mdeimen_project management plan_uwp_for linkedin_08_30_15
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PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN
COLLABORATIVE MARKER BOARD
SAFCO PRODUCTS COMPANY
9300 RESEARCH CENTER RD. W.
NEW HOPE, MN 55428
02/22/15
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROJECT OVERVIEW............................................................................................................................3PROJECT LIFE CYCLE............................................................................................................................3PROJECT OBJECTIVES ..........................................................................................................................3GENERAL APPROACH...........................................................................................................................4LIMITS OF PROJECT SCOPE...................................................................................................................4QUALITY........................................................................................................................................... 5CHANGE MANAGEMENT......................................................................................................................5MILESTONE LIST.................................................................................................................................6SCHEDULE BASELINE AND WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE........................................................................7RESOURCES....................................................................................................................................... 7STAFFING MANAGEMENT PLAN.............................................................................................................7ASSUMPTIONS AND CONSTRAINTS.........................................................................................................9RISK MANAGEMENT............................................................................................................................9APPENDIX A: PROJECT SCHEDULE BASELINE ..........................................................................................10APPENDIX B: WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE......................................................................................11APPENDIX C: RISK REGISTER...............................................................................................................12APPENDIX D: RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN...............................................................................................15APPENDIX E: COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT PLAN...........................................................................19APPENDIX F: PROJECT CHARTER..........................................................................................................29
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Project Management PlanProject Name: Collaborative Marker Board
Date Prepared: 02/21/2015
Description: New Product Development
Sponsor: Jill Kemna – Director of Product Design & Development
Team Members:
Michael Deimen – Lead Industrial Designer/Project Manager
Nicholas Stanek – Product Engineer
Cristan Duvall – Product Manager
Project Overview:
This project addresses newly identified opportunities for collaborative products targeting shared and un-owned office spaces in both Contract and Core market segments. Its scope is limited to the conceptualization, design, selection, and feasibility analysis of new product as understood in the first two phases (Concept and Feasibility) of the larger 5 stage product life cycle.(Please see the Collaborative Marker Board Project Schedule for Details)
Project Life Cycle:
The project is scheduled to begin the week of January 19, 2015 and complete on or before September 18, 2015.
The project life cycle consists of two phases. They are:
1) Concept Phase – Gathers and analyzes product requirements and delivers a workable product design presented at the Concept Phase gate in the form of a Phase 1 Concept Report
2) Feasibility Phase – Evaluates the product design for feasibility of manufacture relative to project cost, scope, and schedule requirements and where required proposes design changes to ensure said feasibility. Delivers a product design ready for approval to enter the Development Phase in the form of a Phase 2 Feasibility Report presented at the Feasibility Phase gate.
Project reviews will be conducted by the Safco Project Review Board (SPRB) occur at the end of the Concept and Feasibility phases and will either provide approval to proceed to subsequent phases or denial with the requirement to complete inadequate or uncompleted tasks.
Project Objectives:
The team is being asked to identify requirements for, design, and evaluate a family of collaborative glass marker board products for introduction in the summer of 2016. The project should involve and engage customers internal to Safco as well as aspirational customers in the cost-driven core market and price-
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sensitive customers in the function/quality/design-driven contract market to correctly determine the requirements that will drive project and product success and ensure customer delight.
The project will be deemed successful if the aforementioned objectives are met within the time frame of the intended project life-cycle, (completion on or before May 11, 2015) and within an intended project budget of $30,000.
General Approach:
The Project Manager is herein authorized and made responsible for execution and management of this project pursuant to this Project Plan and its associated project planning documents. These include:
- Project Charter- Work Breakdown Structure- Project Schedule- Stakeholder Register- Communication Management Plan- Risk Register- Risk Management Plan
The team for this project will include representatives from the Industrial Design, Product Engineering, and Product Management groups. The Project Manager will work with the team to plan and execute the project. All project planning documents are subject to review and approval of the Project Sponsor. Initial and ongoing approval for project funding will also reside with the Project Sponsor. Subsequent delegation of approval authority will require written authorization with both the Project Manager and Project Sponsor as signatories.
Team members will continue to report to their respective functional managers throughout the project. The project manager will update these same functional managers as to project progress and the respective contributions of the associated team members.
Limits of Project Scope:
This project will fulfill, but not exceed initial project requirements as defined in the project Charter and subsequent product requirements as defined in stakeholder and customer reviews in the Concept Phase. The project will be deemed complete when its output and documentation are either approved by the Safco Project Review Board (SPRB) to proceed to Phase 3 Product development, be sent back to the previous phase for further work, or cancelled outright by the same SPRB.
The project team is authorized to retain the services of external market research consultants, prototype houses, and model shops in the pursuit of successful completion of the project requirements. Expenses associated with retention of those services are not to exceed the allotted project budget of $30,000.
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In Scope:
1) Research into requirements impacting project and product success
2) Development of a range of product concepts including drawings, models, and preliminary prototypes
3) Evaluation of product concepts with both internal and external customer groups
4) Refinement of product concepts
5) Selection of a single product design
6) Presentation to SPRB of the product requirements and selected product design, in the form of a Phase 1 Concept Report, for evaluation and approval to proceed to Phase 2 Product Feasibility
7) Execution of feasibility analysis on the design provided including purchase of more advanced prototypes to be used in the process of evaluation
8) Presentation to SPRB of the Phase 2 Feasibility report, for evaluation and approval to proceed to Phase 3 Product Development.
