PROJ6018 Project, Portfolio and Program management Assignment Sample

Background:

Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd (ES) commenced business in 2006 as the initiative of brothers Simon and John Benard. ES delivers an environment friendly wastewater management system, treating sewage effluent to advanced secondary levels certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). The advantage of ES systems is that, in purifying domestic or indeed community waste water, it has no mechanical parts involved, no electricity needed for gravity fed systems and no chemicals added, the system is midrange cost, however with no or little maintenance once installed. ES is currently servicing domestic, communal and commercial systems to clients across the Australian and Asia-Pacific region. Globally, (wastewater management) governing bodies, installers and consumers alike, are realising the benefits of ES, as a great solution to an industry-wide challenge, meaning that the prospects for global expansion for the company are immense and eminent. Rather than limit the company with a small minded approach, ES wants to take the opportunity to expand into these new and challenging markets, which will require consolidation and reconstitution of the current operations in a way that will appease differing international regularity bodies and markets, and allow an adaptive structure that incorporates the complexities of the expansion. Simply put, ES is involved in a growing and expanding process that will take on new markets, countries and opportunities.

The ES system components are manufactured in China where ES has entered a joint venture with a Chinese manufacturing organization. After production, the system components are then transported to its warehouses in the Australasian and pacific countries that ES currently operates in, ready for distribution and installation for local clients.

The Opportunity

Wastewater management in the African nations is a regional problem, magnified by cost factors of installation, ongoing maintenance and complexity of current systems on the market. With the ability to supply a simplistic and cost-effective wastewater management technique, ES can take advantage of this extensive market opportunity through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in these countries. Although headquarters is in Melbourne Australia, each Asian Pacific country also has its own sales, administration and installation offices and teams. ES operations currently have a financial turnover of 25 million dollars per annum with 230 full time staff members.

The Objectives:

Objective 1 – Organisational Structure

Currently ES operating structure includes departments for each function and administrative branch of the organisation. The project managers are given responsibility to run their projects according to their own experience (being the PM experts) under the direction of the departments involved, and upper management. In order to expand into these new markets ES will need to restructure their internal organisational operations including ensuring that the current Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and technological systems have the capacity to implement such expansion on a major scale while at the same time being able to organise the myriad of projects it knows will result from this international expansion. This will require specific human skillsets from across many of the locations in which they currently operate. Additionally, the initial restructuring project will require the assessment and update of the current organisational framework, policies, procedures, and processes. For example, the accounting, invoicing and administrations of the new organizational structure has to accommodate the expanded need to monitor and cater for exchange rates, bills of shipping, importing and exporting documentation across the new FDI nations.

Current Project Management

Currently all projects need to be governed and operated by ES, in terms of specific engineer requirements for soil types, excavation pit sizes and materials used, while also following strict installation guidelines for the product itself, these must be governed meticulously, meaning ES will be required to run multiple projects in each international market that it infiltrates. At times projects overlap in resource use and at other times are short on resources, which can cause delays and capacity problems. However, currently these issues are seen as the responsibility of the Project Managers and overseen by the managers of various departments (which often frustrates the PMs due to their misconceived renditions of project management principles). Considering this perception and attitude, the Project Managers are concerned at how the departmental management will respond to the upcoming changes, let alone the general staff in the organisation. Management is a little concerned about the magnitude of the expansion in terms of keeping track of the influx of project across the globe, it is difficult enough presently to determine if efficiency is maximised in every project.

Objective 2 – Supply Chain - Sustainability

Furthermore, new supply chains systems will need to be investigated and procured, including the processes of procuring, such as, tendering, negotiating and implementing contracts with transportation companies. In line with ES mandate for environmental operations management wants to ensure that the current, and future, manufacturing and shipping processes are consistent with their objective of corporate, social and environmental responsibility. The company’s goal is to persuade stakeholders, partners, and critics that its growth strategy includes plans for long-term sustainability. The team knows that delivering social responsibility and focusing on sustainability will deliver shareholder and strategic benefits. Although the ES system itself is considered very environmentally friendly, there is concern with regard to the actual manufacturing, the ES team is looking closely at environmental factors, such as pollutants, manufacturing materials, and safety, as well as energy usage. Therefore, ES leadership team is interested in learning about alternative materials, with an eye on both the environment and the safety of employees using those products in the manufacturing process. In addition, shipping the system components around the world will use gas and oil, releasing pollutants into the environment, so management also desires to include environmental consultants on potentially utilising alternative fuels and procedures for transportation and shipping processes.

Objective 3 - Legalities

From a legal perspective there are several factors that must be researched for compliance with the target nations legal systems, policies and regulations. For example, each countries laws on foreign direct investment (FDI), importing and operations is different and must be comprehended. Furthermore, the wastewater management industry is highly regulated, if not by the country itself then by international law. These legal factors must be clearly understood and complied with. Alongside this is the cultural aspects of the target countries, including local labour expectations, management style and health and safety practices.
Over the course of the (estimated 36 month) international project/projects, marketing is a vital component of which ES leadership wants to take advantage of social media networking in its marketing strategy.

Pre-Project Research

The leadership team also examined what other organisations had done in similar projects to avoid loss of revenue during their projects. From the research, the team identified three potential risks that could occur during this project of upgrading the IT systems and processes:

• Loss of business due to inability to process orders in a timely fashion
• Loss of credibility because of a lack of quality in the shipping process
• Loss of sales as competitors took advantage of any down time

While strategizing these changes on an organisation wide scale ES must consider the disruption to employees and ongoing operations. Current projects must run seamlessly to ensure no disruption to clients, and that targets are still met across the business. Consequently, the leadership team wants to monitor employee satisfaction to ensure minimal disruption and maintain employee satisfaction and continuous motivation of the upcoming expansion. Employee feedback will from part of this monitoring. It is important to ES portfolio management to focus on a continued level of the efficient delivery of quality products and services. This means ES must consider each of the following elements:

• Any constant and continued improvement to processes of order, billing, and shipping efficiencies.
• Any changes that may occur due to the current multiple projects; and
• New initiatives that may be created by the current multiple projects.

The Project Teams:

The projects that address the above goals require management of the complexity of the various project teams which incorporate multiple backgrounds, experiences, and even time zones. These individuals currently are located in Australia, China, Japan, and Vietnam and will soon expand to many other nations as well as include representatives from the ES Information Technology, Human Resources, Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, Accounting,Finance, and Legal departments. ES’ external stakeholders include their existing and potential customers, suppliers, and
investors.

Solution

Introduction

This particular study would shed light on the project portfolio management maturity of Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd in detail focusing on necessary PPM needs for the organization in detail. Furthermore, the focus will be given to highlighting necessary tools used in the PPM software, relevant techniques utilized for implementing PPM with assessing the maturity level of the organization for impeding the software. In addition to that, emphasis will be given to enlisting the benefits that PPM will provide to the organization with a manager of change that might be caused due to PPM implementation and a list of challenges that the organization might face while impeding PPM. Furthermore necessary recommendations would be provided for making PPM more successful in the ES organization to function project management activity in the future smoothly.

PPM Needs

In general terms, Project Portfolio Management for assignment help indicates a specific process utilized by project managers as well as project management organizations popularly known as PMOs for analyzing the potential return to undertaking a particular project (Patrício et al. 2021). In this regard, it would be necessary for the Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd organization, especially the project managers, to utilize the necessary needs of PPM software for the successful completion of project management activities for the organization. Below are listed the necessary PPM needs in detail:

Risk management

It is considered to be a vital component of PPM software for the ES organization in the sense that all involved project managers will need to make out the ways through which the project activity would make a considerable impact on the portfolio (Jamshidnejad, 2021).

Financial management

Project activities appear to be notorious for project managers due to a couple of aspects such as taking too much time than planned, and making an analysis of the overall budget activity. In this respect, the project managers of ES organizations can use Dashboards for keeping an eye on the financial status for smooth pollution of project activity (Kostalova & McGRATH, 2021).

Pipeline management

In this case, it would be imperative for the project managements of the organization to maintain an effective balance in the form of generating a strategic number of proposals associated with the project to manage the pipeline or flow of project activity to running smoothly. It ensures that all the necessary aspects will make an eventful contribution to the smooth completion of the project activity (Ojiako et al. 2021).

Figure 1: PPM Needs
(Source: Created by the learner)

Resource management

A sufficient number of people are required for ES to carry on with help project management activities. For this reason, the project management authority of ES would have to manage its resources in an efficacious manner so that they can be able to conduct the necessary tasks and activities of project management in an effective manner.

Change management

It is the last fundamental aspect for project managers of ES organizations that will help in maintaining a smooth flow of organizational communication related to any change activity (Vanhanen, 2021). Since PPM software renders a central repository, therefore, the members of the organization will be able to manage requests rather than endeavoring to keep track of them.

Tools Used in PPM

Effective usage of relevant tools aid project managers to accomplish project activities accordingly. More importantly, it provides a steadfast approach for executing the necessary activities. There are several well-known tools which can be used in PPM such as:

Clarity PPM

It is a cloud-based solution which is easily accessible through SaaS applications. It assists users in transitioning to relevant digital project management for effectively managing enterprise resources, countering market disruptions and understanding customer demands effectively (Wang et al. 2022).

Planisware

Known to be a SaaS-based suite, Planisware conducts management of project portfolios and necessary programs. It does integration of necessary resources, budgets, schedules and many others.

Planview

It is a well-known resource management solution that aids businesses in optimizing project portfolios, managing capacity, related to market demands and combining plans as well as resources for achieving proper execution of project activities (Villamil & Hallstedt, 2021).

Figure 2: PPM Tools
(Source: Created by the learner)

Asana

It is a cloud-based tool which is utilized for handling multiple projects at one time. This tool renders an effective scope for generating task management solutions based on which the project managers can provide a high-level overview related to their progress activities.

Clarizen

This tool helps in workflow automation for generating an enhanced collaborative approach for the smooth completion of project activities. It earners automation in recurring tasks resulting in reducing the lament of risks associated with the project.

Techniques used to implement PPM

The project management authority of Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd will have to follow five distinguished steps in the form of techniques for prolific implantation of PPM:

Defining approach of project portfolio management

Effective determination of the goals of the business organization, the establishment of a suitable framework, with analysis of the willingness of organizational members will be important for the ES organization to define a specific approach for project portfolio management (Bai et al. 2022).
Securing executive support for the portfolio plan

It has been observed that at present the operating structure of ES involves specific departments which look after necessary functions of the organization. It is the project managers on whom the entire responsibility is provided in running their project according to their skills and expertise (Kock & Gemünden, 2021).
Securing support from the team members for the project portfolio plan

Relevant support from team members also is vital for the ES organization to generate clear strategic goals and objectives associated with the project management activity. It helps in meeting new standards for the successful implementation of PPM within the organization.

Gathering portfolio data

The act of creating a list of present and potential projects of Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd is also necessary for generating relevant data on project timelines, project milestones, and necessary potential risks so that there should not be any problem in carrying out the activity through PPM software (Fabbro & Tonchia, 2021).

Prioritizing project portfolio

Prioritization of the project is required from the PM experts of the ES organization. In that case, they can select projects having increased ROI (or Return on Investment) or they can go to specific risk-averse methods (Ershadi et al. 2021).

Maturity Level of the organization in its ability to implement PPM

It is necessary for the ES organization to conduct a maturity assessment which makes an evaluation of the organization’s process in determining the ability of the process for continuously contributing to the achievement of organizational objectives. In this regard, the CS organization can follow the following steps to conduct a maturity assessment such as:
Understanding the business

In this aspect, the project managers of ES organization will need to understand the relevance of maturity assessment in its project m agent activities based on which they will be able to conduct regulatory requirements on a regular basis (Von Solms & Langerman, 2022).
Selecting the assessment methodology

In this regard, the organization can choose CMMI, COBIT etc models for identifying the relevant approach to proper implementation of PPM software within the organization.

