The Role of Project Management in Success

Introduction

Innovation and development which ultimately contributes to advancement of life is highly dependent on individual projects which have to be managed effectively to ensure the attainment of their intended objectives. According to Mansa and Jasperson (2021), project management involves adequate organization and planning of an institution’s resources such as finances, technology and human resource to enable the achievement of a specified task. While most projects are one time endeavors which are completed upon the achievement of their purpose, for example projects needed to quickly solve an emergent problem within a process, other projects can entail ongoing tasks with milestone activities whose completion sets up the beginning of another milestone to be achieved such as the project discussed within this report (Project Management Institute, 2021). However, adequate project management often comes with significant benefits including cutting down costs on unnecessary processes and therefore saving both time and money. Good project management also ensures the continuous flow of a project and ultimately leads to enhanced productivity and profitability which are the ultimate goals of any endeavor or project. These concepts and aspects of project management are extensively discussed within this report in the context of a case project in a planning and scheduling project for a business trip. The report will highlight among other things, the project management approach adopted for the project case as well assist application and analysis of other aspects such as the project stakeholders, potential risks and the people side of the project.

Organization Scenario

The case project involves Heating and Air Flow Solutions Ltd (HAFS) that was founded in the mid-nineties by Alan Halton. Since its founding, the company has for more than a decade competed for and succeeded in winning contracts to install and service heating systems in commercial premises. However with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK and the rest of the world, business in HAFS came to a standstill but then picked up significantly afterwards due to the emergent and increased need for air flow solutions to help fight the spread of the pandemic. HAFS are now looking to engage more in providing air flow solutions such as air conditioning and filtering systems within organizations seeking to filter the air circulating within their buildings to help reduce the risk of Covid infections. Air filtering system as such has become a much more significant part of HAFS business despite having previously generated only a small proportion of their income. With this increase in business in their previously dormant sector, a recent review led to a decision by the company to revisit and adopt the use of digital technology. With the investment in digital technology, the company will be able to install internet enabled monitoring technology which provides real time data on the performance of heating and air flow systems remotely. This technology will not only enable an enhancement of the company’s response time to any faults in the systems but will also enable the company to pre-empt certain problems by offing advanced warning that an issue is developing, something that would have previously gone undetected until it worsened and caused the system to shut down. To this end, the company conducted a market research for such digital, internet-enabled technologies and came up with a short list of three providers. Each of the three providers has been invited to make detailed presentations to HAFS about their offerings and how they might add value to HAFS business. However because Alan Halton and the company require a hands on experience and feel of what each supplier is offering, rather than inviting them to HAFS Head Office in Hull, it has been decided that he and other senior colleagues will instead visit each supplier at their main UK site. The project management task as such is to plan and organize the transportation and accommodation details required to visit each of the three shortlisted suppliers during one trip.

The HAFS staff required include 4 managers in Rita Ali, Head of Corporate Services; James Leach, Finance Director; Robert Dixon, Operations Director; and Alan Halton. The trip will commence on Monday, 4th April 2022. The first meeting with one of the suppliers is scheduled at 9:00 am on Tuesday, 5th April at One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London EH14 5DU. The team will then meet the second supplier at 3 Forbury Place, Forbury Road, Reading, RG1 3JH at 11 am next day for up to 4 hours. On Thursday, 7th April, a meeting is arranged with the third supplier at 10 am at their vicinity on 40 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1JA till 12:30 pm. The team will then go to their homes after their last meeting. One will travel back to Hull, the other two will head to Brough and the fourth one will go to York.

Project Management Approach

Justification

A project management approach defines how an individual would tackle a project to ensure all its aspects and tasks are performed adequately from start to finish leading to the achievement of the designed end goal. Projects often contain a wide range of interdependent and interconnected tasks which require performance in a certain defined order for adequate outcomes. Tereso et al. (2018) points out that as a result of this interdependence and interconnectedness of project tasks, there is need for a particular set of instructions and directions to serve as a guide for when and how to manage project activities for all the individuals involved in the project. Two project management approaches can be adopted in any modern project regardless of the discipline in which the project is. Lean project management and traditional project management. Byrne (2021) asserts that the major difference between traditional and lean project management is how the leadership executes and achieves its strategic goals. The traditional management approach is centered on achieving a desired end goal through a defined sequence while in the lean project management approach the focus is to improve quality of outcome, and as such processes and activities will often be repeated to help find the most optimum direction to follow.