Out-of-Scope:
1) Product development and advanced engineering
2) Negotiation with suppliers
3) Purchase of Tooling
Quality:
The quality of the product being developed will be identified managed by the team in collaboration with internal and external customers previously identified under Project Objectives. Should the Project Manager (PM) become concerned about the quality of the product being developed, the following steps will be pursued in order of escalating need:
1) Discuss the concern with the team and see if a consensus can be reached regarding development and implementation strategies to correct the issue
2) Meet with the Quality Manager to discuss development and implementation strategies to correct the issue
3) Meet with the project sponsor and/or other key stakeholders to discuss development strategies to correct the issue.
Change Management:
Should it become necessary to make significant and meaningful changes to the project scope, schedule, budget, resources, or quality, the Project Manager will immediately submit an appropriate Project Change Request to the Project Sponsor for review and approval.
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Milestone List
The following table captures the significant milestones for this project. Subsidiary milestones not presented in this are captured in the WBS and associated Project Schedule. Delays which may affect on-time completion of a milestone must be communicated to the project manager immediately to ensure timely, proactive responses that minimize impact to project schedule. The Project Manager is responsible to communicate changes associated with the milestones or their scheduled completion to the project team.
Milestone Description DateProduct requirements research complete
Regulatory, customer, and end user requirements gathered and documented to provide guidance to product concept development, design, and engineering
2/06/15
Initial product concept exploration complete
Exploration of a wide range of concept solutions to address requirements gathered in the previous milestone and support product success
3/18/05
Review and evaluation of initial product concepts complete
Concepts reviewed by internal customers and possibly a limited selection of external customers for alignment with identified requirements, innovation, and customer delight. Feedback provided to the project team for use in further concept refinement.
3/24/15
Refinement of product concepts complete
Feedback from previous milestone has been processed and integrated into refinement and selection of most promising product concepts.
6/5/15
Review and evaluation of refined product concepts complete
Concepts reviewed by internal customers and hopefully a more expanded selection of external customers for alignment with identified requirements, innovation, and customer delight. Feedback provided to the project team for use in selection and refinement of final concept.
06/12/15
Selection of final product design and approval to proceed to Feasibility Phase
Team selects the strongest product concept, refines and finalizes overall design, and presents to the Project Review Board for approval to proceed to Phase 2 Feasibility
06/19/15
Feasibility analysis complete
A feasibility analysis of the final product concept is conducted to ensure feasibility of manufacture in the time frame defined and at the cost required.
09/11/15
Presentation of Feasibility Report to SPRB and approval to proceed to Development Phase
Team presents Feasibility Report to SPRB for approval and approval to proceed to Phase 3 Development
09/18/15
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Schedule Baseline and Work Breakdown Structure:
The WBS for this project includes work packages identified through the collaboration with team members and key stakeholders, as well as review of past project documentation and the input of management from the departments involved.
The Project schedule was built on the groundwork laid by the Project Charter and the WBS, again in collaboration with the members of the team. The schedule is subject to review by the Project Sponsor and has been approved for use as a project baseline. Maintenance of the Project Schedule will be the responsibility of the Project Manager. Subsequent changes to the schedule will by necessity adhere to the established process of change control. If it appears completion of any work package will be delayed, require additional funds, or quality compromised to the detriment of the project, the Project Manager will work with the team to evaluate the impact to schedule, budget, risk assessment, or resource requirements. The Project Manager will then submit a request for change to the Project Sponsor for evaluation.
If the Project Sponsor approves the change the Project Manager will create change-controlled versions of the schedule and other impacted planning documents and inform key stakeholders consistent with the process of change control.
The Project Schedule Baseline appears at the end of this document in Appendix A. The Work Breakdown Structure appears in Appendix B.
Resources:
Team members will be made available to the project until the completion of the Phase 2 Feasibility Gate, at which time a decision will be rendered to approve or deny their continued involvement. Team members are authorized to dedicate up to 8 hours per week to work associated with this project.
If additional resources are required the Project Manager will work in collaboration with the team to determine the number, timing, and duration of the requirement and submit a request for additional resources to the Project Sponsor for consideration and approval.
Staffing Management Plan
Safco applies a matrix organizational structure to its ongoing product development projects. Resources are made available and assigned according to the priority of projects in the Product Map and their degree of progression through the various stages of the Safco product development process. As a project approaches completion, certain team members’ day-t-day involvement diminishes and they become available for new projects.
The project manager will collaborate with the functional managers of the disciplines required in the identification and selection of team members for project assignment. Designation of team members will require the approval of the functional manager prior to any direct involvement with team activities. The project work for this project will be co-located so relocation of team members will not be required.
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Team members continue to report to their respective functional managers throughout the project. The project manager will update these same functional managers as to project progress and the respective contributions of the associated team members. All primary project work will be performed by the team but external resources such as market research consultants, prototype houses, and model shops may be retained as need so long as associated fees do not exceed the budget limitations of the project.
Staffing requirements include:
Project Manager (1) – In as much as Safco does not have formal project management group or employ project managers directly, this position may be filled by team members familiar with the project management process. In this case it will be the Industrial Designer, Michael Deimen.
Project management duties will include collaborating with the team in the development of all project planning documents, construction and maintenance of said documents, management of all ongoing work activities, monitoring project progress, addressing project variances with the project sponsor and key stakeholders, managing project communications, and coordinating resource requirements with functional manager. The Project Manager will also participate with the other team members in the process of validating product concepts with internal and external customers and end users.