Setting the scope

It is necessary for the project managers not to hurry too much rather they should wait for having enough time for getting a prominent picture of an end-to-end process with funding out relevant opportunities for mang any development (Aagaard et al. 2021).

Figure 3: Maturity Assessment of ES organization
(Source: Created by the learner)

Conducting stakeholder mapping

Stakeholders of the ES organization will include managers, customers, and senior management authorities who would play a vital role in the prolific implementation of PPM software within the organization. At the same time based on the necessary guidance and advice coming from the stakeholders, Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd can formulate relevant decisions in its project management activities.

Using the chunk approach

It is the last step of maturity assessments of the ES organization where the focus needs to be given to breaking the work into small doable chunks so that they can be performed quite easily by the members of the organization.

Benefits to the organisation of implementing PPM

Considering the current PM approach, Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd (ES) commenced its business in the year 2006. This company is committed to delivering a wastewater management system that is environmentally friendly. This treats the sewage effluent to secondary advanced levels which are certified by the NSF (National Sanitation Foundation). Globally, installers, governing bodies as well as customers have realised the benefits that Ecological Solutions can provide with its services(NSF, 2022). It can provide excellent solutions to industry-wide challenges that can aid in global expansion. This is the reason why Ecological solutions want to grab the opportunity to expand its business instead of opting for a small-minded approach. Moreover, from the case study, it could be found that ES has several opportunities as it can grab the opportunity from the extensive market via FDI (foreign direct investment)(Stretton, 2022). In such a situation, ES is likely to get the following benefits if it opts to implement PPM:

1. Better use of the resources

As could be seen from the case study, each of the projects governed by ES needs adequate resources such as raw materials, engineering works, and so on. Resource dependency is one such factor that can lead to project failure. Demand management and resource planning therefore can be a daunting task(Sarbazhosseini, 2020). However, with PPM, the work becomes more manageable. The portfolio view allows for a more rounded approach. With PPM, ES can consider resource availability from the beginning while it will choose any project and thereby go on reviewing it periodically. This way it can provide better clarity to optimally use its resources across its projects.

2. Focus better on business goals and objectives

From the case study, it could be seen that ES has set its overall objectives to be focusing on organisational structure, enhance supply chain and sustainability and make the legalities stronger. From a legal perspective, there are ample factors that need to be emphasised for compliance with the legal system of the targeted nations. For instance, each country has different FDI, operations, and importing(Müller et al., 2019).

3. Enhance communication and alignment among the business leaders and different department

With PPM, ES can enhance internal communication while looking at the portfolio of the projects and thereby strike a balance while selecting, prioritising as well as sustaining the projects. By talking about the projects and portfolios, ES can improve overall communication within its corporate management by breaking the existing barriers among the sub-portfolios(Volk & Zerfass, 2018).

Managing the change that PPM creates

With PPM, many changes could be brought in the way each project is being handled and implemented. However, ES needs to manage those changes that PPM would create. The way it could do so are as follows:

1. Establish governance: ES can establish a governance model that can help it to maintain its PPM solution, such as any changes. The governance strategy will not only help in maintaining the PPM solution; however, it also will show the user that it is not always necessary to emphasise all aspects of implementation(Lock, 2018). It will guide ES to accept more changes.

2. Opt for a change management approach: PPM tools that could be used in the projects of ES include Clarity PPM, Asana, Planview, Clarizen, and so on and there are certain approaches that could be adopted to implement the tool(Volk & Zerfass, 2018).

ES could make sure that there is a senior and active sponsor who can master implementing the tool as a part of the change management tool.

• ES require to create a need to change for all the stakeholders of PPM.

• ES must explain the process of the business and projects to all the stakeholders and make them understand the benefits of using the new tools(Martinsuo&Hoverfält, 2018).

Challenges faced in implementing PPM

Among the common widespread business problems that ES may face while implementing project portfolio management, there can be productivity gaps, because ES has engineers, however, lacks managers and a workforce which can lead to insufficient automation of tasks(Saeed et al., 2021). As per the case study of ES, the following are the main challenges that ES might face while implementing PPM:

1. Internal culture and politics: ES is likely to face the barrier of internal culture and politics. PPM has a nature that demands change within any business and change will bring resistance.

2. Project management maturity: At ES, the project management maturity of the business is likely to play a key role. ES thereby needs to have a mature organisation's project management capability so that it can adapt to PPMreadily.

3. Management commitment: At ES, the top management committee may act as a hindrance to the value and purpose of the PMO.

Recommendations on how to make PPM more successful

Based on the above discussion, recommendations can be made to make PPM more successful for ES.

1. To ensure that ES is selecting the right projects for organisational investments, it is recommended to make use of benefit measurement methods. This would be an effective project selection technique for ES which is primarily based upon the estimated cash inflow and outflow as well as present value.

2. It is recommended to adopt GSCM (green supply chain management) to improve the maturity level of ES. Here, ES is recommended to adopt CMM (capability maturity model) because it can help in continuous process improvement. CMM moreover will provide frameworks that can help to organise maturity levels that can grab evolutionary steps and lay successive foundations for ES to maintain continuous process improvement.

3. ES uses a project portfolio management process to evaluate the project portfolio which aids in better decision making. To improve the current state, it is recommended to use portfolio management that can monetise the current as well as digital assets of Ecological Solutions.

4. To improve management and realisation of the ongoing and sustained benefits,it is recommended to roll out the PPM in order to improve management and grab more sustained benefits. ES can create a roll-out program by working with the manatees. It is recommended to focus on one department at a time and expand to other departments later (Chofreh et al., 2021).

5. ES is recommendedto consider certain basic factors while PPM and planning such as cost, duration of implementation,measuring the functions, and opt for solutions that are backed by SaaS. For ES, it is recommended that the PMO must be placed with alignment with the CFO, specifically since the IT will report to the CFO.

6. Based on the scope and scale of the project, ES needs to consider opting for a change management plan orapproach that can guide it to overcome the above-discussed resistance or obstacles. Moreover, it is recommended to set expectations that are realistic with the end users and emphasise communication regularly so that ES can address unexpected problems as fast as possible and address stakeholder acceptance regarding the changes.

7. PMO can improve the current maturity level by helping in developing a roadmap. Regarding the change management approach, ES is recommended to opt for active portfolio management for its waste management business.

Figure 4: Roadmap for implementing the PMO
(Source: Developed by the author)

8. To increase the success of this portfolio or program management,it is recommended to emphasise continuous lifecycle, for example, focusing on operational efficiency. Moreover, it is important to stay connected with stakeholders at all levels that can help ES to avoid disconnection between operations and strategy during the change within the organisation and overcome the challenges that have been identified in this study such as internal politics, management commitment and so on.

Conclusion

The report has discussed the PPM needs for Ecological Solutions that deliver wastewater management systems including treating sewage which plays an important role in today's world where sustainability is given importance. The report has thereby discussed the tools and techniques that ES can use to implement PPM. Thereafter, the maturity level of Ecological Solutions has been assessed along with defining its ability in implementing PPM. As it could be known from the study, PPM has several benefits to ES and the study has thereby discussed how ES can manage the changes brought about by PPM. Thereafter, the challenges that may come forth while implementing PPM were discussed. Based on the study, recommendations have been made which can help to make PPM more successful.
 

References

MBA641 Strategic Project Management Assignment Sample

Assessment Description

The purpose of this assessment for assignment help is to foster students’ ability to evaluate and determine project viability, including the analysis required in the selection process. This will also form a part of students’ ability to create project portfolios that meet an organisation’s strategic goals and requirements and analyse project lifecycles and the processes involved in project development. Students will also demonstrate the criteria required to evaluate the success of projects based on an organisation’s goals, strategy and standards and analyse the project lifecycle and the process involved in project development.

Assessment Instructions

Presume that you are advancing for the STH BNK by Beulah project and that you have now been asked to prepare a detailed risk analysis and stakeholder management plan before commencing the project. Complete a comprehensive risk assessment of your project proposal and statement of work (SOW), linked directly to the case study. In addition, complete a stakeholder management plan, in which you will propose ways to manage the relationships between the stakeholder groups identified in the case study and the proposals you have put forward in the first and second assessments. Your analysis needs to be directly linked to the case study and related to all the elements you addressed in the Project Strategy Framework and Statement of Work (SOW).

Your risk analysis should be approximately 800 words. In it, you must include the concepts studied in weeks 4 and 5, accompanied by at least one or more of the risk assessment techniques used, such as risk assessment grid or project risk picture. You must identify potential risks in addition to your research on the project and its site by stating a clear outline of how these will be managed.

Your stakeholder management plan should be approximately 1200 words. In it, you must follow an appropriate, professional presentation style addressing the client who has commissioned the project and should include the identification of the various stakeholders, their interest and influence over the project, and a clear outline of the engagement strategy for each stakeholder group. Please don’t forget

Assessment Information

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Copyright Regulations 1969

This material has been reproduced and communicated to you by or on behalf of Kaplan Business School pursuant to Part VB of the Copyright Act 1968 (‘Act’). The material in this communication may be subject to copyright under the Act. Any further reproduction or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act. Kaplan Business School is a part of Kaplan Inc., a leading global provider of educational services. Kaplan Business School Pty Ltd ABN 86 098 181 947 is a registered higher education provider CRICOS Provider Code 02426B. to outline the appropriate objectives and measures for the various stakeholders, using the relevant frameworks, concepts and diagrammatic tables, as necessary, to explain your reasoning clearly and concisely.

In addition to the case study, you are required to use at least 15 sources of information and use the Kaplan Harvard Referencing Style. These may include government publications, industry reports, and journal articles. These sources must be presented in the form of in-text citations and a reference list at the end of your submission. Wikipedia and other ‘popular’ sites are not to be used.

Solution

Introduction

PRJ5002 Enterprise and Resource Planning Assignment Sample

Assignment Brief

Due date: Week 12
Group/individual: Individual
Word count/ Time provided: 2500words
Weighting: 35%

Implementation of employee suggestion programme: a case study of the Middle East health-care service company

Learning outcomes

After studying this case, the students should be able to: explain the importance of employee engagement; illustrate the role of the participatory management style in an organizational context; discuss why managers may use engagement practices to operate effectively in businesses to lead change and innovation; identify the critical success factors, barriers and outcomes of employee involvement in driving high performance; and discuss the dilemma faced by the managers in the emerging economies while driving the momentum of excellence in the long run.

Students need to support their answers with further references to comprehensively address the questions in a critical manner. In addition, summary of recently published articles relevant to project human resource, communications and stakeholder management need to be added to the discussion where appropriate and relevant. Student can find this case study on college portal or on Internet.

Solution

Introduction

The real case study of a leading healthcare organisation located in the Middle East that is enlightened within the respective study is the NOVA. The respective company is created to fulfil the curative needs of the healthcare system of the public in the Middle East. The NOVA is an independent as well as a public joint system. The Employee Suggestion Scheme was introduced by the respective company in the year of 2011 under the name of Minara within the decree of the Federal Government because the major pillar of this organisation and its management is building innovative solutions and applying that within the process, programme and also in the services (Ahmad and Jabeen, 2019). The respective case provides the information that the whole process of transformation about the innovation within the organisation NOVA takes place through the programme of employee engagement to meet all the disruptive challenges (Ahmad and Jabeen 2019). The respective case analysis addresses all the challenges that are faced by the Innovation and Excellence Manager who use the process of Effective Employee Engagement and its related practices through the programme of employee suggestions in a creative way to implement change and bring appropriate innovation within the healthcare sector for best assignment help.

