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Running
head: PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT
1
PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT 2
Project Management Plan
Virtual Shopping Assistant at AG Grocery
November 10, 2020
PMAN 634, Section 9040, Fall Semester
Holly Wellington
Tiffany Moore
Cynthia Saale
Jess George
Change History
Date Changed
Change Details
Reason for Change
(if applicable)
Responsible for Change
September 17, 2020
Initial Document Created
Initial Document Created
All Team Members
September 17, 2020
Broke up project into 4 phases, 25 stores per phase, to roll out the project
Feedback from professor on viable timeline of the project
All Team Members
September 18, 2020
Develop the Work Breakdown Structure
Edited with additional feedback as MSP file was being developed
Jess George
September 19, 2020
Adjusted assumptions on MSP file
Feedback from team
Holly Wellington
September 20, 2020
Adjust responsibility assignment matrix
Feedback from team
Tolu Adedeji
September 24, 2020
Second phase of additions, including detailed estimation techniques, a cost table, and a table to illustrate project phase duration
Assigned additions to the development of the Project Management Plan
All Team Members
September 25, 2020
Information compiled from Business Case, Project Charter, and discussion post feedback incorporated into document
Project Management Plan must be a self-contained document
Jess George
October 1, 2020
Added a positive risk to the Project Assumptions, Constraints, Risks and Concerns section
A requirement for the Risk Management Section. Adding it to the beginning section makes it a more cohesive plan
Jess George
October 7, 2020
Developed Project Risk Management Section
Required for the development of the project
All Team Members
Table of Contents
Project Name 4
Project Overview and Purpose 4
Project Scope Statement
5
Project Communications 20
Project Schedule 20
Project Budget 21
Project Risk Management 27
Project Evaluation 28
Project Close-out 28
References 29
Appendix A – Project Charter 30
Appendix B – Risk Register 31
Appendix C – Project Close-out Checklist 32
Alliance Group Grocery Inc. (AG Grocery)
Virtual Shopping Assistant
Alliance Group Grocery Inc. (AG Grocery) is a grocery store chain of 100 stores in the DC, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) region of the United States that is attempting to mitigate COVID-19 consumer difficulties by creating a virtual shopping assistant service. AG Grocery is focused on adapting to the changing nature of the purchasing process used by customers. The grocery sector has had to rapidly adapt to changing conditions. Many stores have reduced hours to allow time for store cleaning, required customers to keep 6 feet of distance from one another, instituted one-way only aisles inside their stores, set maximum occupancy limits, and closed salad bars and deli counters to attempt to limit potential customer exposure (Martin-Neuninger & Ruby, 2020). The current pandemic calls for businesses to be innovative in establishing different ways in which customers can use to make their purchases. Adoption of virtual shopping assistants eases customers buying process, helps in decision making, creates interpersonal relationships, and builds customer loyalty.
Project Overview and Purpose
The project was triggered by the need for efficiency and safety in business during the COVID-19 era and the increased use of online shopping. Our company is looking to develop a Virtual Shopping Assistant platform to assist consumers in viewing and shopping online from their homes, while also ensuring that the firm conforms to the Covid-19 restrictions. This additional service offers efficiency in shopping for customers, and provides essential services from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Online shopping services have been on the rise for the past six months, therefore more VSA users are expected in the coming months. Customer retention is the key purpose of this project, as AG Grocery hopes to capitalize on the increased demand for virtual shopping experiences due to the pandemic. By making the process as efficient, personal, and customer-centric as possible, AG Grocery hopes to continue to have a demand for this service even after the pandemic passes.
Project Scope Statement
The project will help the company to develop good customer relations by ensuring an efficient ordering system where consumers will be able to acquire their products at their home comfort without endangering their health and those of the company employees. Just as before, customers will still view the product options and select their desired brands. This service will allow us to both continue our business during the pandemic, but also serve the needs of our communities. It will aid us in nurturing our relationship with stakeholders beyond our shareholders, creating a person to person connections between our employees and community during a time of great isolation. Past research has shown that this model of generating goodwill within the community surrounding the business generates increased success over the long term than simply focusing on short term gains (Sheth, 2020). VSA will establish a strong level of confidence and trust between customers and AG Grocery by developing a reliable platform for ordering, reviewing, and paying for ordered goods.
Project Objectives
The objectives of the VSA service are as follows:
· Ensure the health and safety of employees and customers by following the CDC guidelines for PPE. Distribute PPE equipment and implement procedures such as placing signage to indicate flow of foot traffic and marking distanced spots for VSA grocery pick-up in order to accomodate COVID-19 restrictions
· Develop a website platform that enables customers to schedule a time for their VSA experience at their convenience with ease
· Foster positive customer relationships through the customer feedback collected from the system. Numerous feedback forms will be instituted so that customers have the ability at multiple points in the VSA experience in order to have their opinions heard. The website platform will have a customer feedback form that the customer can have access to at any time. Zoom has a polling and feedback option at the end of every Zoom meeting that the customer can be prompted to submit at the end of their VSA experience. All of these feedback points will be implemented to ensure that the customer feels as though their opinions are valued by the organization, and that AG Grocery is focused on the customer’s experience, thus strengthening customer satisfaction
· Ensure customers trust and ease of purchasing at Virtual Shopping grocery stores by training all grocery staff with solid customer service skills so that customers have a positive and enjoyable experience. In order to have effective retention of customer confidence, VSA staff must foster trust amongst customers
Project Deliverables
Project deliverables are the results of a project that is being worked on and entails the entire process of the project itself. In this case, the project deliverables include:
· Efficient in-store technology for VSA staff members installed in every store, including tablets and tablet holders, label-printing produce scales, charging stations, and wireless barcode scanners
· VSA appoint booking addition to the AG Grocery website, complete with a scheduling tool, input screen for credit card/banking information, and customer feedback form
· Phone communication option for customers to schedule appointments in the event that they do not have access to the webpage
· Expanded grocery pick-up area within the AG Grocery stores to include VSA order pick-up
Project Requirements
The project requirements for the VSA service implementation are as follows:
· A number of financials are required for both materials and labor in order to execute the VSA service. Each of the 100 stores will need to be stocked with materials such as tablets (8 per store), wireless barcode scanners (8 per store), and label-printing produce scales (3 per store), Enterprise Zoom accounts (4 per store), power strips (2 per store), and WiFi boosters (5 per store). As far as labor financials, web development specialists who worked on the original AG Grocery site need to be contracted to build out the additional scheduling functionality. For staffing, employees will be pulled from other areas that are less busy, allowing us to utilize current staff and forgo additional expense. A detailed breakdown of project financials can be found in the project budget section.
