Digitalization Impact on Thomas Cook: A Project Management Plan

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Thomas Cook's business development, focusing on the impact of digitalization through a detailed project management plan. It outlines the project's aims and objectives, detailing how digital technology transforms business operations and enables data-driven strategies. The report includes a work breakdown structure (WBS) and Gantt chart for project timeframes and stages. It applies both qualitative and quantitative research methods to assess the accuracy and reliability of the findings. The research encompasses data analysis using appropriate tools and techniques, leading to recommendations and meaningful conclusions. The report further reflects on the value of undertaking the research for meeting stated objectives and personal learning, evaluating project management processes and research methods. Ultimately, it evaluates and reflects on the project outcomes, contributing to a deeper understanding of digitalization's role in business growth.

Managing a Successful Business Project

Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Part 1: Project Management Plan....................................................................................................4
P1 Devising clear aims and objectives for the project.....................................................................4
P2 Producing a project management plan by incorporating various factors...................................5
P3 Producing a work breakdown structure and a Gantt chart to provide timeframes and stages for
completion.......................................................................................................................................7
Part 2 Project Log Book................................................................................................................10
P4 Carrying out research by applying qualitative and quantitative research methods appropriate
for meeting project aims and objectives........................................................................................10
M2 Evaluating the accuracy and reliability of the different research methods applied on the
project............................................................................................................................................11
D1 Evaluation of project management processes and research methods used..............................13
Part 3 Performance Review...........................................................................................................15
P5 Analyzing the research and the data with appropriate tools and techniques............................15
P6 Communicating appropriate recommendations as a result of research and data analysis to
draw meaningful conclusions........................................................................................................22
P7 Reflecting the value of undertaking the research for meeting stated objectives and own
learning and performance..............................................................................................................23
M3 Evaluating the selection of appropriate tools and techniques for accuracy and authenticity for
supporting and justifying recommendations..................................................................................24
M4 Evaluating the value of project management processes and use of quality research for
meeting stated objectives and supporting own learning and performance....................................25
D2 Evaluating and reflecting on the project outcomes..................................................................26
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................27
References:....................................................................................................................................28
Project& Risk Log Book...............................................................................................................29
Template for performance review.................................................................................................35

Introduction
There has been a fundamental shift in the means of operating a traditional business and engaging
it with the interests of the customers in the last decade. The explosion of the web along with the
mobile technology has given rise to seemingly relentless ways of utilizing them. The advent of
technology is outstripping and at times, it undermines the structures of working which have been
prevalent for centuries together. The best part is that it is changing every day which, in turn, is
affecting the means of business all across the globe. The influence of technology can be felt in
each and every aspect of business operations, both small and large. This revolution is moving
away from the commercial as well as technological barriers that have caused disruption in free
communication among people. The advent of the mobile web along with the major evolution of
mobile web allows people to read, browse, shop, advertise and even bank on the mobile devices.
It has challenged the conventional business models which have led to the convergence of
readymade internet services. Also, the mobile devices are proffering unimaginable benefits to the
business as well as the consumers. This paper reports the use of technology in the growth and
development of the business of Thomas Cook in the business environment of UK and how it is
helping the businesses to reach out the global consumer by reducing various barriers in this
regard. The company selected for completing this assignment is Thomas Cook which is one of
the largest and the leading travel and tourism country that is operating in the business
environment of UK and in other countries as well. The impact of digitalization of processes on
the various functions of the organization would be studied in this report.

Part 1: Project Management Plan
P1 Devising clear aims and objectives for the project
With the advent of information technology, there have been uncountable numbers of innovations
in various fields, including business. This report traces how the digitization of information has
caused Thomas Cook to leverage the benefits of various digital tools. Digital technology is
helping in turning the process in achieving success.
The major aims of this project are to see how the informational technology is gradually
transforming the lives of the individuals and the ways in which the businesses are able to analyse
their plans and prospects for devising the strategies accordingly. When a business utilizes digital
technology for running their businesses, it means that they can have accurate data analysis in
order to optimize their profits. This report also shows the various benefits and plus points of
using digital technology for running a business and how it can help an organisation to stay ahead
of its competitors (Laudon, et. al., 2015).

P2 Producing a project management plan by incorporating various factors
A project management plan is a document of control for managing the Information and
Communication Technology or ICT and comprises of several descriptions, such as:
 Final deliverables and interims that the project is going to deliver
 Technical procedures required for the development of the project
 Resources required for delivering the project deliverables
 Additional plans needed for supporting the project
By constructing a project management plan, the manager of Thomas Cook can solicit important
data from the vendor and the team with regards to the issues at hand and their probable solutions.
It helps in creating future requirements and scheduling demonstrations for finding solutions
which fit the needs and preferences of the team. In order to prepare a project management plan,
the manager needs to take care of various factors such as:
The triple constraint triangle that includes time, cost and scope- The first step of constructing a
management plan is to decide the constraining dimensions. The project manager should first
decide what is driving the project? Is it the quality, cost, scope or the time? Then it is important
to specify the dimensions which can accept the changes. If any change is required, then what are
the areas? It is important to mention here that change should be accepted by at least one
dimension while the remaining columns can be minimized or maximized.
If there is a delay in implementation, then the solution may face a negative ripple impact on the
company’s ability to meet the strategic goals and improving operational efficiencies. It may be
required to manage the workload which would further help in implementing milestones.
Scope planning- With the help of the project scope management plan, the managers will be able
to document the way in which the scope of the project will be controlled, verified and defined.
The scope planning also gives an insight into the definition and creation of work breakdown
structure (Sundararajan, 2014).

