Breath of Clarity

Environmental Project Management Final- 93 Indian Paintbrush Lane

OVERVIEW

For the past several years, the sponsor has had an entrepreneurial vision but faced roadblocks due to challenges presented by the space’s ecology as well as lacking ability to independently complete a construction project. The delay has resulted in the sponsor’s lack of motivation to continue crafting the business plan and overwhelming sentiment towards the whole endeavor. The purpose of the project is to aid the sponsor in carrying out the logistics necessary to create appropriate conditions for his intended use of the property. The project will integrate efficient project management strategy, a skilled team of specialists, superior equipment, and cutting-edge science to bring health back to the terrain and establish state-of-the-art infrastructure.

The 93 Indian Paintbrush Lane project has been created to restore a site for environmental education and cultivating community. While the project’s scope is restricted to nourishing the land and building the outlined infrastructure, it is going to produce a long-lasting result because the type of deliverables provide ongoing environmental education, as well as goods and services to the public. The costs associated with the successful design and implementation of the land management and construction will be recovered from the anticipated sponsor’s business.

OBJECTIVES

The following business objectives are in direct support of our corporate strategic plan to mitigate the effects of global climate change and provide construction for small businesses:

Accumulate scientific research sufficient to create a land restoration plan within 5 months

Complete the restoration plan within 6 months

Complete all construction within 18 months

Project Description

The 93 Indian Paintbrush Lane project will provide a land restoration plan and building infrastructure to the sponsor. The 93 Indian Paintbrush Lane project will begin to regenerate and restore a plot of land in order to prevent continued forest overgrowth, improve conditions for having a diversified garden, and construct the necessary infrastructure for the sponsor to fulfill his business plan. The 93 Indian Paintbrush Lane project will use state-of-the-art equipment in order to ensure sustainable, quality results are achieved. The functional department managers will inform the sponsor about details needed to upkeep the physical structures and continue conduction of the land restoration plan without interruption.

Success Criteria

The objectives which mutually support the milestones and deliverables for this project have been identified. In order to achieve success on the 93 Indian Paintbrush Lane project, the following objectives must be met within the designated time and budget allocations:

Hire all needed staffing within 20 days

Complete land management research plan within 50 days

Complete construction blueprint within 50 days

Order all needed land restoration tools within 80 days

Order all needed construction materials and tools within 80 days

Complete all construction aligned with the blueprint within 18 months

Requirements

Creation of land restoration plan

Completion of all tasks outlined in the initial year of the land restoration plan

Construction of all infrastructure outlined in the construction blueprint

Transfer execution of land restoration plan to a steady-state of operation

Constraints

All resources must align with the original contents contained in the approved permits

All resources must be purchased in accordance with the allocated budget and timeline

Assumptions

The following are a list of assumptions. Upon agreement and signature of this document, all parties acknowledge that these assumptions are true and correct:

This project has the full support of the project sponsor, stakeholders, and all departments

The project’s purpose will be communicated across the company prior to deployment

The functional department managers will provide additional resources if necessary

Risks

The following risks for the 93 Indian Paintbrush Lane project have been identified. The project manager will determine and employ the necessary risk mitigation/avoidance strategies as appropriate to minimize the likelihood of these risks:

Interpersonal conflicts amongst functional managers

Equipment outlined in the plan are unavailable or received resources don’t function

Safety hazards that lead to worker accidents and injuries

SCOPE STATEMENT

The 93 Indian Paintbrush Lane project will include the preparation of a plot of land for the sponsor’s entrepreneurial vision. The scope entails conducting ecological research, creating a land restoration plan, executing the initial stages of the land restoration plan, designing the construction blueprint, and completing all construction. All personnel, equipment, and construction material resources will be managed by the project team. All project funding will be managed by the project manager up to and including the allocated amounts in this document. Any additional funding requires approval from the project sponsor. Furthermore, the project’s termination involves a transition process that releases the project’s completion to a steady-state operation. This project will conclude when the final report is submitted within 30 days after the thorough land restoration plan is formulated, tasks outlined in the initial section of the land restoration plan are complete, and all infrastructure outlined in the construction blueprint is built. Tasks outside the project scope include developing the garden, acquiring the brewery equipment, designing and setting up the disc golf course, installing electricity and plumbing, opening the trail system, marketing services to generate visitation from the public, conducting events, holding environmental education sessions, and continuing to carry out the land restoration plan.

