Organizing Student Field Trip at QAHE: Project Report

This report details the project management aspects of organizing a field trip for students at QAHE, focusing on a two-week trip to Uganda to study sustainable projects. The report includes a Project Initiation Document (PID) outlining project objectives, budget, and approach, along with a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to break down project activities. A Risk Register identifies potential risks and mitigation plans. The report further discusses the importance of effective communication and critiques various project management methodologies, recommending the best approach for this project. The analysis includes stakeholder roles, risk assessment, and the impact of communication on project success. The report emphasizes the significance of a well-structured plan for the field trip, highlighting the importance of selecting appropriate sustainable projects in Uganda to align with the curriculum and achieve the project's objectives.

Running head: ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
Organizing Field Trip for Students at QAHE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
Table of Contents
Part 1................................................................................................................................................2
A. Project Initiation Document (PID)..........................................................................................2
B. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)........................................................................................5
Part 2................................................................................................................................................7
A. Risk Register...........................................................................................................................7
B. Importance of Risk Register over the Risk Management Plan...............................................9
Part 3..............................................................................................................................................10
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................10
2. Discussion..............................................................................................................................10
2.1 Impact of an Effective and Structured Communication..................................................10
2.2 Analysis and Critique over different Methodologies.......................................................12
3. Conclusion.............................................................................................................................15
References......................................................................................................................................16

2ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
Part 1
A. Project Initiation Document (PID)
Project Title – Organizing of a field trip for students in QAHE
Estimated project budget – The estimated budget for the project is £187k
Start date – 09/07/2019
Finish date – 03/03/2020
Project Sponsor – (Please fill)
Project Manager – (Please fill)
Primary project objectives – The primary objectives that could be met with the
successful accomplishment of the project is:
 To conduct a two week field trip for understanding sustainable projects in Uganda
 Understanding the importance of environmental and ethical business issues
 Discussing the plans for setting syllabus for the next academic year
 Funding of students for the whole trip
Suggested approach towards the project – Gaining the knowledge over the different
ways in which the project would be conducted would be considered as highly important for
progressing over the other steps within the project (Helm and Katz 2016). The project is based
on organizing field trip for students at the QAHE Business Management Faculty. The primary

3ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
purpose is to focus on the issues arising in the areas of ethical and environmental based on
conducting business strategies.
In the primary stage, the idea for the field trip should be cleared by the Programme
Convener at QAHE and they would need to list out the possible outcomes that would be
achieved from the field trip. The location of the trip would need to be chosen based on which
other parts of the planning would be included (Kuflik et al. 2015). In the case of the present
project, the field trip would be conducted in Uganda and hence, there is a need for discuss some
sustainable projects, which could be suitable for the degree course in Sustainable Business.
The next step within the approach towards the project is based on securing of funding
from the Business Management faculty head. This would be mainly intended for securing and
confirming the details regarding the field trip. After the funding would be secured, the
transportation facility and food supplies would be contacted for the trip. Hotel authorities would
also be conducted based on providing accommodation of students and faculty during the event
(Valderrama-Pérez, Molina and El-Hani 2015). The QAHE would sponsor an amount of £2,000,
which further amounts to £60,000 for 30 students reporting for the trip. Hence, after each of the
facilities would be provided, the progress over the trip would be made and hence the event would
be considered as successful.

4ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
Analysis of staff and stakeholders – The staff and various stakeholders involved within
the project along with their job roles and responsibilities could be discussed as:
Stakeholders Job Roles and Responsibilities Power Influence
Project Sponsor The project sponsor would be responsible for
securing the funding to the students who would be
sent for the field trip (Tiew, Holmes and De Bussy
2015). Moreover, they would also allocate funds for
the various arrangements that would be made during
the event.
High Medium
Project Manager The project manager will be responsible for
conducting the project plan based on including all
plans that would be included during the trip. They
would also be held responsible for arranging each of
the facilities for the successful achievement of
project outcomes (Van Wynsberghe and Moore
2015).
Medium High
Programme Convener The Programme Convener would be responsible for
conducting project related studies for understanding
the different sustainable projects that are developing
in Uganda. They would also be responsible for
listing the participants during the event.
High High
Hotel authorities They would list out the names of the customers for
whom accommodation would be provided. They
would thus arrange the rooms accordingly as per the
dates provided (Haines et al. 2015).
Low Medium
Bus Operators They would supply buses for taking the students and
faculties for the trip event.
Low Low
Food Suppliers The food supply department should be responsible
for supplying food packets to the students during the
field trip event.
Low Low

5ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
B. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
(Figure 1: The WBS for the Project)
(Source: Created by author)
The WBS is primarily been created for breaking out the different activities that should be
accommodated within the project. With the help of the creation of a WBS for the project and
their included activities, it would also help in leading them towards a proper format of work
made over the project. The use of WBS would help in creating a granular nature of the work
modules that needs to be performed within the project based on gaining successful project
outcomes (Kozhevnikova 2016). Estimation of project based on units or single work modules
based on work hours, days or weeks could be made using the WBS. This would also help in
understanding in a quick manner regarding the estimation of the deadline or intended budget.
The use of critical path helps different teams for identification of important tasks within a
project. The use of critical path within a project supports the company with information in
regards to the key tasks being performed within the project. In the case of the concerned project

6ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
management for the field trip event, there would be a proper form of analysis over the critical
paths based on the creation of a plan for the field trip event. This path further provides an
important component within the project schedule.

7ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
Part 2
A. Risk Register
The different risks that would approach towards the project during the designing and setting up of the event for the field trip
are:
Risk
No.
Description of risk Likelihood Impact Contingency and Mitigation Plans Risk Owner
1 Some of the objectives of the event
might not meet leading to
unsuccessful delivery of outcomes.
Medium Medium Each of the objectives that would be set for
the event should be checked properly and
understood whether they would meet with the
goals of the QAHE university.
Programme
Convener
2 The dates selected for the visit might
clash with pre-existing scheduled
dates of the other visit at sites in
Uganda (Chang et al. 2016)
Low Medium The Programme Convener should contact the
managers of the sites at Uganda and hence
search for dates, which would be free for site
visit.
Programme
Convener
3 The funding might not be approved
for the event due to high number of
participation from participants
Low High The participants within the event should be
screened based on their skills and hence a list
should be prepared based on choosing the
eligible candidates for the event (Zscheischler
et al. 2018).
Project manager
4 The hotel authorities might not have
sufficient rooms to accommodate all
staff, faculty and students
Medium Low The programme convener and project
manager should work collaboratively based
on understanding the number of participants
within the field trip and then choose the
Project
manager,
Programme
convener

8ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
appropriate hotel for the visit.
5 Some of the selected candidates for
the field trip might not be able to
submit a Medical Certificate before
the event (Getz and Page 2016).
Low High The students and staff should be notified
much early regarding the submission of a
Medical Certificate.
Project manager
6 Special assistance for students with
disabilities might not have been
planned thus leading to risks.
High High The project manager should perform an
analysis over the number of students suffering
from disabilities and hence arrange for
medical facilities in order to meet with their
needs.
Project manager
7 The food supplies for the event
might not be procured within the
proper time.
Low High The project manager should ensure that the
food supplies for the event should be procured
at proper time (Müller 2015).
Project manager
8 The bus operators might not be able
to provided buses for the event at the
proper time.
Low High The project manager should be responsible
for procuring the buses for the field trip a
week prior to the trip.
Project manager
9 The project manager might not be
able to research over some
sustainable projects due to lack of
permission
High Medium The project manager might grant permission
from the programme convener based on
preparing an approval certificate, which could
be shown at the various sites in which
sustainable projects are being conducted.
Project
manager,
Programme
Convener
10 The project manager might not be
able to arrange each of the facilities
in proper time leading to delay in
project schedules.
Low Medium The project manager should work collectively
with the programme convener based on
collecting the requirements, analysing them
and developing plans for settling each project
aspects accordingly.
Project manager

9ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
B. Importance of Risk Register over the Risk Management Plan
The risk register can be defined as a project management tool that would help assigned
project managers and the respective companies for documentation of risks, track the risks and
further mitigate them by addressing them individually (Aqlan and Lam 2015). The use of a risk
register is primarily supported at the initiation of the project and is further updated throughout
the life cycle of the project.
From the above case study, there are various defined risks, which should be considered as
crucial. Hence in one case, if the sustainable projects are not chosen properly for the field visit,
then the purpose of the visit might not be fulfilled properly (Hopkin 2018). This would lead to
wastage of monetary resources and time. It would further lead to major changes in the delay of
preparing the new courses at Semester 2.

10ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
Part 3
1. Introduction
In the concerned project based on conducting plans for a field trip, it can be discussed
that the choice of the different sustainable projects in Uganda would be considered as important
for designing the new courses at the March of Semester 2. In order to conduct a suitable plan for
the project, each of the included plans and deliverables would be considered as important as they
would help towards reaching the end result of the project.
The following report would discuss the ways in which an effective and structured
communication would be considered as suitable for the end result of the project (Joslin and
Müller 2015). The following parts of discussion would be based on performing analysis and
critique over the different suitable project management methodologies and recommendation for a
suitable methodology to be implemented within the project.
2. Discussion
2.1 Impact of an Effective and Structured Communication
The stakeholder communication encompasses the fact that there should be a proper
definition over the project scope. Each of the requirements would be set accordingly in relation
to the success of the project. An efficient form of communication can be considered as the major
key towards success rate of the project or it could also lead to project failure (Türkel et al. 2016).
The use of communication between the involved stakeholders is highly necessary during the
beginning and future progress over the different project stages. Hence, it can be discussed that

11ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
effectiveness within the management of stakeholder communication could be considered as
critical towards the success over the project.
The project team members are considered as the main stakeholders involved within the
project. It is the major responsibility of the project manager for ensuring an adequate, timely and
precise flow of information. This is mainly due to the reason that maintaining these criteria
would lead to better communication between roles during the work over the project. The project
managers working over any project should establish a common framework based on the
involvement of internal and external stakeholders (Evergreen 2017). Based on performing the
different works over the project, the project managers are considered as the primary person
responsible for advising their team members and updating them about the new information that is
being updated over the project.
Based on the consideration over the various aspects in relation to projects, it can be
discussed that there are four theories of communication, which could be suggested and be used in
the context of the discussed project. These are:
1. Diffusion Theory – The project managers are considered as an important individual
based on understanding the various aspects of changes to be made within projects and thus
discuss over the plans based on adapting themselves and their team to prepare for changes.
During the conduction of the event, different changes might arise leading to future changes in the
projects. Thus, the plans that would need to be planned should be concrete in nature and thus
they should not change due to other aspects in the cases of project. Disorientation among the
involved teams should not also occur.

12ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
2. Groupthink – One mind is highly necessary to achieve maximum of beneficial from
the project implementation. The role of a project manager within the team should be aiming
towards achievement of a common thing based on achieving better outcomes at the end of the
project (Trivellas et al. 2015). Team members should also gain a feeling that they are being
valued within the team.
3. Social Information Processing Theory – This kind of theory emphasizes over the fact
that strong bonds could be formed from online conversations than could be formed from face-to-
face communication methods. Hence, project managers should ensure that proper modes of
relaying messages despite lack of many forms of social clues would be considered as efficient
for helping with communication.
4. Communication Accommodation Theory – This theory mainly identifies the fact
that a project team member would be able to adapt to situations based on the modes of
communication (Kiliç, Kuzey and Uyar 2015). The gestures, body language and speech patterns
would be considered as important during communication with team members.
2.2 Analysis and Critique over different Methodologies
The comparison over the agile, waterfall and PRINCE2 methodologies could be
discussed as:
1. Agile – The agile methodology helps in transforming business processes based on
using optimal usage of cost and time as compared to the traditional project management
methodology (Serrador and Pinto 2015). In this methodology, cross-functional teams would
work together based on delivering solutions depending on feedbacks, iterations and further
evolvement of project outcomes.

13ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
The strengths of agile methodology are:
1. There is an involvement of customers at every stage of the development process using
agile methodology (Rasnacis and Berzisa 2017). Whenever users provide continuous feedbacks
during the development process, iterations are being performed, which further results in progress
over the project works in a better form.
2. The agile methodology leads to quick delivery of software thus making it as an ideal
for project delivery.
3. The methodology emphasizes over the process of continuous improvement and further
leads to reduction of product wastage.
The weaknesses of agile methodology are:
1. The involvement of customers is highly needed for performing work based on the agile
methodology. Hence, enthusiastic customers would only be entertained who would be engaging
with developers and supporting them throughout the project.
2. The final outcome of the project would not be pre-decided. Thus is because there is no
clear blueprint of the final deliverable over the project.
2. Waterfall – This is defined as the linear and traditional approach over the
developmental aspects of the project. Each of the project are performed in the proper form of
schedule as per planned.
The strengths of waterfall methodology are:

14ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
1. This kind of methodology is best suited for projects whose nature and speed should be
normal in nature. Extensive form of testing based on this methodology would lead to less form of
bugs.
2. The linear process helps the project to be finished in proper time and within the
allocated budget (Alshamrani and Bahattab 2015).
The weaknesses of waterfall methodology are:
1. Unclear ideas over the project would lead to stoppage of project fulfillment.
2. It would be considered as a difficult phase to perform development activities once the
project would be shifting to testing phase.
3. PRINCE2 – It follows a structured methodology that emphasizes over dividing of
projects into controllable and manageable stages.
The strengths of PRINCE2 methodology are:
1. It also supports towards a wide-ranging and detailed form of description that lists the
project team roles assigned for the project.
2. The major decisions taken over the projects using this methodology helps in
developing a robust form of business case.
The weaknesses of PRINCE2 methodology are:
1. The soft skills acquired by the project manager are not acknowledged within this
methodology (Karaman and Kurt 2015).

15ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
2. The idea of procurement management is not supported using the PRINCE2
methodology.
3. Conclusion
From the discussion supported from the above methodologies, it can be recommended
that the use of Waterfall methodology would be mostly suitable for the concerned project. This
methodology supports a linear approach based on the completion of all activities within the
project in a planned manner. Moreover, it would also support each of the phases from the
initiation till successful accomplishment of outcomes. The other major area of discussion from
the above report focuses on the impact of structured and effective communication that would be
used in case of projects in order to achieve successful business outcomes and meet the business
goals.

16ORGANIZING FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AT QAHE
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