PROJECT PLANNING

PROJECT PLANNING

Abstract

Due to the customer and local authorities, demand LOCL Bus Ltd wishes to move from cash payment to the use of smartcard and mobile app payment system. They hired a project manager to write a report that will help the corporation to convert the modes of payment to the cashless system. The objectives of this report were to come up with a system that makes it easier for the customers to buy a travel ticket, a method of payment that will fit customer needs and lifestyle and enabling a seamless pre-purchase of cards through the use of a mobile app. This paper contains a report on how the transition will take place. The report has four phases which include the initiation stage; the planning stage; the execution, control and monitoring stage and the closing stage. The rollout of the new system will occur in two phases, namely the Roll out phase I and full rollout. The views of various groups shall be enacted in the documents outlined in this report.

Project Initiation Stage

After I am appointed the project manager who will oversee the replacement of cash payment at LOCL Bus Ltd with card and mobile app payment the first thing that I will have in mind is to start the initiation phase. This phase will be an essential step as it is vital for the accomplishment of the whole process. At this stage, it will be necessary to come up with a project management office that will help in making a plan and reviewing these plans for the project.  The next step will involve coming up with project management team, the objectives for this project and the scope.  The goals of the project are to come up with a smartcard payment method and a mobile app. The smart card and the mobile app should enable the customers to buy travel tickets very easy, fit the needs and the lifestyle of the customer as well as allowing a pre-purchase of a travel ticket.

At this stage, the stakeholder’s list will be established. The identified stakeholders will work throughout the life cycle of the project. The key stakeholders include the business process owner, key executive as well as hired professional who will work with the project manager in achieving the goal for the project. The use of the RACI chart will determine individual’s responsibility. Individual roles which range from supervision, signoff, consultation powers, will be recorded. There will be documentation on the number of decisionmakers for any issue and the time frame for making decisions. The stakeholder’s roles will be informed of a contract, and the project management team will outline it in the charter.  The scope statement will be established at this stage to ensure that the project manager and all the stakeholder are on the same page during the implementation cycle. This scope management will minimize the risk of overburdening the team, diversion of resources and missing necessary project deliverables.

A communication plan will outline the needs and frequency of communication among various stakeholders. The preliminary budget will include all the staff, technological and location cost. Risk analysis of potential threats to the project will be analyzed and possible solutions put in place.  The charter will also include the list of work products to be delivered at a specified date as agreed by the stakeholders. There will be a documentation of constraint which include cost, human resources, and time limits. A kickoff meeting for all the stakeholders will take place. The aim of the conference will notify them of the scope and the objectives of the project. The project manager will then seek the approval of the charter by the management of LOCL Bus Ltd. Once the management approves the charter, the project will move from the initial project plan to the planning phase.

Project planning

Once the project has received the approval by the management, and the project team appointed, the project will move to the second phase of the project management cycle. Unlike the initial stage, every activity that takes place in the entire sequence is detailed at these phases. Refining of the plan, deliverables and other requirements will take place during this phase. Once the refinery is over a schedule of activities will take place. The creation of a plan that will help the project management team from the start of the project to its closure to manage time, cost quality, changes and risks will occur at this phase. The plan is also crucial as it will help in completion of the project within the stipulated time, budget and schedule.  Communication planning and procurement activities will be carried out at this stage as well as contracting third party suppliers. Scrutinization of the objectives set at the initiation phase will take place to gain more insight. The project manager will come up with quantifiable definitions for the qualitative terms developed by the team. The measurable terms will be in terms of schedule, cost and quality measure which will also measure the satisfaction and successful completion of the project.

The deliverables will be redefined again into technical specifications and system prototype. Establishment of a  traceability matrix will take place to ensure that all the deliverables meet the product requirement and that testing entirely takes place. The scope, schedule and budget will also be reviewed. There will be the development of a resource plan to identify the quantity of labour, equipment and materials required for completing the task. A resource checklist will guide in ensuring that enough resources are available for the project. The setting of a quality plan will take place for quality control and assurances activities. This quality plan will ensure that all the deliverables produced at every stage of the project meet the needs

. Risk analysis will take place at this stage. The ranking will depend on the possibility and potential of the risks to occur and the impact it can have on the project.  Documentation of risk triggers and the stages they are likely to occur will, and possible implications of risk will arise.  A risk manager will be appointed whose role will include coming up with a team that will develop safeguards for the identified risks as well as coming up with risk monitoring tools. The project management team will use a risk register

to deal with threats.

Establishment of a communication plan will take place to guide on how messages will move to various stakeholders. The communication plan will come up with the goals of communication, strategies and the time frame for described activities. The program will help in giving out consistent messages to all the stakeholders involved in the development of the project. All the news that will be sent to the staff, suppliers and the stakeholders will officially be recorded in the communication plan. A financial plan will meet the expenses that the project will incur. These include costs on labour, equipment, materials and administration cost. each The amount of money to be spent on each stage will be included in each step. A procurement plan will stabe prepared to guide on how to obtain products and services from external suppliers.

