PRM701 Project Management Report: Research and Development for ATC

This report details a project management plan for Australian Tree Crop (ATC), a company facing challenges in the forestry industry. The project aims to establish a research and development team to investigate environmental issues impacting the business. The report covers the project's background, goals, objectives, and deliverables, including a feasibility analysis, project plan, and evaluation report. It outlines a detailed schedule with milestones, project requirements, and a work breakdown structure. Furthermore, the report addresses risk management and presents a communication management plan. The project's strategic alignment with ATC's goals is discussed, emphasizing the importance of the research and development team in mitigating business losses. The report provides recommendations based on the project findings and is designed to contribute to the sustainable growth of ATC. The project deliverables include feasibility analysis, project plan, setting up the R&D team, generation of reports and development of project evaluation report.

Running head: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project Management
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 3
1. Background ..................................................................................................................... 3
1.1. Project Background .................................................................................................. 4
1.2. Project Goal ............................................................................................................. 5
1.3. Project Objectives .................................................................................................... 5
1.4. Project Deliverables ................................................................................................. 5
1.5. Strategic Alignment of Project................................................................................. 8
2. Schedule .......................................................................................................................... 9
2.1. Milestone.................................................................................................................. 9
2.2. Project Requirements ............................................................................................. 10
2.3. Limits and Exclusions ............................................................................................ 10
2.4. Work Breakdown Schedule ................................................................................... 11
3. Risk Management ......................................................................................................... 13
4. Project Budget ............................................................................................................... 14
5. Communication Management Plan (template) ............................................................. 17
5.1. Research and Development Project for ATC: Project Information ....................... 17
5.2. Purpose of Communication Strategy ..................................................................... 18
5.3. Communication Strategy ....................................................................................... 18
5.3.1. Internal information management ................................................................... 18

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5.3.2. Internal stakeholders ....................................................................................... 19
5.3.3. External Communications ............................................................................... 19
5.4. Communication Plan .............................................................................................. 19
5.4.1. Report on Internal Communication ................................................................ 20
5.5. External Communication Plan ............................................................................... 20
6. Recommendations ......................................................................................................... 21
Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 22

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Introduction
A project has been undertaken by Australian Tree crop, to improve the forest condition.
Australian Tree Crop is a three old private company that is working with roots in the American
tree farming industry. The company has made an effort of adopting better practices to save forest
and trees. This is necessary as forestry play a significant role in Australian economy. The company
own a number of forested estates in Western Australia and invest in growing Australian pine.
However, when ATC has emerged to be a private business, they faced a number of problems in
growing their business in a meaningful way. The company has decided to invest in a feasibility
study. The feasibility study will be evaluating a number of options of cutting down the tress. The
problems faced by ATV is multiplied mainly because of the increasing natural disaster in the
region. The increasing natural disasters is one of the most significant reasons behind the increasing
loses. The vulnerability of the specific natural disaster have resulted in a situation where ATC has
been struggling to meet the target of the company. The company have therefore decided to invest
on a project related to research and development to ascertain sustainable growth of the Australian
Tree crop. This particular project is chosen mainly because it is easy to implement and will require
very less cost investment. It is long term effective approach which will help in identification of the
core issues persisting in the business and will also help in researching about the mitigation
approaches of the same. The report provides an idea of the project background, the goal and the
objectives of the project along with the major project deliverables. The strategic risks linked with
the project and the communication approach that is needed to be followed is discussed in the report.
1. Background

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This section of the report provides an idea of the business background and the business
environment of the project undertaken. The details of the business environment and the
background of the project is discussed in this section. The background, goal, objectives and the
deliverables of the project is discussed in the following section.
1.1. Project Background
The research and development project is undertaken by ATC in order to identify the
operational issues and the business problems persisting in ATC. The Australian Tree Corporation
is a three year old private company, whose business is linked with the farming industry as well.
Although the company has been profitable since its formation, the company has struggled to form
the own identity. The business of the organization is related to supply chain, where certain
operational issues are identified. Another issues that is identified is related to product
accountability. It is necessary for the ATC to have a better accountability of the volume of the tress
grown and trees that are being sold. ATC has identified the lack of effective system competencies.
In order to address these incompetency and the issues persisting in the business organization, it is
quite critical to successfully complete the proposed project. The project aims in creation of a
research and Development Team, that will be researching to analyze the root cause of the
environmental changes so that the business losses can be reduced. It is necessary to learn more
about the vulnerability of a tree to specific natural disasters that can help in planning and managing
the forest in a better way. Along with the preparation of the research and development team, it is
critical to set up a stakeholder group that can help in solicitation of the crucial information from
public. These stakeholder group can significantly assist the team in development of a sustainable
business.

