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Running head: PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 1
Project Evaluation and Control
CMGT/410
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 2
Project Evaluation and Control
In an effort to streamline the current processes and incorporate a data system
that will eliminate the use of the current paper system, Tyler’s Cable Company (TCC)
has developed the following project plan, which includes a charter, schedule, cost, and
the evaluation and control processes. The evaluation and control process of a project
plays a vital role for the successful implementation of a project. Through successful
planning and implementation, TCC can ensure the project will also be successful and
prove beneficial for the company and its stakeholders.
Project Charter
To ensure the successful implementation of our project, the first step is to
develop the project charter. This charter contains some background information of TCC
and an explanation of how this project came to be. The charter also contains the goals,
objectives, scope, budgetary limitations, sponsor and stakeholder information, project
team structure, and the approach the project team intends to take to meet the
deliverables of the project.
Background Information
TCC is a contract cable company for Bright Homes Networks and was
established in 2004. As one of the largest contractor’s in the central Florida area, TCC
includes more than 100 technicians and 60 employees. TCC focuses on getting the job
done the right way the first time and prides itself on customer service it provides for the
community. TCC handles all services, from alarms, core cable, internet, and wireless
and land line phone services. TCC technicians go through training courses to be well-
defined cable technicians and are NCTIS certified, a requirement of Bright House
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 3
Networks. TCC prides itself in working with Bright House Network’s service technicians
in the hubs for Bright House and we assist Bright House certified technicians by running
fiber optics cable and assist them with specialized equipment that is necessary to
continue to have Bright House Networks working correctly throughout central Florida.
TCC employees support the technicians with billing, escalations, management,
and check-in to improve the Bright House quality for customers. TCC holds the number
one rating in central Florida for providing quality customer service. Bright House
Network’s motto, “Hello Friend” ensures that every job is completed as though we are
working for our friends and families; each job is completed correctly the first time.
Statement of Needs
The problem TCC is experiencing is the lack of ability to have a paperless
environment when dealing with billing. The use of paper dailies of technician work has
made it possible for multiple human errors and billing errors. To fix this issue, TCC has
formulated a project idea that includes consideration of using a cloud-like system that
allows technicians to enter billing information via a new system that will include the work
order and job information and assist with submitting this information to payroll and
check-in. This system will help remove the issue of human errors and lost dailies that
are hurting billable paying jobs for the company. This new system will increase moral
and allow technicians to view their productivity each week and upcoming checks that
were unable to be seen with the use of paper dailies.
The Penguin Data Project will allow for a transition from paper dailies to an online
database system.
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 4
Goals and Objectives
The main objective of the Penguin Data Project at TCC is to improve
communications by switching to an online system that includes a database, which will
give TCC the ability to manage its multiple sites and locations. The goal is to make the
transition from paper dailies to an online database that will serve the company with
modules for human resources that will create a paperless department; the database will
also make operations work more efficiently. TCC will be able to tap into the data,
allowing for easy access to track billing and can allow the promotion of information to all
its locations.
Over the next three months, the project team will accomplish these objectives by
setting up training for employees to assist with the transition from a paper-system into
an online database, which will bring the company into an up-to-date service and allow
TCC a savings on time and money. The company TCC will use for this transition is
Penguin Data (Workforce Management, Inc.). Penguin Data will show TCC how to run
the business via the internet. From human resources to payroll, the Penguin Data
Project will simplify this transition by offering training and updating the company as
needed.
Project Scope
The purpose of the Penguin Data Project is to transition from paper dailies to an
online system. This project meets TCC’s need for a paperless process and will improve
productivity and profitability.
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 5
The project will include:
The project will include the installation of the software, hardware, and manpower
needed for the transition. Penguin Data will provide the software and help desk to assist
with any problems that may arise after implementation and will keep TCC updated of
improvements made. Penguin Data will assist TCC with training of employees and
technicians; these employees are critical to the success of the project.