Project Deliverables

The following deliverables must be met upon the successful completion of the 93 Indian Paintbrush Lane project. Any changes to deliverables must be approved by the project sponsor:

Creation of land restoration plan

Completion of all tasks outlined in the initial year of the land restoration plan

Construction of all infrastructure outlined in the construction blueprint

Work Breakdown Structure

93 Indian Paintbrush Lane Project

Hire Functional Managers and Respective Staffing

Services from outsourced groups determined

Contractual agreements signed

Description of project team finalized

Hold Joint Meetings with Sponsor and Managers to Discuss Sponsor Preferences

Sponsor meetings scheduled

Sponsor meetings conducted

Pre-Construction description of the sponsor’s detailed preferences finalized

Create Construction Blueprint

Draft of construction blueprint created

Draft of construction blueprint revised

Draft of blueprint finalized

Sponsor approval of blueprint received

Sponsor blueprint review and comments submitted

Construction blueprint edited

Construction blueprint finalized

Obtain permits for construction

Acquire the city/county’s approval of permit packs

City/county permit packs created

City/county permit packs revised

City/county permit packs finalized

City/county permit packs submitted

City/county permit packs approved

Prepare Land Management Research Plan

Internal draft of land management research plan created

Internal draft of land management research plan revised

Land management research plan finalized

Gather tools needed for construction and land management

Prepare list of required tools

Tool list prepared

Tool list circulated for review

Tool list finalized

Obtain required tools

Tools already owned by outsourced staffing determined

Tool suppliers contacted

Tool orders placed

Tool orders received

Gather materials needed for construction

Prepare list of required materials

Material list prepared

Material list circulated for review

Material list finalized

Obtain required materials

Materials already owned by outsourced staffing determined

Material suppliers contacted

Material orders placed

Material orders received

Complete Land Management Research

Meet goals of land management research plan

Land management research goals identified

Land management research conducted

Land management research goals achieved

Prepare Land Restoration Plan

Insight gained from research applicable to the land restoration plan identified

Draft of the land restoration plan created

Draft of the land restoration plan revised

Draft of land restoration plan finalized

Conduct construction according to blueprints and permits

Prepare functional managers for blueprint execution

Expectations set

Specific recommendations on how to facilitate success outlined

Initial questions answered

Readiness of functional managers to begin project execution confirmed

Prepare construction staff members for blueprint execution

Project orientation for staff members completed

Loopholes in staff member understanding of tasks addressed

Readiness of staff members to begin project execution confirmed

Store tools and materials at site

Tools and materials separated by task and sorted

Spot at site to store tools and materials designated

Transportation of tools and materials scheduled

Transportation of tools and materials completed

Construct elements of the blueprint

Foundation installed

Extra design characteristics of blueprint added

Infrastructure construction completed

Implement land restoration plan

Initial actions to control forested area taken

Initial action to nourish soil of the farming area taken

Trail system created

Instructions about how to fulfill the rest of the restoration plan communicated

Milestone Schedule

The project Summary Milestone Schedule is presented below. As requirements are more clearly defined this schedule may be modified. Any changes will be communicated through project status meetings by the project manager.

This project follows the minimum slack first rule which orders activities by the amount of slack in the project schedule devoting resources to the tasks with the least amount of slack first. Its benefits focus on quality as it reduces schedule slippage. Further, it is known for having minimum total system occupancy time which helps keep matters simple and efficient. Particularly, it is the rule most soundly using facilities which is important considering facilities to store the tools and materials for construction and land management are a component of the project that may only be available for a limited amount of the project’s duration.

