Project Plan, Essay Example

When beginning a project in any business setting, it is important to implement a proper project management plan. These plans are essentials to every aspect of a project. There are nine subcategories involved with any project management plan. The project plan in its entirety will help to achieve goals, deliver the project, schedule the project, and create supporting plans involving the project (Haughey, 2013).

It is important to understand the stakeholders that are essential to the project plan. Stakeholders are the people who have an interest in plan or the people who will be affected by the outcome of the plan (Project planning: stakeholder analysis, 2013). The stakeholders involved in opening a restaurant are the owners, the project team, investors, future customers, and employees. It is important that they are all considered when planning the project.

The project that is being worked on is a business plan for a restaurant. There are many details that are involved with opening a restaurant, or any business for that manner. The project plan is going to help with any goals or time lines that are involved with this project. It is important that this project plan is implemented after being created.

The first step in the project plan is to create the scope management plan. The project scope includes all the details of the project (Project management knowledge, 2010). This includes all input and output within the project. In this plan the project is defined, how the project will develop, and work breakdown structure will be included (Project management knowledge, 2010).

Problems that may arise for the project manager, specifically pertaining to opening a restaurant could be that minor details may be missing. Details regarding how many employees are actually necessary or how many dishes will be needed. These issues may slip through the cracks when detailing the project as a whole.

Another issue may be the work breakdown. There may be people included in this plan that are not taking the responsibility necessary to complete the project. This could be from a lack of specific detail as to job responsibilities within the plan.

The next the subcategory of the project plan is the time management plan. This plan is fairly self explanatory. The time management portion of the plan will set specific deadlines for goals to be accomplished. This is very important, especially when opening a business. The business owner’s livelihood may depend on it.

Issue that may arise for the project manager may be that due to dire circumstances, the project falls behind. A restaurant may miss the expected opening date due to a failure to obtain proper licensing for food or liquor. Another issue could be that due to inclement weather, the contractors cannot complete their work in a timely manner. This part of the project plan could fall apart through no fault of the people in charge.

The cost management plan is very important to the project plan. The cost management plan provides details regarding the cost that will incur for the project, as well as the cost that will be received after the project is finished (Project management knowledge, 2010). These costs are estimates. It will also provide planning and structure for these costs incurred (Project management knowledge, 2010).

The project manager may run into issues if the costs are higher than the estimates included in the plan. Costs could rise if more labor is needed, if more materials are needed, or even more licensing than expected is needed when dealing with restaurants. Sometimes these aspects of the business can be hard to estimate. There could also be an issue if the quotes that were received change over the course of the project for some reason. This could affect time management if the funds are not available immediately.

The communication management plan is another aspect of a project plan. This plan offers details to how the team will communicate during the project (Project management knowledge, 2010). This could be any type of communication to include e-mails, cell phones, or even weekly memos. Communication is key in any project.

When planning for opening a restaurant, it is important to communicate any license requirements, materials needed, even a cleaning schedule for the project. An issue could arise if the team fails to inform each other of necessary work or other issues that may arise. If the entire team is informed there should not be problems, it is when communication breaks down that problems arise.

The next subcategory is the risk management plan. This plan outlines procedures to reduce risk and also how to handle risks that arise (Project management knowledge, 2010). With any project there are risks involved.

This very true with the restaurant business, from start to finish. Risks include economic hardships, people involved with the project, materials being used, etc. There are always risks, some can be foreseen and others cannot. It is important to understand that things do not always go according to plan and this may be something that the project manager will have to deal with.

The integration management plan includes all facets of the project that are interconnected (Project management knowledge, 2010). This plans details these facets and explains how they are connected. This important because it shows how these facets are cohesive and functional (Project management knowledge, 2010).

The project manager may have to deal with individuals that do not understand why a certain aspect of the project is important. For instance, with opening a restaurant, the project will include plans for taking part in charity endeavors. The integration plan will explain how it is important for the business to give back to community, so all aspects of the project must be completed before the grand opening date.

Next there is procurement management plan. This plan allows for the team to determine what must be procured early in the project cycle (Project management knowledge, 2010). This plan basically states what is needed to begin, continue, and finish the project.

Unfortunately for the project manager this plan is not set in stone and may change many times over the duration of the project. Again the issue of the budget may arise. If funds are not available, the plan will change accordingly.

The human resources management plan will define each role of the project, and assign these roles to individual members of the team (Project management knowledge, 2010). Personal responsibilities regarding the project will be given to individual team members and also how reporting to other team members will take place (Project management knowledge, 2010). This is essential to the project.

Issues that may arise for the project when opening a business in regards to human resources can vary but be multiple. Issues include laziness, miscommunication, misunderstanding, and also basic unpleasantness between specific team members. This all has to be dealt with fairly and accurately.

The quality management plan is the final subcategory in the project plan. This plan outlines the methodology that will be used to complete the project (Project management knowledge, 2010). This methodology will ensure that the project meets the necessary standards and level of quality that is expected from the team (Project management knowledge, 2010). It is very important to the overall project.

The major problem that could arise for the project manager is that certain team members may attempt to cut corners in an effort to save time or money. In a restaurant, if the product is not quality it will hurt business. Product includes dishes, food items, and even hired staff members. This should all be in place when the project is finished. If the end product of the project lacks quality, the project manager may face reprimands at the very least.

A project is a onetime effort to accomplish a goal (All about project management, 2013). It produces a given result. The project plan outlines goals, objectives, responsibilities, and outcomes. It is very important when planning for a business opening that the project plan is detailed and aligns with all nine subcategories included in the plan.

References

All about project management. (2013). Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Free management library: http://www.managementhelp.org

Haughey, D. (2013). Project planning a step by step guide. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Project smart: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk

Project management knowledge. (2010). Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Project management knowledge: http:www.project-management-knowledge.com

Project planning: stakeholder analysis. (2013). Retrieved April 30, 2013, from JISC: http://www.jisc.ac.uk