The Project Manager will collaborate with the project team in the development and presentation of all documentation preparatory to the project phase gates.
Product Manager (1) – The Product Manager will be responsible for defining and researching the product market opportunity, identifying customers, analyzing the competitive environment, researching regulatory, customer, and end user functional, qualitative, aspirational, safety, durability, and economic requirements. The project manager will develop and present to the team the Market Opportunity Brief (MOB) which makes the business case for the project and provides guidance to Industrial Design and Project Engineering in the development, refinement, and documentation of product concepts. The Product Manager will also participate with the other team members in the process of validating product concepts with internal and external customers and end users.
Industrial Designer (1) – The Industrial Designer (ID) will be responsible for the conceptualization and refinement of product solutions in response to information contained in the MOB. The ID will develop drawings, renderings, low resolution sketch models and higher resolution models and will participate with the other team members in the process of validating these concepts with internal and external customers and end users.
Product Engineer (1) – The Product Engineer (PE) will be responsible for collaborating with the ID in the development of product concepts and will conduct the feasibility analysis of the most promising concept(s) to determine the concept’s manufacturability. Should further refinement of the concept(s) be required the PE will collaborate with the ID in the process of refinement. The PE will also participate with the other team members in the process of validating product concepts with internal and external customers and end users.
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Assumptions and Constraints:
Assumptions
1) It is assumed that that project team members will be able to devote sufficient time and attention to work of the project to enable timely completion of the project objectives.
2) It is assumed that sufficient funds will be made available to fund the work of the project team.
3) It is assumed that day-to-day responsibilities of project team members and the requirements of other projects will not interfere with the work of the project.
Constraints
1) Schedule - The schedule is defined as beginning the week of January 19, 2015 and completing on or before May 11, 2015.
2) Scope & Quality – The scope of this project is limited to the activities defined in the project schedule and the product and project requirements identified in the Concept Phase
3) Budget - The project budget is $30,000.
4) Resources – A total of 3 project team members have been assigned to the team with each authorized to dedicate up to 8 hours per week to the project.
Risk Management:
The process to managing risks on this project is built upon the process of identifying risks, evaluating them relative to likelihood and impact, and developing appropriate responses intended to prevent there occurrence or mitigate their impact if no practical means is available to prevent them. This process must by necessity be ongoing with the team regularly reviewing the various environments within which the project exists to determine if the circumstances or likelihood of risk occurrence has changed.
High probability, high impact risks will be watched closely and reviewed regularly in the bi-weekly project team meetings to determine if identified responses should be employed and when.
During project closure the Project Manager will collaborate with the team in the analysis of all initially identified risks, along with the risk management process employed, to determine any improvements to be included in the lessons learned archives and recommended for subsequent projects.
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Appendix A: Project Schedule Baseline
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Appendix B: Work Breakdown Structure
Work Breakdown Structure - Collaborative Glass Marker BoardsWBS Level WBS Code WBS Element
1 1 Collaborative Glass Marker board Project2 1.1 Phase 1: Concept Exploration3 1.1.1 Project Charter3 1.1.2 Project Management 4 1.1.2.1 WBS4 1.1.2.2 Preliminary Project Schedule4 1.1.2.3 Project Plan4 1.1.2.4 Communication Management Plan4 1.1.2.6 Risk Management Plan4 1.1.2.7 Project Closure3 1.1.3 Project Team Meetings3 1.1.4 PRB Phase Gate Reports3 1.1.5 PRB Phase Gate Reviews3 1.1.7 Updated Product Road Map3 1.1.8 Market Opportunity Brief/Design Brief3 1.1.9 Competitive Samples3 1.1.10 Preliminary Concepts3 1.1.11 Concept Validation - Round 13 1.1.12 Refined Concepts3 1.1.13 Refined Concept Validation - Round 23 1.1.14 Final Selected Concept3 1.1.15 Phase 1 Concept Report2 1.2 Phase 2: Feasibility3 1.2.1 Initial Engineering and Design Feasibility Analysis3 1.2.2 Finalized Compliance & Product Requirements3 1.2.3 Preliminary Packaging Requirements3 1.2.4 Sample Requirements3 1.2.5 RFQ3 1.2.6 Initial Sales Participation Commitment3 1.2.7 Updated Financial Analysis3 1.2.8 Completed Project Schedule3 1.2.9 Phase 2 Feasibility Report
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Appendix C: Risk Register
Risk
ID WBS Codes
Risk Statement
Prob
abili
ty(.2
, .4,
.6, .
8, 1
) Impact (1-5)
Scor
e Risk
Owners
Preventative
Actions
Risk
Sta
tus
Clos
ure
Date
Scop
e
Qua
lity
Sche
dul
Cost
11.1.2.2
Schedule is a risk. The identified end date may be too aggressive. Team members are spread thin with responsibilities to multiple projects and process improvement initiatives. Given the organization’s history using an unstructured product development process, and the lack of strength in its manufacturing supplier base it may take longer than expected to develop the product.
.6 5 3.0Project
Manager & Procurement
Specialist
Identify and partner with strong manufacturers with proven products. Adopt a structured, schedule-driven project management process that identifies all necessary project activities and required resources and encourages a sense of urgency in all team members and stake-holders.
Open
2
1.1.10
1.2.1
Quality is a risk. Given the nature of the organizational culture and the predisposition towards differentiation based on cost that has informed its choice of supply partners, it may prove difficult to develop a product of sufficient quality to satisfy the requirements of the target market, most especially the contract furniture market.
