Project Integration and Procurement Management - University Report

This report delves into the critical aspects of project integration and procurement management, offering a comprehensive analysis of various procurement activities. It begins by exploring the determination and evaluation of procurement requirements, including labor and material scheduling, and the significance of contract finalization, using a time and material based contract, to ensure project fulfillment. The report also addresses the roles and responsibilities in the absence of the project manager, highlighting the assistant project manager's authority in managing procurement activities and ensuring proper documentation. Furthermore, it presents a case study on IRTC Manufacturing Enterprises, detailing the procurement process involved in upgrading a legacy billing system, including vendor selection and hardware/software component procurement. The report emphasizes the importance of identifying and performing specific procurement activities such as vendor selection, training needs, and resource allocation. Finally, it underscores the significance of a robust procurement strategy in managing stakeholders, emphasizing its role in understanding business drivers and ensuring stakeholders are informed about project progress through regular communication, which helps in eliminating the risk of stakeholder unrest and dissatisfaction.

Running head: PROJECT INTEGRATION AND PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT
Project Integration and Procurement Management
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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PROJECT INTEGRATION AND PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT
Table of Contents
Answer 1..............................................................................................................................2
Answer 2..............................................................................................................................2
Answer 3..............................................................................................................................3
Answer 4..............................................................................................................................3
Answer 5..............................................................................................................................4
References............................................................................................................................5

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PROJECT INTEGRATION AND PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT
Answer 1
Several procurement activities have been performed in the past as a project manager,
which includes determination and evaluation of the company’s overall procurement
requirements. This included the determining and leveraging the amount of labor the company
needed and proper scheduling of the labor and materials (Schwalbe, 2015). As a part of the
procurement management in the organization, the goods and services that are needed to be
procured were identified at first. After agreeing on the delivery time frame and methods with the
vendor, the purchase orders were completed. In order to make sure that all the requirements of a
project is fulfilled on time; proper procurement contract was finalized, which was Time and
material based contract (Brewer, Wallin & Ashenbaum, 2014). While the project was in its
implementation stage, procurement performances were evaluated on a regular basis to ensure
that the project is following a planned approach. Furthermore, proper procurement plan was
ensured that contained specific instructions and guidelines for proper implementation of the
project.
Answer 2
In certain cases when the project manager fails to perform the procurement activities, it is
the responsibility of the assistant project manager to fill in the void. In my absence, the assistant
project manager has the authority to receive, manage and close all the transactional activities.
Furthermore, he is responsible for conducting the inventory management checks and scheduling
the proper delivery time of the project. The assistant project manager although has limited
permission handling the major procurement activities, he still has access to useful assets of the
organization that helps in managing all the procurement activities in absence of project manager

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PROJECT INTEGRATION AND PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT
(Kerzner, 2013). The assistant project manager ensures that all the procurement activities that are
performed in the organization in my absence are properly documented. This would help me in
understanding the progress of the work and the major works that are needed to be looked after. If
I need to take a prolonged leave, complete all the pending works before I apply go for a leave. In
my absence, if some major task pops up, my senior executives of the organization completes the
major procurement transactions in the organization.
Answer 3
IRTC Manufacturing Enterprises has embarked on a project of upgrading its legacy
billing system that was originally installed ten years ago. This is a major upgrade project and is
expected to take atleast 9-12 weeks of time. Since the project is a bit complex the procurement
process includes a lot of task that are needed to be performed (Hong & Kwon, 2012). It is the
responsibility of the project manager to evaluate the IRTC’s procurement needs. The very first
procurement activity is to select a vendor in order to purchase the required hardware and
software component of the billing system that is to be developed. Apart from this, it is required
to choose a scheduling package that is compatible with the pre installed server systems. The
configuration of the hardware to be purchased should be capable of handling all the operations
within the organization. The design of the software will require the help from experienced coder
that will be leveraged by the organization (Usman, Soomro & Brohi, 2014). Selection of a proper
vendor and finalizing the rate of payment is one of the major procurement activities that are to be
completed as a project manager.
Answer 4

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PROJECT INTEGRATION AND PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT
The procurement activities that are needed to be identified and performed right now are
the selection of a vendor who will supply the resources required for successful completion of the
project and completion of the first payment installment. It is essential to follow the
organization’s standard methodology for the package upgrade (Hong & Kwon, 2012). Another
procurement activity includes determination of the training needs and selection of proper
resources that will be required for hosting the training session. Other procurement activities that
are needed to be completed now include purchase of the hardware and software components that
are required for initiating the project.
Answer 5
Having a proper procurement strategy is an effective way of managing the stakeholders
associated with a project. This is possible because procurement acts as an effective tool for
understanding the business drivers. Evaluating the procurement for a project helps in achieving a
proper knowledge about the business objectives, which in term helps to keep the stakeholders
informed about the project. The procurement report is most is regularly communicated with the
stakeholders thus keeping them informed about the project progress. Management of the
stakeholders is important as it ensures that the stakeholders have proper knowledge about the
strategic issues and organizational input (Walker et al., 2012). This further helps in eliminating
the risk of stakeholder unrest and dissatisfaction during the project implementation. Having a
clear, concise and regular communication is an important part of stakeholder management and
sharing the procurement reports on regular basis does exactly the same.

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PROJECT INTEGRATION AND PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT
References
Brewer, B., Wallin, C., & Ashenbaum, B. (2014). Outsourcing the procurement function: Do
actions and results align with theory?. Journal of Purchasing and Supply
Management, 20(3), 186-194.
Hong, P., & Kwon, H. B. (2012). Emerging issues of procurement management: a review and
prospect. International Journal of Procurement Management 4, 5(4), 452-469.
Kerzner, H. (2013). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and
controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Schwalbe, K. (2015). Information technology project management. Cengage Learning.
Usman, M., Soomro, T. R., & Brohi, M. N. (2014). Embedding project management into XP,
SCRUM and RUP. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 10(15).
Walker, H., Miemczyk, J., Johnsen, T., & Spencer, R. (2012). Sustainable procurement: Past,
present and future. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 18(4), 201-206.