Project Management Assessment 1: Data Gathering and Cloud Solutions

This project management assignment explores various aspects of project management, starting with data gathering techniques such as brainstorming, checklists, interviews, and surveys for a new payroll system. It contrasts functionally structured and flatter organizational structures, analyzing their advantages and disadvantages. The assignment then delves into the chain of command and reporting relationships, emphasizing their role in organizational design. It also examines the impact of geography on requirement gathering and the process of automated data capture, including the technologies involved. The role and degree of involvement of stakeholders are discussed, highlighting their importance in project success. The second part of the assignment focuses on cloud-based solutions, their benefits, and techniques for solving IT problems within a company. It outlines the business expectations and needs related to cloud solutions, emphasizing efficiency and data storage. The solution provides a comprehensive overview of project management principles and practical applications, making it a valuable resource for students studying the subject.

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

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Assessment 1:
1.1 Data Gathering Techniques
There are 9 data gathering techniques that can be used for understanding the requirements
that are needed for the payroll system. The 9 data gathering techniques are:
a) Benchmarking
b) Brainstorming
c) Check Sheets
d) Checklists
e) Focus groups
f) Interviews
g) Market Research
h) Surveys and questionnaires
i) Statistical sampling
Out of 9 data gathering techniques mentioned above, the data gathering that can be used
for collecting requirements for the new payroll system are:
a) Brainstorming: This is a technique that can be used for identifying all the list of ideas
that can be done by organizing a group discussion. This particular group mainly includes all the
team members as well as includes subject matter experts. This brainstorming technique helps to
generate wide range of ideas that includes idea generation as well as analysis.

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b) Checklists: Checklists works as a reminder. The checklists includes all the item lists,
the actions as well as the points that are to be done for completing the project. The checklists are
used for inspecting the quality control that includes different requirements needed to be checked.
c) Interviews: The interviews are mainly used by the stakeholders for eliciting the
information and this is possible by having direct talk with the stakeholders (Ogharaduku et al.,
2016). The interviewing helps to identify the requirements, the project constraints, the project
risks, the acceptance criteria, expectations, as well as includes quality needs in the project.
d) Survey and Questionnaires: This technique is a cost-effective way that helps to
gather the requirements for conducting the project. This technique helps to collect the
expectations and as well as need of the stakeholders.
1.2 Differences between functionally structured and flatter organizational structures
The functional structure of an organization mainly includes different small groups
including some particular tasks as well as roles that are included in the organization.
Functionally organized companies have an information technology working group and also have
marketing and finance working group in the organization. All the departments in functional
organizations has manager as well as directors who are capable of answering to the executive
level in the higher hierarchy. The advantage that the functional structure provides is that the
employees are mainly grouped by set of skills as well as set of functions that allows them in
focusing their energies for executing their respective role in those department. There is also
challenge that are included in this structure. This structure lacks communication that are inter-
departmental that includes most issues as well as discussions that occurs in the managerial level
in individual departments.

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The flatter organizational structure mainly allows decision making in all the levels that
are included in the structure of the organization. This structure helps to flatten the vertical
appearance in the organizational hierarchy (Ogharaduku et al., 2016). With this structure of
organization, all employees can operate on the existing structure and the employees in any level
of the hierarchy are encouraged to provide ideas and runs them accordingly that creates flat
teams. Advantage of this system includes innovation in the company and helps to eliminate the
red tape in the organization. This technique elevates the level of responsibility in employees and
helps to remove all the excess layers in the management as well as improves coordination as well
as increases the speed of communication in the employees. This technique also includes
disadvantages in the organization. With this technique, the employees are not able to report to a
specific boss which creates confusion in the system. This flat structure is not possible in large
organizations.
1.3 Chain of Command and Reporting Relationships
The designers of organization executes the Command Chain in the last step while
creating the organizational structure. The planners considered the goal of the company as its first
priority and helps to support all the strategy that are related to the organization (Chaudhuri,
Christofides & Rao, 2016). The designers in functional organization, the designers helps to
determine all the tasks that are needed for reaching the goal of the organization.
Departmentalization in chain of command helps the designers about the way to group all the
tasks. The grouping affects in the organization helps in resource sharing as well as helps in easy
communication with the people and have better co-ordination of work. In the chain of command,
the designer helps to assign the tasks authority as well as the tasks areas that are included in the
functional organizations.