Importance of employee engagement

The requirements or the importance of employee engagement are as follows:

An increase in the engagement of the employees and also boosting productivity is one of the most important results of appropriate employee engagement. On the other hand, as the engagement increases, there is an increase in productivity that also takes place. According to Moletsane, Tefera and Migiro, (2019), employee engagement is one of the best signs of success. Employees when provided with the reward to engage them for bringing the success of the organisation then they feel valued and like to engage themselves within the work. NOVA also benefited due to this and due to this, the bar of the standard of the quality of its services is also increased. The company is renowned for working as the largest integrated network among all the healthcare providers in the Middle East.

Employee engagement is always effective for customer satisfaction

The team members or the employees who like to engage with the work are also passionate to interact with the consumers or the customers. The most dedicated team members always increase their effort to increase sales either through innovation or by meeting the expectations of customers (Zameer et al., 2018). The NOVA aims to provide quality services to its consumers without any compromise that is achieved through employee engagement.

Organisational culture is also impacted through Employee engagement, the positivity of the engaged employees also inspired the other employees to increase their engagement and also to contribute towards the success of the organisation (Soni, 2019). That ultimately impacted the culture of the organisation. As the NOVA is associated with providing health care services, there are high requirements for a proper organisational culture that not only support the employees but also impact the consumers. The positive culture is effective for the organisation NOVA to satisfy the staff, patients, and also of the community.

Illustrate the role of the participatory management style in the organisational context

Participatory management is effective for increasing the engagement of the employee and also to increase productivity. The stakeholder's engagement as well as the employee engagement is also increased through the support of participatory managers and also of their style. There are employees are invited to increase their involvement within the organisation which supports success and growth. The decisions of the employees are equally valued and they are asked to contribute by sharing their knowledge and ideas. Hence, it can be stated that the responsibility of the employees is also increased through the participatory management style (Akpoviroro, Kadiri and Owotutu, 2018). Formation of the self-managed team as well as of the quality team for various work and also to provide customer services and arranging the feedback through the survey are the roles of the participatory management style. In some cases, the employees feel disrespect due to not considering their suggestions, while the respective types of style are effective for treating the suggestions and decisions of the employees with the respect that increase the chances of success of the organisation (Daudigeos et al., 2018). The launching of Afkari within the NOVA is a programme related to Employee Suggestion and helps the company to incubate the ideas of employees, not only does the storage of the ideas takes place there are also the implementation of those processes is followed.

There are four processes that are considered by participatory management and those are sharing information, keeping the employees properly within the status of the company and also in economic success. Training is also part of the process of participatory management style (Teasell et al., 2018). Through the training programme, the employees can achieve the development opportunities though that is involved with the budget. However, the development of the employees ultimately resulted in increased revenue generation. The sales of the organisation have also increased. The success of NOVA and achieving the title of one of the best health care service providers is achieved by the respective organisation.

The success of NOVA can provide the importance of a participatory management style. The respective organisation already partnered with various international organisations to increase its quality of services and its bar. Most of the hospitals of NOVA have more than 3000 beds and also of 70 ambulatory care as well as blood banks and emergency service section (Ahmad and Jabeen, 2019).

With innovative technologies making a change in the health landscape of the world, the Research and Development team is the most important section for any company. This is the sector that can allow the company to pick up any essential market inside the health industry and get remedies that can absolutely change the competitive advantage of the company NOVA. Thus, the managers have to be particular about knowing the strengths of the researchers so that the particular solutions can be brought into the industry that will help the wider crowd. The other section where the managers need to be very particular is the marketing and advertising of the medicines that are being processed by the company. This is because without the proper channelling and market segmentation, the medicines would not reach the right people and that would allow the company to collapse.

Marketing managers should identify the right product USPs and the correct pricing so that the products reach the right market at the right time. The best strategy that marketing managers can use is they can analyse the sales of the same compositions in the market that have originated from other companies. This will allow the company to identify the various opportunities that their compositions can bring to the people who tend to buy similar compositions. Also, the logistics managers can arrange for the delivery of free samples to clinics while they supply supplies to the stores that take supplies from the company. This will also make the marketing of the brand stand out.

The role of the managers is thus to oversee all the different functions of the supply chain and report to the authority if they are going on in the strategic method as decided in the meetings. The better the coordination among the managers of the different sectors, the better the outcome of the company's market share and the competitive advantage of the company NOVA is thus managed. Managers are the key to making the employees work as per the strategies of the company.

Identifying success, barriers and outcomes of the employee for high performance

Success

The success of the companies is primarily aligned with the high performance of the companies as it can assist to increase the quality of the services for the companies. As per the argument of Abera et al. (2019), it is noted that the integration of effective schemes like DIAT and control flow attestation is mainly used for talent management and that workplace collaboration can assist the development. As per the case study, it is noted that the use of Employment enhancement scheme (EES) is mainly used by NOVA which can aid the overall employment enhancement of the companies. Therefore, the use of effective enhancement like the committee initiative and the training process is mainly used for the sake of development. As noted by Laurenza et al. (2018), the success of the companies is mainly aligned with customer integration in the healthcare industry. Therefore, effective employment integration like the initiation of employee motivation and increasing leadership skills can also assist in the overall development of the companies. Therefore, such an attitude can be also used by NOVA to enhance their motivational factors. The case study further reflects on the change in the culture of NOVA which can initiate an increase in focus in the workplace. Therefore, the greater focus may involve the development of workplace collaboration and thereby increase customer integration which can assist to grow brand loyalty and reputation eminently. Therefore, a direct connection between high-performance employees and the success of the companies can be established through the method.

Barriers

The main barriers that are seen in the case of the Healthcare industry are the rise of conflict and imperfect segregation of the workload among the employees. The lack of an HRM initiative can evoke such issues which can primarily address the efficacy of the companies. As opined by Shannon et al. (2019), it is noted that workplace collaboration and the use of imminent HR policies are considered the main factor that can hinder the growth and development of companies. Therefore, the loss of communal harmony is considered the main issue that can deplete the quality of the work and thereby hamper the performance of the employees. As a result, it should be noted that the use of eminent strategies like the integration of Total quality management and amending the HR policies can assist in the overall development of NOVA and initiate its effectiveness. As per the case study, no such possibilities are mentioned in the research which can hamper the overall development of the companies.

Outcomes of employees

The high-performance employees are mainly aligned to produce effective processes like the increase in the learning environment and innovation for the companies. As noted by Edwards-Schachter (2018), the change in the business plan and the organisational development can assist to gain control over the innovation of the companies. Therefore, such an attitude can be developed through the use of employment integration and promoting workplace collaboration eminently. Workplace collaboration is considered the major factor that can dominate the efficacy of companies through innovation. Therefore, the process is considered the major factor that can assist to increase the work motivation and efficiency of high-performance employees significantly.

Discus dilemma faced by managers in emerging economies

The biggest dilemma faced by managers in emerging economies in the medical or pharmaceutical industry is that there is a lack of management hacks for the management of innovation. Innovation management is one of the growing areas of management that needs more research because there are very few laws binding innovation in the medical industry. With the growth of globalisation and digitalisation in the world, there is a huge need of ideas to be patented the moment they are formulated by any of the innovators of the company. This is very important because there are plenty of companies that keep on researching in the same fields and without the timely patenting of the ideas there is a huge chance of the innovations getting sold out to other companies which are detrimental to the growth of the company. Thus, there must be a rule for the managers that they consistently communicate with the team of innovators (Scull et al., 2020) about their ideas and help them get their ideas patented at the right time to prevent the company from venturing into any lawful dilemma with any other company in the same domain.

Another important area for managers in the innovation management department is that the managers should allow the employees to evaluate themselves on a regular periodic basis and not just a monthly basis. With the fast growth of the internet, people worldwide have started giving views on the various innovations that happen globally once they are being surfaced to the crowd. This makes it inevitable that the innovations that the company bring out to the market should be evaluated for technological or medical errors for example if the medicine has too many side effects. This will allow the company to have an idea that if the people would try their product or if their product would be cited by the doctors and the medical representatives.

Feedback generation is the most important part of the entire managerial action (Schroth, 2019). This is because, without generous feedback from the employees, the decisions of the management cannot be performed by the employees. Thus, managing the decisions with the help of the employees is very important to get the right move on the innovation. Managing innovation allows the managers to be involved in the process of innovation as it allows for the employees and the managers to have a generous view of the entire innovation process.

Conclusion

Based on the respective study and also the analysis of the case study, sturdy NOVA is effective for understanding the requirements of employee engagement within the organisation. The employee suggestion programme is highly concentrated on employee engagement. Though there are various strategies adopted by a business organisation to increase its productivity, most of them lack employee engagement. NOVA is an organisation that concentrates on employee engagement and also the employee suggestion scheme to increase the quality of the service. The respective organisation is also able to achieve this and also able to provide employee and customer satisfaction.

References

PPMP20011 Contract and Procurement Management Assignment Sample

Assignment Brief

Objectives

This is an individual assignment. You are assigned the tasks which assess your knowledge gained between weeks 1 to 6 about different facets of contract and procurement management.

Tasks

You need to write a report

Written Assessment (Report)

You need to submit a business report in Word format into Moodle in Week 7. You are to complete the following tasks using the case study provided on Moodle website (Refer Case Study document):

- Critically analyse the case study and propose the most suitable procurement route(s) for the case study (sub-projects). The characteristics of the client, constraints, conditions, and available resources for each sub-project will be given.

- Justify the proposed procurement route for each sub-project and explain why this route is the most suitable to make the project successful

- Propose the most suitable contract type for each sub-project for parties involved to complement the procurement options.

- Discuss the associated risks and the key components which must be covered in the selected contracts.

- Develop a project budget and an expenditure forecast as control mechanisms and link time, cost, and resources to the project framework.

- Your report should include a thorough analysis along with discussion and supporting evidence.

Layout of the Written Report

Written report on the case study should be organised using the following headings and guidelines. (Refer Case Study document)

- Title (Cover) Page with clear details of unit name, student number and name, lecturer & tutor names, submission date etc.

- Introduction

Introduction must clearly define the aims of the report.

- Introduce various sub-projects involved and summarise your recommendations to justify how they ensure value for money for the client.

Procurement Strategy

- Map the factors and characteristics of the case study (project) with the factors to be considered for the best procurement strategy.

Procurement Routes

- Analyse the case study requirements along with constraints, givens, exclusions, assumptions, and limitations.

- Propose the most appropriate route for each sub-project and explain why proposed route is suitable to make the project successful.

- You need to address a group of factors including but not limited to the following: sub-project schedule, cost, quality, etc.

Contract Types

- Propose the most appropriate contract type for each sub-project along with your justification based on the procurement routes you have chosen above.

- You need to address a group of factors including but not limited to the following: sub-project schedule, cost, quality, etc.

Risks associated with the proposed routes and contract types

- Identify, analyse, and assess the risks associated with the proposed contract routes and contract types for both the owner and the contractor.

Budget (for one sub-project)

- Provide a budgetary estimate for any one of the sub-projects by listing main expense heads and list separately your assumptions

Conclusion

- Provide a brief summary of your report
- References (list the references along with their in-text citations)

Project title - Parramatta Light Rail Project (Case Study )

Project duration: 5 Years (2018 - 2023)

Project budget: $2.4 billion

Introduction

The Parramatta Light Rail is one of the NSW Government’s latest major infrastructure projects being delivered to serve a growing Sydney. Light rail will create new communities, connect great places and help both locals and visitors move around and explore what the region has to offer.

The stage 1 rail route will connect Westmead to Carlingford via the Parramatta CBD and Camellia with a two-way track spanning 12 kilometres. The route will link Parramatta’s CBD and train station to the Westmead Health Precinct, Cumberland Hospital Precinct, the Bankwest Stadium, the Camellia Town Centre, the new science, technology and innovation museum Powerhouse Parramatta, the private and social housing redevelopment at Telopea, Rosehill Gardens Racecourse and 3 Western Sydney University campuses.

