Savoy Hotel Project: Individual Business Report on Voice Assistant

This report details a work-based project focused on introducing a voice-activated assistant network at The Savoy Hotel in London to enhance consumer experiences. The project aims to improve staff responsiveness, reduce direct interaction between consumers and staff, improve staff productivity, and enhance overall consumer experience, with specific targets including increased positive consumer reviews, improved consumer retention, a distinctive brand image, and improved profits. The report outlines the project's scope, milestones, stakeholders, requirements, and risk identification, emphasizing the importance of cyber security. It also applies the project life-cycle, including initiation, planning (using Gantt charts and work breakdown structures), execution, and closure, to ensure timely completion and achievement of project aims and objectives. The reflective writing focuses on the learning experiences gained throughout the project.

Individual business
report on a work based
project

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Planning and imitation of the project.....................................................................................1
Project life-cycle.....................................................................................................................3
Meeting the deadlines and achieved the benefits of each stage of aims and objectives for the
project.....................................................................................................................................6
Reflection on learning experience..........................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Project management refers to the process of managing and supervising a team to attain
project objective and goals with given project constraints and complete the project according to
client requirements in the given time period (Aarseth and. et. al., 2017). This report looks at a
work based project in the hospitality industry. The Hospitality organization selected for this
report is The Savoy Hotel in London. The Hotel has a history of 130 years and is regarded as one
of the best luxury Hotels in UK. The Savoy Hotel is located in Thames river and offers weeding
and corporate events services alongside accommodation. This report includes description of the
targets, aims, objectives and imitation of the project. In addition to this the project life-cycle of
the work based project at The Savoy Hotel and thee ways to meet the deadlines at project
completion. Reflective writing on learning experiences is also provided in this report.
MAIN BODY
Planning and imitation of the project
Overview of the project: The wok based project which will be undertaken at The Savoy
Hotel includes introduction of voice activated assistant network at the Hotel in order to improve
consumer experiences. This involves designing and implementing the network of smart voice
activated gadgets in Hotel suits, restaurants, event halls, bars and spa to ensure that consumers
are able to communicate their needs to the staff without the requirement of directly interacting
with a Hotel employee. This network of smart gadgets will create a digital framework which will
connect consumers and employees digitally and support digital communication in the Hotel. The
focus of this hotel is on developing digital capabilities of the luxury hospitality establishment.
Aim of the project: The aim of the project is “to improve consumer experience by
providing consumers digital experience through voice assistants.”
Objectives of the project: The objectives of the project are to:
 Increase responsiveness of Hotel staff
 Reduce requirement for consumer interaction with staff
 Improve staff productivity
 Enhance consumer experience
Targets of the project:
 To increase positive consumer reviews within 3 months of completion
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 Improve consumer retention by 30%
 Create distinctive brand image of the project
 Improve profits by 20% through voice activated assistant service
Project scope
The scope of the project outlines what needs to be completed and what will be delivered
at the end of the project along with the parameters of the project (Alexander, Ackermann and
Love, 2019). In case of the project of introducing voice activated assistant service in the Savoy
Hotel the main deliverable for this project is to enhance consumer experience and staff
responsiveness in order to positively impact profitability and consumer retention at the Hotel.
This project has large scope as it involves creation of network of voice activated smart assistant
which connects consumers and staff at the Hotel improves staff responsiveness throughout the
consumer journey and enhances consumer experience. Creation of such network at the hotel
which significantly impacts consumer experience has huge scope and potential of improving the
performance of the hospitality organization.
Project Milestones
The first project milestone is to design the network of voice activated assistant which can
be easily used by consumers as well as well employees to improve communication at the Hotel
and ensure effective functioning of the service. This involves connecting other digital facilities at
the Hotel with the voice activated networking and improving digital security of the Hotel. The
next milestone is to successfully install this network throughout the Hotel so that paid consumers
can easily access the service. After this the step is to effectively market this new service offered
by the Hotel and deliver better consumer experience trough effective implementation of the
project. Attaining these milestones will support attainment of different targets and objectives of
the project.
Stakeholders
The stakeholders of the project refers to the individuals or parties who have interest in the
project and can be impacted by or influence the project (Chua and. et. al., 2017). The primary
stakeholders in this project are consumers of the Savoy Hotel, employees of the hotel, investors
of the Hotel. Every stakeholder of the project will be appropriately communicate throughout the
project and it will be ensured that the project benefits each stakeholder.
Requirements
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Items Amount
Smart devices £2 million
Cyber security services £50,000
Research equipment £2 million
IT employees £5 million
TOTAL £9.5 million
Risk Identification
The main risk associated with this project is going over budget, creation of building
inappropriate for occupants and late completion of the project. In addition to this, the focus needs
to be on reducing the cyber security risks associated with the project so that the consumers gain
safe and protected voice activated services. Steps need to be taken to ensure that personal data of
the consumer cannot be gained without consumer permission so that consumers feel secure using
this service and privacy concerns of the consumers are eliminated.
