Project Management and Risk Mitigation Plan for QAHE Launch Event

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments. This report details a project management plan for a university launch event.

Project Management
1

Abstract
Project management is the backbone of each and every project. The project manager needs to
have certain sets of skills, such as time management, conflict management, and resource
allocation, problem-solving. In addition to this, it is important for the PM to have a better
understanding of all the project management tools and lean approach. In the following report,
the project management plan had been discussed in detail. In addition to this, risks
management plan, wherein the possible risks and their probability of occurrence had been
mentioned and the actions taken to handle those risks are illustrated. The project initiation
document was formulated, wherein the objectives of this launch project, budgetary
information, timelines of each activity, and more information were provided. In addition to
this, the key stakeholder’s analysis was also done. A risk entry and mitigation plan was also
provided along with work breakdown structure, and a discussion on project sponsor and
methodologies used in completing the project was done.
2

Introduction
According to PMBOK, a project is a temporary endeavour that has a beginning and an end
and it has a defined objective for delivering a unique service, result, or product. Every project
is a multi-faceted process and needs effective planning and monitoring of various operations.
Talking about project management, it is the process that is characterised by initiation,
planning, executing, controlling, and closing the teamwork. The project manager must have a
broad perspective and understanding of project management, especially the core activities
and aspect. There are some qualities that are required in the project manager. These are
effective communication skill, technical skills, decision-making, leadership, team building,
and cool under pressure. In this report, a launch project of QA Higher Education (QAHE) is
discussed that aims at publicising the university and attract students through updated teaching
rooms and computing labs. In addition to this, the other purpose of this event is to gain a
competitive edge in the education sector. This report covers the project initiation document,
wherein the objectives of this launch project, budgetary information, timelines of each
activity, and more information are provided. In addition to this, the key stakeholder’s analysis
is also done. A risk entry and mitigation plan is also provided along with work breakdown
structure, and a discussion on project sponsor and methodologies used in completing the
project.
Project Initiation Document (PID)
Objectives
The objectives of this launch event project are:-
 To organisation the world-class launch event to highlight the facilities provided by QAHE
in its teaching classes and computing labs
 To attract the attention of local and global students to take admissions
 To improve the competitive position of the QAHE in the education industry of the UK.
Budgetary Information
Budgeting is one of the most crucial aspects of the launching event project. It is given that
there is a budget limit of 51000 euros. Therefore, the project manager needs to plan the
activities in accordance with the budget limit. It is important to determine the initial and
ongoing cost of operations. It is important for the project manager to make a realistic budget
in order to have a better articulation of expenses. The budget provided below is prepared
while keeping the objectives of the process in mind (Fernandez & Fernandez, 2015). Since
the main objective is to publicise the education institution, the main focus is given to
3

publicity. Hence, the major share of the launch project budget is dedicated to publicity. The
organisation of the event would be needing a place where the majority of guests comprise the
students. In addition to this, the cost of operation staff comprises the salary of the staff,
administration, facility maintenance, resident care, food, and transportation. One thing to note
here is that there some costs that might change in the due course due to inflation. This might
comprise property expense, resources, and material. Hence, it is better for the project
manager to book them in advance in order to keep the expenses within the budget (Alleman,
2015).
Item Budget (euros)
PR form 500
Review Program 500
Press Release Development 2000
Web Marketing 3000
Google Ad Words Program 3000
Facebook Marketing 2000
YouTube Marketing 5000
Advertising 5000
Creative Development 4000
Radio Advertising 3000
Location and Equipment Rental 15000
AV Equipment 2000
Security 2000
Support Staff 2000
Technical Staff 1000
Miscellaneous 1000
Total 51000
4

Timescales
As it is given here that the launch event will commence in the month of September, the
project will span in 8 months in total. The project management plan is incomplete without a
timescale that will provide the visual idea of commencement of the project and completion of
the project and the activities that takes place in between. There are many processes that will
take place between the eight months of time (Koskela & Howell, 2013). The organisation is
expecting a great launch event that will attract the students to take admission. Hence, the
project manager is putting efforts into making the launch recognised in the local and
international education market. Therefore, it is required to carry out certain marketing related
activities and other sorts of planning measures. These have been shown in the Gantt chart
shown below.
Activity Feb March April May June July Aug Sep
The project
aims, objectives,
planning, a
consumer study
The
arrangement of
Fund (Sponsors)
Resource
Allocation
Create a launch
plan
Creating Launch
Content
Messaging and
positioning
Booking Event
Venue
Announcement
of Launch
Launch Event
5

Follow up
Testimonials
Approach
As the deadline is fixed that the launch event will take place in the month of September, there
is no option for moving it. Therefore, project management is the most efficient tool. For
organising a launch event. An effective project manager needs to have strong organisational
skills, communication, and over them the ability to get the task done well on time within
budget and the scope of the project. The approach used for getting this project done well on
time is PRINCE2. This management tool will provide a standard set of guidelines and
processes to achieve the goals. Being a process-based and scalable tool, it can be easily
tailored as per the scope of this launch event. The principles of the PRINCE2 can be used at
all the processes of project management.
Figure 1: PRINCE2 Process Elaboration
(Source: PRINCE2 Website, 2012)
The above-shown diagram gives a brief idea of the PRINCE2 process. Talking about the pre-
project process, the whole project work is established around three key elements, such as
ensuring availability of information required for the execution of the project, forming a team,
and developing initiation plan for the project. PRINCE2 provides a well-established and
formulated set of guidelines to conduct a project stepwise and get things done well on time
(Pons, 2018).
6

