project management

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Maldives National University

Faculty of Science

Assignment II Project Plan Report

Alaska Fly-Fishing Expedition Project Project Management (MGT 215)

AHMED ADNAN (34235)

Bachelor of Information Technology

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Table of Contents

1. Executive Summery----------------------------------------------------------------3

2. Introduction----------------------------------------------------------------------------3

2.1. Project Scope-------------------------------------------------------------------4

2.2. Project Deliverables-----------------------------------------------------------5

2.3. Milestones-------------------------------------------------------------------------5

2.4. Technical Requirements-----------------------------------------------------5

2.5. Limits and Exclusions-----------------------------------------------------------5

3. Project Leadership And Project Governance-----------------------------6

4. Project Scheduling------------------------------------------------------------------7

4.1. Resource Scheduling---------------------------------------------------------7

4.2. Work Breakdown Structure-------------------------------------------------9

5. Risk Assessment And Mitigation-----------------------------------------------10

6. Project Monitoring And Evaluation-------------------------------------------13

6.1. Monitoring------------------------------------------------------------------------13

6.2. Evaluation------------------------------------------------------------------------14

7. Conclusion-----------------------------------------------------------------------------15

8. References-----------------------------------------------------------------------------16

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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMERY

Great Alaska Adventures (GAA) has been asked to plan a fly fishing trip by

the president of BlueNote, Inc. The president is rewarding the top productive

management team for their work by giving them an all-expense-paid fly

fishing trip in Alaska. The management for GAA will be responsible for

organizing and leading this fishing trip. This trip will last for five days in June

and be on the Tikchik River, and the cost is not to exceed $27,000. The

leadership at GAA will figure out all requirements and meet back with the

president of BlueNote, Inc to make sure everything is correct and both sides

understand their requirements for this project.

This paper will explain why each one of the steps of the project is

important. First it is important that a leader be chosen and this person is the

project manager that is responsible for making sure everything happens on

time and that the project stays on budget. This project is about a fly-fishing

trip where the project manager will be from the adventure group and will

make a plan where everyone understands what their role is in this trip.

2. INTRODUCTION

This project focuses on the planning of five-day fly-fishing expedition that has

been arranged for the top management team of Blue Note, Inc. at the

request of its president. This expedition is arranged and leads by The Great

Alaska Adventure (GAA) a firm that involves in arranging these kinds of

outdoor expeditions for organizations and teams.

Alaska State is a part of the United States of America where there are more

than 3 million lakes under 20 acres areas. Dillingham is a city of Alaska which

is set on an inlet of Bristol Bay of Alaska and is very popular part for the salmon

industry and outdoor expeditions. Since Dillingham Bristol Bay often sees 20

million Red salmon in its waters every year, it is a superb destination for

planning sport fishing such as fly- fishing.

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2.1. PROJECT SCOPE

This is a five-day fly-fishing expedition that has been arranged for the top

management team of Blue Note, Inc. at the request of its president. The

expedition will be arranged and lead by The Great Alaska Adventure

(GAA), a firm that involves in arranging these kinds of outdoor expeditions

for organizations and teams.

The expedition is scheduled to be held at the site located in the remote

back country of Tikchik River from June 21 to 25, 2015. Since the area is

popular because of its wildlife and rugged terrain, people who wish to

engage in sport fishing prefer to be in this area which is also best known for

its salmon fishing.

The cost of the expedition is not to exceed $27,000. All the expenses of the

expedition will be paid by the Blue Note, Inc. however the cost pertaining

to their own transportation to the Dillingham base Camp and from

Dillingham base camp back to Alaska and the equipment and clothing

required for fly-fishing are excluded.

Moreover, the GAA will provide Air Taxi transportation from Dillingham to

the Camp site one and at the end of the program from the second Camp

site located in “Tikchik” River Basin back to Dillingham. Along with that,

boat transportation with motors, camping equipment such as tents, cots,

beddings and lanterns , three meals a day, experience tour guides and a

four-hour fly-fishing training instruction will also be provided. Furthermore,

fishing licenses for all the guests along with four experienced river guides

will be granted.

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2.2. PROJECT DELIVERABLES

The deliverables for this project include the following:

Provide air transportation from Dillingham, Alaska, to Camp I and

from Camp II back to Dillingham.

Provide river transportation consisting of two eight-man drift boats

with outboard motors.

Provide three meals a day for the five days spent on the river.

Provide four hours fly-fishing instruction.

Provide overnight accommodations at the Dillingham lodge plus

three four man tents with cots, bedding, and lanterns.

Provide four experienced river guides who are also fly fishermen.

Provide fishing licenses for all guests.

2.3. MILESTONES

Contract signed January 22.

Guests arrive in Dillingham June 20.

Depart by plane to Base Camp I June 21.

Depart by plane from Base Camp II to Dillingham June 25.

2.4. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Fly in air transportation to and from base camps

Boat transportation within the Tikchik River system

Digital cellular communication devices

Camps and fishing conform to state of Alas

2.5. LIMITS AND EXCLUSIONS

Guests are responsible for travel arrangements to and from

Dillingham, Alaska.

