Managing Projects Report: SIM335, University of Sunderland

This report analyzes key concepts in project management, using "The Euro Centre" project as a case study. It begins by defining project characteristics, stakeholder analysis, and the purpose of a Project Initiation Document (PID), including its key components. The report then explores the significance of feasibility studies in administrative decision-making, knowledge areas in project management, and the attributes of a successful project manager. It also details the benefits of network diagrams and the calculation of critical paths. The second task focuses on the activities needed to successfully manage a project, including project management processes, the project life cycle, and control issues. The report emphasizes the importance of clear project scope, planning, risk management, and stakeholder communication to ensure project success. The report also references project management process, including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closing. The report also provides insights into the project life cycle stages, including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closure, and the importance of each stage.

Managing projects
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
1. a) Main characteristics of project............................................................................................3
1. b.) Stakeholder and the main purpose of analysis of stakeholders and its importance...........4
2. Project Initiation Document (PID) purpose and the item found in the PID............................4
3) Purpose of feasibility study and discussion of its significance in terms of administration
decision making...........................................................................................................................4
4) Knowledge areas associated with Project Management and explanation of importance of
two among them..........................................................................................................................5
5) Characteristics or attributes of project manager and discussion of why it is significant to
close projects properly.................................................................................................................5
6) Benefits of network diagram and development of network diagram for activities given and
calculation of the critical path......................................................................................................6
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................6
Activities required to successfully manage the project...............................................................6
Project management process and Life Cycle stages of Project...................................................8
Control problems connected to handling the life cycle of project.............................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12
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INTRODUCTION
Project Management is referred as in structured approach to plan and control projects. It is
treated as the execution of tools, knowledge, attributes, techniques and skills to activities of
project (Aloini, Dulmin, and Mininno, 2012). It is crucial for the manager of project to clearly
define responsibilities and roles of each member within the project so as to ensure its successful
completion. This project is based on "The Euro Centre" project which is a new conference centre
that is to be constructed in Docklands area of London. As the construction specification part, a
contract has been given to Hughes Communication Limited to install and commission
information technology and communication infrastructure in "The New Euro Centre".
This project consists of two tasks, the first task covers project characteristics, stakeholder
and purpose of stakeholder analysis, purpose of project initiation document, feasibility purpose
and its significance in administration decision making as well as knowledge areas of
management of project and its significance. Apart from this, it covers attributes of project
manager and significance of closing project properly along with the benefits of network diagram.
The another task of the project covers activities needed to successfully manage a project within
time and budget (Castro-Nova, Gad, and Gransberg, 2017). It also covers actions and systems
that ensure successful completion of project including life cycle stages of project, leadership and
administration, processes and elements within nine areas of knowledge and control issues
associated with managing project life cycle.
TASK 1
1. a) Main characteristics of project
A project means a particular finite activity which develops observable and measurable
outcomes under precise predetermined requirements. Project has several characteristics out of
which some are defined below:
• Project develops ability to accomplish a service.
• It's nature is temporary as it has specific starting and ending point.
• It always established in periods and it carrying on with additions.
• It forms particular deliverables, which are services and products or results.
• Project involves unfamiliarity and uncertainty.
• The project is cross functional.
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The deliverables which are unique are generated by project that is important in enhancing
revenues and profitability of company (da Rocha, Kemmer, and Meneses, 2016). A progressive
amplification of a project is significant as its outcome leads in the formation of more productive
solutions for development and advancement of projects.
1. b.) Stakeholder and the main purpose of analysis of stakeholders and its importance
Stakeholder is referred as the member of independent party without whose support the
company would cease to exist. They have interest in the organisation and can either influence or
be influenced by business. The key stakeholders of the firm include directors, government,
suppliers, creditors, employees, community etc. The process of analysis of stakeholder is utilised
to identify the main stakeholders of the firm who have interest and concern project. Its main
purpose is to create a strategic view of institutional and human landscape along with the
relationship between the distinct stakeholders as well as issues they have vested interest in.
