Question

The Woolong Company produces high-end vacuum cleaners and has hired you to oversee the development and release of their latest product. A preliminary project initiation meeting will result in the identification of the project sponsor, selection of a project manager, and creation of the project charter. A manager in the production department who knows you are taking a college project management course asks you to prepare a report to help them prepare for the meeting by answering the following questions:

• Who are the project stakeholders? How will they be involved in the project?
• Whom should the project sponsor be? Why?
• What skills and experience are likely needed by the project manager for each phase in the project life cycle, and how do these skills and experiences differ between the various phases?
• What kind of roles and responsibilities should the key stakeholders have? Discuss at least 4–5 different kinds of stakeholders.
• How should they communicate to different stakeholders during the project?
  • What information should be shared with the project stakeholders?
  • What is the mechanism that could be used for each type of information?
  • What is the frequency with which information should be shared?
  • What should be done if project communications are not proving to be effective?
  • What technology could be used for project communications?
  • At what point could communication about the project become an ethical or legal issue?
• What are the best ways to manage project risks as well as opportunities during project execution?
  • How do they update and analyze old risks as well as new risks while undertaking the project?
  • What business opportunity might project completion create?
  • What is the potential financial impact of the project?
  • What are the expected results of the project?
  • What value will the project add?
  • What is the potential impact to the company if the project is not finished well?

Answer 1

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Who are the project stakeholders? How will they be involved in the project?

The project stakeholders are any individual, group, or organization that may be affected by the activity or outcome of the project. For Woolong Company this would be the executive management, mid-level management, the employees that would create the product, and any shareholders that would profit from the product. The executive management would be involved with the project by approving the resources that would be needed.

Whom should the project sponsor be? Why?

The project sponsor will need to be a person within Woolong Company that a high enough position to be able to take the required actions that are needed as project sponsor. The project sponsor should be an individual that can negotiate the required funding for the project. They should be the voice for the project and be the spokesperson when communicating to executive management. The person will need to give direction and guidance for the project to ensure success. The sponsor should be able to identify and manage the project benefits as needed. They will need to be able to be part of the initial planning for the project, creating the project charter, and the project scope. They will have to be responsible for negotiating with the stakeholders and will need a strong enough personality to do so. They will need to be able to deal with changes that will happen during the project’s schedules and tasks. The sponsor will also need to be able to involve the stakeholders in the project when appropriate to ensure that they continue to support the project. Lastly the sponsor will need to be able to evaluate the level of the project’s success once completed.

What skills and experience are likely needed by the project manager for each phase in the project life cycle, and how do these skills and experiences differ between the various phases?

The project manager is expected to have skills regarding project management, technical knowledge, and experience. During the project initiation the project manager must be able to research and collect the necessary information about the customer. They must be able to communicate with many different types of people and personalities throughout the other phase of the project, but the groundwork must be laid out successfully in the first phase. During the planning phase the project manager will need to have leaderships skills in order to map out the path that the team will be taking. They will still need communication skills, but they also need budgeting skills in order to be able to create the cost management plan for the project. The execution phase continues to use the previous skills from the other phases, but they will also need the project management knowledge skills and the technical knowledge skills. They will also need to be aware of quality management skills. The project closure phase will require the project manager to have another set of skills that will be used to verify that the project was completed. The project manager will need to collect data and create reports showing the results of the project and it’s benefits.

What kind of roles and responsibilities should the key stakeholders have? Discuss at least 4–5 different kinds of stakeholders.

The project stakeholders are any individual, group, or organization that may be affected by the activity or outcome of the project. Each stakeholder has a different function in how they help with the project. The project sponsor is likely the senior manager and is accountable for the overall project. They are responsible for the project. The project manager is in charge of making sure that the project is running smoothly and is able to work through potential risks and issues. Senior Management, other than the project manager, have the role of influencing the project. These managers usually have a vested interest in the outcome of the project. Project team members are the stakeholders that work directly on the project from start to finish. They are invested in making sure that the work is completed on time and correctly. Project vendors have the role of supply the project with the materials needs for the project. They are stakeholders in the project as they will gain profits from the materials being supplied. Lastly project recipients are stakeholders who will end up with the final product. They need to give guidance as to what is needed of the project and its final product. These recipients can my internal or external to the company.

How should they communicate to different stakeholders during the project?

Different stakeholders should be communicated to in different ways. Stakeholders such as project sponsors and senior management should be involved with meetings that allow for a dialogue to be exchanged between the stakeholders and the project manager. Meeting in person also allows for the project manager to be given verbal and non-verbal cues that will help to avoid a miscommunication or misinterpretation of the information. Conference calls can also be used to accommodate stakeholders that are not able to be met with in person due to location restrictions. The dialogue can still take place and if the conference allows video, some of the non-verbal cues can still be picked up on. Meetings of this nature also have the ability to be recorded for any party that may have missed the meeting. Email is another way to communicate to the stakeholders. This is more appropriate for stakeholders that are team members, project vendors, and project recipients. This allows for communication to be mass distributed allows everyone to stay on the same page with a formal meeting.

What information should be shared with the project stakeholders?