Guests are responsible for their own fly-fishing equipment and

clothing.

Local air transportation to and from base camps will be outsourced.

Tour guides are not responsible for the number of King Salmon

caught by guests.

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3. PROJECT LEADERSHIP AND PROJECT GOVERNANCE

Project manager plays the most important role in the project management

team. Project Manager is responsible for successful planning, execution,

monitoring, control and closure of the project. Project manager has to

assemble project management team and assign roles to them. Therefore, it is

important that a leader be chosen as a project manager who is responsible

for making sure everything happens on time and that the project stays on

budget. This project manager for this project will be from the adventure

group and will make a plan where everyone understands what their role is in

this trip. The leadership at GAA will figure out all requirements and meet back

with the president of BlueNote, Inc to make sure everything is correct and

both sides understand their requirements for the project.

Project based structure will be used to manage this project in which project

managers have a high level of authority to manage and control the project

resources. The project manager in this structure has total authority over the

project and can acquire resources needed to accomplish project objectives

from within or outside the parent organization, subject only to the scope,

quality, and budget constraints identified in the project. In the project based

structure, personnel are specifically assigned to the project and report

directly to the project manager. The project manager is responsible for the

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performance appraisal and career progression of all project team members

while on the project which will lead to increase project loyalty. Moreover,

complete line authority over project efforts affords the project manager

strong project controls and centralized lines of communication. This will lead

to rapid reaction time and improved responsiveness.

4. PROJECT SCHEDULING

4.1. RESOURCE SCHEDULING

The resources of the project consist of people, materials, equipment,

knowledge and time. Organizations typically have limited resources;

therefore, tradeoffs on what project resources are expended and

when are made every day within project. A resource allocation plan is

an important tool in effective management of scarce resources.

Resources for this project are:

Motel rooms for two nights,

Fishing licenses,

Meals,

Boats with motors,

Tents,

Lanterns,

Digital cellular communication devices,

Cots,

Bedding,

Transportation flights to and from base camps,

Fly-fishing training,

Medical emergency supplies,

And trained guides.

All these resources must be planned in advance and several may need

to be reserved far in advance due to constraints of resources. Since this

will be the time of year where all the adventure groups that sell fly-

fishing trip will need the same resources that our company may need,

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it’s vital to make the necessary arrangements to get resources as soon

as possible. In a trip like this where one resource is flying people to and

from base camps needs to be shared can be done with planning

ahead. One of the main problems most projects face is shared

resources (Jacob, & McClelland, 2001).

If the project manager lays out the critical path of needed resources,

he can plan ahead and share some of the resources with other fly-

fishing groups. For example the plane that is being used could plan

certain times that it will pick up passengers from one location in the

morning and a second location in the afternoon. Depending on the

distance the panes could make even more trips per day. Most of the

resources, like the boats, will be used by the group for the whole trip. It

is important that the customers know what to expect and that they

arrive on time for the fly-fishing adventure. If there are any delays it will

most likely affect future fly-fishing trip that are scheduled after this

group’s trip.

GAA and BlueNote, Inc signed the contract on January 22. Fly-fishing

trip will begin with the guests arriving on June 20th in Dillingham, Alaska.

They will depart for the fly-fishing trip by flying to Base Camp I on June

21st. They will spend five days and four nights on the Tikchik River. They

will then be flown back to the Dillingham lodge on June 25th. The guests

are responsible for transportation cost with any fish they wish to return

with them.

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4.2. WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE

Work breakdown structure (WBS) is a chart in which the critical work

elements, called tasks, of a project are illustrated to portray their

relationships to each other and to the project as a whole. The graphical

nature of the WBS can help a project manager predict outcomes based

on various scenarios, which can ensure that optimum decisions are made

about whether or not to adopt suggested procedures or changes.

The WBS is an extremely valuable tool to the project management

methodology. It can make or break a project. It sets the foundation for the

rest of the project planning. A solid WBS helps ensure proper project

baselines, estimating, resource use, scheduling, risk analysis, and

procurement. Fig 1.2 shows the work breakdown structure of the project.

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5. RISK ASSESSMENT AND MITIGATION

GAA needs to identify all the risks associated with this fly-fishing trip and have

contingency plans for any possibilities of problems with the project. It is

important to identify all potential risk and then take any actions that may

help prevent the risk from happening or make plans that will only be needed

in case of emergencies. There is risk that must be identified that could stop

the trip from starting or cause problems later in the middle of the trip that

could cause it to be stopped. Most of the potential risk can be overcome by

planning ahead and developing any training that might help the guides in

emergencies. Possible risk are:

Medical emergencies,

Weather conditions,

Late arrival,

Plane problems associated with trip to and from base camps,

Camp sites along river,

Lost equipment,

Communication,

Licenses due to problems acquiring them, or training.

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Risks are simply the potential for problems that could cause problems in a

particular phase of the project (Cohen, & Palmer, 2004). Since by being

ready for problems the team and the trip will be successful, project manager

must understand that by being proactive and developing contingency plans

for all the known risks the final project is more likely to succeed.

