WORKPLACE RELOCATION PROJECT
Project management plans (PMPs) are arguably the keys to effective and successful project implementations and operations (Hosford, 2017, p. 41). Business is dominantly characterized by organizational changes today, which has been a great challenge for corporates in regard to managing for quite some long time. Project management plans would emerge as effective tools and approaches of handling corporate changes successfully and nearly all organizations resolve to them in such situations according to the Project Management Institute (2018). In this regard, a project management plan would be appropriate in aiding the change situation of Leisure-Life. The essay explores the most appropriate project plan that will suitably aid and facilitate a smooth transition of the organization’s workplace.
THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT REPORT
Background Information
Leisure-Life is a private manufacturer and distributor of health and beauty furniture and equipment. Based in Leeds and owned by one family, the firm produces 60% of its products in its plants and acquires the remaining 40% portion from other dealers. The organization’s performances have been impressive ever since its inception; it has managed to make a lot of incomes, and hence, profits as well as moving ahead of its competitors on the marking by enormous margins. Offering quality products at affordable prices, LL would manage to retain its old customers and more importantly attract new ones. While this is always one of either dreams or goals of all business entities according to Taylor (2019, p. 50), it spelled a change problem for LL. The demand for its products became excess. As such, to continue being relevant and competitive, the organization would have to increase its production, a move that, unfortunately, comes with a new challenge with regards to warehousing. The increase in production would mean more stock; hence, a larger storage space. Thus, the corporates management decided to peruse an expansion agenda. With the impossibility of expansion in the current location of the firm, another site was occurred and now, the organization is looking forward to relocating. Therefore, the main issue is how best can it relocate in a balanced way that will not affect its operations and shareholders significantly in a negative way? Above all, what will be the best implementation plan for the relocation project? Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Purpose of Project
Leisure-Life seeks to relocate from Hunslet to Crossroad for expansion purposes. Its business has outgrown its current premises. Its operations and performances are hugely hindered, accordingly because of a limited space and capacity to meet the increased demand of its commodities. Its current workplace therefore is an obstacle to the attainment of LL’s business objective of significant business growth in the next 3 years. The relocation project, therefore, is in line with the aiding of the course towards this agenda.
Project Scope Summary
The project will mainly entail the relocation of Leisure-Life from Hunslet, its current limited workstation to the new identified workplace in Crossroad. Movalot will be contracted with the removal or rather relocation task. However, before the relocation, LL will activate a 4-week overtime production to ensure that the relocation project does not affect the supply of its products; hence, its business in any significant negative way. Movalot will then move the warehouse stock with its workers in charge of loading and offloading and the contractor responsible for any damages. Afterwards, installations will commence immediately at Crossroad including of new IT and telecommunication network, new pallet racking, roller shutter door. The efforts would be accompanied by the making of other systems including electricity, plumbing and drainage. And the re-commissioning of LL’s plants including tube laser and powder coating. As well as the re-commissioning of the IT and phones. The offices will be moved in the last phases, which will also see LL clean and sell its current workplace at Hunslet and relocate fully to Crossroad. All stakeholders including customers, suppliers, and workers will then be fully communicated or informed of the complete relocation of the organization officially with move details of new contacts and addresses. The organization will the pickup and proceed with it’s from its new workstation.
THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESS
The Project Management Life Cycle
The relocation project will take place in five stages, which are characteristic of the project life cycles. They include project initiation, project planning, project execution, project monitoring and control, and project closure.
- Project Initiation
The first stage of the project, this stage will mainly entail determining the values and feasibility of the propose relocation agenda (Project Management Institute, 2013, p. 41). A business document case and a feasibility study will be used in completing this phase.
Business Case Document
This document will measure the potential financial benefits of the project to justify it (Project Management Institute, 2013, p. 70) According to the MD, the project will facilitate the organization’s achievement of its financial objective of a 15% growth rate in the next three years. Thus, the project is already endorsed by the business case document.
