PROJECT MANAGEMENT

For this assignment, you are the lead Project Manager. There are 10 members on the project team, which is “cross-functional” in nature, meaning there are representatives from each department of the company on the team (for example: accounting, finance, marketing, information technology...

Project Summary: Move a baking company’s fastest-growing business to a larger building across town. The location must accommodate a large kitchen, an ample storefront, and added space to meet with large clients. The location must be prime for foot traffic and parking. Some remodeling money is available to bring a prime location into an appropriate workspace. All equipment must be moved or replaced with newer baking technology. The new location and technology will require the retraining of employees prior to opening day. Training methods, timelines, and the opening day will be determined by the project manager. The move must be “marketed”, that is, communicated to current and potential customers in a way that is positive and increases business. The move must happen with minimal disruption to business and the bakery should not be closed for any significant period of time.   

The Assignment:

Choose one of the five projects listed above and then draft a business memo to the ten members of your project team. The memo must describe the project and present a detailed agenda for the first project status meeting.

Begin the memo with a detailed description of the project. This description should be based on the information you were provided, but it should be written in your own words and embellished with any necessary details. Write professionally, concisely, and fill in any key details missing in the project description such as the type of sporting event, the nature of the employee awards, the type of bakery, or the location of the three software installations. The more details you can develop about your project scenario now, the easier it will be to set the “scope” of the project later.

End the memo with a detailed meeting agenda in an outline format, with at least FIVE main topics, each followed by TWO or more sub-topics. Keep in mind, this is your first meeting of the group; imagine ways that you can bring the group together for the sake of the project. As project manager, you will need the members to “buy into” the project so they will be motivated to contribute. This is a cross-functional team from across the company, so you will need to allow time for members to introduce themselves, get to know each other, and identify their stake in the success of the project. It’s probably too soon to be brainstorming specific project tasks, but it may be useful to discuss the role each member will play in the project. Remember, this is the first project status meeting, and is schedule for one-hour, so plan the agenda accordingly; status meetings will happen every two weeks after this one.

Remember:

1. Provided a clear and professional description of the project with many specific details to help the project team members comprehend the project’s objective.

2. Provided a detailed meeting agenda in outline format; with five clearly written main topics each with two or more detailed sub-topics. The topics would sufficiently fill the one-hour time.