Individual Management Portfolio and Reflective Statement, Essay Example

Introduction

GAP, my employer has demonstrated immeasurable sense of trust by selecting me as the project manager to oversee the launch and implementation of the company’s next sustainable project in the clothing industry. The culture of creative project development is very key in any organization’s roadmap of sustainability agenda. In a period of strained sustainability in the business world, GAP makes unprecedented move to change the narrative. Calls for green economy, environmental changes and non-consistency in sustainability commitments have pushed many companies to the corner. As the project manager, it is my distinguished privilege to steer GAP to a whole new level of sustainability. I will be tasked with the responsibility and control of the inception stage to the closing stage of the project. For the project to succeed, vital project management steps are inherently indispensable. They include defining the creative project, designing the new project, execution of the project and development of the project.

Defining the Project

Being a novel idea, the project illuminated a notable excitement to me. As we into 2021, the world is seriously ill of uncontrollable climate change, pollution and poor sustainability initiatives. Going green and embracing the best of the biodegradable sources in the clothing industry is a challenge.  Having read numerous articles on the threat emanating from Genetically Modified Cotton to cotton made in Africa, it is very clear that a time for change is now. Top in the response chart are the giant apparel companies in the world and Gap is one of them. The article expressed grave concerns about the future of organic cotton and sustainable operations and impact from the clothing industry in the entire world.

With a proper clue what ails the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) and general greening challenge in the clothing industry, I met my manager a fortnight to express my concern and ideas. During the time of meeting, I had no in-depth understanding of the BCI and how it relates to the sustainability discussion in the apparel industry. Consequently, I retreated to develop and internalize an array of SMART objectives to actualize the compelling task of transitioning to 100% sustainable cotton.

SMART Objectives

Specific

As the leader to chat the new and latest management portfolio for GAP, I had to create deep definition and understanding of what to be accomplished and why. Consequently, I managed a fundamental twist in a creative project that will notably support GAP’s sustainability and response to green business practices. This goal is a game changer for the company and the entire chain of stakeholders going as far as the cotton farmers in the grassroots. GAP seeks to save the hailing textile sector with sustainable sourcing of raw materials and improving the position of local farmers as consumer enjoy a whole new test of green technology in the company’s final products. Transitional to 100% sustainable cotton products will be a strategic project that will require an intensified metamorphosis of our supply chain and production technology. A new supply chain and material sourcing framework will be introduced in the official GAP website, all online marketing platforms and local dailies within the United States production facilities.

Measurable

The critical question of realizing goals and objectives started to hit my mind. The 100% sustainable cotton transition will be a strategic policy that will be implemented in three phases. The annual general meeting scheduled for every third month of the year will be the first platform to share the new policy of sourcing cotton for family brands produced by GAP Inc. With the President of Global Sustainability, GAP sets the foundation for shifting to sustainable ways of doing business. (Onu P. & Mbohwa C., 2018) The new initiative will be communicated across all GAP outlets and the official company website. As from February 27^th, the sustainable sourcing initiative will be shared across the company’s sourcing platforms and the protocols shared with the various raw material storage facilities in the United States and beyond.

All the requirements and quality classifications on the organic content levels for all suppliers of the next supply chain processes will be accessed online via the QR code. Through that way, we will be strategically positioned to measure the frequency of scans and traffic on the website to test the impact of the new sustainable supply initiative. Awareness creation will be key for all stakeholders and especially supply chain management.

Achievable

Accomplishing the goal will need a proper break down of the tasks before the deadline of implementation sets in. The team will ensure that all relevant sourcing initiative regulations are out in good time. The traffic of responses from the small scale farmers both local and abroad will be analyzed to know the impact of change and its implementation roadmap (Kaye, 2017). We will be tasked with understanding the traffic of small scale farmers and integrate them with the existing supply chain network.

The manager has been very concerned about the financial implication of the entire sustainable sourcing initiative. The project does not demand intense capital investment since it will a system switch of the existing supply chain management (Onu P. & Mbohwa C., 2018). The project does not require new team for implementation but it will be a change in the sourcing procedures to build the future with a sustainable practices.

Relevant

The relevance of the whole idea will be tested to the core. By all ways it is the high time to implement sustainable supply chain systems to save the deteriorating relationship between the textile industry and the forces of nature. Coupled with the fact that it positions GAP’s values and sustainability goals, the sustainable sourcing and Better Cotton Initiative is the game changer and I am the ultimate leader to actualize the goal and initiative as the project manager (Eastern Daylight Time, 2019). The QR Code will be an added advantage since it is quite cheaper and easily accessed via internet connection. The ultimate budget objective would be to prepare the information and sensitization tools to attract suppliers for the greening of the supply chain system.

Time

The new initiative inception will take place from February all the way to the later weeks of April. Remedial implementation of the green supply chain management (GSCM) will be defined by the Grantt chart that will ensure that the project idea remains ahead. The team will be time-sensitive and all significant work schedules will be prioritized to make none of the project integrals will be left unattended.

