Paper

A PROJECT PLAN

A Project Plan

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A PROJECT PLAN

Project management has been identified as one of the core business practices that the

organization undertakes in their day to day operations. It always begins with the definition of the

project. After carefully planning to project, the process of implementation begins, which

involves putting the project action into action. It is in this phase that the project manager will,

therefore, coordinate and direct the project resources to meet the objective of the project plan.

During the implementation, it is the responsibility of the project manager to manage and direct

each activity throughout the project life cycle (Kerzner, 2017). For this assignment, the project

will be the implementation of a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in our company.

Project Overview

An ERP refers to the ability for the IT resources to deliver an integrated suite for business

software. The ERP tools share conventional data models and processes that are used in covering

deep operational processes such as the ones found in the finance business, manufacturing, HR,

and supply chain, among others. After implementing the project, it will enable the company to

automate operational and administrative business processes across all the departments. ERP

project implementation is a complicated and expensive endeavour, while some organization may

struggle to define the business benefits associated with it (Andersson 2016). Implementing the

new ERP will involve activities such as installing the software, gradual transferring of all the

financial data to the new system, and configuring the processes and users. Most importantly, the

project will also involve training the staffs who will be the users of the new system.

Project Goals and Objectives

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A PROJECT PLAN

The new ERP will integrate various functions in the organization using information

technology. The primary goals for the project to enhance tracking of the supply chain from

inventory purchases and final shipment activities to the customers. The integrated view of data in

the company will improve collaboration within the company and across boundaries. The ERP

will enhance the efficiency of the internal processes through the real-time information flow. This

simplifies the process of collecting, processing and sharing the data, which improves decision

making within the company. The new ERP system will streamline the demand planning,

scheduling functions of production, and inventory restocking which will eventually eliminate the

need of maintaining multiple data centres for the company (Verma et al. 2016). Most

importantly, the new ERP will streamline manufacturing processes, thus reducing the possibility

of production or supply delays since the management can effectively make adjustments in real-

time with the information collected through the new ERP system.

The new EERP will also reduce the cost of production. This is the reason the organization

need to invest considerable time and resources. Production and supply process efficiencies are

often considered as the first step of reducing production cost and maximizing the revenue. A

streamlined process means that the company will have less reworking, which in turn reduces the

costs. The new ERP will also enhance sale forecasting, which is vital in inventory management

through the supply chain process (Verma et al. 2016). When a company understand when each of

the customers will need a specific product, it will enable effective planning he production shifts

to ensure just enough manufacturing to satisfy the demand. Tis will ensure that the company will

not have to incur the extra cost of handling products or not having enough inventories to satisfy

the demand.

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A PROJECT PLAN

The other objective of the new ERP is enhancing the quality of the manufactured

products. The software technology will allow the management to benchmark quality

performance against competitors within the same industry. The management can also

benchmark the quality performance against established standards such as the Six Sigma tool to

detect any defects on the right time. This will allow the company to correct any defects for the

finished goods or any problem in the manufacturing process (Verma et al. 2016). Quality

improvement will eventually result in increased customer satisfaction and high retention rate.

This will increase corporate profitability, which is also another essential goal of the new ERP.

High quality often adds value to the brand, which eventually enhances the growth of market

share.

The Project Management Structure (Functional Organizational Structure)

For the new ERP project implementation and management, I will utilize the Functional

Organizational Structure. I will find the components of the already existing hierarchical system

with authority driven decision on budgets, equipment, schedules and the resources required for a

successful implementation of the project. In this structure, decisions concerning the system

depend on the functional managers who have a high level of expertise in the same field. This

means that as a project manager, I have limited authority and I will have to seek permission from

the functional manager to ensure the new system does s not negatively impact company

performance (Ahmady, Mehrpour & Nikooravesh, 2016). Implementation of the project will be

broken down into departments such as the HR, sales departments, manufacturing departments,

finance and public relations. The heads of these departments will ensure a smooth transfer of

data into the new system while still using the old systems to prevent disruption of the company

activities.

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A PROJECT PLAN

The Key Customers and Stakeholders of the Project

The actions of stakeholders in an ERP project determines whether it would fail or

succeed. The interaction of stakeholders influences each other while their roles determine the

outcome of the final projects. ERP project implementation involves internal and external

stakeholders who have different roles in project planning and implementation. These

stakeholders include the different departments within the company such as finance, HR,

manufacturing and sales departments. The software vendor is the other important stakeholder for

the ERP project implementation (Singh, Singh & Kaur, 2017). The system users and the

procurement manager are the other critical stakeholders of the ERP system. The company's

customers will benefit from this implementation through increased efficiency in making orders,

faster delivery of products and more accurate orders, among others.

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A PROJECT PLAN

References

Ahmady, G. A., Mehrpour, M., & Nikooravesh, A. (2016). Organizational structure. Procedia-

Social and Behavioral Sciences, 230, 455-462.

Andersson, A. (2016). Communication barriers in an inter-organizational ERP-

project. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business.

Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and

controlling. John Wiley & Sons.

Singh, C. D., Singh, R., & Kaur, H. (2017). Critical appraisal for implementation of ERP in the

manufacturing industry. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing.

Verma, P., Kumar, V., Kumawat, G. L., & Yadav, N. K. (2016, March). The Role of

Management Control System in ERP Project Implementation. In Proceedings of the 2016

International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Kuala

Lumpur, Malaysia.