CT050-3-3 Project Management

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CT050-3-3 Project Management

In-course Assignment
Company
Project
I.

:
:

Healthy Living Pte. Ltd. (HL)

Global Supply Chain Management Project (GSCMP)

Assignment Learning Outcomes

1. Decide the aims and objectives, deliverables and scope of a typical IT project
within the wider context of IT management, create appropriate standards and
procedures and communicate the outline of the project effectively to a variety of
stakeholders, discuss and critically evaluate the process.
2. Organize a typical IT project and decompose it into manageable components,
systematically estimating the resource requirements and allocating tasks with due
regard to risk and the available human and technical factors, discuss and critically
evaluate the process.
3. Analyze, plan and manage a typical IT project using an appropriate variety of
scheduling, monitoring and controlling tools and techniques, and communicate
the plan effectively to a technical and non-technical audience, discuss and
critically evaluate the process.
4. Understand, discriminate between and apply some techniques of team building
and management, risk assessment and management and change and configuration
management such as are likely to improve the success of a typical IT project,
discuss and critically evaluate the process.

II.

The Scenario (A Case Study)

Healthy Living Pte. Ltd. (HL) is one of the leading nutrition, health and wellness
multinational companies, based in Singapore with its global IT shared services known as
Global IT Services (GITS) located in Malaysia has embarked on a new project to its
enhance supply chain operations. The first wave will be concentrated to South East Asia
and the implementation will be deployed by markets.
At present, markets located throughout South East Asia are using locally developed
application to record supply chain management activities information. The first-level
support (L1) is being rendered by local IT and second level (L2) is supported by the local
application vendor. Previously the cost for software support maintenance was managed
locally within each market which has resulted high in IT cost for both capital and
operating expenses. Unfortunately every market provides similar support framework
which has created duplication among markets within the South East Asia Region due to

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CT050-3-3 Project Management

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decentralisation of systems being used. Thus by implementing this project, significant

contribution such as reduction in capital/operating expenses, centralized support from
GITS, global governance and many more value added are gained. Please refer to section
VII, Table 1 for the list of departments directly and indirectly involves in this project.
Due to the urgency for centralising support and cost reduction, the project was
scheduled to be completed within duration of 6 months from the date of
commencement. The project is named as Global Supply Chain Management
Project (GSCMP).
Basically, this project will deliver a system which provides all the common functions that
can be found in any typical Supply Chain Management software. Apart from that, the
system is also supported by a huge centralised data warehouse which provides business
intelligence capabilities in facilitating users to make quicker decision in managing
inventory in their own region. The system also covers transportation management, order
management, yard management, labour management and warehouse optimisation,
This is a critical and complex project which involves various department including
subject matter experts (SME(s)) from GITS. A Project Manager was hurriedly
assigned from GITS-PMAC who has a good working knowledge of the various
regional office locations. The current Project Manager portrays strong
global/regional project management and technical skills. However, he lacks
leadership qualities and interpersonal skills.
In addition to a good project management methodology, the following are some of the
major critical success factors (CSF) the Project Manager must comply for the success of
the project:a) capable resources would be selected from any of the SME-departments as shown in
the organisation structure provided in section VII, Table 1
b) the current IT infrastructure must support this new system
c) its mandatory for related GITS-SMEs to provide approval and signoff for system
implementation
d) all support staff and users must have access to this new system with relevant Access
Level (ACL) privileges
e) the current system must be replaced in phases by GSCMP.
f) the cutover (transition from the current system to new centralised system) must be in
parallel
Due to the urgency, the Malaysian market has been selected as the first market to pilot the
implementation since the GITS is also based within the same country which enables more
effective project support whenever needed.
China and Thailand had similar projects (locally developed application) implemented
three years ago. Please refer section VIII, Table 2 which lists the major milestones from

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previous implementations and suggested duration (most likely) to be executed for

Malaysia.
(Note: Although the major milestones for the project are provided in section VIII,
Table 2, Project Manager is required to expand the detail activities/tasks for
respective milestones if necessary.)
As the project progressed, it was meeting its high-level milestones for the first two
(2) months, and with four (4) months left, it was now deemed as failing to meet its
target dates, not doing what it was supposed to do and was unreliable. At this
point also a few startling issues surfaced, as follows:1. the steering committee (which consist of the board of directors, CEO and Senior
Managers of the organisation) do not recall of being presented the project feasibility
study by the Project Sponsor or the Project Manager to them.
2. the project approval was not formally documented.
3. there is no evidence that a proper project management process was followed.
4. the PC and server hardware technical specifications were constantly being changed to
suit new or added requirements.
5. requirements keep coming in from users almost daily where the GITS-ADC Team
Lead keeps on accepting them without hesitation.
6. there was redundancy of work performed as the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
was done separately by each respective department and the Project Manager did not
review and then consolidate those WBSs into one wholistic WBS.
7. most of the team members have been focusing more on their daily operation support
rather than tasks being assigned by the Project Manager or their respective Team
Lead.
8. tasks are performed without prioritising other dependent tasks.
9. IT assets acquisition and spending were through PROC Manager with suppliers
without going through a proper tendering process.
10. purchasing of IT assets without a proper tendering process has led to overrun by
budget.
11. the testing plan was not developed yet.
12. there were not even a clear designated sponsor (or sponsors) for the project.
13. there was no clear project organisational structure to manage the project.
14. the Project Managers authority was constantly overridden by the department head
/managers.
15. technical skills were especially lacking in the network and security areas.
16. there were no monitoring reports to review as none were prepared and formally
documented.
17. the risks associated with the project, although documented, had no detailed action
plans and were not categorised in terms of impact or severity.
18. the hardware and software delivery was still being negotiated with some potential
vendors while there were only four (4) months to complete the project.

