Stakeholder-Assessment-Report-Draft

center23001784359410012100center700005440680IPMF Pty Ltd
9410010000IPMF Pty Ltd
center3000023317209410036300

PMGT1852 – Group Assignment
Tutor:
Tutorial Day:
Tutorial Time:
Group Number/Name:
Student ID
480379872
480034306
470039566
480435282
440394279

Table of Contents
TOC o “1-3” h z u PAGEREF _Toc525919982 h 1Project Plan PAGEREF _Toc525919983 h 34.1 Project background and Description PAGEREF _Toc525919984 h 34.1.1 The Purpose of the Project PAGEREF _Toc525919985 h 34.1.2 Project Objectives PAGEREF _Toc525919986 h 3Secondary objectives PAGEREF _Toc525919987 h 34.1..3 Project Stakeholders PAGEREF _Toc525919988 h 44.1.4 Management PAGEREF _Toc525919989 h 44.1.5 Project schedule PAGEREF _Toc525919990 h 44.1.6 Task description PAGEREF _Toc525919991 h 54.1.7 Resourcing PAGEREF _Toc525919992 h 54.1.8 Project Budget PAGEREF _Toc525919993 h 54.1..9 Assumptions PAGEREF _Toc525919994 h 64.2 Assessment of Project Stakeholders PAGEREF _Toc525919995 h 74.3.1 Communications Matrix PAGEREF _Toc525919996 h 84.3.2 Escalation procedures PAGEREF _Toc525919997 h 104.3.3 Communication strategy and protocol PAGEREF _Toc525919998 h 11Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc525919999 h 12

Project Plan
4.1 Project background and DescriptionBachelor of Project Management (BPM) is one of the top courses that the University of Sydney offers. This course registers a considerable number of students who attend it from the Institution. However, despite the significant number of students attending the class, the majority of them if not all are uncertain about the details of the course.

The students have a feeling those future potential students who may qualify for the course may not get an opportunity to do so due to the unpopularity of the course. This does not just apply to students alone but the long chain of interested stakeholders might not be aware either about the existence of the course or may lack essential information about the same. Sydney is one of the sponsors of the International Project Management Firm (IPMF), there is the considerable need to help create and promote awareness about the course. This information will be helpful to the stakeholders who include students, parents, government, and even churches among others. The project will go a long way involving all the stakeholders and inviting all sponsors, well-wishers, and others to accomplish its goals. The project will finally see the “Ultimate BPM Promotional Package” delivered to the relevant people to have as many people know about the course as possible.
4.1.1 The Purpose of the ProjectThis project aims at having the “Ultimate BPM Promotional Package” achieve the expected promotion of the BPM Degree course. The goal of such promotion is to have many students who are 1-2 years out from the University be aware of the course offered at the University of Sydney. Examining the Project Management Course, it is admissible that the course is a unique one whose practical application goes a long way directing impacting on the human life. The course by nature is diverse, and its application in the environment is countlessly bearing in mind that many other courses do not offer such an opportunity. Once the ultimate promotional package has been achieved, then we will be certain that the target students with interest in course will continue with the engagement and involvement. Ultimately, they will be more enlightened about the course and its details, especially on its application.
4.1.2 Project ObjectivesThis project has the following main objective to achieve:
To develop a robust “Ultimate BPM Promotional Package” that is stable enough to achieve the aim of having the Bachelor of Project Management degree promoted to the students of 1-2 years that are out of school.
Secondary objectivesTo have the number of students studying the Bachelor of Project Management at the University of Sydney increase.
To Increase the number of professionals in the field of project management increase across the country through the local promotion.
To achieve the practical application of the Bachelor of Project Management course by students who successfully graduate in the field to make the environment habitable.