· The second project requirement is building out the AG Grocery website to include the VSA scheduling service. Necessary components to the website addition include the ability to pick appointment time slots, schedule grocery pick up time, and securely input credit card info. Developers must include an option to bypass and pay in store during grocery pick up. In the event that the credit card is declined, the developers will include a functionality that will trigger the site to send an email to reschedule. In the event that a customer is taking advantage of the service by abandoning the video sessions after seeing product options in the store, the web developers will include a functionality that will block users if they abandon carts more than 4 times in the middle of a shop. A customer feedback form must be included on the site as well for customers to access at any time
· The third requirement is having the grocery pick-up area so that customers have a designated location to pick up their VSA-shopped goods. The regular AG Grocery online order pick-up area will be updated to include information that VSA pick-up will be there as well. This requirement involves updating signage for the regular VSA online order pick up area to state that VSA pick up is included in that area as well. Additional cubby and storage space will be designated to separate grocery orders by customer, and distanced waiting spots will be added to the infrastructure that is already in place in order to account for increased foot-traffic at the pick-up counter
Project Milestones
The milestones for the VSA project can be broken up into four phases. Amongst the stores, the process will be phased in 25 stores at a time. Milestones are integral to the success of a project because they allow for the project team to have specific, designated points in time during the project that allow for progress to be monitored. By breaking up a large new service roll-out into manageable groupings, the project team is able to closely monitor the progress and success of each store’s execution of the VSA project. The designated start date for initiation for this project is October 5th, 2020. Milestones for this project include the following:
· Milestone one: phase one completed. Phase one entails receiving equipment and installing into the first 25 stores. During this phase, managers and staff are trained on the new program procedures and technology. Once all equipment has been installed and staff training programs have been conducted, phase one has been completed. The anticipated completion date of milestone one is November 26th, 2020
· Milestone two: phase two completed. Phase two is the roll-out of the next 25 stores installing equipment and training staff. Once this phase has been completed, a total of 50 AG Grocery stores will have the VSA service ready for operation. The anticipated completion date of milestone two is January 12th, 2020
· Milestone three: phase three completed. Phase three brings the installation and training procedures to the next section of 25 stores in the region, bringing the total up to 75 of the total 100 AG Grocery stores having received VSA implementation upon completion of this milestone. The anticipated completion date of milestone three is February 26th, 2020
· Milestone four: phase four completed. Upon completion of phase four, all 100 AG Grocery stores will have the proper equipment and staff training in order to implement the VSA service. The anticipated completion date of milestone three is April 13th, 2020
Project Assumptions, Constraints, Risks and Concerns
There are a number of assumptions that were made in the structuring and planning process of this VSA project. Assumptions are as follows:
· This project operates under the assumption that pre-existing grocery staff in every location is capable of taking on additional training in order to provide excellent customer service with this new, technology-driven service. Because the main goal of this project is customer retention and it relies heavily on the VSA staff being exceptional at customer service, this is an assumption to be aware of.
· This project also assumes that there are people who are interested in an additional service outside of just standard online ordering. This is a specialty service so the customer has to pay extra in order to use it. There is a minimum convenience fee of $5, and then an additional $20 after the first hour of shopping. $20 will be charged for every additional hour of shopping. The goal of the lower convenience fees relative to other premium services is that more people will be interested in trying it out, and the hope is that we continue to create more revenue by having an increased number of VSA sales per store in our chain.
· Another assumption is that AG Grocery will be able to obtain large orders of materials discussed earlier, such as tablets and label-printing produce scales, by the designated time frame. The hope is that by staggering the store implementation into phases of 25 stores at a time, some of the risk of material delay is mitigated.
Constraints are an important piece of a project to consider as well. Constraints for the VSA project include:
· Budget constraints. Because AG Grocery is already an established grocery chain with consistent revenue, there is room for the project team to establish a contingency budget if needed. However, the goal is to still keep financials within the budget constraints in order for this service to be financially profitable.
· Time constraints. This new VSA service needs to be implemented across the chain of 100 VSA stores. Therefore, there are time constraints for how long each of the four phases needs to take in order for the project roll-out to stay on track.
· Customer satisfaction. Because this project purpose is centralized around customer retention, customer satisfaction is a significant constraint. Through feedback form information and Zoom post-call polling information, the project team needs to make sure that customer satisfaction is staying relatively high. This will be an ongoing constraint that will continue to be revisited. As criticism is sent through these feedback mediums, the project team will review it and determine its validity and need for change in order to make sure that customer satisfaction is staying within a positive range (75% of feedback should be positive).