Transport for NSW is responsible for improving the customer experience of transport services, transport policy and regulation, planning and program administration, procuring transport services, and infrastructure and freight.

Major construction of the light rail track started in 2018, and light rail services expected to begin operations by 2023.

Key Benefits

- Sixteen (16) stops in all from Westmead to Carlingford via Parramatta CBD.

- High-frequency ‘turn-up-and-go’ light rail services seven days a week, departing approximately every 7.5 minutes in peak periods.

- Modern and comfortable air-conditioned vehicles, 45 metres long, driver-operated and integrated with the Opal card network.

- Two (2) new light rail and pedestrian zones along Church and Macquarie Streets in the Parramatta CBD.

- The Parramatta Light Rail will replace the train line between Camellia and Carlingford, which will provide more frequent services and better connections to town centres, including Parramatta and Sydney CBD.

- A new Active Transport Link (shared walking and bike riding path) between Carlingford and Parramatta.

Project Requirements:

- Twelve (12) kilometres of light rail dual track.
- Sixteen (16) light rail stops and associated infrastructure (such as platforms, shelters, and lighting).
- A light rail stabling and maintenance facility at Rosehill Gardens.
- Ancillary infrastructure, including two new substations, power supply, wiring and utilities.
- Changes to existing bus stops.
- Changes to intersections and the configuration of traffic lanes at several locations.
- Acquisition of thirteen (13) light rail vehicle fleet.
- Light rail vehicles will be driven electrically with power being drawn from an overhead electric line.

Sub-Projects

- Sub-Project 1 ($2.0 billion): Construction of light rail track and associated works
- Sub-Project 2 ($0.3 billion): Construction of stabling facility for maintenance
- Sub-Project 3 ($0.1 billion): Acquisition of light rail vehicles fleet

Main Constraints:

- Sub-Project 1: Fixed cost and a firm completion date are the top priorities to minimise the disruptions to the road users and small businesses.
- Sub-Project 2: Fixed cost and quality, as per the requirements, are the top priorities.
- Sub-Project 3: Quality is the top priority for light rail vehicles fleet equipped with state-of- the-art technology and must be delivered by end of 2022.

Solution

Introduction

The report aims to develop appropriate procurement strategy or plan for Parramatta Light Rail project. This is basically a railway construction project that creates 12 kilometers long two-way tract. It connects Westmead and Carlingford. This project can create different benefits to the transportation industry and overall area development. It includes community development, and other business benefits. The local businesses and citizens will also be benefitted through the access of technology Cumberland Hospital Precinct, the Bankwest Stadium, the Camellia Town Centre, the new science, technology and innovation museum Powerhouse Parramatta, etc. In this report, different project development components and features are discussed in terms of effective implementation. The report will evaluate potential project risks, budget and other development and managerial aspects. This will finally lead to appropriate procurement management strategy and implementation for Parramatta Light Rail project.

The whole project is divided into different sub-projects that define the overall structure and process in this case. The sub-projects are, construction of railway, construction of maintenance facility and acquisition of light rail vehicles fleet. In the first phase, $2 billion were invested to prepare the whole railway and associated features that will influence the current community and infrastructure of the local area. It incudes, active transport link, increased patronage, public transport alteration, etc. In that case, it will be beneficial for overall economic growth and infrastructure improvement in local area and surroundings as well. In the next phase of maintenance facility, $0.3 billion will be invested. The area already requires different property removals such as old bus stop. Appropriate maintenance is required to maintain the quality of construction and overall consumer experience. Finally, the third phase with $0.1 billion will be beneficial in terms of area management and resource distribution. In this report, all of these phases or sub-projects are assessed for constructive analysis and preparation of procurement management plan for best assignment help.

Procurement Strategy

The construction project of Parramatta Light Rail project must follow appropriate strategy and planning. The strategic planning first requires appropriate and efficient contractor. The project can be given to a single contractor or it may include different bidders for every sub-project. Both of these strategies have different advantages and disadvantages that become the determining factors. by evaluating all project factors, it can be established that the project requires single contractor.

Justification

More than one contractor will be effective in active and appropriate project execution. In spite of that, giving the Parramatta Light Rail project to a single contractor will be most appropriate as it doesn’t include any specific time frame or urgency. In that case, the phases will be more compatible with each other. That improves the quality and success factor of the project. On the other hand, the overall analysis and project management will also be efficient. The project manager and other stakeholders will be able to manage the construction with active communication and planning with single contractor.

The project also consists fixed costing and resources. In that case, the Parramatta Light Rail project must follow fixed plan of action with management. Moreover, the strategic planning and development frameworks must be fixed as well. Overall, single contractor will be most effective in successful project implementation.

Responsible Person for Coordination

The responsible person to coordinate between the sub-projects will be project manager and senior contractor. The project manager will also be responsible to coordinate with different key stakeholders such as finance manager, resource manager, data management team, database management team, supply management team, etc. On the other hand, the senior contractor in Parramatta Light Rail project, will also be responsible for managing different construction teams, visual models of planning, over and data analysis, risk analysis and other essential project development factors.

Organizational Recommendation

The primary objective of the consultation organisation is to guide and manage different operational and organizational component. In this case of Parramatta Light Rail project, the consultancy organisation can you play a significant role in terms of project management and execution as well. The consultation agency will be able to structure the project management and overall operational management into the project. It includes, appropriate implementation strategy and future project scope management as well.

The agency can also help in overall data analysis or resource management analysis. In that case, the overall database management and research team will start to evaluate different secondary and primary resources that will include previous case studies, personal interviews of the stakeholders, etc. This is the responsibility of the data mining or management team to collect these resources. It is the responsibility of the consultancy organization to evaluate further and to prepare appropriate plan of execution through constructive guidance to the development team.

Procurement Routes

Procurements routs are some specific strategies to implement into the project development phases (Laryea, 2019). It makes the Parramatta Light Rail project, more effective in real-life scenario. In this case, the project is divided int three phases or sub-projects. The primary sub-project of construction of main railway and infrastructure may follow two procurement routs such as, standardizing the development and supply chain. The research and analytical evaluation will be conducted to establish appropriate supply chain and development methodology. In that way, the whole development of Parramatta Light Rail project becomes efficient and effective in nature.

The second phase of building maintenance infrastructure, will follow, predictive analysis as a route of procurement. In that case, the data analysis and development team will evaluate particular consumers’ needs that will help to prepare effective project plan (Mena et al., 2018). On the other hand, the last phase of building vehicle fleet will require, centralization of supply database. In that case, all the supply data evaluation will be implemented into the project. This will be effective in acquiring efficient vehicles fleet into the project with fixed cost and time frame.

Risk Identification

Risk identification into a project leads to appropriate mitigation plan for the project (Dziadosz & Rejment, 2015). In this development project, three specific procurement routs are applied, that can also cause different project constraints and risks.

Table 1: Procurement: Risk Identification
(Source: Developed by Author)

The primary risk while centralizing the whole supply or development chain will be management and resource efficiency. It may require sudden requirements of resources. In that case, the senior project manager and senior contractor need to develop appropriate planning, that can implement this procedure from the beginning.

The second phase of Parramatta Light Rail project development will follow predictive analytical approach that presents the idea of collected secondary resources and market reports. In some case, the data implementation can show complexity as it consists secondary resources only as the project budget and planning include a large range of stakeholders, and project features (Harrison et al., 2019). The project manager needs to develop appropriate research methodology and procedure that can create effective analysis.

The final risk will be cost efficiency. The project already has fixed costing. In that case, the final phase requires strategic evaluation of consumers’ needs in terms of availability and supply. Moreover, it must maintain the quality of service as well. The project manager must distribute the cost with appropriate supply chain. In that way, this risk can be resolved in terms of effective influence into the project.

Contract Types

Contracts are some legal documentations that consist different project agreement and regulations (Shash & Habash, 2020). Both of the contracting parties must maintain these rules and conditions, mentioned into the contract. Appropriate contracts are essential in any business or development project, especially when a huge number of stakeholders and components are associated. In this project, contract types are determined from the requirements and potential impact.

Table 2: Contract Types
(Source: Developed by Author)

Risk Analysis

Particular risks are associated with this overall development. The contracts, mentioned here will also cause potentialities into the project that must be resolved with appropriate strategic approach. This risk analysis of Parramatta Light Rail project, also follows different from work or visual tools that can provide structured overview of the risk and appropriate mitigation plan. It also includes the primary response of the stakeholders and overall project development and management team. In this case of construction management of Parramatta Light Rail project, the potential risks must be evaluated and resolved accordingly. In this phase of the report two types of Potential project risks are evaluated or discussed. Initially different contracts that are associated with the overall project, are critically discussed in terms of risk and appropriate mitigation. On the other hand, particular list in transportation of different project phases will also explain appropriate risk response to the management team.

Contract Risks

In the first case of Railway construction, the fixed price and a resource contract will be applied. In that case, the appropriate methodology and reasonable cost and time distribution will be achieved. In spite of that, this can cause different complication into the project. A huge project like Parramatta Light Rail development can cause different resource requirements while the development into the project. In that case, it is the responsibility of project manager, resource manager and finance manager to evaluate the current scenario and requirements. Overall, the fixed price contract will not allow the stakeholders and business leaders to implement certain requirements with appropriate approach. Even, the approval procedure will be more complex in terms of effectiveness and application.

The second contract of time and material will also be applicable in the second phase where the maintenance preparation will be conducted for the construction site. In that case, the materials and the time frame must be pre-defined and documented before the overall development execution. In spite of that, the second phase requires different other considerations such as ethical consideration, stakeholder analysis, feedback analysis and other project management and development component. Overall, the project execution must follow different visual tools and structured methods of implementation. In that way, the certain requirements and project list will be simplified and resolved accordingly. Though, it is the responsibility of the project manager to conduct the overall risk analysis and to implement them accordingly.

In the final phase, the development will follow unit pricing contract. In that case, the overall development team will consider the unit price of different vehicles before the acquisition procedure. This is also beneficial for the project as the cost and overall time frame is already fixed. In spite of that, this can cause some limitations while choosing the appropriate vehicle fleet. On the other hand, the management procedure of creating the overall supply chain or transport system will also be affected by this contact. In that case, the project manager and other senior organizational stakeholders must evaluate the current requirements and development as pets for further analysis. This will help in planning for the appropriate vehicle seat with effective application in real life scenario.

Risks in Transport

The overall transportation system into the project requires appropriate risk analysis to develop effective mitigation plan. In this section, potential transportation risks of Parramatta Light Rail project, are discussed with appropriate risk response that can be applied through efficient development and management methodology.

Table 3: Risks in Transport
(Source: Developed by Author)

Budget Breakdown

Budget breakdown is a structured framework for process that can evaluate or distribute the whole budget into different project phases. It can also include different operational faces and construction components in this case. The overall case study can show the cost distribution in two different Sab project phases. In spite of that, detailed budget breakdown of Parramatta Light Rail project, will help in better evaluation and maintenance of cost efficiency. On the other hand, the project manager and other essential stakeholders will be able to execute the project phases in an efficient and effective way. This will not affect the budget or overall resource management of the project.

Table 4: Budget Breakdown
(Source: Developed by Author)

Assumptions

- The supply management must include efficient equipment and supplies for the project.

- This overall budget can be increased for different content types and potential risk into the project.

- Efficient system will also be beneficial in overall supply management.

- Appropriate system policies and development policies will be required to execute the development project.

- The system development must go through regular moderation.

- Appropriate technical team must be prepared for further support and maintenance.

- The development may cause inefficient time distribution as the phase will be finalized after the primary phases.

- The development may cause poor team management as it includes different development component.

- The system database must use cloud technology as the database management will be inefficient and cost-inefficient with physical data warehouses.

- The project requires flexible methodology and development execution for appropriate project results.

