Project Management Leadership and Skills: Planning and Control

The Yang Sing Hotel was a possibly effective venture in Manchester, with the possibility to become one of the nation’s top lavish inns. In any case, as per the contextual investigation, it was constrained to close its entryways after just eight months of activity. The undertaking’s disappointment was a significant difficulty for the aggressive financial backers who had expected an effective result. As proven by the contextual analysis, one of the crucial arranging defects with the Yang Sing project is that the financial backers neglected to represent the chance of an overall monetary slump. Significant economies all through the world, especially the United States and partitions of Europe, had started to encounter economic downturn around the hour of the kick-off of the hotel.

Mission, Impact and Objectives

Our hotel’s objective is to deliver exceptional lodging facilities and services to our visitors. Our hotel caters to individual business and leisure travelers and travel for group gatherings. We provide premium quality in our rooms and food and beverage departments in our rooms and food and beverage departments. We give our shareholders a reasonable return on their investment, and we recognize that we cannot do that without well-trained, motivated, and happy personnel.

The actions and criteria that an organization must successfully do or attain to carry out its missions properly are known as goals. A goal is more precise than a mission; it demands a specified level of success that can be witnessed and quantified. Measurable goals motivate hotel staff to do their best work while allowing management to keep track of their development (Willumsen et al., 2019). Management can decide whether or not objectives are being met and whether or not corrective action is required.

Some of the impacts include:

1. Increase the hotel’s average occupancy by 2% above the previous year’s level.
2. Increase the number of repeat visitors by ten percent.
3. Collect GSTS cards from 95 percent of all visitors upon check-out.
4. Reduce by two minutes, the check-in and check-out periods have been shortened.

In improving the venture plan, one of the primary errands ought to characterize the objectives managers should meet. Partners in the undertaking ought to know what is generally anticipated of them all through the execution stage. It is necessary to reach several local tasks; the achievement of functions must be collective and consistent. Otherwise, the team will not act as a single mechanism. Sponsors, investors, managers, and employees, in this case, will not be able to cooperate and understand the desires and requirements of each other (Resolve your project priority conflicts, 2020). Coming up next are the points that the new task will accomplish:

1. To devise a strategy for Yang Sing Oriental’s effective re-launch in Manchester;
2. To make the best use of the limited resources available to guarantee that all project activities are completed as planned;
3. To guarantee that the project is finished on schedule and to the satisfaction of the investors.

Stakeholder Management Plan

Partner investigation is a significant piece of this task since it decides how much consideration they ought to get contingent upon their contribution to the program. The venture supervisor can classify all vital partners in the mission utilizing the partner investigation model given in Figure 2 underneath (see Appendix A), contingent upon their power and premium in the undertaking. The first group of stakeholders has clouts with a lot of interest in the project.

Sponsors wield considerable authority since they offer the resources required to complete the project. They are also invested in the project since they have a lot riding on it (Oppong et al., 2017). These stakeholders need to be given due consideration, and their opinions should be taken into account while establishing the strategy and implementing it. The group accountable for the arrangement’s definition and execution should ensure that these partners are stayed up with the latest on the deliverable and that they are happy with the actions taken (Kogan et al., 2017). The administration ought to work together intimately with different government specialists to guarantee that everything is done as per the country’s legitimate guidelines.

Customers are also included in this group; their enthusiasm for the project might be limited since they aren’t concerned with its profitability. Nevertheless, they are vital since the hotel’s long-term viability depends on their repeated visits. To guarantee that they grow loyal to the organization, the project manager and other stakeholders must give them the attention they need (Oppong et al., 2017). The project’s third group includes low-power, high-interest stakeholders; these individuals may not have the power to alter regulations that govern their operations, but they have a vested stake in its success.

Project Activity Plan

Members of the project team must be aware of when and how to carry out various project operations. The timetable of activities listed in Figure 3 (see Appendix A) is planned to begin on March 1, 2022. The crew will renovate the structure to restore it to its former glory. The remodeling work is projected to take around three months, from January through the end of March. Following that, the crew will concentrate on furnishing the rooms with beautiful bedding sets and other necessary materials.

Another group will be in charge of outfitting the kitchen and other structural areas. The project is scheduled to be finished in June. From June 1 through June 28, the company will begin hiring new personnel. Next, they will go through a one-month training program to ensure they understand what is expected of them. When the company starts employing people on June 1, promotional advertisements will begin. The procedure is intended to continue as long as the company is open for business. According to the timeline, the hotel will open on September 1, 2022.

RACI Matrix

The persons involved in a project activity will be Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, or Informed for the relevant task, milestone, or decision, according to a RACI chart.

Resource Allocation and Utilisation Plan

It is critical to identify the resources required to achieve the project’s goals at the planning stage. To carry out numerous activities, the team will require cash resources. The project will need four million starling pounds, as shown in Table 1 (see Appendix B). The funds will be utilized to renovate the facility to meet the required standards (Willumsen et al., 2019). New mattresses, curtains, bed sheets, towels, kitchenware, and other goods needed for the hotel will need to be acquired or enhanced (Kogan et al., 2017). Labor costs for the first year of operation have also been considered. Almost half of the planned expenditure would be spent on consumables. The legal fees should also be taken care of by the team.

