AsBra Limited is a British digital production company that is planning to extend its investment in South Africa and Nigeria. The company is required to assess five project proposals (Digitally Connection Halogen Bulb, Smart Autonomous Car, History and Social Connect App, AsBra Home AI, and AsBra Smart Door Bell) and select one of them. This report will cover the evaluation of the project proposals, PM skills, and PID for the success of the selected project.
2.0 Project Selection
2.1 Project Selection Tool
| Must Objectives | Must meet if applicable | Project proposals | |||||
| Meet legal, safety and environmental standard | Yes= Y No= N Not applicable= N/A | 1 N/A | 2 Y | 3 N/A | 4 N/A | 5 N/A | |
| Have the ability to remain compactable with existing product from the perspectives of functionality and connectivity. | Yes= Y No= N Not applicable= N/A | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Not have an adverse effect on a current or planned operation within the larger community. | Yes= Y No= N Not applicable= N/A | N/A | Y | N | N/A | N/A | |
| Want Objective | Relative importance 1-100 | Single project impact | WS* | WS* | WS* | WS* | WS* |
| Have the potential to be nominated for and win a digital. product of the year in the UK Digital Experience award. | 60 | 0=No Potential 1= Low potential 2=High potential | 0 | 120 | 0 | 120 | 60 |
| Attract and create a strong media attention | 10 | 0=No Potential 1= Low potential 2=High potential | 10 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Generate additional revenue such through enhanced functionality and connectivity with existing products | 20 | 0=No Potential 1= Low potential 2=High potential | 20 | 40 | 0 | 40 | 20 |
| Raise public consciousness about environmental issues. | 55 | 0=No Potential 1= Low potential 2=High potential | 0 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| General ROI in excess of 18 percent and a one-year time to market | 70 | 0<18% 1= 18-22% 2> 22% | 140 | 140 | 140 | 0 | 70 |
| Advance the state of the art in digital innovation. | 40 | 0=No Potential 1=Low potential 2=High potential | 0 | 80 | 0 | 80 | 40 |
| Provide the basis for the developments of a new digital products. | 10 | 0=No Potential 1= Low potential 2=High potential | 0 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 10 |
| Total Weighted score | 170 | 475 | 160 | 280 | 220 | ||
| Priority | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | ||
WS*=Weighted average score Table 1. Project Selection Tool (Adapted from Gray and Larson, 2007).
Five project proposals from AsBra Limited were evaluated using the project selection tool. Based on the results of this evaluation, the priorities of the project proposals could be derived. Priorities are listed below.
1. Smart Autonomous Car
2. AsBra Home AI
3. AsBra Smart Door Bell
4. Digitally Connection Halogen Bulb
5. History and Social Connect App
One selected project proposal that is to be commissioned is Smart Autonomous Car.
2.2 Project Justification
Project selection is the one that organisations take very seriously, which is a process of assessing each project proposals and select the project with the highest priority (Pinto, 2019, p. 102). Then, the selected project should be justified through a process called project justification which is a process by which an organisation examines why the project must be implemented and how it can be implemented before proceeding with any project (Linman, 2011).
AsBra’s five project proposals were evaluated in the project selection section using the project selection tool. The project selection tool has three objectives that must be achieved and seven “want” objectives to be scored by which the priority of the project is determined. According to the analysis, there was only one project proposal (proposal 2) that satisfied all three prerequisites.
In addition to that, the score of proposal 2 was the highest in the “want” objectives part. Despite some proposals with higher expected ROI than proposal 2, the difference in scores between proposal 2 and other proposals was significant. In particular, proposal 2 is about smart autonomous electric vehicles, which is the only thing that raises public awareness about environmental issues. Given all of this, it is most desirable for proposal 2 to be selected.
2.3 Evaluation of Required PM Skill
The importance of the ability to effectively manage projects is significant. The skills required to manage a project can be divided into two main categories: soft skills and hard skills. Soft skills generally refer to the management of interpersonal relationships and the notion of project ecology (Carvalho & Rabechini Junior, 2014, p. 322). It includes leadership, communication, negotiation, expectation management, problem-solving, and decision making. Soft skills are formless and do not require tools, frameworks, template, etc. (Marando, 2012, p. 2).
