Unit 4 Project Design Evaluation Assignment

Program	Diploma in Business
Unit Number and Title	CSD Unit 4 Project Design Evaluation
QFC Level	Level 5

Introduction

Project Management is an essential theme in light of the fact that all associations, small and large, are included in actualizing new endeavours as different as the advancement of another product or introducing a new service, or an advertising campaign. To keep in front of their rivals, each association is confronted with advancement of composite services and courses of action. These need cross-practical aptitude in a given Organisation (Project Management Institute, 2013)

The support for project management in any association is at two levels, in particular, the macro and the micro levels. Considering the macro or more extensive level, an association is inspired to actualize project administration systems to guarantee that what is embraced, little or real, is conveyed on time, inside plan and to determined benchmarks. Considering the micro level, project administration has the goals of

• Making the project work environment helpful for cooperation
• ensuring that due dates are met
• reducing expense;
• ensuring that critical records and data is imparted among team members

Task 1: Be able to formulate a project

P1.1-Formulate and record possible outline project specifications for Executive Cars Ltd

The project aims to develop information frameworks which will permit Executive Cars Ltd to do the following in a better way:

• To better oversee and keep up its fleet of organization cars
• To document the mileage of every vehicle toward the begin and end journey
• To record the end, worker number and flight date before each one excursion is approved to guarantee that every division does not overbook the vehicles
• To record the name of the carport, the work time, work expense, parts utilized and the expense of each one section for each one service visit
• To keep up their record of auto parts and the data of sub-parts

The organization needs to discover an answer for decreasing its working expenses. The framework being created is a framework to handle the business needs of leasing vehicles to clients, keeping up records and information on vehicle fleet, working the client entrance site, and reporting the condition of the framework to the organization. The framework does not satisfy other needs of the business.

P1.2- Identify the factors that contribute to the process of project selection for Executive Cars Ltd

Recommended selection criteria that ought to be utilized as a basis for examining and contrasting projects incorporate quantitative and subjective, monetary and non-money related.

According to Project Management Institute (2013), standard for Portfolio Management speaks to a noteworthy correction of prior versions and incorporates a generous and expansive rundown of a few cases of assessment criteria. They include: alignment with the organizational strategy; objectives and aims; advantages, money related and nonfinancial; share in the market, market development, or new markets; risks, inside and outer; legitimate/ administrative agreeability; human assets abilities and limits; technology capacities etc.

It expresses that it is essential to choose assessment criteria which best supports the accomplishment of organizational goals and strategy. Such criteria will permit measuring the profits commitment of a portfolio segment. Each one distinguished portfolio segment, alongside the key descriptors, is contrasted with the classification criteria and is allotted to a given class with the end goal of scoring, positioning, assessing, and selecting between comparable portfolio parts. The quantity of segments is normally restricted and illustrations include: expanded gainfulness (income expands, cost diminishment and shirking); risk decrease; proficiency change; administrative/ consistence; process change; continuous change; foundational (e.g. speculations that manufacture the foundation to develop the business); and business objectives (e.g. inner tool stash, IT similarity, or redesigns) (Klastorin, 2003) It suggests that this enables the measurement of the contribution of the candidate component project to the strategic business objectives. It therefore suggests a project governance test to ensure that there is a benefits contribution from the component project. The output is a value score for each component project which is a basis for the next stage of the process. It proposes that this empowers the estimation of the commitment of the competitor project extend to the key business targets. It along these lines proposes a project administration test to guarantee that there is an advantages commitment.

For an IT project following are the criteria’s to be considered:

• Financial
• Organizational needs
• Competing environment
• Technical
• Risk
• Management support

While evaluating the above criteria’s with respect to Executive Cars Ltd, the organization is striving hard to cut down expenses and is ready to accept a new IT framework. Currently, all records in Executive Cars Ltd are maintained manually.  This manual record keeping system has caused many problems for Executive Cars. Hence there is a need of a new IT framework. The competitors of Executive Cars Ltd have already been using such systems which have improved their efficiencies.  The project is technically feasible, though subjected to the risks like delay in completion of project, not meeting the expectation of the organization. The management of Executive Cars is in support of this project and expects to implement these systems as early as possible.

