Lean Project Management For FIFA World Cup 2018

Voice of the Customer (VOC)

FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest footballing events to be that is organised at an interval of every four years. To organise such a huge event there is a need of an effective project management. The project manager along with managing committee needs to properly structure and plan this great event for its successful implementation procedure. The distribution of several events of the FIFA 2018 World Cup is going to take place in the footballing tournament. For this, there should be a lean structural architecture that is needed to be addressed before the initiation of the event.

To organise any sporting event, the project management team along with the project manager should focus on the reduction of the waste and should also stress on the effective build up of the strategies and techniques that will enable in the successful management of the lean project (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017). Lean project management is a business philosophy that is based on the composition of certain to tools, techniques and some skill sets that are required for the meeting the targets of the project with an effective optimization.

The purpose of this essay is to analyse the various attributes of the lean project management as these attributes determine the critical aspects of the lean project. These attributes shall be discussed in the following sections of this essay. These important attributes include the Voice of the Customer (VOC), the Critical to Customer Requirements (CCR) and the Critical to Quality Parameters (CTQ). The various ways through which the lean project shall be implemented will also be discussed (Antony et al., 2018). Processes from the best practices such as PMBOK, PRINCE2, Organisational Project Management (OPM), Agile and Lean Six Sigma shall also be discussed.

VOC or the Voice of the Customer is one of the major attributes that measure the different aspects of the customer in project management. It is one of the realistic tool to carry on with the effective project management procedure to organise the FIFA 2018 World Cup. Voice of the Customer is helpful in determining what will be the fruitful outcomes for the managing committee and the organisation investing in the organisation of the event (Carulli, Bordegoni, & Cugini, 2013). This attribute is one of the critical aspects in the context of project management and that will facilitate in organising the big footballing event. The voice of the customer is a planning technique that is used to deliver services and outcomes that is based on the customer requirements by analysing theme to convert them into a framework of the technical requirements that are necessary for organising the event. There are different phases of managing an event successfully and VOC is one of them (Jeston, 2014). In order to make the event successful the voice of the customers is very much required to be heard as the satisfaction of the customers defines the free flow of the desired event. An utmost attention to the needs of the customers will increase the success rate of the event to be organised. Therefore it is essential to critically hear the voice of the customers. Through this a clear idea can be framed out with the help of several surveys, group interviews and through detailed questionnaires both in digital form and in the form of hand outs.

Critical to Customer Requirements (CCR)

Critical to Customer Requirements or CCR is another attribute that is important for the managing lean projects such as organising the FIFA 2018 World Cup. This attribute represents the expectations of the customer in accordance to the service that the organisation committee is entitled to provide (Aziz & Hafez, 2013). It is vital for the product manager to develop a fair idea about how the customers would react to the service that they would be provided. As a project manager there is a great need to learn about the customer requirements following which the management can take certain decisions that would be helpful in successfully reaching the objectives of the project. The project manager along with the project management team needs to focus on key areas that will ensure the best service to the customers. These areas for organising the FIFA 2018 world cup includes cost benefits, various new services, quality of the service and the availability of the resources. The management should look after the fact that the spectators are able to get the tickets at a reasonable price. It should also see that the spectators coming to the stadium can avail some of the well-known features like tighter security throughout the stadium, instant replays after crucial moments, a wireless internet service and enough eateries just outside the stadium arena. The quality of service that is to be provided to the customers should be top notch so that there is not customer dissatisfaction (Hofmann, Gems & Smith, 2018). The availability of the resources includes the availability of the tickets and the availability of the seats according to their choice of pay. It should be ensured that there are enough fan parks as well for the spectators who miss the chance to spectate the matches while seating at the stadium.

Customers are the greatest assets for a business to flourish in the commercial market. Critical to Quality parameters or CTQ is another attribute that is needed to be looked after by the managing authority under the supervision of the manager. The CTQ are the set of tools that helps the project manager to determine that whether a high quality of services are being provided to the customers to make them satisfied or not (Youssouf, Rachid & Ion 2014). The quality of services especially in a big footballing tournament such as the FIFA 2018 World Cup must be focussed with attention because these parameters work as a framework in maintaining the service quality of the tournament. A project manager uses the CTQ to consolidate the various needs of the customer under some major headings to improve the performance of the service. The critical needs are focussed at first and the quality drivers are identified thereafter. Ultimately, the measurable performance requirements of the quality drivers are needed to be identified.  The critical needs of the customers include the focal points that are required to be concentrated in order to provide a high quality of service. The Quality drivers serve as the tools through which the customers availing the services rate the quality of service (Albliwi et al., 2014). Identification of the measurable performance for each quality drivers ensure the project manager, that the customers are satisfied as the highest quality is being maintained. To implement a fluent flow in the quality of services, a check on a regular basis is needed to be performed by the managing authority.

