CT050-3-3-PRMGT-Project Management Page 1 of 8

CT050-3-3-PRMGT-Project Management
In-course Assignment
Company : Nova Living Pte. Ltd. (NL)
Project : Global Supply Chain Management Project (GSCMP)

I. Assignment Learning Outcomes

1. Decide the aims and objectives, deliverables and scope of a typical IT project within the
wider context of IT management, create appropriate standards and procedures and
communicate the outline of the project effectively to a variety of stakeholders, discuss
and critically evaluate the process.

2. Organize a typical IT project and decompose it into manageable components,

systematically estimating the resource requirements and allocating tasks with due regard
to risk and the available human and technical factors, discuss and critically evaluate the
process.

3. Analyze, plan and manage a typical IT project using an appropriate variety of scheduling,
monitoring and controlling tools and techniques, and communicate the plan effectively to
a technical and non-technical audience, discuss and critically evaluate the process.

4. Understand, discriminate between and apply some techniques of team building and
management, risk assessment and management and change and configuration
management such as are likely to improve the success of a typical IT project, discuss and
critically evaluate the process.

II. The Scenario (A Case Study)

Nova Living Pte. Ltd. (NL) is one of the leading nutrition, health and wellness multinational
companies, based in Singapore with its global IT shared services known as Global IT Services
(GITS) located in Malaysia has embarked on a new project to enhance its supply chain
operations. The first wave will be concentrated to South East Asia and the implementation will
be deployed by local markets.

At present, markets located throughout South East Asia are using locally developed application
to record supply chain management activities information. The first-level support (L1) is being
rendered by local IT and second level (L2) is supported by the local application vendor.
Previously the cost for software support maintenance was managed locally within each market
which has resulted high in IT cost for both capital and operating expenses. Unfortunately every
market provides similar support framework which has created duplication among markets within
the South East Asia Region due to decentralisation of systems being used. Thus by implementing
this project, significant contribution such as reduction in capital/operating expenses, centralized
support from GITS, global governance and many more value added are gained. Please refer to
section VII, Table 1 for the list of departments directly and indirectly involves in this project.

Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation Jan 2018

CT050-3-3-PRMGT-Project Management Page 2 of 8

Due to the urgency for centralising support and cost reduction, the project was scheduled
to be completed within duration of 6 months from the date of commencement. The project
is named as ‘Global Supply Chain Management Project’ (GSCMP).

Basically, this project will deliver a system which provides all the common functions that can be
found in any typical Supply Chain Management software. Apart from that, the system is also
supported by a huge centralised data warehouse which provides business intelligence capabilities
in facilitating users to make quicker decision in managing inventory in their own region. The
system also covers transportation management, order management, yard management, labour
management and warehouse optimization.

This is a critical and complex project which involves various department including subject
matter experts (SME(s)) from GITS. A Project Manager was hurriedly assigned from
GITS-PMAC who has a good working knowledge of the various regional office locations.
The current Project Manager portrays strong ‘global/regional project management’ and
‘technical’ skills. However, he lacks leadership qualities and interpersonal skills.

In addition to a good project management practices, the following are some of the major critical
success factors (CSF) the Project Manager must comply for the success of the project:-

a) capable resources would be selected from any of the SME-departments as shown in the
organisation structure provided in section VII, Table 1
b) the current IT infrastructure must support this new system
c) its mandatory for related GITS-SMEs to provide approval and signoff for system
implementation
d) all support staff and users must have access to this new system with relevant Access Level
(ACL) privileges
e) the current system must be replaced in phases by GSCMP.
f) the cutover (transition from the current system to new centralised system) must be in parallel

Due to the urgency, the Malaysian market has been selected as the first market to pilot the
implementation since the GITS is also based within the same country which enables more
effective project support whenever needed.

China and Thailand had similar projects (locally developed application) implemented three years
ago. Please refer section VIII, Table 2 which lists the major milestones from previous
implementations and suggested duration (most likely) to be executed for Malaysia.

(Note: Although the major milestones for the project are provided in section VIII, Table 2,
Project Manager is required to expand the detail activities/tasks for respective milestones if
necessary.)

As the project progressed, it was meeting its ‘high-level’ milestones for the first two (2)
months, and with four (4) months left, it was now deemed as ‘failing to meet its target

Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation Jan 2018

 CT050-3-3-PRMGT-Project Management Page 3 of 8

dates’, ‘not doing what it was supposed to do’ and was ‘unreliable’. At this point also a few
startling issues surfaced, as follows:

1. the steering committee (which consist of the board of directors, CEO and Senior Managers of
the organisation) do not recall of being presented the project feasibility study by the Project
Sponsor or the Project Manager to them.
2. the project approval was not formally documented.
3. there is no evidence that a proper project management process was followed.
4. the PC and server hardware technical specifications were constantly being changed to suit
new or added requirements.
5. requirements keep coming in from users almost daily where the GITS-ADC Team Lead
keeps on accepting them without hesitation.
6. there was redundancy of work performed as the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) was done
separately by each respective department and the Project Manager did not review and then
consolidate those WBSs into one holistic WBS.
7. most of the team members have been focusing more on their daily operation support rather
than tasks being assigned by the Project Manager or their respective Team Lead.
8. tasks are performed without prioritising other dependent tasks.
9. IT assets acquisition and spending were through PROC Manager with suppliers without
going through a proper tendering process.
10. purchasing of IT assets without a proper tendering process has led to overrun by budget.
11. the testing plan was not developed yet.
12. there was not even a clear designated sponsor (or sponsors) for the project.
13. there was no clear project organisational structure to manage the project.
14. the Project Manager’s authority was constantly overridden by the department head
/managers.
15. technical skills were especially lacking in the network and security areas.
16. there were no monitoring reports to review as none were prepared and formally documented.
17. the risks associated with the project, although documented, had no detailed action plans and
were not categorised in terms of impact or severity.
18. the hardware and software delivery were still being negotiated with some potential vendors
while there were only four (4) months to complete the project.

It was now evident that a project recovery effort is needed with solutions identified and invoked
to get the GSCMP back on schedule and rolled out as planned.

III. Assignment Requirements

As the project is failing and needs to be recovered, you should start by looking into a proper
project management practices with the appropriate processes, tools and techniques.

Besides, the steering committee decided to replace the current Project Manager. As a group
of four (4) members in this group assignment, assuming they have appointed one of you to be
the new Project Manager, and now you are to look at all the 18 issues above (section II) and
resolve them using the ten (10) project management knowledge areas:

Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation Jan 2018

 CT050-3-3-PRMGT-Project Management Page 4 of 8

1. Project Integration Management

2. Project Scope Management
3. Project Time Management
4. Project Cost Management
5. Project Quality Management
6. Project Human Resource Management
7. Project Communication Management
8. Project Risk Management
9. Project Procurement Management
10. Project Stakeholder Management

Your team should aim to make your report interesting and engaging, without losing sight of the
fact that the organisation is seeking a professional approach to the problems. All analysis should
thoroughly illustrate and document the pressing need to recover a failing project. Avoid
theoretical discussions. Apply the theories to solve the problems.

Assumptions can be made to assist in ascertaining the solutions, but they must not impair the
decision made on the scope and delivery of the project.

Your team and you must also look at all the major critical factors above in section II and manage
the project successfully to completion.

IV. Assignment Instructions

As part of a team (maximum of four (4) individuals per group), a single report must be
submitted to senior management. The report should be a formally written document, the contents
of which should not exceed 13,000 words (3,000–group total and 4x2,500– individual),
excluding abstracts, tables, appendices, etc. An electronic copy should also be submitted with the
report.

V. Assessment Details

Your team’s report and your individual report will be assessed as follows:

1. A GROUP based report of 3000 words – 30%

This is the part of the report that details your project management awareness of how project
management practices with the appropriate processes, tools and techniques, once
introduced, will be able to manage the project well.

The main contents should cover a detailed group discussion on processes, tools and
techniques of Integration Management and the three (3) Core Knowledge Areas (i.e.
Project Scope Management, Project Time Management and Project Cost Management)
as follows:
a) Project Charter
b) Work Breakdown Structure
c) Scope Statement

Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation Jan 2018

CT050-3-3-PRMGT-Project Management Page 5 of 8

d) Gantt Chart and Network Diagram

e) Cost Estimation and Budgeting
f) Quality Management Plan
g) Administrative Closure Procedures (including cutover strategy and transition plan)
h) Lesson Learned Report

Breakdown of marks:
a) Documentation – 10%
Materials are presented professionally using correct grammar, punctuation spelling and
length. Addressed report guidelines.
b) Analysis – 20%
Solutions applied are critically analysed and appropriate to identify the issues addressed.

2. An INDIVIDUAL based report of 2,500 words each – 70%

A detailed discussion on processes, tools and techniques by each member of the group
on one (1) of the Facilitating Knowledge Areas as follows:
a) Project Human Resource Management – Member 1
b) Project Communication Management – Member 2
c) Project Risk Management – Member 3
d) Project Procurement Management – Member 4
e) Project Stakeholder Management – Member 5

Breakdown of marks:
a) Original Idea and Critical Appraisal – 25%
Clear evidence of original ideas and critical thinking in justifying processes, tools and
techniques applied.
b) Argument Coherence – 15%
Paragraphs are in a logical relation to the whole and flows logically into the next.
c) Research and References – 15%
Supporting research clearly explained and presented. Thoroughly lists references that are
relevant to the topic.
d) Presentation – 15%
Impression of confidence, simplicity, clarity, structure and time management of the
presentation and ability to answer questions

Presentation Guideline
a) Individual presentation duration must NOT exceed 5 minutes (5 - 10 slides) for each
phase. This includes the setup time.
b) Group presentation duration must NOT exceed 5 minutes (5 – 10 slides) to be presented
by one of the group members.
c) Individual & Group Presentation will be delivered from Week 13 – 14

This assignment is worth 100% (70%-Individual & 30%-Group) of the final grade.
Assignment will be handed-out by Week 2 and to be handed-in by Week 12.

