- (Topic 8)
Project Scenario
Calendar Project (Note: The companies and people within the scenario are fictional.)
There has been a reduction in fie number of orders at the MNO Manufacturing Company due in part to the increased marketing activities of its competitors. To help counter this, the company has decided to create a promotional calendar for next year for all its current and prospective customers. The end product of this project will be a prepared calendar pack, ready for printing. The design of the calendar will be similar to one sent out previously, and must reflect the company image as described in the existing corporate branding standards. Another project is currently producing a new company logo when is to be printed on each page of the promotional calendar. The prepared calendar pack will consist of:
✑ Design for each month - correctly showing at public holidays and new company logo
✑ Selected photographs- 12 professionally-produced photographs, showing different members of staff
✑ Selected paper and selected envelope - for printing and mailing the calendar
✑ Chosen label design - a competition to design a label will be held as part of this project
✑ List of customers - names and addresses of customers to whom the calendar will be sent.
The project is currently in initiation and will have two further stages:
Stage 2 will include tie activities to:
✑ Create the customer fast using information from the Accounts and Marketing departments
✑ Confirm compliance with the Data Protection Legislation
✑ Create a design for each month - this will be done by the internal creative team
✑ Select and appoint a professional photographer
✑ Gather photograph design ideas from previous project and agree photographic session schedule
✑ Prepare a production cost forecast
✑ Select paper and envelope.
Stage 3 will include the activities to:
✑ Produce and select tie professionally-taken photographs
✑ Hold the label design competition and choose the label design
✑ Assemble the prepared calendar pack.
A production cost forecast, based on the options and costs for the paper, envelope, printing and marketing of the calendar is to be produced in stage 2. However, the actual production and distribution of the calendars is not within the scope of the project. The product cost forecast will be reviewed by the Project Board to determine whether tie project should continue.
It is now 05 October and the prepared calendar pack must be delivered to the print company by 30 November, to enable printing and distribution of the calendar in time for Christmas. The cost of the activities to develop the specialist products and the cost of the project management activities are estimated to be £20,000. There is a project time tolerance of +1 week /-2 weeks and a project cost tolerance of +£6,000 / -£6,000. A change budget of £500 has been allocated but there is no risk budget.
As the project approaches the end of stage 2, the Project Manager has requested a Product Status Account to ensure that all products are at their expected point of development. Although the list of customers has been quality reviewed, it has not been baselined because the Marketing department have not provided all of the prospective customers' details. What initial action should the Project Manager take?
Correct Answer:C
- (Topic 2)
Scenario
Additional Information
During the initiation stage the Project Manager met with the Marketing Director to find out more about the requirements of the promotional calendar and recorded the following notes:
There has been a reduction in the order numbers at the MNO Manufacturing due in part to the increased marketing activities of its competitors. 10% of customers have not re-ordered in this financial year and staff morale is poor. A number of skilled staff have left as a result and replacement staff have not been recruited due to the reduced operation. If the project is successful, a recruitment campaign will be required to fill the existing staff vacancies and there may be a requirement for additional staff. Operational costs are likely to increase because skilled staff are expensive and difficult to find.
In financial terms, there were a total of 1,500 orders in the last financial year, each with an average profit of £2k. The Marketing department believes that sending a promotional calendar to our current and prospective customers would increase orders by at least 10% with a minimum of 10 further orders from the list of prospective customers within 12 months from the date of distribution.
The Marketing Director will be funding the project from the business marketing budget. She believes that the effect of a good company image portrayed by a successful calendar would last into a second year. She has forecast the same increase in orders for a second year and predicts that the annual employee satisfaction survey will show a measurable improvement in staff morale.
A number of alternatives were explored, including:
✑ 20% discount for all repeat customers - not cost-effective and very short term
✑ A promotional calendar as a free Christmas gift - would target current and prospective customers and the benefits would last into a second year
✑ A series of television and press advertisements· was too expensive
✑ A direct mail shot to all customers - benefit would be short term
✑ Creation of an internet website - would not suit all customers
The calendar is seen as the favored option, as long as the company's competitors do not increase their marketing activity. Whilst the Marketing department wants a very high quality, glossy product, the project management team must be aware of the cost this will incur.
Which 2 statements should be recorded under the Timescale heading?
Correct Answer:CD
- (Topic 9)
Additional Information
Extract from the Communication Management Strategy.
The project information in the table below is true, but it may not be recorded under the correct heading or be in the correct document.
Using the Project Scenario, select the appropriate response to each of the following 5 questions which have been raised by the Project Board.
The project is now at the end of the initiation stage. Having decided that the Calendar project is a relatively simple project, the Project Manager combined the Starting Up a Project process and the Initiating a Project process. No Project Brief has been produced. Instead the Project Manager used the project mandate to produce a simple Project Initiation Documentation (PlO). The PlO includes the Business Case, a product checklist and several Product Descriptions, Including the Project Product Description. Short sections are also included for each of the strategies and the controls to be applied. The Project Manager has elected to use the Daily Log to record all risks, issues, lessons and quality - results.
After the initiation stage there will be two further stages during which a small number of Work Packages will be authorized. While these are being managed, the Project Manager will hold regular checkpoints, which will support the production of weekly Highlight Reports to the Project Board.
This question provides a number of changes which may or may not be required to the Extract from the Communication Management Strategy provided in the additional information.
Which statement applies to the Stakeholder analysis: Interested parties section?
Correct Answer:A
- (Topic 4)
Extract from the Project Product Description (with errors)
Which 2 statements apply to the Acceptance criteria section?
Correct Answer:AC
- (Topic 2)
Scenario
A central government department, the Ministry of Food Hygiene (MFH), faces increasing pressure to cut costs, better manage suppliers’ performance and reduce the confusion caused by inadequate internal controls, outdated standards and outdated technology. External consultants were employed to conduct a feasibility study to identify options to address the problems, and the likely costs and benefits. The following options were considered:
Do nothing.
Re-engineer selected business functions. Outsource selected business functions.
The feasibility study concluded that there was a case for outsourcing the MFH Information Technology
Division and the Facilities Division (maintenance of buildings and grounds). The recommendations were:
One service provider should be contracted to provide the services currently provided by the
Information Technology Division and the Facilities Division.
A 10-year service contract should be agreed with the selected service provider.
The feasibility study developed high-level designs of the current organization, processes, systems and
operating models, plus an outline Business Case for the required project. The external consultants
also made the following recommendations for the management of the project:
Use PRINCE2.
Set up the project with 4 management stages: Stage 1. Standard PRINCE2 initiation activities.
Stage 2. Create detailed designs (future organization, processes, systems and operating models) and the service level agreement between MFH and the future service
provider.
Stage 3. Request and evaluate proposals, select service provider and agree contract. Stage 4. Transfer equipment and staff, transfer responsibility for service provision and run trial period.
Initial estimates indicated that the project would cost £2.5m and take two years to complete.
MFH senior management agreed that there was a case for outsourcing, and accepted the recommendations as a basis for the project. There is an expected saving of £20m over 10 years.
The Outsourcing project has completed the Starting up a Project process and is now in the initiation stage. Because of the strategic importance of the project, the MFH Chief Executive Officer has taken the role of Executive. A PRINCE2-experienced Project Manager has been appointed from within MFH. Staff within the business functions being outsourced will work with the external consultants who conducted the feasibility study to define the detailed designs.
Which 2 statements should be recorded under the Major risks heading?
Correct Answer:BD