Project Management Report: ERP SAP Software Implementation

This report presents a project management assessment of an ERP SAP software implementation at JKJ Limited. It begins with an introduction outlining the shift from manual accounting to SAP ERP software to address issues such as time consumption, errors, and security concerns. The report then details a business case supporting the implementation, followed by an analysis of the project life cycle phases—initiation, planning, implementation, monitoring & control, and closure—along with their respective importance. A Project Initiation Document (PID) is provided, highlighting the project's budget, timeline, objectives, and potential risks. The assessment further explores the varying risk levels across the project life cycle stages and examines the project's scope, including the scope statement process. Potential stakeholders and their influence on project success are identified, alongside potential risks associated with implementation and preventive measures. The report concludes with a project plan, a review of the plan, a project closure report, and recommendations for future projects. The report emphasizes the importance of proper training, stakeholder management, and risk mitigation for successful ERP SAP software implementation.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
ASSESSMENT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
ASSESSMENT PART 001a ...........................................................................................................1
Identify a specific project and develop a business case to support the identified project .........1
Different phases of a project life cycle their importance ...........................................................2
PID of the identified project and its significance........................................................................3
Risk level varies within the project life cycle stage ...................................................................3
ASSESSMENT PART 001b............................................................................................................4
Scope of the project and steps of scope statement process.........................................................4
Potential Stakeholder and their influence in the success of the project .....................................4
Potential risk associated with the project implementation and how they can be prevented.......5
Project plan for the report and a review of your plan ................................................................6
Project closure report................................................................................................................10
By considering the current project on implementing ERP-SAP software, there are some
suggestions that may help in performing well in future projects. Recommendations are
described as below:...................................................................................................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Project Management includes the idea for bringing something new and innovating. Managing the
funds, the implementation and everything is included in this. In the report JKJ Ltd is replacing
the manual method with ERP SAP Software. The report include the a business case then the
different phase of project life cycle and their importance. PID and its importance. Then the risk
involved with the project life cycle stage. Study include the description about the potential
stakeholder and their influence on the success of the project. In last recommendations were given
for future improvement in other projects(Binder, 2016).
ASSESSMENT PART 001a
Identify a specific project and develop a business case to support the identified project
JKJ Limited was using traditional method of accounting I.e manually doing all the transactions.
Now the company is planning to implement SAP ERP Software. As due to the old method of
accounting organization faced several issues like the old method is time consuming putting
manually all the transactions and it is difficult to locate the accounts and journals in a bundle to
record entries. Analysing the accounts balances and getting information out of it is also very time
consuming activity. And it becomes very hectic when the senior executives need any information
and the accountants have to go through multiple documents. It can be a possibility that errors can
occur as it is human who is doing all the transactions manually and there is always a scope of
error. Error likes incorrect accounts and figures, these faults can happen in modern accounting
method but the rectification process is quite time consuming in traditional method. There is lack
of security as employees don't need any access through security check, they can easily review the
sensitive data in paper ledgers and journals. Manual data's can be lost as well: someone stole it,
then the company has no record and no proof. For preventing the company from all these
drawbacks of manual accounting JKJ Limited wants to implement the SAP ERP Software of
accounting. As it provides automation, since all the transactions are handled by the computer
software there are less chances of errors, duplication, it is less time-consuming process. More
accuracy as the simple addition, subtractions are done by software automatically. Modern
accounting technique has made data access easy and securely(Fewings and Henjewele, 2019)
and outside the office. More reliability on the financial statements that are prepared with the help
of computer software. The data of any particular can be accessed with just one click, without
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wasting a day. More security of data and more transactions can be stored at once. This method is
more cost effective for the companies as compared to previous one. So JKJ Ltd. Is designing to
apply this software to reduce the burden of old method.
Different phases of a project life cycle their importance
INITIATION PHASE
It is the primary stage of a project life cycle where the business need or problem is identified,
and the financial benefit is calculated then the goal of the project, time it will take and cost
incurred in it is evaluated. JKJ Ltd. Needs to implement ERP SAP software to overcome the
issues faced by them when they are using the old technique of accounting it will benefit the
organization by reducing their efforts, it is less time consuming(Fleming and Koppelman, 2016).
PLANNING PHASE
Once the project is approved, then the managers need to develop a solid plan to implement the
project that means guide the team so that they work on time and in the given budget. A well
developed plan gives a brief about the resources required and source of finance. The manager of
JKJ Ltd. Needs to apply the plan(ERP SAP Software) by evaluating all the resources and funds
required to implement this project in the company.
IMPLEMENTATION PHASE
Now this phase is the real implementation part of the project. Leaders make it happen by finding
resources and motivating team members to be focused on the tasks assigned. It stage depends on
the planning phase. The work and efforts put by the team members in this phase came from the
project plan. The technical team knows what there responsibilities are, the finance team knows
from they have to collect the funds. So all these should work in accordance to successfully
implement the project.