Cost Estimation

Table 1 (see Appendix B) details the costs to the team and managers. The total costs are around £4.5 million. These costs are not constant and may exceed initial expectations. Legal fees are expected to be around £350,000-400,000, the lowest figure found in Table 1. The equipment purchase will be about £400,000-420,000, which is also not a large amount compared to others. The renovation of the building was expected to cost well over £500,000 (because the installation requires a major renovation), but it could still be valued at £550,000 initially. Repair costs can increase significantly if the work team changes or accidents occur during the repair (Oppong et al., 2017). The wages of persons involved in installing equipment and repairs will also be significant, about one and a half thousand pounds sterling or less. Such a price for labor is explained by the fact that many people will be involved in the repair. Consumables for the hotel, selected only the best quality, will amount to about two thousand pounds sterling.

Schedule

The activity plan is well aligned with the schedule presented in Figure 3 (see Appendix A). Such coordination indicates good project organization and quality management. It will be convenient for all employees to move from stage to stage when all the deadlines are clearly outlined. According to the schedule, it is expected that the repair will take the entire spring and a third of the summer: it will begin on March 1 and end on June 25. After the repair, you need to wait a while and evaluate the work of the builders. The materials used by the builders must be dehydrated and fixed. Cosmetic procedures for the premises during the end of June are acceptable; however, everything must be done carefully and with the obligatory agreement.

After the repair results are evaluated and approved, the workers will bring equipment to the halls and rooms from the beginning of July. It is expected that they will have time to do this in 12 days, but there are fears that 12 will not be enough for them. We should recall that hotel equipment is the most significant expense. Workers must treat furniture and equipment with care, so workers’ haste can result in fatal mistakes and financial losses. Eliminating these losses will inevitably lead to changes in the schedule and a delay in opening the new hotel.

The schedule separately indicates the kitchen’s equipment, as the kitchen requires specific furniture and devices. The kitchen equipment will take less than a week of organized work, starting on July 29 ending on August 5. Before the kitchen’s equipment, hiring employees can take about six days. We can assume that HR managers may delay the hiring of employees. HR managers should already have lists of potential candidates in hand by the time the hiring begins on July 16. Most of them should have already been interviewed, at least remotely. The training of employees will last throughout August; this is a significant and long period. However, the promotion campaign will be even longer. According to the schedule, it is expected that it will last two months, from July 1 to September 1, 2022. On the last day of this campaign, managers will invite the first guests for lunch.

It is crucial to recognize that this project has reached several significant milestones. Because this is a relaunch, the project will not begin from the beginning (Feng et al., 2020). The structure is already in place, which is the essential milestone for the rest of the project’s operations. It’s worth noting that specific kitchenware and bedding sets are still in good shape and may be employed in the project.

Risk Management Assessment

The project manager and the entire team may face certain problems during the re-launch of this hotel, which might stymie development. Although Yang Sing Oriental built a great reputation for its high-quality items, the fact that it shut down after less than eight months is a bad reputation that the new team will have to overcome. They’ll have to persuade their consumers that such an occurrence will not occur once the business is up and running. Another barrier that the business may face is resistance to change, particularly if it decides to recruit some of the old employees. Figure 4 (see Appendix A) depicts Kurt Lewin’s change management theory, which may be useful in tackling the issue (Willumsen, et al., 2019). The approach proposes three steps for dealing with change resistance.

The hotel’s management is supposed to prepare the crew for the impending change in the first step. Preparation includes articulating because change is required and providing training to staff. The modification will be implemented in the second step after they are ready for the new system. The last stage will entail strengthening new practices to ensure that all stakeholders are able to operate effectively under the new system.

The project manager and other key stakeholders must recognize that success and failure are both possible outcomes, based on a variety of internal as well as external circumstances. It’s crucial to understand the aspects that might contribute to success or failure (Willumsen, et al., 2019). A prospering national and global economy, as well as the rise of the local tourist sector and reduced competition, are all external success factors.

Internal success criteria include identifying a distinct market niche, offering high-quality items to that niche, and keeping a positive image in the marketplace. A declining economy, which may limit demand for luxury goods, severe market rivalry, and regional instability are all external failure causes. Internal problems such as poor service delivery, inability to respond to consumer concerns in a timely manner, and a high personnel turnover rate might all contribute to the project’s failure.

People Management

Conflicts

Numerous conflicts may occur in a project; however, in our case, Yang Sing Hotel Project, the battle that is likely to emerge as the project is overhead is the project priority conflict. Such conflicts cannot happen when a large team is working on a very global project. Everyone has high expectations, including employees and managers. All employees see priorities differently and can offer their unique approach. Usually, everyone agrees in advance on priorities, plans, and schedules to avoid such conflicts.