Stakeholder analysis is imperative as it eliminates different builders in understanding the
progression of project and also eliminates roadblocks in the project.
2. Project Initiation Document (PID) purpose and the item found in the PID
Project initiation document can be referred as the critical element of project that formulae
basis of a project of company. It is the report on the foundation of which conclusions are taken
and implemented. The foremost aim of Project Initiation Document is gain and record all types
of basic information associated with project which are needed to precisely define and to plan a
project. The 3 items are required in the initiation of project document are communication plan,
project plan and business case. PID shows a detailed class of initiation document along with
proper justification (de Oliveira, and Rabechini Jr, 2019).
3) Purpose of feasibility study and discussion of its significance in terms of administration
decision making
Feasibility study is referred as the analysis of realism of proposed system or project. It
aims to uncover the weak areas and strength of a proposed or existing project, threats and
opportunities available in natural environment, resources needed to carry through and prospects
for success in rational and objective way. Its main purpose is to determine the viability of Idea.
Feasibility study significant in terms of decision making of management as it helps them in
determining whether the idea is value the investment or not. It helps them in appraising potential
of project and assist in taking appropriate decisions (Ershadi, Edrisabadi, and Shakouri, 2019).
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4) Knowledge areas associated with Project Management and explanation of importance of two
among them
In project management the knowledge areas are the areas a project manager needs to know
about the effective management project. The key knowledge areas included in management of
project are as follows:
 Project Integration Management
 Project Communications Management
 Management of Project Schedule
 Cost administration of project
 Project Scope Administration
 Risk Management of Project
 Project Procurement Administration
 Quality Management of Project
 Project Stakeholder Administration
 Resource Management of Project
The area of knowledge in resource management project is as crucial as success of whole
project depends on personnel. Project manager need to have knowledge regarding how to
manage or control resources productively by recognising their individual strengths and
weaknesses and synergy with their members of team. However, knowledge of communication
management project is significant as it supports in enhancing internal communication and make
sure effectual exchange of information (Fleming, 2019).
5) Characteristics or attributes of project manager and discussion of why it is significant to close
projects properly
There are several attributes or characteristics of manager of a project which helps them in
effectively managing the project. Some of these are mentioned below:
 Effective skills of communication: a good project manager must be an effective
communicator so they have good communication skills which help them in connecting
with others at all levels.
 Strong leadership skills: good leadership qualities help project manager in motivating
the team members effectively and drive them to increase performance so that they enable
to accomplish their goals (Görög, 2016).
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 Technical expertise: sound knowledge of technology help manager in understanding the
issues associated with technical aspect and taking strategic initiatives when required.
 Good decision maker: effective decision making skills help project manager in taking
right decisions that are fruitful to organisation.
 Good negotiation skills: the manager of a project requires to have an ability to negotiate
as this helps in settle the issue or conflict of interest and maintain harmony.
It is imperative to close the projects suitably as it serves crucial purpose for company and
assist it avoid adverse and unfavorable scenarios. Its closure depicts that the project
accomplishes the objectives successfully.
6) Benefits of network diagram and development of network diagram for activities given and
calculation of the critical path
In project management plan, network diagram is useful and has several benefits. It assists
in justify the time estimated for project and also helps in planning, organising as well as
controlling of project activities (Illiashenko, and Strielkowski, 2016). It shows interdependencies
of activities and workflow of project activities. The network diagram for given activities is
provided below:
Critical path:
According to the above provided network diagram, two critical paths are there including A
and B, which are 1-2-3-4 & 1-2-4-6. The most appropriate critical path is B, that is, 1-2-4-6.
TASK 2
Activities required to successfully manage the project
The project is about testing and commission the information technology and
communication structure for "The New Euro Centre". The organisation constructed a new
conference centre named as "The Euro Centre" in Docklands area of London. The company
wants to install information technology and communication infrastructure in its new conference
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centre for which it has given a contract to Hughes Communication Ltd. (HCL). The particular
aspects of remit involve provision of telephone and TV for activity and conference halls,
provision of Information technology facilities for booking and marketing, appropriate
information technology facilities in conference centre and meeting rooms and CCTV (Javani,
and Rwelamila, 2016).
