Project Management, Leadership and Skills: Planning & Control Case Study Assessment Brief

Assessment task details and instructions

Your task is to compile a report that will include (A) key components of an Outline Business Case and (B) People Management considerations when Planning and Delivering a project. 

Both A and B will be based on the following case study.

Case Study 

Summary

Company X has won a UK government bid to create a machine learning algorithm that takes real time data from their machine monitoring sensors and creates actionable insights for shop floor managers based upon this data. The data and insights need to be integrated into a digital portal that can be presented to managers so they can make informed decisions. 
However, Company X do not have the AI knowledge in house so must work with Company Y to create a solution that can connect this AI to their own digital portal and other standard ERP (resource planning) systems. 

This project addresses two key UK government priorities:

1.Improving productivity of manufacturing SMEs (Small Medium Enterprises)
2.Reducing carbon footprint to achieve net zero by 2050. 

Project Background

A major capital investment cost for manufacturing SMEs is new plant & equipment such as Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) or Additive Manufacturing (AM) machines. However due to lack of real-time machine data, business intelligence applications and planning systems, many SMEs operate an underutilised plant which not only impacts productivity but also wastes energy. Machine monitoring solutions have been on the market for more than 20 years however, despite the potential impact on productivity, their adoption has been limited especially within the SME sector. Company X surveyed a representative sample of 400+ UK manufacturing clients to understand why they had not adopted machine monitoring technologies previously, and their reservations were as follows: 

• cost of hardware and software complexity and, 
• cost of plant integration and implementation services 

Company X have started to address these challenges by developing a super low-cost sensor that can be attached to the outside of any machine using magnets. The business Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system connects seamlessly with other disparate ERP systems and the sensor to not only present utilisation data and automate alerts but also generate actionable insights and risks for production teams to monitor and add to lessons learned. 
However, to create a game-changing platform, Company X must deploy machine learning AI that can be easily applied for multiple use cases, by taking the sensor vibration data, and analysing the lessons learned, to create an intelligent prediction tool that empowers operators so that they can make more informed shop floor planning decisions to minimise downtime and energy usage.
 
By collaborating with Data Science experts at Company Y, company X are confident that they can overcome the complex analytical challenges to create an intuitive software platform.  

A platform that can be rapidly configured and deployed at scale to accelerate the optimisation of SME manufacturing plant utilisation by at least 10% and reduce energy usage by 5%.

Company Y will provide specialist AI support and knowledge to create a flexible machine learning solution that can be applied to all manufacturing plant and equipment and can be quickly configured, at minimum cost, using a simple user interface for production operators to capture various qualitative root cause analysis reasons for downtime.  This combined with quantitative plant utilisation analysis can predict machine tool wear and can help mitigate downtime through improved planning decision support.

The main aim is to combine the quantitative and qualitative data analysis to produce the following benefits: 

Predict machine breakdown and / or machine tooling failure. 

• Predict future plant downtime based on workload mix, operators, machine maintenance and other big data insights. 
• Generate prescriptive analytics that automatically assigns actions to operators via mobile devices / shop floor terminals, so that they can proactively mitigate undesired outcomes and optimise plant uptime.

Total project budget is £50K (funded by the UK government),
Budget allocation c42.5% for Company X and c57.5% for Company Y. 

The breakdown of cost allocation includes:
Project management (£5,500), 
Data Science (£27,000), 

Agile software development & proof-of-concept piloting (£17,500) of an intelligent productivity and energy optimisation solution for manufacturing SMEs.

Address ALL topics in SECTION A and SECTION B to produce a report

The CEO at Company X have instructed you as their Project Director to look at a project proposal and provide them with report on how to plan and deliver the project. 

You are responsible for managing this project, coordinating with Company X, Company Y and the funders (UK government). You must develop your report and submit to the CEO by 12th JUly 2024 @ 16:00
Your report that should include (A) key components of an Outline Business Case and (B) People Management considerations when Planning and Delivering a project. 

A. Planning and Control – up to 1500 words (or equivalent using diagrams, illustrations, tables and graphs

Develop key elements of an outline business case for the proposed project detailing the utilisation of appropriate project management tools and techniques in relation to strategic alignment, economic impact, planning, scheduling and financial considerations.

The outline business case needs to include:

A1. the project’s Mission and Objectives including the anticipated Impact that the project will have to the organisation and other main stakeholders.
A2. A full stakeholder management plan.
A3. An outline project activity plan using the appropriate Planning Breakdown Structures.
A4. A resource allocation and utilisation plan by using a Resource Assignment Matrix.
A5. A cost estimation and allocation for the duration of the project using an appropriate technique.
A6. A timeline schedule with key milestones. 
A7. A Risk Management Assessment table for the five key risks associated with the delivery of the project.

B. People Management – up to 1500 words

You will need to consider and discuss the following areas in the context of the proposed project:           
B1. Where is conflict likely to arise in the project? What 5 strategies could you put into place to tackle these sources of conflict?
B2. Give five reasons why a sponsor may be necessary in this project? Give explanations.
B3. What management style would be most appropriate for the Project Manager of the project. Give explanations.

KEY INSTRUCTIONS

You will need to take the following into account when completing your assignment. 

• Each topic should be corelated to a relevant Project Management theory, tool or application and be fully referenced.
• All discussion included will need clarity of argument and relevance to the project’s context.
  You should follow an industrial report format. Therefore, your report should have: 
• Cover page that will include the Project title. 
• Executive Summary; (not part of the word count) 
• Contents page.
• Introduction.
• Main body split in sub sections based on the ten thematic areas as detailed in page 4.  
• Discussion and Conclusion.
• References / Bibliography.
• Appendices if required.

You are advised to use diagrams, illustrations, tables, graphics etc. wherever these are helpful, and remember that these do not count towards your word limit. If you do use these, please do not put them in the appendices if they are part of your discussion.  Appendices are the appropriate places to put supporting material, however, remember if the reader is satisfied with the main points of your discussion; the supporting information within the appendices may not even be reviewed.  The report should also be page numbered. Please note if you are uncertain on how to present and structure a report then visit the university library and ask for assistance.

While you must be explicit about the theories, models, techniques etc. that you use, you can assume that the reader is familiar with them. What the reader requires is evidence of your ability to understand and apply the theory and learn from to support the development of your findings and/or ideas.

You must cite all sources on which you have relied, for example textbooks, journal articles, web pages etc. using the APA 7th (Harvard) Style system. If you do not cite all sources, then you may be accused of plagiarism, and that may endanger your success in passing the module. If you are in any doubt about how to reference your work, please obtain guidance from the library and/or your academic librarian(s) for this module.

Assessment Criteria