Question: Assume your organization has just completed the Initiation Process for implementing an Email System Upgrade. It was identified in a recent meeting with management leaders from the Sales, Consulting and IT departments that the current email system is causing significant amount of business interruptions and must be updated immediately. You have been assigned the role of project manager to develop the project schedule and budget. As project manager, you are responsible for implementing and enforcing the project schedule and its estimates, expected costs, and the techniques and methods that will be chosen to execute and control the project. The project is being initiated with the following initial project scope in mind:
* There are five email systems currently being used across twelve departments and offices. These will be replaced and consolidated into one email system.
* New Email Standards and Protocols will be established and training provided to all departments.
* All 2000 current email users will be converted to the new system, and 500 new users that did not have email before will be added.
* Users will have both LAN and remote access to email.
* Help desk and support infrastructure will be set-up to accommodate the new system.
* Equipment will be salvaged.
* User PCs will be upgraded to accommodate the new email system.
You are managing an e-mail consolidation and upgrade for your organization, and you are focusing on implementing the process of schedule and cost control. You must present your case and supporting evidence for the need of implementing the process of cost and schedule control to your stakeholders.
Address the following:
- The need for project scheduling and cost control
- Why are scheduling and cost control important for project success?
- Who should be in control of the scheduling and cost control process?
- Your plan for control schedule and control cost processes to be implemented
- What are the major provisions of your plan? Explain.
- How difficult would it be to implement your plan? Why?
- The benefits of implementing these processes to your organization
- How will your plan positively affect the project?
- What could happen if an effective scheduling and cost control plan were ignored?