.6 5 3.0 Procurement, Industrial Design, & Product
Engineering
Identify and partner with strong manufacturers with products that succeed in the same target markets. Model design and engineering work on best-of-breed competitive product.
Open
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3
1.1.8
1.1.10
1.1.11
1.1.13
1.1.14
Cost may be a risk. The target cost and associated target sales price may be too low given quality goals and current manufacturing supplier base. Meeting requirements for quality, functionality, and up-market sophistication while achieving the standard target margin may prove impossible. In addition it may be that the team does not yet have an accurate picture of appropriate pricing for the target markets.
.6 4 2.4
Industrial Design,
Product Engineering,
Product Management
Couple simplicity in design with sophisticated aesthetics and appropriate material choices. Add value where it matters and eliminate cost-driving complexity. Work to contain labor required, component costs, and expensive tooling. Use low cost tooling appropriate to low volume runs. Continue research into competitive pricing and value propositions in the target markets.
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1.1.1
1.2.1
1.1.2.1
1.1.2.3
Scope may be a risk. Projects that seek to elevate the market perception of the brand run the risk of trying to do more than is required in an effort to “hit one out of the park.” The team will need to work hard to ensure the scope of the project does not grow beyond its true requirements.
.4 2 2 4 1.6
Project Manager
Review the project charter. Ensure alignment with the project’s Market Opportunity Brief and clearly define what is in and out of scope in the charter’s Statement of Project Scope. Revisit this statement regularly with the team to ensure that no activities exceed scope.
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Risk
ID WBS Codes
Revised Probability
Revised Impact
Revised Score
Risk Owner Actions
Risk
Sta
tus Comments
(Secondary Risks and
Responses) Clos
ure
Date
Scop
e
Qua
lity
Sche
dule
Cost
1 1.1.2.2 .3 5 1.5
1)Procurement
2)Project Manager
3) Project Manager
1) Identify and partner with strong manufacturers with proven products.
2) Adopt a structured, schedule-driven project management process that identifies all necessary project activities and required resources and encourages a sense of urgency in all team members and stake-holders.
3) Provide project management training to all product managers.
Open
2
1.1.10
1.2.1
.3 5 1.5
1)Procurement
2)Industrial Design and Product Engineering
1) Identify and partner with strong manufacturers with products that succeed in the same target markets.
2) Model design and engineering work on best-of-breed competitive product.
Open
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Appendix D: Risk Management Plan
Project Title: Collaborative Glass Marker Board Date Prepared: 02/8/2014
Methods and Approaches:
In as much as Safco Products has no true project management culture or documented project
management practices or policies, methodologies applied on this project will be kept simple and limited
to make the most of the capabilities of all team members. The basic process will be as follows:
1) Risk Review – Review and discussion of past product development project challenges with available
team members and other employees with direct product development experience.
2) Risk Identification – Potential Risks will be brainstormed with appropriate team members and other
employees with direct product development experience.
3) Risk Qualification – Identified risks will be evaluated and scored for probability and potential impact.
Scores will be captured in the project Risk Register.
4) Risk Quantification – Overall score for risks identified in the Risk Qualification process will be further
calculated according to the formula V = P x I, where “V” equals the overall value, “P” equals the
probability of occurrence, and “I” equals the potential impact to project schedule or budget should the
event occur. Risks with a Risk Quantification score of 3 or higher will be identified for Risk Response
Development
5) Risk Response – Risk response strategies for all “significant risks” will be formulated and captured in
the project Risk Register
6) Lessons Learned - Project close-out will incorporate a review of “lessons learned” in order to reveal
and document insights, successes, problems encountered, responses executed, and opportunities for
improvement on future projects
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Tools and Techniques:
1) Project team brainstorming,
2) Consulting experienced team members,
3) Requesting opinions of experts
Roles and Responsibilities:
The project manager will be responsible for executing the Risk Management Plan with the aid of project team
members.
Roles are defined as follows:
Industrial Designer/Project Manager – Michael Deimen
Product Management – Cristan Duvall
Product Engineer – Nathan Peterson
Procurement – Andrew Iverson
Project Sponsor – Jill Kemna
Risk Categories:
Risk categories are listed as follows:
Schedule Risk
Cost Risk
Quality Risk
Scope Risk
Stakeholder Risk Tolerance:
Executive Management Team and Project Sponsor Indicate:
- a low to moderate tolerance for risk to schedule,
- a moderate tolerance for risk to cost,
- a low tolerance for risk to quality
- a low tolerance for risk to scope
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Definitions of Probability:
Very Low
Incremental numerical distinctions between categories of probability will occur at
intervals of 20%, beginning at .2 for “Very Low” and increasing accordingly.
Evaluation and assignment of these rankings will be determined by team
consensus referencing expert opinion and standard majority voting techniques. A
score of “Very Low” will be associated with a score of .2
LowA ranking of “Low” will be associated with a score of .4
ModerateA ranking of “Low” will be associated with a score of .6
HighA ranking of “Low” will be associated with a score of .8
Very HighA ranking of “Low” will be associated with a score of 1
Definitions of Impact by Objective:
Impact Scope Quality Schedule Cost
Very Low 1 1 1 1
Low 2 2 2 2
Moderate 3 3 3 3
High 4 4 4 4
Very High 5 5 5 5
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Probability and Impact Matrix:
Impact
Prob
abili
ty
Very Low = 1 Low = 2 Moderate = 3 High = 4 Very High = 5
Very High = 1
1 2 3 4 5
High = .8 .8 1.6 2.4 3.2 4
Mod.= .6 .6 1.2 1.8 2.4 3
Low = .4 .4 .8 1.2 1.6 2
Very Low = .2
.2 .4 .6 .8 1
Risk Management Funding:
None
Contingency Protocols:
None
Frequency and Timing:
Risk status and response will be reviewed at tollgate reviews and as needed during bi-weekly updates with Project
Sponsor.
