A piece of your project is going to cost significantly more than anticipated. You find yourself able to catch the ear of your boss’ boss to explain why this piece is key and that the project is going to need additional funding. In a 1 – 2 minute video, explain the situation to the higher up, making sure to support your rationale for additional funding. Please note that you will also need to post a transcript of your video for the class.
2
Project Duration Estimates
Student’s name
Institution affiliation
Course
Instructor’s name
Date
Project Duration Estimates
As the project manager of the Tax Preparation Outreach Program, the task at hand will be offering free tax preparation to at least 500 low-income individuals by June 20, 2024, within the QPR Nonprofit's $7,000 budget. The project aims to provide vital tax preparation services to the community, focusing on low-income individuals.
The Tax Preparation Outreach Program activities include developing training manuals, holding volunteer workshops, marketing free services, scheduling volunteers, establishing a tax preparation facility, meeting clients, and collecting feedback. The deliverables include tax preparation for 500 people, marketing materials (flyers, social media visuals, emails, and hashtags), a training manual, and four volunteer training workshops. Project stakeholders include me as project manager, John Smith as Community Center Executive Director (Project Sponsor), Mary Johnson as Volunteer Coordinator, 25 tax preparation volunteers, and local low-income individuals who will benefit from the services. The volunteers will prepare tax returns, John Smith will fund and approve major decisions, Mary Johnson will recruit, train, and manage volunteers, while I will be administering the project.
Koulinas et al. (2020) state that a project timeframe or duration is a key parameter for resource management to meet deliverables and quality criteria. I would use professional judgment, historical data, and analogous estimating to estimate project length. According to Project Management Institute (2019), these strategies are necessary for proper duration estimation. Interviewing tax preparation outreach program veterans or volunteer managers will help determine how long training materials, workshops, and tax returns take. Analogous estimating includes the use of historical projects of similar scope and complexity to provide a project timeframe. Historical data from comparable efforts can assist predict activity and milestone times (Koulinas et al., 2020). The team can also estimate each task using optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely scenarios (Project Management Institute, 2019). Considering risks and uncertainties will assist determine a more realistic length. Project duration estimates will remain accurate throughout the lifecycle with regular project plan monitoring and modifications.
References
Koulinas, G. K., Xanthopoulos, A. S., Tsilipiras, T. T., & Koulouriotis, D. E. (2020). Schedule delay risk analysis in construction projects with a simulation-based expert system. Buildings, 10(8), 134. https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/10/8/134
Project Management Institute. (2019). Guide to the project management body of knowledge. Project management inst. https://www.works.gov.bh/English/ourstrategy/Project%20Management/Documents/Other%20PM%20Resources/PMBOKGuideFourthEdition_protected.Pdf
,
Work Breakdown Structure for Project Management Terms and Concepts
The WBS below illustrates different major tasks that shall be performed for the low-rise building construction project. Organized into three main levels, the WBS includes various tasks for enhancing major productivity.
1.0 Project Initiation
1.1.1 Identification of old buildings for demolition
1.1.2 Assessment of Building Regulations
1.1.3 Connect building regulations to existent performance
1.2 Project Objectives Development
1.2.1 Define specifications for residential buildings
1.2.2 Liaise with organizational departments
1.2.3 Develop a proper budget
2.0 Architectural Planning
2.1 Architectural Concept
2.1.1 Develop floor plans
2.1.2 Develop a plan for using recycled materials in the design
2.1.3 Product projected end product for integrating recycled materials
2.2 Engineering and Structural Design
2.2.1 Develop structural drawings
2.2.2 Develop drawings that conform to building standards
2.2.3 Incorporate wall volume and heat loss in drawings
3.0 Resource Acquisition and Management
3.1 Acquire Recycled Materials
3.1.1 Liaise with officials from the Ministry of Regional Development
3.1.2 Establish a well-structured procurement process
3.1.3 Obtain permission to use recycled materials
3.2 Budget Allocation
3.2.1 Develop a properly planned budget
3.2.2 Allocate resources like finances and materials to suitable staff
3.2.3 Divide duties according to the suitable professionals
3.3 Coordinate with government ministry
3.3.1 Present project proposal to government officials
3.3.2 Acquire approvals
4.0 Implementation
4.1 Demolition of Old Buildings
4.1.1 Plan the development process
4.1.2 Execute demolition process
4.2 Framework Construction
4.2.1 Develop a foundation for the project
4.2.2 Assemble necessary resources
4.2.3 Install facilities
5.0 Project Monitoring and Closure
5.1 Monitoring of Progress
5.1.1 Implement regular team meetings to generate reviews of progress
5.1.2 Analyze and address any unforeseeable challenges
5.2 Final Inspections
5.2.1 Implement quality check sessions
5.2.2 Access approval for expected end-user
5.3 Project Documentation
5.3.1 Document different project activities
5.3.2 Close Project