4.1.3 Project StakeholdersThe stakeholders refer to the people, organizations and administrative agencies who will either directly or indirectly have the project might influence competencies or responsibilities for the area (Turner, 2014). For this project, the stakeholders affected by the Bachelor of Project Management include the International Project Management Firm (IPMF). The IPMF being an international firm in the field of project management will be of great impact to the project regarding the provision of the information, resources, knowledge, and skills. The support from this organization will go along benefiting the University faculty, parents, and students. Another group of stakeholders will be the University of Sydney in specific reference to the administration and the Faculty of Project management. The community around the school is another group of important stakeholders who will provide the project team with the support it needs. The support from the community would include giving relevant information and getting the information further. The students will be quite essential during the whole project time by providing all pertinent information since they are the first group who come in contact with the course program. The parents also are serious stakeholders regarding consent provision for the students under the required age and information on the future students still at home. Finally, is the government through the departments of education and Environmental Management.
Additionally, other contributors to the program such as school stuff or parents also share equal responsibilities in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of their students. They can be accountable for their transport to and from the program and provide any necessary support to the University and IPMF stuff when applicable.
4.1.4 ManagementIn any project, the structure is essential since it shows the people in charge of the project and the responsibilities and the tasks of each person. The management team of the project and the duties of each person are indicated in a table.
Person Duties
Project manager The overall team leader whose duties will include managing resources, recruiting team members, assigning duties, regularly updating the team, etc
Team members Contributing to objectives, completing individual deliverables, documenting, etc.
Project sponsor Approve the budget, make key decisions, avail resources, etc
4.1.5 Project scheduleTasks Duration Person
Acquiring consent for the project Between Oct 15th -20th, 2018 Project manager
Providing resources for the project Between Oct 21st -24th 2018 Project sponsor
Information gathering Between Oct 25th -15th Nov 2018 Project team members
Analyzing the collected information Between Nov 16th to 20th 2018 Team members
Developing the promotional package Between Nov 20th – 30th 2018 Team members
Meetings with the stakeholders Between Dec 1st -10th 2018 Project manager
Submitting individual reports Between 11th to 15th 2018 Team members
Compiling the final report Between 16th to 25th Dec 2018 Project manager
4.1.6 Task descriptionIn the schedule provided, the initial task would be to seek the consent to work on the project from the relevant authorities which include the University faculty and council as well as the department of education. This will ensure that the projects are accorded with the legality that is required when carrying out projects of such nature. The second stage is essential where the resources for the projects are provided which include finance and other materials such as files, papers, books and pens to be used in the project. At the information gathering stage involves getting the relevant required information from the stakeholders. The first group to acquire for the information would be the staff at the University of Sydney on the details of the course including enrolment. Students, parents and the general community will facilitate information gathering. Analysis of the information will involve extracting facts from the information gathered for informative purposes. This information will be vital for the development of the ultimate promotional package to create course awareness. The actual stage involves having meetings with the stakeholders to give them relevant information to allow the information to spread to target groups. The team members will then be required to make submissions of their respective reports. This will allow the project manager to compile the entire report and send it to the relevant authority.
4.1.7 ResourcingThe project shall require enough funds to push it from its start on 15th October 2018 to its closure date which is 25th December 2018. In estimation, the entire period of the project and its successful completion will require approximately $500,000. This will require the project manager to source for the financial aid from different sponsors of the project (Duncan, 1996). One of the top sponsors of the project would be the International Project Management Firm (IPMF) who also happen to be the main agency that internationally regulates the matters of project management. Another source of money for the project will be the University of Sydney who happens to be the greatest beneficiary of the project if it goes to its last stage of implementation. The University of Sydney is the institution offering this course of Project Management and therefore regarded as the top financier.
4.1.8 Project BudgetAs a tool for management, a project budget is essential when it comes to the estimates for the number of resources required for carrying out the project. The management uses this tool to look for the resources needed and plan for them to avoid the future deficit (Atkinson, 1999). Through the budget, the managers know whether the project is economically viable and whether the project is sticking to the preplanned appropriations. Much of the resources in this project will go to the collection of the information and developing and implementing the promotional package for the project. The budget for the project is indicated below.
Tasks/ facilities Cost
Computers $1000
Stationeries $100
Tasks $100,000
Risks refer to the possible losses and other uncertainties that are likely to occur in the course of the project. Risks can occur caused by the internal factors as well as the external factors (Atkinson, 1999) Since risks are invisible, measures need to be put in place to assess and identify the risks early for the proper actions to be taken. Assessing risks involves identifying them, their impact on the project and defining some of the ways that can be adapted to prevent such risks from reoccurring in the future. The table below indicates the possible risks that can occur in the project and ways of mitigating them.