Project Controls
This is an important aspect of a project and focuses on monitoring and controlling various
aspects of the Project (de Oliveira and. et. al., 2017) . In addition to this, the main aim of project
control is to gather and analyse project data so that the cost and time schedule is on track with
the project plan. In context of the project of creating medical centre outside of London, it is
essential to ensure that the project is controlled to be completed in a timely manner and does not
exceed the budget as the taxpayer money is used. The controlling technique used for the present
project is cybernetic. This involves regulation in a closed system with the help of a feedback
loop. The usage of this controlling technique will ensure timely completion of the project under
proper budget.
Project life-cycle
This is a project management tool which offers a four step process of project completion.
The main stages of the project life-cycle are project initiation, project planning, project
management and project closure (Gapinski, 2017). Each stage involves completing different
tasks and contributes to timely completion of the project. In case of the respective project the
project life-cycle will be utilized to assure that the project deliverables are provided in a timely
manner without any compromise on quality of the project. Application of the project life-cycle in
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case of the project of introducing voice activated voice control network service for consumers is
provided below:
Project Imitation
In the first part of the project life-cycle, the focus is on identifying the business problem
or the opportunity. In addition to this goal of the project is also identified so that suitable plan
can be constructed (Gu and. et. al., 2017). After this a project proposal covering the aims
objectives, deliverables and risk of the project is created. This is communicated to the main
stakeholders to seek their approval and move forward with the project. In case of the project of
voice activated assistant service at the Savoy Hotel, the project initiation stage of the project
involved communicating the project proposal with the main stakeholders so that approvals on the
basic outline of the project is received. This supported ensuring stockholder satisfaction and
played an important role in reducing conflicts throughout the project because the stakeholders
are aware of and approve the project tasks which will be completed in the future. Project
takeaways and deadlines were also established in the project initiation stage for the project of
introducing voice activated assistant service at The Savoy Hotel. This helped ensure that the
project is completed in a timely manner and also acted as a guideline for effective completion of
the project.
Project Planning
The second stage of the project life-cycle revolves around building a suitable project plan
for implanting the project successfully. In this stage a project roadmap is developed which
translates the project proposal into attainable actions which support timely and high quality
completion of the project (Guo, Wang and Liang, 2018). The project planning stage is a
significant stage in the project life cycle because the plan developed in this stage leads to
effective usage of resources for completing the project. In context of the work based project at
the Savoy Hotel the project planning stage included the creation of workflows which can be
easily followed by the team providing each employee clearly defined roles so that the project is
completed effectively. Apart from this, the budget and timeline of the project are also created.
This helps optimal utilization of resources and time so that satisfying results are gained and
project targets are achieved. The project timeline will be created with the help of gnat chart and
work breakdown structure. This will create a smooth pathway for completing various tasks of the
project and covering deliverables in given time.
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Gantt chart and work break down structure
A Gantt chart is a project management tool used to plan and schedule projects. Gnnt chart
is utilised to simplify complex project and ensure timely completion of the project (Havermans
and. et. al., 2019). Tasks and timeline of a protect are depicted with the help of horizontal bar
chart. This chart depicts start and end dates related to a project, deadlines and provides
information about how much task is completed at every stage of the project.
Work breakdown structure
This is a project management tool uses the technique of constructing tasks by dividing
work to make the project manageable and increase approachability. Usage of work breakdown
structure helps in integration of cost, scope, schedule and baseline of the project which ensures
that the project plans are aligned. This tool is used for completing this project as it helps in
organising the work required, ensures swift completion of schedule by allotting effort estimates
to particular sections of the work breakdown structure.
Project Execution
In this stage of the project the actual project is undertaken and different activities of the
project are completed according to the previously decided project plan. The main aspects of a
successful project planning stage are communication, continuous monitoring and regularly
updating to ensure that the project stays on track and is not negatively affected because of any
risks. In context of the respective project at the Savoy Hotel measures were undertaken to ensure
that risks are minimized and the project process was continuously monitored. This supported
timely completion of the project as it helps eliminate project barriers from the root and reduces
the possibility of major delay affecting the complete timeline of the project.
Project Closure
This phase of the project life-cycle centres around implementation of project plan,
managing stakeholder expectations and coordinating with project team members to attain project
deliverables (Kock and. et. al. 2019). In this stage of the project life-cycle in context of the
project of implementing activated voice assistant at The Savoy Hotel the project closure phase
involved analysing the project process so that it supports successful completion of future
projects. This step in the project closure phase helps transfer the wisdom of the successfully
completed project back to the hospitality organization. The primary resources used in the project
are also released during project closure so that they can be utilized for other activates at The
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Savoy.
Meeting the deadlines and achieved the benefits of each stage of aims and objectives for the
project
The project life-cycle will support attainment of project deadline as provides a
straightforward method of achieving project aims and objectives. The first stage of the project
life-cycle provides the benefit of gaining approval of stakeholders to reduce any conflicts or
dissatisfaction during the project. This also supports timely completion of the project and
attainment of project deadlines as elimination of conflicts reduces project delays. In the next
stage. The project plan and creation of workflows support immediate action towards attainment
of project deliverables in a timely manner. In this way the second stage of the project life-cycle
contributes to swift completion of the project without any errors (Masoud and. et. al., 2017). The
execution stage involves completing the project activities and monitoring project progress which
is highly advantageous for providing satisfying results the stakeholders. This is because any
barriers or problems occurring in the project can be resolved immediately before a big issue is
created which stops timely completion of the project. In this way the practices adopted at the
project execution stage also help complete deadlines of the Savoy work based project. The
closure phase involves handling the deliverables under the deadline and analysing the project
management.. This supports timely completion of future projects.