The procurement plan will outline every step that will gbe taken in coming up with the right suppliers for the card reader, control systems and web-based storage. The procedure will entail a scheduled list of items that will be acquired from external suppliers, the process of acquisition and the timeframe for delivery.  Contracting of suppliers will e wbe done through an invitation to tender process. The tender documents will include the statement of work, request of information and request for proposal. Using a formal tender process will reduce the risk of litigation as evidence that the process ill habwas fairly done will be available. A statement of work will outline what we will require an external supplier to supply and the time by which the item willvbe provided. RFI this document will be sent to the potential supplier requesting for particular information to see whether they fit in the description that we will have developed for the project.

A Request for proposal will be sent to all interested suppliers requesting them to indicate the cost that the organization will incur if they were to e a fbe given the work of supplying and installing the cashless payment system to LOCL Bus Ltd. The conditions that the organization puts on the agreement, and the timeframe, will be included in the RFP document. Once the project management team has received the proposals, the process of routinization will take place. The lowest bidder with a great deal of experience who will meet the set quality standards of the organization shall be selected. A supplier contract will be developed, which will contain an agreement between the supplier and LOCL Bus Ltd. This contract will include information about the items that will be supplied, the prices, criteria for making payments, the responsibilities and the time frame for delivery and installation. This document will be valuable in measuring the performance of the contracted supplier. A tender register will  track down the progress of the contracted supplier.

The environmental factors that are likely to make an impact on the project willbe documented; these include government regulations, rules, standards and guidelines, organization structure and market price conditions. Once every document is in place, they shall be forwarded to the management for review. Once the phase review is over, and the administration approves it, the project will move to the next phase. If the management makes some recommendations on the project, necessary adjustments will be made, and the move to the next stage will take place.

The execution, Monitoring and Control Phase

The execution of the project will include taking actions and participation in activities that will enhance the production of the desired project outcome.  This will take place after the approval of the project by the board of management. At this point, the focus will be on delivering the cashless payment method to LOCL Bus Ltd. The developed and approved plan by the board of director will act as a control and monitoring tool during this phase. Several management processes will be applied in managing time, cost, quality, risk, procurement, customer acceptance and communications.

During this period, time management will be conducted to ensure that the project is delivered on time. This management will be possible by comparing the time spent to provide a task and the time that was planned to be paid. These timesheet recording will ensure that what has been worked on is separated from what has not been operated. it will also indicate if the task was completed on time. A timesheet template can be used to manage the activities of the contractor or the project as a whole. A timesheet will enable the project manager to track the time spent on a job very efficiently as a task is recorded against time and also because it is pre-formatted already.

Cost management process will be carried out to ensure that the project is delivered within the stipulated budget. This is by providing that all the expenses are approved before purchasing. This will also help in keeping records of all the cost incurred. Cost management template will also keep the project expenses and the financial plan at per. This will be achieved through the use of an expense form which will help in recording all the costs on the contractor, suppliers, equipment, materials and administration. This will help in the calculation of the total expenditure and ensure that all the activities being undertaken fall within the budget. This information can later be transferred to the risk register.

The quality of deliverables will also be enhanced by conducting quality management. To ensure that quality hardware’s will be fitted on the buses, the project management team will perform quality assurance, undertake control, initiate improvement and implement quality management. The hardware’s that will be supplied must fit the purpose. The project management team, the CEO and other stakeholders will set quality standards which will be used to measure and report the quality of deliverables. Any defect material that will be identified will lead to termination of the contract as indicated on the tender process documents sent to the suppliers. Quality review forms shall be used in assessing the quality of products. The quality of deliverables will be entered into the quality log.

A change template will be used to enter all the requests for change. This chane template will reduce the impacts of change on the project timeframe; it will be essential to manage it in the best way possible. A change template will assist the project manager to effectively and effortlessly record the changes that occur within the project, for example, the customers may complain about some features on the smartcard that is making it difficult for them to use it. The apps may fail or have adverts or poor connection that are not to their liking. This will be recorded on the change template.

Every activity in the implementation process is poised to threats of risk triggers. Thus the success of the project will depend on the method of risk management. The team will identify, monitor and control all the risks that will be facing the project. This includes late supplies, loopholes that may create scenarios that may lead to litigation over the tender process, among others. Having a risk register will be developed to help in tracking all the risk that will be facing the project.

The use of issue management template will address the issue that will occur during the implementation of the project. The solving of problems as they occur will ensure that all the stakeholders concentrate on accomplishing the project. Issues that may arise include financial constraints, inadequate resources and failure to meet deadlines. Issue forms will be handed out to all the stakeholders to record question as they occur.

A communication plan will be put in place to ensure that there is a clear transfer of information among the different stakeholders working in the project. A project report will be updated daily to ensure that every stakeholder and the project management team are informed on the status of the project. This report will also indicate whether the project is ahead of schedule, whether it’s under budget and well resourced. A communication register will be used in tracking all the communications that will be taking place. This will ensure that relevant planned communication events take place as earlier planned. Once the communication plan is in place, the focus can shift to meeting the set objectives.