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1.2. Project Goal
The goal of the research and development project as undertaken by ATC is identified on
basis of the SMART criteria. SMART is acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic
and Timely.
The goal of this project is to develop a research and development team in ATC, which will
help in development of a sustainable business by researching the environmental issues linked with
the losses faced in the business.
1.3. Project Objectives
It is necessary to identify the objectives of the project in order to analyze the process of
project execution and implementation. The identified project objectives linked with the
development of the research and development team in ATC are indicated as follows-
 To identify the reasons behind the decreasing sales and production
 To set up a research and development team for ATC
 To research about the changing climatic condition and its effect on forestry
 To recommend strategies that can significantly help in improving the forestry and
related business of ATC
The project will be conducted on basis of the identified objectives.
1.4. Project Deliverables
It is necessary to identify the tasks and the work that is needed to be delivered at the
completion of the project. The aim of this project is linked with setting up of a research and

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development team to research about the major risks and the issues behind disruption of the forestry
business in ATC. The main deliverables of this project are indicated as follows-
 Feasibility Analysis of the available project options
 Development and Delivery of Project Plan
 Setting up of a Research and Development Team in ATC
 Generation of reports based on the research
 Development of Project Evaluation Report
The tasks that are needed to be executed for fulfilling all the above identified deliverable,
and the time needed to achieve those deliverable are indicated in the table below-
Task Name Duration Start Finish
Research and Development 264 days Wed 29-05-19 Mon 01-06-20
Project Start 0 days Wed 29-05-19 Wed 29-05-19
Project Planning 19 days Wed 29-05-19 Mon 24-06-19
Analysis of the project Requirements 1 day Wed 29-05-19 Wed 29-05-19
Identification of the Project Needs 1 day Thu 30-05-19 Thu 30-05-19
Feasibility Analysis of the project 15 days Fri 31-05-19 Thu 20-06-19
Finalization of the Project 1 day Fri 21-06-19 Fri 21-06-19

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Development of a Project Plan 1 day Mon 24-06-19 Mon 24-06-19
M1: Approval of the Project Plan 0 days Mon 24-06-19 Mon 24-06-19
Project Execution 235 days Tue 25-06-19 Mon 18-05-20
Setting up of the Research and Development
Team
15 days Tue 25-06-19 Mon 15-07-19
Researching about the project Vulnerabilities 3 months Tue 16-07-19 Mon 07-10-19
Analysis of the root cause of the problem 2 months Tue 08-10-19 Mon 02-12-19
Researching about the trends of Natural disasters 4 months Tue 03-12-19 Mon 23-03-20
Researching newer techniques of managing
forests
2 months Tue 24-03-20 Mon 18-05-20
M2: End of project execution Phase 0 days Mon 18-05-20 Mon 18-05-20
Report Generation 162 days Tue 08-10-19 Wed 20-05-20
Generation of Root cause analysis Report 20 days Tue 08-10-19 Mon 04-11-19
Generation of report on project vulnerabilities 25 days Tue 03-12-19 Mon 06-01-20
Report generation on trends of natural disasters 15 days Tue 24-03-20 Mon 13-04-20
Documentation 2 days Tue 19-05-20 Wed 20-05-20

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M3: End of Report Generation 0 days Wed 20-05-20 Wed 20-05-20
Project Closure 8 days Thu 21-05-20 Mon 01-06-20
Complete Project Evaluation 5 days Thu 21-05-20 Wed 27-05-20
Documentation 1 day Thu 28-05-20 Thu 28-05-20
Project Sign off 1 day Fri 29-05-20 Fri 29-05-20
Resource Release 1 day Mon 01-06-20 Mon 01-06-20
M4: Project Ends 0 days Mon 01-06-20 Mon 01-06-20
Table 1: Representing the tasks and the Deliverables of the project
The fulfillment of all the above identified task and the deliverables can significantly help
in achieving the desired target and the organizational goals.
1.5. Strategic Alignment of Project
The proposed project has the capability of improving the current condition of ATC. The
goal of Australian Tree Corporation is to reduce the business issues and the losses faced by the
organization. The current condition of the company indicates that the company is struggling to
meet the target after facing a series of natural disasters, which include drought, wildfires, cyclone
and flooding. The research and the development team that is set up will be researching to identify
the most prominent reasons behind the decrease in sales and production. As a part of
implementation of the project, a research and development team will be set up, to research about