P1.3 –Produce Specification for the agreed project for Executive Cars Ltd

Considering the outline of the project specification framework is spoken to in four separate parts of the framework. These are:

• Customer Service Module
• Web Portal Module
• Fleet Management Module
• Reports and Analytics Module

The extent of the Fleet Management module is staying informed regarding the rental vehicle convoy. This current module's motivation will be to contain the information on the vehicle armada and data about the particular vehicles. The Fleet Management module won't handle the leasing of the vehicles. The extent of the Customer Web Portal is to lease vehicles to clients online without a worker. The Customer Web Portal will interface with the module administering the fleets however won't perform any of that module's obligations. The extent of the Customer Service Module is to give an acceptable and to simplify the management of data and information related to the service of vehicles.

The extent of the Reports and Analytics application is to give a foreordained recognize that will contain the majority of the reports produced using representatives on auto rentals. It will help the store supervisors and corporate office when they have to document and prepare MIS.

P1.4 - Produce an appropriate project plan for the agreed Executive Cars Ltd project

Activity/Task	Assigned  To	Time	Target Date	Actual Hours	Remaining Hours	Revised Estimate	Variance	Percent Complete	Current Status	Status Date
Project Totals			m/d/yy	0			0	0%
Initiation Phase
Develop Project				0		0	0	0%
Develop Level 1 Project Documentation & Estimate				0		0	0	0%
				0		0	0	0%
Planning Phase
Develop Detailed Project Requirements				0		0	0	0%
Develop other Level 2 Project Documentation				0		0	0	0%
Develop Testing & Training Plans, as required				0		0	0	0%
Develop Project Work Plan / Schedule				0		0	0	0%
				0		0	0	0%
Execution & Control Phase
Development Tasks				0		0	0	0%
Configuration Tasks				0		0	0	0%
Technical Tasks				0		0	0	0%
Testing Tasks				0		0	0	0%
Training Tasks				0		0	0	0%
Implementation Planning Tasks				0		0	0	0%
Assign Tasks				0		0	0	0%
Track Status / Update				0		0	0	0%
Resolve Issues				0		0	0	0%
Report Weekly Status				0		0	0	0%
Closure Phase
Project Acceptance				0		0	0	0%
Project closure Report				0		0	0	0%
Final Update				0		0	0	0%

Task 2 Be able to implement the project within agreed procedures and to specification

P2.1- Match resources efficiently to the Executive Cars Ltd

Expenses and resource planning are a paramount part of project planning and control. Microsoft project management 2007 accommodates a few sorts of expenses. By utilizing Microsoft project management 2007, Costs of investing a resource can be calculated. Everything is first converted into a cost, for instance a software developer may charge $500 daily for 10 hours meaning $10 per hour. Thus cost is derived for every resource used in a project.

• Rate-based expense is an expense that is ascertained focused around the pay rates that are detailed for an asset and the measure of work that is performed by that asset. For e.g. the rates charged by the software developers for the development of the module.
• Per-utilize, a cost that is caused either once each one time that an asset is utilized, or once for each one complete assignment that the asset is relegated to (Kerzner, 2003)
• Fixed, an expense that is set for an undertaking and not for an asset. An altered expense does not change, paying little respect to assignment span/ For instance, purchase of the system hardware for the project like computer, printer etc
• Cost asset, an asset that permits you to aggregate one-time or intermittent expenses that have a place with an assignment. This is ordinarily a one-time cost every undertaking, except the expense asset task can be moulded over the term of the assignment in the event. For e.g. purchase of software license
• Budget asset is an asset that is connected to the project. Budget assets speak to the greatest limit for a project to devour cash, effort, or material. On the other hand, this doesn't imply that a venture can't surpass its financial plan. Rather, a financial management plan asset provides for you an approach to contrast your arranged numbers and your progressing expenses, to help you stay informed concerning the monetary soundness of your project. This is the total budget defined for the project.

