1.Factors to consider
The factors to be considered have to be in line with the mission and vision statement of th3e organization (Hartney, 2016). The first factor to consider is the properties of the systems. However, this may be limited by the amount of money required as well as the preference of the various shareholders. Initial considerations will have to be made on the flexibility, scalability, compatibility, security among others.it is from this whereby the necessity of the add-on factor may be considered
Time forms the core of the Gantt chart and the duration of the tasks. Therefore, depending on the time that is required for the completion of the project, the project manager can allocate different durations to the different tasks. The work breakdown structure and working schedules are at the disposal of the project manager and are very useful in distributing the different tasks around the time stipulated. However, it is important for the project manager to define the critical as well as the float activities when designing the working schedule as well as the critical paths (Filwv, 2017).
Finally, the finances of the organization, as well as the monetary allocation to the project, have to be considered. The final stages of the project are usually at the highest risk of inadequacy in capital (Fryer, Egbu, Ellis, & gorse, 2004).Therefore, proper planning has to consider the financial requirement of each task and thereafter proper allocation. The IRTC upgrade has to be within the $100000 budget and this may pose a challenge because of the additional add-on requirements as well as the charge rates for the different consultancy services.
2.Decisions and effect on project
The earned value management methodology is an efficient tool in project management and forms its core around two factors: the work that was planned and the actual work that has been done (lowe & Leiringer, 2008). This comparison ensures that the project manager calculates the progress as well as forecast the later stages of the project. In the analysis of the RTC system, there are a number of variables that need to be considered: the number and types of consultants, the add-on purchase, the additional requirements among others
Without the purchase of the add-on nor the supplementary services, the upgrade is to be completed within 16-20 weeks. Assuming the critical path and taking the 20 weeks duration, the amount to be spent is $5000/week which translates to $1000/day. The assumption, in this case, is that the works are conducted on a 5 day/week basis. The add-on and the supplementary services are $25000 and $6500 respectively. Purchase of these additional commodities results in an expenditure of $3925/week and taking 5 days/week, the amount to be used daily is $7855
The decision to purchase the add-on as well as the supplementary services reduces the total amount to be spent on the workers and consultants by $215/day. Working from the least figures, the project manager may employ a lower number of architects, testers, designers, business analysts and technical writers The EVM will provide the manager with empirical relations between the budgeted and the actual works and the budgeted costs as well as the actual costs (Jepsen & Eskerod, 2009).
Therefore, the decisions to be made will mainly affect the finances and duration. The efficiency of the system will be improved by the add-on but this purchase will increase the time to completion by 4 weeks. The 4 weeks additional time required is subject to the urgency of completion. Being offline for 16-20 weeks will result in huge losses but the long-term goal will be achieved. Furthermore, the purchase of the add-on takes a huge percentage of the total capital and this may result in difficulties at the final stages of the upgrade. More to this is the fact that the purchase will entail specialized consultants which may be unaccounted for in the budget. In a nutshell, the decision on the additional services will result in an increase in the duration and more to this may lead to a shortage of capital in the final stages. Therefore, the use of the Earned Value management system may come into play in project forecasting.
3.The stakeholders
Each project has a unique set of stakeholders (Boxall & Purcell, 2011).The stakeholders are involved in the manufacture and use of the commodity and as such, even to be well acquainted with the decision of the project. Stakeholders may, therefore, be defined as those individuals who are directly affected by any project (Aaltonen, 2011). On the other hand, the project is affected by decisions made by the stakeholders
Customers ensure that the company is in operation and as such, are regarded as stakeholders (Carroll & Buchholtz, 2014). The decisions around the project have to consider the opinion of the end users. This can be done by having a representative opinion of the end user in the stakeholder’s meeting. Not considering the needs of the end users may have unprecedented consequences in the future
There is the group that is mainly concerned with the final product The upgrade of the IRCT billing system may involve a number of partners such as support staffs, operators and legal experts among others. The partners associated with the vendor include architects, testers among others while those associated with the project manager are full-time employees.
The third group of stakeholders is mainly corporate and their opinions play a significant part in the final decision (Reed, Graves, dandy, & Posthumus, 2009). More to this is the fact that they contribute to the finances of the project and as such, their input cannot be disregarded (Eskerod & Huemann, 2013).Some of the people that fall within this group include the project manager and the general manager.
Finally, there are insiders (Eskerod & Jepsen, 2013).This group provides technical as well as team support to the partners. Some of the insiders that may get involved in the IRTC project will be purchased at a fee from the vendor and include system designers, architects writers and other support staff (Lowe & Leirringer, 2008).