- The overall project development must implement visual tools and methodologies for better and effective implementation.

Minor Sub-Project Requirements

Project requirements include different project results and objectives that any particular resources or supplies. In this case, the major requirements or operational aspects in the first phase or sub-project is already discussed with budget breakdown. In spite of that, some of the minor requirements for operational supplies must be considered for better implementation and understanding of the overall project process. It includes,

- System devices management and supplies

- Development of appropriate system policies

- Development with environmental consideration

- Waste and power management

- Regular moderation

- Physical and digital Security equipment

The remaining budget of the project will be applied to develop and maintain this secondly or minus a project operational adequate means. This will eventually be beneficial for the project in terms of practical effectiveness and application in real life scenario. It also requires active communication and appropriate to check the management to achieve efficient project results.

Conclusion

In this first phase of the report, the overall case study on Parramatta Light Rail project, is critically analysed and evaluated in terms of project planning and execution. Moreover, it includes appropriate analysis of the project component that can be beneficial in determining appropriate procurement strategy and approach for the project. In the first phase of the research, the Sub project parts are analysed to evaluate appropriate requirements and procurement strategy. After that, different procurement rules are identified to apply into different phases. It includes procedure, implementation methodology, etc. Some of the risks are also identified in this phase that can be beneficial for the project manager to evaluate the current project situation and procurement strategic application.

In the next phase, different contact types are mentioned for different project faces. All of this are different in terms of practical application and implementation in real life scenario. This will help the project manager to determine appropriate contract strategy for the overall development. In the next phase of risk analysis, the concept types and different transportation risks are evaluated. In that way, the risk analysis will be more effective in successful construction project. On the other hand, the project concepts face pricing and other resources. In that case, the budget analysis or cost distribution analysis will help the project to implement the strategic planning. Overall, the Report will help different organizational leaders to plan and execute the overall construction in an effective way.

References

PPMP20009 Leading Lean Projects Assignment Sample

The Case Study-

The case study for this assignment is the Putting Lean Principles in the Warehouse (2008).

Read and analyse this case study thoroughly to grasp and classify the information it contains.

You are encouraged to do your own research, but the following article is a compulsory reading, and its website link is provided below:

Doug Bartholomew (2008). Putting Lean Principles in the Warehouse, Lean Enterprise Institute
https://www.lean.org/the-lean-post/articles/putting-lean-principles-in-the-warehouse/
https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/312.pdf

Useful links on Lean Warehousing:

https://leanaust.com/services/lean-warehousing
https://www.orderhive.com/knowledge-center/lean-warehousing
https://igps.net/blog/2018/10/25/following-lean-warehousing-principles-improved-efficiency/

https://www.lean.org/the-lean-post/articles/think-you-know-your-warehouse-or-distribution-
center-think-again/

Assessment Tasks

 You have been hired as a Lean consultant to produce a brief report on the use of Lean transformation projects for supply chain and warehouse organisations, based on the given case study.

Your submission must discuss the following topics:

1) The case study describes a business process that is different from traditional manufacturing. Using the examples from the case study or other Lean transformation projects for warehousing, explain how the following concepts of a lean framework are manifested in a warehousing project:

a) Voice of the Customer
b) Critical Customer Requirements
c) Critical to Quality
d) Critical to Process

2) Select 4 of the 8 Wastes of Lean that apply to the case study and demonstrate how each waste relates to one or more PMBOK Knowledge Areas or PRINCE2 Themes:

a) How was the waste reduced in the case study?

b) What was the effect on the project overall?

c) What tools or techniques from PMBOK or PRINCE2 were applied in achieving this?

3) Select 3 principles from the House of Lean as discussed during week 1 lecture. Demonstrate how the application of these principles helped achieve project success.

4) As a conclusion, write a short reflection on the people management aspect of the case study (transformation project) and also list 2 lessons you have learned from this case study that may help you manage people more effectively in your career.

Report Layout

The written report on the case study should be organised using the following headings and guidelines:

- Title (Cover) Page with clear details of unit code and name, student number and name, lecturer & tutor names, submission date etc.

- Table of Contents (Optional)

- Introduction (Optional)

Introduction should state the aims of the report.

Question 1 – Manifestation of Lean framework concepts in the case study

Using the examples from the case study or other Lean transformation projects for warehousing, explain how the following concepts of a lean framework are manifested in a warehousing project:

a) Voice of the Customer (VOC)
b) Critical Customer Requirements (CCR)
c) Critical to Quality (CTQ)
d) Critical to Process (CTP)

Question 2 – Elaboration of 4 Lean wastes that apply to the case study

Select 4 of the 8 Lean wastes that apply to the case study and elaborate about each waste:

a) How was the waste reduced in the case study?
b) What was the effect on the overall project?
c) What tools or techniques from PMBOK or PRINCE2 were applied in achieving this?

Question 3 – Application of 3 Lean principles on the case study

Select 3 principles from the House of Lean and demonstrate how the application of these principles helped achieve the project (case study) success.

Question 4 – Lessons learnt about people management from the case study

- As a conclusion, write a short reflection on the people management aspect of the case study (transformation project) and also list 2 lessons you have learned from this case study that may help you manage people more effectively in your career.

References (list the at least 5 references along with their in-text citations)

Solution

Introduction

The paper focusses on Menlo, WorldWide Logistics' lean warehousing initiative. Utilizing lean warehouse solutions, Menlo was able to provide efficient and lean warehousing services to the customer. In order to reach its goals and objectives, the company relies on an unparalleled group of people. An in-depth analysis evaluating Menlo's project management process was conducted as part of this case study (Bartholomew, 2008). For Assignment help The case study went on to detail the procedures required in improving their processes and, as a result, its general performance as well as income. Such lean waste principles also included some strategies for eliminating waste. Customers' voice and essential customer requirements were also analysed for their impact on process and quality in a study published this week.

Concepts of Lean Framework

The voice of customer

In the given case study the customer for Menlo were the the excavator manufacturer, the tech firm of silicon valley as well as Lam Research which manufacturers semi-conductors. The voice here mainly refers to the desires of the customer, in the current case study the Menlo wanted the following things:

- Boost the accuracy of inventory
- Pickups that are less susceptible to errors should be avoided.
- Streamline operations and reduce transportation and logistics costs
- Increasing output
- Accidents on the job are decreasing at a rate of one per year.
- Achieve annual savings in inventory storage

Quality, safety, delivery, services, and pricing are just few of the ways in which the company measures client satisfaction. This is where Menlo's lean endeavour truly begins: on the production floor of its customer. Using feedback from workers on the final product assembly process, Menlo experts then create the most efficient material flow first from factory through the warehouse towards the ultimate consumer. There were some ground rules put in place by the project team in order to keep the project on track, and so the project team were able to see and hear from the client.

Critical Customer Requirements

In order to have a clear picture of the needs of their customers before beginning a project, businesses utilize Critical Customer Requirement (CCR). As a result, they were able to better grasp their consumers' demands and expectations. Menlo Worldwide Logistics understands that a one-size-fits-all strategy does not operate in most of its warehouses. They adopt a section on the floor according to the lean philosophy. A customer's factory floor is where Menlo's lean endeavour begins. For warehousing tasks like that as picking, packaging, labelling, and shipping, Menlo personnel begin with feedback from final product production line operators and afterwards design the most efficient material flows (Jaisankar & Subbramani, 2016).

Critical to Quality

In order to ensure the efficacy of CSR, Critical to Quality (CTQ) needs to be undertaken at the same time. In order to maintain a high standard of quality, these are tasks that must be carried out in a certain manner. For each customer, Menlo team does a detailed investigation to determine the best material flow from the factory through the warehouse to the final customer. Employees at Menlo are given a lot of attention to ensure the company's high standards are met. For example, every facility management is supposed to not only comprehend the ideas of lean, but to also implement lean techniques on the floor. So, in order to do this, each Menlo facility is required to design and abide to a "30-30 Form," meaning "continual improvement plan." Also every warehouse has devised a monthly 'diet' involving lean tasks which its employees have agreed to follow, and also the outcomes are documented. Lean success is measured in terms of completed projects while also upcoming plans to execute further lean initiatives in each warehouse on a monthly basis (Swarnakar & Vinodh, 2016). Using these procedures, Menlo ensures that it considers the "critical to quality" notion extremely seriously .

Critical to Process

As a massive undertaking, Menlo required warehouse lean implementation to be finished on schedule, therefore the project management team meticulously scheduled every detail. To make sure the project plan remained unchanged during its lifespan, every step of the way was meticulously scrutinised. Adjusting machine temperature, recalibrating machines, and inspecting machines are among the requirements for such process to work well. Another way they meet Critical to Process principle is using Kaizen. Value Stream Mapping and 5S are two methods used by Japanese companies to adopt Kaizen in their operations. Waste will be eliminated in the different warehouse operations and activities as part of a kaizen burst, which will take place within the next 6 months (Dasig, 2017).

Lean Reduction

The 4 of the 8 wastes of lean that apply to Menlo’s operation include Transportation, Waiting, Motion and Inventory (Gladysz et al., 2020).

How was the waste reduced

Transportation

To better serve the heavy-equipment manufacturer, Menlo has created a new production support facility nearby. As a result, the amount of time spent travelling to and from the repair site was significantly decreased. The PMBOK's methodologies are being used to help with this eliminating waste pertained to optimizing project cost management, project time management, including project human resource management (Gladysz et al., 2020).

Waiting

A customer's factory floor is where Menlo's lean endeavour begins. Using feedback from workers here on finished piece assembly line, Menlo personnel then create the most efficient material flow from the factory through the warehouses to the final consumer. As a result of this, the logistics company generates a warehouse plan that emphasises safety and reliability, as well as efficient material flow across warehouse tasks such as sorting, positioning of items and packaging. The project's time management has been the driving force from the beginning. To avoid squandering time, each potential source of it was examined, and a plan devised to address each one.

Motion

The concept of motion is implied in the given case and it is evident by a few instances. First being that the supervisor at Menlo supervised a seven-person team of employees in an on-site clean environment to assess the selection, packaging, transferring, and unpacking process of supplies for a customer that makes semiconductor production equipment. After adding up the hours it took to accomplish every step, this same team came up with a final time of 25.86 minutes. The team analysed the process, seeking for methods to minimise the amount of time it required to complete the different processes. The team was able to speed up the selection process by leveraging lot size and basically integrating two separate processes. The de-trashing of non-sensitive content at the pickup site reduced the procedure to 4.94 mins by removing the cardboard packaging and unpacking of items.

Inventory

The inventory optimization process carried out by Menlo help achieved the lean waste reduction. In order to manufacture services and goods with a Just-in-Time approach, there must be no inventory wastage and Menlp helped achieved the same with their customers. Erroneous forecasting methods, inefficient procedures or vendors, long changeover periods, imbalanced manufacturing processes, or inadequate inventory management and tracking are some of the key tenets which Menlo implemented for their customers.

Impact of Lean Waste Principles on Overall Projects

Lean management concepts have a significant impact on the project's overall efficiency. Personnel and material transfer costs and times are minimised when transportation wastage is decreased. Additionally, the Menlo project was able to save money and time by reducing superfluous operations. It was possible to save money on superfluous items and equipment by eliminating inventory waste. Using a just-in-time strategy, excessive inventory costs are avoided by utilising these resources just when they are needed. Finally, relevant resources, including such equipment and human assets, have been placed in the right places to reduce motion waste. Using Menlo's support, the manufacturing business was able to increase inventory accuracy from 60% to 99.9%; cut value of the inventory by 26%; minimise parts unavailability to 90%; and reduce 95 % of their expedited freight expenditures within the first 5 months of implementation.
Menlo’s lean facility at Fremont, CA achieved the following implementing lean waste principles:

Figure 1 - (Bartholomew, 2008)

In addition to the above, the same Fremont, CA facility reduced the factory to the floor process from 25.86 minutes to just under 5 minutes. This resulted in savings of 44,000 USD.

