BUMGT6973 Project Management Case Study Sample

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BUMGT6973 Project Management Case Study Sample

Assignment Details

Read the following case study and write an answer to each of the following 4 questions. The word document needs to clearly state each question and then provide a written response. Each answer should be approximately 300 words.

Case study

The conference had been in the planning phase for some months. However, despite it being the sixth international conference the institute had held, the organising committee was falling further and further behind in getting the event planned. And the problem wasn’t the lack of commitment, the lack of time or the lack of delegates wanting to attend (given that prior conferences had historically produced a staggering number of speakers and delegates).

The chair of the organising committee (Ian Keenan) sat in his office rewriting the agenda he wanted to get out before Friday’s meeting. As he reread his notes, he realised that both he and the committee had missed some key information regarding how they were approaching the planning and management of the conference and that they would have to go back to square one if they were to make this conference a success. While the committee had access to the planning files from last year, Ian had always been reluctant to rely solely on this information as the past was not always a good predictor of the future. however, he now knew that the committee had done exactly that: it had copied the brief template from last year and simply updated the information where needed.

Clearly his committee needed to put together some type of document (and process) that captured not only what the conference was actually about, but more importantly what the board’s and CEO’s expectations were, and how these would be managed and controlled proactively once the project was underway. While he was confident that his event coordinator would ensure the conference timetable would go to plan (once finalised), Ian still had reservations about whether the members of his team fully understood what they were taking on.

Source: Hartley, S. (2018). Project management : A practical guide to planning and managing projects. Taylor & Francis Group.

Question 1

This case identifies key issues associated with scope management. Please explain the importance of a scope management plan and how it could help manage the project. Provide recommendations as to how you would manage the scope throughout its lifecycle. You need to be critical, use relevant theory, reflect on the case, and provide examples to support your answer. Use APA referencing as required.

Question 2

This case identifies that several risks exist that may affect project success. Reflecting on the case, please explain how risks can be identified, what risk management approach you would recommend, and why. You need to be critical, use relevant theory, reflect on the case, and provide examples to support your answer. Use APA referencing as required.

Question 3

This case raises several issues about using historical project information; however, project learnings are considered as being important for developing future projects. Provide an argument for, or against, using historical project information in the planning and development of a new project. You need to be critical, use relevant theory, reflect on the case, and provide examples to support your answer. Use APA referencing as required.

Question 4

This case identifies scope creep as a potential risk. Considering this case, explain why scope creep needs to be controlled. What might the impact be on the triple constraint if scope creep is not controlled? You need to be critical, use relevant theory, reflect on the case and provide examples to support your answer. Use APA referencing as required.

Solution

Question 1: Importance of a Scope Management Plan

A scope management plan is foremost important to ensure that all the activities within a given project are comprehensively defined, verified, and managed. It defines the scope of a project and states what is inside or outside the project which reduces chances of misunderstanding to the extent of disagreement among stakeholders as pointed out by Hartley in 2018. In the case study, Ian prioritized a plan used at a previous conference, which resulted in requirements that were not addressed; however, the scope management approach should concern the goals of the current project rather than previous ones. A scope management plan would categorize such aspects in their formal manner identifying deliverables, expected results as well and the boundaries within the context of the conference, which would be useful in having Ian’s team have a comprehensive understanding of the scope of the conference.

Scope should follow the creation of a scope baseline that comprises deliverables and tasks to be accomplished to meet all the expectations of the stakeholder (PMI, 2021). During the project planning phases, the project scope definition documentation may include a section on deliverables with checklists that assure deliverable alignment, which could be an opportunity during the following scope validation meetings with stakeholders (Ahmed., 2024). It would also minimize situations where proposed changes are made to the project scope without regard to the goals of the project. More so, as Ian argued, a proper change control process could capture, evaluate, and authorize alterations thus lowering the odds of uncontrolled growth. This approach would preclude the problems that Ian experienced: client dissatisfaction from unsatisfactory equipment, and self-satisfaction from events’ formats.

The following recommendations will help prevent Stakeholder engagement and communication: If the scope management plan is documented, then it can be possible to manage changes without affecting the time and cost. As a result of definitively defining what is to be included and excluded, Ian’s team can easily stay on track with the project and accomplish all the goals on time, university assignment help thus boosting the chances of a successful conference (Kerzner, 2019).

Question 2: Risk Identification and Management

Risk management is critical in any project as he or she who fails to manage risks is likely to have a project that will be delayed or cost more or have the stakeholders complaining (Amoah and Bititsha., 2022). In this case, the risks involved in Ian’s conference planning included but were not limited to stakeholder communication and scope that was not cleared for changes. What measures could have been taken would entail a properly formulated approach to both, the identification of risks with reference to the above-mentioned potential issues and the subsequent management thereof. Risk identification can start with a risk assessment meeting with the team, stakeholders, and partners to identify risks such as communication, availability, and drift from planned objectives (Hartley, 2018).