Sharing information with project stakeholders can be a daunting task but supplying information about the project is crucial. Stakeholders should be informed about goals and timelines of the project. These goals should be repeated each time there is an update with the stakeholders to avoid any misunderstandings with the project. They should also be informed of meetings that are happening within the projects. This means that from the very first meeting to get the project started the stakeholders should be informed about which meetings they will need to present for and supplied with a time, date, and location of the meeting. They need to be informed of any tasks or responsibilities that they will need to take care of for the project. If stakeholders are involved in different projects, make sure that the task are given with plenty of notice and also given a deadline. Lastly stakeholders should be informed of any technology and resources that are being used for the project. The stakeholders may be more likely to stay involved if they can keep in touch with the project via a cloud-based platform for file sharing. Stakeholders need to be informed and when they have questions they will easily be able to get those questions answered with current communication technologies.

What is the mechanism that could be used for each type of information?

Mechanisms that should be utilized for sharing information with the different types of stakeholders will change depending on the stakeholder. If communicating to senior level management it may be better to show them goals and deadlines via a Gantt chart. This will give them a visual representation of what they need to know and can be used with face to face meetings or teleconferencing. If communicating with a project vendor an email thread and reports may be the easiest mechanisms to communicate and share information. Other

What is the frequency with which information should be shared?

Communication for the project should be done in four types of cycles: checkpoint reporting, highlight reporting, stage planning and reporting, and end project reporting. Checkpoint reporting is done throughout the project lifespan and reviews the status of the project’s deliverables/products, any risks or issues, and change requests. Checkpoint reporting happens most frequently and can be every one or two weeks. Highlight reporting happens less frequently and has the main goal of covering areas of interest such are the budget, project status, and major risks and issues of the project. This type of reporting can happen on a monthly routine unless the need arises to happen sooner. Stage planning and reporting is delivered by the breakdown of the project into different chunks. Each level has a different duration and should be reported on accordingly by the project manager to the stakeholders. Finally, the end project reporting is completed at the end of the project. This will cover the entire project’s events compared to the original plan of the project.

What should be done if project communications are not proving to be effective?

If a project is having ineffective communication the project manager should take steps to improve of correct the issue. The project manager should schedule regular meetings in order of the team to communicate. This will allow the team to become more fluid in communicating with each other. The project manager should also work to identify behaviors that effective and ineffective for the team’s communication process. These behaviors can then be discussed with the group or done one-on-one with an individual to improve communication. A tool such as a survey can be useful. If each team member fills out a survey answering question about what helps or hinders the communication process, then the project manager will be able to obtain a clearer picture of the situation.

What technology could be used for project communications?

The use of technology in project communication can take many different forms. Project communication has moved to a modern approach with the use of email and intranets within organizations. Web portals and databases make information easily accessible for teams and can be updated as frequently as possible. Phone and video conferencing allow for team’s members to communicate quickly and efficiently across the globe if needed. Specialized programs also allow teams to work in the same format and can allow for real-time changes for a document.

At what point could communication about the project become an ethical or legal issue?

Ethical and legal concerns could arise anytime there is a conflict in the project. These can range from internal issues regarding the team and how the interact with each other or they can arise from the outside if the project requires them to use a company that may not follow the same moral guidelines and policies. These should be dealt with immediately and monitored throughout the lifespan of the project.

What are the best ways to manage project risks as well as opportunities during project execution?

The most effective way to manage project risks and opportunities is to use project risk management processes. Plan risk management defines how the risk management activities for the project will be conducted. Identifying risks is the process of identifying risk, whether positive or negative, and determining the source of that risk as well as the characteristics of that risk. Project risks should be managed by keeping an open line of communication during the project. Risks should be analyzed to determine if they can be turned into opportunities that are beneficial. When analyzing the risks, they should also be prioritized so that the risks with the highest chance of occurring and the highest impact are dealt with first.

How do they update and analyze old risks as well as new risks while undertaking the project?

All risks should be logged in a risk register and monitored throughout the project. If there is a change then it should be documented and if a new risk arises it should be added to the register. There should be a project team member that will be in charge of the register and keeping it current. This will allow the risks to be tracked so the project can stay on its intended timeline.

What business opportunity might project completion create?

When projects are completed, opportunities can be created. Opportunities within the company can be an increase in trust within the project team. The project can be reviewed and learned from on how to make processes more efficient and save time and money in the future. From outside the company the opportunities may present as additional contracts for the company or a higher customer satisfaction that will result in repeat business. Companies that have customers vouching for work are more likely to gain more business through those referrals.

What is the potential financial impact of the project?

The project will initially start off as an expense for the company. Once the project is completed the company should be able to recoup the costs by the end of the fiscal year or other predetermined payback period. The project will also have the ability to produce future revenue with the new product line.

What are the expected results of the project?

The expectation for the project is that it will be completed on time and within the allotted budget. The project should create a product that will add value to the company and the consumer. The impact that the project has on the organization should be a positive result of a stronger team.

What value will the project add?

The project will add a new vacuum to the product line of the company. This will generate sales revenue from new customers and existing customers. The addition of the new line can allow the company to show potential customers that they can design vacuums to fit the needs that may not already being met thus potentially helping to build future products for the company.

What is the potential impact to the company if the project is not finished well?

The potential impact for the company if the project is not finished could be detrimental. The product will not be completed, and the time, money, and resources will have been wasted. The company would lose the contract for the current customer and may lose out on future consumers due to not gaining referrals. The company would also fall behind competitors that are in the same market.

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