Tools and techniques from PMBOK

When it comes to project management, process analysis is mostly about adhering to the process transformation program. It's a tool for spotting potential flaws in a project's current blueprint. Because of these issues and many other non-value-added activities, Menlo explored in to the ways to improve their business, including better staff training, a more streamlined method for handling specialised products, and a better grasp on the floor requirements at the factory (GONÇALVES et al., 2017). Another strategy that was employed the most frequently throughout the project was Brainstorming. Having brainstorming sessions on a regular basis allowed the project team to save costs and time. Using these two strategies in tandem was a great aid to the entire project.

Application of 3 principles on the case study

Kaizen

Warehousing Kaizen events are similar to manufacturing Kaizen events, although the work procedures on which they are centered tends to be distinct in the warehousing. A better continual improvement event in the warehousing may be to move a banding machine towards a better place for that operation instead of figuring out how to boost the effectiveness of materials flow towards a welding station. Warehouse tasks such as selecting, outfitting, staging, as well as the actual packing, trucking, and sequencing for delivery will be redesigned in order to improve the flow of supplies. For instance, Employees from Menlo's warehouse collaborated with a high-tech client to construct a set of steel racks to safeguard the client's computer servers during transit between its production facility and its warehouse. During a Kaizen event, individuals who execute the task are involved, while a supervisor or manager acts as a facilitator (Majerus, 2017). It is the goal of each team to examine the process step-by-step and identify any further areas for streamlining by reducing the need for manual labour, material transportation, and other inefficiencies.

5S

For every lean organization to survive, the Five S policy is vital, with the exception that Menlo replaces "sweep" with "shine." Menlo's Fremont warehouse not only has pristine flooring and work areas, but employees are continuously on the alert for any missing products or other garbage. Each kaizen group must undertake a monthly Five S criterion review as a matter of principle. This further strengthens Kaizen in their organization.

Value Stream Mapping

Value-stream mapping is used by Menlo to discover unnecessary steps. As a result of value-stream analysis, Menlo is able to trace the movement of data and items through a facility, subsequently disassemble the process and restructure its components for improved efficiency and effectiveness (Jocson, 2021). After performing a value-stream review and brainstorming to identify areas for improvement and procedures with the most potential for reduction, Menlo personnel would start with a typical warehouse which has not yet attempted lean (Sharma, 2017). In addition, a special team known as the "red tag" is assigned to each site. The role of this red team is to decide simply one thing, eliminate any thing which isn’t needed. This is followed by a Value Stream Map based kaizen roadmap for 6 months.

Conclusion

Human resources are the fundamental means through which a project's hard graft and creativity may be made more effective. Organizational hierarchies have been lowered and their contributions have been recognised in order to improve human resource management efficiency. There was a strong emphasis on employees becoming mentors / subordinates, as well as a strong emphasis on people providing their own feedback. The knowledge gained from this project will be invaluable in the future when it comes to mitigating project risks and ensuring that the correct people are assigned to the proper jobs. A project's ability to learn and grow depends on its ability to assemble a strong team. The next time I have a team project, I'll remember to put together a well-trained team that could assist me finish it quickly. Another key lesson acquired from this project is the importance of precise planning. This will be useful in the planning of future initiatives. This is not to mention that I gained valuable insights in terms of the practicality of Value Stream Mapping and the incremental improvements via Kaizen. When I am stuck in a project, I would try to apply the same thought as in to redesign, re-think my way and implement incremental improvements to wade my way through the project.

References

MAN6925 Project Management Report Sample

Assessment 1 and 2 Case Scenarios

There is a choice of the following case studies to choose from for your project.

You can select one of the following case studies

Case One Information Systems

The assignment one project is to implement a project management system. The system will comprise scope definition and feasibility module, stakeholder management module, communication module, procurement module and costing modules. The system is a acquired from a third party. Staff will need to be educated about each module.

The system will be established with data imported via comma delimited files or XML. Data will need to be prepared/parsed for import.

It is necessary to purchase a server to run the system and 20 client PCs. The PCs need to be configured with Windows 10 and added to an existing network. The server needs to be setup and tested.

The project requires as a minimum the high-level work activities as follows:

• Requirements gathering
• Server installation
• Installation of server software
• Client PC setup with windows 10
• Client project software installed on each PC
• Test of each pc
• Parse and import data
• User acceptance testing of the application
• Training
• Go live support
• Project review

The above elements need to be expanded to create a project plan 

Solution

1. Introduction

It is important to carry out effective planning for a project to make sure that the project is successful. A number of methodologies are available to apply in a project in order to plan and manage the projects correctly. For Assignment Help Project Management Body of Knowledge, PMBoK is the methodology that includes five phases to manage the projects. It includes initiation, planning, execution, control, and closure phases.
Project Management Plan, PMP is one of the deliverables of the planning phase. It includes the detailed plans for the project to manage the project as a whole and the specific areas within the project. PMBoK defines and recognizes ten such knowledge areas and the PMP includes the guidelines on all of these areas for effective project handling (Heerkens, 2015).

The PMP is prepared for PM Nurseries, PMN project.

2. Objectives

The following are the objectives of the project:

• To gain competitive edge in the market by improving the market shares by at least 20%
• To increase the customer base of PMN by a minimum of 25%
• To complete the project with 100% adherence to the regulatory and compliance levels

3. Project Management Plan (PMP)

3.1. Overview

PMN is a large-scale garden centre company with operations in Australia and New Zealand. The business reputation of the organization has dropped in the past few months and the members of the board have decided to make significant improvements on the same. The business strategies and plans also include the improvements in the reputation as the primary focus for the organization. In this initiative, a number of garden centres of PMN have been earmarked for upgrading. The primary purpose for the project is to gain a competitive edge in the market and enhance the company shares (Snyder, 2015).

Grace is the Regional Manager at PMN and has been allotted the responsibility to develop a PMP for the renovation of one of the garden centres in the Joondalup area. The centre is present on the edge of one of the primary shopping districts and the visitors in the garden centre are mainly the shoppers. The board of PMN has also been successful in acquiring 600 m2 of land next to the garden centre. The plan is to develop this area as an external area for the purpose of displaying and selling garden tools, plants, trees, etc. The design for the external area will be similar to the one deployed by the competitor called Gunnings located in the same area (Brioso, 2015).

3.2. Scope Statement

3.2.1. In-Scope

The project will be classified in a total of five stages as per the PMBoK methodology. These stages and phases will be further classified into sub-activities and tasks.

For the initiation phase, the activities in the project scope will include a detailed analysis on the ongoing businesses and market reputation of PMN. The organization stakeholders will then meet and discuss the project idea with evaluation of pros and cons. The scope will also include feasibility analysis on the economic and environmental aspects along with the social and operational feasibility (Portny, 2017).

The planning phase of the project will include the planning on the various project areas as part of the scope.

The third will be the execution stage and the scope will have the preparation of the site, fencing, installation of CCTV cameras, design and development of the external areas, watering system, checkout stations, and washroom facilities. These areas will be developed as per the design finalized.

The scope for the control phase will be the quality checks and validations along with the implementation of the changes. The project team will also carry out the marketing and advertising activities (Fard et al., 2016).

The last will be the closure stage and it will include the documentation and reporting. The feedback will also be collected and it will be analysed to determine the changes for further improvements.

3.2.2. Out-of-Scope

The project scope will not include the renovation or changes in any other garden centres apart from the one located in the Joondalup area.
The members of the project team will also not interact directly with the customers and the visitors.

3.3. Stakeholder Management Plan

Stakeholders are the key entities in the project and there will be a number of internal and external stakeholders in this case. It will be important to adequately manage these stakeholders so that the project objectives are attained. The details of the project stakeholders are:

• PMN Board: The Board of Directors are the internal stakeholders and these are the entities with enhanced control on the project. All of the approvals and decisions will be made and confirmed by the Board. The Board will be interested in the planned progress of the project with compliance to all the standards and best practices so that the intended objectives are achieved.

• Members of the Staff: The brand reputation of PMN will improve with the execution and completion of the project. The project activities and its outcomes will directly impact the existing staff members of the organization (Jamali & Oveisi, 2016).

• Project Team: The project team will include the staff members of PMN along with some of the experts and consultants hired externally. These are the stakeholders that will carry out the execution of the project tasks and activities so that the project goals can be attained.

• Suppliers and Third-parties: The project is large-scale and it will require a number of tools, equipment, and material to carry out the planned activities. The suppliers and third-party vendors will provide the required material as per the contracts and terms.

• Competitors: The design of the external area is similar to one of the competitors of PMN called Gunnings. There are several other competitors of the organization and their activities, market reputation, and customer base can have significant influence on the project and the decisions made during the project.

• Regulatory Bodies: The stakeholders will keep a check on the compliance aspects of the project. They will ensure that the project execution is in accordance with the standards and best practices.

• Customers: The customer will be the shoppers and visitors to the garden centre. The preferences of the customers will have significant influence on the project.

The management of the stakeholders will be according to the interest, influence, and contribution levels of these stakeholders.

To manage the stakeholders, communication will be the key element. It will be important for the stakeholders to receive the updates on the project as per their interest in the project.

For example, customers and the regulatory bodies have low interest and therefore, the frequency of communication will be determined accordingly. The regulatory bodies will receive the project compliance reports on a monthly basis. Customers have high influence on the project and attempts will be made to increase their interest in the project through marketing and advertising as the mode of communication and interaction. Several mediums including social media will be used to carry out these communications (Nasir et al., 2015).

The internal stakeholders will receive regular updates on the project. There will be a number of communication channels used to interact with the internal stakeholders. These will include daily and weekly status reports, web conferences, instant messages, and emails.

The suppliers will receive the details of the required tools and materials. The terms will be finalized after negotiations and multiple rounds of discussions. The Procurement team will constantly interact with the suppliers to make sure that the deliveries are on time so as to avoid any issues around schedule overrun in the project.

Competitor activities will be tracked and the social media channels will be used to interact with the competitors.

3.4. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

The WBS classifies the project activities into multiple tasks and processes. These will be used to effectively manage the smaller packages so as to meet the overall project goals and objectives.

4. Conclusion

The project for PM Nursery is a large-scale project and it includes a large number of tasks and activities. It is important that all of these tasks and processes are correctly conducted so as to meet the overall project goals. The project is classified in five primary phases and each of these phases has a range of activities and sub-activities under it. The management of the project activities using the PMBoK methodology will make it easier to carry out effective handling and management of the project. The project scope and stakeholders are two key areas within the project and these shall be managed adequately. Scope statement includes the project activities that shall be completed by the project resources and the ones that shall not be executed by the team members. It provides them the clarity on the project execution and activities.

5. References

PROJ6004 Contracts and Procurement Case Study Sample

Assessment 3 Context

Assessment 3 is about best project procurement practice and exploring the benefits of performance-based contracting to develop performance criteria, monitoring processes, contract terms and processesthat ultimately achieves a strong focus on project procurement outcomes and behaviours. It buildson Assessment 1 and 2 by using the ideas and issues raised to identifykey issues that can be consolidated by the Groups to achieve focused actions for best Practice and performance- based procurement contracts.

Assessment 3 also builds on contract management by improved understanding of supplier and client relationships to deliver certainty of outcomes and improved value for all stakeholders.

Note: Groups of 4 people will be assigned by the Learning Facilitator in consultation with the students early during Module 1 or 2, so that students can get to know each other within the group well before starting the group project. A group size of 4 has been proposed to ensure diversity, interaction and opportunity for students to grow and lead teams. Only in exceptional situation a different group size may be approved by the Learning Facilitator.