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The reporting of relationships in the functional organizations is the last and final step that
is included in the organizational design. This step is an easy step that helps to depict the structure
of the company. All the position in this reporting relationship step is connected to the above step
by a line. The vertical line from one position to another position helps to reveal the chain
command. Each person in a single link is connected in a chain.
1.4 Impact of geography on requirement gathering process
For gathering of requirement in data collection method, the requirements that the client
wants are to be specified for carrying out the research. The requirement will include what the
client wants and how it can be achieved. Requirement gathering in managing project includes
analyzing the requirements, and then working accordingly.
Establishing the business problem is the foremost step that is to be investigated which
data gathering process. This investigation might include the system boundaries, the scope of the
system, and development methodology that is to be included in research.
The particular information gathering technique is to be chosen for data gathering, and
proper questionnaire is to be developed for the particular business problem. The objective are to
be developed along with the outcomes that are to be identified for receiving the outcomes. The
business problem is to be documented for carrying out the research.
For gathering the information, method for data gathering is to be chosen so that the
clients can be identified in the system and the problems that are encountered while selecting data
gathering techniques (Ali et al., 2016). The response from the client are recorded and new
requirement for the system is to be identified along with the problem specifications.

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Documenting the system requirement as well as the problems also comes under gathering
information.
For confirming the specification, the documents are to be checked that ensures to meet
the need of the client. Submitting the document to client for their verification and approval. All
the changes are to be made for the documentation as the client states them and finally submit the
final documentation for its approval.
1.5 Automated data capture
Automatic data capture is considered as a method that helps to identify the objects
automatically, collect the data that are related to them and enter the data directly to the computer
system (Worley & Doolen, 2015). There are many technologies that are included in automatic
data capture. Technologies that are included in data capture are QR codes, RFID, bar codes,
biometrics, OCR, as well as magnetic stripes. There are also voice recognition as well as smart
cards that can be used for automatic data capture in the computer systems. This helps to gather
the external data through image analysis, sounds included as well as the videos analysis for data
capturing.
For capturing the data, transducer is employed that helps to convert the sound as well as
the image in to a digital file. The data file is stored and those data are analyzed by the computer
system. In an automatic data capture, there are actually three main principle; data encoder: this
mainly helps to represent the alphanumeric characters; machine scanner: the encoded data are
read by this principle; and data decoder: this helps to transform electrical signal too digital signal
form. The entrepreneurs has helps to secure all the digital data for their business generate. This
should be the highest given priority in the businesses.

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1.6 Role of stakeholder and degree in involvement
The role of the stakeholders differs from business to business depending on the type of
working performed by the stakeholder. The role of stakeholders in organization includes decision
making, direct management, investors, corporate conscience, as well as many other
responsibilities that can be included in the roles of stakeholders.
As the clerk does not know how to handle the computer system in the inventory system,
the clerk should be motivated so that she gets the enthusiasm for learning the new system
included in the inventory system (Neill et al., 2016). The stakeholder should be given some more
time to learn the new system so that she will be able to get the new inventory system. As she was
used to handle the manual inventory system, and she is not in a state to learn new system, the
clerk need some time for handling the new inventory system.
The stakeholder of the system should be tracked well so that others may know about the
different groups in the organization (Kerzner, 2017). The stakeholder is to be focused on so that
the stakeholder gets the power of interest and get influence on the stakeholders. Motivational
factors are to be identified for the stakeholders so that new things can be learnt for handling the
new system. The stakeholder benefit should motivate for focusing the stakeholders that are
included in the system.
Assessment 2:
2.1 Way of using cloud based products
The cloud based solution can prevent the privacy of the software. Piracy of software is
not good for economic development and the cloud based solutions helps in economic
development in the country.