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It was now evident that a project recovery effort is needed with solutions identified and
invoked to get the GSCMP back on schedule and rolled out as planned.
III.

Assignment Requirements
As the project is failing and needs to be recovered, you should start by looking into a
proper (or formal) project management methodology with the appropriate
processes, tools and techniques.
Besides, the steering committee decided to replace the current Project Manager. As
a group of four (4) members in this group assignment, assuming they have appointed
one of you to be the new Project Manager, and now you are to look at all the 18
issues above (section II) and resolve them using the nine (9) project management
knowledge areas:1. Project Integration Management
2. Project Scope Management
3. Project Time Management
4. Project Cost Management
5. Project Quality Management
6. Project Human Resource Management
7. Project Communication Management
8. Project Risk Management
9. Project Procurement Management
Your team should aim to make your report interesting and engaging, without losing sight
of the fact that the organisation is seeking a professional approach to the problems. All
analysis should thoroughly illustrate and document the pressing need to recover a failing
project. Avoid theoretical discussions. Apply the theories to solve the problems.
Assumptions can be made to assist in ascertaining the solutions but they must not impair
the decision made on the scope and delivery of the project.
Your team and you must also look at all the major critical factors above in section II and
manage the project successfully to completion.

IV.

Assignment Instructions

As part of a team (maximum of four (4) individuals per group), a single report must be
submitted to senior management. The report should be a formally written document, the
contents of which should not exceed 13,000 words (3,000group total and 4x2,500
individual), excluding abstracts, tables, appendices, etc. An electronic copy should also
be submitted with the report.

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CT050-3-3 Project Management

V.

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Assessment Details

Your teams report and your individual report will be assessed as follows:1. A GROUP based report of 3000 words 30%
This is the part of the report that details your project management awareness of how a
project management methodology, once introduced, will be able to manage the
project well. You and your group are encouraged to use any methodology which is
commonly being practiced in industry. Please indicate and justify clearly the
methodology selected in line with research conducted on the case study.
The main contents should cover a detailed group discussion on processes, tools
and techniques of Integration Management and the three (3) Core Knowledge
Areas (i.e. Project Scope Management, Project Time Management and Project
Cost Management) as follows:
a) Project Charter
b) Work Breakdown Structure
c) Scope Statement
d) Gantt Chart and Network Diagram
e) Cost Estimation and Budgeting
f) Quality Management Plan
g) Administrative Closure Procedures (including cutover strategy and
transition plan)
h) Lesson Learned Report
Breakdown of marks:
a) Documentation 10%
Materials are presented professionally using correct grammar, punctuation spelling
and length. Addressed report guidelines.
b) Analysis 20%
Solutions applied are critically analysed and appropriate to identify the issues
addressed.
2. An INDIVIDUAL based report of 2,500 words each 70%
A detailed discussion on processes, tools and techniques by each member of the
group on one (1) of the Facilitating Knowledge Areas as follows:a) Project Human Resource Management Member 1
b) Project Communication Management Member 2
c) Project Risk Management Member 3
d) Project Procurement Management Member 4
Breakdown of marks:
a) Original Idea and Critical Appraisal 25%
Clear evidence of original ideas and critical thinking in justifying processes, tools and
techniques applied.
b) Argument Coherence 15%

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CT050-3-3 Project Management

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Paragraphs are in a logical relation to the whole and flows logically into the next.
c) Research and References 15%
Supporting research clearly explained and presented. Thoroughly lists references that
are relevant to the topic.
d) Presentation 15%
Impression of confidence, simplicity, clarity, structure and time management of the
presentation and ability to answer questions
Presentation Guideline
a) Individual presentation duration must NOT exceed 5 minutes (5 - 10 slides) for
each phase. This includes the setup time.
b) Group presentation duration must NOT exceed 5 minutes (5 10 slides) to be
presented by one of the group member.
c) Ensure contents are summarized and professionally presented.
d) Individual & Group Presentation will be delivered from Week 14 16
This assignment is worth 100% (70%-Individual & 30%-Group) of the final
grade.
Assignment will be hand-out during Week 2
Reports are to be handed-in by Monday of Week 15.
Note: The work of each member of the group must be clearly indicated in a WORKLOAD
MATRIX as per common practice.