The project will not include:
The Penguin Data Project will not include what the budget does not call for. Any
new office locations will not be included in this project implementation. Should any new
project additions come to light, they will need to be approved by the project manager
and sponsor because of possible changes to the budget. Penguin Data will be
responsible for the maintenance of this system.
Budgetary Limitations
This project is set to implement an online database with a cloud-like system for
TCC. The project team will submit an accurate estimate that will include the finances
needed for the software and hardware materials, payroll for technical staff, consulting
fees, and training costs. It is estimated that each technician will need a tablet with Wi-Fi
capabilities to access the internet throughout central Florida. Servers will be installed for
all local offices. Penguin Data will provide the system backups as well as technical
support and updates.
Sponsors and Stakeholders
The sponsors and stakeholders will judge and help shape the Penguin Data
Project’s success. TCC needs to be able to meet the sponsors and stakeholders
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 6
expectations when designing a new project. Team members, customers, and
community members generally make up the sponsors and stakeholders for the
company. TCC stockholders will also require information about new projects but they
are not always directly involved in the processes. The project must meet their
expectations and level of importance. The Penguin Data Project is an upgrade for the
company so planning is vital. There will be a determination of the importance level of
each stakeholder that determines organizational and political terms. The stakeholders
must be familiar with the project’s planning, control, and all assurances once
implementation begins.
Project Team Structure
The project team will outline the project requirements and assign to each team
member. This will include creating a schedule, allocating resources, determine
applicable costs, determine the evaluation process performance, evaluation of product
performance, and how overall customer satisfaction should be determined. A project
schedule will be determined and individual components should be placed in a
hierarchical structure. This will help the team with communication to maintain a steady
flow through implementation of the project. The project manager will oversee the roles
and responsibilities of the project and team members. By assigning roles to different
personnel, the confusion of responsibilities and accountability can be eliminated. This
gives the project manager the ability to perform effective evaluations of the project and
the team for future projects.
The project management team for the Penguin Data Project is a diverse group of
five individuals with a variety of expertise, which will enhance the success of the project.
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 7
Cardell White, the Sales Manager, is experienced in sales and collections while working
closely with accounting and human resources for TCC contracts. Sue Graham, the
Customer Service Manager, is experienced in customer service and conducts
troubleshooting for TCC. Sue will lead the focus groups for TCC, which will result in
increased customer satisfaction. Cherry Meers, the Accounting Manager, is
experienced in accounting and payroll. Cherry’s background in customer service,
corporate training, human resources, and IT networking makes her a valuable asset to
the company. Melissa Andrus, the Project Manager, is experienced in managing
projects for the company and keeps up with compliance issues on both a state and
national level. Tyler Hobson, the Senior Manager, has ten years’ experience with TCC
and works closely with human resources and database operations.
Project Approach
The Penguin Data Project is created to improve TCC’s communications by
switching to an online system that includes a database, which will give TCC the ability to
manage its multiple sites and locations. To meet this goal the Project Management
Team will need to create a project proposal to present to the stakeholders. This
proposal will need to include, researching the time it will take to complete the project, all
cost including equipment, software, training, and labor, and the project scope. Once the
proposal has been accepted, the Project Management Team will need to create the
project plan.
The approach to this project will include the following:
Monitoring the team progress including time management, objectives, and
milestones.
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 8
Keeping records of any adjustments or adding a new requirement
Communication- team communication, completed tasks, updates,
changes, weekly meetings, and monitoring tasks in progress.
All project adjustments must be communicated and documented.
Develop a preliminary plan that tracks objectives and if deliverables have
been met.
Create a Software Development Team.
Research costs associated with equipment, software, labor, and time.
Meet deliverables by creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) which
will define the scope of the project and the tasks that need to be
completed.
Create a Business Requirement Document (BRD) that will set the
expectations of for the project goal.
Monitoring of allocation and cost resources.
A Gantt chart to measure milestones.
Progress reports to stakeholders and project team members.
A method for tracking if objectives have been met.
A method to determine the project success or how it ends.
