Project Selection and Initiation: Queensland Payroll Project Analysis

This report analyzes the Queensland Payroll Project, a case study highlighting the significance of effective project selection and initiation. It explores various project selection methods, including cost-benefit analysis, economic models, and scoring models, contrasting them with methods for constrained optimization. The report delves into the project's failure, attributing it to ineffective project governance, unclear business requirements, and non-adherence to project development processes. It examines the project's shortcomings, such as inaccurate payroll payments, defective functionality, and data errors. The report emphasizes the importance of PMBOK principles and the need for thorough communication, risk management, and the selection of appropriate project management approaches. The analysis provides insights into the consequences of poor project selection and the importance of robust project governance for successful project outcomes.

Running head: QUEENSLAND PAYROLL PROJECT
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When in possession of a variety of projects which are interesting and challenging, as
options, the detection of a project, which can be the best option for the skillset of the team,
competency level and possesses the best chance to stand out with success within the initial
step of the efficient project management. Selection method for project offers a limited set of
techniques, which are time-tested, based on the method of an efficient reason for the logic to
choose the project and extract out the projects, which are undesired with very diminised
chances of tasting success (Dutra, Ribeiro & de Carvalho, 2014). Selection method for the
project play an important hand for the current project managers in practice and the
individuals aspirant for exams, known as ‘PMP’ alongside.
There exists two project selection methods divided into subcategories. These are:
i) Methods of Benefit Measurement
ii) Methods for Constrained Optimization.
However, all of these methods take time, though employment of such methods is very
much a necessity for having a useful business plan (Tavana, 2015). There lies the existence of
a wide variety of ways to select a project, but the foremost rule to be followed for small
projects is, the Measurement of Benefit Model and on the other hand, for complex projects
which are large scale, the Method of Constrained Optimization is preferred.
Method for Benefit Measurement- This is one of the selection methods for the project that is
completely dependent on the current value for the money outflow and internal flow together.
The benefits of the cost for the project is calculated and then a comparison is done with other
existing projects to take the final decision. The procedures, which have been used in this
model, are as follows (Ghorabaee, 2015),
 Cost and benefit ratio- as evident from the title, it uplifts the ratio among the current
estimate of the internal flow of the money, which was utilized within the project to the

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ongoing value of outflow, which seemingly defines the return value of the same
project. Projects containing a much larger cost ratio regarding the benefits that are
generally the choice over others.
 Model for Economy- the extra value of the economy basically refers to the metric
system of the performance that estimates the worth-creation of the organization while
the definition of the capital on the return is given. It also carries the definition of
being the net profit, which exerts after the deduction of taxes is done and after the
money expenditure (Tavana, Khalili-Damghani & Sadi-Nezhad, 2013).
 Model for Scoring- this refers to an object based technique where the committee
responsible for the selection of project lists down the criteria, which are relevant,
checks the weightage according to the importance and then adds the specific weighed
values. After the succession of this procedure, the project having scored the most
score is chosen.
 Period of Payback- This refers to the comparison between the total revenue and the
average revenue per period. It is one of the primary method for project selection.
 Net current value- this is the basic contrast between the present value of the project
related to cash inflow and the current value of the cash which is outflowing (Li &
Wan, 2014). The value of the Net Present value should always be positive to be
considered as a basic method of the project selection.
 Discounted cash flow- this method includes the calculations of the cost, which is
invented, and the ROI, to be considered as the cash flow including discounts.
 Percentage of internal return- The percentage of internal return refers to rate of
interest at which the Net Current Value is taken to be equal to zero, that is achieved
when the present value of the outward flow is exactly equal to the present value of the
flow inwards.