Designing the Project

Budget

By using the existing supply chain management systems, the company will notably save a lot of resources and reduced budget specifications. As a norm, GAP is a multinational that has well –established supply chain systems for sourcing raw materials. The information database at the supply chain management unit will help sell the idea to the existing and potential customers.

Recruitment

After defining the SMART objectives and illuminating a robust vision, the next stage of the goal realization will be a recruitment process. As the manager, I decided to go for a small team that will be easier to manage and keep the entire initiative within the budget restrictions. From the very onset, a recruitment encounter was inevitable and the new idea requires the right people to make it sure that the right things are done at the right stage of the green supply chain project. The entire team should be guided by proper work ethics and integrity to ensure that the company gets the best as well as the other key stakeholders (GAP Inc., 2018).

The team will be comprised of experts of Better Cotton Initiative and green sources of all cotton raw material. The team will be equipped to help seal off the gates used by non-organic cotton and textile raw materials. The quality and assurance experts within the existing supply chain and production systems of GAP will play a very important role in shaping the transition to green cotton sourcing practices.

The Plan

Parties Involved

After the recruitment process, the following is the composition of the team.

As the pioneer of the project idea, I am the project manager and every player will have to report to me. The initiative will run under my authority and every goal will be implemented upon my instructions, analysis and management. The supply chain and raw material agency has offered the team experts who will monitor the green cotton initiative right from the start. The team will help regulate the entry of sustainable cotton supplies into the company and processing plant stores. All small scale farmers’ data records and category of their sustainable supplies will be monitored by the team from the company’s supply chain agency.

Deliver/Develop the Project

Customer Segmentation

The aim of this project to turn around the tables on cotton supply. Sustainable cotton initiative will transform the company’s clothing brand to a whole new level of quality. We are committed to develop a unique and elevated customer segmentation of the GAP brands. After intense data collection. We came up with the following realms of segmentations.

Geographic:

Region: North America, Africa and South America

Density: Rural

Demographic:

Age: 18-65

Gender: Males and Females

Lifecycle Stage: Experience farmers, inexperienced farmers, Full Nest Farmers

Occupation: Professional and ordinary cotton growers

Behavioral:

Benefits: Improved financial returns, supplier incentives

Personality: Easygoing and committed to revive organic cotton farming

Meeting with Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) Expert

The BCI expert is the technical advisor who will inform the implementation process of the entire project. The BCI expert will be guided by structures that suppliers and especially small-scale farmers are comfortable with. The meeting will aim at making it realistic that making global cotton production is the next better thing for companies such as Gap Inc. With an intensive understanding of the organic and anti-GMO production, the BCI expert will help scale up the widening gap of organic farming and the textile products in the various stores of Gap.

Market Launch

Since the launch of the project, the BCI team and sustainable sourcing agency took over. The collaborative work environment ensures that I get all relevant reports on the traffic of new and existing supply chain partners who are embracing the BCI and sustainable sourcing project. According to the findings of the team, a systemic survey is imperatively critical to ensure that the entire campaign and the new idea grows deeper in the grassroots. Most of the small scale cotton farmers had given up given the emergence and dominance of genetically manufactured raw materials used in majority of the apparel companies. The project offers the perfect opportunity to regain the lost glory of natural and sustainable supply chain operators for our company.

After thorough interrogation, we agreed on the importance of a survey to ensure that the campaign and project implementation hits the target portion of stakeholders. Despite a small portion of respondents involved, it was apparent that the need for change was long overdue and the future was on the system change to adopt BCI and any other sustainable approach of running the company’s supply chain network.

Conclusion

Since the inception of the project,I was more than confident that even though I had little experience on project management, it was poised to succeed and deliver. I was very firm in my creative thinking and integrated the calls for realistically sustainable solutions to our ailing planet. Climate change is a challenge that requires no second thought when it comes to sustainable ways of doing business. Transitioning to sustainable supply chain systems is the very first project to introduce if the textile industry is to keep the leadership position in the race against global warming and other economic complexities. The detailed SMART analysis and objectives kept the project with a smooth running node right from the recruitment, planning, budgeting and the actualization stages of the project.

Reference List

GAP Inc., 2018. Six Ways Gap Inc. is Becoming More Sustainable | Gap Inc.. [online]. [Online]
Available at: https://www.gapinc.com/en-us/articles/2018/04/six-ways-gap-inc-is-becoming-more-sustainable
[Accessed 12 January 2021].

Kaye, L., 2017. Gap Will Source 100 Percent Sustainable Cotton By 2021. [Online]
Available at: https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2017/gap-will-source-100-percent-sustainable-cotton-2021/17836
[Accessed 12 January 2021].

Onu P. & Mbohwa C., 2018. Green Supply Chain Management and Sustainable Industrial Practices: Bridging the Gap. Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Managemen, pp. 786-792.