Project Management course
The final presentation Is intended to recap the Project Management course.
Attached Is a case study which will be the basis of your presentation. Each week we have covered a new area in the project management discipline. You will take this content and apply it to the case study. Below are the specific areas that need to be addressed. Students will be asked to make a presentation of their work as well as hand In a formal report Setting the scene Your client is South American Adventures unlimited. They have requested your consulting expertise on how project management might benefit their company.
I eave given you some information on the company, but you are free to ask me more specific questions as you see fit. You are also free to make reasonable assumptions where you feel information is lacking. If you do make assumptions, please state them. Your written report is expected to be professional, comprehensive and cover the following information. In your opening executive summary, apply the project management deflation to this case study.
Using the project management deflation, explain why (and how) this Is a suitable project management case. . AS Adventures is in need of a positioning statement I would like you to apply a strategic management process to AS Adventures. Therefore, I would Eke you to prepare a mission statement, 2 company goals, 4 objectives (2 for each goal) and a situation analysis. Among other things, this situation analysis should Include a SOOT and a description of the target market. (TIP: Remember to think about how you would evaluate that objective and what metric you would use to determine its success; are you able to control/lenience that metric? 2.
Suggest 5 possible marketing communications projects that you feel would help SAA Increase their corporate visibility. Project proportioning: develop 5 criteria that you would suggest be used to valuate any project suggestions. Present the 5 project suggestions in an appropriate screening matrix to determine the priority project. Explain the results of that matrix. 3. Choose the priority project and prepare a project scope statement using the “checklist” as a reference tool.
4. Prepare a work breakdown structure.
Indicate 3 major deliverables and break out the sub-deliverables and tasks in as much detail as possible. (You do not need to identify responsibility or duration in your WEBS. ) 5. Prepare a risk response chart and a risk assessment matrix as a client tool.
Identify a minimum of 5 risks associated with your chosen project. 6. Prepare a budget checklist for the project (in other words, list the items for which you would need to get cost estimates, however no costing research required). 7. Project conclusion and evaluation – how would you determine If your objectives were met?
Evaluation Criteria: In addition to evaluating each of the above questions, you will be assessed based on your: Knowledge of how Project Management can be applied to S.
A. Adventures and a particular project that will support the company’s goals. Presentation skills. Each am member must present some portion of the case study. Presentation of information. Is it well defined, clear and concise? I would like a professional report I OFF case study.
Overall, do I feel confident that you have an understanding of the company, its challenges and how management might take the company forward?
Do I feel that you have the suitable PM skills to be awarded this contract? You will also be evaluated based on meeting the deadlines of the checkpoints outlined below. Final Details Teams of 3 (create your own). Each team will have 10 minutes to present their case study with 5 minutes for feedback/questions. You will be presenting to me, possibly an outside guest as well as to the rest of the class. Milestones / Time Path: The following milestones will be evaluated and 2 marks per missed milestone will be deducted.
1.
By next week (November 17), please message me through Canvas with the team members’ names. Please have one person submit on behalf of the team. 2. Draft ideas on 5 possible projects by November 24 to be submitted via Canvas 3. Prepare for December 1st class a draft project priority matrix.
I will meet with each team individually to review. Final presentation to be given on Tuesday, December 3. Final report to be handed in at that time. Final report handed in by noon Friday, December 5th to Media Studies office (Room NINE). No presentations this year (2014) unless requested.
Presentation Guidelines NOT REQUIRED FOR 2014 For the purposes of the final presentation, consider yourself a member of a marketing communications firm.
Because this is a simulated company and case study, you are free to make some reasonable assumptions. Please clearly state any assumptions you make so that your report is logical. You are making a client pitch to the senior members of AS Adventures. Introduce yourselves Essentially the presentation should briefly highlight all areas of your report. Mission statement (this should position S. A.
Adventures in the market so that the rest of your presentation would follow logically through to your project objectives) SOOT Analysis (where do you see the company’s strengths and weaknesses) Company goals ; objectives Marketing communication goals ; objectives Present and explain the project priority matrix you have developed Present the project scope statement from the project you have chosen as the top priority Present a portion of the WEBS so that you can explain to the client how this tool would be used o manage the project details. Present the risk response matrix Written Report Professionally presented, typed, double spaced.
Pay attention to format, spelling and grammar Contains responses and information as requested in questions above. Miscellaneous Information You will have a 15 minute time slot, plan to leave a few minutes for set up and some time for questions and client feedback. Each person should present a portion of the presentation Students will be evaluated as a group. South American Adventures Unlimited was formed four years ago by Michael and Jill Rodriguez, operating out of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Michael is a trained geologist, while Jill has a master’s degree in Spanish.
They are both avid outdoor enthusiasts and fell in love while trekking across the Andes in Chile. Upon graduation they seized upon the idea of starting their own specialized tour business that would focus on organizing and leading “high-end” adventure trips in South America. Their first trip was a three-week excursion across Ecuador and Peru. The trip was a resounding success, and they became convinced that they could make a livelihood doing something they both enjoyed. After the first year, AS Adventures began to slowly expand the size and scope of the business.
The Rodriguez strategy was a simple one. They recruited experienced, reliable people who shared their passion for South America and the outdoors. They helped these people organize specific trips and advertised the excursion over the Internet and in travel magazines. AS Adventures has grown from offering 4 trips a year to having 16 different excursions scheduled, including trips to Central America. They now have an administrative support staff of three people and a relatively stable group of five trip leaner’s/guides whom they hire on a trip-by-trip contract basis.
They also maintain a small marketing department. The company enjoys a high level of repeat business and often uses their customers’ suggestions to organize future trips. Although the Rodriguez are pleased with the success of their venture, they are beginning to encounter problems that worry them about the future. Recently a couple of the tours went over budget because of unanticipated costs, which eroded that year’s profit. In one case, they had to refund 30 percent of the tour fee because a group was trended five days in Blanch Pungent after missing a train connection.
They were also having a hard time maintaining the high level of customer satisfaction to which they were accustomed.
Customers were beginning to complain about the quality of the accommodations and the price of the tours. One group, unfortunately, was struck by a bad case of food poisoning. Finally, the Rodriguez were having a hard time tracking costs across projects and typically did not know how well they did until after their taxes were prepared. This made it difficult to plan future excursions.
While leaning with all these day to day issues of operating the business, Michael and Jill want to grow their business.
They know that a key part of this is to define what their business is and where they want it to go in the future. In addition too strategic plan, they would like a marketing communications plan to be recommended to support this growth. Using your knowledge of marketing communications and project management, can you help the Rodriguez with their next steps? They would benefit from the analysis of a strategic management process as well as some project options for moving forward.