Risk Audit Approach:
None
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COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT PLAN
COLLABORATIVE MARKER BOARD PROJECT
SAFCO PRODUCTS COMPANY
9300 RESEARCH CENTER RD. W.
NEW HOPE, MN 55428
02/17/15
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................................................21COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT APPROACH....................................................................................................21COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT CONSTRAINTS................................................................................................21STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATION REQUIREMENTS................................................................................................22ROLES..........................................................................................................................................................22PROJECT TEAM DIRECTORY..............................................................................................................................24COMMUNICATION METHODS AND TECHNOLOGIES................................................................................................24COMMUNICATIONS MATRIX.............................................................................................................................25COMMUNICATION FLOWCHART.........................................................................................................................26GUIDELINES FOR MEETINGS.............................................................................................................................26COMMUNICATION STANDARDS.........................................................................................................................27COMMUNICATION ESCALATION PROCESS............................................................................................................27GLOSSARY OF COMMUNICATION TERMINOLOGY..................................................................................................28
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INTRODUCTION
This Communications Management Plan sets the communications framework for this project. It will serve as a guide for communications throughout the life of the project and will be updated as communication needs change. This plan identifies and defines the roles of persons involved in this project. It also includes a communications matrix which maps the communication requirements of this project. An in-depth guide for conducting meetings details both the communications rules and how the meetings will be conducted, ensuring successful meetings. A project team directory is included to provide contact information for all stakeholders directly involved in the project.
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT APPROACH
The Project Manager will take a proactive role in ensuring effective communications on this project. The communications requirements are documented in the Communications Matrix presented in this document. The Communications Matrix will be used as the guide for what information to communicate, who is to do the communicating, when to communicate it and to whom to communicate.
As with most project plans, updates or changes may be required as the project progresses or changes are approved. Changes or updates may be required due to changes in personnel, scope, budget, or other reasons. Additionally, updates may be required as the project matures and additional requirements are needed. The project manager is responsible for managing all proposed and approved changes to the communications management plan. Once the change is approved, the project manager will update the plan and supporting documentation and will distribute the updates to the project team and all stakeholders. This methodology ensures that all project stakeholders remain aware and informed of any changes to communications management.
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT CONSTRAINTS
All project communication activities will occur within the project’s approved budget, schedule, and resource allocations. The project manager is responsible for ensuring that communication activities are performed by the project team and without external resources which will result in exceeding the authorized budget. Communication activities will occur in accordance with the frequencies detailed in the Communication Matrix in order to ensure the project adheres to schedule constraints. Any deviation of these timelines may result in excessive costs or schedule delays and must be approved by the project sponsor.
Safco Products Company requires that where applicable, standardized formats and templates be used for all formal project communications. The details of these policy requirements are provided in the section titled “Standardization of Communication” in this document.
Safco Products Company policy also states that only a Vice President or higher level employee may authorize the distribution of confidential information. The project manager is responsible for ensuring that approval is requested and obtained prior to the distribution of any confidential information regarding this project.
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STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATION REQUIREMENTS
As part of identifying all project stakeholders, the project manager will communicate with each stakeholder in order to determine their preferred frequency and method of communication. This feedback will be maintained by the project manager in the project’s Stakeholder Register. Standard project communications will occur in accordance with the Communication Matrix; however, depending on the identified stakeholder communication requirements, individual communication is acceptable and within the constraints outlined for this project.
In addition to identifying communication preferences, stakeholder communication requirements must identify the project’s communication channels and ensure that stakeholders have access to these channels. If project information is communicated via secure means or through internal company resources, all stakeholders, internal and external, must have the necessary access to receive project communications.
Once all stakeholders have been identified and communication requirements are established, the project team will maintain this information in the project’s Stakeholder Register and use this, along with the project communication matrix as the basis for all communications.
ROLES
Project Sponsor
The project sponsor is the champion of the project and has authorized the project by signing the project charter. This person is responsible for the funding of the project and is ultimately responsible for its success. Since the Project Sponsor is at the director level communications will be presented in summary format unless the Project Sponsor requests more detailed communications.
Key Stakeholders
Normally Stakeholders includes all individuals and organizations who are impacted by the project. For this project we are defining a subset of the stakeholders as Key Stakeholders. These are the stakeholders with whom we need to communicate and are not included in the other roles defined in this section. The Key Stakeholders includes executive management with an interest in the project and key users identified for participation in the project.
Customer
The customers for this project are office furniture dealers, big-box office supply retailers, and end users. Where possible they will be consulted in the development of the product to solicit product requirements and validate potential solutions under development.
Project Manager
The Project Manager has overall responsibility for the execution of the project. The Project Manager manages day to day resources, provides project guidance and monitors and reports on the projects metrics as defined in the Project Management Plan. As the person responsible for the execution of the project, the Project Manager is the primary communicator for the project distributing information according to this Communications Management Plan.
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Project Team
The project team is comprised of all persons who have a role performing work on the project. The project team needs to have a clear understanding of the work to be completed and the framework in which the project is to be executed. Since the Project Team is responsible for completing the work for the project they played a key role in creating the Project Plan including defining its schedule and work packages. The Project Team requires a detailed level of communications which is achieved through day to day interactions with the Project Manager and other team members along with weekly team meetings.