The development and upgrade of the system, therefore, have to consider the two groups of stakeholders: technological and non-technological. Each of the stated stakeholders has a say in the final product and as such, there has to be a representation across the board. Projects that tend to be successful involve a detailed weighing of each opinion prior to the actual implementation of the final decision.
|
Stakeholder |
type |
roles |
Skills |
|
Manager |
partner |
Ensuring finances |
· Good decision-making · Good communication skills. · Good judgement · Adequate management skills · Good technical skills |
|
Project Manager |
principle |
Manage the whole upgrade |
· Good communication skills · Good decision making · Good team work. · Good technical skills |
|
Tester |
End user |
Make decision on the suitability of the end product. Simulate the response of the end user |
· Good technological background · Good knowledge of the customer expectations. · Good decision-making · Good judgement. · Good communication skills. |
|
Technical architect |
Insider |
Designing the software platform |
· Good programming knowledge · Good decision making · Good judgement · Team work · Logical thinking · Analysis in detail. |
|
Structural designer |
Insider |
Defining the system and integration of the parts |
· Good knowledge of programming · Logical and clear thinking · Good team work. · Problem solving. |
4.Considerations
The main factors to be agreed upon between the various stakeholders mainly rest on the finances, the level of upgrade and the duration required for completion. The final decision is the main aim of the stakeholders meeting as this will affect the overall progress of the project (American Management Association, 2007).The IRCT system has deadlines and limited finances and as such, there are a number of factors that need to be agreed upon.
To begin with, the first factor to be agreed upon will be the duration. The time required for project completion is about 16-20 weeks. The duration is mainly affected by the human resource team available and an increase in the labor force reduces the duration. However, the additional labor force comes with a price which may be unaccounted for in the budget.Therefore, the decision to be made will pertain the duration required and the finances required.
Secondly, the financial aspect will need to be looked in detail. The aspect of financing the project falls on the partners but the management of the finances falls on the project manager. Therefore, depending on the time required, the level of upgrade and the labor force, the project manager will determine the level of financing required.
The final aspect is on the system requirements. The level of upgrade and the efficiency of the system need to be discussed in detail. More so is the fact that the vendor is offering an additional add-on. The add-on mainly affects the integration of the customer database but comes with an additional $25000. Therefore, the stakeholders will have to come to a consensus on the viability of the add-on in relation to the duration and finances.
Conclusion:
The IRCT system upgrade has to consider numerous factors prior to its initiation. However, the decision lies in stakeholder’s meeting with matters such as finances, duration, system requirements among depending on this group. After the final decision, the bulk of the work rests on the shoulders of the project manager.
Depending on the finances present, the project manager has to determine the number of consultants to be purchased from the vendor as well as the add-on service. However, the purchase may result to a shortage of funds in the final stages and to mitigate this, the EVM can be used in the analysis to determine the various project factors as well as the costs.
There are various factors to be considered by the project manager in project development. These core of any project is found in the financial muscle, the human resource available and the time (Project management Institute, 2013). IRTC enterprise requires an upgrade of its billing system and as such, the project manager is to oversee the critical decisions that surround the project. This major development has been on its way because of the continuous upgrade that the system usually requires.
The project manager has been provided with some resources including full time employs and money amounting to $100000.However, there are a number of decisions to be made pertaining the money such as the additional requirements and labor resources.However, the project manager has to work in a synchronized manner with the vendor.
References:
Aaltonen, k. (2011). Project stakeholder analysis as an environmenatl interpretation process. International journal of project management.
American Management Association. (2007). How to build a high-performance organization. New York.
Boxall, P., & Purcell, J. (2011). strategy and human resource managemebt.
Carroll, A., & Buchholtz, A. (2014). Business and society:ethics,sustainability and stakeholder management.
Eskerod, P., & Huemann, m. (2013). Sustainable development and project stakeholder management:What standards say. Internationa;l journal of management.
Eskerod, P., & Jepsen, A. L. (2013). project stakeholder management.
Filwv, A. (2017). Critical path method in project maanagement is as eqasy as 1,2,3. Retrieved 11 30, 2017, from www.wrike.com/blog/critical-path-is-as-easy-as-123/
Freeman, R. E. (2010). Strategic management:A stakeholder approach.
Fryer, B., Egbu, C. O., Ellis, R., & gorse, C. (2004). The concept of project management:people and business performance.
Hartney, J. (2016). The ten PMBOK knowledge ares. Retrieved 01 18, 2018, from www.projectengineer.net/the-10-pmbok-knowledge areas
jepsen, A. L., & Eskerod, P. (2009). Stakeholde analysis in projects:Challenges using current guidelines in the real world. International journal of project management.
lowe, D., & Leiringer, R. (2008). Commercial management of projects.
Lowe, D., & Leirringer, R. (2008). Commercial management of projects:De4fining the discipline.
Ponnappa, G. (2014). Project stakeholder management.
Project management Institute. (2013). A guide to the project management body of knowledge(PMBOK giuide).
Reed, M. S., Graves, A., dandy, N., & Posthumas, H. (2009). Whos in and why?A typology of stakeholder analysis methods for natural resource management. journal of environmental sustainablity.
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