Project Management: Decision-Making Process and Implementation Report

This report delves into the practical application of decision-making models within the context of project implementation and execution, using the experience of moving to a new house as a case study. It explores the use of Cause & Effect diagrams, structuring decisions through assumptions, simplification, and estimations, and the importance of eventualities analysis. The report details the utilization of spreadsheets, setting of targets, and the application of 'what-if' scenarios in the decision-making process. Furthermore, it reflects on lessons learned, particularly concerning budget management and market fluctuations, concluding with an assessment of the decision-making capabilities and areas for improvement. The report references relevant academic sources to support its analysis, offering a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.

Implementation and Execution

Implementation and Execution
Table of Contents
Implementation & Execution.................................................................................................................2
Use of Models in Decision-Making...................................................................................................2
Structuring of Decisions....................................................................................................................2
Eventualities Analysis.......................................................................................................................3
Use of Spreadsheet............................................................................................................................3
Set of Targets.....................................................................................................................................3
What-if Scenarios for Decision-Making............................................................................................3
Lessons Learned: Decision-Making Capabilities...............................................................................3
References.............................................................................................................................................5
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Implementation and Execution
Implementation & Execution
There are different activities that are carried out in personal and professional life. One such
recent activity was to move to a new house that involved a lot of planning and analysis for
implementation and execution.
Use of Models in Decision-Making
There were a lot of decisions that were involved behind moving to a new house. The
selection of time to move, contracting with the mover & packers, booking of mode of
transport, and settling in the new house were some of the primary decisions that had to be
taken.
The decision-making involved the use of Cause & Effect diagrams as the mathematical
model and technique that made the ability to take decisions easily. As per this model, all of
the possible consequences associated with every decision were listed down and the one with
the best results was then preferred. For instance, there were a lot of movers & packers that
were available and could be contacted (Hekmatpanah, 2011). The market analysis of the
primary options was done along with the services and price offered by each. The help &
support facilities were cross-checked and all of this was put in a cause-effect diagram. This
helped in the decision-making easier and quicker.
Structuring of Decisions
Structuring of the decisions was also done by using the following set of steps:
 Assumptions: There were certain assumptions regarding the entire procedure that had
to be considered before taking the decision. For instance, the availability of the family
members was assumed to be positive during the entire procedure.
 Simplification: There were short-term goals that were defined for every process to
make sure that moving from the existing to the new house was hassle-free.
 Estimation: There were estimates around the schedule and budget that were made and
it was determined to strictly adhere to the estimates (Maylor, 2010).
 Variable Identification: Market rates and weather were the two prime reasons that
could have led to the variation in budget and schedule. Studies were conducted to
control any variations.
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Implementation and Execution
 Gantt chart: A timeline of the events along with their duration and dates was also
plotted in the form of a Gantt chart.
Eventualities Analysis
There could have been different eventualities that could have occurred and might have had a
negative impact on the process to move to a new house.
There was an analysis that was made in advance to avoid any of the negative consequences.
There were environment and weather reports that were studied to make sure there were no
rains or storms on the day of moving to the new house. Communication gaps could have
emerged among the members of the family or with the third-party agents. Everyone was
informed about the day of moving to the house, schedule, and process that will be followed.
The family members were also informed about the details of movers and packers, time of
moving to the house, and transportation process that will be used (Park, Nam and Choi,
2011).
Use of Spreadsheet
There was a spreadsheet prepared that included the columns as actual start, estimated start,
actual finish, estimated finish, cost, responsibility, and name of the activity. This assisted in
keeping a track of all the tasks being done and helped in making decisions as well (Sisle,
2008).
Set of Targets
There were short-term targets that were included and set-up as:
 Develop an implementation and execution approach, schedule, and budget
 Obtain insurance certificates
 Obtain booking confirmation from transporters and packers
 Move to the new house
What-if Scenarios for Decision-Making
The cause and effect diagram was used for decision-making along with eventualities analysis.
What-if scenarios were also made up during these processes so that all of the possible
consequences could be determined in advance and the resolution approach could also be
finalized (Hogarth and Soyer, 2015).
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Implementation and Execution
Lessons Learned: Decision-Making Capabilities
There were lessons that were acquired during the entire implementation and execution
process in terms of decision-making abilities. A majority of decisions that were taken were
adequate and resulted in achievement of the objectives as determined. There were certain
issues in terms of the budget that was set up as there were a couple of occurrences that
witnessed the case of budget overrun. It is necessary to improve upon the decision-making
techniques and models that are applied while designing the budget for any of the activities.
There were fluctuations in the market that also came up; however, the decisions that were
taken at such critical times proved to be successful for the process (Negulescu and Doval,
2014). The decision-making capabilities are therefore satisfactory and can be improved upon
with filling the gaps that came up.
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Implementation and Execution
References
Hekmatpanah, M. (2011). The application of cause and effect diagram in the oil industry in
Iran: The case of four liter oil canning process of Sepahan Oil Company. African Journal of
Business Management, 5(26).
Hogarth, R. and Soyer, E. (2015). Providing information for decision making: Contrasting
description and simulation. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 4(3),
pp.221-228.
Maylor, H. (2010). Project Management. 4th ed. Pearson Education Limited, pp.242-353.
Negulescu, O. and Doval, E. (2014). The Quality of Decision Making Process Related to
Organizations’ Effectiveness. Procedia Economics and Finance, 15, pp.858-863.
Park, J., Nam, G. and Choi, J. (2011). Parameters in cause and effect diagram for uncertainty
evaluation. Accreditation and Quality Assurance, 16(6), pp.325-326.
Sisle, M. (2008). Strategic Plan Implementation Begins. SIMULATION, 61(4), pp.256-256.
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