VI.

Assignment Assessment Criteria

The criteria below detail the areas, which will be taken into account when the assignment
is marked:1. To address the subject satisfactorily the assignment length should be in a maximum of
13,000 words. A typed format is mandatory.
2. Distinction assignments exhibit comprehensive research with detailed evidence.
High level of analysis performed, exceptional and thorough knowledge and
understanding displayed with regard to application. This includes analysis and
evaluation of facts followed by results of evaluation.
Documentation presented in a professional manner, following proper sequencing
and flow. Displayed evidence of critical appraisal.
3. Credit assignments demonstrate adequate research conducted with fair detail of
evidence presented.
Moderate level of understanding, analysis and knowledge displayed.
Some level of relevance included in terms of application.

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Moderate level of analysis and evaluation of facts followed by results comparison.

Good level of documentation presented.
Some level of reflection was evident in the documentation.
Moderate level of critical appraisal.

4. Pass assignments show low level research conducted.

Some evidence of research displayed.
Basic level of understanding and knowledge analysis displayed.
Satisfactory level of documentation.
No evaluation and analysis of facts, no results comparison performed Satisfactory
or low level of reflection displayed.
No level of critical appraisal demonstrated.
5. You are expected to clearly state any assumptions you make, and support statements
and theories by referencing to appropriate sources.
Attention will be paid to:
Critical evaluation and discussion. Issues will be dealt with deeper and on an
analytical plane, based on good research - with industry examples, data projections
and commentaries.
Balanced researched materials. Appropriate and different sources which must
include sufficient academic research, not just secondary research from URLs
Proper referencing and citation. Harvard Referencing is a must. Citation must
include, apart from the normal details, the page number from where the issue for
discussion has been taken. (Refer to Handbook for penalty on plagiarism)

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CT050-3-3 Project Management

VII.

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Global IT Services & Local Market Organisation Structure

To indicate the extent of the project resources and team construction, the table below
indicates the organisation structure for HL local market and Global IT.
Supp
ort

Unit
GITS

Global

Abbrevia
tion
CNN

GITS

IT Security

ITSEC

GITS

Application
Development Center

ADC

GITS

Project Management
Centre

PMAC

GITS

Data Center
Operations

DCO

GITS

IT Operations

ITO

GITS

GITS

Center of Excellence
Enterprise
Resources Planning
Center of Excellence
Customer
Relationship
Management

Provide L2 Support for CoE-ERP

CoE-CRM
Provide L2 Support for CoE-CRM

Center of Excellence
Supply Chain
Services

GITS

Global Service Desk

GSD

Mark
et

IT Dept

IT

Mark
et

Marketing Dept

MKTG

Finance Dept

FIN

Mark
et
Mark
et
Mark
et
Mark
et

Human Resources
Dept
Communication
Affairs
Procurement

SME Responsibility
Provides network services for Local
IT/Market
Provide governance for IT security for
application development, software
and hardware
Provide develop application and
provide application Governance and
Intellectual Property.
Provide Project Managers to manages
projects
Infrastructure support incl. Servers,
Operating Systems for centralized
datacentre and local servers
Provide governance for IT operations,
which includes supporting local
markets and its business operations.

CoE-ERP

CoESupply
Chain
Services

GITS

Local

SME-Department
Communication &
Network

HR
COMM
PROC

Provide L2 Support for CoE-SCS

Helpdesk perform level-one (L1)
support
IT Manager, Executive #1, Executive
#1
MKTG Manager, Executive #1,
Executive #2, Executive #3, Sales Rep
x 30,
FIN Manager, Executive #1, Executive
#2, Clerk#1, Cashier #1
HR Manager, Executive #1, Executive
#2
COMM Manager
PROC Manager, Officer x2

Table 1: HL Organisation Structure

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CT050-3-3 Project Management

VIII.

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List of activity from previous project implementation from other markets

N
o
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
0

Major Milestones

Requirements Gathering
Preliminary Approval
Change Request, CR Approval
Business Approval
Functional & Technical Specification
Development
Application Development
ADC Testing
IT Regression Testing
User Acceptance Test (UAT)
System setup (in Production
environment)

Total Project Cost (in USD$)

China

Thailan
d

most
likely

30
16
15
5

36
22
5
7

33
19
10
6

Immedia
te
predece
ssor
activity
0
0
2
2

10
60
4
5
25

14
44
10
5
29

12
52
7
5
27

1
5
5
6,7
7,8

1
$300,0
00

1
$260,0
00

1
$280,0
00

Table 2: List of major milestones from previous implementations

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