The transformation from cash to cashless payment will not be executed at once. A sample will be supplied and fitted on one vehicle to observe how the system works. The fitting of the required hardware’s will be done with the support and engagement of the fleet manager. The bus will be allowed to continue operating on the same route that it works, and the results of the cashless payment will be compared with the traditional method. This fitting will take place with the engagement of the operation manager. The system will be tested for a week to ensure that there are no system failures and that it is accessible by the customers.

Once the hardware and the cashless system are implemented successfully, a supplier will be appointed to supply equipment for all the buses. With the approval of the board, the project manager will embark on software development of the mobile application. The software development will take in issues such as the style, design, layout and its integration in the play store platforms. The software installation will require procurement of a software company which will develop it for LOCL Bus Ltd. However, since will entail the second phase of the implementation, the approval of the management will be required.

Once the board of management approves the first phase, the plans for embarking on the second phase of the implementation process will be sent to them. Upon approval by the administration, the software development will start with the assistance of the IT manager. The adoption of tender’s payment will be carried out by CFO and other stakeholders. The quotations of the supplier and other documents will be handed over to the management to facilitate the review of the tendering process to ensure it’s in line with the standards of the institution.

Once the software has been developed the next step will involve informing the customers that the corporation has made a transition from cash payment to cashless payment. The customers will be advised the actions that they will take to register for smartcard payment and where they can get the mobile app. They will be informed of the steps they will take to book the buses in advance. This  will be carried out through various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and websites. Other marketing procedure that the marketing executive will come up with will be incorporated. Once the information reaches out to the customer, the project management team will assess the satisfaction of the customers will be asked for their views which the team will review before the onset of Roll out phase one

Roll out phase one

The project management team will work in collaboration with the operation department, fleet workshop, and the finance department to carry out the first implementation of the project. These team of players from those named department will ensure that there is a complete installation of the system into the buses. The team will ensure that the system is made available for the customers within the scheduled time. Once the installation is over the project management team will collaborate with the CEO to do reviews, both internally and externally. A progress template will ebe developed to ensure that the project remains on track.

The acceptance management process will sebe carried out to test customer satisfaction. The customers will  ube supplied with an acceptance form template which will have a list of the changes that LOCL Bus Ltd have implemented for their approval. The team will use the acceptance register to ensure that all the changes implemented by the organization meet the customer needs. This register will guarantee customer satisfaction  by carrying out testing. The team with the collaboration of Anderson and the supplier will track down the issues raised from Phase one of the Roll out and implement the changes. Once the customers’ related problems undergo correction, the project will seek the approval of the board of management before the onset of the full Rollout phase.

Full Rollout phase

All the stakeholders will be involved in this phase; as the plan is will be executed. During this phase,  preparation of a conversion plan, operation instructions, rollout plan and end-user documentation will take place.

Identify the inputs

The conversion plan will outline the equipment that will team will use to carry out the conversion, the duration of time it will take for the conversion to take place and any other requirement  in the transition. The operation instruction will outline all the guidelines that the customers will use to install and use the free app payment method. The rollout plan will outline detailed information about the sites that require conversion and the time required for the conversion. User documentation will describe how the users will be able to use the mobile app to conduct payment. These will be inform of the user manual, operating instructions, and how they will access the app and smartcards.

Conduct the key activities

During this phase, the project management team will conduct an assessment of critical activities in collaboration with all the other key stakeholders. The collaboration team will do a readiness check on the project. To mitigate risks of conversion readiness check will take place and that the customers are well, trained to the usage of the mobile application. Two types of test will take place, which are the operational test and user assurance check tests. The functional analysis will take place to ensure that the physical environment is ready to support the system. The user assurance check for readiness will assess whether the customers received proper training on the use of the new method of payment. The conversion of the system from cash payment to cashless payment mode will be activated. Monitoring of the production process will take place to ensure that the system is delivering the objectives that the team had in place in other phases of the project life cycle. The project manager will document potential changes that requirs correction after testing the system.

Creation of the output

The project manager will create a document that will contain information on any improvement to the system and the problems that they came across. The other post-conversion document will outline a review of how the conversion from cash payment to cashless payment was carried out.

Meeting the milestone

Once documentation of conversion reviews is in place, the project manager will complete the Roll out phase of the project by meeting the milestone. These will involve obtaining the signoff from the conversion team and the customers. This move will mark a successful conversion of payment at LOCL Bus Ltd from cash payment to the use of smartcards and mobile app payments.

Closing phase

Once the objectives of the project are ready, the project manager will conduct a formal closure of the project. The process of winding up will involve assessing whether the project meets the completion criteria established by LOCL Bus Ltd. The handing over of plan documents to LOCL Bus Ltd management, and termination of all supplier contracts will take place. The releasing the resources of the organization back to the administration will also take place. The closure will be written down and handed over to the relevant stakeholders for its approval. The project closure will act as a guide and will be used by the project manager to ensure that the project closure observes all the activities indicated therein.

The last activity that will take place on the project will be reviewing the success of the project based on the objectives and its conformity to the management process outlined during the planning phase. The results of the review will be described in a post-implementation review report and presented to the board for approval.

Appendices 1

Project plan

Appendices 2

Risk register

Appendices 3

Stake holder’s matrix

Appendices 4

Project charter