Hughes Communication Ltd. has a long record of success in providing bespoke
information technology infrastructure to leading and well-established organisations. A rival
information technology company have been approached a project manager for Hughes
Communication Ltd. In order to manage the project successfully, it is required by the project
manager to clearly define the scope of project and its objectives. After this, a proper planning is
required in which the decisions regarding resources, people and budget are taken so as to make
sure completion of project successfully. Apart from this, the processes and activities are also
required to develop deliverables through using techniques such as work breakdown structure.
The project manager also estimates the needed efforts along with time to complete each activity
on time (Kerzner, 2019).
In addition to this, Milestones are also set which depicts critical dates at project time.
While developing an appropriate project plan, all these aspects are taken into consideration.
After developing the plan, manager will show it to the stakeholders for review and get approval
from them on the plan. When the plan will get approve from the senior management, then entire
plan will be communicating to members of project team effectively and each member of the
team will assign with particular roles and responsibilities to be performed by them so as to carry
out each activity of project appropriately. The project progress will monitor and track by the
manager and compare the performance with set standards. If the manager found any kind of
deviations, then corrective actions will be taken to make sure the success of installation of
information technology and communication infrastructure project (Lenfle, 2019).
However, there are some risks associated with each project that needs to be considered by
project manager as this may impact adversely on the success of project. These risks involved
inappropriate leadership, lack of skills among team members, high cost etc. Constant review of
project risks will assist the manager in overcoming them and leads to successful completion of
conference centre project. The time required for the successful completion of installation of
information technology and communication infrastructure project is 7 months.
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Project management process and Life Cycle stages of Project
The process of Project management is characterized as the process of planning as well as
controlling and implementation of project. Precise configuration is required in this process which
involves documentation associated with management of project, information exchange, plans,
methods and resources needed for planning and execution of project (Mathiaszyk, Volkmann,
and Read, 2019). In relation to install IT and communication setup in The Euro Center, it is
needed by project manager to manage the stages of project in appropriate way. Therefore, the
whole process of installing IT and communication infrastructure is categorized into five stages
that are discussed as follows:
Figure 1: Project Life Cycle
(Source: Project Management Processes, 2019)
Project initiation phase: this is the very first stage in which the processes which are
required to initiate a particular project are discussed by the project manager. The main purpose of
this study was to determine the end goal of the project. In this stage, the project manager of
Hughes Communication limited need to create project charter as well as ascertain stakeholder.
For determining whether undertaken project is profitable or not, the project manager perform
feasibility study (Noble, Liu, and Hackett, 2017). During this stage, different project aspects are
taken into consideration for starting the project activities involving defining goal, scope, list of
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stakeholders, milestones, schedule, budget and constraints along with the approvals. It is the
manager’s responsibility to a certain potential risk related to installation of Information
technology and communications infrastructure in conference center such as lack of resources,
non-availability of skilled personnel etc. so as to address this timely and ensure successful
completion of project.
Project planning phase: It's the next stage of life cycle of project in which an overall plan
is prepared by project manager and involves information regarding people, resources, budget,
milestone, strategies to make sure that all the activities associated with installation as well as
commission of Information technology and communication infrastructure in conference center
can be perform in effective manner. The project plan prepared in planning phase act as blueprint
of the entire project and gives direction to team members from starting to finish of project. It is
the significant phase for project manager of Hughes Communication Ltd. as all the crucial
decisions associated with cost, strategies, needed time etc. are taken by project manager. For
example: in this particular project, the needed time for installation is 7 months. In order to make
sure that all the activities are done in proper way, manager divide work into smaller tasks
(Owusu, Chan and Shan, 2019). A plan is formulating that consists of all activities and the
actions to develop project deliverables. Time duration and the needed resources are estimate to
perform activities appropriately. Manager also develop effective communication strategy so that
all the crucial information can convey to stakeholders properly. At last, the developed project
plan is presented to stakeholder for giving approval so that manager can execute it further.