Critical to Quality Parameters (CTQ)

This section of the essay includes the ways or areas that are required to be implemented by the project manager in the successful completion of the FIFA 2018 World Cup. The concept of lean project management is a type of management technique through which the project managers are enabled to incorporate lean thinking, lean structuring and lean implementation into the project management. Lean is a typical technique through the elimination and the removal of the wastes from the entire manufacturing process can be done. These wastes are mainly the wastes that are generated due to stacking in the process manufacturing. The motive of lean is to ostracize all those processes that are not vital for the customers availing the services. There are certain ways through which lean can be successfully implemented in the project management. These ways or techniques include reduction of waste, attention to the customers and coordination of the organisation with the customers thereby presenting continuous improvement of the management.

Reduction of the wastes is an important factor in the lean project management. Critically evaluation on the nodes for reducing the wastes generated in the manufacturing process is a major lookout for the project manager in organising the event. As said earlier, the production of the wastes is needed to be mitigated to the fullest in order to apply lean I the project management (Martínez-Jurado & Moyano-Fuentes, 2014). The wastes in the manufacturing process can be reduced by focussing on the areas that will not be beneficial for the spectators coming to the stadium. Tactfully structuring and renovating the stadiums in accordance to the best experience for the customers can help the management team to reduce the wastes (Hajmohammad et al., 2013). Focussing maximum attention to the customers should also be done along with reducing the wastes in order to gain highly by the organising the greatest footballing event.

It should be the prime objective for the project manager to provide customer satisfaction, as they are the greatest assets of the organisation (Sunder, 2016). If the spectators of every game are satisfied to the deepest the success rate for conducting such a grand event will increase automatically as the popularity of the tournament will increase . The spectators are satisfied if their voices are heard and their opinions about the state of matches and the management are taken from time to time, the essential requirements of the customers are met in form of perquisites and the quality of the services are regularly checked from time to time with the identification of the quality drivers of the tournament (Peppers & Rogers, 2016). 

In accordance to all this the managing committee should also coordinate with the spectators coming to the field for enjoying the matches. As the spectators are the prime assets of the association, the management committee should not turn a deaf ear to their queries and grievances but should work instantly to solve the arising issues in the tournament instead (Verzuh, 2015). The vision of the project should be clear about the coordination with the spectators as a game without spectators will be completely meaningless deriving no profits out of it. All these above discussed techniques must be implemented in the lean project management to prove that this World Cup is the greatest tournament to be held among all other events in the past (Carlborg, Kindström & Kowalkowski, 2013).

Implementing Lean Project Management for FIFA World Cup 2018

There are several types of practices that can be implemented to profit out of managing the lean project of FIFA 2018 World Cup. These practices come in the form of PMBOK process, the PRINCE2 process, the OPM process, the Agile practices and the Lean Six Sigma using the DMAIC methodology. All these practices are going to be discussed in the following sections.

The Project Management Book of Knowledge or PMBOK is an embedded list of guidelines that are followed in the project management. PMBOK is a complete set of 49 processes among which five processes form the highlights. These five processes are initiation of the project, planning of the project, execution of the project, monitoring the project and controlling the project (Bryde, Broquetas & Volm, 2013). In the initiation phase of the project, the project is thoroughly defined and the project team is well acquainted to the project topic and the project objectives. In the planning phase of the project, the project scope is mentioned in detail along with the detailed course of actions that are required to be taken to complete the project. In the execution phase of the project, the implementations of the project plans take place. The workout procedure of the project gets affected though this phase. In the monitoring phase of the project, the project is presented under strict surveillance of the project manager to ensure that all the processes are running effectively without any interruptions or malfunctions. In the controlling phase of the project, the whole project is analysed and modifications are done if a change in the requirement occurs (Stellingwerf & Zandhuis, 2013). All these phases of the PMBOK will be beneficial for organising the FIFA 2018 World Cup.

