Project Management Approach

OPAIC is a New Zealand based polytechnic educational organization that has a multistoried campus building. The institution is looking to redesign the 5^th floor in order to suit the requirements of the new curriculum. Accordingly, the board has hired a project management team for handling and management of the project. The board has also asked to put forward a project management plan that will be used for the project if it gets approved by the board.

This report is based on the development of the project management plan for the redesign of the 5^th floor of OPAIC as per the requirements set by the management board.

Any project requires a specific management approach in order to fulfill its requirements and complete all the deliverables that are specified in the requirements. There are many types of project management approaches that are mainly chosen based on the nature and requirements of the project (Burke & Barron, 2014). For example, software projects have specific types of approaches while construction projects require different approaches.

For this particular project, the most suitable project management approach will be “Waterfall Model”, also known as traditional project management approach. In this project management approach, specific milestones must be defined and placed between each task and the project approach must ensure the milestones are reached at the right schedules and in the right chronologic order (Conforto et al., 2014). Based on the process of this approach, a timeline can be developed using an appropriate work breakdown structure that will contain all the work packages as well as the pre-defined milestones.

Before proceeding further with the project management plan, the scope of the project needs to be defined (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017). The project scope will define the boundary within which, the project must remain and fulfill all the deliverables that will be set as per the requirements of the project.

The main scope of the project is the delivery of the newly designed 5^th floor of the OPAIC building. Other in scope items are specified as follows.

• Survey of the existing 5^thfloor of the building is within the scope of the project
• Studying the requirements of the proposed design is within the scope of the project
• Appointment of human resources for the project is within the scope of the project
• Restructuring of the 5^thfloor is within the scope of the project
• Addition of different walls in the 5^thfloor is within the scope of the project

In order to manage the project within feasibility limits, it is required to define an appropriate schedule and budget within which the project must be completed (Crawford, 2014). Moreover, suitable and sufficient skilled labor has to be appointed who will work on the development of new 5^th floor design as per the specifications.

The schedule baseline chart for the project is shown as follows.