Project execution phase: this is the phase in which the developed plan in the above phase
is executed. In this, ideas are put into actions and includes implementation of all such activities
which are included in the plan. The project manager make sure to manage expectations of
stakeholders, and put their efforts towards coordinating the people and resources as well as
carrying out activities that provide deliverables of project. The managers of Hughes
Communication limited plays significant role in communicating entire plan to members of
project team, divide tasks an assign responsibility among the team members as per their skills
and capabilities and their expertise in the particular area. The project manager adopts appropriate
leadership style and execute their leadership skills to make sure that all the activities performed
in an effective way and the objectives can be meet (Poston, and Richardson, 2019). To make sure
successful completion of installation of Information technology and communication
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infrastructure project, project manager has the responsibility to manage project team effectively
along with stakeholders’ engagement and communication. A review of this overall phase is done
through manager in the end.
Project monitoring & control phase: this is the fourth phase which is related to tracking
as well as monitoring of activities of project to make sure that all the activities performed as per
the developed plan. It is the responsibility of project manager of Hughes Communication limited
to monitor performance appropriately and if they found any deviations, then appropriate actions
will be taken to finish the project successfully. All the activities planned in the initial phase are
monitored in this phase. The manager ensure that all the activities of project is on track and
perform according to the plan. This is done through comparing the actual performance which
standard one in order to mitigate the objectives of project effectively.
Project closure phase: in project management process, this is the last phase which shows
closure of project activities and therefore ensure effective accomplishment of outcomes. In this
stage of project life cycle, all the deliverables and documents are collected and stored. This stage
occurs only when the project gives an effective deliverables, that is, successful installation and
commission of information technology and communication infrastructure in conference center
and thus ensure stakeholder's satisfaction (Rose and Schlichter, 2013). The manager of project
of Hughes Communication limited has the responsibility to close the contract with suppliers,
consultants as well as external vendors. All the information associated with the project are
documented and recorded and a final report is developing which will be present to stakeholders.
In addition to this, this change includes some processes like scope to make sure accomplishment
of project deliverables as planned and also needs to check management work as well as
outstanding contracts to make sure that project is closed effectively.
Control problems connected to handling the life cycle of project
There are several control problems associated with managing the lifecycle of project. Some
control issues associated with this project are mentioned below:
Poorly defined goals: one of the major issues related with life cycle management of project
is unclear goals. If goals of the project are not clear, then project team is not able to accomplish
those. To overcome such issue, project manager needs to develop clear goals and communicate
them appropriately to the team members in order to ensure their successful accomplishment
(Sachdeva, Kapur, and Singh, 2016).
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Ineffective communication: in managing any project, ineffective communication is one of
the major issue that may hamper the deliverables of project. This may also lead to delay in
project completion. For overcoming this issue, manager of Hughes Communication limited need
to utilize effective tools of communication so that all the information can be conveyed properly
among the team members.
Lack of skills: if the team members lack skills and knowledge, then they are not able to
perform the project activities effectively. This creates a challenge in front of project manager. In
order to overcome this, it is needed by project manager to provide training and development to
its team so that they are able to accomplish the goals of project effectively (Wang, and Yang,
2012).
CONCLUSION
The above report concluded that management of project is the execution of skills,
knowledge, experience, methods and processes to accomplish project objectives as per the
agreed parameters. In the today's globalised business world, organisations require to bring
change in order to grow and succeed in market. Project manager plays crucial role in it and
assign roles and responsibilities to their team members in order to ensure the completion of
project within specified time frame. Project life cycle consist of five phases which helps project
manager in make sure that the project is complete successfully.
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REFERENCES
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International Conference on Innovation and Challenges in Cyber Security (ICICCS-
INBUSH) (pp. 135-140). IEEE.
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