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 Opportunity cost- this is the method that includes the giving up of the cost while
appointing a different project. While the ongoing process of selecting the project, the
one that has a lower cost for opportunity is always chosen (Wang, 2013).
Methods for Calculated Optimization – this method, is also referred to as the selection
method relying upon mathematics, is implemented in case of larger projects that possess the
requirement of solving much more complex mathematics (Singh, 2016). The specific
techniques, which are utilized in the field of Methods for Constrained Optimization, are as
follows,
 Considerations for Non-financial- this relates to the gains which are non-financial
must be considered which might relate to the goals of the entire organization.
Strategies belonging to the organization is a major factor within the field of selecting
the project procedures that will in anyway be effective to the organization’s choice
towards the specific project. Relationships with the customer form one of the prime
goals among these organizations. One of the most important necessary traits in the
current business world is to establish an efficient, genial and bond with the customers.
Project initiation is one of the basic stage in the cycle of Project Management, since it
involves the steps towards hitting a new project. A new project can initiated by following a
procedure that includes the goals, reasons, syllabus and the deliverables to meet. It is also in
need to hire a team looking after the project, to setup a project place and reassess the given
project to have the sanction from the concerned authorities to take the next step. Overall,
there are six steps that need to be covered before the initiation of a new project (Mullaly,
2014).
PMBOK refers to “Project Management Body of Knowledge” which is a collective set of
the standard collection of terms and a guideline for the management of project. The general

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body of knowledge undergoes evolution through a period of time and has been presented in A
Guide to the Project Management body of Knowledge, the book whose sixth edition was
released in the year of 2017 (Rose, 2013). The PMBOK guide refers to the points forecasting
of the financial status, behavior within the organization, science of management, budgeting
and other planning methods related to the management in the field of project.
The PMBOK guide is intended towards being a part of the original management of
project field that is most commonly referred to as the good practice. Commonly means that
the facts and the practice are applicable to most of the prevalent projects along with the
consensus of the value and usefulness. This refers to the fact that the recent project
management trends, which are often promoted by the consultants, may be forming a part of
the PMBOK guide. However, the PMBOK with its sixth edition includes a separate section
for the “Agile practice guide (Brioso, 2015)
In March 2010, the Queensland Health had first implemented a two-stage rostering and
payroll solution. The outcome of this implementation has been a fail in many of the aspects.
Delayed delivery for almost two years, 300% over budgeting, incorrect payment to over
76,000 employees and performance issues related to its business which all led to lax of
stabilization in the process. Reviews from numerous sources such as the legal, public
administration, audit and technical were placed forward bringing the subject matter experts
and independent bodies into engagement (Stackpole, 2013). The consensus which was
reached, had been the failure attributed to an ineffective project governance along with
business requirements having no clear vision and few of the process within the business
existent for the support of the specific cycle for the project development that were not
adhered and bypassed by all allies. It would have been a better convention if the already
existent business processes, were properly discovered, optimized, modeled and shared with
all of the stakeholders. This is where the Queensland Health Payroll project took a wrong turn

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while selecting their project since, the project team or maybe the people associated with the
particular project did not properly choose to communicate every necessary details which the
team needs to share with every single individual associated with this project.
The risk related to the failure could have been avoided by implementing a proven and a
well-tested integration framework. The usage of an API partner between the vendor products
or a better still could have been adopted upon an open web-based standard in Service
Oriented Architecture. The duration for this particular project was on a live system for a
period of only 8 months. On the other hand, a predecessor system known as LATTICE was
rolled out in a period of 6 years that was carried out through different stages. The strategy
related to this implementation was for a statewide cutover to production in all QH districts in
an individual deployment (Snyder & Stackpole, 2013).
In details the problems, which were identified with respect to the Project selection method
and the project initiation, are as follows,
 Inaccurate payment payrolls- manual top-ups which resulted in multiple payment in a
limited number of time. Even, payments were made to employees for overtime when
they were on a leave.
 Defective or Missing functionality- Work Brain disallowing salary for the sacrificing
of retrospective payments, inability to apportion of employees leading to costs of
multiple costs centers and bugs which were noticed within the calculation of the
enterprise in bargaining for back pay.
 Fusion between the Work Brain and SAP failed- time-consuming process of sending
the information regarding the payroll from the SAP to Work Brain and the opposite.
 Data errors- SAP had implemented the unique code identifier for the processing of
files. However, the files created with precision for the code having the similar time.

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This referred to as the processing of a single file along with the time code and the
ones, which were left unprocessed.
 Till date, it has been recorded that there were approximately 20,000 forms which were
not at all processed and hence, the transactions related to them were not transferred
across to SAP.

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