As with any project, there are risks to consider throughout the planning and execution of the project. The risks and concerns are as follows:
· The VSA service is highly reliant on having reliable video signals throughout the store. As mentioned in the financials, extra money will be spent to boost WiFi signal throughout the store in order to decrease the frequency of this issue
· The video signal presents an additional risk of ending the call entirely. In the event that the call is dropped due to technological issues, the staff will be trained to try to reconnect up to 5x. If the internet and/or technology still is not cooperating at that time, the booking fee will not be charged and the customer will be prompted to reschedule at a later date.
· Due to the nature of the VSA service, there is the possibility of a customer seeing available produce in the store and then ending the video conference to go pick up the product themselves. To mitigate this, during booking, the customer’s card number will be required information so that even if they end the call mid-shopping session, the customer will still be charged the booking fee.
· As with any situation in which banking information is involved, there is the risk of customers’ financial information being hacked and taken. In order to lower the chances of this risk, the web developers will build out a secure system for the VSA addition to the site in order to prevent hacking.
· There is the positive risk of exploiting technology developments that might occur as a result of nearly everything going virtual. Zoom and other virtual platforms have taken off due to COVID-19. VSA currently plans on using the regular Zoom options that are available. Because of significant efforts being put into improving virtual experiences, there is the potential positive risk of having more technology options to enhance the VSA experience.
Project Organization
At the AG Grocery, our organization is made up of a very selective group of people that have been together over 18 years. We have delivered many projects together and with our latest program Virtual Shopping Assistance (VSA), we plan to achieve another phenomenally successful service for the organization. Below is the team that will allow our customers to enjoy the pleasure of shopping from their couch with an eye on their groceries like if they are in our store!
Meet the team:
Adrian John – (The Sponsor) As the Managing Director of Marketing for AG Grocery, Adrian is responsible for directing all project management services within the local market area. He is responsible to ensure that AG Grocery continues to provide superb shopping experience to our customers. The Virtual Shopping Assistance service has been created to meet our current environment, will be sustainable in servicing our customers for years to come. Adrian will be responsible for updating the Board of Directors on the progress of this investment while getting updates from the project management team on the status of the 100 stores we plan on turning over throughout the year. Adrian will also make sure that this new product is advertised properly to our customers.
Cynthia Saale – (Project Management Lead) Cynthia is responsible for Project Management at AG Grocery throughout Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. In this role, she brings almost 18 years of project management experience. Cynthia works hand in hand with General Contractors to ensure the successful build-out of projects ranging in size from 1,000 RSF to 130,000 RSF. It is that experience that will ensure Virtual Shopping Assistance (VSA) will be a success under her leadership. Cynthia will be providing overall budget and schedule updates to the sponsor on the projects. She will also be reporting anything that will not allow us to meet our goal of delivering the 100 VSA stores. Cynthia will hold bi-weekly regional meetings with Holly and Jess to go over any new implementation or
scope
changes on all VSA projects.
Jess George – (PM) Is the Project Manager for the Virtual Shopping Assistance project. Her role is to manage all the projects up to permits and continue managing some of them through turnover. Jess will be covering all the VSA groceries in the Maryland and Virginia area. She will be managing the vendors and making sure communication is clear with each of the 100 VSA store managers. As project manager, Jess will be reviewing shop drawings, change orders and invoices from the vendors. Jess will be provided appropriate level of on-site supervision to ensure project performance criteria are being met. During the project Jess will identify and address areas of concern regarding potential liabilities and risk. Jess will be reporting to Cynthia and will provide weekly updates to her. At times, she will meet with the sponsor as well. Jess will also be working with Holly Wellington on identifying resources and budget for these projects. Jess will have weekly project meetings for her projects.
Holly Wellington – (APM) Is an Assistant Project Manager on the Virtual Shopping Assistance project and will be working with Jess. Interacting with other project managers helps to create a positive influence for fulfilling the various needs of the project (PMBOK, 2017). Holly’s role is to work on schedules and budget with the general contractor and Jess. She will be responsible for managing the groceries in the Washington DC area. Holly will also hold weekly construction meetings with the vendor, contractors and consultants for each of her stores. Holly will report to Jess and Cynthia.
Tolu Adedeji – (Operations) As head of Operations, Tolu will be responsible for overseeing the Operational policies and guidelines for the organization. She will be meeting with all 100 store managers throughout this program to make sure that each grocery store continues to function properly during the construction phase. If additional staff are needed, it will be Tolu responsible to make sure these needs are met. As the stores go through their renovations, the store managers will be communicating with her on any problems that may impact the day to day business. Tolu will make sure that enough notifications are sent out to customers letting them know of the new services and will provide authorization to the store managers when to release keys and codes to the construction vendors providing Virtual Shopping Assistance in store upgrades.. Tolu will be reporting directly to the Managing Director.
Tiffany Moore – (Project Coordinator) Tiffany role is to make sure that all budgets are entered and tracked in our project management system. She will be the point of contact for any vendor payments. Tiffany will help with the contracts being created and work with procurement to get them signed and back to the vendors so purchase orders can be processed. Tiffany will input all the purchase orders and change orders from the project managers. This will help free up some time for the project managers to be in the field working on the projects. Tiffany will also be reaching out to the vendors on completion of each project to make sure all payments are processed. This will allow the projects closing out in 60-90 days after completion. Tiffany will be reporting to Tolu.