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the increasing effect of changing climatic condition on forestry. The report that will be generated
at the end of the project will help in recommendation of the effective strategies that can
significantly help in improving the current business condition of ATC. A realistic project plan is
prepared for development of a research and development team. A project plan is prepared that
provides the details of the schedule and the resource needs of the project.
Therefore, it can be commented that the project plan that is prepared aligns with the
strategic goals of the organization. The successful execution of the project will help ATC in
achieving the goals and fulfilling the objectives of the project.
2. Schedule
This section of the project report will provide an idea of the major milestone, requirements
and the work breakdown structure of the project. The schedule of the project is depicted in form
of a Gantt chart.
2.1. Milestone
The schedule development of the research and development project identifies four most
critical milestone of the project. The milestone and the date of fulfilling those milestone are
indicated as follows-
Milestone Date of Archiving
M1: Approval of the Project Plan Mon 24-06-19
M2: End of project execution Phase Mon 18-05-20
M3: End of Report Generation Wed 20-05-20
M4: Project Ends Mon 01-06-20

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Table 2: The Milestone and the Date of Achievement
2.2. Project Requirements
For successful execution of the research and development project, it becomes integral for
the project team to identify the most significant project requirements. These requirements are
indicated as follows-
1. For setting up of an effective research and development team, it is necessary to involve
those individuals who are knowledgeable about forestry business and its related issues
2. For successful execution of the project, it is necessary to have a better understanding of
the business operations of ATC
3. Research and Development is a time consuming work and therefore, it is necessary to
allocate considerable about of time for generation of the report.
4. Another project requirement involve critical risk analysis and reduction of the risk in
order to execute the project within the allocated time.
2.3. Limits and Exclusions
A project plan is developed, that provides an idea of the tasks and the deliverables of the
project. However, the development of the project schedule is associated with consideration of
certain limit and exclusion. The limits and the exclusion are indicated as follow-
1. The research and development is a time consuming project. The schedule has been
prepared by considering the minimum time needed for research and generation of report.
2. The possible delays in generation of the reports is not considered in this projet.

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2.4. Work Breakdown Schedule
The work breakdown structure of the project considered is represented as follows-
WBS Task Name Duration
0 Research and Development 264 days
1 Project Start 0 days
2 Project Planning 19 days
2.1 Analysis of the project Requirements 1 day
2.2 Identification of the Project Needs 1 day
2.3 Feasibility Analysis of the project 15 days
2.4 Finalization of the Project 1 day
2.5 Development of a Project Plan 1 day
2.6 M1: Approval of the Project Plan 0 days
3 Project Execution 235 days
3.1 Setting up of the Research and Development Team 15 days
3.2 Researching about the project Vulnerabilities 3 mons
3.3 Analysis of the root cause of the problem 2 mons

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3.4 Researching about the trends of Natural disasters 4 mons
3.5 Researching newer techniques of managing forests 2 mons
3.6 M2: End of project execution Phase 0 days
4 Report Generation 162 days
4.1 Generation of Root cause analysis Report 20 days
4.2 Generation of report on project vulnerabilities 25 days
4.3 Report generation on trends of natural disasters 15 days
4.4 Documentation 2 days
4.5 M3: End of Report Generation 0 days
5 Project Closure 8 days
5.1 Complete Project Evaluation 5 days
5.2 Documentation 1 day
5.3 Project Sign off 1 day
5.4 Resource Release 1 day
5.5 M4: Project Ends 0 days
Table 3: Representing the Work Breakdown structure of the R & D project

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The diagrammatic representation of the work breakdown structure of the project is
indicated as follows-
Figure 1: Representing the Work breakdown structure
3. Risk Management
It is necessary to analyze the major risks and the issues linked with the execution of the
project so that the effect of the same can be reduced. The various risks that are linked with the
project undertaken, their severity impact is indicated as follows-
Risks Description Severity/Impact Likelihood of
Occurrence
Financial Risk The project team is
facing difficulties in
High Low
Research and
Development
Project Start Project Planning
Analysis of the
project
Requirements
Identifictaion of the
Project Needs
Feasibility Analysis
of the project
Finalization of the
Project
Development of a
Project Plan
M1: Approval of the
Project Plan
Project Execution
Setting up of the
Research and
Development Team
Researching about
the project
Vulnerabilities
Analysis of the root
cause of the problem
Researching about
the trends of Natural
disasters
Researching newer
techniques of
managing forests
M2: End of project
execution Phase
Report Generation
Generation of Root
cause analysis
Report
Generation of report
on project
vulnerabilities
Report generation on
trends of natural
disasters
Documentation
M3: End of Report
Generation
Project Closure
Complete Project
Evaluation
Documentation
Project Sign off
Resource Release
M4: Project Ends

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completion of the
project within the set
budget
Timeline Risk It is difficult for the
project team to
complete the entire
project in a set time
High High
Performance Risk The project fails to
provide the desired
result
High Medium
Strategic Risk The strategy of
making use of R and
D does not work for
ATC
Low Low
Natural Disaster The project is delayed
due to natural disaster
Low Low
Table 4: The Identified Risks
Effective management of the identified risks in the above table is necessary for ATC to
conduct and complete the R and D project in an effective manner.
4. Project Budget