Risk Impact Likelihood of occurring Mitigation
The absence of commitment from the team members Seriously affect the project to an extent it can fail to meet the objectives Unlikely Put strict measures in place such as rules of engagement in various events.
Late reporting and documenting by the members of the team Missing the relevant information for the proper final reporting Uncertain Putting deadline for all the tasks to be performed by the members
Unrealistic estimation of cost The budget deficit and not meeting the financial needs of the project Likely Prioritizing resource allocation to various tasks
4.1.9 AssumptionsFor the project plan, the following assumptions were made:
The management will give the required support to the team members to facilitate easy documenting and reporting
All the stakeholders will commit themselves fully to supporting the project
 4.2 Assessment of Project StakeholdersThe list of stakeholders forms the basis for identifying the interest each stakeholder has in the project, and the project’s likely impact on them. By going through the checklist provided below the interest each stakeholder has in the project can be identified. The likely or actual impact of the project on these interests should be assessed.
Stakeholder Interest
Sydney University Have a very strong interest but has not considered it as a priority
IMPF Very interested with the aim of creating a holistic understanding of project management and giving it credibility in todays world.
Future Sydney BPM students Have some form of interest but not a cohesive group
Students families and friends Have an interest but not a cohesive group
Staff Interested as they have a stake in the project being a success.
Community This project may not be a priority therefore minimal interest especially if it doesn’t affect their daily life’s.
Key stakeholders are those who can significantly influence, or are important to the success of, the project. Depicted below is the likely influence and importance of the listed stakeholders in the BPM project undertaken by IPMF.
Stakeholder Influence
U=Unknown
1=Little/no influence
2=Some influence
3=Moderate influence
4=Significant influence
5=Very influential Importance
U=Unknown
1=Little/no influence
2=Some influence
3=Moderate influence
4=Significant influence
5=Very influential
Sydney University 5 5
IMPF 5 5
Future Sydney BPM students 4 5
Students families and friends 4 4
Staff 5 5
Community 2 1
The criteria followed out by IPMF on the assessment of our stakeholders is as depicted above can be categorized into two fields i.e Influence and importance of each stakeholder. Influence is the power which stakeholders have over a project – to control what decisions are made, facilitate its implementation, or exert influence which affects the project negatively. Influence is perhaps best understood as the extent to which people, groups or organizations (i.e. stakeholders) are able to persuade or coerce others into making decisions and follow certain courses of action. Importance indicates the priority given by you to satisfying stakeholders’ needs and interests through the project. Importance is likely to be most obvious when stakeholder interests in a project converge closely with your objectives.
4.3.1 Communications Matrix
At IPMF, we regard communication with all members of the project as a key aspect because without communication the project will not be able to function properly. By implementing a Communication Matrix, we are able to improve communication with both our primary stakeholders (The University of Sydney, the students, and high school students) as well as our secondary stakeholders by actively engaging them within the project. This can be seen in the table below which discusses the types of communication involved within a project to ensure work is running smoothly and our stakeholders are understanding what is being done throughout the project, receiving emails fortnightly with an updated progress of the project.
With the project being ‘The Ultimate BPM Package’ we aim to ensure the future high school graduates are the top priority for our project. We must ensure these students are actively involved within the package to make sure they do not lose interest in the program. With a communication matrix, we are able to share resources within the company very efficiently between departments which allows for quicker decision making and aids in the process of making sure these students are always engaged because as a company, we are organized.