Product Manager
The product manager is the person on the project team designated as responsible for identifying and analyzing the market opportunity, the target market, and the product requirements, for forecasting sales volume, and for combining all this information in the development of the Market Opportunity Brief to be used by the project team in the development of the new product.
Industrial Designer
The industrial designer is the person on the project team designated as responsible for conceiving and developing creative product solutions in response to the product requirements gathered and provided initially by the product manager and subsequently expanded upon by the project team in the course of developing the product. The industrial designer ensures that all product requirements are considered and addressed as the final product solution is refined in preparation for movement into the Feasibility and Development phases.
Product Engineer
The product engineer is the person on the project team designated to be responsible for ensuring that all technical aspects of the product are addressed and it is implemented in a technically sound manner. The product engineer is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the designs and developing product documentation suitable for use by manufacturing supply partners in the development and production of the product. The product engineer requires close communications with the Project Manager and the Project Team.
PROJECT TEAM DIRECTORY
The following table presents contact information for all persons identified in this communications management plan. The email addresses and phone numbers in this table will be used to communicate with these people.
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Role Name Title Organization/ Department
Email Phone
Project Sponsor See Stakeholder Register
Product Design and Development Director
Product Development
See Stakeholder Register See Stakeholder Register
Project Manager/Industrial Designer
Michael Deimen
Industrial Designer
Product Development
See Stakeholder Register
Project Stakeholders
See Stakeholder Register
See Stakeholder Register
See Stakeholder Register
See Stakeholder Register See Stakeholder Register
Customer See Stakeholder Register
See Stakeholder Register
See Stakeholder Register
See Stakeholder Register See Stakeholder Register
Product Manager See Stakeholder Register
Product Manager
Product Development
See Stakeholder Register See Stakeholder RegisterProduct Engineer See
Stakeholder Register
Product Engineer
Product Development
See Stakeholder Register See Stakeholder Register
COMMUNICATION METHODS AND TECHNOLOGIES
The project team will determine, in accordance with Safco Products Company policies, the project communication methods and technologies based on several factors to include: stakeholder communication requirements, available technologies (internal and external), and organizational policies and standards.
Safco Products Company is currently developing a “vault” system for storage of, and controlled access to important project documents that need to be accessed by multiple stakeholders. In lieu of that system it currently maintains a file folder system kept on the company’s K:\ drive. Files for this project will be kept at:
K:\Safco\OPTEAM\2014 Projects\14011 Glass Whiteboard
This folder will be used to, archive project planning documents and various reports, provide updates, and conduct project communications. This will enable senior management, as well as stakeholders with compatible technology, to access project data and communications at any point in time and will provide the ability for stakeholders and project team members to collaborate on project work and communication.
All project communication and documentation, in addition to being maintained on the SharePoint platform and project website, will be archived on the internal Safco Products Company shared drive. Organizational naming conventions for files and folder will be applied to all archived work.
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COMMUNICATIONS MATRIXThe following table identifies the communications requirements for this project.
Message Audience Purpose Method Frequency SenderProject management plans and weekly status reports
Course instructor Confirm project planning and execution are accomplished or proceeding appropriately.
E-mail Weekly Michael Deimen – Project Manager
Weekly Engineering “Touch Base” meetings
Director of Product Design & Development
Update next level of management as to project progress and status.
Face-to-face Weekly Michael Deimen – Project Manager
Project Updates PRB Update Product Review Board as to project status and gain approval and funding to proceed to subsequent phase.
Face-to-face tollgate presentations via PowerPoint presentation
At completion of Phases 1 and 2
Project Team
Ongoing transfer of day-to-day product development information and associated documentation
Product ManagerProduct Engineer
Confront day to day issues related to project execution as they arise.
Face-to-face, E-mail
Daily as required Michael Deimen – Industrial Designer
Presentation of Concepts for Validation
Internal and External Customers
Review product concepts to gauge value against product requirements
Face-to-Face via power point and physical models
1-2 times in Phase 1 and 1-2 times in Phase 2
Project Team
Periodic review of project progress including concept renderings and models, MOB updates, schedule updates
Vice President of LDI Spaces
Maintain key stakeholder involvement and support of project scope, direction, and progress
Face-to-Face via power point and physical models
1-2 times in Phase 1 and 1-2 times in Phase 2
Project Team
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COMMUNICATION FLOWCHART
The communication flowchart below was created to aid in project communication. This flowchart provides a framework for the project team to follow for this project. However, there may be occasions or situations which fall outside of the communication flowchart where additional clarification is necessary. In these situations the Project Manager is responsible for discussing the communication with the Project Sponsor and making a determination on how to proceed.
GUIDELINES FOR MEETINGS
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Agenda will be distributed 5 business days in advance of the meeting. The Agenda should identify the presenter for each topic along with a time limit for that topic. The first item in the agenda should be a review of action items from the previous meeting.
Meeting Minutes
Meeting minutes will be distributed within 2 business days following the meeting. Meeting minutes will include the status of all items from the agenda along with new action items and the Parking Lot list.
Action Items
Action Items are recorded in both the meeting agenda and minutes. Action items will include both the action item along with the owner of the action item. Meetings will start with a review of the status of all action items from previous meetings and end with a review of all new action items resulting from the meeting. The review of the new action items will include identifying the owner for each action item.
