32451 Project Management– MASC Training Consultants Case Study for Assignment 1

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Subject Name: Project Management Subject No.: 32541

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Student No.: 10924633 Email: Maojie.Chen@student.uts.edu.au
Tutor: Alan Sixsmith
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Lecturer: Alan Sixsmith Assignment No.: 1
Topic: MASC Training Consultants - Case Study
Due Date: 6pm, 13th September 2010
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Topic: MASC Training Consultants - Case

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Due Date: 6pm, 13th September 2010
Student Name: Maojie Chen
Student ID: 10924633
32451 Project Management– MASC Training Consultants Case Study for Assignment 1

32541 – Project Management

Assignment 1 :
MASC Training Consultants – Case Study
Due: 09/13/2010

Report by:
Maojie Chen 10924633

Tutor: Alan Sixsmith

Lecture: Alan Sixsmith

32451 Project Management– MASC Training Consultants Case Study for Assignment 1

Signatory Page

Project Charter Statement Approval / Signatures

In signing this paper I confirm I have read through the document contents and agree

with the information detailed in all pages.

Name Role Signature Date

Any subsequent changes to the scope of this document are subject to change control and

appropriate sign off.

32451 Project Management– MASC Training Consultants Case Study for Assignment 1

Executive Summary

As the current limitation of resource like software and hardware, does not meet
increasing the demand for corporate training, a new training centre will need to
be built to secure major clients over the last 2 years and develop new clients. In
addition, the new technique in education and management will be implemented
in new centre. The purpose for this project charter is to provide essential
contents as a guide line for project management, and describe how the project
team will provide MASC Training Consultants with management program about
new training centre.

The project chart presents how the project will be conducted; having a clear
scope and MOV, providing a well organized Work Breakdown Structure to
implement the project, and detailed analyzing risks. However, time and budget
estimation given from project plan is rough. The time and budget based events
will not be accurate to some extent, such as the implementation of some
deliverable may change because of the variation of time and budget. Therefore,
more detailed and accurate time and budge estimation should be completed in
the later process.

In addition, this project charter does not consider the other unexpected issues
which may happen during the process of implementing the project; as a result,
more reliable implementation strategies need to be investigated as the program
goes on.
32451 Project Management– MASC Training Consultants Case Study for Assignment 1

Table of Content

Executive Summary.............................................................................................4
1. Background.......................................................................................................1
2. The project’s Measurable Organization Value..................................................1
3. The project stakeholders...................................................................................2
4. The project’s scope:..........................................................................................2
4.1 In scope....................................................................................................2
4.2 Out of scope.............................................................................................3
5. Three level Work Breakdown Structure............................................................3
6. High Level Risk Analysis...................................................................................5
7. Success Criteria................................................................................................6
8. Recommendations............................................................................................7
Appendices..........................................................................................................7
32451 Project Management– MASC Training Consultants Case Study for Assignment 1

1. Background

As a well developed organization in the training area, MASC Training

Consultants (MTC) offers diverse courses like training technical skills,
management skills, and executive skills etc. While some of the courses are
designed based on the specific customers’ requirement, the others are standard
courses which provide service for trainees from different organizations.

In the past two years, MTC have established tight relationship with several
important clients. Due to the increasing demand for the corporate training, MTC
made a decision to expand a new training centre and offer the first training
course on Monday June 6th, 2011.

The technology components sub-project needed for the new training centre
includes the technology using in the training equipments and the additional
support systems. This coves all the aspects related to training software and
hardware, network infrastructure and security and so on.

2. The project’s Measurable Organization Value

 In order to secured several major clients and meet the increasing the

demand for corporate training, a new training centre based new training
system that allows MASC Training Consultants (MTC) to handle 50%
more customers within 2 years of implementation.
 Provide technology components in actual training and manage systems
that increase customer satisfaction 50% through customer satisfaction
survey and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of management
through a new system.

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32451 Project Management– MASC Training Consultants Case Study for Assignment 1

3. The project stakeholders

The stakeholders for this project are:

Name Role Contact Details
Simone Forde CEO Simone.Forde@masc.com.au
Stuart Johns CIO Stuart.Johns@masc.com.au
Brad Miller CFO Brad.Miller@masc.com.au
Fabrice Simpson CNO Fabrice. Simpson@masc.com.au
Maojie Chen Project Manager Maojie.Chen@masc.com.au
Shane Battier IT Operations Manager Shane.Battier@masc.com.au
Chase Budinger The head of Customer Chase.Budinger@masc.com.au
Service
Mike Harris The head of Sales & Mike.Harris@masc.com.au
Marketing
Jordan Hill The head of Financial Jordan Hill@masc.com.au
Planning
Luis Scola The Training Manager Luis.Scola@masc.com.au
Jared Jeffries Trainer Jared Jeffries@masc.com.au
Courtney Lee Trainer CourtneyLee@masc.com.au
Ben Stanley Trainer Ben.Stanley@masc.com.au
Dina lock Trainer Dina.lock@masc.com.au
Quistis Trepe Trainer Quistis.Trepe@masc.com.au
Kyle Lowry Trainer KyleLowry@ masc.com.au

4. The project’s scope:

4.1 In scope
1. Sign a contract with Broadway Construction
2. Purchase software to handle all business function
3. Purchase hardware, network infrastructure and security solutions

via an RFP
4. Migrate application and data to new training building
5. Determine training room and breakout room

6. Design wireless internet access

7. Train staff
8. Contract management for Refurbishment, software, hardware,

network infrastructure and security solutions

9. Develop IT architecture

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32451 Project Management– MASC Training Consultants Case Study for Assignment 1