PERSONNEL

Mary Friedman is named Project Manager for the duration of the 93 Indian Paintbrush Lane project. Ms. Friedman is authorized to approve all budget expenditures up to the allocated budget. Ms. Friedman may use Contingency Management Reserve funds to authorize changes to the project’s budget not to exceed 10% of any line item’s (Work Breakdown Structure Element-WBS) budget. Additionally, Ms. Friedman may change or extend any line item’s (WBS element) duration by 10%. However, the project’s overall budget baseline (Budget at Completion) and the project’s complete date may not be changed without the approval of the Project Sponsor.

Ms. Friedman’s responsibility is to manage all project tasks, scheduling, and communication regarding the project. Her team consists of functional departments including construction, solar installation and ecology. Ms. Friedman will coordinate all resource requirements through all of the department managers from the following respective outsourced companies: Custom Craft Contracting LLC, Gehrlicher Solar AG, and Clear Water Environmental Consultants.

Summary Budget

The following table contains a summary budget based on the planned cost components and estimated costs required for successful completion of the project.

RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN

The purpose of the risk management plan is to describe how uncertainty is going to be managed specifically in terms of the risks outlined on page 6 of this project plan.

Firstly, understanding sources of conflict enables Ms. Friedman to be proactive and enjoy the art of resolution. The project plan also entails the Budget Separated by Outsourced Teams on page 13 to manage risk of conflict due to the individualized goals of functional managers interfering with the overall project goal. Detailing how the budget is separated by departments ahead of time allows for each functional manager to know the amount of budget he or she is able to spend on each respective section of the project. Also, understanding needs of all, keeping communication lines open across the project’s lifecycle, and fulfilling expectations are safe strategies to minimize conflict. Additionally, Ms. Friedman is committed to using principled negotiation. Principled negotiation is a negotiation that aims to achieve a win-win results. The conflicting stakeholders to a project are not enemies or competitors, but rather allies— members of an alliance with strong common interests. It is a requirement of all conflicting parties to seek solutions to the conflict that not only satisfy their own individual needs but also satisfy the needs of other parties, as well as the needs of the parent organization. Principled negotiation is defined by four points. It separates the people from the problem. It focuses on interests, not positions. Before trying to reach agreement, the PM invents options for mutual gain. It also insists on using objective criteria. Rather than bargaining on positions, attention should be given to finding standards that can be used to determine the quality of a certain outcome.

Secondly, in the case equipment outlined in the plan are unavailable or received resources do not function, the protocol will be to reach out to local suppliers. That said, when the functional managers are contacting suppliers to order the equipment, they are required to research and verify the legitimacy of a back-up contact for every material and tool being requested. The prepared list of materials and tools, mentioned in the Work Breakdown Structure, is required to include a back-up contact for every material and tool being requested.

All staff of every functional manager’s team is required to have worker’s liability insurance to protect them in the case of accidents and injuries. Proof of insurance must be shown and approved by the Ms. Friedman before the point of hiring all staff. Also, as part of preparing the construction as well as land management research and restoration staff, the functional managers must explain procedures to keep their teams safe. Then, the functional managers must require their team members to pass a safe practices understanding test before using the materials and tools ordered for the project.

EVALUATION METHODS

Ms. Friedman will conduct weekly evaluations with each functional manager. Frequent, brief evaluations are better in establishing control.

In general, team meetings encourage collaboration, a sense of belonging and identity, help coordinate interdependent work, and from the employee’s perspective, are a good opportunity to break up the routine of the day. As long as they are executed efficiently, regular meetings solve problems, make decisions, and develop plans of action. Frequent correspondence allows for multiple intelligences to be combined which harnesses strengths of the entire team. It enables team members to provide the Ms Friedman with feedbacks which allows adjustments by both parties to be made at various stages. When a Ms. Friedman frequently devotes time to team members, it shows them that their boss cares deeply about the project’s progress and their potential. Frequent, brief evaluations also encourage proper conflict management techniques to be implemented because issues are concisely acknowledged soon after they arise and also are not dwelled upon. It gives the opportunity for team members to ask questions about how to execute tasks which leads to more quality deliverables. It also holds team members accountable to keep up with their schedules in terms of updating audit databases. Crucially, frequent, brief evaluations allow for more accomplishments to be recognized. The comprehensive acknowledgement of minor successes enables more positive reinforcement to happen which motivates team members to do well. Lastly, corresponding in person guarantees team members are receiving information that would otherwise be communicated in writing. The clear exchange of dialogue that happens at frequent, brief meetings may be worth convening often. Having frequent, brief evaluations leads to key takeaways being absorbed by team members on a regular basis. It is more effective because team members can focus on implementing a small amount of feedback at a time as opposed to feeling overwhelmed trying to fix a lot at once.