Note: The work of each member of the group must be clearly indicated in a signed WORKLOAD
MATRIX as per common practice.

Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation Jan 2018

 CT050-3-3-PRMGT-Project Management Page 6 of 8

VI. Assignment Assessment Criteria

The criteria below detail the areas, which will be taken into account when the assignment is
marked:

1. To address the subject satisfactorily the assignment length should be in a maximum of

13,000 words. A typed format is mandatory.

2. Distinction assignments exhibit comprehensive research with detailed evidence.

 High level of analysis performed, exceptional and thorough knowledge and
understanding displayed with regard to application. This includes analysis and evaluation
of facts followed by results of evaluation.
 Documentation presented in a professional manner, following proper sequencing and
flow. Displayed evidence of critical appraisal.

3. Credit assignments demonstrate adequate research conducted with fair detail of evidence
presented.
 Moderate level of understanding, analysis and knowledge displayed.
 Some level of relevance included in terms of application.
 Moderate level of analysis and evaluation of facts followed by results comparison. Good
level of documentation presented.
 Some level of reflection was evident in the documentation.
 Moderate level of critical appraisal.

4. Pass assignments show low level research conducted.

 Some evidence of research displayed.
 Basic level of understanding and knowledge analysis displayed.
 Satisfactory level of documentation.
 No evaluation and analysis of facts, no results comparison performed Satisfactory or low
level of reflection displayed.
 No level of critical appraisal demonstrated.

5. You are expected to clearly state any assumptions you make, and support statements and
theories by referencing to appropriate sources.

Attention will be paid to:

 Critical evaluation and discussion. Issues will be dealt with deeper and on an analytical
plane, based on good research - with industry examples, data projections and commentaries.
 Balanced researched materials. Appropriate and different sources which must include
sufficient academic research, not just secondary research from URLs
 Proper referencing and citation. Harvard Referencing is a must. Citation must include,
apart from the normal details, the page number from where the issue for discussion has been
taken. (Refer to Handbook for penalty on plagiarism)

Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation Jan 2018

 CT050-3-3-PRMGT-Project Management Page 7 of 8

VII. Global IT Services & Local Market Organisation Structure

To indicate the extent of the project resources and team construction, the table below indicates
the organisation structure for NL local market and Global IT.

Abbreviat
Support Unit SME-Department ion SME Responsibility
GITS Communication & Network CNN Provides network services for Local IT/Market

GITS IT Security ITSEC Provide governance for IT security for application

development, software and hardware

GITS Application Development Center ADC Provide develop application and provide application
Governance and Intellectual Property.
GITS Project Management Centre PMAC Provide Project Managers to manages projects

GITS Data Center Operations DCO Infrastructure support incl. Servers, Operating
Systems for centralized datacentre and local servers
Global Provide governance for IT operations, which includes
GITS IT Operations ITO
supporting local markets and its business operations.
Center of Excellence – Enterprise
GITS CoE-ERP
Resources Planning Provide L2 Support for CoE-ERP
Center of Excellence – Customer
GITS CoE-CRM
Relationship Management Provide L2 Support for CoE-CRM
CoE-
Center of Excellence – Supply Supply
GITS
Chain Services Chain
Services Provide L2 Support for CoE-SCS
GITS Global Service Desk GSD Helpdesk perform level-one (L1) support
Market IT Dept IT IT Manager, Executive #1, Executive #1

Market Marketing Dept MKTG MKTG Manager, Executive #1, Executive #2,
Executive #3, Sales Rep x 30,
FIN Manager, Executive #1, Executive #2, Clerk#1,
Local Market Finance Dept FIN
Cashier #1
Market Human Resources Dept HR HR Manager, Executive #1, Executive #2
Market Communication Affairs COMM COMM Manager
Market Procurement PROC PROC Manager, Officer x2
Table 1: NL Organisation Structure

Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation Jan 2018

 CT050-3-3-PRMGT-Project Management Page 8 of 8

VIII. List of activity from previous project implementation from other markets

Immediate
Most
No Major Milestones China Thailand predecessor
Likely
activity
1 Requirements Gathering 30 36 33 0
2 Preliminary Approval 16 22 19 0
3 Change Request, CR Approval 15 5 10 2
4 Business Approval 5 7 6 2
Functional & Technical Specification
5 Development 10 14 12 1
6 Application Development 60 44 52 5
7 ADC Testing 4 10 7 5
8 IT Regression Testing 5 5 5 6,7
9 User Acceptance Test (UAT) 25 29 27 7,8
10 System setup (in Production environment) 1 1 1 9
Total Project Cost (in USD) $300,000 $260,000 $280,000
Table 2: List of major milestones from previous implementations

Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation Jan 2018