Task Name	Duration	Start	Finish
Floor Redesign for OPAIC	165 days	Mon 2/4/19	Fri 9/20/19
Initial Discussion and Planning	12 days	Mon 2/4/19	Tue 2/19/19
Project Management Team Meeting	12 days	Mon 2/4/19	Tue 2/19/19
Discuss the Redesign Requirements	3 days	Mon 2/4/19	Wed 2/6/19
Develop a Proposal for the Project	3 days	Thu 2/7/19	Mon 2/11/19
Submit Proposal to Management	2 days	Tue 2/12/19	Wed 2/13/19
Propose an Estimated Overall Budget Required for the Project	2 days	Thu 2/14/19	Fri 2/15/19
Determine Feasibility of the Project	2 days	Mon 2/18/19	Tue 2/19/19
Receive Board Approval Regarding the Project	0 days	Tue 2/19/19	Tue 2/19/19
Project Planning Phase	24 days	Wed 2/20/19	Mon 3/25/19
Create Team for Project Management	2 days	Wed 2/20/19	Thu 2/21/19
Create an Idea Regarding Project Roadmap	2 days	Fri 2/22/19	Mon 2/25/19
Prepare Project Charter	6 days	Tue 2/26/19	Tue 3/5/19
Develop Project Scope	1 day	Tue 2/26/19	Tue 2/26/19
Determine Schedule Baseline for Project	1 day	Wed 2/27/19	Wed 2/27/19
Determine Budget Necessary for the Project	2 days	Thu 2/28/19	Fri 3/1/19
Determine Project Feasibility	2 days	Mon 3/4/19	Tue 3/5/19
Release Tender Regarding Project Contractor	3 days	Wed 3/6/19	Fri 3/8/19
Select Contractor for the Project	2 days	Mon 3/11/19	Tue 3/12/19
Discuss the Requirements of the Project	5 days	Wed 3/13/19	Tue 3/19/19
Discuss about the Human Resources Required for the Project	1 day	Wed 3/20/19	Wed 3/20/19
Discuss Timeframe, Budget and Design of the Floor	3 days	Thu 3/21/19	Mon 3/25/19
Proceed with the Project	0 days	Mon 3/25/19	Mon 3/25/19
Project Initiation	20 days	Tue 3/26/19	Mon 4/22/19
Receive Permit for Floor Work	5 days	Tue 3/26/19	Mon 4/1/19
Receive Approval from Board for Working on the Floor	2 days	Tue 4/2/19	Wed 4/3/19
Develop Floor Blueprint	5 days	Thu 4/4/19	Wed 4/10/19
Review the Floor Design	2 days	Thu 4/11/19	Fri 4/12/19
Recruit Human Resources (Work Force)	2 days	Mon 4/15/19	Tue 4/16/19
Procure Construction Materials	2 days	Wed 4/17/19	Thu 4/18/19
Procure Floor Design Equipments	2 days	Fri 4/19/19	Mon 4/22/19
Proceed to Project Initiation	0 days	Mon 4/22/19	Mon 4/22/19
Project Execution	99 days	Tue 4/23/19	Fri 9/6/19
Survey the Existing Floor Condition	4 days	Tue 4/23/19	Fri 4/26/19
Remove Unwanted Materials and Walls from the Floor	2 days	Mon 4/29/19	Tue 4/30/19
Place Design Parameters on the Floor	2 days	Wed 5/1/19	Thu 5/2/19
Prepare Room Frameworks	15 days	Fri 5/3/19	Thu 5/23/19
Install Structural Materials	15 days	Fri 5/24/19	Thu 6/13/19
Divide Rooms as per the Requirements	5 days	Fri 6/14/19	Thu 6/20/19
Create Structural Separations between the Zones	10 days	Fri 6/21/19	Thu 7/4/19
Install Electrical Wirings	5 days	Fri 7/5/19	Thu 7/11/19
Install Academic Equipments as Required	2 days	Fri 7/12/19	Mon 7/15/19
Place Accessory Materials and Structures	2 days	Tue 7/16/19	Wed 7/17/19
Install Computers and Other Accessory Equipments	5 days	Thu 7/18/19	Wed 7/24/19
Finishing Electrical and Other Works	10 days	Thu 7/25/19	Wed 8/7/19
Additional Works	20 days	Thu 8/8/19	Wed 9/4/19
Add Colours to Floor Rooms	5 days	Thu 8/8/19	Wed 8/14/19
Add Colours to Room Exteriors	5 days	Thu 8/15/19	Wed 8/21/19
Testing of the Electrical Connections	5 days	Thu 8/22/19	Wed 8/28/19
Testing of the Safety Equipments	2 days	Thu 8/29/19	Fri 8/30/19
Testing of the Academic Equipments	3 days	Mon 9/2/19	Wed 9/4/19
Completion of Floor Redesign	2 days	Thu 9/5/19	Fri 9/6/19
Handover the Project	0 days	Fri 9/6/19	Fri 9/6/19
Project Closure	10 days	Mon 9/9/19	Fri 9/20/19
Review of the Project	5 days	Mon 9/9/19	Fri 9/13/19
Project Appraisal	3 days	Mon 9/16/19	Wed 9/18/19
Pay All Wages	1 day	Thu 9/19/19	Thu 9/19/19
Stakeholder Sign Off	1 day	Fri 9/20/19	Fri 9/20/19
Project Closed	0 days	Fri 9/20/19	Fri 9/20/19

Project Scope and Management Plan

The key resources of the project are shown in the following table.

Resource Name	Type	Max. Units	Std. Rate	Ovt. Rate
Project Manager	Work	100%	$200.00/hr	$0.00/hr
Construction Manager	Work	100%	$120.00/hr	$0.00/hr
Project Supervisor	Work	100%	$125.00/hr	$0.00/hr
Finance Manager	Work	100%	$135.00/hr	$0.00/hr
Workers	Work	100%	$500.00/hr	$0.00/hr
Construction Materials and Other Costs	Material		$20,000.00

The milestones of the project are as follows.

• Submission of Project Proposal
• Development of Project Charter for the Project
• Approval to Proceed with Project Work
• Project Handover
• Stakeholder Sign Off

Any project requires certain changes during the execution phase that is mainly dependant on the complexity and nature of the project. Moreover, the changes will depend on how the project is progressing and how any new changes will be able to enhance the quality of the project (Aga, Noorderhaven & Vallejo, 2016). For introducing change management in a project, it is also important to monitor the progress of the project and also implement the changes at the right time so that they have the maximum positive impact of the project.

In this project, change management may be required regarding the design of the 5^th floor. Monitoring the progress of the project, at one point of time, the management may decide that certain changes are required that will further enhance the quality of the project. In this case, it is to be determined whether these changes will be absolutely necessary and also feasible for the project in terms of cost, time for implementation and others (Harrison & Lock, 2017). Furthermore, before implementation, the project manager must call a team meeting to discuss the proposed changes and determine whether the team is willing to work on the changes. After everything is finalized, the changes can be finally implemented in the project by the project manager.