Our organization structural will be a functional hierarchy model. Since this is a grocery store company that serves only the Mid-Atlantic area, this hierarchy makes things easier to manage. Each department have their own role to play with our CEO making all final decisions
Work Breakdown Structure
· Project Management
· Appoint a Project Manager and an Assistant Project Manager
· Outline financials
· Clear expenses with finance
· Hold a charter tollgate meeting with the sponsor to approve budget, financials, and timeframe
· Project sponsor updates executive management on project status throughout
· Break into phases of rolling out at 25 stores at a time, total of 100 stores
· Weekly meetings with grocery store managers to go over project schedule and check in on progress
· Hold a sponsor change control meeting any time a change arises in order to ask for approval from sponsor
· Website
· Outline needs to our current web designers
· Appointment time slot booking
· Schedule grocery pick up time
· Secure credit card info input on site
· Option to bypass and pay in store during grocery pick up
· Send an email to reschedule if credit card is declined
· Customer feedback
form on site
· Block users if they abandon carts more than 4 times in the middle of a shop
·
Ongoing tech support
enlisted as needed, per sponsor approval
· Phone appointments
· Over-the-phone schedule option if customer doesn’t have internet
· At appointment time, customer can call the VSA over the phone and use the service without video
· Equipment
· WiFi boosters
·
Tablets
· Tablet stands
·
Scanner
s
· Label-printing produce scales
· Ongoing repair and replacement of parts, per approval of sponsor
· Charging Stations
· Designate location in every store
· Set up power strips, chargers, and tablets
· Installation
· Mount tablet stands onto designated shopping carts
· Place scales in produce section
· Distribute WiFi boosters throughout each store
· Beta test software
· Purchase and distribute Zoom accounts
· Train managers
· Incorporate feedback from managers about software and capability
· Grocery Pick-Up
· Update signage for the online order pick up area to include that VSA pick up is included in that area as well
· Designate additional cubby and storage space to place separate grocery orders
· Mark additional distanced waiting spots on the route to the pick-up counter to account for increased traffic
· Grocery Staff
· HR meet with all customer-facing grocery staff to reiterate customer service practices
· Train staff on Zoom and VSA services and practices
· Launch
· Weekly check-in meetings with grocery store managers
· Project Manager handles material aspects of the project launch
· Assistant Project Manager handles IT aspects of the project launch
· Customer feedback
· View Zoom poll feedback, customer feedback form on website
· Analyze rebooking percentage analytics
· Ongoing analysis of feedback to make adjustments as needed
Responsibility Assignment Matrix
Activity
Training Team/ Project Manager
VP Operations
Site Coordinators
HR Director
Develop training objectives
E
A
A
A
Create materials production process
E
A
D
Schedule classes instructors
E
F
E
Identify training participants
E
E
Administer site training logistics
F
E
E: responsible for implementation
A: final authority approval
D: must be consulted
F: must be informed
Project Communications
Communication
Frequency
Method
Audience
Responsibility
Team meeting
Daily
Zoom meeting
Project team
PM
Stakeholder update
Monthly
Email/Zoom
Stakeholders
PM
Board meeting
Twice monthly
Office meeting
Project board
PM
Project Schedule
The project schedule was developed using the deliverables and milestones in previous sections. The duration of activities is based on past experience of team members and our subcontractors. Estimates were then used to create a Gantt chart and to determine the critical path.
Task Name
Duration
Start
Finish
Virtual Shopping Assistant Establishment of Service
190 days
10/5/2020
4/13/2021
Initiation Phase
1 Day
10/5/2020
10/5/2020
Appoint PM & APM
1 Day
10/5/2020
10/5/2020
Project Sponsor Approval Meeting
1 Day
10/5/2020
10/5/2020
Outline Financials
1 Day
10/5/2020
10/5/2020
Acquisition Phase
5 days
10/6/2020
10/12/2020
Order Wifi Boosters
5 days
10/6/2020
10/12/2020
Order Tablets
5 days
10/6/2020
10/12/2020
Order Tablet Holders
5 days
10/6/2020
10/12/2020
Order Scanners
5 days
10/6/2020
10/12/2020
Order Charging Stations
5 days
10/6/2020
10/12/2020
Order label producing scales
5 days
10/6/2020
10/12/2020
Shipment of items begins
3 days
10/13/2020
10/15/2020
Web Design
39 days
10/6/2020
11/13/2020
Outline Needs to Web Designers
5 days
10/6/2020
10/12/2020
Design team to create new pages
15 days
10/13/2020
11/2/2020
Test new pages
7 days
11/3/2020
11/11/2020
Roll out new website with coming soon page
1 day
11/13/2020
11/13/2020
Phase 1 Rollout
42 days
10/16/2020
11/26/2020
Kick-off meeting
1 day
10/16/2020
11/26/2020
Equipment
28 days
10/16/2020
10/22/2020
receive equipment
1 wk
10/16/2020
10/22/2020
install equipment
15 days
10/23/2020
11/12/2020
Training
10 days
11/13/2020
