Project Management - The Rolls Royce Information System - Assignment Example

Project management Name: Number: Course: Code: Lecturer: Date: The Rolls Royce information system project plan Introduction The Rolls Royce information system project plan shall provide a definition of the project the projects, goals and the objectives. In addition the plan shall act as an agreement between the project sponsor, the project manager, the team, project committee and any other party affected by the project (Maylor, 2009). The project plan defines the following as regards the project: The purpose of the project The intended goals and objectives. The project scope and limitation Roles and responsibilities The project management approach. Budget and project timeline The project methodology adopted for the project plan is the Projects IN Controlled Environments2 - PRINCE2 methodology. Which is a structured method accepted as a project management standard for public projects. It entails the management control and organization of project (Knutson & Bitz, 1991). Background information Most organisations and business enterprises have had the urge to internationalise their operations. In the past the business world was competing based on some performance objectives such as price and the quality of product and services. However in the current market the organisations have more to compete on. Most clients are not only concerned with quality and price but also with effectiveness with respect to response, customer service, and flexibility. Most companies have therefore decentralized their operations by outsourcing most of their activities in the process achieving a well co-ordinated supply chain. The impact of emergence of technologies such as World Wide Web, internet and electronic data interchange is great and has enhanced most business and enterprise activities. The advancement in technology in the world has enhanced the provision of services and products in the business world. There has been development of information systems which include Manufacturing resource planning (MRP) that aide in the process of product manufacturing and enterprise resource planning (ERP) (Shields, 2001). PRINCE2 methodology encompasses seven processes which shall form part of the rollout plan for the company; 1) PROJECT STARTUP. This stage involves the appointment of the project manger and the project team is constituted, the overall project objectives and the business justification of the project are defined. The project approach is also determined and outlined and a project brief is developed (Lewis, 2001). Business goals and objectives The business goals and objectives for the project will mainly focus on the implementation of the information systems in the organization which shall (Maylor, 2009); Enhances product manufacturing, processing, marketing and delivery. Ensure customer satisfaction through effective response and flexibility. Provide an easy to use system for both the customers and the company staff and personnel Facilitate the coordination and information sharing both internal and external to the organization Enhances staff ability and effectiveness in the performance of their jobs. Project goals and objectives: Attain the project business goals and the objectives within the specified budget and time limit. Create a favorable and realistic agreement with all the respective departments and; Minimize the impact of the project to the standard business operations within the affected units. Scope and boundary The project is aimed to introduce information system into the company; the project will cover several aspects of information systems which include the following; An enterprise resource planning system Business process automation. Communication and e-commerce through the use of internet. Communication, computer and network hardware and software. Project approach The section entails an elaboration of how the project will be rolled out, how the information systems will be implemented in the organization. The approach shall be broken down to several phases that shall handle the different elements of the system; Phase I: situational analysis. Phase II: Requirement specification. Phase III: Order/purchase Requirements. Phase IV: install the purchased hardware and software. Phase V: test the hardware and software installed. Phase VI: conduct training of users of the system. Phase VII: implement the system. Phase I: situational analysis: This stage/ phase entails the process of analyzing the situation in the company , identify the available technology, method of operation in the company , number of staff, the available software and hardware and the general requirements needed in the company for the system to be implemented in the company. Phase II: requirement specification: The second phase of the project will be to identify and quantify the requirements of the system to be installed which includes both the hardware and software and the respective personnel needed, then secure terms of purchase and service from the prospective vendors of the requirements specified. The system has several components which have different hardware and software requirements for their functionality and effectiveness. The system is made up of a transactional database, business intelligence system, management portal, customizable reporting, document management, external access through technology e.g. web services and workflow management. The system transactional databases will need adequate storage space and database management systems, external access will need effective network and communication hardware and software (Office of Government Commerce., 2009). Phase III: Order/purchase Requirements. The third phase will be to make order of the specified requirements from the identified vendors. The respective purchase department makes a local purchase