BN205 Network Project Management and Growing Complexities

Introduction

For any organization regardless of the size and the nature of the business, it requires a unique management system for efficient running of its business. With growing complexities in the global business economy, there has been a significant change in the hospitality sector, which has enhanced the steep rise in the industry in the influx of the customers. In context to this, this project attempts to illustrate the significance of hotel management system to Hotels and Restaurants, the scope of the management system, resources needed for the project, execution of the project plan, etc. In addition to that, this study deals with the cost implications involved in the project, communications required for the project, the risks for the project, and the deployment of the project plan. Efforts have been made in the study to analyze the involvement of the stakeholders in the project and provide a Gantt chart and network diagram to present the project plan. For this project Darwin Central Hotel, a four-star boutique style hotel based in Australia have been selected and efforts have been made to implement the project plan in the hotel.

Development of project plan:

This study deals with the development of a hotel management system and executes a project plan in the Darwin Central Hotel for enhancing the quality of the services provided. The purpose of this project plan is to create an internal online booking system for the hotel and up gradation of the hotel’s current infrastructure to enhance the business. This project plan was executed taking into consideration the current market structure of the organization, the issues and threats that the organization faces and the current technology prevalent in the organization. While executing the project, it was noted that there is much scope for improvement within the organization that includes the current management system and the prevalent technology (www.darwincentral.com.au, 2017). The technology that the organization uses is outdated in context to technological advancement in modern times. The organization had past experiences of various technical issues that had hindered its operations from time to time and thus, up gradation of the present technology is a necessity for the organization. In addition to that, the organization had no internal booking system and most of the bookings and reservation were done either manually or from different travel agents sites. However, certain issue and challenges were faced while implementation of the project plan that hindered proper implementation of the plan. The management of the organization had provided limited access to the internal areas of the organization and thus it was difficult to identify any issues or threats within the internal structure o0f the organization. Furthermore, the allocated funds for execution of the project plan were not in line with the estimated budget for the plan. This may lead to compromise of the project plan in certain key areas.

Estimated time required for the project:

A hotel management system is a much wider concept and the time required for implementation of the same is huge. In accordance with the proposal made the start and the completion, date of the project was estimated from 15th June 2017 to 12th February 2018. It is evident that the organization need a extensive up gradation of its current infrastructure and thus, the time required for the same is estimated to be such long. However, the outlook of the project plan tells a completely different story. The proposed plan suggests changes to be made in the technological infrastructure of the organization, the current managerial structure of the organization, formulation of regressive marketing and promotional strategies, enhancement of the work force resources of the organization, enhancement of the customer services and changes in other key areas of the organization. Thus, it is evident that the proposed plan is much extensive and requires proper time allocation so that the plan can be executed in a perfect and unmitigated manner (Rosso et al. 2014). The project plan suggests changes in almost every key areas of the organization. Hence, it can be established that each of the area requires proper time allocation such that thorough research can be performed and identify any key issues if present and take proper action to mitigate them. In lieu of the proposed plan, it can be concluded that for execution of the whole plan requires more time than that suggested in the proposal and may extend up to more 6 months. Thus, the completion of the project may extend up to 12th August 2017.

Resources needed for the project:

Funding and accordingly resource allocation is the most significant aspect of any project plan. The project plan is to be made in accordance with the funding or the allocated resources for the project. Proper financial management is also necessary for effective and efficient use of the allocated resources. It is very important to chalk out a plan for the project finance so that proper fund allocation can be done before hand to eliminate any ambiguity in the future. An absolute resource management plan helps an organization in identifying the requirement of the labor, equipment, materials and finance budget needed for delivering the project (Nundy et al. 2014). Creation of a resource schedule helps to recognize and accordingly plan the consumption of each of the resources such that the organization has enough resources to complete the project. In relation to the proposed project plan in the study, it can be said that the resources needed for execution of the plan is huge and the organization must prepare a unique budget plan so that no hindrances are faced in the future. In accordance with the proposed project plan, it is evident that the resources needed includes online web management system, staffs and managerial personnel, technical, legal and financial advisors, finance and capital requirements and recruitment of other key personnel. For implementation of the internal online booking system and technological up gradation in other key areas like lifts in the hotel, installation of free WIFI system, access key cards, etc. the organization is in need of a consolidated web management system, IT personnel, engineers, database developers, and system analyst (Lienert et al. 2017). The organization needs to recruit these key personnel in accordance with their skills and knowledge that is best suitable for the organization. Thus, it can be established that the organization is in need of large amounts of funds that may be procured as either debt capital from the market in the form of loans or as equity capital. The organization must be able to identify the requirement of the resources and make proper budget plan so the requirements are meet as required for the proposed project plan (Yang, 2014). 