11/12/2020
Train managers
5 days
11/13/2020
11/19/2020
Train staff
10 days
11/13/2020
11/26/2020
Roll out new website with Phase 1 location accessible
1 days
11/26/2020
11/26/2020
Phase 1 complete
0 days
11/26/2020
11/26/2020
Phase 2 Rollout
43 days
12/1/2020
1/12/2020
Kick-off meeting
1 day
12/1/2020
12/1/2020
Equipment
28 days
12/1/2020
12/28/2020
receive equipment
1 wk
12/1/2020
12/7/2020
install equipment
15 days
12/8/2020
12/28/2020
Training
10 days
12/29/2020
1/12/1931
Train managers
5 days
12/29/2020
1/4/2021
Train staff
10 days
12/29/2020
1/11/2021
Make Phase 2 sites accessible on website
1 days
1/12/2021
1/12/2021
Phase 2 complete
0 days
1/12/2021
1/12/2021
Phase 3 Rollout
40 days
1/18/2021
2/26/2021
Kick-off meeting
1 day
1/18/2021
1/18/2021
Equipment
28 days
1/18/2021
1/22/2021
receive equipment
1 wk
1/18/2021
1/22/2021
install equipment
15 days
1/25/2021
2/12/2021
Training
10 days
2/15/2021
2/26/2021
Train managers
5 days
2/15/2021
2/19/2021
Train staff
10 days
2/15/2121
2/26/2021
Make Phase 3 sites accessible on website
1 days
2/26/2021
2/26/2021
Phase 3 complete
0 days
2/16/2021
2/26/2021
Phase 4 Rollout
42 days
3/3/2021
4/13/2021
Kick-off meeting
1 day
3/3/2021
3/3/2021
Equipment
27 days
3/3/2021
3/30/2021
receive equipment
1 wk
3/3/2021
3/9/2021
install equipment
15 days
3/10/2021
3/30/2021
Training
10 days
3/31/2021
4/13/2021
Train managers
5 days
3/31/2021
4/6/2021
Train staff
10 days
3/31/2021
4/13/2021
Make Phase 4 sites accessible on website
1 days
4/13/2021
4/13/2021
Phase 4 complete
0 days
4/13/2021
4/13/2021
Project Gantt Chart
The Gantt chart will be our guiding source of monitoring the progress and performance on our project. It will be used to track all movements on the project and will let us know when a task slips so that adjustments can be made. At Virtual Shopping Assistant (VSA), we are tasked with completing 100 of these newly redesigned grocery stories that give our customers an opportunity to shop virtually. The Gantt Chart as it is created, will guide the process of getting all the steps needed completed in the timeline outline on the chart. There are milestones in place that will be our checks in making sure that we get the outcome for a successful project. In communications, the Gantt Chart will be an additional source of information for the stakeholder, the vendors, the store managers, and the project manager. The stakeholder can be informed of all movements so that plans can be made around the milestones. The vendors will know when to plan their deliverables and base on agreements, and know when each rollout will be done. The store managers on the other hand can use the chart to know when their store will be getting these VSA and plan on when they will be trained. Below is the Gantt Chart that we will be following so that the VSA grocery stores can be up and running.
Project Critical Path – To be addressed in Week 9
[Describe the project’s critical path and how your team will monitor and control the schedule to protect the project duration using the critical path. Insert a portion of the network diagram here that captures some of the activities on the critical path.]
Over-allocated Resources – To be addressed in Week 9
Project Crashing – To be addressed in Week 9
Project Budget
Bottom-up estimating is an extremely helpful
technique
in this VSA project because it allows Project managers at AG Grocery to get improved estimates. At AG Grocery, the bottom-up estimating technique is strictly used as each task is broken down into smaller components. The techniques used to estimate the time and cost of work packages in VSA project comprises of the following:
· Task planning: This strategy was adopted so that the AG employees who are actively involved in projects will have the competency to better estimate what needs to be done and how long it will take.
· Bottom up strategy facilitates clearer communication at AG Grocery. AG Grocery employees will be able to attain a successful execution of the bottom up method. A strong and open communication amongst team member(s) is an outright necessity. A \Clear/open communication at AG entails high levels of trust and comfort. Not every team member may be self-confident to be outspoken in front of the entire group therefore it is imperative that those concerned need to be able to participate in the project plan.
· A Bottom-up strategy affords unique insights into projects. One of the major advantages of the bottom-up strategy at AG Grocery is that it allows you to make decisions with a much wider pool of knowledge. Thus, the overall VSA project plan will have a much higher degree of
accuracy
for the individual elements of each task strand.
· AG Grocery constantly makes its employees feel more appreciated, leads to greater loyalty and feelings of ownership among team members, as well as the advantages for the project itself.
· AG Grocery allows employees to maximize their potential. This enables the VSA project manager to tap resources which they may not have been fully aware of before and thus maximize the productivity of their team.