Risk analysis tools that will identify potential risk and give information that will

aid the team will be used. Furthermore, the team will brainstorm possible risk

and analyze the potential problems with each of the risk that have been

identified. By performing a risk assessment the team can identify all possible

risk and the impacts these risks will have on the fishing trip.

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The table below shows Risk Assessment Chart.

Risk Event Likelihood Impact Detection

Difficulty When

Plane Problems Low Moderate Low To and from base camps

Weather problems Moderate Moderate Low Before and during the trip

Health Problems Low Moderate Moderate During trip

Accident / medical problems Low High Low During trip

Late arrival Low Moderate Low Before trip

Lost Equipment Low Low Low During trip

Communication Low Low Low During trip

(Cochran, 2012)

Once the risks have been identified the team can build a risk response matrix

and identify the problem, how to respond to the problem and the person to

contact for each type of problem.

The table below shows Risk Response Matrix.

Risk Response Matrix

Risk Event Response Contingency Plan Trigger Who is

Responsible

Plane Problems to and

from Base Camps

Evaluate problem to

see time impact

Have 2nd source

ready for

emergency

Soon as time delay is

established GAA

Weather problems

Have temp.

emergency plan in

place

Have emergency

evacuation plan

ready

Trigger depends on

severity of weather GAA

Health Problems

Guides have training

for health

emergencies

Have emergency

evacuation plan

ready

Trigger depends on

severity of health

problem

GAA/

BlueNote

Accident / medical

problems

Guides have training

for health

emergencies

Have emergency

evacuation plan

ready

Trigger depends on

severity of problem

GAA/

BlueNote

Late arrival Depends on how late

arrival

Fewer days of

fishing

When customers do

not arrive on time BlueNote

Lost Equipment Have backup

equipment

Have more

equipment sent

Once equipment is

lost

GAA/

BlueNote

Communication Have backup at base

camps

Have backup

equipment

Once equipment

breaks use backup GAA

(Stan Cochran, 2012)

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6. PROJECT MONITORING AND EVALUATION

6.1. MONITORING

Monitoring is the routine collection and analysis of information to track

progress against set plans and check compliance to established

standards. It helps identify trends and patterns, adapt strategies and

inform decisions for project management. The figure above

summarizes key monitoring questions that will be used to monitor this

project as they relate to the log frame’s objectives.

Note that they focus more on the lower-level objectives – inputs, activities

and (to a certain extent) outcomes. This is because the outcomes and

goal are usually more challenging changes (typically in knowledge,

attitudes and practice/behaviours) to measure, and require a longer time

frame and a more focused assessment provided by evaluations.

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6.2. EVALUATION

Evaluation of a project can be defined as an assessment, as systematic

and objective as possible, of a project, its design, implementation and

results. The main aim is to determine the relevance and fulfilment of

objectives, developmental efficiency, effectiveness, impact and

sustainability of the project. An evaluation provide information that is

credible and useful, enabling the incorporation of lessons learned into the

decision-making process of both recipients and donors. Diagram (below)

summarizes key evaluation questions that will be used, which tend to focus

more on how things have been performed and what difference has been

made.

Evaluations involve identifying and reflecting upon the effects of what has

been done, and judging their worth. The findings allow project managers

and stakeholders to learn from the experience and improve future

interventions.

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7. CONCLUSION

This fly-fishing adventure may seem like a simple project but when started

defining the fly-fishing trip it is more understandable there is more to the task

than one might think. It is extremely important to develop a project scope

that will help define the trip and will serve both the supplier and the customer

needs. The project scope will show everyone involved all the issues and

responsibilities of everyone. The project scope will identify the objective of the

project, all the deliverables that need to be furnished, a milestone chart that

gives a time-line of the project, any technical requirements, limits and

exclusions, and all this will be reviewed with the customer to make sure

everyone knows what the final outcome is to look like.

The project team then can develop the schedule and make plans on the use

of resources, identify any constraints, identify responsibilities, address risks,

outsource any needed parts of the project, and establish a cost budget. It

seems crazy that all this is required for a fly-fishing trip but when a company is

selling adventure packages the customer has more expectations than if they

went fishing by themselves. The expectations are higher and the results are

more demanding. This simple project requires lots of planning and developing

to make sure everyone has fun and they remain safe. Since the project team

has addressed all the potential risks and resources have been planned the

fly-fishing trip will be successful.

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REFERENCES

Jacob, D. B. & McClelland, W. T. (2001). Theory of Constraints Project Management: AGI

Goldbratt Institute. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://www.pmi-

swva.org/vault/jacob_and_mcclelland_2001_theory_of_constraints_pm_intro.pdf

Cohen, M. W., & Palmer, G. R. (2004). Project Risk Identification and Management. AACE

International Transactions, 1

Cochran, Stanley. February 10, 2012. Milestone Chart.

Cochran, Stanley. February 9, 2012. Risk Assessment Chart.

Cochran, Stanley. February 10, 2012. Risk Response Matrix.

http://www.pmi-swva.org/vault/jacob_and_mcclelland_2001_theory_of_constraints_pm_intro.pdf

http://www.pmi-swva.org/vault/jacob_and_mcclelland_2001_theory_of_constraints_pm_intro.pdf

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