Reference no: EM133205972

Case: The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the business of Secure Building Systems Pte Ltd (SBSPL). Originally a supplier of huge building security systems, the company had to pivot towards the supply and construction of low-cost semi-automated entry access systems that could scan the Government-sponsored Trace Together (TT) app and dongle. These systems are used in malls and retail shops to track and regulate the entry and exit of customers. The TT app and dongle are part of the public contact tracing effort that has been digitalised.

But that was more than a year ago when the world was still learning and grappling with COVID. Now, with mass vaccinations and a public policy of opening-up and living with an endemic COVID situation, safe management measures have evolved to embrace vaccination-differentiated requirements. There is now an additional need to check the vaccination status of visitors.

James Tan, the CEO of SBSPL, has been monitoring the COVID situation closely. He realises that there is an urgent need to develop a second generation of the earlier TT entry system. This new system would have to be more sophisticated as it would have to integrate with vaccination data from the Ministry of Health (MoH). It will require the use of the safe management measure programming interface called SMM API. At the same time, James wants this new product to be fully automated and integrated with a turnstile gate.

To be called the Automated SMM Gate project (ASGP), James has put together a project team consisting of 3 of his best engineers to develop the new product. The most senior engineer will lead the project and provide expert guidance and back-up. James also plans to deploy an admin executive to assist with project administration and coordination.

Based on past experiences, James is only prepared to commit to a total budget not exceeding $180,000. This should include an 8% contingency buffer. He will also assign all team members to work full-time on the project starting on 10 Jan 2022. He hopes the project can be completed before 18 Aug 2022 as this will allow him to present the new product on time to the board of directors in its Quarterly Board Meeting.

Assume you are Alvin Lam, the Project Manager. Develop a Project Plan and answer the questions that follow. Note that SBSPL work hours are based on a 5-day work week. There is no work on public holidays. And if a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is deemed to be a public holiday. The company adheres to the public holidays published by the Ministry of Manpower. Project costs are computed on an accrual basis.

Question 1: Identify any four (4) risks that might arise in this project. Assess these risks in terms of the impact that each might have on the project. Formulate a suitable Risk Response for each of these four (4) risks.

Note: Your Risk Responses must be based on at least 3 of the following 4 types: Avoid, Retain, Mitigate, Transfer. For example, your answers cannot be based only on one or two types. Your Risk Response must also correspond to the risks that you have identified. You may present your answer in the form of a table with the following columns: Risk Number, Risk Description, Risk Consequence, Risk Response Type, Risk Response Action.