Cost implications involved:

The cost implications involved in the proposed project plan must be as per the requirement for the project and the resource plan. It is proposed in the project plan that the organization is in need of an online web management system for instant booking process. The organization needs to prepare a cost budget analysis as a prerequisite for execution of the proposed project plan. In addition to that, the organization needs to prepare an interim and ex-post evaluations of the project plans that help them to identify the actual cost implications for the project (Kerzner, 2013). The organization and the project planners clearly needs to understand the requirement of the project development process thereby specifying the3 project needs and feasibility. In addition to that, the organization and the project planners must be able to create an outline design of the proposed project plan, set certain parameters for the schemed designed and include all the major components of the project plan. This will help the organization to get an overview of the design details and estimated costs for the schemes.  Project research and development involves huge amount of costs and needs arrangement of funds in adequate amount for development and carrying on with the project plan. In this regard, thy project planner must present an exhaustive finance plan estimating the budget for the whole project (Rieger et al. 2014). Additionally, the organization must prepare a budget for capital expenditures in the project. The project planners must also be able to identify the future contingencies in relation to the proposed project plan and present as contingency finance budget plan to the management of the organization. It will help the organization to fund the project even in the case of any future contingencies that may arise. It will also help the organization and the project planners to identify beforehand any kind of contingencies that may arise and accordingly formulate action plans to mitigate them.

Quality plan for the project:

Quality is one of the significant aspects in order to retain the customers of an organization. If the customers are not provided with quality services and products, then in that case they have a tendency to shift their focus on other complimentary products bands services. Certain aspects that include right quality, reliable, durable, and economical to the customers and comply with the ethics and norms characterize quality of products and services. Darwin Central Hotel aims at providing the customers with quality products and services. This helps the organization to satisfy and retain its customers, increase the brand value of the business and increase the market share. The organization has proposed the current project plan with the view to provide its customers with a wide range of quality services and give them an enriching experience each time they visit the hotel (Cassidy, 2016).  The main aim of the new project is to develop an online web based system that will help the customer to instantly book or reserve rooms in the hotel, which was previously done with the help of external travel agent websites. It will not only help the business to increase its customer base but will help to grow the business as well. The organization had an experience of complaints lodged by customers regarding the quality of the services they provide. This led the business to lose much of its business and suffered economically. Thus, in order to increase the convenience of the customers the company has proposed the current project plan that aims to provide the customers with quality products and services (Kendrick, 2015). This includes, quick online booking system, free WIFI, enhanced technology, etc. Another significant aspect that the organization must consider is taking regular feedbacks in order to ensure that the products and services meet the quality requirements of the customers.

Stakeholder’s analysis:

Carrying out stakeholder’s analysis is significant to an organization in order to identify a project’s key stakeholders, assess their needs and interests and the way they affect the project’s viability. In light of the proposed project plan of Darwin Central Hotel, the key stakeholders include the hotels staffs and members, the IT personnel in the hotel and the IT Director. They are the primary persons involved in carrying on with the project. As evident from the proposed project plan, the primary development that is proposed in the project plan is the incorporation of an exhaustive online management system that will help the customers of the organization to instantly book or reserve rooms in the hotels. Thus, it is evident that the primary requirements for executing the project plan are the IT personnel and the hotel’s staffs and members (Galliers et al. 2014). They are the key persons that will formulate the action plan, identify any kind of key issues, and accordingly carry on with the project plan. In case of issues or future contingencies, they will be the primary contact persons and cater to the problems of the staffs and the customers. Thus, it becomes important for the organization and the project planners to make a stakeholder analysis to identify properly the key persons involved in the project (Mok et al. 2015).