Further, according to Cobb (2015) lean management is best adopted in projects where enhancing quality and optimizing the use of resources is the main end goal. On the other hand, Projects that use the traditional project management approach are run in a sequence style, and the emphasis is to ensure that linear processes have been observed (Cobb, 2015). In addition to the HAFS Project engaging in planning a sequential business trip and accommodation packages, the project also involves identifying activities, associated costs, and risk factors. These activities need to be scheduled sequentially and appropriately for ultimate success and the traditional project management approach proves the appropriate tools and techniques required for this planning and scheduling. The HAFS scenario also asks for a NPV calculation to be undertaken, a property that is consistent with the traditional project management tools. As such the traditional approach has many features relating to the requirements of the HAFS project which makes it the most suitable project management approach for the HAFS task. In addition, according to Rolstadas et al. (2014), approaches to project management can be viewed in two perspectives; either through the prescriptive approach that focuses on the formal qualities of the project organization, including governing documentation and procedures as well as the adaptive perspective that focuses on the process of developing and improving a project organization, project culture and team commitment. For a project to be adequately managed however, the adopted approach should be able to incorporate both of these perspective so as to incorporate the set governing procedures and protocols as well as account for the continuous improvement of the organization, the projects culture and its teams’ commitment. Of the two discussed project management approaches, the traditional project management approach was the most effective as it incorporates both of the project management perspectives to ensure a complete and wholesome outcome of the projects upon completion.

The Traditional Management Approach

The traditional management approach was the first specific and defined method of managing projects developed in the 1950s as a result of the development of complex tasks due to the fast pace of growth and development experienced at the time (Sinnaps, 2020). Kashyap (2019) defines it as an established methodology for project management where projects are run in a sequential cycle which often entails a repetition of previously carried out tasks. The traditional project management approach follows a defined sequence of activities including Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring and Closure and generally puts a significant emphasis on the linear processes such as upfront planning; securing documentation and prioritization of activities based on their urgency and established time limits (Sinnaps, 2020). Sequences can be effectively defined by using project management tools such as Sinnaps and the Gantt-Flow chart. In the application of this approach each project follows the same lifecycle, which includes five stages as described in the chart below

Initiation

The initiation phase depicts the beginning of the project. In this phase all the stakeholders and individuals to be involved in the project have to define the project at a broad level in order for everyone to understand their goal and purpose (IBQMI, 2015). If the project is certified to be feasible by all involved stakeholders after doing their own individual and specific due diligence and after some feasibility testing the project is then given a green light and this is succeeded by the development of the project charter or a project initiation document. Villanova University (2021) asserts that the project charter or Project Initiation Document outlines the general purpose and requirements for the developed project and includes the business aims and needs of all involved stakeholders.

Planning

The second phase after initiation is planning for the various tasks, activities and deliverables for the project. Eby (2018) highlights that this phase is significantly important to the ultimate success of the project and majorly focuses on the development of a project plan to be followed by everyone. In addition to the development of the project goals and objectives, the project planning phase also includes the definition of the projects scope, the project management plan, and identification of the cost, quality and required resources as well as the determination of a realistic timetable to being able to complete the project. This phase also entails the development of the project baseline for performance measurement which enables the active tracking of the projects progress overtime.

Execution

The third phase of the traditional project management approach is the project execution. This is often seen as the main event in project management as it marks the beginning of the execution of all the physical tasks and activities outlined within the project plan. According to Eby (2018) the project execution phase often starts with a “kick-off” meeting within which the teams involved are briefed on their various responsibilities as the deliverables are developed. IBQMI (2015) lists the main activities within this phase of the project to include team development, resource assignment, execution of project management plans, procurement, project tracking, execution of task assignments, status meetings, project updating and plans modification.

Monitoring and Control

Project monitoring and control often occurs concurrently with the project execution phase and generally involves measuring the projects performance and progression to ensure that the project is on the right track as defined within the project plan and project management plan. Active Collab (2020) asserts that within the project monitoring and control phase, project managers will often use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to determine whether or not the project is on the right track. The phase generally involves tracking, regulating and reviewing the projects progress and performance in order to identify any areas that may require changes and initiating the corresponding changes. Based on the various tools and techniques adopted by Project managers to control and monitor a project, some of the areas that may need controlling, managing and changing include the project scope, schedules and costs.

Closure

Project closure marks the final stage of the project and project management activities and often occurs at the successful completion of the project. It involves a ‘post mortem’ meeting of the project execution and management team to review the entire project and identify what went well as well as what can be improved in any subsequent projects. This is then succeeded by the development of a project report to highlight the actual budget and resources utilized as well as any variations and deviations from the project plan that are of note. Any third party contributors to the project such as contractors are also terminated at this time to adequately mark the completion of the project.

Application of the Traditional Project Management Approach

In traditional Project management approach a wide range of tools and techniques are used in evaluating a project scenario. Beginning with the projects aim and objectives, traditional project management approach is also concerned with the stakeholders’ interests and needs, the planning and execution of the project as well as any potential risks.