Project Schedule
TCC developed a project schedule for the management of the new system. This
schedule will include when each activity will occur, what has already occurred for this
project, and the order in which the activities will occur. Included in the project schedule
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 9
is the Business Requirements Document (BRD) and the Work Breakdown Structure
(WBS).
Business Requirements Document (BRD)
Problem Definition
The main problem at TCC involves their communication and data system. The
defining issue is that TCC relies heavily on a ‘paper’ system for their daily functions and
billing.
Stakeholders and Their Roles
Tyler Hobson is the manager at TCC and will serve as the project data manager;
making sure that the new data system is compatible with TCC’s. He has been with TCC
over the past ten years and he works closely with human resources and the database
operations. Cardell White works in sales and collections working closely with accounting
and with human resources on the company’s contracts. Cardell will take on the budget
for the project making sure the team stays on budget. Sue Graham works in customer
services and does trouble shooting for the company. She has also been involved in
focus groups for TCC resulting increased customer satisfaction. Sue will help arrange
the training for TCC through the Penguin Data System. Cherry Meers works in
accounting and payroll. Her job is invaluable to the company. She also has a
background in customer service, corporate training, human resources, and IT
networking. Cheery will take on the WBS of the project. Melissa Andrus is a Senior
Project Analyst managing projects for the company and keeping up with compliance
issues on both a state and national level. Melissa will serve as the project manager.
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 10
Scope
The project manager, Tyler, has set up the scope of the project so that it can be
completed within the three month timeframe. With 160 employees, it is important that
everyone be trained on the new information system once it is implemented. This three
month time frame will allow the project team to train on the new data system and work
with Tyler and the rest of the information technologists at TCC to implement the new
Penguin Data System. Once the project team has been trained, then Melissa would
provide the board and stakeholders a PowerPoint presentation on the new technology
at TCC. With the board’s approval, the training for TCC’s 160 employees can
commence. This training and schedule is being put together by Sue; the budget has
been approved for all of TCC’s employees. Cherry will make sure the project areas are
flowing smoothly and according to the budgeted scope. The budget is being tracked by
Cardell and will be reflected in the PowerPoint presentation.
Scope Creep
TCC has to have a project scope and be able to stick to it. They want to prevent
the problem of scope creep where a company can go over their timelines and budgets.
Penguin Data Project’s goal in aiding TCC is to prevent such occurrences. The
objective is to still provide quality customer service but not every customer demand can
be met at once. This will take time to transition to all customer requests. TCC wants to
please all customers but scope creep can also occur when trying to meet extra
demands that are not a part of the original project scope.
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 11
Business Objectives
TCC objective is to improve overall company communication. They will be
integrating a multi-faceted online system that will have capabilities to manage all of their
multiple sites and locations by utilizing a database. With the help of the Penguin Data
Project; TCC can streamline its communications with this type of system. All locations
will be linked to a centralized online unit and with the database all information will be
categorized together.
Available Resources
The Penguin Data Project and TCC will take an inventory of all available
resources on hand to evaluate what is acceptable for the upgrade to the new system.
Savings costs by not having to purchase equipment already on hand are valuable. The
purpose is to utilize whatever possible to have a successful implementation. With an
online system there computer processors must be high speed and the database has to
be large enough to handle all of the multiple company locations. The Penguin Data
Project will verify that the system’s hardware is acceptable in handling the upgrade and
if it isn’t recommendations will be made for a more suitable replacement.
Constraints
TCC will have a lot of constraints when implementing penguin data. One will be
able to get penguin data to be used on all devices for technicians. Since TCC is
switching from paper to paperless it will be a hard task to make sure all mobile devices
for all employees are able to log into the server and submit the work orders they did for
today. Another constraint that the company will have to incorporate with is making sure
that our company that submits paychecks is able to communicate with the penguin data
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 12
program to create paychecks for the employees in TCC. One of the most important
constraints that cannot be over look is that making sure the budget is correct for using
penguin data. That means by making sure the estimate time of completion and budget
are correctly analyzed to make sure that TCC is not going over budget and affecting the
overall quality and outcome of submitting and using penguin data.