Communication plan for the project:

In formulation of a project plan it is very important to make a plan for communication system that will form an integral part of the of the project plan. The project manager of the specific project is charged with the guidance and directing the all the aspects of the project that includes the communication plan. An efficient communication plan helps to increase the consistency of the project and deliver best results. In case of Darwin Central Hotel, the scope of the project is broad and thus, it necessitates the need for an exhaustive communication plan. There must be a proper communication channel between the persons involved in executing the project plan (Stark, 2015). In the present scenario, since the organization is involved in undertaking an extensive project, communication is the key to the success of the project. Implementation of a bona fide communication system will help the organization in better articulating of its project goals, set better expectations in regards to the project, identify any risks and key issues within the project plan and properly communicate the risks and the issues in order to solve them. A good communication system also helps the members of the organization in setting up of a strong team bond among them (Beringer et al. 2015). In the case of Darwin Central Hotel, if the key stakeholders of the proposed project plan were able to inculcate a proper communication system then it would help them to work better, understand the role of the peers in regards to the project and their impact on the organization.

Risks involved and its management:

Risk is one of the inherent factors in any kind of activity. While formulation of action plan in making a project if the risks are not identified at earlier stages then it would increase the risks of incompletion of the project within the stipulated time frame. In addition to that, it may also increase the risks of increasing the cost implications of the project and may reduce the quality of the services. This would not help the organization in meeting its objectives and the project plan would not be viable (Keil et al. 2013). Thus, it becomes essential for the organization to identify the potential threats in advance so that the in case of any contingencies the organization is able to tackle the situation and smoothly carry on with its operations. In case of Darwin Central Hotel, the management of the organization and the project planners must be able to conduct risks management planning, identification of the key issues, analyze the identified risks, identify the deviation in regards to the project plan and take proper control measures in order to eliminate this risks. Identification of the project risks is one of the most significant process that the management of Darwin Central Hotel and the project planners must be able identify to make the proposed project plan viable. In relation to the given scenario, the risks that may arise in the purposed project plan includes risks related to loss of confidential information, breach of security, lack of compatibility among the users, etc. In addition to that, the whole project plan is time consuming and cumbersome process and involves huge cost implications. This risks or threats may hinder in proper implementation of the proposed project plan.

The company must be able to identity this various kind of threats and the necessary steps in order to eradicate these kind of unwanted threats. The various kinds of threats may arrive in front of the business like the breach of confidential information related to the online portals, which shall be developed by the business. The company may also face more problems like various complexities and high cost implications related to the start-up and commencement of this huge database management. The various other threats that may arise due to this uptake of this online portal system is the need for regular update of the various task to be undertaken by the business. Moreover, in order to properly start and make this whole online portal function, Company needs skilled and knowledgeable technical people and other staffs which are very hard to get. It shall be a very hectic job for the company to search for and employ the right kind of persons, who shall be fully suitable to carry on this kind of work

Execution of plan:

The business organization needs to carry on different kind of tasks, which shall fully help and aid to make this online system work. The business organization needs to employ different kind of skilled and knowledgeable people in order to manage and maintain the whole database system. In addition to the above fact, the company also needs to purchase and make use of various kind of modern machineries to properly store, manage the data, and make the whole communication process easy. Further, the company also needs to purchase and manage for different kind of business software and other kind of software in order to maintain the communication, upload and receive data and information and provide necessary guidance and knowledge to the consumers and other people related to the business (Yang, 2014). Also the business organization needs to hire and make use of various kind of accounting and data management tools to properly analyze and interpret the various kind of data that shall be conveyed either by the consumers mainly or other employees of the company.

Conclusion

In light of the discussions made above, it can be established that, the business needs to undertake various kind of steps in order to make the whole business function in the most efficient manner. The business should adopt and make use of the proper ways and manners in order to go by their plan and establish the online portal and online mode of consumer grievance website. The business also needs to undertake various ways to properly maintain and make full utilization of this online communication and portal system to earn maximum profits. This phenomenon shall ultimately help in ensuring proper growth and development of the business. Also with the growth band development of the business, the business can undertake more research and develop innovative ways in order to make this online portal more better and consumer utility oriented.

References

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