In order to successfully execute a project, proper communication is required between the stakeholders and other human resources involved it in. The communication process also ensures there is a constant flow of information between the stakeholders regarding the progress of the project (Marchewka, 2014). The flow of information should also be in an appropriate format and should be processed at the right time. For this particular project, the communication management plan is shown in the following table.

Stakeholder	Communication Purpose	Communication Frequency	Communication Medium
Project Manager	Any update on project, risk or challenge encountered, change requirement, expenditure report, progress update and others	Daily (recommended) / Weekly (usual)	Face to face meeting or written reports (paper or electronic documents)
Design Engineer	Design and project requirements	During project planning / as required	Face to face meeting / requirement document
Construction Manager	Construction related work requirements in the floor	Daily	Face to face communication / design document
Project Supervisor	Reporting requirements	Weekly	Face to face meeting
Finance Manager	Finance related problems and requirements	As required	Finance reports

The cost baseline of the project is shown in the following chart (Heldman, 2018).

Task Name	Resource Names	Cost
Floor Redesign for OPAIC		$554,240.00
Initial Discussion and Planning		$55,680.00
Project Management Team Meeting		$55,680.00
Discuss the Redesign Requirements	Construction Manager, Finance Manager, Project Manager, Project Supervisor	$13,920.00
Develop a Proposal for the Project	Construction Manager, Finance Manager, Project Manager, Project Supervisor	$13,920.00
Submit Proposal to Management	Construction Manager, Finance Manager, Project Manager, Project Supervisor	$9,280.00
Propose an Estimated Overall Budget Required for the Project	Construction Manager, Finance Manager, Project Manager, Project Supervisor	$9,280.00
Determine Feasibility of the Project	Construction Manager, Finance Manager, Project Manager, Project Supervisor	$9,280.00
Receive Board Approval Regarding the Project	Project Manager	$0.00
Project Planning Phase		$44,320.00
Create Team for Project Management	Project Manager	$3,200.00
Create an Idea Regarding Project Roadmap	Construction Manager	$1,920.00
Prepare Project Charter		$11,760.00
Develop Project Scope	Construction Manager, Project Supervisor	$1,960.00
Determine Schedule Baseline for Project	Construction Manager, Project Supervisor	$1,960.00
Determine Budget Necessary for the Project	Construction Manager, Project Supervisor	$3,920.00
Determine Project Feasibility	Construction Manager, Project Supervisor	$3,920.00
Release Tender Regarding Project Contractor	Construction Manager, Project Supervisor	$5,880.00
Select Contractor for the Project	Construction Manager, Project Supervisor	$3,920.00
Discuss the Requirements of the Project	Construction Manager, Project Supervisor	$9,800.00
Discuss about the Human Resources Required for the Project	Construction Manager, Project Supervisor	$1,960.00
Discuss Timeframe, Budget and Design of the Floor	Construction Manager, Project Supervisor	$5,880.00
Proceed with the Project	Construction Manager, Project Supervisor	$0.00
Project Initiation		$39,200.00
Receive Permit for Floor Work	Construction Manager	$4,800.00
Receive Approval from Board for Working on the Floor	Construction Manager	$1,920.00
Develop Floor Blueprint	Construction Manager	$4,800.00
Review the Floor Design	Construction Manager	$1,920.00
Recruit Human Resources (Work Force)	Construction Manager	$1,920.00
Procure Construction Materials	Construction Manager, Construction Materials and Other Costs[1]	$21,920.00
Procure Floor Design Equipments	Construction Manager	$1,920.00
Proceed to Project Initiation	Construction Manager, Project Supervisor	$0.00
Project Execution		$396,000.00
Survey the Existing Floor Condition	Workers	$16,000.00
Remove Unwanted Materials and Walls from the Floor	Workers	$8,000.00
Place Design Parameters on the Floor	Workers	$8,000.00
Prepare Room Frameworks	Workers	$60,000.00
Install Structural Materials	Workers	$60,000.00
Divide Rooms as per the Requirements	Workers	$20,000.00
Create Structural Separations between the Zones	Workers	$40,000.00
Install Electrical Wirings	Workers	$20,000.00
Install Academic Equipments as Required	Workers	$8,000.00
Place Accessory Materials and Structures	Workers	$8,000.00
Install Computers and Other Accessory Equipments	Workers	$20,000.00
Finishing Electrical and Other Works	Workers	$40,000.00
Additional Works		$80,000.00
Add Colours to Floor Rooms	Workers	$20,000.00
Add Colours to Room Exteriors	Workers	$20,000.00
Testing of the Electrical Connections	Workers	$20,000.00
Testing of the Safety Equipments	Workers	$8,000.00
Testing of the Academic Equipments	Workers	$12,000.00
Completion of Floor Redesign	Workers	$8,000.00
Handover the Project	Workers	$0.00
Project Closure		$19,040.00
Review of the Project	Project Manager	$8,000.00
Project Appraisal	Project Manager	$4,800.00
Pay All Wages	Project Manager	$1,600.00
Stakeholder Sign Off	Construction Manager, Finance Manager, Project Manager, Project Supervisor	$4,640.00
Project Closed	Project Manager	$0.00