Strategies put in place to curb the conflict:

1. Through exercising power
2. Through withdrawal or avoidance
3. Through compromise
4. Call in the sponsor
5. Through appease

The first strategy is for managers to recognize the need to respect other employees. Only with the respect of employees is it possible to increase authority and power (Feng et al., 2020). Authority does not always depend on the position directly held, and a manager may not inspire any respect for the people with whom he works. With absolute authority and care for employees, many conflicts can be easily avoided, especially in rich companies or global projects.

The name of the second strategy speaks for itself and is a universal solution (a variant) to conflicts. People can resolve disputes by avoiding studies, parent-child relationships, and friendships. Incorporate ethics and psychology; such a conflict is based on the silence of problems. However, any issues quickly come out in the form of increased costs losses in the market. Such a strategy can hit the hardest on a business that the team has been building for a long time.

Finding a compromise in a situation with a conflict of priorities may be the most successful strategy. Compromise in business, in a team, includes the high awareness of each manager, investor, and team member about the consequences. Each group member can express their wishes expand their fears and fears of losing profits (Resolve your project priority conflicts, 2020). Indeed, when building a business, people can pursue quite different goals. It will not prevent them from compromising if all people are determined to resolve the conflict.

Calling the sponsor can solve problems, but not fundamentally. People will only receive another directive and follow it. Of course, the sponsor allocates a lot of money to carry out the business (in our case, to build and open a hotel). His or her directives should be at the center, as the rest of the company is just the labor force that has accepted the project (Feng et al., 2020). If the conflict has already flared up within the team, it is unlikely that the sponsor (especially remotely) can resolve this conflict. The human factor can spoil the established mechanism, but both managers and coaches are needed.

The appeasement strategy cannot help in the conflict under consideration, and the case under consideration since the hotel’s building requires constant mutual concessions. It is reciprocal and not accommodations in one direction since unilateral concessions will not consider the constraint of the budget and other risks (Willumsen et al., 2019). There are serious concerns about the appeasement strategy since such businesses tend to collapse because they were built according to a sponsor’s perhaps not entirely rational order.

Reasons Why the Project Might Need a Project Sponsor

The project sponsors are those individuals who are held liable for the project’s overall success. They appoint the managers for the project and the team responsible for the project’s development from the start to its completion, define the success criteria, and make sure that the project is successful. Project sponsor will assist in the following areas:

1. The sponsor will assist in selecting the right managers for the project and mentor them throughout the project lifecycle.
2. The project sponsors help negotiate to fund and act as the project’s spokesperson to senior management.
3. Take part in the initial project planning and the project charter development.
4. Project sponsors maintain ongoing communication between the projects managers, the team, and the stakeholders.
5. Project sponsors assist in financing negotiations and serve as the project’s spokesman with top management.

The project sponsor is involved in a project from beginning to end, which implies they are responsible for a wide range of activities, obligations, and responsibilities throughout the project lifecycle. There should be constant and well-established communication between the project manager and the sponsor (Kogan et al., 2017). The sponsor may sometimes have wishes or questions that need to be voiced by the team and the project manager. Both the project manager and the sponsor should be aware of the sponsor’s duties so that everyone keeps on task and delivers what is expected of them.

Management Style

The most appropriate project management style in our scenario is the waterfall method. In this method, the project activities are managed sequentially, although it requires proper upfront planning, which is vital in keeping the project on target. The waterfall method must be well-timed since one stage is highly dependent on the other. As part of this, communication between managers, team members, sponsors, and investors is essential.

In case of violation of the schedule, employees must immediately warn the manager about this. Managers and workers can combine some activities (kitchen equipment, as was in the case, and hiring staff, as well as training). This combination in time should be partial to focus on one thing and evaluate the implementation of this particular stage. Intersections in terms are acceptable, but they are allowed solely for the sake of completing the project, opening the hotel, and having the first lunch at the desired time.

In addition, it is convenient to outline the individual phases of a waterfall project in a diagram. It makes the purpose of the work clear and accessible to all employees (even those with meager qualifications). In addition, it adds clarity to the upcoming workflow. Misunderstanding is often the key to conflict, and clear explanations help to avoid this (Feng, et al., 2020). It is advisable not to use the waterfall method for projects with little time to complete.

References

Feng, C., Zheng, X., Zhuang, G., & Li, R. (2020). Revisiting exercise of power strategies from the perspective of information processing. Industrial Marketing Management, 91, 41–54. Web.

Kogan, L., Papanikolaou, D., Seru, A., & Stoffman, N. (2017). Technological innovation, resource allocation, and growth. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 132(2), 665-712.

Oppong, G. D., Chan, A. P., & Dansoh, A. (2017). A review of stakeholder management performance attributes in construction projects. International Journal of Project Management, 35(6), 1037–1051. Web.

Resolve your project priority conflicts. (2020). Project Management Consulting, Training and Project Team Services. Web.

Willumsen, P., Oehmen, J., Stingl, V., & Geraldi, J. (2019). Value creation through project risk management. International Journal of Project Management, 37(5), 731–749. Web.

Appendix A

Appendix B

Table 1. Resource and cost allocation