In adopting this technique at AG, the estimate(s) for any task is typically far more accurate as it allows for careful consideration of each of the smaller parts of the task and then combining these carefully considered estimates rather than merely making one large estimate which typically will not as thoroughly consider all of the individual components of a task. In general, the smaller the scope, the greater the accuracy
|
PHASE ONE: EQUIPMENT , MATERIAL, LABOR (1ST 25 STORES) |
| EQUIPMENT |
AMOUNT NEEDED/PRICE |
TOTAL COST |
|||||||||||||
|
Zoom installation |
400 / $19.99 |
$7,996 |
|||||||||||||
|
Software development |
1 / $100,000 |
$100,000 | |||||||||||||
| Tablets |
800 / $100 |
$80,000 |
|||||||||||||
|
Tablet Stands |
400 / $10 |
$4,000 |
|||||||||||||
| Scanner |
800 / $168 |
$134,400 |
|||||||||||||
|
Power Strips |
200 / $20 |
||||||||||||||
|
Label printing produce scales |
300 / $400 |
$120,000 |
|||||||||||||
|
Wi-Fi boosters |
500 / $50 |
$25,000 |
|||||||||||||
|
Equipment installation |
$150,000 |
||||||||||||||
|
Parts repair & replacement |
$20,000 |
||||||||||||||
| Ongoing tech support |
$10,000 |
||||||||||||||
|
PHASE TOTAL: |
$655,396 |
|
PHASE TWO: EQUIPMENT, MATERIAL, LABOR (2ND 25 STORES) |
EQUIPMENT
AMOUNT NEEDED/PRICE
TOTAL COST
Zoom installation
400 / $19.99
$7,996
Software development
1 / $100,000
$100,000
Tablets
800 / $100
$80,000
Tablet Stands
400 / $10
$4,000
Scanner
800 / $168
$134,400
Power Strips
200 / $20
$4,000
Label printing produce scales
300 / $400
$120,000
Wi-Fi boosters
500 / $50
$25,000
Equipment installation
$150,000
$150,000
Parts repair & replacement
$20,000
$20,000
Ongoing tech support
$10,000
$10,000
PHASE TOTAL:
$655,396
|
PHASE THREE: EQUIPMENT, MATERIAL, LABOR (3RD 25 STORES) |
EQUIPMENT
AMOUNT NEEDED/PRICE
TOTAL COST
Zoom installation
400 / $19.99
$7,996
Software development
1 / $100,000
$100,000
Tablets
800 / $100
$80,000
Tablet Stands
400 / $10
$4,000
Scanner
800 / $168
$134,400
Power Strips
200 / $20
$4,000
Label printing produce scales
300 / $400
$120,000
Wi-Fi boosters
500 / $50
$25,000
Equipment installation
$150,000
$150,000
Parts repair & replacement
$20,000
$20,000
Ongoing tech support
$10,000
$10,000
PHASE TOTAL:
$655,396
|
PHASE FOUR: EQUIPMENT, MATERIAL, LABOR (4TH 25 STORES) |
EQUIPMENT
AMOUNT NEEDED/PRICE
TOTAL COST
Zoom installation
400 / $19.99
$7,996
Software development
1 / $100,000
$100,000
Tablets
800 / $100
$80,000
Tablet Stands
400 / $10
$4,000
Scanner
800 / $168
$134,400
Power Strips
200 / $20
$4,000
Label printing produce scales
300 / $400
$120,000
Wi-Fi boosters
500 / $50
$25,000
Equipment installation
$150,000
$150,000
Parts repair & replacement
$20,000
$20,000
Ongoing tech support
$10,000
$10,000
PHASE TOTAL:
$655,396
|
PHASE ONE TOTAL |
|
|
PHASE TWO TOTAL |
|
|
PHASE THREE TOTAL |
|
|
PHASE FOUR TOTAL |
|
|
PROJECT TOTAL |
$2,621,584 |
Project Risk Management – To be addressed in Week 8
[Use this section to describe how your organization will plan for managing risk. Each sub-section will contain information related to how to identify risk, assess risk, respond to risk and monitor/control risk.]
Risk Identification
[Describe how your organization will identify risks and why this method of risk identification is appropriate for your project. Briefly describe three to five risks that you’ve identified. Begin the development of the risk register from your list of identified risks. Place the risk register in Appendix B and update it with assessment and response strategy information as you work through the risk management process.]
Risk Assessment
Our organization will assess risks using a qualitative method, which is appropriate given the fact that individual assessment of risks is the focus of developing this project risk management plan. The qualitative approach allows for the project team to use expert judgement and informed opinions in order to make educated plans about how to deal with the possibility of these risks (“Risk Techniques,” n.d.). The probability and impact matrix will be used as a tool to rate each individual identified risk in order to assess the probability and potential level of impact on the VSA project as a whole.
Below is a probability and impact risk assessment matrix that is used to rate the risks described in Appendix C.
|
Risk Impact |
||||
|
Minor |
Moderate |
Major |
Volatile |
|
|
Probability |
Rare |
|||
|
Unlikely |
||||
|
Likely |
||||
|
Very likely |
Risks in red should be addressed as soon as possible as they might call for the immediate termination of the project. Risks in yellow should be addressed within 24 hours. Risks in green should be addressed within 3 days.
The scale used to classify risks will be as follows:
· Risk Impact
· Volatile Risks = has the potential to have a detrimental impact on the project schedule or cost. Calls for the need to abandon the project
· Major Risks = has the potential to significantly impact the project schedule or cost (50% increase to overall project cost or 50% delay to the project schedule)
· Moderate Risks = has the potential to mildly impact the project schedule or cost (25% increase to overall project cost or 25% delay to project schedule)
· Minor Risks = has the potential to slightly impact the project schedule or cost (up to 10% increase in overall project cost or up to 10% delay to project schedule); Can be mitigated through minor activity tweaks as these risks arise
· Probability
· Very Likely = greater than 85% chance of occurring
· Likely = 60% – 85% chance of occurring
· Moderate =30% – 60% chance of occuring
· Unlikely = 5% – 30% chance of occuring
· Rare = less than 5% chance of occurring
Risk Response
[Describe how your organization will respond to the risk identified and assessed as priority. Update the Risk Register with the response strategy for each risk.]
Risk Monitor and Control
[Describe how your organization will monitor and control risk.]
Project Evaluation – To be addressed in Week 10
[Describe how your organization will evaluate project progress/performance. This section of the plan indicates the methods the project team will use to regularly update the project status, including methods for tracking the project progress and evaluating project performance. See assigned readings for information on project status evaluation and reporting.]