Aims and Objectives

The main aim of the HAFS project is to ensure a successful travel and meeting of the company’s executives with the three identified digital monitoring systems suppliers across the UK and develop a fruitful partnership with one or more of them. In achieving this aim four main objectives will be followed including

Objectives

Collecting and documenting the necessary information required by the executives while embarking on the business trip

Planning and organizing adequate transportation for the executives to visit the suppliers at their various HQs

Planning and organization a comfortable and suitable overnight accommodations for the executives

Overseeing the communication between the executives and the providers of transport and accommodation to ensure a seamless trip

Needs Met and Stakeholders

According to Voropaev, Gelrud and Klimenko (2016), stakeholders in an organization or project management endeavor refer to the people or different parties who have a vested interest within the project in question. Each stakeholder whether or not they are aware of it, is only interested in a project that is guaranteed to benefit them. Stakeholders within a project or organization can be classified in two major categories, internal and external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders are the people within the organization or company who stand to benefit from the organization activities and strategies carried out in different projects, among these internal stakeholders include the company shareholders, executives, and other employees attached to the company or organization. External stakeholders on the other hand are parties outside of the company who also stand to benefit from the various project indulgences of the company. They may include suppliers, as well as logistics companies and any partners to the company. Stakeholders can also be classified based on the Hayes matrix which classifies stakeholders in four categories based on their power and influence in the project. Within the matrix, stakeholders can be sponsors/blockers, meddlers, bystanders or victims/beneficiaries. The key stakeholders in this project are the four executives embarking on the business trip and the main need to be fulfilled is ensuring a successful business trip which includes adequate and reliable transport and accommodation packages for all the four executives throughout their four day long trip. Other stakeholders include the three different suppliers to be visited, the transportation and Logistics Company used as well as the accommodation providers in hotels. The project manager is responsible for ensuring the successful implementation of the whole project. Thus, commitment from all of the stakeholders is very important. Lack of cooperation from any stakeholder will greatly affect its implementation and output. Below are the major stakeholders within the HAFs project mapped in the Hayes matrix?

Main Stages

The traditional Project Approach is made up of techniques used by a project manager in planning, estimating, and controlling the activities of any project (Špundak, 2014). The objective of these techniques is to ensure that the desired goal of the project is achieved with the parameters outlined. This type of approach is used on projects where the activities are carried out to follow a particular sequence, and there are minimal or no changes. The concept of the traditional project approach is based on the predictability of experience and the tools used in the project (Shenhar and Dvir, 2007). For each project foreseen or carried out, there is a similar life cycle consisting of five stages where the project manager initiates, plans, executes, controls, and closes a project (Burke, 2013).

Initiation

According to IBQMI (2015), the initiation phase of a project is often the very first step of any project and includes the definition of the project parameters and requirements for all involved parties to understand. The project was initiated by highlighting the purpose of the project as well as the objectives and deliverables that are expected to be achieved at the end of the project. Given that the main aim of the HAFS project is to ensure an adequate business trip and accommodation for the four company executives to visit the three potentially short listed suppliers, the initiating phase included an evaluation of the potential transport providers and accommodation options available for the project.

Planning

Planning is the second phase of the project management process and often includes the organization and planning of the various activities, tasks and deliverables necessary for the implementation of the project. The planning phase is critical to the ultimate success of the project because it majorly focuses on the development of a project plan to be followed by everyone (Eby, 2018). In the planning phase the traditional project management tool is used to analyze both the mid and high alternatives of travel and accommodation to be used in the actual project which is to commence in the first week of April.

Project Options

The project options included two cost options a mid-priced and a high-priced option to be considered by the executives embarking on the trip.

Option 1: Mid-Priced Option

Option B: High-Priced

Out of the two options presented, the Mid-Priced option A was the preferred choice. In addition to the manageable prices of both the transportation and accommodation, option A also provides adequate accommodation for the 3 nights in the trip as well as adequate transportation, to and from the various sites where they will be meeting the suppliers. Kings Executive suits has some of the best reviews indicating top notch services that will ensure all the four executives are well rested and prepared for all the three meetings. The option also offers safe and convenient travel options in trains and luxurious, spacious and relaxing premium car, hired to help ferry them to and from the meeting sites.

Work Breakdown Structure

According to Kolisch (2013), a work breakdown structures outlines the various activities of a potential project in a sequential order and organizes them into smaller manageable sections. The WBS presented below indicates all the crucial and necessary activities that will be taken to ensure the successful completion of the highlighted project. Hans (2013) advances that a WBS also serves to indicate to the management what is to be done, when it is to be done and how it is to be done. The work breakdown structure below provides the first attempt at modeling the project process.