A qualitative risk analysis approach would effectively sort these risks based on their likelihood, and their consequence whereby more resources are deployed towards the more significant risks (Chang et al., 2020). For example, failure in communicating with the CEO and other stakeholders would be solved through varying methods like using feedback forms or weekly progress from project collaboration tools. The creation of a risk register would also assist in documenting, evaluating, and managing risks in a consistent fashion across the project lifecycle.

In addition, implementing a proactive risk management plan that gives clear action when it comes to the identified risks, either to mitigate, transfer, or accept them would enable Ian’s team to head possible problems. Serving the organizational needs, the case indicates that Ian comprehended that a change control process that actually addresses unauthorized change contenders needs documentation to decrease the probability of budget overruns and project deadlines. A well-developed risk management plan adopted with timelines for review and involving stakeholders would therefore create a plan that guides the reduction of the identified risks and enhances the overall success of the project as recommended by Kerzner (2019).

Question 3: Using Historical Project Information

In terms of managerial consequences, historical project information can be very beneficial to other current and future projects, based on what the previous projects were successful or unsuccessful at, respectively. Nevertheless, this approach has its drawbacks, and it lies still in the fact that often there is a reliance upon historical data so critical evaluation of the data might hinder innovative improvement. Similarly, in Ian’s case, previous planning templates that operated at previous conferences became a constraint since they did not accommodate the current event requirements at all (Hartley, 2018). The danger here is that change in practice may be unresponsive to current stakeholders’ expectations, hence leading to unanticipated dissatisfaction.

Historical information while acting as a competent source of information for risk assessment and resource forecasting, should not be strictly adhered to as its nature is categorical. For instance, previous conference experiences may guide the conduit that involves stakeholders or an effective conference venue yet allows modifications based on the current goals (Kerzner, 2019). Thus, references to historical information give project managers an advantage of previous experiences while not limiting the project with the aid of previous and possibly obsolete tactics and strategies.

The role of historical data refers to developing filterable and analyzable experience and embracing forms of reflective practice could assist in enhancing the value of historical data by capturing knowledge specific to each phase of a given project. This makes it possible for Ian’s team to combine the previous lessons learned to eliminate any past shortcomings and create a project plan that solves problems to achieve today’s objectives. Therefore, when applied, such information fosters evidence-based decision-making and minimization of risk while allowing flexibility and innovation in PM, without fostering process ossification (PMI, 2021).

Question 4: Controlling Scope Creep

A common issue in project management is scope creep or when the project expands over its initial goals and requirements to the detriment of other aspects such as the budget, time frame, and general quality of the final work (Abaza and Kisi., 2024). When a project scope changes without proper management it is likely to affect the project scope, time and cost, and the quality of the deliverables (PMI, 2021). In this case, Ian has in the past had bad examples of what happens when there are unauthorized scope changes, and therefore a strong change control process is necessary.

Overcoming such a situation in project management involves the involvement of the right amount of flexibility and control. In this case, a clear scope management plan would mean that the project would be defined from the onset in terms of the inclusions and exclusions that are part of the project, as in the case of Ian with the conference (Hartley, 2018). Having regular scope review meetings in both on-site and off-site environments and a documented change control procedure would mean that all changes to the project scope are properly assessed, approved, and communicated a change control procedure. For instance, extra conference sessions can be added to the conference, or the format of the breakout sessions has to be altered; that signifies that resource allocation requires time and cost to be considered.

When scope creep is properly addressed by the appropriate authorities, project managers are much more likely to stay within the initial project guidelines while keeping stakeholders content they are getting what they want without overworking each resource. When change is necessary in scope, a controlled process enables these to be incorporated without necessarily affecting the budget and timeline constraints. So, the approbation of the formal review procedures and strict documentation regulation would assist Ian and his team protect the project’s outcome from the unauthorized scope escalating proved by Kerzner (2019).

References

Abaza, M.E. and Kisi, K.P., 2024. Lessons Learned from Construction Projects to prevent Scope Creep. Proceedings of 60th Annual Associated Schools, 5, pp.659-667.
Ahmed, B.A., 2024. Optimizing Project Management Methodologies to Enhance Efficiency and Success in New Product Development (Doctoral dissertation, Politecnico di Torino).

Amoah, C. and Bikitsha, L., 2022. Emerging contractor's management and planning skills to overcome business risk factors. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, 40(4), pp.670-689.

Chang, S.I., Chang, L.M. and Liao, J.C., 2020. Risk factors of enterprise internal control under the internet of things governance: A qualitative research approach. Information & Management, 57(6), p.103335.

Hartley, S. (2018). Project management: A practical guide to planning and managing projects. Taylor & Francis Group.

Kerzner, H. (2019). Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. 12th edn. Wiley.
Project Management Institute (PMI). (2021). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide). 7th edn. Project Management Institute.

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