order based on the requirements specification and makes the purchase of the products from the suitable vendor. Network hardware and software is most preferably Cisco products and should be purchased from a reliable Cisco vendor (Office of Government Commerce., 2009). Phase IV: Installation of the purchased software and hardware: In this phase the purchased hardware and software is installed in the company, the installation should follow the standard guidelines and procedures as per the software and hardware documentation (Shields, 2001). Phase V: test the hardware and software installed. The installed hardware and software is tested to ensure that they function according to the intended purpose. The testing is essential to determine whether the systems and inco-operated hardware and software are compatible and perform the intended task (Shields, 2001). Phase VI: conduct training of users of the system. The users of the system should be trained on the use of the system. Both the workers in the company need to be trained as well as the customers and clients who will need to use the system. The workers and company personnel should be trained first on the use of the system then they will provide guidance to the clients (Shields, 2001). Phase VII: implement the system The implementation of the system entails the overall system installation in the company. Services available for the implementation of the systems include; customization consultation and support. The time to implement the system is dependent on the company size, the number of modules, the scope of process and customization. The implementation can take several months, and needs a number of consultants. Customization can substantially increase implementation times. When the system is successfully implemented it will link all the areas of operation in the company including manufacturing, financial systems, human resource, and distribution with external suppliers and customers (Kerzner, 2009). Potential benefits include drastic declines in inventory, breakthrough reductions in working capital, abundant information about customer wants and needs, along with the ability to view and manage the extended enterprise of suppliers, alliances and customers as an integrated whole (Shields, 2001). At this stage the executive board in charge of the project is tasked to authorize the next stage of the project. Project management approach Project timeline Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 Phase I Phase II Phase III Phase IV Phase V Phase VI Phase VII Project roles and responsibilities Role Responsibilities Participant(s) Project Sponsor Ultimate decision-maker and tie-breaker Provide project oversight and guidance Review/approve some project elements Steering Committee Commits department resources Approves major funding and resource allocation strategies, and significant changes to funding/resource allocation Resolves conflicts and issues Provides direction to the Project Manager Review project deliverables Project Manager Manages project in accordance to the project plan Serves as liaison to the Steering Committee Receive guidance from Steering Committee Supervises consultants Supervise vendor(s) Provide overall project direction Direct/lead team members toward project objectives Handle problem resolution Manages the project budget Project Participants Understand the user needs and business processes of their area Act as consumer advocate in representing their area Communicate project goals, status and progress throughout the project to personnel in their area Review and approve project deliverables Creates or helps create work products Coordinates participation of work groups, individuals and stakeholders Provide knowledge and recommendations Helps identify and remove project barriers Assure quality of products that will meet the project goals and objectives Identify risks and issues and help in resolutions To be identified by Steering Committee Subject Matter Experts Lend expertise and guidance as needed To be identified by Steering Committee 2) PROJECT INITIATION. The project initiation stage builds on the project startup stage, here the strategies and approaches that are aimed at ensuring quality of the project are agreed upon by the responsible personnel. Overall project plan files are also created to be presented before the Project board for them to authorize the project itself. The key activities at this stage will include planning quality, planning a project, identifying risks and setting up project controls and finally assembling project initiation documents (Maylor, 2009). Risk assessment Project risks The ERP Project at Rolls-Royce handles many different departments and areas but they all have associated risks. In order to address the risks and take possible positive action to avoid failure and errors, the implementation team should maintain and record a risk register. Every activity and issue in the company that involves risks is catalogued and is reviewed continuously. Some of the major risks in the company however include (Shields, 2001); Conflicting directions in the organisations thus making it difficult to align goals and objectives. At some instances there is unavailability of reliable information technology hardware and software infrastructure both prior and in the implementation of the system in the company (Lewis, 2001). Another major risk is a failure to provide adequate and ongoing support after the implementation of the system. Employees more than often resist change this resistance may be from the management, supervisors and the intended users of the system. Management and supervision may tend to view the project as merely information technology implementation and not as a change in the process methods. This may result in the inadequate training and equipping of the personnel and users of the system (Knutson & Bitz, 1991). There may be a possible failure in the changeover to the new system through inability to load data, inappropriate systems testing of stress, data volume, and data conversion (Kerzner, 2009). 