Reference no: EM132802408

BSBPMG512 Manage project time - Australian Vocational Training Institute

ASSESSMENT - CONFERENCE SCHEDULE PROJECT

Task summary
Students are given a case study scenario and are then required to create a Work Breakdown Structure, and Project Management plan, and a Project Schedule. They are then required to discuss these with the other members of their project team. Students then review their project documents and send them to their team members for confirmation.
This assessment is to be completed in the simulated work environment in the RTO.
Required
• Computer with Microsoft Office and access to the internet
• Draft Project Management Plan Template
• Draft Project Schedule Template
• Place for a meeting
• Role-play participants

Assessment Task 2 Instructions

Carefully read the following:

Manager Networks is an organisation that provides networking events for businesspeople across Australia. The company runs regular networking events but has now decided to start an annual conference event focussing on an area of business considered to be of key importance. It is hoped that the conference will provide information on cutting edge leadership topics that focus on leadership skills, knowledge, and trends.
It should also promote Management Networks, as well as providing professional development for its clients.

As the Administration Manager for Manager Networks, you have been asked by the CEO to develop and implement a project schedule for the conference. Although the CEO has ultimate responsibility for the conference, you will be responsible for the ongoing development of the congress in cooperation with several other staff members, who will use their expertise in different areas to support your project management.

Donna Chisholm, who is the co-ordinator of the Manager Networks' trainers, will help with contacting and lining up the speakers. She has already drafted a Conference Program, which can be used until the speakers have been finalised.

Dan Streep, the Administration Assistant has had experience with the ground level work required for a conference, and he will help to determine and prepare the venue.

Edith Partridge, the Chief Financial Officer will be in control of the finances of the congress.
Erin O'Donnell, the Manager Networks Marketing Manager, will co-ordinate the marketing material.

The conference will be conducted on 04 October 2018. It will be a one-day event, from 9 am to 4 pm.
For the purposes of this assessment task, assume that the date of the project team meeting is 09 April 2018.

The conference style will be formal, with a balance of conference elements to ensure that outcomes are achieved.

Participant target group is managers in all industries. This group will be targeted by email using the Manager Networks data base and publicised through social media such as LinkedIn.

Conference facilities require a centrally located venue that has a conference room that can accommodate up to 150 people. Invited speakers will want to be accommodated nearby, so there will need to be an appropriate hotel in the vicinity.
The venue will also need to be able to provide onsite catering for the meeting attendees.

Budget: projected attendee numbers will be 150 people, and the suggested conference price for participants is $500 plus GST.
Speakers are to receive $400 each for their participation.

Complete the following activities:

1. Write a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for the conference.
Develop a WBS with sufficient detail to enable effective planning and control of the project.
The WBS may be in the form of a diagram or a list of activities, but it must contain sufficient detail to enable a Project Schedule to be developed from it.

2. Write a draft Project Management Plan (PMP).
Review the case study information, and research conference project management plans in the internet.
It is not possible for the information you are given on the case study to be exhaustive, so feel free to embellish you plan with tips from projects that you have participated in the past, or examples from the internet. The objective is that you demonstrate that you are capable of logically thinking through the issues involved in the case study situation.

Your PMP must include, as a minimum, the following:
• Project scope
• Milestones and mechanisms to measure, record and report progress of activities
• Roles and responsibilities
• Project stakeholders
• Project communication
• Change management
• Cost management
• Risk management
• Issue management
• Management plan approval process.

Use Project Plan Template to guide your work.
Your draft project management plan should be between 2 and 3 pages.
Print out a copy of this document to take to the project team meeting with you.

3. Write a draft Project Schedule (PS)
Use MS Excel to create a Project Schedule Gantt Chart that covers all of the tasks in your WBS.
For each task, estimate its duration and effort, then work out the sequencing and the dependencies between tasks.
Keep in mind that this will be a draft version only, and the baseline PS can only be established after you have incorporated the input from the rest of the project team.

Use Project Schedule Template to guide your work.
Print out a copy of this document to take to the project team meeting with you.
4. Send an email to the CEO (your assessor).
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachments, and ask for details of your meeting with the project team.

Attach the following to the email:
• Work Breakdown Structure
• Draft Project Management Plan
• Draft Project Schedule

5. Meet with the project team.
The meeting's objective is to establish an agreed schedule baseline using contributions from your team members.
Begin the meeting by summarising the information in your Project Management Plan. Encourage discussion about the communication frequency and methods, and change management. You can return to these points at the end of the meeting if no agreement has been established yet.

Then ask each team member for their estimates of each task's duration and effort, sequencing and the dependencies.

Also ask each team member to estimate the risks involved with them completing their tasks on time, and what provisions should be made to allow for this. This may involve finding alternative activities, or sequencing changes. Encourage all participants to join in the discussions about resource requirements, costs and risks.

Review also the project's milestones from your PMP with the team, and establish agreement on them.

Take notes at the meeting, as you will be required to adjust your documents to include the input from the other team members.

During the meeting, you will be required to demonstrate effective communication skills including:
• Speaking clearly and concisely
• Using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding
• Asking questions to identify required information
• Responding to questions as required
• Using active listening techniques to confirm understanding

6. Review your Project Management Plan
Include the input from the other project team members to revise the plan, establishing baselines for each item.

7. Review your Program Schedule
Use your draft schedule and the input from the other project team members to revise your Program Schedule, establishing a baseline schedule for the project.

8. Send an email to all project team members (your assessor).
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should refer to the recent meeting, then introduce and summarise the contents of the attachments.

It should seek their feedback and approval of the documents, giving them a week to respond.

Attachment:- Manage project time.rar