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Project 2: Project Management in an International Environment Start Here

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Scenario

Transcript

MBA 670   Project 2 Scenario 

Transcript

Jillian Best sends you a notification of the big assignment she has recently been prepping for you. For the assignment, your team will make project management decisions in a retail store development for Terrapin Construction Supply, Inc. (TCS), which is challenging Lowe’s, Home Depot, Ace, and True Value in the home improvement and building supply markets. TCS is based in Frederick, Maryland, and now has 46 stores along the East Coast. “I know this team will do great on this project,” Jillian assures you. 

Later in the day, TCS CEO Latoya Green joins your team on a conference call to discuss the project in full: "We’re very glad you could take on this work on short notice. As you know, TCS has decided to expand into underserved international markets. There will be a press release later today announcing that our first international store will open 10 months from now.

"Jillian Best told us that this team’s prior international retail experience suits this job very well. I want you to create a project management plan that formally documents all the activities needed to open this new store in time. My assistant will email you some additional details. I’d like to review your plan in three weeks (not in two weeks as it says in the video narration). I think that’s about it for now."

You disconnect from the call and begin to think about everything you'll need to keep track of during this project. From your research, you discovered that the average TCS store is 100,000 square feet with additional outdoor space for a garden center and a 200-space parking lot. The stores typically carry a minimum of 40,000 different products from more than 3,000 vendors worldwide.

TCS has already acquired land for the store, so your team will plan and execute store construction, fitting the store with fixtures and systems, stocking inventory, and hiring and training employees before the grand opening in 10 months.

 

Introduction

In this three-week project, you will work with a project team made up of your fellow students using basic project management skills to plan for the design, construction, outfitting, and stocking of a new retail store in Brazil for a US-based home improvement company. As this is the first time the company has opened a store in an international market, your team will blaze a new trial for the company and set the example for future international expansion. 

This project will require you and your team to create several documents (using templates provided in the steps below or developing your own) to ensure that the new store is fully operational by the target date. You will have three weeks to complete all twelve steps. 

Recall that by the end of Week 2 in Project 1, you should have completed several tasks in preparation for this project: (1) joined a team, (2) posted your team agreement to your group discussion area, (3) posted your project work plan to your group discussion area, (4) Accessed MS Project software for Project 2 on Aloft platform (see the link and instructions in the Discussion area) and got familiar with its features. 

To get started, click Step 1: Become Familiar with Project Scope. 

Competencies

Your work will be evaluated using the competencies listed below.

· 1.1: Organize document or presentation clearly in a manner that promotes understanding and meets the requirements of the assignment.

· 1.2: Develop coherent paragraphs or points so that each is internally unified and so that each functions as part of the whole document or presentation.

· 1.3: Provide sufficient, correctly cited support that substantiates the writer's ideas.

· 1.6: Follow conventions of Standard Written English.

· 2.2: Locate and access sufficient information to investigate the issue or problem.

· 2.4: Consider and analyze information in context to the issue or problem.

· 3.1: Identify numerical or mathematical information that is relevant in a problem or situation.

· 3.4: Employ software applications and analytic tools to analyze, visualize, and present data to inform decision-making.

· 4.1: Lead and/or participate in a diverse group to accomplish projects and assignments.

· 4.2: Demonstrate the ability to plan and execute a project, articulating clear objectives and goals for the team.

· 6.1: Identify the general (external) environment in which an organization operates and discuss the implications for enterprise success.

· 7.4: Analyze the impact of international and foreign laws on US organizations acting domestically and abroad.

· 9.2: Evaluate how human capital serves as a source of competitive advantage.

Step 1: Become Familiar with Project Scope

A few hours after your call with Latoya Green, you receive an email from her executive assistant that defines the high-level deliverables and timelines for this project in a project statement of work (SOW).

INBOX: 1 New Message

Subject: Deliverables and Timeline for Store Opening

From:     Cassandra Seltzer, Executive Assistant, TCS, Inc.

To:          You

Greetings,

You will need to know the high-level deliverables and timelines for this project, which can be found below in the  project statement of work (SOW).

The SOW for this project lists the following requirements:

· design the new store building (including the garden center), parking lots, and landscaping

· obtain required licenses and permits

· prepare the site and lay the foundation

· construct the new store building and finish the interior

· construct the garden center

· outfit the store with shelves, fixtures, and IT systems (e.g., communications and payment systems)

· pave the parking lots and landscape the exterior of the store

· stock the store with inventory (For this project, stick to a storewide, high-level inventory budget, though you may have to make estimates based on different product categories, such as lumber, hardware, appliances, etc.)

· staff, hire, and train store personnel

The store should be prepared for opening in approximately 10 months.  