Projects In Controlled Environment or PRINCE2 is a practice that is widely adopted and followed in the project management. PRINCE2 is mostly used by the organisations from diverse range of industrial belts and corporate sectors. It is one of the elastic method that aides the project management team by guiding the through a set of vitals in managing projects successfully irrespective of the project kind or the scale of the project (Matos & Lopes, 2013). PRINCE2 is made up of seven themes, principles and processes. All these themes, principles and the process combined together make up the flexible, easily repeatable guide to deliver successful projects. This management tool is composed of the PRINCE2 management book, the certifications and an online membership (Saad et al., 2013). The PRINCE2 is helpful for the project managers because it paves the shortest possible path to reach the project target with the availability of the resources. The project manager can deliver the project with relative ease using PRINCE2 because it spearheads with a consistent approach supported by a regular check on the progress of the project. It also helps to provide a substantial justification of the project in business terms. PRINCE2 will be highly compatible in managing a lean project like the FIFA 2018 World Cup because this project needs flexibility for its completion.

Organisational Project Management or OPM is one of the processes in the project management that involves a set of strategies framed by the organisation prior to the initiation of the project. It is a composition of the program management, the portfolio management and the project management (Ahern, Leavy & Byrne, 2014). In simple terms, OPM helps the management team to manage strategically the big lean project with programs, portfolios and other small projects. OPM helps to provide a flow in the entire system for the completion of the project. Big tournaments such as the FIFA 2018 World Cup needs to have a flow in delivering the project along with efficiency.

The Agile practice is one of the practices in project management that is composed of several sprints that helps in guiding and planning the project. These sprints are the subsections through which the entire project is incorporated in the project development life cycle (Dybå, Dingsøyr, & Moe, 2014). The phases of the life cycle enables the project manager and the project management team to determine the areas to be focussed more in increasing the success rate of the project. A lean project such as the FIFA 2018 World Cup can surely adopt the Agile practices as these practices are driven through sprints that is helpful in mitigating the involved risks of the project.

Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control or DMAIC is a methodology used in the Lean Six Sigma practice in the project management (Jirasukprasert et al., 2014). The Define phase is the first stage of the DMAIC methodology. In this part of the methodology process, the problem is clearly stated with clear understanding and the needs of the customers are taken into account. It is the critical phase where the leadership of the organisation is primarily focussed. The next phase is the Measure phase where the magnitude of the problem is taken into account. In this phase, the project management team collects data and measures the need of the customers. The third phase of the methodology is the Analyse phase where the data collected in the process is critically analysed and hypotheses regarding the problems are made to provide an effective solution. The penultimate phase of the DMAIC methodology is the Improve phase where the solutions are developed after the identification of the root causes. Lastly, the control phase helps the management team to adhere to the sustainability features of the project management (Qureshi et al., 2014). It contains a monitoring plan for supervising the project. Each of these phases can boost the project management of FIFA 2018 World Cup.

Phase	Process
Define	Clear understanding of the problem
Measure	Quantification of the problem
Analyse	Identification of the cause
Improve	Implementation of the solution
Control	Maintenance of the solution

Table 1: DMAIC methodology in Lean Six Sigma

(Source: Author)

From the above sections of this project, it is evident that a lean project procedure is essential for organising a grand football tournament like the FIFA 2018 World Cup. The effective lean project management in organising the tournament is composed of several sections where the project manager should listen to the voice of the customers who are spectators in this event. The requirements of the customer must be met with relative efforts and by adhering to the opinions as shared by the spectators. Special lookout by the project manager for the quality of services must be integrated to gain the best out of the project and to satisfy the spectators. The lean project management in organising the FIFA 2018 World Cup involves reduction of wastes to the lowest level in the process of manufacturing. Special attention for the customers is also required remembering the needs. Along with all this, the management team should engage in the coordination with the spectators regarding their queries and grievances. The ultimate section of the essay is covered with the discussion of several practices that would prove to be fruitful towards reaching the desired project goal. These best practices come in the form of guidelines of PMBOK, the flexible principles of the PRINCE2, the predesigned strategies of OPM, the Agile practices in form of sprints and the DMAIC methodology in Lean Six Sigma. This essay serves as a framework for the successful completion of the FIFA 2018 World Cup as a lean project.

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