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Assignment #2: Ducks Unlimited Keystone Conference: Initial Planning Name: David T. Browne Instructor: Dr. Penny Wilkins Bus 517: Project Management – The Managerial Process Date: January 29th, 2011 Describe the elements of scope for the project In discussing the elements of scope for the project, we can look at the scope checklist which gives us the ingredients of the scope definition. These elements in the checklist are as follows: project objective, deliverables, milestones, technical requirements, limits and exclusions, and reviews with customers (if applicable).
The Ducks Unlimited Keystone Conference project has information given through the statement of this case study as follows: As a project manager for Ducks Unlimited, you have just been tasked with planning the upcoming Keystone Conference where the organization’s long-term strategy for the next ten years will be fleshed-out. You will have two chapter representatives from every state in the U. S. attending a national conference in Charlottesville, N. C. twenty-one months from now. In the meantime, you will need to organize ten separate teams to work on individual projects of their choosing that will be presented during the conference.
These teams will be working virtually (no travel) until the actual conference. Your overall budget for this project is 1. 2 million dollars. We can determine a few things off-the-bat. One, what the project is: to plan/organize the Keystone Conference a gathering in Charlottesville, NC of chapter representatives coming from all over the US. Two, when will the project end? Keystone Conference will be held twenty-one months from the now (date of instructions). This means the project begins as of the date the nstructions were given and the delivery date or end date is twenty-one months away. Three, what is the total cost of the project? The overall project should not exceed $1. 2 million. And four, what is involved as part of the project from start date to complete date. The instructions indicate that while the conference is forthcoming, there should be teams working on individual projects that will be presented at the conference. With this background, we can start to generate our specifics regarding the elements of the project scope.
By the definition taken from (Salexandrou, 2011), “project objective consists of the business benefits that an organization expects to achieve as a result of spending time and exerting effort to complete a project. ” The project objective for Ducks Unlimited Keystone Conference can be summarized in the following statement answering the what, when, and how much: Organize the Keystone Conference in Charlottesville, NC within twenty-two months for a cost not to exceed $1. 2 million. In addition to what, when, and how much organizations look sometimes to include the benefits of the project.
This conference will allow the representative along with the management to introduce the strategies for the next ten years. The deliverables can be counted as those projects that need to be completed by the teams before the conference can begin. Because the teams are working on individual projects of their choosing, the scope of these projects are not fully defined. However, we can generally anticipate that they will contribute to the overall strategy which the organization wants to flush out at the conference. Next the milestones will be the determined based on the projects selected.
However, consideration needs to be given to what the actual organization of the conference will entail (as a project within itself). Then the technical requirements consider something like the size of the conference hall in that it must meet the fire and safety codes for the amount of participants expected. Other things like parking, equipment for project deliverede to the conference, food, etc will have to meet guidelines as set by the governing authority with size, compliance rules, and codes. Next the limits and exclusion provide parameters of what the scope of the project can achieve and those that are out of the scope of the project.
For example the project requires that the conference be held in Charlottesville, NC. The venue is limited to this city and state and the contractor cannot move it to another venue. Evaluate priorities, list them and explain your rationale Forming the priorities for the project considers the three project measurement elements: cost, scope, and time. By determining with the customer which one of these elements are the priority over the others, the project manager can determine which element can be the constraint, which one can be enhanced, and which element to accept.
This can affect the quality of the project if time, cost, or scope is the priority. With this project, we do know that the cost of the project cannot exceed a budget of $1. 2 million. Therefore the cost is a constraint – no flexibility in this area. Time could be accepted, meaning that the date for the conference could be in twenty or twenty one month – not an exact date. Performance or scope of the project can be enhanced with the flexibility of the projects that the individual teams undertake before the conference.
In fact, the service at the venue could be of elegant quality or simply good food. The scope of this project could be enhanced. Develop a preliminary WBS When we look at the preliminary WBS we have to consider the hierarchical breakdown of the job that will have to be finalized in order to complete a successful project. In order to get to the work package level of the hierarchy, this project has many activities to consider: projects of the individual teams, venue preparation, human resource, food and entertainment, etc. are at the major areas.
Once the major areas are agreed upon then the deliverable components, sub- deliverables, lowest sub-deliverables and the work packages are detailed with duration of tasks, what the tasks are, who handles which tasks, and the cost associated with each task. The project would be on the highest level and called The Keystone Conference. On the next level there can be the projects being undertaken by members of the team. Somewhere on this level is the organization of the conference with the venue, transportation, etc. Make recommendations for a communication plan.
In concluding, a communication plan which considers the project deliverables as an essential component of the project and avoids the ambiguity of responsibilities, roles, information, and how the information will be disseminated begins the connection of team members unified for the task. With this project – Keystone Conference it is essential that the communication plan ties the team members, who have chosen individual projects, to how these projects strategically improve the completion of the project. With so many teams, communication becomes essential to the success of the project.
In order to facilitate efficient communication considering the team meetings will be held remotely, the mode of dissemination of the information is primarily technological. This aspect of the communication will need to be fully reliable to expedite the meetings remotely. Team building is crucial in the beginning of the project and here, remote meetings begin the team building process in this project – Keystone Conference. Bibliography Ducks Umlimited’s International Conservation Plan. (2004, June). Retrieved January 29, 2011, from Ducks. org: http://www. ucks. org/media/Conservation/Conservation%20Plan/_documents/a_ICP2004%20final%208. 05. pdf Planet, W. F. (2006, May). Resources for Implementing the WWF Project & Programme Standards. Retrieved January 2011, from Panda. org : http://assets. panda. org/downloads/1_2_scope_and_vision_05_17_06. pdf Salexandrou, M. (2011). Projective Objective Definition. Retrieved January 29th, 2011, from MarioSalexandrou. com – Web Strategist & Project Manager: http://www. mariosalexandrou. com/definition/project-objective. asp Appendix: Ducks Unlimited Background Information
DU got its start in 1937 during the Dust Bowl when North America’s drought-plagued waterfowl populations had plunged to unprecedented lows. Determined not to sit idly by as the continent’s waterfowl dwindled beyond recovery, a small group of sportsmen joined together to form an organization that became known as Ducks Unlimited. Its mission: habitat conservation. Thanks to decades of abiding by that single mission, Ducks Unlimited is now the world’s largest and most effective private waterfowl and wetlands conservation organization.
DU is able to multilaterally deliver its work through a series of partnerships with private individuals, landowners, agencies, scientific communities and other entities. Ducks Unlimited: Our Mission Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores, and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America’s waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people. Waterfowl conservation is facing important challenges as wetlands and other habitats are being degraded and destroyed across the continent. Ducks Unlimited has a vision to reverse this trend.
Ducks Unlimited: Our Vision The vision of Ducks Unlimited is wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. DU will achieve our vision through diverse public and private partnerships to address the full range of factors that continue to erode waterfowl habitat across North America. Membership Ducks Unlimited is a grassroots, volunteer-based organization. Its members are conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts who live primarily throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, DU volunteers hosted more than 4,600 grassroots fundraising events such as member and sponsor banquets, shooting and fishing tournaments and golf outings. Event dollars represent some of DU’s most important sources of revenue. Since event dollars are typically unrestricted, DU is able to spend these funds in our highest priority areas and use them to leverage additional funds from other sources. Non-Profit Status Ducks Unlimited, Inc. is tax exempt under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our tax identification number is: 13-5643799.