In your role of the Chief Project Planning Manager you are required to develop a report (including academic references), structured along the following lines:
Part A – General overview (60%) – approx. 2,500 words
Critically evaluate the relationships between project maturity and project management. What steps can be taken to improve the financial performance of projects at Dorsch Gruppe? What are the key strengths of project maturity? What are the key measures and tactics to implement a new project maturity approach? How can projects be classified in terms of project maturity? How can low performing projects be improved?
Part B – Project Planning – Gantt Chart report (added explanations approx. 250 words)
Given the importance of your report, develop a one-page project plan in Gantt chart form. The chart should clearly indicate the critical tasks and the planned end date but ignore progress and resources at this point.
You need to create two variants:
First, for a 4 month duration. Include the 4 month Gantt chart as appendix Part B.1.
Secondly, suggest any tactical options to reduce the project duration to 2.5 months as you have heard rumours that your report might be required with urgency at an earlier date. Update your planning and include the 2.5 months Gantt chart as Appendix Part B.2.
Part C – Budget creation Excel report and approx.
First task:
Assuming that the project will run perfectly to the schedule outlined by you in Part B.1 with all contract personnel working as defined on the tasks indicated, generate an overall budget planning for your report. Include the 2 secretaries and 2 consultants, accommodation costs at £650 per week inclusive, your own salary at £ 4,250 p.c.m. (per current month), all new PC hardware (total fixed cost: £11,000) and project planning software (total fixed cost: £12,000), and total miscellaneous fixed costs of £22,000. Create budget positions for meetings, travel costs and other activities at your discretion within the overall budget limit. You can include a web site for explaining your project and project maturity, and also for training of the teams with the new project maturity techniques.
Show all calculations and totals via suitable report formats. Include as Appendix C.1.
Second task:
The agreed total project budget for your report is £225,000. When you discuss this budget on your first day with the Chief Financial Officer (CF), he is not happy. He requires that you prepare an alternative where total costs are only £175,000. Show all calculations and totals via suitable report formats, and include as Appendix C.2.
