall level of
success of the project is communicated or presented to the sponsors, stakeholders and the
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management by the project manager. The main aim of the project was to develop an information
system that integrated interaction based advice provisioning to the younger people and other
customers of EClips, a product of London Skills Concern (LSC). Initially, the organisation had
to undertake a face-to-face session with its diverse set of customers that included younger people
and disadvantaged people such as single mothers. Due to advent of technology, social media and
online game based interactive learning have replaced the traditional face-to-face methods. The
main deliverables of this project included easier interaction of customers with the company in
regards to the advice sought as well as any type of information required on their part. In addition
to this, LSC aims to provide a quick and interactive learning platform through its product EClips.
EClips aims to provide basic careers and study information, which was initially not user-
interactive. At the end of 18 months, the project has been successfully completed and is ready to
be launched. The completion criteria included full compliance of the project in regards to the
objectives set by the team in the initiation phase, as mentioned in the Project Initiation Document
(PID) provided above. In addition, the benefits that were expected to be derived have been
ascertained with the help of testing the pilot run of the product on the company's website and
receiving a positive response (Schwindt and Zimmermann, 2015). This included gaining a
strategic advantage in terms of service offered and cost of providing the service. These have been
shown in the document below:
Project Completion Document
Completion Criteria Accomplished ( )✔
/Not accomplished (x)
Project Objectives:
 Easier interaction of customers with the company in regards to
the advice sought
✔
 Provide a quick and interactive learning platform through its
product EClips
✔
Benefits:
 Gaining a strategic advantage in terms of service offered and
cost of providing the service
✔
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Deliverables:
 Customer Satisfaction ✔
 Integrated interaction based services ✔
 Quick response towards queries and advice sought ✔
From this document, one can easily conclude that the project has been successfully
completed and is ready to be expanded for gaining strategic advantage in current as well as in
future (Pretorius, Steyn and Jordaan, 2012).
CONCLUSION
As per the above report, it has been concluded that project management is a plan, which
is based on expectation and applied, after all research and planning to in market and other related
information. There are define characteristics of the project that it will carry out different detailed
information of related tasks and as a project manager has attributes of good communication
skills, team leader skills and identify of each stage of project management in effective manner.
For a project applied project life cycle in systematic way and according to that, provide all
detailed information about the project.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Braglia, M. and Frosolini, M., 2014. An integrated approach to implement project management
information systems within the extended enterprise. International Journal of Project
Management. 32(1). pp.18-29.
Parker, D. and et.al, 2013. Integration of project-based management and change management:
Intervention methodology. International Journal of Productivity and Performance
Management. 62(5). pp.534-544.
Richardson, G. L., 2014. Project management theory and practice. Auerbach Publications.
Chih, Y. Y. and Zwikael, O., 2015. Project benefit management: A conceptual framework of
target benefit formulation. International Journal of Project Management. 33(2). pp.352-
362.
Samset, K. and Volden, G. H., 2016. Front-end definition of projects: Ten paradoxes and some
reflections regarding project management and project governance. International
Journal of Project Management. 34(2). pp.297-313.
Eskerod, P., Huemann, M. and Savage, G., 2015. Project stakeholder management—Past and
present. Project Management Journal. 46(6). pp.6-14.
Badri, A., Gbodossou, A. and Nadeau, S., 2012. Occupational health and safety risks: Towards
the integration into project management. Safety science. 50(2). pp.190-198.
Córdoba, J. R. and Piki, A., 2012. Facilitating project management education through groups as
systems. International Journal of Project Management. 30(1). pp.83-93.
Rees-Caldwell, K. and Pinnington, A. H., 2013. National culture differences in project
management: Comparing British and Arab project managers' perceptions of different
planning areas. International Journal of Project Management. 31(2). pp.212-227.
Martens, M. L. and Carvalho, M. M., 2017. Key factors of sustainability in project management
context: A survey exploring the project managers' perspective. International Journal of
Project Management. 35(6). pp.1084-1102.
Drury-Grogan, M. L., 2014. Performance on agile teams: Relating iteration objectives and
critical decisions to project management success factors. Information and Software
Technology. 56(5). pp.506-515.
Schwindt, C. and Zimmermann, J., 2015. Handbook on Project Management and Scheduling
Vol. 1. Handbook on Project Management and Scheduling Vol. 2(2). pp.1-1406.
Pretorius, S., Steyn, H. and Jordaan, J. C., 2012. Project management maturity and project
management success in the engineering and construction industries in Southern
Africa. South African Journal of Industrial Engineering. 23(3). pp.1-12.
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