Communication Type Intended Outcome Distribution Frequency Audience Owner Deliverable
Introductory Meeting Introduce the project and team members responsible for various sections. Discuss the objectives of the project and how you want to approach it. Face to Face Once Project Sponsor
Project Team
Stakeholders Project Manager Agenda
Meeting Minutes
Weekly Review Review status of the project with the team on a weekly basis. Discuss ‘SWOT’s and implement strategies to maintain the project target. Face to Face
Conference Call Weekly Project Team Project Manager Agenda
Meeting Minutes
Project schedule
Stakeholder Review Discuss and develop the management of stakeholders within the project. Determine areas working well and areas that need to be improved Face to Face
Email As Required Project Team Stakeholder Manager Agenda
Meeting Minutes
Stakeholder Report Discuss and create a brief report updating the stakeholders with information regarding the project. Communicate the upcoming process and allow for them to provide feedback. Face to Face
Email Fortnightly Stakeholders Project Team & Stakeholder Manager Project schedule
Agenda
Monthly Project Status Update Meetings Report on the status of the project to management. Review the month just past and inform on any variations or changes that have/ need to occur. Face to Face
Conference Call Monthly PMO Project Manager Slide updates
Project schedule
Project Status Reports Report the status, progress, cost and discussed issues of the project. Email Monthly Project Sponsor
Project Team
Stakeholders
PMO Project Manager Project Status Report
Project schedule
4.3.2 Escalation procedures
What we have learned as a company who has been in the business for a while now, is that projects are never smooth sailing. There is never a project which is completed without any dramas or hassles.
When we are delivering the project to our stakeholders, we are aware that it will not all go to plan, hence why we have implemented a Communication Escalation Process which is based around 4 levels of priority (Level 1 being the highest importance). This process will help IPMF with any issues that arise and help us determine what level of priority the issue is. Depending on the level, we can determine what actions need to be taken to resolve the issue and the timeframe in which it needs to be done in order for the project to continue on effectively.
The table below shows our 4 levels of priority, the ways in which we must react to each issue when they arise and the person in charge of dealing with each level.
Priority Definition Decision Authority Timeframe for Resolution
Level 1 Major impact to project due to stakeholder dissatisfaction. If not resolved within half a day, there will be a significant impact to revenue and schedule. Major stakeholders may drop out of the project and cause a large financial loss and possible project failure.
Urgent meeting/ call must be made with ALL stakeholders at once to determine a resolution for the problem and the most efficient way to approach it. Vice President or higher Within 6 hours
Level 2 Medium impact to project or business operations due to unsatisfied stakeholders. This may result in the loss of some key stakeholders which could be drastic in regards to project completion.
Calls must be made to individual stakeholders to discuss potential harms and what is causing their disinterest, conversing on how to better improve the project. Project Sponsor Within one business day
Level 3 Minor impact which may cause some slight scheduling difficulties with the project and stakeholders. If the issue is not addressed, stakeholders may become less involved in the project, potentially harming the project budget.
E-mails to be sent out to all stakeholders with an update on project situation and what is being done to keep the project on track. Ask for feedback from the stakeholders. Project Manager Within two business days
Level 4 Minimal impact to the project however there may be a better way to deal with the situation.
E-mail stakeholders with some options regarding what they believe should be done going forward with the project. Take into account what the stakeholders want and address the situation if required. Project Manager No timeframe unless the issue escalates. Any recommendations towards the topic should be applies to the project change control process.
4.3.3 Communication strategy and protocol
Communication and strategy protocol is essential in any Stakeholder communication plan, regardless of the project. Understanding stakeholders is key to project success as the overall outcomes success heavily relies on their final opinion. In terms of our ultimate BPM package, it is evident that our main stakeholders are the future students of the University of Sydney and also current students within the old BPM, and therefore them being the priority of this section.
When dealing with stakeholders, it is important to understand that not each stakeholder is the same, and every stakeholder you come across will react, respond, communicate and cooperate differently. As stated in the comment section “demographic information, organisational culture, ethnic cultures, etc. may all be accounted for” and this just shows the wide variety of stakeholder factors that can influence the way a stakeholder is to be communicated with.
Although this seems like a simple process, it is actually one of the most important and usually lies along a critical path of the planning process as the relevance of stakeholders and the way we communicate with them has a high magnitude, this process can be seen in the form of an “interview process”. An interview process is something in which happens as the beginning of project execution and it involves a series of questions and discussions which can help better one’s knowledge of the stakeholder. In terms of our ultimate BPM package, it would be hard to interview only one stakeholder as the body of primary stakeholders is large, there are additional ways around this such as a survey. We have decided to use this additional way and use a stratified survey for our information gathering for the promotional package, so we can then understand fully how we are going to manage and approach our stakeholder communication and protocol.