The SOW specifically notes that your project scope does not include the following:

· marketing or publicity

· other actions and costs related to the operation of the new store

This project will require that you and your team create the following documents within the time frames described in this project, using standard templates provided in subsequent steps by TCS management or creating your own. These steps will ensure that the new store is fully operational by the target date. Those documents, described in detail later, include the following:

· a project charter

· a stakeholder management plan

· a high-level work breakdown structure (WBS) for the project

· a project schedule and a Gantt chart showing key project activities and the project’s critical path

· a high-level project cost estimate, with supporting justifications, for the new facility to be ready for operation by the assigned target date

· a plan for hiring and training employees for a new store

· a risk register that identifies at least 10 key project risks and the team’s proposed responses for handling such risks

· a procurement plan

· a project management plan

Thank you for your attention. Our group will be in touch.

Cassandra Seltzer

From your client file on Terrapin Construction Supply, Inc., you are informed that there are five major product groups at each TCS store: plumbing and electrical supplies; building materials; hardware and tools; seasonal, garden, and yard items; and paint, flooring, and wall coverings. 

Each TCS store has a store manager, assistant store manager, bookkeeper, information systems manager, a manager for each of the five major product groups, customer service employees to assist with purchases on the store floor, cashiers, receiving and stocking employees, and maintenance and janitorial employees. 

In summary, you know a lot about what you need to have 10 months from now, but how will you get there? You do not have much experience with formal project management so you message a colleague who recently acquired a project management professional (PMP) certification. 

In the next step, your friend delivers the requested help, outlining several key project management topics. 

Step 2: Become Familiar with Project Management Concepts

In the previous step, you received a SOW and the authorized templates from the CEO’s office. You also put out an SOS to a friend, who emails you the next day.

INBOX: 1 New Message

Subject:  Re: Help!

From:      Jorge Linville

To:           You

Got your message, good to hear from you and glad to hear you’re still with Maryland Creative Solutions.

Sounds like a big project you’ve been tasked with. I’m happy to help out where I can.

To begin, I’d suggest doing some background reading to familiarize yourself with a few key topics. I'll help get you get started:

· First of all, you should know what a project is and what it isn’t. Basically, you need an  introduction to project management.

· Next, you’re going to need to understand how to apply  project management processes and the triple constraint, because these concepts are going affect a lot of other project components.

· You’ll need to draft a  project charter and understand the concepts of  stakeholders and stakeholder management.

· You’ll also need to plan the nuts and bolts of the work to be done with a  work breakdown structure (WBS) and Gantt charts, and you’ll need to know how to determine the  critical path.

· And of course, nothing is free, so you’ll need to understand  project cost estimating and project procurement.

· Critically, you should understand  project risk and risk registers so that you can actually develop a project risk register.

· And you’ll need to be able to write a good  project management plan overview.

Those are the basics, at least. Hope this helps, and good luck!

Jorge

After you have reviewed these project management resources, proceed to the next step, where you will develop a project charter.

Step 3: Develop a Project Charter

It is nice that you reached out for Jorge’s insight and resources. You should proceed with the formal requirements listed in the project statement of work. 

Your team has established guidelines for communication and accountability on this project. Now, your team will need to develop a  project charter using the provided  project charter template. While this document will not be turned in until the end of Week 5, it will guide your development of the project management plan. Note that TCS CEO Latoya Green is your project sponsor and the key stakeholder who must approve and sign the project charter. 

When you have completed your project charter, continue to the next step, where you will develop a stakeholder management plan. 

Step 4: Develop a Stakeholder Management Plan

Following your team project charter, you are invited to a check-in web meeting with MCS CEO Jillian Best to discuss next steps with the TCS project:

Calendar Invite: Jillian Best, CEO

“I’m glad your team has agreed on a charter for TCS,” Jillian says. “Now I want you to really start nailing down some of the specifics of this project, such as involved parties, responsibilities, risks, and costs.

“To this point, TCS management has provided you with information and templates for this project, your team has set guidelines to work together effectively, and you have used that information to develop a project charter for Latoya Green to approve. Now, you are ready to begin thinking about  stakeholders and stakeholder management.

“Your team needs to develop a stakeholder management plan. I’m attaching a  stakeholder register template to follow. The plan should identify potential stakeholders by their general role, such as project manager, local government official, vice president of procurement, etc. There is one exception: you must name Latoya Green as your project sponsor. You should analyze stakeholders’ interests, expectations, influences on the project, explain how you plan to manage them, and create a communication plan with them.” 

“Good work team, looking forward to seeing the stakeholder management plan." 

Once you have completed your stakeholder management plan, continue to the next step, where you will develop a work breakdown structure.

Step 5: Create the Work Breakdown Structure

In the previous step, you identified and analyzed all stakeholders, both internal and external to your team, and created a communication plan to manage their expectations. Now your team must consider how you will handle the  work breakdown structure (WBS). 

Using MS Excel create a high-level of the work breakdown structure for your project that covers the key facets set out in the statement of work, such as the design of the new store. A  sample of WBS which you can use as a template is provided. 

When you create your WBS remember the following rules:

· Include 100% of the work necessary to complete the goal and don’t include the work that is out of your project scope. 

· Provide a sufficient level of detail. 

· Don’t account for any amount of work twice. 

· Focus on outcomes, not actions.

For feedback from your instructor, submit your project charter, stakeholder management plan, and WBS to your team's group discussion area only. Then continue to the next step, where your team will develop a project schedule (Gantt chart).