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Meeting Chair Person
The Chair Person is responsible for distributing the meeting agenda, facilitating the meeting and distributing the meeting minutes. The Chair Person will ensure that the meeting starts and ends on time and that all presenters adhere to their allocated time frames.
Recorder
The recorder is responsible for documenting the status of all meeting items, maintaining a Parking Lot item list and taking notes of anything else of importance during the meeting. The Note Taker will give a copy of their notes to the Chair Person at the end of the meeting as the Chair Person will use the notes to create the Meeting Minutes.
Parking Lot
The Parking Lot is a tool used by the facilitator to record and defer items which aren’t on the meeting agenda yet, merit further discussion at a later time or through another forum.
A parking lot record should identify an owner for the item as that person will be responsible for ensuring follow-up. The Parking Lot list is to be included in the meeting minutes.
COMMUNICATION STANDARDS
For this project, Safco Products Company will utilize existing standard organizational formats and templates where possible for all formal project communications. Formal project communications are detailed in the project’s communication matrix and include:
Project Team Meetings – project team will utilize existing Safco Products Company standard templates for meeting agenda and meeting minutes. Additionally, any presentations will use the Safco Products Company standard PowerPoint template.
Technical Design Meetings - project team will utilize existing Safco Products Company standard templates for meeting agenda and meeting minutes. Additionally, any presentations will use the Safco Products Company standard PowerPoint template.
Project Status Meetings - project team will utilize existing Safco Products Company standard templates for meeting agenda and meeting minutes. Additionally, any presentations will use the Safco Products Company standard PowerPoint template.
Project Status Reports – project team will utilize existing Safco Products Company standard templates for meeting agenda and meeting minutes. Additionally the standard project status report document, available on the share drive, will be used to provide project status.
Informal project communications should be professional and effective but there is no standard template or format that must be used.
COMMUNICATION ESCALATION PROCESS
Efficient and timely communication is the key to successful project completion. As such, it is imperative that any disputes, conflicts, or discrepancies regarding project communications are resolved in a way
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that is conducive to maintaining the project schedule, ensuring the correct communications are distributed, and preventing any ongoing difficulties. In order to ensure projects stay on schedule and issues are resolved, Safco Products Company will use its standard escalation model to provide a framework for escalating communication issues. The table below defines the priority levels, decision authorities, and timeframes for resolution.
Priority Definition Decision Authority
Timeframe for Resolution
Priority 1 Major impact to project or business operations. If not resolved quickly there will be a significant adverse
impact to revenue and/or schedule.
Vice President or higher
Within one business day
Priority 2 Medium impact to project or business operations which may
result in some adverse impact to revenue and/or schedule.
Project Sponsor Within one business day
Priority 3 Slight impact which may cause some minor scheduling difficulties with the project but no impact to business operations or revenue.
Project Manager Within two business days
Priority 4 Insignificant impact to project but there may be a better solution.
Project Manager Work continues and any recommendations are submitted
via the project change control process
** NOTE: Any communication including sensitive and/or confidential information will require escalation to VP level or higher for approval prior to external distribution.
GLOSSARY OF COMMUNICATION TERMINOLOGY
Term DefinitionCommunication The effective sending and receiving of information. Ideally, the
information received should match the information sent. It is the responsibility of the sender to ensure this takes place.
Stakeholder Individuals or groups involved in the project or whose interests may be affected by the project’s execution or outcome.
Communications Management Plan
Portion of the overall Project Management Plan which details how project communications will be conducted, who will participate in communications, frequency of communications, and methods of communications.
Escalation The process which details how conflicts and issues will be passed up the management chain for resolution as well as the timeframe to achieve resolution.
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Appendix E: Communication Management Plan
Appendix F: Project Charter
Date: 01/31/2015
Semester: Fall 2014
Course: PROMGT 7840
Project Customer: Safco Products, Inc.
Project Sponsor: Vice President LDI Spaces
Project Manager (Student): Michael Deimen
Project Title: Glass Marker Board
Project Purpose/Justification:
Safco’s Collaboration Screens have become increasingly popular, with nearly $1M in sales during calendar year 2013. Functionality, durability, and quality of user experience are increasing priorities for our major customers. The market has begun to raise its expectations around these elements and the associated price they should command. As the market for collaborative furniture continues to grow an opportunity exists to further expand this area of the product portfolio. Accordingly, glass collaborative products have begun to emerge as a viable and competitive alternative to conventional glazed steel and laminate covered hardboard products.
Because this trend is new, the range of competitive products available to the market is still small. An associated gap exists in Safco’s product portfolio and the combination of these two conditions creates a window of opportunity for the company to expand its product offering and capture market share. There is a need for a high quality, high-function, high-design glass collaborative product at the $1200 price point. This would allow Safco to capture market share with both major core and contract customers. The price is such that it can be accommodated by more aspirational core customers and offers a price advantage to those in the contract audience with restricted budgets.
Value Proposition: Magnetic glass provides high durability and increased functionality through clear, high contrast presentation of hand written information, ease of cleanup, the elimination of “ghosting” (the remnants of previous marker use), and the ability to accept magnetic accessories. Combining this level of functionality with a mid-level price point, a mobile, gangable product architecture, and an aesthetic that is both flexible in application and appealing to the A&D community should provide compelling value for both core and contract markets.
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Measurable Project Objectives and Related Success Criteria:
Objective Related Success CriteriaSchedule Project Completion on or before May 15, 2015
No Changes to critical path
Budget Concept Modeling and prototyping costs do not exceed $30,000
Performance - Quality Project results in improved understanding of market opportunities and a viable product solution as measured by response of key stakeholders.