P2.2 -Undertake the Executive Cars Ltd proposed project in accordance with the agreed specification.

Eight steps for the implementation of a project in Executive Cars Ltd are as follows:

• Prepare the foundation: Numerous solutions are actualized into a production environment that is independent and unique from where the solution was produced and set up. It is imperative that the qualities of the production `environment be represented. This technique incorporates a survey of hardware, programming, correspondences, and so forth (Harrison and  Lock, 2004). In our case over, the potential desktop limit issue would have been uncovered on the off chance that we had done an assessment of the creation (or true) environment. When you are prepared for execution, the production foundation needs to be set up.
• Coordinate with involved associations: This may be as straightforward as imparting to your customer group. On the other hand, few arrangements today can be actualized without including various associations. For IT arrangements, there are typically one or more operations and foundation aggregates that need to be conveyed to early. A significant number of these groups may really have a part in getting the arrangement effectively conveyed (Stellman and Jennifer, 2005). Some piece of the usage work is to organize the work of whatever other groups that have a part to play. Now and again, designers basically neglected to arrange ahead and verify the infrastructure groups were readied to backing the execution. As an issue, the framework groups were compelled to drop everything to make the execution a win.
• Implement preparation: Numerous solutions oblige clients to go to preparing or more casual guiding sessions. This sort of preparing could be finished ahead of time, however the farther the preparation is held, the less data will be held when usage moves around. Preparing that happens near the time of execution ought to be made piece of the real usage plan.
• Install the product: This is the piece everybody recalls. Your answer needs to be moved from improvement to test. On the off chance that the arrangement is shiny new, this may be done in a lackadaisical and mindful way over a time of time. In the event that this task includes a real change to a current arrangement, you may have a great deal less adaptability regarding when the new arrangement moves to production, since the arrangement may need to be cut down for a time of time. You need to verify the majority of your creation segments are actualized effectively, including new fittings, databases, and system code.
• Convert the data: Information change, changing information starting with one arrangement then onto the next, requirements to occur once the base and the arrangement are executed.
• Perform last confirmation in production: You ought to have readied to test the production solution for guarantee everything is filling in as you anticipate. This may include a blend of advancement and customer work force. The primary check is just to verify everything is up and seems OK. The second check is to really push information around in the arrangement, to verify that the arrangement is working as it ought to. Contingent upon the kind of arrangement being actualized, this confirmation step could be far reaching (Lock, 2004)
• Implement new procedures and methodology: Numerous IT arrangements oblige changes to be made to business forms also. These progressions ought to be executed while the genuine solution is conveyed.
• Monitor the solution: Generally the project group will invest some time in checking the executed solution. On the off chance that there are issues that surface promptly after usage, the project group ought to address and fix them.

P2.3 - Organise, analyse and interpret relevant outcomes for Executive Cars Ltd project

The project at Executive Cars started with the following deliverables:

• To better oversee and keep up its fleet of organization cars
• To document the mileage of every vehicle toward the begin and end journey
• To record the end, worker number and flight date before each one excursion isapproved to guarantee that every division does not overbook the vehicles
• To record the name of the carport, the work time, work expense, parts utilized and the expense of each one section for each one service visit
• To keep up their record of auto parts and the data of sub-parts

Thus above can be considered as the success parameters of the project and meeting these parameters will bring the project in the category of successful projects. There is also a probability that all the deliverables are not met, for instance only fleet management meets the expectation of the organization and rest of the application fails to meet the expectations. In such a scenario, the project will be declared as partially successful. There may be a scenario that none of the application meets the organization expectation and the project will be declared as a failure.

Task 3:  Be able to evaluate the project outcomes of the Information Systems

P3.1- Use appropriate project evaluation techniques such as Gantt chart, PERT, CPM etc.