The survey we conduct we will hold a range of different questions that will help us better our understanding of the stakeholders we are working with, so we are able to use our communication strategies to their full potential, and these questions will also help us in bringing the ultimate package as suggestions from the stakeholders may allow us to adjust our package to better the needs.
Furthermore, once this survey is complete it will be evident of the different types of people we are working with, this will include information such as background, culture, languages, eagerness to learn, time availability, the list goes on and all of these are factors for stakeholder communication. Once this information is received the project managers and project team/sponsors can now use what’s called a communication strategy, when interacting with these stakeholders to ensure they are fully satisfied with the project from beginning and throughout, by fully attending to their needs and personalities.
The different types of communication strategies are listed below (however these are only to name a few);

Meet regularly
Be inclusive
Be transparent, clear and concise
Show respect
Recognise being right may be wrong
Use online collaboration tools * This is one of the largest ones we have decided to focus on as the upcoming generation is huge in terms of online communication, we are planning to aim most of our updates and information on an online platform so that we are able to reach our stakeholders in a way in which they can respond better to, then if we were to do otherwise.
Appropriating to diversity
As you can see these strategies are all adjectives and require action, however it is through this interview process where one is able to fully understand which stakeholder requires which type of strategy in order to fully cater for their needs and personality.
269480744125800Once our project managers and project team have delved into the process of stakeholder communication, they can then use a tool which identifies stakeholder prioritisation. This table is a tool in which stakeholders (by letter in this example) are plotted on a graph as to where the low through to high interest and power is measured, and this could come in handy as to which stakeholder may require further strategic communication through their place on the graph.
Conclusion
Since the introduction of the Bachelor of Project Management (BPM) in the University of Sydney, there has been very little attempted to inform all the stakeholders about the existence and what constitutes the course. There is a high possibility that the number of students enrolling in the course will drop in the coming years following the uncertainty of the course in the professional field. Furthermore, the future of the course and the career path of the students who in the future will qualify for the program is not guaranteed.
In the quest to help create awareness about the course to the rest of the society and have more 1-2 years’ students out from the university register for the course, the Ultimate BPM Promotional Package proposal factors in the need to have all stakeholders, sponsors, and well-wishers among part of the target audience. All the participants’ duties and the start and deadlines of the project are clearly defined to ensure the success of the project. Also, the bureaucratic process, the source of the resources, budget breakdown and communication channels involved in the project have been stated.
The fact that Bachelor of Project Management (BPM), by nature, incorporates all areas of the human life and has multiple applications to the environment, the promotion of the course to the students of 1-2 years who are out of school, will make more of them interested in registering for the course. There will more professionals graduating with degrees in Bachelor of Project Management throughout the country. Moreover, they will be aware of the areas to integrate their knowledge in their fields and how to practically apply the skills to better the society. As a result, the Ultimate BPM Promotional Package will successfully create awareness about the existence, the course outline, implementation and the significance of the course in the society.
References
Chapman, A. (2016). modern ethical management ideas and leadership models. Businessballs.com.
http://www.businessballs.com/ethical_management_leadership.htmPmi.org. (2015). Managing Project Stakeholder Communication. [online] Available at: https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/stakeholder-communication-9820 [Accessed 27 Sep. 2018].
Velopi.com. (2018). Managing Stakeholders and Communication. [online] Available at: http://www.velopi.com/news/pmi-pmp-free-project-management-resource-comm-stake [Accessed 27 Sep. 2018].
PMBOK guide 2013.
Teamgantt.com. (2018). Communication Matrix. [online] Available at: https://www.teamgantt.com/communication-matrix-template [Accessed 24 Sep. 2018]
Projectmanagementdocs.com (2018). Communications Management Plan. [online] Available at: https://www.projectmanagementdocs.com/template/project-planning/communications-management-plan/#axzz5NT6TQuns [Accessed 25 Sep. 2018]
Atkinson, R. (1999). Project management: cost, time and quality, two best guesses and a phenomenon, its time to accept other success criteria. International journal of project management, 17(6), 337-342.
Duncan, W. R. (1996). A guide to the project management body of knowledge.
Turner, J. R. (2014). Handbook of project-based management(Vol. 92). New York, NY: McGraw-hill.