Instructions:

Assessment 3 will be undertaken progressively through Modules 5 and 6 and will involve Group Report (online students) or PowerPoint Presentation (F2F students).

Based on your research of best procurement practice and the performance-based contracting model(s) and how this has been applied on other complex projects, critique how this method could be applied to the case study example. Students will also discuss key performance criteria, performance monitoring, contract terms that drive performance outcomes and associated contract administration, contract management and the contractor’s role in management of project constraints. The last section of the report/presentation will include a group reflection summary of the key subject learnings. Where appropriate consider the aspects below:

• Specific roles and responsibilities of project manager and procurement manager including in supplier development as part of completions effort or through out the project life cycle (as appropriate).

• The complexity of the project and the challenges faced in terms of contracts and procurement management over the full life-cycle of the project;

• Significant issues or controversial aspects that relate to project stakeholders and/or result in significant risks to the contracting parties;

• Leadership challenges associated with project execution, and importance of completions effort to meet the needs of the key stakeholders.

• Possible actions and how implementing those action will improve sustainable outcomes for the community and key stakeholders (students should include learnings from Module 5 and 6 in areas such as performance drivers, performance outcomes, relationships, completions effort and lessons learnt aspects).

• Understand possible common themes or learnings that can be applied to future large projects to improve management of contacts and procurement and ensure project success.

• Bring out (as appropriate) any aspects related to project management practice and or changes required to ensure better project outcomes. Areas for further vendor negotiations and management - to achieve successful contract completion.

• Importance of completions documentation, project closure and lessonslearnt.

Solution

Specific Roles and Responsibilities

The project life cycle includes the four essential phases: initiation, planning, execution as well as closure. In the Bowen Terrace project, it is evident that the project manager, as well as the procurement manager, plays a vital role in the different stages of the project cycle. The specification of the roles and responsibilities of each of the management as well as the suppliers are productive in increasing the transparency in the execution of the service enabling the completion of the project within limited cost and time. For Assignment Help As the budget of the project is $39 million, which is less than that of the standers prices of a similar project in the market and the time for the entire project is 44 months thus the role of project manager and procurement managers is required to be productive along with the supplier development.

Initiation: The initiation of the project includes the bidding for the project and negotiation with the vendors. The procurement manager plays a vital role in this stage. It is the role of the manager to source the strategies and develop the procurement partnerships. The responsibilities include dealing with the external vendors as well as secure the advantageous terms (Calzolari & Spagnolo, 2017).

Planning: The planning stages are associated with the role of the project manners. It is also the stage that allows the development of the suppliers. The project managers tend to develop a proper contract with the suppliers in this stage, and this ensures that the execution of the best deal is made with the supplier so that the project can be completed within the $39 million. For collaborating with supplier's effective internal coordination with vendors on multiple levels helps the project manager to create scheduled outcomes with adequate communication updates (Du Plessis & Oosthuizen, 2018).

Execution: The stages highlight the role and responsibilities of the project manager. The identification of the skills of the employees and allocating them to the task that they can handle the best is the responsibility of the project manager (Obanda, 2017). The implication of the work breaks down structure is also implicated. The project manager needs to identify the critical path so that the project of Bowen Terrace is completed on time.

Closure: The procurement manager needs to deal with the authorities to make documents that are needed for the handover of the project to the authorities (Zolochevskaya, Popova & Medyakova, 2019). It ensures that the terms and conditions of the project are clear to reduce the level of confusion.
The complexity of the project and the challenges faced

The projects with limited time and cost, like the Bowen Terrace project, has to face numerous complexities all over the project life cycle. The dilemma in price attribution with new supplier involvement leads to a lack of buyer and supplier relationship is based on trust (Ibrahim et al., 2017). Some of the common complexity and challenges that are estimated in the project of Bowen Terrace are listed as follows:

• Confusion in the planning stage leading to delay in the project: Gap created between expectation and actual outcome due to lack of clarity leads to stakeholder misunderstanding and increased confusion (Ugoani, 2020).

• Poor allocation of the cost might increase the total project cost leading to loss to the company: Through Dark purchases where the procurement took place outside the conventional business supply chain gets uncontrollable in terms of spending rate causing high expense and low profitability impacting the finances of the business (Toutounchian et al., 2018).

• Lack of proper communication in the execution stage leading to confusion among stakeholders: Lack of simplicity or clarity in paperwork leads to mismanagement and improper decisions (John & Gurumurthy, 2021). Procurement management often faces risks and challenges related to low information search
Significant issues or controversial aspects

Execution of issues due to the poor interpersonal relations of the stakeholders is leading to a confusing working environment. The project of Bowen Terrace is an essential government project, and as the Olympics is due in the year 2032, thus it is essential for the company to identify the significant issues that might affect the contracting parties. It has been evident that the communication gap and poor availability of information are determined to be effective in developing poor trust and understanding among the stakeholders. The vendors and the suppliers considered to be contracting parties in the project get hampered as they are unable to get proper instruction for their serve execution process.

The availability of data from unauthentic sources is contributing to taking wrong decisions in the project management process. In the opinion of Ibrahim et al. (2017), inventory shortage and lack of information update the stakeholder communication between different departments responsible create possibilities of risk related to wrongful deliveries and inadequate resource amount. The high expectation of the project managers is creating stress among the stakeholders, and they tend to get pressured, affecting their services. The part-time employers are contracted to work for the project like Bowen Terrace, and the unskilled flock of the labourers is leading to the poor quality of the project that might hamper the quality of the project.
Leadership challenges

Leadership is essential so that the team in this project is managers and the Bowen Terrace project is executed within the limited coat and times. However, the challenges associated with the leadership practices are huge as the stakeholders have different cultures and ideologies. The leader’s needs to be very specific with their strategies to motivate the staff as the poor approaches to leaders might reduce the stability of the working environment, impacting the project quality. Some of the essential challenges of the leadership are listed as follows:

• The communication gap is the major issue that is faced by the leaders. The staffs are from different communities, and thus it becomes very difficult for the leaders to communicate fluently with each of the staff due to the language barrier.

• The unavailability of skilled labourers light is challenging for the leaders as the quality of the project is at risk (Shokr & Torabi, 2017).

• The confusion among the team members due to poor information flow might affect the working environment acting as a threat to the leadership.
The effort to meet the needs of the key stakeholders

• The introduction of the training for the staffs on the job sites is helpful in increasing the skill of the unskilled labours. The use of motivation strategies is a must.

• The use of technologies to communicate with the staff is needed. It reduces the issues of poor information flows, leading to the reduction of confusion.

• The use of regular team meetings is helpful in developing integration among them, and they feel important and thus are willing to serve the project better (Oke et al., 2018). The bottom-up approaches of leadership, along with the problem-solving skills of leaders, are productive in completing the Bowen Terrace project on time.

Possible Actions

Possible Common Themes or Learning

The project like Bowen Terrace project has been a great source of leanings. The skills adopted to complete the project on time are the eye-openers, and thus the strategic measures are productive in building different themes associated with the project management approaches. Some of the common themes are listed below:

• Smooth decision making with the help of the smart research

With the help of continuous surveys, smarter and faster solutions regarding the comprehensive system of procurement by undertaking larger projects in future can be reviewed for smooth decision transition.

• Proper contract making to avoided confusion

Preparation of the contracts to be reviewed and analyzed, the supplier relationship buildup needs to be analyzed and professional guidance (Montalbán-Domingo et al., 2019). The trustworthy ties with suppliers need to be maintained by streamlining the relationship between procurement processes and eliminating the possibilities of risk proneness

• Elevating the skills of the staff with proper training during the project

Sharper negotiation skills, multiple stakeholder interrelationships and establishing happy supplier association with procurement and contractual basis can be ascertained. Creating a fine line between the development of strategies and creating happiness amongst stakeholder parties needs to be efficiently drawn (Peng, Wang & Xu, 2020).

• Develop better approaches to communication to build better integrity in the team

With the help of network expansion, stakeholder involvement is possible be enhanced qualitatively to speed up organizational outcomes. Increasing efficiency by using new communication technology tools can help benefit the analytical skill process to take the right decisions.

Aspects related to project management practice and or changes required to ensure better project outcomes

In the process of achieving a successful contract completion, it is essential for the management and the vendor to negotiate on each and every term that is to be listed in the contract. In the case of the Bowen Terrace project, the negotiation includes the proper details of the raw material quality that the suppliers abide by to the managers. The quality of the project is an essential criterion that is the main criteria of the client party. Thus the negotiation needs to be efficient. The actions such as active listing along with proper negotiation of the requirement are a must. It is enhancing the services measures. In the view of Du Plessis & Oosthuizen (2018), the contact needs to be flexible in nature, as the external factors of the project are uncertain and can change during the course of the project life cycle. Thus the implication of flexible trends with the vendors is needed. It is to be done so that the deal can is altered with the two-party negation whenever needed. Mutual agreement with the proper negotiation is a must. The project managers of the Bowen Terrace project needs to ensure that the deal in the contract is as per the requirement of the clients and at the same time develop the strategies of limited cost execution. It is essential in developing a better project to succeed for the project.

Importance of completions documentation, project closure and lessons learnt

The implication of the strategies such as documentation is a must for the project closure. Handling the project with proper paperwork and gaining the satisfaction of the clients is a must. It adds up to the market reputation of the company, and thus they can excel in the market (Obanda, 2017). A project like the Bowen Terrace project needs to be in strong alliance with the final product produced. The resource utility needs to avoid failure so that individual and team maintenance leads to an effective solution for final delivery. In the view of John & Gurumurthy (2021), retrieving documents from archives and celebrating the success helps the hard teamwork and moral spirits to be lifted up. The closure stage plays a vital role in the discussion of the drawbacks of the team and what lessons they have learned with the execution of the stated projects. It is thus productive in ensuring that the project is considered to be vital for the practical learning of the team so that they can adopt effective strategies and build efforts to develop efficiency. This is helpful in improving the quality of the project executed by the team and achieved progress along with excellence.

Reference list

PROJ6004 Contracts and Procurement Case Study Sample

Context:

General

Procurement and contracts are integral to successful project management. Planning for purchases and acquisitions, requests for proposal, vendor selection, contract administration, and contract closure are integral parts of the process. Learning fromcase studies and benchmarking against better practices, standards and excellence is vitalto understand complexity of issues and successful strategies for procurement and contract management. It will also ensure improved responsiveness to key issues, promote supplier- client relationships through proactive management of risks and ultimately deliver higher level of focus on performance-basedoutcomes.

Specific (Assessment 2 Context)

Assessment 2 is about uncovering complexities in the procurement context generally, identifying key issues, looking at leadership, governance and key themes that will allow improved focus, and learning.

Assessment 2 is based on understanding the case study and other module Learning

Resources.

• Students are encouraged to look at the Essential and Highly Recommended Learning
Resources and other public documents associated with the case study.

• However, a careful thorough review of the report is required to understand the contracts and procurement issues that have arisen during the project execution, ongoing risks mitigations and lessons learnt that can be applied to other large infrastructure projects.

• Assessment 2 aims to encourage a deeper understanding of the challenges faced in large complex projects – particularly with procurement methods that involve private-sector finance to deliver complex projects – which is a significant method of procurement because it can mobilise global financial and procurement capability to innovatively build public infrastructure and facilities to meet the needs of the growing population.

• Students are also encouraged to understand and explore the related organisational issues, stakeholders and the funding and finance aspects associated with the project.

Solutions

Instructions:

Assessment 2 Individual Report (overall 2,400 Words) is designed around analyzing the procurement in the case study project. This assessment comprises of three parts:

• Part A: Introduce and summarise the procurement context and scope (life cycle journey of the case study project). Identify the project procurement components and tender evaluation that may have been used in the case study (according to your knowledge from the theory you have studied).

• Part B: Describe the complexities (and key issues/risks), discuss the project environment
and organisation aspects, leadership and governance and how these have influenced outcomes.