• Pert: PERT is abbreviation for Program Evaluation and Review Technique and is a planning technique initially intended to arrange an assembling extend by utilizing a system of interrelated exercises, arranging ideal cost and time. PERT accentuates the relationship between the times every action takes, the expenses connected with each one stage, and the ensuing time and expense for the expected finish of the whole extend (Milosevic, 2003) PERT is a coordinated project management framework. These frameworks were intended to deal with the complexities of real assembling tasks, the broad information fundamental for such modern deliberations, and the time due dates. The tool was of immense use in our project as it helped in identifying the activities which were getting delayed or going over budget in Executive Cars Ltd project.
• Gantt chart: Gantt chart is a kind of bar graph that represents a project plan. Gantt graphs delineate the beginning and completion dates of the terminal components and rundown components of a task. Terminal components and rundown components involve the work breakdown structure of the task. Gantt diagrams likewise demonstrate the dependency (i.e., priority system) connections between exercises. Gantt chart helped in identifying the activities which were resulting in delaying the project and could be finished by putting in more resources (Morris, 1994)
• CPM: The critical path technique helps you distinguish the most imperative exercises, which can affect the project plan. As being what is indicated, this strategy is helpful in making task timetables and overseeing high- risk exercises (Woolf, 2012). The use of CPM provided following advantages during the project
  • makes noticeable among the project exercises; this is carried out by developing undertaking system graphs or priority outlines
  • organizes vast and complex tasks, thus permitting a more efficient methodology to extend planning, task execution, and risk administration
  • enables the estimation of the slack of every task
  • encourages to lessen the task span
  • allows the Project Manager to advance productivity by assigning assets suitably, hence the general expense can be diminished
  • provides chances to react to the negative risk of going over-timetable by recognizing the exercises that are critical

P3.2- Interpret and analyse the results in terms of the original project specification of developed Executive Cars Ltd project

Any assignment that obliges some planning to attain a fruitful conclusion will most likely be carried out better by utilizing a couple of project management systems. Project management strategies can help in the arranging and overseeing of different types of assignments, particularly perplexing exercises. Project management techniques and project planning tools are useful for any tasks in which different outcomes are possible - where risks of problems and failures exist - and so require planning and assessing options, and organizing activities and resources to deliver a successful result (David and Cleland, 2006). Project management systems and undertaking arranging apparatuses are helpful for any undertakings in which diverse conclusions are conceivable - where dangers of issues and disappointments exist - thus oblige arranging and surveying choices, and sorting out exercises and assets to convey an effective result.

With reference to the Executive Cars Ltd project, project management has resulted in correct mapping of the product specification into the software product. The four systems were recommended in project specification. These were:

• Customer Service Module
• Web Portal Module
• Fleet Management Module
• Reports and Analytics Module

The IT framework has been produced comprising of four modules. These modules are the client administration module, fleet management system, the web portal module, and the reports module. These four modules make up the structure of the IT framework. The client administration module is the piece of the framework that furnishes the representative with all that they have to perform their obligations. The web portal module is the piece of the framework that handles the site where the clients will have the capacity to experience a robotized procedure to lease autos. The fleet management system do as its name proposes and deal with the rental armada. The reports module is the piece of the framework that will be utilized to produce reports from the staying three modules for the reason arranging the information on the status of the organization. The framework will have the capacity to connect with outside frameworks to process instalment in the interest of the organization.

P3.3- Make recommendations and justify areas for further consideration of Executive Cars Ltd developed project.

Risk Management: Project managers realize that things once in a while go off precisely as arranged. Amid the planning process, it is imperative to deliver a risk log with an activity plan for the risk that the task could confront. Verify all key stakeholders are mindful of your risk log. In the event that something happens, then the group can rapidly resolve the issue with the administration plan that has as of now been set up. This will give the group certainty when confronting task risks and help the customers feel good with the project’s advancement (Lock, 2007)

Having an online record of project data is key to guarantee you don't lose critical task force amid the project, additionally in the occasion of losing key members you can rapidly get your new colleagues up to speed.