List of Assumptions
There are a lot of assumptions that TCC can endure in implementing penguin
data into the company. One assumption is that it could take time for everyone to be on
board on using the program. That means employees will be hesitate to use the
program, due to it being new and employees not wanting to try a new system. Another
assumption would be that penguin data would crash the system and not be able to
improve the work effort for the company. By using penguin data the main goal is to get
rid of a paper in the company and use a paperless system to incorporate less work for
the company and too make work easier for the whole company. Another assumption
would be that the program could go over budget and not meet the completion date. This
is one of the most important assumptions dealing with implementing a new project for
the company. To make sure this is met the project manager will keep in contact on a
weekly basis making sure that the project is still on track to be finish at the right
completion time. Also the project manager needs to let the stakeholders know if any
unplanned expenses are needed to finish the penguin data implementation to make
sure it has great quality and able to use after the completion date.
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 13
Specific Requirements
There are a lot of requirements needed to make sure that penguin data is
implemented correctly into the company. One is making sure that penguin data is
compatible with TCC's system. That means for one that all browsers that TCC will need
to be defaulted to either Google Chrome or Firefox. The reason is because the only way
to use and access penguin data is by using chrome or fire fox. To make sure this is
done correctly the project manager will need to make sure all servers on the company’s
network to be switch to fire fox or chrome browser. TCC will also need to make sure to
have internet access and a VPN network to make sure all communication is locked out
from hackers or other intruders that could take information from the company and hurt
and the employee’s information saved on the network. Wireless internet and access
points are needed to make sure the whole company is able to access penguin data
wirelessly thought TCC. Also make sure all phones are able to access penguin data,
and incorporated webinar training for the company to learn how to use penguin data.
That means making a power point presentation about penguin data and showing the
features to the employees about how important and crucial using penguin data is.
Functional Requirements
Functional requirements of the new system for TCC will include applications that
will capture data and produce specific reports, such as a Comparative Analysis and
Trend Analysis. The Trend Analysis will create reports that will compare product
profitability and customer profitability. The application will also report monthly details of
TCC customers and sales analysis by location. A Daily Activity Report will allow users to
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 14
view a summary of monthly sales, collections, disbursements, receipts, inventory,
monthly goals versus actual, accounts, and lead times.
Non-Functional Requirements
The new system will run seven days a week for 24 hours each day. The system
will link into an online help desk. This project must be completed within three months of
the development of this system. The project team will consist of five team members.
The testing of the system will be completed by someone other than the programmer.
The system must also be capable of running on operating systems with Windows XP,
Vista, and Mac computers.
Conclusion
The information included in the BRD details the new system for TCC and
includes the needs and expectations of TCC and its customers. This BRD is the
foundation for the project deliverables and the inputs and outputs that are associated
with the implementation of the new system.
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 15
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
PENGUIN DATA SYSTEM1
MANAGEMENT1.1
Planning1.1.1
Cost and Scheduling1.1.2
Scope Management
1.1.3
Task Management
1.1.4
Communications1.1.5
Human Resource Management1.1.6
Space and Facilities Requirements
1.1.7
Risk Management1.1.8
Procurement Management
1.1.9
Quality Management1.1.10
Planning1.2
Project Team Meeting
1.2.1
Create Scope Statement
1.2.3
Technical Planning
1.2.4
Develop Project Plan1.2.5
Business Requirements
1.2.6
Project Plan Approval
1.2.7
Integration/Development
1.3
Project Team Meeting
1.3.1
Verify and Validate User Requirements
1.3.2
Evaluate Resources1.3.3
Test Software for Upgrades
1.3.4
Design the System
1.3.5
Procure Hardware/Software
1.3.6
Perform Integration Testing
1.3.7
Install Development System
1.3.8
User Training1.3.9
Installation1.4
Develop Installation Plan1.4.1
Site Preperation
1.4.2
Install at Locations
1.4.3
Test System1.4.4
Maintanance1.5
Hardware Maintanance1.5.1
Software Maintanace1.5.2
Control1.6
Project Management1.6.1
Team Project Status Meeting
1.6.2
Risk Management1.6.3
Update Project Plan1.6.4
CLOSEOUT1.7
Audit Procurement
1.7.1
Document Learning
1.7.2
Organize Files and Documentation
1.7.3
Get Final Acceptance
1.7.4
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 16
Project Costing
TCC has developed an allocation and cost of the resources needed for the new
data system to be delivered on-time and on-budget. This project report will include the
allocation of resources for both labor and materials needed for the project tasks,
including cost estimates. The Gantt Diagram in this report will show the duration
estimates for all tasks and their sequencing needed for this project. In addition, a
summary of the projects facts on the number and type of resources, task sequencing,
how the duration estimates were arrived at, and any financial implications on the budget
or costs will be reported. Another member of this project team will reveal the
development of a baseline plan of this project so that all future variances are captured.