MONITORING & CONTROL
After execution the project(ERP SAP Software) needs to be monitored time to time weather it is
working in the same way as expected. This will help the company in knowing are they going on
the right track. The managers need to apply that software an check if any error is their and then
resolving it(Fuller and et.al, 2017).
CLOSURE
And finally the project is closed when it has delivered the final outcome required out of it.
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PID of the identified project and its significance
Title of the Project Implementing ERP SAP Software
Estimated Budget 1000 Pound
Start Date 25th July 2019
Finish Date 6th November 2019
Project Sponsor Mr. John
Project Manager Mr. Harry
Objectives To reduce the errors, time saving, security,
accuracy and reliability of data.
Major Risks Human resource, Technical risks
The PID is important to capture and record data that is needed to guide and plan a project, thus
managing and evaluating the success of the (Heagney, 2016)project. As in the initiation phase
the company will know about all the pitfalls in the project that will effect the implementation of
the plan in future. So it is important to know the time duration the project will need to
accomplish, the budget it will require and from where it will be collected, and final the human
resource of the organization re supporting or not.
Risk level varies within the project life cycle stage
Initiation Stage
In the primary stage if the identified need is not what the company actually wants then it can be a
major risk as the whole planning, efforts, budget, resources will be invested in the project and all
that will be waste.
Planning Stage
In this phase it is possibility that the employees resist changes, company is short of budget so this
all will affect the implementation of the project.
Implementation Stage
It can be possible that the employees lack training of the particular software(ERP SAP) so it will
be impossible for them to work. There can be some other technological change that are not
understood by the employees who have to actually work on them it will be a major risk.
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Controlling
The employees were lenient to ignore the errors of the(Kerzner, 2017) software implemented. It
will effect the future outcomes.
Closure
It initiation and planning were wrong the final result will always be worst.
ASSESSMENT PART 001b
Scope of the project and steps of scope statement process
The implementation of ERP SAP Software will benefit JKJ Ltd in saving the accountants time as
the now the accounting in done by using computerized software. This will help them by saving
their time in even feeding data's in the system. If they have to find any information related to
previous accounts it is easy now to get the information. The data is more safe and secure now as
everything is computerized which have security codes and not everyone have access to it. No
loss of data is the most important feature of this software application as compared to the old
method. Possibility of less error and there is scope of proof as the(Kerzner, 2018) data is feeded
in computers.
Scope Statement Process
JUSTIFICATIONS: Implementation of ERP SAP Software by replacing the old method of
accounting in JKJ Limited.
OBJECTIVES: Reduce the errors and all the drawbacks of the old accounting system and save
the time of employees.
DELIVRABLES: Reduce the burden of the accountants and simplify their work. More security
of data and more storage capacity.
RISKS: Risk can be improper planning and resistance to change.
BENEFITS: Will make the work easy and simple. The software will be easy to handle and
manage.
CONSTRAINTS: Possibility that employees don't have the expertise to work on that software,
less budget to invest in the software.
Potential Stakeholder and their influence in the success of the project
Potential Stakeholders can be :
Project Manager: Project Manager is the person (Meredith, Mantel Jr and Shafer, 2017)who
has to look after to all the facts related to the project. From the initiation of the project, then to
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plan about it, and execution of the project with it allocating resource, evaluating from where will
the company raise the funds, training is needed by the employees if they lack those skills to use
the software. They contribute in the success of the project as they are main basic of the project,
as the success depends on their proper planning.
Project Sponsor: Project Sponsor are the people who provide the funds for implementation of
the project in the company. They are financiers of the project. They only invest in the project if
they find any benefits in return of their money and when they analyse that the company need this
technique to grow or they have strong desire to achieve its goals. They influence the success as
they provide funds which is the most crucial thing for implementing a project.
Technical Team: Technical team is the most important part of the project as they are the only
person who should have the basic technical knowledge about the software and if not proper
training should be given to them so that they can take(Schwalbe, 2015) on the work smoothly.
They influence the success of project as they can resist the changes or not have the skills to
perform the task.
Finance Manager: Finance Manager is the person who will see to the requirement of funds in
all the areas. The person has to properly allocate the funds, analyse the needs of the project.
Proper evaluation of the areas where fund is demanded and how much is the key role and
responsibility of finance manager. They can influence the success if they did not properly
analyse or allocate the funds.
Potential risk associated with the project implementation and how they can be prevented
Human Resource: There is a possibility that the employees resist change. They are comfortable
with the old methods and doesn't want to make efforts to gain knowledge about something new.
It is possible that they don't have the required skills and abilities to handle or manage the
software that is implemented, so this will effect the project. This can be prevented by giving
them proper training about the software and let them know that this will reduce their burden and
make their task easy and simple to perform.
Technical: It is possible that the software does not hold to the new software. The present system
does not have the capacity to store the new software. Some errors pop up while storing the
application. The technical team does not support the working of the project. This can be
prevented by proper testing of every application. Having storage capacity that can install the
required applications.