3) DIRECTING THE PROJECT. This stage entails how the project board including the project sponsor will control the overall project .at this stage several authorizations are needed for the several phases and stages of the project the defined stages may not be implemented as defined and thus will need changes and even replacements which must be authorized by the project board. The stage shall also indicate how the board gives direction on how the project should be closed down (Duncan, 2000). 4) CONTROLLING A STAGE According to the PRINCE2 methodology the project should be controlled by breaking down the project into small modules units or stages that are easily managed and controlled (Duncan, 2000). The sub projects and stages dictate how each of the individual stage and sub procedure should be managed and controlled. The stage will also include the manner in which work is handled and authorized by the respective authority. Since the modules or sub processes make up the overall system then the progress should be well controlled and management and highlights be reported to the project board (Office of Government Commerce., 2009). Several means of assessing the project and capturing the project issues are suggested and a way in which corrective action should be undertaken. The stage also involves the laying out of the methods in which project issues should be presented to the project board (Lewis, 2001). The main activities at this stage include; authorizing work programs, assessing the project progress, capturing and examining project issues, reviewing stage status, reporting highlights, escalating issues and receiving a completed work package (Shields, 2001). 5) MANAGING STAGE BOUNDARIES The stages created and the actions and functions created in the controlling stage should be done within the specified stages. The managing stage boundaries dictate what activities and actions should be done as the stage comes to an end (Duncan, 2000). The next stage in a project should be well planned identification and assessment of risk should be well done. The stage also defines what should be done with a sub process or stage that has gone beyond its boundaries. Finally, the process dictates how the end of the stage should be reported. The main activities in this stage planning a stage, updating a project business case, updating the risk log, reporting stage end and producing an exception plan (Office of Government Commerce., 2009). 6) MANAGING PRODUCT DELIVERY The managing product delivery process has the purpose of controlling the link between the project manager and the project team members by instituting and formalizing the requirements for acceptance, execution and delivery of the project work (Duncan, 2000). The main objective in this process is to ensure that activities such as system installation, maintenance is allocated to the team in authorized and agreeable manner, it also ensures that the team members and managers understand what the product is and how to effectively deliver on time and in cost effective manner (Office of Government Commerce., 2009). The planned products are delivered to expectations and within tolerance, ensures that the necessary progress information are accurate and is availed to the project manager on time and at agreed frequency Accurate progress information is provided to the Project Manager at an agreed frequency to ensure that expectations are managed (Shields, 2001). The key activities are: Accept a work package, execute a work package and deliver a work package. 7) CLOSING THE PROJECT At this process the project is brought to completion and it is decommissioned. Resources that were used in the project are freed up and reallocated, the personnel that are needed for the implementation and maintenance are commissioned and necessary requirements are put in place. The project performance is monitored and evaluated (Office of Government Commerce., 2009). Project assumptions The following assumptions were made in preparing the Project Plan: The users will change the business operations to take advantage of the new business operation and take advantage of the new opportunities offered by the information system. Management shall ensure that the project team members are availed when need be in completion of the project tasks and objectives. The Steering Committee will participate in the timely execution of the Project Plan (i.e., timely approval cycles and meeting when required). Failure to identify changes to draft deliverables within the time specified in the project timeline will result in project delays. Mid and upper management will foster support and “buy-in” of project goals and objectives. All project participants will abide by the guidelines identified within this plan. The Project Plan may change as new information and issues are revealed. References. Duncan, H. (2000). prince2. Retrieved March 15th, 2012, from projectsmarts: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/prince2.html Kerzner, H. (2009). Project Management: A systems approach to planning schedulling and controlling. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Knutson, J., & Bitz, I. (1991). Project mangement:How to plan and manage successful projects. AMACOM Div American Management Assn. Lewis, J. P. (2001). Project planning,schedulling and control. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Maylor, H. (2009). project management. New York: Prentice Hall. Office of Government Commerce. (2009). Managing successful projects with PRINCE2. The stationary Office. Shields, M. G. (2001). E-business and ERP: Rapid Implimentation and project Planning. New Jersey: John Wiley & sons. Read More