Feasibility Study
This study will entail evaluating the goals of the project and its timeline and costs to determine if ought to be implemented (De, 2017, p. 66). Balancing project’s requirements with the available resources, this stage will entail ascertaining the rationality of pursuing the project. The current situation indicates that there are enough resources to facilitate the project. For example, a relocation sites has already been identified at Crossgates and with the site’s administrators willing to cut it’s their selling price from £525, 000 to £475, 000, the Finance and Production Directors are already facilitating the project. The fact that a buyer has also already been identified for LL’s current working site means more resources for the project making it even more achievable. From the information provided in the case study, this project brings forth significant financial gains to LL, and so is feasible. As a result, it even turns out that the organization has already resolved to pursue it; however, this will require good planning.
- Project Planning
Project planning engrosses the creation of a proper project blueprint for implementation. Scope, budget and schedule are the underlying pillars of project planning according to Project Management Institute. (2018, p. 56). Below is the project’s blueprint;
Time
The whole project will take approximately 131.5 days to be completed. The time is exclusive of 4 weeks that overtime production will commence to prepare for the process of the project without major interferences in the company’s business
activities. Thus, inclusive of this time, in total, the project will take a total of 159.5 days to complete successfully and comfortably.
Budget
It terms of budget, this may be one of the most costly projects in the history of LL. The estimated total cost for the relocation project and additional warehouse equipment is £219, 800. The breakdown of the project’s budget is as follows:
| TASK | COST IN (£) | |
| Removal costs | 35, 000 | |
| Internal building works | 25, 000 | |
| Rollers shutter door | 21, 500 | |
| Electrical works | 12, 900 | |
| Plumbing and drainage works | 13, 250 | |
| Re-commissioning of plants by manufacturers | 8, 500 | |
| Additional Pallet Racking | 28, 200 | |
| Additional Forklift Truck | 28, 500 | |
| IT Network cabling and installation | 16, 000 | |
| Miscellaneous costs including overtime, transport and others | 30, 000 | |
| TOTAL | 219, 800 | |
There will also be additional yearly costs for the new buildings in the form of increased rates, insurance and electricity of about £125, 000 per year as well as additional human resource costs for supporting growth of approximately £150, 000 in the first year of the 3 years of the growth agenda of the firm as well as an estimated £200, 000 in the second and third years. Therefore, while the repositioning project will cost about £219, 800 to be completed, add on costs of approximately £450, 000 are expected in line with the 3 years business growth agenda of Leisure-Life.
Labor
Increased manpower will be required to drive the project. Such is why the company Movalot will be contracted to undertake the moving; its personnel will be responsible for the uninstalling, packing, unpacking, and the reinstallation of the equipment that it will shift. LL’s workers, meanwhile, will be required to clean the equipment before their uninstallation. They will also clean the old workplace before handing it to the buyer. Increased output as well as overtime working will also be required in four weeks’ time to prepare for the relocation project. At the new workstation at Crossgate, additional manpower will be required as a result of the expansion as well as new ones to handle new machines such as the forklift truck.