Project Close-out – To be addressed in Week 11
[Describe how your organization will terminate/close a project. This section will include the necessary information needed to close out a project. Discuss the major activities required to close out the project as part of the natural termination process. Include a discussion of financial and administrative close out and project retrospectives/lessons learned. Insert your project close out checklist at Appendix C of this document.]
References
Akhter, S., Rahman, N., & Ullah, M. (2019). Development of a customer information database
system. In handbook of research on technology integration in the global world (pp. 166-188). IGI Global.
Friday, T., & Clarizen, T. (2020, June 18). Five Things to Know About the Bottom Up Strategy.
Retrieved September 26, 2020, from https://www.clarizen.com/fivethings-to-know-about-the-bottom-up-strategy/
Kendrick, T. (2012). Results without authority: Controlling a project when the team doesn’t
report to you: Vol. 2nd ed. AMACOM. APA (American Psychological Assoc.).
Martin-Neuninger, R., & Ruby, M. (2020). What does food retail research tell us about the
implications of coronavirus (COVID-19) for grocery purchasing habits? Frontiers in
Psychology, 11. Retrieved from https://doi-org.ezproxy.umgc.edu/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01448
Risk Techniques. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.praxisframework.org/en/knowledge/risk-techniques
Sheth, J. (2020). Business of business is more than business: Managing during the covid crisis.
Industrial Marketing Management, 88, 261-264. Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.05.028
Appendix A – Project Charter
Alliance Group Grocery (AG Grocery)
Alliance Group Grocery Inc. (AG Grocery) is a grocery store chain of 100 stores in the DC, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) region of the United States that is attempting to mitigate some of these COVID-19 difficulties by creating a virtual shopping assistant service. AG Grocery is focused on adapting to the changing nature of the purchasing process used by customers. The stability of the existing modern in-store technology is unforeseen and this calls for businesses to be innovative in establishing different ways, which customers can use to make their purchases. Adoption of virtual shopping assistants eases customers buying process, helps in decision making, creating interpersonal relationships, and building customer loyalty.
Purpose for the project
The project is focused on transforming business operations, specifically on purchasing by adapting virtual shopping assistant technology which will give customers new shopping experience.
Project Scope Statement
Virtual shopping assistants will create a new relationship between customers and the business by establishing a reliable platform for ordering, reviewing, and paying for ordered goods. This will allow the firm to deliver a customer-centric experience, without compromising staff or customer safety. Permitting customers to walk a shopper through the store will help us to maintain consumers’ trust and confidence. They will be able to see for themselves in real-time what is in stock in the store, what the quality of produce looks like, and choose alternate brands and products when something is unavailable.
Project objectives and success criteria
The objectives of the Virtual Shopping Assistant Service at AG Grocery comprise of the following:
· Accommodate COVID-19 restrictions by following the CDC guidelines for PPE and marking distanced spaces around the grocery store
· Create a website to schedule virtual shopping appointments so that customers can book a specific time slot for their virtual shopping experience
· Improved overall customer-buying experience by gauging customer satisfaction through the feedback form on our website
· Effective retention of customer confidence. Ensure customers trust and ease of purchasing at Virtual Shopping grocery stores by training all grocery staff with solid customer service skills so that customers have a positive and enjoyable experience
Project requirements
One of the project requirements is the various financials that make it a practical proposition. An example of these is enterprise video Zoom accounts, which enable customers to identify their characteristics. The second project requirement is customer information, which helps dispense services to grocery customers with the advent of a virtual shopping assistant. Akter, Rahmann & Ullah (2019) describe the necessity of having a customer information database in dispensing services to them. The customer card number, for instance, will be required during booking to facilitate the delivery of the product they have ordered. The third requirement is the technological infrastructure. These include established websites, on-line payment methods, and technologies allowing for the dispensation of supplemental nutrition assistance to the customers. Finally, the project will also require planning. When customers of the grocery staff are working on order delivery to the customers, it will be imperative that they observe social distancing, which is one aspect of the need for planning.
Overall project risks
Several project risks have been identified. One of these is communication risks because the service is heavily reliant on video. Customers bereft of video services will be unable to look at product characteristics, making them inconclusive about buying a specific product. The installation of Wifi boosters throughout the store has been established to mitigate this risk. The second risk is the possibility that a customer will terminate a video call when they see the grocery store items and go for the items themselves instead of continuing with the use of the virtual assistant. During booking, their card number will be required information so that even if they end the call mid-shopping session, the customer will still be charged the booking fee. The third risk is that the project is bereft of foundational elements that other businesses have an establishment, thus yielding a development risk factor. These three risks could derail the project’s advancement through interruption of communication and from conventional shopping methods, which are not in tandem with the developed virtual assistant.