Project Deliverables: The Deliverables of the project are intangible in nature and is constituted
of the knowledge that might be gained by the reader in the area of project management and
identification of the impact that digital technology levies on essential operations of the business.

P3 Producing a work breakdown structure and a Gantt chart to provide timeframes and
stages for completion
A work breakdown structure or a WBS can be defined as a hierarchical decomposition of the
project into smaller chunks that are easier to manage. It is presented graphically and shows all
the parts of a project within a well-organized chart. But it doesn’t show the course of tasks
organized within a sequence over time, unlike the Gantt chart. The main function of WBS is to
estimate the required costs, understand the scope, allocate the resources, manage the risks and
create an optimum schedule.
A Gantt chart is prepared from the WBS and it comes in the form of a bar tracking the tasks
through time. It organizes the tasks from its starting to ending date and establish the relationship
of one task to another. The Gantt chart is used for showing progress with the passage of time
along with a completed percentage.
To produce Work Breakdown Structure, it is crucial to determine the primary deliverables of the
project. Once this is achieved, the deliverables can be broken down into smaller chunks and
creation of branches. The workload is required to be segregated up to a point in which they can
be managed efficiently within a specified span of time, generally two weeks.
For producing a Gantt chart, the branches are required to be updated in order to create a task list
out of them. These branches may have to be rearranged by removal of certain tasks and addition
of others. Then, the management needs to review the dependencies in order to understand the
inter-dependence among various tasks (Cearley, et. al., 2016). The WBS and Gantt Chart of the
project has been stated below as follows:
Activities Duration (Weeks) Specifications
Planning of a project 1 In this phase, the planning of
the project was done on the
basis of resources available

with the researcher.
Information collection 3 This activity was done in
order to collect primary and
secondary resources for which
the researcher used various
tools and sources of data
collection.
Monitoring of a project 2 In this activity, the researcher
paid emphasis on the
development of the project
and identified that if it was
being developed in accordance
with the plans.
Project scope 2 The determination of the
project development with the
scope of the project was done
in this activity.
Operations and analysis of
tasks
2 In this activity, the researcher
determined that if the
objectives were achieved as
sought.
Gantt chart

Activities Duration (Week)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Planning of a project
Information collection
Monitoring of a project
Project scope
Operations and analysis of tasks

Part 2 Project Log Book
P4 Carrying out research by applying qualitative and quantitative research methods
appropriate for meeting project aims and objectives
Qualitative research methodology refers to focusing on how the consumers feel their thoughts
and the reasons behind making certain choices. For instance, if a business decides to change the
branding, it is important to carry out several types of quantitative research for understanding the
emotional reactions of people regarding the new identity of the business. Simply put, it is a
research method that gives a semi-structured output and offers an insight into the aspects that the
business manager is looking for.
On the other hand, the quantitative research is a more structured approach in comparison to the
qualitative methods owing to its statistical nature. Any business that has a clear idea of the target
market by choosing a sizeable sample of the respondents can give them an accurate snapshot of
the relevant question. Quantitative research can be paper-based or computerized.
The advent of digital technology has helped the business organizations to carry out their research
for meeting the aims and objectives of the project in an efficient manner (Hanelt, et. al., 2015).

M2 Evaluating the accuracy and reliability of the different research methods applied on
the project
There are several procedures for data collection: interviews, diaries, questionnaires, journals,
classroom observations and tests among others. The primary methods used in the mixed method
research comprise of interviews, close-ended and open-ended questions and classroom
observations. These means of gathering information can be used for supplementing each other
and therefore, boost the dependence and validity of the data. The quantitative data can be
obtained with the help of close-ended questionnaires and qualitative data through the open-ended
questions.
Some of the most reliable research methods which can be applied to the project include:
1. Questionnaires: These are the primary sources of obtaining data for the purpose of any
research. But the critical point is that when it comes to designing a questionnaire, the
researcher is required to make sure that the questions are valid, unambiguous and reliable
and can be represented in any of the following three variants:
 Structured or close-ended question paper
 Unstructured or close-ended question paper
 A mixture of structured and unstructured question paper
It is important to mention here that the structured question papers are better equipped to present
numerical data as well as open-ended questionnaires with the information from the text.
2. Interviews: The second means of data collection is definitely the mixed method design
of setting up an interview. This can be done when the researcher is willing to get the
information directly from the informants with the required knowledge. It has been
pointed out that the primary purpose of the interview is that it helps in revealing the
existing knowledge in such a way that it can be shown in the form of answers so that it
can be considered accessible to different interpretations.
3. Classroom observation: This is a pre-planned tool for observation which is carried out
for serving research questions and objectives. It is a means of observing different events
as per their natural occurrence.

Each of these means of securing relevant information has their own effectiveness, pros and cons
in making the research successful. It is important to continue with the process of data collection
until the researcher obtains a saturation point. The researcher may also choose to use a checklist
in order to ensure that the information collected by applying two different approaches
complements each other (Kane, et. al, 2015).