Project Schedule
| STEPS | TASK | ESTIMATED TIME (Days) | PLANNED START DATE | PLANNED END DATE | |
| I. | Meeting and discussions with Employees | 0.5 | November 1st 2017 | November 1st 2017 | |
| II. | Selection of project team | 2 | November 2nd | November 3rd | |
| III. | Identifying departmental leads or team leaders to manage sub-teams | 1 | November 4th | November 4th | |
| IV. | Contracting builder, electricians, plumbers and IT suppliers | 5 | November 5th | November 10th | |
| V. | Sourcing and placing orders for pallet racking, roller shutter door, and forklift truck | 14 | November 11th | November 25th | |
| VI. | Building work at Crossgates | 14 | November 25th | December 8th 2017 | |
| VII. | Plumbing and drainage at Crossgates | 3 | December 9th | December 12th | |
| VIII. | Installing new IT and Telecoms at Crossgates | 5 | December 13th | December 18th | |
| IX. | Installing new pallet rocking at Crossgates | 2 | December 19th | December 21st | |
| X. | Electrical work at Crossgates | 5 | December 27th | January 1st 2018 | |
| XI. | Installation of roller shutter door at Crossgates | 2 | January 2nd | January 3rd | |
| XII. | Contracting Movalot | 3 | January 4th | January 7th | |
| XIII. | Building additional stock | 20 | January 8th | January 28th | |
| XIV. | Cleaning machines prior to uninstallation
| 2 | January 28th | January 29th | |
| XV. | Packing up components and sundries in pre-delivered crates | 5 | January 29th | January 30th | |
| XVI. | Shutdown for removal | 5 | January 30th | February 2nd | |
| XVII. | Moving warehouse stock | 2 | February 2nd | February 2nd | |
| XVIII. | Re-commissioning of major plants at Crossroad such as tube laser and powder coating | 1 | February 3rd | February 3rd | |
| XIX. | Re-commissioning of IT and Phones | 2 | February 3rd | February 3rd | |
| XX. | Delivery lead-time of forklift truck | 28 | 7th January | February 3rd | |
| XXI. | Staff training on forklift (new license) | 5 | February 4th | February 9th | |
| XXII. | Moving offices | 1 | February 26th | February 26th | |
| XXIII. | Cleaning up Hunslet and handing over to buyer | 3 | February 27th | March 1st | |
| XXIV. | Contacting stakeholders such as customers and suppliers with details of new phone numbers and other contacts and addresses of the new site | 1 | February 29th | ||
- Project Execution
This phase entails building deliverables that meet customers’ needs. The initiative is achieved through resource allocating and having team affiliates dedicated on their consigned tasks (De, 2017, p. 44). The execution phase is dependent on the planning stage. Team efforts during the project implementations usually derive from project plans. Below is how LL’s project will be executed:
Task Allocation in the Execution Stage
The following is the schedule of the project from the fast to the last task:
| STEPS | TASK | ESTIMATED TIME (Days) | PLANNED START DATE | PLANNED END DATE | TEAM RESOURCE |
| XXV. | Meeting and discussions with Employees | 0.5 | November 1st 2017 | November 1st 2017 | Board of Directors |
| XXVI. | Selection of project team | 2 | November 2nd | November 3rd | Board of Directors |
| XXVII. | Identifying departmental leads or team leaders to manage sub-teams | 1 | November 4th | November 4th | Board of Directors |
| XXVIII. | Contracting builder, electricians, plumbers and IT suppliers | 5 | November 5th | November 10th | Finance & Production Directors |
| XXIX. | Sourcing and placing orders for pallet racking, roller shutter door, and forklift truck | 14 | November 11th | November 25th | Finance & Production Directors |
| XXX. | Building work at Crossgates | 14 | November 25th | December 8th 2017 | External Contractor |
| XXXI. | Plumbing and drainage at Crossgates | 3 | December 9th | December 12th | External Contractor |
| XXXII. | Installing new IT and Telecoms at Crossgates | 5 | December 13th | December 18th | External Contractor |
| XXXIII. | Installing new pallet rocking at Crossgates | 2 | December 19th | December 21st | External Contractor |
| XXXIV. | Electrical work at Crossgates | 5 | December 27th | January 1st 2018 | External Contractor |
| XXXV. | Installation of roller shutter door at Crossgates | 2 | January 2nd | January 3rd | Movalot |
| XXXVI. | Contracting Movalot | 3 | January 4th | January 7th | Finance & Production Directors |
| XXXVII. | Building additional stock | 20 | January 8th | January 28th | Staff |
| XXXVIII. | Cleaning machines prior to uninstallation
| 2 | January 28th | January 29th | Movalot |
| XXXIX. | Packing up components and sundries in pre-delivered crates | 5 | January 29th | January 30th | Movalot |
| XL. | Shutdown for removal | 5 | January 30th | February 2nd | Movalot |
| XLI. | Moving warehouse stock | 2 | February 2nd | February 2nd | Movalot |
| XLII. | Re-commissioning of major plants at Crossroad such as tube laser and powder coating | 1 | February 3rd | February 3rd | Movalot |
| XLIII. | Re-commissioning of IT and Phones | 2 | February 3rd | February 3rd | External Contractor |
| XLIV. | Delivery lead-time of forklift truck | 28 | 7th January | February 3rd | Movalot |
| XLV. | Staff training on forklift (new license) | 5 | February 4th | February 9th | Movalot |
| XLVI. | Moving offices | 1 | February 26th | February 26th | Staff |
| XLVII. | Cleaning up Hunslet and handing over to buyer | 3 | February 27th | March 1st | Staff |
| XLVIII. | Contacting stakeholders such as customers and suppliers with details of new phone numbers and other contacts and addresses of the new site | 1 | February 29th | The MD | |
- Project Monitoring and Control
In some contexts, this phase is combined with project execution because they usually occur at the same time. As teams implement their tasks—project plan—, they also monitor their progress (Project Management Institute, 2013, p. 70). Practically, the stage entails preventing scope creep and the ultimate project failure; hence, it will entail a combination of mind maps, risk assessment and the use of budgeting software.