Milestone schedule (summary)
Phase
Activity
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Initiation
Clear expenses with Finance
X
Outline needs to our Web Designers
X
Acquisition
Purchase WiFi Boosters
X
Purchase Tablets
X
Purchase Tablet stand
X
Purchase Scanners
X
Purchase Scales
X
Installation
Equipment Installed on sites
X
X
X
X
Beta test software
X
X
Purchase & distribute Zoom accounts
X
X
Training of managers
X
X
Roll-out
Training of employees
X
X
Budget or pre-approved financial resources (summary)
Total for 100 Stores
Item
Total # needed
One time costs
Annual Costs
Zoom Account
400
$0.00
$79,996.00
Software development
1
$100,000.00
$0.00
Tablets
800
$80,000.00
$0.00
Tablet Stands
400
$4,000.00
$0.00
scanner
800
$134,400.00
$0.00
Power strips
200
$4,000.00
$0.00
label printing produce scales
300
$120,000.00
$0.00
Wifi boosters
500
$25,000.00
$0.00
Equipment Installation
$150,000.00
$0.00
Ongoing Tech support
$10,000.00
Repair & Replacement of parts
$20,000.00
Expense Sub totals
$467,400.00
$259,996.00
Expense Grand Total
$727,396.00
Anticipated Revenue:
Minimum
revenue source
customers per day
over 360 days
Per store Revenue
Total for 100 stores
booking fee
$5.00
5
1800
$9,000.00
$900,000.00
hourly fee
$20.00
5
1800
$36,000.00
$3,600,000.00
Total
$4,500,000.00
Maximum
revenue source
customers per day
over 360 days
Per store Revenue
Total for 100 stores
booking fee
$5.00
30
17280
$86,400.00
$8,640,000.00
hourly fee
$20.00
24
7200
$144,000.00
$14,400,000.00
Total
$23,040,000.00
Anticipated Profit Margins
Year 1
Years 2+
Expenses
$727,396.00
$109,996.00
Minimum Revenue
$4,500,000.00
$4,500,000.00
Maximum Revenue
$23,040,000.00
$23,040,000.00
Profit on Minimum
$2,422,604.00
$4,390,004.00
Profit on Maximum
$22,312,604.00
$22,930,004.00
Criteria for project approval
Criteria for approval for this project is that it will have a positive anticipated revenue stream and be able to be fully implemented within 2 months of initiation. The first 2 weeks will be spent arranging finances and purchasing the equipment along with updating our web design company, WebCo, with the changes we would like to have made. Online schedulers are readily available as applications that they can purchase and rebrand to match the overall look and feel of our current site. Once equipment begins arriving we will install the equipment in stores. During the installation phase we can proceed with testing the software and training our managers. Once we have incorporated feedback from the managers about the software and capability, we can train customer-facing employees and will be ready to launch the VSA service to customers.
Time is of the essence with this project and keeping on top of the timelines in order to deliver the VSA service as quickly as possible is paramount.
Project Authority
Project Authority is set up so that the project has a line of people making decisions on the project. This is an important step for a smooth and successful project. Many projects fail because the project leader lacks sufficient control to keep things moving toward a successful conclusion (Tom Kendrick, 2012). While there will be many people looking at how the project ends up on completion, the head or lead of the project is the Project Manager. On ours, the Project Manager oversees the project and the Project Sponsor/customer oversees the Project Manager and eventually will report the project to the executive management.
Project manager and authority level
For the Virtual Shopping Assistant (VSA) project, our project manager will be Jess George and Holly Wellington will be our Assistant Project Manager. Since this will be across the DMV area (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) it is wise to have a PM and APM on the project. Both people will be responsible for making sure that the project remains on track and to facilitate the roles of some planning, all execution and closing out the projects. Successfully managing a project involves at least three separate activities: achieving project objectives, managing the project processes, and leading the team (Tom Kendrick. (2012). The Project Manager will work with the architect/engineer and come up with existing and proposed test fit drawings for the changes needed at each of the grocery stores that will be converting to Virtual Shopping Assistance (VSA). This will be shared with the project sponsor/customer for approval. Once it is approved; and the scope of the work is outlined, the project manager will then be responsible for getting together with vendors and start working on proposed pricing and schedules. These vendors will be managed by the project manager throughout the project once selected. It is the responsibility of the PM to then put all of the information, project schedule, budget, lease information and rendering into a package and present to the project sponsor for review and approval by way of a charter tollgate meeting. Each store will be its own project therefore tollgate review will need to be presented per store.
Once a project is approved via tollgate, it is the Project Manager’s responsibility to work with the architect on 100% drawings and get them out to vendors for final price or bid the project. This will depend on the store size. While the process may take a few weeks on the design, our project manager will start working on long lead items so that we have those materials at the beginning of the projects.
The project manager will facilitate getting a final price based on the 100% drawings and present this along with scheduling at a Pre-Construction tollgate to the project sponsor. If approved, both pricing and schedule will be locked in and it is the PM to manage the project base on schedule and budget. The PM will have authority over communication, risk management and milestones on our project. As a requirement, the PM is to prepare the vendor’s contract and route them to the sponsor for signature. The PM also is responsible for setting up a meeting with each grocery store manager to go over the project schedule. At project kickoff/start of the execution, the PM will manage the project per schedule and have weekly meetings with the grocery store manager, all vendors, including the sponsor and facilities.
Project sponsor or customer and authority level
The project sponsor for our project will be Adrian John. As sponsor, he will be responsible for setting project guardrail for each project. The sponsor will decide if it’s a small, medium or larger project and have a guardrail budget in place for each size.
Only the project sponsor can decide if it’s ok to go over these set guardrails during the charter tollgate meeting as the project sponsor has authority over the budget. Once the final budget and schedule is approved at the Pre-Construction tollgate, those items are considered locked and will need the sponsor approval to change the completion date or if the project required additional funds.
Any change in scope or budget will have to be presented at the sponsor weekly change control meeting. The Project Manager is responsible for making this presentation with a valid reason for the change. The project sponsor will check if the change is a controllable or uncontrollable change when decided to approve or disapprove the change.
Any issues that cannot be resolved by the project manager, the project sponsor will step in and make the final decision. The project sponsor will make sure that any obstacles are removed to make the project run smoothly. Finally, the project sponsor will provide updates to the executives’ management on all ongoing project status.