Project Management For Social Media Research Center

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Project Management consists of methods, processes, knowledge, experience and skills which have to be applied to the given project to achieve its objectives. It allows manager to handle multiple activities together which are interdependent on each other (Waheed & Waheed, 2016). The success of the project is based on four major components which are quality, scope, budget and time. The main difference between management and project management is that management is an ongoing process. On the other hand, project management is involves time span. This paper focuses on the case study of Social Media Research Center. They need a web application which can allow them to produce high quality researches. The report includes Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), project plan, Gantt chart, budget, risk and quality management techniques.                     

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is used in project management for breaking down the entire work into smaller manageable Tasks. It allows the manager to achieve all the deliverables in the stipulated time frame (Oliveira, & et.al, 2016). Furthermore, the allocation of resources also becomes easier because all the activities along with the sub activities are define in the WBS structure. The web application project for the unit can be developed effectively with the help of WBS. The framework can play an important role in cost estimations and budgeting. Moreover, it can be used for implementing control and enabling schedule development.

The project plan for the development of website application for Social Media Research Center consists of following stages:

Initialization: The first stage of initialization consists of need assessment, deciding the objectives and Feasibility study and analysis (Azim & et.al, 2016). The main aim of this stage is to understand the requirements of the clients and plan accordingly. It will allow them to incorporate all the activities in the plan for the development of web application.

Plans: The activities included in this stage are designing, content management, scheduling, cost calculations and deciding the roles and responsibilities of the workers. The blueprint or the layout of the entire process is created at this stage (Chang-Richards, & et.al, 2017). Project manager has to ensure that the design and layout is approved by stakeholders and sponsor of the project.   

Implementation: Implementation stage consists of allocation of resources, implementation of plan and review and control activities. The execution of the project is initiated at this stage. It is important for team members and project manager to follow the plans and ensure that the structure is followed. It will improve the performance of the project (Morris & et.al, 2016). 

Controlling: The standards are compared with the actual performance of all the activities. It includes monitoring, updating and upgrading and installation of systems. This stage allows the manager to find out gaps in the project. He takes corrective measures to fill the gaps and follow the approach of the plan.  

Closure: Project closure and evaluation consist of final deliverables which are provided to the client. It also includes project documentation, termination of various contracts and communication of closure (Saunders & Lewis, 2014).

Project Plan

The expenses of the project have to be controlled because project managers cannot extend the budget. The web application has to be developed in AUD 50,000. The most appropriate method to control cost is to create a time phased budget (Srivannaboon & Munkongsujarit, 2016). It allows the manager to allocate the funds as per the activities. It can be very beneficial in assessing the cost of each individual activity. Time based budget can play a vital role in reducing the overall cost of the project. This increases the performance as well outcome of the concerned project.    

Task	Total cost (In AUD)
Implementing the plan	32700
Installation	2700
Feasibility study	2200
Reporting	2000
Allocation of resources	1500
Monitoring	1300
Review and control	1200
Need assessment	1000
Deciding the objectives	1000
Scheduling	1000
Updating and upgrading	1000
Content management	700
Project closure	700
Designing	500
Cost calculations	500
Deciding roles and responsibilities	500
Total	50000

The main assumptions of the project are that the resources and workers are available. The team members possess the necessary skills and expertise to carry out activities assigned to them. Similarly, the support will be provided by the senior managers and other stakeholders. They will not propose any new changes in the deliverables which affects the outcome of the website development project (Bresnen, 2016). Along with this, it is assumed that there will be no uncertainties which will hamper the progress. Time is the biggest constraint in the project. Apart from this, the budget and quality can also affect the outcome and the performance of the project.      

Risks	Reasons	Measures to prevent risks	Affects on project
Negatives Risks
Problems with integration	It could be due to lack of communication and coordination between team members. Problems with networks, software and hardware.	Planning has to be done in initial stages of the project. Communication plan has to be developed so that all the members understand their roles and responsibilities.	The chances of integration problem in the project is low but it can affect severely affect the outcome of the project.
Website not suitable for all stakeholders	Improper communication and lack of requirement analysis in the planning stages of the project.	Project charter, initiation stage and requirement analysis should identify all the stakeholders and their requirements. It should be communicated to the developer so that a website can be developed which can be sued all the stakeholders.	The chances of ineffective website is high but it can affect severely affect the performance of the project. It will result in project failure.
Absence of staff members	Sick leave, accidents or uncertainties can lead to absence of team members and workers from the workplace. It can affect the progress of the project and it will increase work load on existing people.	Important team members such as developers and engineers will be needed in the entire project. Additional experts should be appointed in this case.	The chances of absence of workers are high but it will affect the time schedule as well as performance of the project.
Positive risk
Too early completion of project	Dedication and high efficiency of workers can lead to too early completion of work.	Checklists have to be made to ensure that all the deliverables and requirements have been fulfilled in the project.	The probability is low but it will cause lot of involvement of stakeholder before the colure of the project.

The project manager of web application development project should focus on Quality management plan to ensure high standards in all the activities and deliverables. It will increase the chances of project success. The aim of the plan should be maintain the required standards and to follow the procedures of project management (Kononenko, Aghaee and Lutsenko, 2016). The steps to be followed in the lifecycle of the project are:

Quality planning: The quality planning is done usually at the time of the initiation stage of the project when the deliverables are decided. 

Assurance: The assurance of the standards is done at the execution processes of the project. 

Managing control: Project manager ensures and monitors the quality standards. Corrective measures are taken to ensure high quality deliverables (Martens and Carvalho, 2016).

Validation: It is used in complex projects which involves validation of each activity.

Project closure and evaluation consist of final deliverables which are provided to the client. It also includes project documentation, termination of various contracts and communication of closure. All these activities are essential to find out whether the project was success or not. The requirements of the stakeholders are compared with the deliverables to find out gaps in the delivery (Morley, 2016). The lessons learned from the web application project is noted and it can be used by project manager in his future endeavors. Apart from this, a closure report is created by the manager which contains the entire Task carried out during the project. The Social Media Research Center should carry out an evaluation process after the research center starts its operations. It will help them to create post implementation review report. It can be used to measure the MOV achieved in the project. This activity is done after three or four months from the official closure of the project. This process is undertaken by evaluation manager who reviews the outcome of the project. The main components in it are scope, deliverables, quality, timescale, budget and resource allocation. This review can be used by project manager to find out main achievements, lessons learned and failures in the project. The targets and schedules are compared with the documents prepared at the initiation stage. Similarly, management process is also reviewed. It contains risk management, cost management, time allocation and scheduling, budgeting, change management, communication plan and quality management plan.

Conclusion

The website development project of Social Media Research Center involves many activities which highly dependent on each other. Project manager has to ensure that there is proper coordination between the team members and it can be accomplished by using planning and WBS. It will provide direction to the project. Furthermore, it will help the team to find out the subsequent Tasks associated with the web application development project. It will be beneficial for the project manager to incorporate WBS, Quality management plan, risk register, checklists, Gantt chart and time phased budgets. Apart from this, all the deliverables have to be complete in the given time and budget.           

References

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