It is very much important to develop a suitable cost management plan in order to ensure the project costs do not exceed the total overall budget. Hence, the finance manager is assigned to monitor the project expenses and ensure no extra costs are occurring during the project (Ramazani & Jergeas, 2015). The project team is required to submit project finance report at the end of each week to the project finance manager that he will review and report to the management.

Schedule Baseline and Work Breakdown Structure with Key Resources

For the purpose of the project, procurement of suitable materials is necessary. In addition to the materials, it is also needed to be ensured that the quality of the materials is good enough to be used in the project (Walker, 2015). Furthermore, the overall quality of the project also needs to meet the specific design and construction standards and for that purpose, the materials used must be of the best quality but also at reasonable costs in order to avoid too much extra expenses in the project.

For the procurement of the materials, a procurement manager needs to be appointed who is not only experienced in marketing but also is able to identify the quality of materials bought from the vendors. During procurement, the following points should be considered.

Seller Background – Before purchasing materials from the seller, the procurement manager must analyze and check the background of the seller to determine whether he is reliable or not. Any seller with poor track record and background must be rejected.

Material Quality – The procurement manager must check the quality of the materials before purchasing them (Tyssen, Wald & Spieth, 2014). He can check the materials against certain quality standards and if they do not fulfill the standards, they can be rejected from purchasing.

Material Price – During the purchase process, the procurement manager must remember the project budget and ensure the purchased materials are not too costly and does not cross the allocated budget for the procurement.

The procurement can be done through the PO (Purchase Order) model in which, after all the verifications, the procurement manager will place a purchase order to the seller who will then deliver the materials and take payments for the same.

In addition to the material quality, it is also required to maintain a suitable quality of the project such that it meets the design and quality standards set during the planning of the project. Furthermore, before starting with the project, a Quality Control (QC) department needs to be set up who will be responsible for controlling the quality of the project outcome (Trendowicz & Jeffery, 2014). This department / team will monitor the progress of the project and conduct certain quality tests from time to time to ensure the quality standards are met. The team will also need to create weekly reports regarding the project progress and submit them to the management for further evaluation.

Another duty of the QC team is to monitor the work processes that are being executed every day during the course of the project. They need to determine whether the project is executed as per the predetermined schedule and the budget breakdown as defined earlier (Schwalbe, 2015). In case the project is lagging behind the created schedule, the QC team should escalate about the same to the management so that suitable change management actions can be taken to prevent any delay to the project.

There are several risks associated with the project that are listed as follows along with the management plan for each of the risks (Niazi et al., 2016).

Risk Description	Chance of Occurrence	Impact on Project	Mitigation Plan
Due to the construction work on the 5th floor, the other floors may get affected.	Very High	Very High	During the construction and redesign work, special care should be taken such that the other floors are not affected during the works.
The design may not meet suitable standards and hence, it may not be approved by the board or even the local council.	Medium	Very High	During the planning phase, the design should be finalized and verified; license should be taken from the council to go ahead with the project.
The project expenses may result in budget overshoot due to uncontrolled expenditure during project work or occurrence of unforeseen accidents	Medium	High	The quality control team should monitor project work and ensure the budget is spent as per the planning. There can be some additional budget that is kept for contingency situations.

Before the project is handed over and rolled out, the following approvals are needed.

Approval From	Approval For	Signature of Approver
Management Board	Proceed with Project	________________________
Local Council	Construction Work at 5th Floor	________________________
Management Board	Start Execution of the Project	________________________
All Stakeholders	Final Handover	________________________

Conclusion

This report is used to develop a suitable project plan and define all the necessary parameters of the project. The main objective of this project is to redesign the 5^th floor of OPAIC and the management has asked to form a project management team who will take care of the project. The overall quality of the project needs to meet the specific design and construction standards and for that purpose, the materials used must be of the best quality but also at reasonable costs in order to avoid too much extra expenses in the project. As per the initial estimations regarding the project, a total time of 165 working days are required along with an overall budget of $554,240.

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