Allocation of Resources and Cost Estimates
A total budget of $20,408.76 will be needed for the resources and staff needed to
complete the project. The first expense will be for the IT Specialist to make a quality
project. The going rate for an IT Specialist is $20 per hour and $30 per hour for any
overtime. Because the company will use the IT Specialist under a year, this position will
include an hourly rate. If the company were to use the specialist for over a year, it would
prove more beneficial to bring the IT Specialist on salary.
Other expenses will include the VPN system, which will be $268.76 and will allow
the company access to ten licenses. This will allow the company to have licenses as
back up and give stakeholders access to check on the program from home. These
licenses will ensure a secure network for company use only as well. The program itself
will cost $5,000 for the rights to use the web-based program. Technician log-ins will cost
$30 per technician; the company currently has 50 technicians for a total of $1500. When
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 17
training begins for the new system we will need trainers, which will cost $15 per hour
plus $22 for any overtime.
For the installation hardware task, the expenses will include the salary for the IT
Specialist, which will total about $1600, plus the VPN, which will total $268.76. The total
for this task is $1868.76.
For the installation software task, the expenses will include the technician’s log-in
cost at $1500, the penguin data expense at $5000, and the rate for the IT Specialist to
setup the program, which will cost about $2240. This task will total $8,740 in expenses.
The testing phase includes an expense for the IT Specialist at $800 and the
salary for the trainers at a total of $600. The implementation will initially begin with an
expense for the IT Specialist at $800 and the trainer’s salary at $600. Finally, the
company wide implementation will include the IT Specialist salary at $4000 and trainer’s
salary at $3000; this will ensure the program goes smooth and everyone understands
what is needed to use the new system for the company. The total expenses for the
testing and implementation phases will be around $9,800, bringing the total estimated
project costs to $20,408.76.
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 18
Project Gantt Diagram
The schedule for the project begins with the project team orientation. This is
necessary to give the project team an overview of the processes needed to complete
the system upgrade. There will be an evaluation of the companies’ current resources.
The installation of hardware and software will follow one another. The initial testing
phase will commence. This will test to see if the new hardware and software upgrades
are compatible. The employee training will be conducted to get the employees the
necessary training to be able to operate the new system. The stakeholders will be given
an overview of the entire process and the projected operation of the new system. TCC
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 19
will have a review of the budget to make sure costs weren’t overrun. Once all of the
testing is complete the initial implementation will begin. First at the main office and then
the entire company will begin implementation. An MS Project Gantt Chart is included
and details the labor and material resources as part of the evaluation of resources task.