Ms. Friedman will also provide weekly updates to the Project Sponsor to indicate the specific step of the Work Breakdown Structure currently being implemented.

Termination Provisions

Ms. Friedman is responsible for creating a water fall list of tasks that would come to an end as the project was being completed. The purpose is for it to indicate who on the project would no longer be needed before the project was finished since the tasks are finished and workers on the tasks are no longer needed. Ms. Friedman is required to be up front with the workers who would be out of work which includes telling them when in the future they will no longer be needed. From there, it is expected Ms. Friedman uses her contacts, including the functional managers, to find new work for them to reduce their anxiety of project/task completion.

Additionally, as indicated in the detailed schedule, instructions on how to fulfill the rest of the restoration plan must be communicated to the project sponsor to assure achievement of the project’s overall purpose. The project sponsor must declare the project’s official termination.

PROCEDURE FOR SCHEDULE AND COST MONITORING

Ms. Friedman will evaluate progress throughout the project using Earned Value measurement techniques. It is Ms. Friedman’s responsibility to lead operations to a standard resulting in the Planned Value (the predicted total cost at the project’s completion) equating to the Actual Cost (the total amount spent at the project’s completion) unless approval of a change request has been granted by the project sponsor.

In order to do so, she is required to measure whether the project is behind or ahead of schedule as well as whether the project is above or below budget by comparing the Scheduled Value (the planned value at a given time) to the Actual Cost and Actual Time in her calculations at each milestone of the project. She is required to calculate Schedule Variance, Cost Variance and Time Variance at each milestone. Then, as she respectively calculates the Schedule Performance Index and Cost Performance Index, her answers will reveal exactly how far away each milestone is from appropriately being achieved according to the Detailed Schedule and Detailed Budget of the project plan. The Critical Ratio will allow her to holistically evaluate the project’s conduction, taking both progress in schedule and budget into account. From there, she will determine the Percent Spent (amount already spent out of the total budget), the Estimate to Complete (the amount of costs left to go), and the Percent Complete (amount already completed out of the total amount of time available) at each milestone of the project. She will also determine the Forecasted Cost at Completion (the projected amount the project will cost at the end) at each milestone of the project. Ms. Friedman is required to report to the project sponsor at the time each project milestone is scheduled to be completed to show him her calculations and discuss any adjustments she is planning to make. During her consultations with the project sponsor, as well as over the course of her own calculations, she should use the following tracking tools in the project plan that are necessary to monitor the project’s success:

Project Approval

Success for the 93 Indian Paintbrush Lane project will be achieved when the outlined infrastructure is completely built according to the blueprint. Additionally, the outcome must include a plan of restoration action needed to regenerate the plot of land to be used as a thriving garden area as well as manage the forest area’s overgrowth and guide its future succession.

Project Sponsor, Mr. Leroy Jenkins, will authorize completion of the project.

Approved by the Project Sponsor:

Date:

Mr. Leroy Jenkins

Approved by the Project Manager:

Date:

Ms. Mary Friedman

Approved by the Functional Manager of Custom Craft Contracting LLC:

Date:

Mr. Jon Pedal

Approved by the Functional Manager of Gehrlicher Solar AG:

Date:

Ms. Ellery Gate

Approved by the Functional Manager of Clear Water Environmental Consultants:

Date:

Mr. Steffan Holmes