Hard skills, in contrast, have stronger technical aspects than soft skills and use multiple software, spreadsheets, modelling tools, templates, and frameworks. This is to effectively manage complex projects, including creating substantial deliverables such as work breakdown structure (WBS), development of project schedule, critical path diagram (CPA), and project budget, etc. (Marando, 2012, p. 2).
Soft skills and hard skills have completely different characteristics; however, both are necessary for successful project management. According to Azim et al. (2010), although previously focused heavily on hard skills in project management, soft skills have become increasingly important as research and review of various aspects of project management takes place (p. 392). “soft is taking over from hard,” Mullins (2011, p. 313) said, stressing the importance of soft skills. Among the soft skills, the importance of communication is most emphasised because communication is the most fundamental element of all interpersonal skills such as negotiation, leadership, and influencing (Hayes, 2018, p. 28).
Soft skills will be very important for AsBra Limited as it is planning to expand its business to South Africa and Nigeria which have completely different cultures, languages, and law when compared to the UK. In addition, effective teamwork, leadership, and negotiations are very important because AsBra Limited is currently in preparation for the implementation of the new project. In other words, a project manager who makes good use of the soft skill is needed. According to Riggio and Tan (2014), interpersonally skilled managers are more effective and successful in project management (p. 49).
However, effective project management cannot be achieved with only soft skills, that is, the balance of hard and soft skills is important. As explained above, the hard skill is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of project management by utilising multiple tools. Every project begins with the creation of a project initiation document (PID), and several hard skills are used in this process. A more detailed description of PID and analysis and frameworks of AsBra’s new project will be covered in the following sections.
3.0 Project Initiation Document (PID)
3.1 Introduction
The project initiation document (PID) is written to provide an overview and terms of reference for the selected project before it is actually executed (Maylor, 2010, p.108). It is an extremely important process in project management, as it indicates why the project is important, and when and what will be delivered, and how. The smart autonomous electric car is selected as a new project of AsBra in the project selection phase. In this section, specific plans will be made through frameworks and various necessary assessments will be carried out in order to initiate this selected project.
3.2 Project Scope Statement
The steps for developing plans of a project are established through the project scope, which defines the final outcome or objective of the project (Larson & Gray, 2018, p. 103). It is very important because it includes quality standards, all activities and resource utilization required to execute the project, and project limitations (Pinto, 2019, p. 180). The project scope statement for the new project of AsBra is below:
| Project Name | Smart Autonomous Car |
| Date of Project Approval | February 21, 2021 |
| Project Description | An eco-friendly manufactured electric autonomous car with high energy efficiency. |
| Project Justification | All the legal, safety and environmental standards are met.It is expected to be highly compatible with other digital products from AsBra Limited. There is no adverse impact on the company’s planned extension of investment in South Africa and Nigeria. Its weighted average score is the highest among all project proposals |
| Project Objectives | To deliver 23% of ROITo win the UK Digital Experience AwardTo be highly compatible with other products from AsBra Limited (generating additional revenue). |
| Project Deliverables | Green manufacturing processDesign drawingsProduct prototypeQuality check reportsProgress reportsSmart connectivity featuresInstallation of various advanced safety systems |
| Scope Inclusions | Safety test (test drive)R&D for safe and durable battery with high energy efficiencyCar design |
| Scope Exclusions | Purchase of landBuilding factories |
| Constraints | Budget constraint (£1.3 million)Time constraint (one-year TTM) |
| Assumptions | Periodic disinfection is expected to be necessary to prevent Covid-19 |
3.3 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Work breakdown structure is one of the most important processes when planning a project. This is useful for clearly establishing interrelationships between activities to distinguish priorities for the activities to be taken (Pinto, 2019, p. 186). WBS is a hierarchical structure that displays all the tasks and activities required to successfully complete the project, which gradually becomes more detailed as the bottom level is reached (Lock, 2013, p. 175). It is effective not only in personnel management but also in the overall management of projects as it visualises all tasks and job roles required (Pielichaty et al., 2017, p. 82). The following figure is the WBS of AsBra’s smart Autonomous Car:
As shown above, all the tasks and activities required for this project is divided into five main categories and details are arranged in sub-categories. This makes it easy to understand the approximate progress of the project as it shows every step from the initiation to the planning, execution, control, and close-out stages in a visualised structure.