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The solutions that are cloud based helps to reduce the cost for conducting the business.
Adopting the infrastructure of cloud computing, the company can reduce cost of the business
(Markant, 2019). With the help of cloud based product, the company will be able to store the
data, keep backup for the data, as well as launch cloud private network for the company. The
cloud based product does not need any type of physical component for managing the data and
storing them. This cloud helps to store large amount of data, keep backup for the data and helps
to set up a VPM for handling the data processing as well as deployment needs.
The cloud based solution in the company will also help to increase the productivity of the
organization (Anagnostakis et al., 2018). While dealing with a business, there arise many IT
related problems including software maintenance, as well as backup problems. Implementing the
cloud system, the company will be able to store all data without installing any kind of software
on the network. The cloud based product in the Ajax Company helps to make the life of a
company easy. This includes different technologies that can help to make the life easier. The
companies do not have to install hard drives, or memory cards on their systems to store their data
in the system.
2.2 Techniques required
The techniques that can be involved in solving the IT problems in the Ajax Company are
listed below:
 Structure Programming: The programs with structured programming are used for
designing as well as developing the programs. These are also used for documenting as
well as maintaining the programs in the system. The structured programming helps to
modify as well as testing the standards of programming.

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 Top-down Development: Designing, testing, as well as coding the system by building
the programs starting with general level as well as helps to proceed with some specialized
programs.
 Concurrent documentation: This helps to provide a better control on the project,
increases the completeness of the documentation as well as help to save money for the
system.
2.3 Business expectation and need
The expectation of the business is to deal with the business processes efficiently and store
all the data related with the company efficiently in the cloud based solution. For getting proper
software cloud solution for the Ajax Company, proper cloud based solution is to be implemented
so that the data are securely stored in the system. It is very much important for having a
centralized system in the working process of the Ajax Company.
The company should have a better Human Resource management system that will help to
manage the records of the staffs. This would help to keep track on the staffs and helps to save
money in the organization. Managing the customer data as well as the relationships in the
organization is very much important for maintaining a good relationship with the customers. The
database including fully-featured CRM database helps to store as well as process all the data
from the contact details of the customer, interaction history of the customers and the accounts of
the customer.
Managing the inventory in the Ajax Company will also include the balancing act. There
can be data errors or spreadsheets can be misplaced by using traditional method of data storage.
So, the business should have a cloud computing solution for securely storing the data. This cloud
can help to increase the tracking of database including the data interchange as well as scanning

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of barcode that are included in organization. The Ajax Company should also have a growth
planning that includes reporting capabilities in the organization. This helps to analyze the input
data as well as the productivity data tracking that are included in anticipating the future need as
well as the customer need in the organization. The company should implement a database system
that helps to keep all the valuable resources in the organization.

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References
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for development: applications and techniques. Big Data Analytics, 1(1), 2.
Anagnostakis, D., Ritchie, J., Lim, T., Sung, R., & Dewar, R. (2018). Automated coordinate
measuring machine inspection planning knowledge capture and formalization. Journal of
Computing and Information Science in Engineering, 18(3), 031005.
Chaudhuri, A., Christofides, T. C., & Rao, C. R. (2016). Data gathering, analysis and protection
of privacy through randomized response techniques: qualitative and quantitative human
traits (Vol. 34). Elsevier.
Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and
controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Markant, D. B. (2019). Navigating the “chain of command”: Enhanced integrative encoding
through active control of study. In Proceedings of the 41st Annual Conference of the
Cognitive Science Society.
Ogharaduku, B. E., Jubb, D., Lochrie, S., Curran, R. W. F. A., & O'Gorman, K. D. (2016).
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structure to guide strategic behavior: an information processing perspective. Journal of
Behavioral and Applied Management, 2(2), 816.

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lean implementation. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, 6(1), 39-58.