Project Closure: In the event that a project does not have solid conclusion, then it can possibly keep on consuming assets. The undertaking group must be firm and concur with the client that all discriminating success factors are realized. Affirmation of the task conveyance, testing, and release must be settled upon and closed down. Fulfillment overviews are great manifestations of documentation.

It is the task supervisor's business to guarantee that everything runs easily on a project, however having an incredible manager doesn't promise a fruitful result. The whole group giving careful consideration to scratch variables is the thing that will help lead the task to genuine progress (Dorfman, 2007). This achievement will then prompt proactive, sorted out project arrangements and an increment in nature of all future undertakings.

Task 4:  Be able to present the project outcomes of the Information Systems

P4.1- Produce a record of all project procedures used to complete Executive Cars Ltd project

• Create a title page; this page is followed by a chapter by chapter guide and a conceptual. The task report's title ought to pass on the area and extent of the undertaking.
• Draft the document considering the perception of the reader his or her insight into your venture and its subject. On the off chance that your undertaking was, for instance, exploratory yet your reader is not a researcher, consider utilizing less specialized dialect
• Discuss about the extension of project, its aim and the fundamental result(s) in the Introduction. You may incorporate what you generally contributed to the project also.
• Tell the use about the exploration behind the venture in a Background section, if excessively extravagant to incorporate in the Introduction.
• Describe the routines you utilized amid the task to perform the expressed goals in a Methods/Procedures segment.
• Present the after effects of the task, which may not be the proposed results.
• Conclude by abridging, at the end of the day, the task report's substance and by recommending the ramifications of the projects results.
• Proposals focused around the conclusions laid out prior must also be mentioned

P4.2- Use an agreed format and appropriate media to present the outcomes of the Executive Cars Ltd project to an audience

Results are the progressions that happen as an issue after effect of your project. These progressions could have any kind of effect to the nature, to the group or to the people who banquet from the undertaking. For instance in this project the objective was to simplify the  operations management  at Executive Cars Ltd

The clients will include business representatives, tourists, and neighbourhood inhabitants in need of an auto. Different clients of the framework will be the representatives both at the store level and a base camp. The representatives will all be utilizing windows desktops to direct their business on the framework however the framework will need to oblige the mixture of gadgets that the clients will have. The clients will have cell phones running a few diverse working programming including android, IOS, and blackberry. The full site likewise must suit these diverse working frameworks.

Outcomes:

Module	Advantage
Fleet Management	The Fleet Management helps in staying informed regarding the rental vehicle convoy. The module provides all necessary information about the cars
Customer Web Portal	Helps to lease vehicles to clients online without a worker. The Customer Web Portal will interface with the module administering the fleets
Customer Service Module	Customer Service Module gives an acceptable and simplify the management of data and information related to the service of vehicles.
Reports and Analytics application	It gives reports and analytics useful for employees and management

Conclusion

The study has focused upon the various stages in project management like how to formulate a project followed by implementing the project within agreed procedures and to specification and evaluating the project outcomes and present the project outcomes.

References

David I. Cleland, R (2006). Global Project Management Handbook. "Chapter 1: "The evolution of project management". McGraw-Hill Professional, 2006. ISBN 0-07-146045-4
Dorfman, M.S. (2007). Introduction to Risk Management and Insurance (9 ed.). Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-224227-3.
Harrison, F. L. and  Lock, D (2004). Advanced project management: a structured approach. Gower Publishing, Ltd., 2004. ISBN 0-566-07822-8. p.34.
Kerzner, H (2003). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (8th Ed. ed.). Wiley. ISBN 0-471-22577-0.
Klastorin, T(2003). Project Management: Tools and Trade-offs (3rd ed. ed.). Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-41384-4.
Lock, D (2007) Project Management (9th ed.) Gower Publishing, Ltd., 2007. ISBN 0-566-08772-3
Milosevic, D.Z. (2003). Project Management ToolBox: Tools and Techniques for the Practicing Project Manager. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-20822-8.
Morris, P (1994) The Management of Projects, Thomas Telford, ISBN 0-7277-2593-