Mind Maps
A mind map of the will be created from the beginning to the end. This will result in a visual representation that will uncover the ‘what-if” scenarios and the associated risks enabling them to prepare solutions and “Plan-Bs.”
Risk Assessment
| Risk | Risk Probability | Mitigation Strategy |
| Project Size | ||
| Person Hours | Certainty | Assigned Project Manager will engage the consultants in a comprehensive project management approach and communications plan as recommends Hosford, (2017, p. 76). |
| Project Schedule Estimate issues | Certainty | A comprehensive project timeline with frequent baseline reviews will be created as per the directions of Horine (2017, p. 29). |
| Team Size at Peak | Certainty | Comprehensive communications plan, frequent meetings, tight project management oversight would help in this context according to Pace (2019, p. 111). |
| Project Definition | ||
| Project Scope Creep | Likely | The project manager and the steering commettee with review regualarly the scope of the prject already defined in its plan, prevent undetected scope creep (Project Management Institute, 2013). |
| Timeline Estimates Unrealistic | Somewhat likely
| Timeline reviewed monthly by three groups (Project Manager and Steering Committee) to prevent undetected timeline departures (Project Management Institute, 2014).
|
| Stakeholder Issues | ||
| Employee Resistance or discomfort | Highly Likely | Proper communication of the advantages of the project by the project manager to the employees (Tayntor, 2019, p. 58) |
| Customer fears | Highly Likely | Assuarances from from the MD of appropriate plans that will ensure that the project does not affect the customers in any negative way but will benefit all the stakeholders (Project Management Institute, 2013). |
Budgeting Software
Budgeting software are essential in monitoring project budgets thanks to technology. There are several of them including Pocketgurd, Pocketsmith, and Countabout, but Mint will be considered for this project.
- Project Closure
Closure of the project will be marked complete and successful relocation of LL to the new work site at Crossgates.
CONCLUSION
Conclusion
As it is the nature of many huge organizational projects, Leisure-Life’s relocation agenda is very complex and delicate; hence; it requires effective management. The discussed is a statement of this proper management. However, it does not guarantee success by itself but rather calls for apt efforts and proper adherence to the schedule for the project to succeed. With appropriate knowledge, skills, and experience, there is no doubt that LL will sail through victoriously.
REFLECTION
Reflection
Project Management is one of the most challenging technical courses in business. I have had to be tough and hardworking to reach this far because of many unpleasant subjects and topics. Identify project goals, constraints, deliverables, performance criteria, control needs, and resource requirements, in particular, has been troubling. I can speak of the same on the project management context topic; evolution was my only easy bit here, with my experience with the subtopics project phases and life cycle and organizational influences terrific. I also struggled with integration, procurement, and communication managements. However, only in the initial stages. The deeper I dug into the course the easier it became. At the moment, I am almost comfortable many sections of the course from scope to risk management. Since I started mastering the concepts, I have always enjoyed taking discussions an assignments. As such, the bottom line is that I feel confident about performing well in the field.
References List
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