Project Plan Baseline
The baseline on the project consists of start and finish dates, time
measurements, and the costs associated with the project. The duration of the project
will be 90 days. The budgeted cost for the project is $20,408.76. The following baseline
is a blueprint for the project:
Budget-$20,408.76 Timeline=90 days
Implement-paperless system, company training
Project Team Orientation- all team members in attendance. Overview of
project and project plan.
o Duration- 3 Days- Begins on August 6th and ends on August 8th.
o Cost- $0
Evaluation of Resources
o Duration- 5 days- Begins on August 9th and ends on August 15th.
o Cost- $0
Installation of Hardware
o Duration- 10 days- Begins on August 16th and ends on August 29th.
o Cost- IT Specialist at $1600, VPN hardware at $268.76, total cost
$1868.76
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 20
Installation of Software
o Duration- 14 days- Begins August 30th and ends September 18th.
o Cost- $1500 for implementing tech’s log, Penguin Data at $5000, IT
Specialists at $2240, total cost is $8740
Testing
o Duration- 5 days- Begins on August 19th and ends on August 23rd. The
testing will occur within the timeline of the hardware and software
installation.
o Cost- IT Specialists with a total of $800
Employee Training
o Duration- 5 days- Begins on August 19th and ends on August 23rd.
o Cost- total cost is $600
Overview to Stakeholders
o Duration- 2 days- Begins on August 21st and ends on August 22nd.
o Cost- $0
TCC Budget Review
o Duration- 2 days- Begins on August 23rd and ends on August 24th.
o Cost- $0
Implementation-Initial
o Duration- 2 days- Begins on August 23rd and ends on August 24th.
o Cost- $800 for IT Specialists and $600 for Training Sups, total cost $1400
Company Wide Implementation
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 21
o Duration- 25 days- Begins on September 25th and ends on October 29th.
o Cost- IT Specialists at $4000 and Training Sups at $3000, total cost $7000
TCC believes the above estimated cost for this project clearly defines the
allocation and cost estimation of resources needed and a project baseline that will
ensure the new system will be implemented on-time and on-budget. This project
estimation includes the labor and materials TCC will need to complete the project tasks,
the estimated costs for the labor and materials, a Gantt diagram showing the duration
for project tasks, and a project plan baseline. This information will enable the team to
move forward with the project, understand the estimated timeline for tasks involved, and
help develop the cash flow needs.
Project Evaluation and Control
Measurable Objectives
Milestones are set for signifying an important event on the Gantt chart timeline.
They are significant as checkpoints for the project and provide momentum for the
project team. They can be used to motivate the team and create a sense of
accomplishment. The first measurable objective of the Penguin Data Project will be the
installation of hardware and software. The first milestone will be the testing of the
hardware and software. The testing is designated as an important deliverable and the
first milestone of the project. The testing milestone will need to be placed prominently
on the Gantt chart for tracking periodically. The testing milestone must be met on time
because it signifies that the hardware/software installation has been completed. If the
objectives are not met on time, then the milestone objective is missed. The second
milestone is the overview to stakeholders. This milestone is measured by the
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 22
completion of the first milestone and the objective of the employee training on the new
system. The overview will give the stakeholders a report on how the objectives were
measured and if the milestones were met on time or missed. The last milestone is
measured by the completion of the budget review, initial implementation, and
companywide implementation. The last milestone also signifies the completion of the
entire project. Milestones are set to identify the important events that advance the
project. Each milestone creates a measurable tool for the project team to determine if
project tasks and objectives are met. It also creates a tool for identifying changes that
may need to be implemented if an objective is not on track and may compromise the
milestone. The milestones are set to help inspire the team and set a point where the
team can measure their accomplishments or determine what needs to be adjusted to
meet the milestone.
Risk Mitigation Strategy
TCC needs an updated data system to improve its communication and help
eliminate their paper system for daily functions and billing. A project team was set up to
oversee the implementation of this new system through Penguin Data Company and the
training for TCC’s 160 employees. The project management team at TCC has someone
who has worked with human resources and database operations; another staff member
who works in sales and collections, as well as closely with accounting; one staff
member who is involved with customer services and does troubleshooting for the
company; a senior project analyst whose strengths are in compliance; and another staff
person who works with IT networking, human resources and customer service. The
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 23
credentials of these individuals are the strength of this project team which is being
managed by the company manager.