Execution

The execution phase is the third phase of the traditional project management approach and it involves the implementation of the physical activities and tasks associated with the project and project plan. The execution phase is a critical phase in project management and one that requires the most time and resources. Often and similarly in the HAFS project, it will include the assembling of the team and resources required, carrying out the different project activities based on the set out plan and monitoring them to address and correct any emergent issues. Project execution requires organization, control, leadership, decision-making and problem solving skills. The execution of the project will follow the laid out sequence in the Work breakdown structure and adhere to the timelines outlined in the Gantt chart below

Monitoring and Control

Project monitoring and control often occurs concurrently with the project execution phase and generally involves measuring the projects performance and progression to ensure that the project is on the right track as defined within the project plan and project management plan. Active Collab (2020) asserts that within the project monitoring and control phase, project managers will often use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to determine whether or not the project is on the right track. In the HAFS project monitoring and control will include consistent communication with the Transport and accommodation companies to ensure the executives arrive to the various cities they need to be in, in good time and are ferried to the various meetings with the three suppliers on time. Monitoring activities will also include ensuring that all the four executives are comfortable and adequately accommodated in the hotels that have been selected including proper meals and any additional amenities and services needed. The process of monitoring and control will also include an analysis of any potential risks that may be involved within the project and mitigating them or coming up with alternatives to manage them. Some of the potential risks are analyzed below.

Risk Analysis

Risks within a project can be defined as any unusual factors or occurrences that may impede the projects implementation or delay its implementation based on the planned timelines. Lima (2021) asserts that risk management therefore involves identifying, analyzing and responding to such uncertainties as promptly and in the best way possible. Within the HAFS project scenario, expected risks include any occurrences that may prevent the executives of the company from adequately meeting with the respective suppliers at the time and date set for the meeting. Some of the major potential risk factors include

Traffic – Traffic especially in busy commercial Cities like London is a common issue and one that can have significant impacts to the project specifically by leading to extended delays and lateness of the executives or suppliers. The risk presented by traffic snarl ups however is significantly low and can be overcome by scheduling early departures for meetings to compensate for any time that may be lost on the road.

Weather – Bad weather such as excessive rain can also lead to traffic snarlups which ultimately can impact lateness in either the suppliers of HAFS executives. Bad weather can also influence any outdoor evaluations and demonstrations that the supplier might have in mind and thereby impact the possibility of the meeting even happening in the first place. Bad weather as such is a significant risk that can lead to cancellation of meetings and limit the success of the trip. However checking the weather before the meeting could help to reschedule to a more convenient time in case of any expected bad weather

Train delays of breakdown - Train are the main modes of transport expected for use in the project and as such any potential delays in the train schedule or breakdowns may lead to impactful effects on the trip. Train delays and breakdown however present a very minimal risk and can be countered by organizing alternative transport means.

Delayed or postponed meetings – potential delays and postponement of the meeting by any one of the suppliers is also a plausible risk, albeit being significantly low. Adequate and timely confirmation of the scheduled meetings with the suppliers will help eradicate this potential risk.

Fatigue or poor health of team member – Unexpected poor health or fatigue by any of the four executives also presents a potential risk to the HAFS project. This can be countered by ensuring good and comfortable accommodations and transport that will keep the executives well rested and adequately prepared for the meetings.

People Side

In addition to the projects scope, schedule and cost management, the project manager still has the human aspect of the project to manage for adequate success of the project (Edum-Fotwe and McCaffer, 2000). Projects despite being adequately funded and managed can still fail if the human aspect is not adequately managed and overseen. Given the nature of the project, a wide range of parties are involved ranging from the company executives, the suppliers intended for the meeting as well as the transport and accommodation providers for project. To ensure adequate people management, I will be in constant communication with all the involved parties not only to ensure that all their needs are adequately and timely met to ensure a smoothly flow of the project, but also to ensure that the communication between these different parties is smooth and effective for the ultimate satisfaction of all the people involved. Addressing the people problem will include daily meetings with the four executives to communicate the progress of the trip and any needs that may be required by any of them for ultimate success. Also, any feedback given by the team will be used to ensure consistent improvement of the activities and tasks undertaken for a more effective outcome.

NPV

Conclusion

The HAFS project aims to ensure the four Executives of the company have a successful business trip in identifying and partnering with relevant suppliers to provide them with digital monitoring systems for the company’s products. While different project management approaches could be adequately adopted in this scenario, I chose the traditional project Management approach due to the various analysis tools and techniques that helps in the management of such kind of a project. The traditional project management approach is simple and easy to use and it involves numerous tools such as the work breakdown structure, risk analyzing, costing, and Gantt chart which allowed me to successfully carry out the project. The project is not too complicated and as such the various risks identified such as traffic snarl-up’s, bad weather and potential postponement of a meeting can be easily to mitigated and minimized to ensure the success of the project

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