Reflection on learning experience
The experience of working at The Savoy Hotel helped understand the functioning of the
hospitality industry and how projects are carried out in Hotels to gain successful results. Through
this working experience I was able to understand my personal strengths and weaknesses and
identify the opportunities and threats to my future career. I was able to identify that my primary
strength are my communication skills and the main weakness which will affect my professional
development are my ineffective time management skills. This was through the application of the
SWOT analysis tool. SWOT analysis is a tool which helps look at personal capabilities and areas
which require improvement as well as opportunities and risks created in the external
environment. This tool can be applied to individuals as well as business entities.
With the help of this tool I was able to understand opportunities related to developing
leadership skills and the threat I face because of increasing competition in the job market. Now I
will be able to apply this knowledge for personal development. In this working experience I was
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able to understand the various detailed related with project management and the importance of
teamwork and coordinated effort needed for completing an organizational project. I also gained
understanding of the practical impact of external environment on hospitality organizations. The
PPESTEL analysis tool helped me determine the impact of various external factors such as
political factors, economic factors, social factors, technological factors, environmental factors
and legal factors. I also understood that it is important to consider the external factors in decision
making to implement plans and projects which are beneficial for the company and minimize the
damage of external environmental factors while maximizing advantages of the opportunities
provided by the external environmental factors.
I was also able to develop an understanding of the ways in which competitive
environment of hospitality organizations affects daily functioning and decision making at such
business firms. I understood the impact of intensity of competition in the hospitality industry
affecting decision making and the important of securing leadership in the luxury hospitality
sector to ensure ling term survival of the firm through this learning experience. With the help of
Porter’s five forces model I understood that there are different competitive forces affecting an
organization which include bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of consumers,
intensity of rivalry, threat of substation and threat of new entrants. Strategies and projects are
constructed in hospitality organizations to handle each competitive force effectively and
maintain profitability. I am now able to identify the competitive significance of a specific
project by understanding the competitive landscape of an industry through application of the
Porter’s five forces model.
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This learning experienced positively impacted my view on my personal capabilities and
expanded my knowledge on project management n hospitality organizations significantly.
Looking back at this experience I will be able to focus on improving my knowledge further and
employability to ensure success in professional life. This experience has enabled me to
effectively work in a professional setting and become a contributing part of project management
process. I am now able to apply different tools in a work based context which will support my
professional development in years to come.
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CONCLUSION
From the above report it is determined the building clear project aim objectives and
targets is one of the most important aspects for carrying out a successful project in a professional
setting. The adoption of a project life-cycle to supports successful completion of the project as
the project life-cycle provides an easy to follow direction for the project so that project
milestones are attained as per decided timeline. All the four phases of project life-cycle can be
used to deliver quality outcome to the client and also learn from the experience of undertaking a
work-based project. In order to meet the project deadlines in a timely manner different
techniques need to be adopted such as. Reflecting on past learning experiences helps understand
the level of knowledge gained with respect to various topics which were covered in past learning
opportunities.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Aarseth and. et. al., 2017. Project sustainability strategies: A systematic literature
review. International Journal of Project Management.35(6). pp.1071-1083.
Alexander, J., Ackermann, F. and Love, P. E., 2019. Taking a Holistic Exploration of the Project
Life Cycle in Public–Private Partnerships. Project management journal, 50(6). pp.673-
685.
Chua and. et. al., 2017. Blue Sentinels: An IT Project Management Tool towards Productive
Projects. J. Softw. 12(11). pp.831-839.
de Oliveira and. et. al., 2017. Project offices and the federal universities: A study on project
management in the context of higher education institutions. Revista de Gestão e
Projetos.8(3). pp.18-28.
Gapinski, A. J., 2017. Trust in Project Management. Journal of Management & Engineering
Integration.10(2). pp.1-11.
Gu and. et. al., 2017. Teaching Project Management: Online versus face-to-face. Journal of
Supply Chain and Operations Management. 15(3). p.228.
Guo, Q., Wang, X. J. and Liang, X. D., 2018. Risk evaluation model of the whole life cycle of
wind power project in China: Based on fuzzy theory. Journal of Interdisciplinary
Mathematics, 21(5). pp.1061-1066.
Havermans and. et. al., 2019. Rolling into the profession: Exploring the motivation and
experience of becoming a project manager. Project management journal. 50(3). pp.346-
360.
Kock and. et. al. 2019. Project lineage management and project portfolio success. Project
Management Journal, 50(5), pp.587-601.
Masoud and. et. al., 2017, September. Software project management: resources prediction and
estimation utilizing unsupervised machine learning algorithm. In International
Conference on Engineering, Project, and Product Management (pp. 151-159).
Springer, Cham.
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