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Funding: Lack of funds will be biggest drawback for the project. It will be a risk as if the
process doesn't go with the plan it will eventually affect the project result. The lack of funds will
influence the working as what amount is being assigned to the particular task now will be
insufficient. This can be prevented by proper analysing and evaluating the need for funds and
then properly allocating them to their particular part.
Scheduling: This means that the company is delayed in completing the project within the set
time. It could be due to anything like no proper amenities for work, system does not work, light
facilities. This can be prevented by proper monitoring and (Turner, 2016)control of everything so
that it can reduce the after effects and can timely achieve the set standards.
Project plan for the report and a review of your plan
Activities used to successfully plan and manage this project
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Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessors
Initiation 24 days Thu 7/25/19 Tue 8/27/19
Scope management 3 days Thu 7/25/19 Mon 7/29/19
Schedule management 5 days Tue 7/30/19 Mon 8/5/19 2
Budget setting 6 days Tue 8/6/19 Tue 8/13/19 2,3
Communicating information to
all stakeholders 10 days Wed 8/14/19 Tue 8/27/19 4
Planning 19 days Wed 8/28/19 Mon 9/23/19
Allocating responsibility to all
team members 2 days Wed 8/28/19 Thu 8/29/19 5
Infrastructure requirements 8 days Fri 8/30/19 Tue 9/10/19 7,4,2
Design planning 2 days Wed 9/11/19 Thu 9/12/19 8
Fund allocation planning 2 days Fri 9/13/19 Mon 9/16/19 4,9
Training planning for new
ERP-SAP software 5 days Tue 9/17/19 Mon 9/23/19 10
Implementing 21 days Tue 9/24/19 Tue 10/22/19
Development of system
module 10 days Tue 9/24/19 Mon 10/7/19 11
Technical changes in system 5 days Tue 10/8/19 Mon 10/14/19 13
Integration of system 6 days Tue 10/15/19 Tue 10/22/19 14,13
Monitoring and controlling 8 days Wed 10/23/19 Fri 11/1/19
Perform system testing 6 days Wed 10/23/19 Wed 10/30/19 15
Correction in issue 2 days Thu 10/31/19 Fri 11/1/19 17
Closure 3 days Mon 11/4/19 Wed 11/6/19
Completion of documentation 2 days Mon 11/4/19 Tue 11/5/19 18,2
Closure of project 1 day Wed 11/6/19 Wed 11/6/19 20
Work Breakdown Structure for the project
Work break down structure is the systematic process of breaking task into sub activities.
It divides works into controllable sections so that project can get completed on time and it can
give desired results to sponsors and other stakeholders. The main purpose of using WBS is to
organize the entire project in systematic manner. It is helpful in examining risk associated with
particular project so that necessary action can be taken to minimize it. WBS ensures allocating
responsibility to each person equally as per their (Verzuh, 2015)capabilities. It also highlights
milestone in particular project and controlling points. As in the current project of implementing
ERP-SAP software to minimize accounting errors project manager is using WBS. This will aid
in minimizing wastage of resources and will help n estimating accurate cost that would require
for the project.
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Networking Diagram
It is the graphical or visual representation of all activities which highlight the way of
completion of particular project. By this way manager of this ERP-SAP project can become able
to tract its progress easily.
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1+2+3+4+5+7+8+9+10+11+13+14+15+17+18+20+21
=178 days
Gantt chart
It is the chart that helps in illustrating the entire project schedule. It is beneficial tool, it
supports in scheduling task properly and monitoring closure date of the proposal. This technique
is helpful in managing time and meeting with scope. BY using this Gantt chart project manager
can coordinate with rest team members and other stakeholders and can communicate them
progress of task. Starting date of this project is 25 July 2019 and it will be finish on 6 November
2019.
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Evaluate and if the project has been successful
It is being evaluated and analysed that the project was successful for JKJ Limited as the project
was completed within the estimated time that is from 25th July 2019 to 6th November 2019. The
effective planning helped in timely completion of project that was an achievement. The project
was accomplished within the given budget that was 1000 pounds without wasting any money.
This is the most important thing as the task was completed in the given funds. The project meet
the objectives that was set by the organization with(Walker, 2015) it like reduce the burden of
accountants, saving time and money, more security of data and information. So all these factors
say that the project was a success for JKJ Ltd.
Document phase review of project planning
Project management review form is most essential part of any project it highlights the
result of entire project and show whether it has gain success or not. By reviewing this phase, it is
analysed that allocation of budget was great and financial resources were sufficient to complete
this task on time. All the potential risk was controlled and mitigate by implementing effective
strategies. Project was on track and it has completed on time.
Project closure report
The project consists of WBS model, network diagram, Gantt Chart to support the final
completion of project. The purpose of the project was to reduce the burden, save cost and time
by replacing manual method of accounting by ERP SAP Software. The project was successful as
the objectives of the project was accomplished. The project was completed within the given time
and budget.
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