3.4 Project Schedule
Project scheduling is a process of allocating limited resources to tasks over time in order to carry out a given set of activities (Weglarz, 1999, p. 1), which is the most important process when planning a project. Through scheduling a project, sequentially linked activities or tasks with planned dates, durations, milestones, and resources are effectively organised (Pinto, 2019, p. 337). Gantt chart, a simple but effective tool, is used in business management when scheduling project. It displays the start and end dates of all activities and tasks in sequential order on a linear time scale (Lock, 2013, p. 197). In order to develop an effective Gantt chart, milestone, an indicator showing important dates, must be included. The Gantt chart for AsBra’s Smart Autonomous Car is shown below:
As it is shown on the Gantt chart, the project requires approximately 347 days, if everything goes smoothly as planned. The initiation and planning phases take a total of 35 days. These phases are the preparation period prior to the execution of the project and include many important tasks such as manager designation and scheduling etc. When the planning is completed, the execution and control phases begin simultaneously. The execution phase includes the overall activities required for production, and the control phase monitors and manages the activities in the execution phase. In the close-out phase, final checks and meetings are conducted before the product is released. The completion date of each phase is indicated by milestones.
3.5 Project Stakeholder Assessment
Stakeholders are individuals or organisations that are directly or indirectly related to the organisation or the project. Assessing stakeholders is critical to project management because their interests have a significant impact on the organisation and the project (Pinto, 2019, p. 65). For the success of the organisation and the project, it is essential to analyse and assess who the stakeholders are and what they want. It will be examined who the stakeholders of AsBra’s project of Smart Autonomous Car are, and their impact on the project will be analysed using a stakeholder register and a figure.
| Stakeholder Register | ||||
| Stakeholders | Category | Interests | Direct / Indirect | Estimated Priority |
| Project team / Employees | Internal | · New product excitement · Demand bonus · Stable workplace |
Direct | Primary |
| Senior managements | Internal | · Achieve targets · Avoid costs · Increase profit margin |
Direct | Primary |
| Customers | External | · Quality product at reasonable price · Good services · Demand high-technology and safety |
Direct | Primary |
| Investors | External | · High ROI · Growth of the organisation |
Direct | Primary |
| Suppliers | External | · High sales · High dependence of organisation on suppliers |
Indirect | Secondary |
| Media | External | · Release of a new product · Public attention · Advertising revenue |
Indirect | Secondary |
| Local community | External | · Economic development (job creation) · Health and safety · Conserve environment |
Indirect | Secondary |
| Government agencies | External | · A sincere tax payment · Compliance with the law and regulations · GDP growth |
Indirect | Secondary |
Table 3. Stakeholder Register for AsBra’s Smart Autonomous Car. (Author Developed)
The table above is a stakeholder register depicting stakeholders in AsBra’s project. There are eight key stakeholders and they are divided into two groups, internal and external. As shown in the table, each stakeholder has different interests. Therefore, it is almost impossible to satisfy everyone’s demands. Maylor (2010) argued that “Whatever you do, someone somewhere is going to be unhappy. The PM’s role is simply to minimise the critical levels of unhappiness” (p. 76). This assessment of stakeholders is a process of minimising the degree of unhappiness.
Figure 3 above is a power vs level of attention matrix, which shows the extent to which each stakeholder’s power and attention are. The response should vary depending on the position of the stakeholders in the matrix (Gardiner, 2005, p. 122). No immediate action is required for stakeholders located in A and B. However, careful monitoring is necessary because the position of the matrix may change. For stakeholders in B, however, the organisation should keep updating the information about them as they have a significant interest in the organisation even though their power is relatively low.