Once the initial Penguin Data project plan was outlined, the team familiarized
themselves with its scope, how long the project would take, along with its budget which
had to be set and approved. As with any project there can be risks, which must be
investigated in order to fulfill the project’s success. Risk mitigation strategies and its
concept were used to come up with a plan for monitoring the risks in this project. It was
during the planning stage that the team utilized a checklist of all possible threats that
could push the project out of scope, in regards to its success, timeframe, and budget,
helped the team form an action plan to stay on-task.
The Penguin Data Project’s biggest risk areas were the budget, and the
completion date. The strategy for the budget was to plan on reviewing the budget
weekly with the project manager and its stakeholders, as well as the team. By
discussing the budget frequently it stayed on target. The other risk of the time factor, or
duration, was a risk that had to be dealt with frequently because of timelines and
budgets. This took strong leadership from the project team to stay on task of a three
month timeframe. The biggest risk on the timeframe was keeping the everyday
functions of TCC flowing while the implementation and training were going on. The
objective was to still provide quality customer service but not every customer demand
can be met at once. This it took time to transition all the customer requests, but with the
support of TCC’s leadership and by following Best Practices, the team finished on time.
Having picked high achieving employees for the team, and the cooperation and support
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 24
from the leadership at TCC there were no major issues during the implementation and
training of the Penguin Data System.
Project Reporting Description
By utilizing proper channels of communication the Penguin Data Project Staff
was to complete the TCC’s upgrade for their new data system. The purpose of using
status reporting helps to manage the expectations of the stakeholders and the sponsor.
Keeping surprises from happening is what managing expectations is all about it’s what
the Penguin Data Project Staff strives to prevent. All projects for TCC should utilize
some sort of communication. This will ensure that everyone involved will be kept
informed of any problems that may occur and ways of preventing future can also be
discussed. The Penguin Data Project Staff generally will proper communication to help
with project reporting. The purpose of the reporting is maintaining a level of
professionalism when developing a project.
The team members sending status updates to the project manager is what the
status process includes. The Penguin Data Project staff will provide TCC with a status
summary which will include completion time of project, budget adherence, management
of scope changes and the addressing of any project risks or issues. With this
information TCC can communicate with its stakeholders and advise them of the
project’s status. Team members should send status updates to the project manager
daily. This allows the project manager to make updates to the work plan. The purpose
of this is to allow the project manager to keep up-to-date on all the activities concerning
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 25
the project. Then the stakeholders, team members and project manager can have more
productive status meetings.
Meeting Project Objectives
TCC’s new system using penguin data is only complete when the system is
working and all technicians know how to use penguin data. To ensure the project is
complete, beta testing and trying the system out with every technician will make sure
the process is working correctly. Also by beta testing the program we can see if all the
functions are working correctly and working with our system. That means from the
billing department to uploading jobs to ensuring everything is to code and is going to our
database. We will coordinate with the penguin data work force to ensure everything on
their end is working correctly and that communication is working between TCC and the
Penguin Data staff. TCC will also talk with the technicians and employees to get
feedback and things that are needed to be corrected or fixed to make the system work
correctly. With feedback from the staff with the billing will help to determine how penguin
data staff can fix any problems that are needed to ensure the system is working
correctly and to the best of its ability. Training staff will be on site for turnover, because
the turnover will be submitted on Monday after the project to ensure everyone is
committed to changing to the new system. That will stop the employees and staff from
wanting to use the old system and be on board with the new system and understand
and want to learn the system when it's implementing into our company. Following these
PROJECT EVALUATION AND CONTROL 26
steps will help to determine how successful the program will be and how it will work with
the technicians and employees to make TCC function faster and more efficiently.
Conclusion
TCC believes that the above project plan, which includes the charter, schedule,
costing, and evaluation and control processes, will ensure success during the planning
and implementation of the new data system. As the project plan details, the benefits of
implementing the new data system will ensure increased productivity and efficiency for
technicians, payroll, sales, accounting, and other TCC employees. The greatest benefit
includes allowing TCC to move forward, continue to grow, and to effectively meet the
demands of their customers.