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The project aims in setting up of a research and development team to research about the
changing environmental condition and its effect on forestry business of ATC. The cost of
implementation of the project are indicated as follows-
Task Name Total Cost
Research and Development $361,400.00
Project Start $0.00
Project Planning $13,840.00
Analysis of the project Requirements $1,200.00
Identification of the Project Needs $720.00
Feasibility Analysis of the project $10,000.00
Finalization of the Project $1,200.00
Development of a Project Plan $720.00
M1: Approval of the Project Plan $0.00
Project Execution $264,000.00
Setting up of the Research and Development Team $0.00
Researching about the project Vulnerabilities $72,000.00
Analysis of the root cause of the problem $48,000.00

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Researching about the trends of Natural disasters $96,000.00
Researching newer techniques of managing forests $48,000.00
M2: End of project execution Phase $0.00
Report Generation $76,480.00
Generation of Root cause analysis Report $25,000.00
Generation of report on project vulnerabilities $31,000.00
Report generation on trends of natural disasters $19,000.00
Documentation $1,480.00
M3: End of Report Generation $0.00
Project Closure $7,080.00
Complete Project Evaluation $3,600.00
Documentation $2,040.00
Project Sign off $720.00
Resource Release $720.00
M4: Project Ends $0.00
Table 5: The Cost estimated for the Project

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The report below provides an idea of the task cost overview of the undertaken project –
Figure 2: The Task Cost Overview
5. Communication Management Plan (template)
5.1. Research and Development Project for ATC: Project Information
The Research and the Development project is mainly design to establish the goals and the
objective of the project. The first one is to analyze the environmental issues linked with the
business of ATC.
Version Control

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Version Date Author Change Description
1 20-04-19 J Blake Original
2 29-05-19 S Corbett
The schedule and the budget is
modified
5.2. Purpose of Communication Strategy
The communication strategy involves communicating the project needs to external
stakeholders, which include the business sponsor. The needs of the project will be communicated
to the internal stakeholders as well, which involve the steering committee, reference groups and
the R and D team members.
The communication strategy will be disseminating the information to the stakeholders to
engage the stakeholder with the project. The internal stakeholders are to be communicated with
the project status and the progress of the project.
5.3. Communication Strategy
5.3.1. Internal information management
Stakeholders: All the existing stakeholders
The modes of communication include face-to-face communication and email.
1. Face-to-face Communication

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Stakeholders involved in this communication include project manager and team
2. Email
The stakeholder involved in the communication include project manager and project
sponsor
5.3.2. Internal stakeholders
The internal stakeholders are the project manager, the resource manager, the R and D team
members along with the staffs of ATC
5.3.3. External Communications
The external stakeholders include the business sponsor, the local government
Communication Mode: Only Email
5.4. Communication Plan
Medium Activity Responsibility Frequency Comment
1. SharePoint Documents
Management
Document writer After report
generation
One of the most
important
activities
2. Email Project Progress
Reporting
Project Manager Daily Needed for
documenting the
daily progress

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3. Telephonic
Conversation
Status and
communicating
in an emergency
Project Team As when
required
Informal
communication
4. Conference
Meetings
Discuss the
Project Issues
Project Team Weekly Needed to
enforcing
effective project
management and
governace
5.4.1. Report on Internal Communication
Use of sharepoint as a medium if communication will be beneficial for ATC as it will work
as an effective document storage area. Similarly email prove to be an effective medium of easier
information transfer. Telephonic and conference meeting are effective medium of engaging in
informal communication.
5.5. External Communication Plan
Medium Activity Responsibility Frequency Comment
1. Email Reporting the
financial
needs
Project Sponsor Monthly Essential
communication
activity

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2. SharePoint Progress
reporting and
drafting
Local
Government
Monthly It is needed to keep
the local
government
engaged with the
project
Both email and sharepoint prove to be effective medium for the external communication
activities. The external communication activities are essential to keep the stakeholders engaged
with the project.
6. Recommendations
On analyzing the project requirement and the process of implementation of the project,
certain recommendations can be made which will help in improving the process of project
execution and management. These recommendations are as follows-
Additional Human Resources: The use of additional human resources can significantly
help in completion of the project within a scheduled time. The incorporation of more human
resources in the project can help in better analysis of the environmental issues that has a profound
effect on the project
Adapting to newer technological Trends: It is necessary for ATC to understand the need
of implementation of newer technologies in the organization, which can significantly help in
reducing the operational issues persisting in the organization.

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