Project Management

Scope of the Project and Control Measures

This project is aimed at increasing the size of the firm by 60% within a period of eighteen months. Firm expansion is an integral part of the lifespan of a company. Expansion of a data management firm calls for a multipronged consideration of aspects that must expand. Among them are infrastructure, personnel, partners and collaborators, who include both domestic and offshore companies. Currently, the firm occupies just one floor, but will occupy three by the end of the project period. In order to achieve this, several aspects have to change.  The IT department will undergo the most changes with regard to manpower and infrastructure. The firm currently uses cloud computing and outsourcing for much of the work, but the expansion will mean that the firm improves its software and hardware components. The current four employees in the IT department are very competent, and led by an experienced Chief Information Officer and a Chief Technical Officer, but they still need more employees to handle the increased data volume. A bigger server and storage facilities will be invaluable additions. The quality of network must also improve to ensure that there is better performance, irrespective of the increased data. Further, the company might need to have another offshoring or outsourcing company because the data is expected to increase by more than 60%.

The firm must put in place control measures during a project. They include cost, time, manpower and quality measures. Cost will be managed through a strict budget that will analyze every stage of the project and one that would analyze every step within the project to ensure that there is enough adherence to the performance. Deadlines will also be managed through adequate evaluation of tasks to ensure that every task is allocated just enough time to enable good execution and timeline management. The project scope should therefore be very detailed, providing the number of manpower that are needed, as well as the costs and timelines needed to manage every task. There would also be a miscellaneous budget that would cater for any unseen eventuality. 

Project Goals and Objectives

The project should aim at a smooth transition of operations as it expands its operations and manpower. Increasing the size of a data handling company demands very clear and effective preparation. This includes the creating of new software and systems, which would be used in the new dispensation. A lot of system testing is an invaluable before the company switches from old methods to new methods. The project aims to ensure that data is not lost during the expansion process. It also aims at ensuring that a stronger system is adopted and that users will have an easier time using the new system than using the old system. 

Project Deliverables

The project deliverables must be definite to ensure that a firm is successful in a given expansion project. First, all the expected changes should be predetermined. There should also be room for expansion and additions in case these changes are not enough. Before the project starts, the firm must have a clear understanding of the company that they should work with, both during and after the project is completely executed.

The first deliverable is the change of venue. The project must increase the floor size of the company due to the increased need for more infrastructure and manpower. With an increased expected capacity of 60%, the size of the new expanded firm should be about 160% of the current size. It should handle more data. Another deliverable is the software and analytics technology. The project should introduce and adopt high level technology on the new expanded state. The new analytics technology should handle nearly twice the amount of data that the firm currently does. Thirdly, the expansion process should improve customization including the analytical presentation of the number of people who visits the site for a given period of time. Data management firms must evaluate data usage, users and general volume of work that a given system handles. The same should be realized in the particular project. Another deliverable is the improved interfaces. This would ensure that more people are able to access and use the system, including a new group of users. It should also provide an interaction amongst users, such as data analysts and customers, or data users and data entrants. All these interactions should not expose the firm to data misuse by either party. The architecture of the firm software and hardware must also improve.

With increased number of employees and data handlers, it means that there is a lot of new expertise that would be added to the firm. This explains the need for the firm to have enough infrastructures to handle the increased number of employees, as well as users and more complexity in data management. The data conversion must also increase from the current status to more analytical and thorough output expectations. There should be an automated system that converts the data into usable forms and ensure that analytics would be more accurate and more thorough. Testing should also be done every week on Sunday to ensure that the system remains running and accuracy. The project must be within the provided budget and employee training to ensure better data handling would be done every two weeks.

Cost Analysis

The main cost implications for the project include floor expansion and preparation of the new venue to create a data management environment. The creation of infrastructure would cost over $ 100,000 because of the new installation as well as increased expected volumes of data to be handled by the new system. The increased number of employees both during and after the project would also add to costs. The number of IT department employees would be expected to double as well as managerial individuals. The recruitment process as well as their annual salaries would take up to $50.000. The creation of a data management environment in the new location and office would be vital. It would require office partitioning and acquisition through lease, amounting to $70,000. There is expected change in managerial team to include new people who are not technically gifted, but who can run the entire team including the secretarial, marketing and customer relations team. The recruitment and salaries per year would increase to about $ 150,000. 

Project Value and Competitive Advantage

The project plan is vital in ensuring that the desired outcomes are achieved. One of the main achievements that the project would increase is the competitive advantage over other firms in the data management industry. The main competitive advantage that is expected by the end of the project is the ability to handle huge data volumes and adoption of new technologies that give more accuracy and better interpretation of simple data. It would increase the capacity of the firm and enhance customer and data interaction through the system. Improved interactions between the system and users would enable the firm to increase efficiency and customer satisfaction, thus create a high reputation and competitive advantage.

For this project and beyond, the firm should seek partnership with big companies that handle data. One of those that have global presence and reputation is Oracle. The company has the experience and market confidence.