10. Develop test plan for new system

11. Implement new system

12. Conduct request for proposal process for Refurbishment, software,

hardware, network and security solutions

4.2 Out of scope
1. Maintenance of new software, hardware, network infrastructure
and security solutions
2. Find and hire trainers for training MTC staffs
3. Find and hire new staffs
4. Building refurbishment

5. Three level Work Breakdown Structure

MASC Training Consultants Project

1. Sign a contract with Broadway Construction
1.1 Present requirement
1.2 Negotiation
Milestone: The contract signed
2. Purchase software to handle all business function
2.1 Present requirement
2.2 Negotiation
Milestone: Sign a contract with software company
3. Purchase hardware, network infrastructure and security solutions via an
RFP
3.1 Selection criteria
3.2 Select vendors
3.3 Run the RFP
3.4 Vendors selected

Milestone: Sign contracts with vendors

4. Migrate applications and data to new training building

4.1 Identify applications and data to be migrated

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32451 Project Management– MASC Training Consultants Case Study for Assignment 1

4.2 Implement migration

Milestone: Application and data migration completed
5. Determine training rooms and breakout rooms

5.1 Analyse requirements

5.2 Select appropriate training rooms and breakout rooms
Milestone: Rooms determined
6. Determine wireless internet access

6.1 Design a plan

6.2 Implement the plan
Milestone: wireless internet access determined
7. Train staff
7.1 Design a training plan
7.2 Implement the training plan
Milestone: Staff trained
8. Contract management for refurbishment, software, hardware, network

infrastructure and security solutions

8.1 Design RFPs
8.2 Select and monitor third-party
8.3 Review upon completion
Milestone: Contract management completed
9. Develop IT architecture
9.1 Review the existing architecture
9.2 Technologies to be used
9.3 Various individual architecture plans (Network, communication,

data, security architecture plans etc.)

Milestone: Architecture plan documented
10. Testing new system

10.1 Test plan

10.2 Test result report
Milestone: Testing completed

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32451 Project Management– MASC Training Consultants Case Study for Assignment 1

11. Implement new system

11.1 New system configuration
11.2 New system maintenance
Milestone: New system implemented
12. Conduct RFPs process for software, hardware, network infrastructure

and security solutions

12.1 Business requirements
12.2 RFP preparation and response
12.3 Evaluation and selection
Milestone: RFPs process completed

6. High Level Risk Analysis

It is important to realize that this project may confront many different

unexpected issues which can impact the project progress. Therefore, analysing
and identifying risk in advance is very necessary in project management. When
the project starts, we can prepare for the potential threats and minimize or
eliminate the chance of risk occurring.
Here is a detailed as risk analysis shown bellow:

# Risk Likelihood Impact Mitigation/Contingency

Strategy
1 Staffs do not H H Highlight the benefit of the
support new project new product
2 Software bugs H M Ask software company to fix
the bugs
3 Business H H Convene a meeting with
requirement stakeholders to discuss the
change plan
4 Misunderstanding H H Make sure all stakeholders
the requirements clearly understand the
requirements and signoff the

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 32451 Project Management– MASC Training Consultants Case Study for Assignment 1

documents
5 Lose data when M H Ensure the data safely
migrating migrate
6 Refurbishment do M H Track the refurbishment
not match the regularly
company standards
7 Refurbishment M H Track the refurbishment
delays regularly
8 Staff turnover or M H Share key information to
key member leaves other members
9 Increasing cost M M Cost control
10 Test plan do not M M Review test plan and revise
meet all the the test plan
requirements
11 Poor materials and M M Review the training plan and
grogram for training revise the training plan
staffs
12 Staffs lack technical M L Provide an extensive
knowledge training to staffs
13 New security issues L H Ask the selected vendors to
have been fulfill the new security issues
identified
14 Software is not user L H Give staffs’ feedback to
interface-friendly software company and ask
to update software
15 Ineffective training L H Review training program
program
16 Poor team skills L M Assessments
Legend for Likelihood & Impact: H: High; M: Medium; L: Low

7. Success Criteria

1. The number of trainees and clients increases significantly. Not only

MTC secures old clients but also develops new clients.

2. Expand business. MTC initiate several new courses to meet the

requirement of market.
3. The cost of project is within the expectations of MTC.

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32451 Project Management– MASC Training Consultants Case Study for Assignment 1

4. The project is finished within the prescribed time. The first training

course starts on schedule.

5. The quality of education is improved. Customer complaints reduce, and

increase customer satisfaction through customer satisfaction survey.

6. Reduce the cost and time consumption on training centre management

by using new system.

7. MTC can earn $3 million return on investment from new training centre

with in 3 years

8. Recommendations

Although the project plan about creating the new training centre and the
technology components sub-project provides timely and useful estimation for
the entire project, it still has some deficiency. The actual progress may not fit the
plan such as the time and budget completely because of the rough estimation.
Therefore, more detailed and accurate time and budge estimation should be
completed in the later process. In addition, this project plan does not consider
the other unexpected issues which may happen during the process of
implementing the project; as a result, more reliable implementation strategies
need to be investigated as the program goes on.

Appendices

The Budget components are as follows:

Budget Component $A
(millions)
Software (purchase & implementation) 0.2
Database (purchase & implementation) 0.2
Training (MTC staff) 1.5
Hardware and network infrastructure 1.8
(purchase & implementation)
Security components (purchase & 0.5

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32451 Project Management– MASC Training Consultants Case Study for Assignment 1

implementation)
Project staff costs (MTC staff only) 0.8
Training Centre Refurbishment 2.5
Contingency 2.5
Total 10