Key Staff
The key staff required for this process comprises Project manager, HR director, operation
manager, admin staff, electrician, marketing manager, content developers, security, etc.
Stakeholder Analysis Table
It is important to understand the impact of the project on the stakeholders. This can be done
in many ways. The best method is having a stakeholder analysis. It is a method used for
stakeholder determination and analysis of their demands and needs. It is used to determine
the primary and secondary stakeholders. The aim of the stakeholders' analysis is to establish
an analytic and strategic view of the landscape of human and institution (Dingsøyr, et.al,
2015). There are many benefits to stakeholders' analysis. The first and foremost is that it
helps in determining the potential risks and challenges that could affect the project and the
other is it helps in reducing negative challenges and impact and manage them for the
stakeholders (Nicholas & Steyn, 2017).
Stakehol
der Name
Contact
Person
Phone,
Email,
Website,
Address
Impac
t
How
much
does
the
projec
t
impact
them?
(Low,
Mediu
m,
High)
Influen
ce
How
much
influen
ce do
they
have
over
the
project
? (Low,
Mediu
m,
High)
What is
important
to the
stakeholde
r?
How could
the
stakeholde
r
contribute
to the
project?
How
could the
stakehol
der block
the
project?
Strategy for
managing
the
stakeholder
HR
Director
HR
Departme
nt
High High Managing
the staff,
keeping a
track of
employees
’
performan
ce, leave
sanction
Arranging
the
resources,
manpower,
and
keeping the
employees’
morale
high for the
Improper
allocatio
n of the
resources
and poor
clarity of
the tasks
Regular
meetings
and effective
communicat
ion.
7

Stakehol
der Name
Contact
Person
Phone,
Email,
Website,
Address
Impac
t
How
much
does
the
projec
t
impact
them?
(Low,
Mediu
m,
High)
Influen
ce
How
much
influen
ce do
they
have
over
the
project
? (Low,
Mediu
m,
High)
What is
important
to the
stakeholde
r?
How could
the
stakeholde
r
contribute
to the
project?
How
could the
stakehol
der block
the
project?
Strategy for
managing
the
stakeholder
other
stakeholder
s
Operation
Managers
Operation
Managem
ent
section
Mediu
m
mediu
m
Dedication
and
commitme
nt to bring
about
change
By
implementi
ng skills
and
experience
of
managing
operations.
Lack of
Interest,
poor
skills, and
lack of
experienc
e
Carrying out
involvement
and
problem-
solving
meetings
once a week.
Admin
Staff
In the
specific
teams
High High Dedication
and
commitme
nt to bring
about
change and
complete
the project
well on
time
Understand
ing and
expertise in
carrying
out
teamwork
and
individual
tasks.
Workload
burnout,
training
issues,
strikes.
Taking their
suggestions
in the
decision-
making
process
Marketing
Manager
Marketin
g
Departme
nt
High High Carry out a
marketing
campaign
for the
successful
advertisem
Using a
marketing
approach to
make the
event
Poor data
analysis
and
forecastin
g of
students’
Carrying out
a meeting
twice a
month in
order to
check the
8

Stakehol
der Name
Contact
Person
Phone,
Email,
Website,
Address
Impac
t
How
much
does
the
projec
t
impact
them?
(Low,
Mediu
m,
High)
Influen
ce
How
much
influen
ce do
they
have
over
the
project
? (Low,
Mediu
m,
High)
What is
important
to the
stakeholde
r?
How could
the
stakeholde
r
contribute
to the
project?
How
could the
stakehol
der block
the
project?
Strategy for
managing
the
stakeholder
ent and
campaigni
ng of the
launch
event.
successful. demand
can cost a
huge loss.
overall
progress of
the launch
event
project.
Risk Register
One of the major aspects of top-notch project management is risk management and analysis.
It is vital to comprehend the risk management process which is characterised by identifying,
evaluating, and monitoring the risks associated with a project. The risks, in this case, are
associated with the technical, operational, environmental, organisational, and human
resource. By making use of a risk register or risk management plan, the project manager can
control the side-effects or consequences (Poppendieck & Cusumano, 2012). PMBOK has
given its own project risks management strategy that comprises seven processes as shown
below
9

In the plan risk management stage, all the risks are categorised and itemised for the
assessment and their probability of occurrence is calculated. For this particular stage, the risk
management plan, stakeholder analysis, project operations, timelines, and environmental
factors that might affect the launch event. In addition to this, identifying risks is all about
creating a checklist of all the risks and challenges that might affect the project. The first
and foremost of them are lack of training, employees’ poor efficiency, and much more.
Looking into the project risk management plan provided, it can be seen that risk probability
has been divided into different categories as per their probability of occurrence. For instance,
low occurrence risk is given a rating of 0.25, medium, and large risk occurrence are given 0.5
and 0.75 accordingly. In addition to this, the risk impact has been rated as 2.5, 5, and 7.5
based on the risk impact intensity. Talking about the project performance quantitative
management, this stage needs a deep understanding of empirical and mathematical
knowledge in order to work out the baselines, schedules, cost, and milestone list.
10

11

Work Breakdown Structure
A work breakdown structure permits the manager to plan the project related operations
efficiently and that too without any complexity. This would help in arranging the activities
according to their importance and time availability. Once all the tasks in the WBS are
accomplished, the project is called complete. The launch programme requires a lot of
planning and management skills from the project manager's end. The WBS helps the project
manager in making the project management plan and other associated plans consistent and
carry out effective execution of the project plan (Hilton & Sohal, 2012). It helps in creating a
measurable and Independent task. In addition to this, PM can track the progress of each task
and also keep a check on the cost and resource consumed by the individual task. Some
researcher says that WBS can be very useful in visualising the scope of the project.
Moreover, the project manager can very easily assign responsibility as per the tasks and
expertise of the employees. This way they can carry out the task more effectively and in a
better way. The WBS for the following launch project has been shown below:-
12