Performance - Scope Project experiences no significant scope creep: Phase 1 - Concept
o Market opportunity fully defined and key stakeholders identified. Product requirements and industry guidelines identified and documented:
Customer Competition Functionality Cost Statement of Line Structural Aspirational Ergonomic Aesthetic Regulatory Safety
o Market opportunity brief created and distributed to team members and key stakeholders.
o New product concepts conceived, reviewed with available customers and key stakeholders, and further refined.
o Strongest product concept evolved, modeled, further refined, and reviewed with available customers and key stakeholders.
o Final product solution selected o Product goes to Phase 1 – Concept Phase gate for final selection and
approval to proceed to Phase 2 - Feasibility Phase 2 – Feasibilityo Selected concept assessed relative to:
Cost Structural viability Manufacturability Time to develop
o Preliminary engineering Engineering Drawings Developed Prototypes created and evaluatedo Product receives approval to proceed to Phase 3 - Development
Performance - Schedule Phase 1 – Concept and Phase 2 – Feasibility Complete by September 18, 2015.
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High-Level Project and Product Requirements
The project will be focused around development of a new glass collaborative product.
The project will complete following product development phases:
o Phase 1 - Concept
o Phase 2 - Feasibility
The project will require the involvement of representatives from the following disciplines:
o Industrial Design
o Product Management
o Product Engineering
o Sourcing and Procurement
The project should integrate with and support ongoing business process development activities.
The project should intelligently address stakeholder requirements to ensure enthusiastic acceptance by the customer.
The project should reinforce or support the four desired Safco Performance Behaviors:
o Drive results
o Drive change
o Focus on the customer
o Think and act strategically
The project will begin on or about Monday, January 19, 2015 and complete on or before Friday, September 18, 2015
The Project Manager, Michael Deimen, will be assigned decision making and change authority for baseline project schedule, performance, and budget.
High Level Project Description and Boundaries
This project will require the project manager and team to collaborate in the development of a new glass collaborative product. This will require a series of team meetings wherein the team will review and discuss the most up-to-date competitive literature, relevant industry guidelines, Voice of the Customer reports on the product category, and customer and stakeholder requirements. Once an understanding of the competitive environment and product requirements is established new concept generation will begin. Concepts will be modeled, evaluated and screened through stakeholder reviews and a single viable concept identified. This concept will be presented at Phase 1 – Concept Tollgate for approval to proceed to Phase 2 – Feasibility.
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In Phase – 2 Feasibility the concept will be subjected to preliminary engineering, prototyped, and evaluated for viability relative to cost, schedule, quality, and manufacturability. A Feasibility Report will be generated and present at Phase 2 – Feasibility Tollgate for approval to proceed to Phase 3 Development.
High Level Risks
Scheduleo Ongoing project responsibilities may render certain project team members unavailable
at critical times in the life of the project, delaying key project events and putting the target project completion date at risk.
o Availability of customers and/or stakeholders for participation in key project events may be problematic and require the schedule to be adjusted putting the target project completion date at risk.
Performance - Qualityo Availability of customers, stakeholders, and key team members for participation in key
project events may be problematic. These individuals are critical for product evaluation. Their absence may undermine the value created by the process under development.
Initial Sponsor Guidance for Risk Tolerance
Objective No Tolerance Some Tolerance High ToleranceSchedule xBudget xPerformance - Scope xPerformance - Quality x
Team Composition and Roles
Members Email Role Phone
Michael Deimen [email protected] Industrial Design, Project Management 812-630-2165
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx [email protected] Product Management xxx-xxx-xxxxXxxxxx Xxxxxx [email protected] Product Engineering xxx-xxx-xxxxXxxxxx Xxxxxx [email protected] Procurement & Sourcing xxx-xxx-xxxx
Team Ground Rules
Participation
Team members will complete on or before scheduled due date.
Team members must notify the group of any conflict that may affect the group as soon as
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possible to allow the group to develop a contingency plan.
Team members will play an active role in the success of the group through active participation in team meetings, providing feedback and working to resolve conflicts in good faith
Communication
Team members will communicate via email, telephone, Lync system and face-to-face meetings
All team members will maintain a friendly, respectful, and professional tone
Team members are responsible to ask for clarification if he/she does not understand something
Conflict Resolution & Escalation
Team members will work to resolve conflicts in a polite, professional, and respectful manner.
Individuals in conflict should first try to resolve differences through one-on-one dialogue and compromise. Conflicts that cannot be resolve in this manner will be brought to the project manager for further dialogue and may be brought to the team if the project manager deems it appropriate. In the event the group cannot reach a consensus, a majority vote may determine the solution. If appropriate, project specific conflicts may be brought to the Project Sponsor for resolution.
Summary Milestone Schedule
Project Start Date: January 19, 2015
Initial Concept Development Complete: June 19, 2015
Phase 1 – Concept Phase Gate:, June 26, 2015
Feasibiity Evaluation and Preliminary Engineering Complete: Thursday, September 11, 2015
Phase 2 – Feasibility Phase Gate: September 18, 2014
Summary Budget
Phase Amount BudgetedPhase 1 Concept $10,000Phase 2 - Feasibility $20,000
Project Approval Requirements
Product concept development Complete
Approval to proceed to Phase 2 - Feasibility
Feasibility analysis and preliminary engineering complete
Approval to proceed to Phase 3 - Development
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