• Part C: Identify or suggest key mitigations and possible learnings. Explain how those learnings may require changesto roles and responsibilities of key project resources, changes to procurement briefsor specifications, scope and the procurement process itself. Identify dependencies and common themes.

INTRODUCTION

Procurement and contract are integral aspects of project management. They establish the foundation of the project and streamline the functions in order to manage it in the desired manner. It is part of the Planning phase of the project management life cycle. The current report is based on “PROJ 6016 Capstone Case Study – Bowen Terrace”. The contents highlighted are divided into 3 parts – A, B, and C, along with a reflective journal.

Figure 1: Project Management Life Cycle
(Source: created by learner)

PART A

Summary of Procurement Context and Scope (Life cycle Journey)

Procurement Management

The procurement management within the current case study is susceptible to supply chain issues that may arise. For Assignment Help, They are likely to face post covid-19 supply chain issues and it is the responsibility of the procurement manager to make sure that a reliability of supply quality of the items price and mitigation of are practiced appropriately within the life cycle. They would need to focus on these aspects and make sure that the required raw materials are procured for construction and development of the desired infrastructure (Demirkesen&Ozorhon, 2017).

Scope Management

The scope of this project is very broad and needs a strong control mechanism so that it can be insinuated within the project environment. Effective management of project activities needs to be undertaken in order to successfully define the project scope. It is vital to make sure that the scope of the current project would remain flexible so that the last-minute changes due to construction and infrastructure could be inculcated and adjusted within the same.

Identification of Project Procurement Components and Evaluation in Case study

Procurement Journey

Figure 2: Procurement Process
(Source: created by learner)

Identification of Requirements: procurement journey starts with identifying the requirements. They could be internal or external depending upon whether they are required by the business as a part of their current operations or the project will eventually use them within their output. This stage involves assessment of the needs and setting a budget (de Araújo et al., 2017). Within the current project of Bowen Terrace Campus site, it would be the duty of the procurement manager to identify the requirements and prepare a list of the same.

Selection of Supplier: this stage involves the Sourcing of suppliers and determining whether or not they would be able to provide the best value and quality goods as per the needs. It is vital for the business to identify reputable vendors who have a long-term partnership with the project site so that they don't fall susceptible to supply chain issues.

Petrovaet al. (2017) highlighted that strategic procurement should be employed in the construction projects as it is a less responsive procurement process as the preferred suppliers for the requirements will already be in place. The procurement manager of the campus would need to analyse supplier options based on their quotations and the services offered so that an informed decision is made in favour of the project.

Negotiation of Contract Terms: after the preferred supplier is shortlisted it is necessary to negotiate terms of contract with them. It is the responsibility of the procurement manager to reach a price which is favourable for the supplier as well as the project (Putri et al., 2019). It is suggested that the procurement manager of the campus site should reflect upon previous negotiations to identify opportunities which will allow them to streamline costs and save money.

Finalization of the Purchase Order: the next step involves the preparation and finalization of purchase orders which includes a description of the required goods and services, total cost of quantity, and workflow management of the same. When a purchase order is approved in procurement management it is sent to the friendship team with reference number agreement of payment terms and any other essential information regarding the same.

Generation of Invoice and Payment: once a supplier has received the purchase order, they will send an invoice to the procurement manager with instructions how to pay. Currently this part is being done automatically through invoice automation and digital channels. Procurement manager of the campus site would need to make sure that the payment terms are developed on the basis of contractual agreement and the strength of the relationship instead of domination (Lemar, 2018).

Delivery and Audit: after the payment is made it is the duty of the supplier to deliver the ordered goods as soon as possible. The key responsibilities of the procurement manager of the campus site should double check that all the contents ordered have been delivered and if there is something missing, they should contact the supplier and rectify the problem.

Maintenance of Accurate Invoices for Future Audit: the procurement manager should ensure that the records of purchases are kept up to date along with invoices and payments so that when they are due for a cash flow audit by the project manager, they can undertake calculation precisely (Shehu et al., 2019). Theprocurement manager of Campus site needs to maintain accurate invoices so as to make sure that they are not overspending or understanding and rather focused on satisfying the needs.

Scope Journey

Figure 3: Process of Defining Scope
(Source: created by learner)

Planning: this stage aims to plant all the deliverables that the project will deliver. For example, in the current case study, the project deliverable would be the accommodation facility at Brisbane.

Collection of Requirements: it is necessary to ask all the stakeholders what are the specific requirements of the project that will allow it to achieve its entire deliverable(Al-Rubaieiet al., 2018). Here, the requirements would be water supply, electricity supply, safe accommodation facility, and catering to the needs of athletes.

Definition of Scope: these elements are then integrated into a single statement that defines what the project aims to achieve. The project manager of the Brisbane campus site would define the scope while discussing the same with the stakeholders and identifying their peculiar requirements within the

PART B

Description of Complexities

Potential risks are based on project changed elements and external environmental factors in the project life cycle. It is vital to know that planning is required to make sure that the integrity of the project is maintained. This postulation includes the factors of various stakeholders, physical site, and nature of site activity. It is necessary that the planning of this project satisfies the scrutiny of the board of directors of the Olympic Committee which are monitoring the 2032 games. It is essential that they have confidence within this project and also assist with the deliverables so that it is managed well. The complexities of the current project in the form of risks and key issues are stated below:

Figure 4: Types of Risks and Key Issues of the Case Study
(Source: created by learner)

Logistical Risk: various Logistical complexities need to be addressed before commencing the project. These risks included transportation facilities, necessary equipment, labour, and fuel. If the project manager of the terrace campus site does not address these logistical issues the current project is likely to face delays and Finance losses (Keshk et al., 2018).

Environmental Risks: these include natural disasters and weather implications. These risks are likely to go undetected when the members of the project team are unfamiliar with the local climatic conditions(Serpell et al., 2017). Within the present context, it would be made sure that the team has some local residents of Brisbane so that they can win the other members regarding complications that may arise in the project life cycle.

Management Risks: the most common management through which the Brisbane campus site is likely to undergo is that of uncertain productivity of resources. The project manager would have to make sure that the killed team members are appointed and have adequately defined their responsibilities and roles.

Financial Risks: the budget for building is $39 Million, which is the below market expectations. It has been said that the construction project is likely to undergo budget constraints due to its proposed allocation and also the Global constraints on the Australian economy. These are the constraints which are likely to reduce the competitiveness of the project and comprise the financial risk that can interfere with the final output.

Political / stakeholder risk: the current project handles various resources which have political connections and are likely to bring politically charged complications in the project environment. It is necessary that an effective and responsible reporting system should be set up to fight off political wrangling and construct a world class building into the spotlight because of intended use(Ansah et al., 2017).

Quality risk: the Olympic movement has rated different countries upon the standard of quality that can deliver if the games are held in specific locations. It is the duty of the Brisbane Olympic community to make sure that their bid is being rated the highest.

Discussion of Project Environment and Organizational Context

Brisbane suffers from a shortage of suitable local accommodation. Brisbane City Council has requested that such accommodation should be developed and Torrens University will be developing a site close to its Bowen terrace campus that would be used to provide documents issued to everything that would be participating in the Olympics in 2032. After the international event, the accommodation facility would be used for student rental accommodation at the campus site only.

The proposed location of the complex site is behind the campus building at Brisbane which is underutilised commercial facility in the fortitude valley. Estimated 44 months of planning and build time is anticipated which will also include demolition of the existing infrastructure in February 2022. In order to satisfy the demand of the Brisbane City Council the building would be constructed for 15 floors above the ground level with a ground floor that will have a leisure area, internet cafe, and laundry facilities.

Single and double room combinations would be there at the accommodation floors which are capable of providing housing to minimum 20 individuals per floor. Each room would be composed of a bed and writing desk along with air conditioner, television, and fridge.

Leadership and Governance and their Impact

The project leadership and governance set directly puts an impact on the decision-making process of the environment (Drouin et al., 2018). As per the views of Pilkiene et al. (2018) the role of leadership is highly important in project management as it encapsulates a wide range of activities including task coordination, effective planning, inspiring team members, overseeing projects, and making vital decisions to set a plan for conducting actionable. The management of the project will be done through a project management contractor that will report directly to the project management panel. This panel is established for the particular project and is based in Brisbane.

It is the responsibility of the project manager of the terrace campus site project to recruit a project team as per his requirements and their skill set (van Meerkerk&Edelenbos, 2018). The major impact of effective leadership in the project environment is that it allows streamlined operations and makes sure that the activities are conducted in the desired way with no discrepancies in human resources or physical resources.

Müller et al. (2019) explained that governance is a framework which integrates the factors of accountability and authorities while defining the control in the project environment. It aims to monitor the outcomes and benefits from the project and how it will satisfy the needs of the stakeholders. Effective governance gives the required confidence to the board of directors that they approve the funding of the project and make sure that they are managed well.

The governing entity of the terrace campus site project is Brisbane City Council. This is so because the development of the site was their primary request and the entity is well qualified to manage the projects on a city level due to their extensive understanding of the need and the way accommodation facilities should be constructed. It is suggested that the City Council should work in alliance with the project management team so that a collaboration could be stirred and deliverables could be achieved in the desired manner.

PART C

Identification and Suggestion of Key Mitigation and Learning

Selecting up on the project brief it has been identified that mitigation strategies need to be developed and implemented within the risk management procedures so that if the project Encounters any of the risk displays it would be able to find the same without hurting its progress or over spending its resources. It has been learnt that the needs of the athletes and the students should be the prime focus of this brief as they would be the end users of the accommodation facility at the Brisbane campus of Torrens University. By doing so the project manager will be able to ensure that the deliverable is in compliance with the requirements and is capable of satisfying the needs of the end users in the most appropriate manner.

Impact of Learnings on Roles and Responsibilities of Key Project Resources

It is vital to note that the learnings and identification have an impact on roles and responsibilities of key project resources. For example, the leisure room should be able to reflect the interests of the students and the athletes in the form of books, basketball court, chess boards etc. This is likely to change the roles and responsibilities of key project resources as they need to be scrutinized by keeping the needs of students and athletes in perspective. The resources such as logistical requirements and raw materials are also likely to change because a student accommodation facility is different from normal one and is a symbol of youth and dedication instead of just a place to live.

Changes to Procurement Briefsor Specifications

As per the learning there would be changes in the procurement briefs and specifications. The items that were earlier being made specific as per the needs of Brisbane City Council, how to reply the perspective of the end-users so that the utilisation of time and resources is fruitful and allows the project management and it to cover up its cost. The scope management section of the brief will need to accommodate the demands of students and athletes within the scope statement. The nature of raw materials and other procurement requirements is also likely to change so as to make sure that they are in compliance with the needs and wants of the stakeholders.

Identification of Dependencies and Common Themes

The dependencies of the current case study lie within satisfaction of stakeholders. If they do not approve of the final deliverable, the business organization can land up in huge loss. The common themes of the current report are based on the principles of project management, with specific reference to the aspects of procurement and contract. The common themes of the report and case study are Procurement Management and Scope Management.

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL

After completing the assignment, I felt that my core concepts of procurement and contract are clarified. This assignment also allowed to apply the principles of project management into real time basis which enabled to understand how theoretical knowledge can be implemented in practical life. I faced some difficulties understanding which concepts need to be implemented in what context, but I feel that, that is something I will able to improve with time and practice.

CONCLUSION

From the current report, it can be concluded that the extensive procurement and scope process will need to be followed within the case study in order to streamline the operations. Complexities at the Bowen terrace include a variety of risks such as logistical, management, and quality etc. Leadership and governance are an integral of a project environment and can impact the operations and activities. The key consideration of the case study is that it needs to emphasis more on the needs of the final users – students and athletes in order to achieve success.

References