BUS353e Project Management Group-based Assignment – The Relationship Between Organisation and Projects, Singapore

Section 1: Understanding the Relationship Between Organisation and Projects

Digital Wise Systems (DWS) is a fast-growing Singapore small and medium enterprise (SME) in the Information Technology (IT) industry. DWS started eight years ago as a system integrator, incorporating its partners’ software and hardware, to put forward complete IT solutions to its corporate customers. Last year, DWS management decided to focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. It has worked with its partners on projects in the Education sector using AI. It intends to apply AI to other sectors.

Assuming it is now December 2018 and DWS’s management is planning its business for next year. The management is considering the following potential projects:

i. Project A: Prepare for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on Singapore Stock Exchange’s Catalist Board.
ii. Project B: Recruit more engineers for its software team due to an increased number of projects.
iii. Project C: Maintain the Ubin College’s Smart Classroom System which was
commissioned 6 months ago.
iv. Project D: Apply for IMDA’s (Infocomm Media Development Authority) approval for a new Japanese wireless sensor that DWS will use in its projects and distribute to other resellers.
v. Project E: Develop an Intelligent Warehouse System for Panther Logistic at Tuas.
vi. Project F: Implement the Six Sigma methodology in its business processes.

Question 1
(a) Classify each project into only one category of Compliance, Strategic or Operational project. You must appraise each classification by envisaging how the project can benefit DWS. (12 marks)

(b) DWS’s management intends to use Multi-Weighted Scoring Model (Ref: E.W Larson (2018), Project Management, 7th edition, Section 2.4) to screen the projects. Discuss three (3) (one financial and two non-financial) criteria, starting with the most important criterion, that DWS can use to select the projects. For each criterion, assess its relative importance to DWS, identify and explain the highest rated project under this criterion.

Section 2: Understanding Project Management Structure and Leading the Project
DWS works with a software company, Infinite Intelligence Quotient (IIQ) located in Silicon Valley, USA. Base on IIQ’s Artificial Intelligence software engine, DWS provides total IT solutions to corporate customers to improve their operations. For the first few projects, DWS will need IIQ to configure the AI software to suit the customers’ requirements.

DWS uses wireless sensors from a hardware company, Kansai Electronic System (KES) located in Osaka, Japan, to collect environmental data to feed into the AI software. DWS intends to use a new KES sensor which has yet to be approved by IMDA for use in Singapore.

DWS has secured a project to develop and implement an Intelligent Warehouse System for Panther Logistic at its new warehouse in Tuas. DWS is the main contractor while IIQ and KES are the subcontractors. DWG management calls it the Panther Intelligent Warehouse (PIW) Project. The DWS Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Daniel Tan, appointed the following staff to form the PIW Project Team.

1. You, a newly recruited Project Manager. PIW Project is a good career advancement opportunity if you can manage the project well. Besides general project management, you are also responsible for purchasing related matters and liaising with external parties (except technology partners and subcontractors).

2. Ms. Tan Mei Kuan, a Hardware Manager. She oversees setting up the data room, installing all the hardware, network and related matters.

3. Mr Hasan, a Software Manager: He oversees customer’s requirement studies, software, total system testing and training.

4. Ms Jane Morrie: A system consultant from IIQ. She will work with the team remotely from Silicon Valley to study customer requirements, configure the AI software and troubleshoot any problems during testing stage.

5. Mr Ito Takashi: A product specialist from KES. He will support the project from Osaka, Japan on the approval and use of its new sensor.

The CEO wants the PIW Project to start on 1st June 2019 and completed by 1st September 2019 to be ready for showcase at Artificial Intelligence Convention organised by IMDA on 2nd September 2019.

Question 2
(a) A Virtual Project Team is a team that has its members situated geographically apart. You have decided to use this Project Structure as there are overseas members involved. Appraise two (2) challenges and evaluate three (3) strategies to manage the PIW Virtual Project Team. (10 marks)

(b) As the Project Manager, you must do a preliminary project analysis. Identify four (4) major stakeholders (with diverse roles and exclude yourself, Hasan and Mei Kuan). For each stakeholder, describe the role and nature of PIW Project’s dependency on this stakeholder for the project to be successful, and discuss what you shall do to cater to the dependency. (12 marks)

(c) As a Project Manager, you need to master the art and science of negotiation. Appraise any three (3) approaches of Principled Negotiation to engage any three (3) of the stakeholders identified in Question 2(b), in a situation that you envisage may arise on PIW Project. Do not repeat the same approach on different stakeholders.

Section 3: Defining the Project and Estimating the Project Times
Your team has worked out the list of activities as shown below:

Question 3
Besides the Social dimension of Project Management, you must master the Technical dimension well. You are required to:

(a) Design a three-level Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Level 1 is the overall “Panther Intelligent Warehouse (PIW) Project” (Activity 1 in Table 1). To distribute the work, create three Level 2 activities: i) Project Coordination & Administration, ii) Software and System, and iii) Hardware & Network. For each Level 3 activity (Activity 2 to 15) you must assign it under one of the three Level 2 activities. Assign a project member from DWS (including yourself) to oversee a Level 2 activity. All subcontractors are to report to DWS staff. (9 marks)

(b) To show the PIW project chronological progression, prepare a Gantt Chart by using MS Project based on your WBS. (Ref Textbook, p. 115, Exhibit 4.1 for a similar format). Row 1 shall be “Panther Intelligent Warehouse (PIW) Project”. You must show the Task Mode, Task Name, Duration, Start Date, Finish Date and Predecessor columns and the Gantt Chart on a single diagram. Critical path activities shall be highlighted in red colour. (6 marks)

(c) Determine the followings and report to your management:
(i) Project duration
(ii) Completion date
(iii) Comment on the project schedule
Note: You are not required to resolve any schedule issues.
(6 marks)

Section 4: Managing Project Risk
Question 4
(a) The success of the PIW Project is highly dependent on your ability to manage the risks. Use Table 2 format to analyse potential risks during the implementation period, one from each of the categories: Technical, External, Organisational and Project Management.

(b) You are required to develop a risk response plan for the PIW Project. For each of the risk identified in Part (a), you shall examine the most appropriate risk response way (i.e. mitigating, avoiding, transferring or retaining the risk), then evaluate an effective response. In total, you must use at least three different response ways. Note: You are not required to do any Risk Contingency Planning. (12 marks)