Stakeholders located in C are the most difficult group to maintain the relationship between the four groups. Their interest in the organisation is relatively low, but their power is very high, so the organisation should maintain the relationship by giving them adequate satisfaction. Stakeholders in D have both high power and interest. Therefore, their responses to the organisation’s projects and activities should be considered first.
3.6 Risk Management
“Risk is ‘uncertainty that matters.’” Risk is always uncertain, however, not every uncertainty is a risk. Therefore, it is important to focus on identifying and managing the uncertainties that matter in order to respond appropriately (Hillson & Dalcher, 2009, p. 6). No risk-free project can exist. There may be differences in the degree of risk depending on the project, but it is impossible to have no risk at all. Therefore, managing risks is critical for effective project management and successful projects (Hillson, 2003, p. 14).
The following figure shows the likelihood of a risk occurrence and the extent of its impact on the project. Using this matrix, the priorities of risks can be determined. There are 5 levels in each probability and impact. This matrix is very intuitive as it uses colours and numbers to represent information.
The results derived from the risk matrix should be recorded in the risk register. A risk register is a highly effective tool to record information about risks in a consistent manner and simplify communication (Chapman, 2011, p. 170). The table below is a risk register for AsBra’s Smart Autonomous Car:
| Risk Register | |||||||
| Risk No. | Risk Description | Pos. / Neg. | Impact on Project (I = 1-5) | Probability of occurrence (P = 1-5) | Risk Rating (R = I x P) | Response Strategy | Proposed Responses |
| 1 | Lack of acceptance by investors | Neg. | 5 | 4 | 20 Severe | Avoid | Provide alternative solutions |
| 2 | Underestimation of budget | Neg. | 5 | 4 | 20 Severe | Mitigate | Limit scope to a necessary minimum |
| 3 | Failure of the safety test | Neg. | 4 | 4 | 16 Major | Avoid | Correct the problematic part and retest until it meets the pass criteria |
| 4 | Delay in meeting the deadlines | Neg. | 5 | 2 | 10 Major | Mitigate | Analyse which part is slow to progress and convene an emergency meeting on the progress of that part. |
| 5 | Delay in supply | Neg. | 5 | 2 | 10 Major | Share | Urge the supplier to produce on time. Find substitutes if necessary. |
| 6 | Lack of regulations for self-driving | Pos. | 3 | 3 | 9 Moderate | Exploit | Take advantage of loopholes due to lack of regulations. |
| 7 | Conflict among the project team members | Neg. | 3 | 1 | 3 Minor | Accept | Appropriate arbitration of the team leader is required. |
| 8 | Accident in the production line | Neg. | 2 | 1 | 2 Minor | Avoid | Support for medical examinations of employees. Provide adequate rest time. Regular inspection of production line machines. |
Table 4. Risk Register for AsBra’s Smart Autonomous Car. (Author developed)
3.7 Evaluation of Project Success Factors
According to Camilleri (2011), there are three main factors in project management: project hygiene support factors, information support factors, and behavioural and managerial support factors. Project hygiene support factors include project suitability, project scope, project organisation and team, and project planning and control. Information support factors include project risk management, development of project competency, and the management of information flow and knowledge. Finally, behavioural and managerial support factors represent internal and external communication, management and leadership of the organisation, and the commitment and participation of employees. These are the fundamental factors in project management and these factors must be optimised for a successful project (p. 14).
4.0 Conclusion
This report made several assessments and analyses for the new project of AsBra Limited. Smart Autonomous Car was selected through the project selection tool. Starting with that, the project has become more concrete through framework processes such as project scope, WBS, scheduling, stakeholder assessment, and risk management. Although large and small risks have been identified, opportunities may be found if constant and close monitoring is performed. Given all of the above, AsBra Limited’s Smart Autonomous Car project will be successful.
5.0 Reference List
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