Project for an Eco Tourism Campaign

PM 1

Task 1

(a)

Background and Principles of Project Management

This project is proposed to plan an Eco Tourism Campaign-2015 for Scotland tourism sector.Eco Tourism is a new approach in tourismthat involves visiting of natural areas in order to enjoy and appreciate nature as well as promote conservation. This project is planned for Scottish Tourism Department to promote ecotourism spots of the countryto attract domestic and foreign tourists. The main objective of the project is todesign an ecotourism promotional campaign for Scottish Tourism Department. The government of Scotland is the main sponsor of this project, while Scottish Tourism Department is the main client that will organize and execute this campaign.

In project management, the principals of project managementare quite essential to successfully complete a project. The principals of project management can be defined asbasisthat defines the most project work. Objectives, constraints and lifecycle are key principals for successful project management (Taylor, 2008).Objectives refer to specified goals that one wants to achieve. On the other hand, constraints refer to restriction in terms of time, cost and quality that can limit scope or have an impact on a project. Project lifecycle is defined as a process that has definite start and finish point within which, objectives will be fulfilled (Schwalbe, 2013). In this regard, PRINCE2 theory of project management is an effective way to understand the role of project management principals in success of the project.

According to this theory,objectivesneed to define clearly, constraints need to understand and project lifecycle needs to describe because it can be effective to manage a project successfully (Curlee & Gordon, 2010).In case of selected project, there are several project principles that need to follow in order to plan an ecotourism campaign successfully.Define project objectives, understand constraints, define project lifestyle, consider potential risks and develop a project plan are the main project principles. All these project principles are related to the development of a campaign or marketing plan for promoting ecotourism of Scotland (Taylor, 2008).This project willbe conducted with the help of PRINCE2 process-based approach that will help to manageproject activities related to develop a campaign for eco-tourism (Tuttle, 2012).

Viability of Project and Success Criteria

The viability of the proposedcampaign project is based on its scope for ecotourism sector of Scotlandthat will be derived after implementing the promotional campaign. The project of planning an ecotourism campaignhas wide scopefor Scottish tourism as well as for hotels, travel agencies, tourist guides and local community. It is because this campaign will be effective to promote ecotourism opportunities (nature and wildlife and walking) in Scotland that will contribute to increasearrival of foreign tourists in the country (Bertini, 2014).For example, this project willbe effective to create awareness about attractive ecotourism destinations of Scotland among local and global visitors that can motivate them for travel (Wearing & Neil, 2013).

Along with this, the proposed projectcan be also viable to increase growth of foreign tourist arrivals, revenue of Scottish thorium sector, per capital income of local community and employment in the local market. It is because currently, ecotourismis an emerging trend in tourism sector that has potential to provide huge amount of business and revenue to government, hotels, travel agencies, tourist guides and local community, which is good from financial perspective (Bertini, 2014). All these points indicate that the proposed project of designing an ecotourism campaign will be financially viable for Scottish Tourism Department.

In case of selected project, the success will depend on various criteria that are as below:

A well defined scope statement

Smart and proper planning

Back-up or contingency planning

Careful risk management

Enough time for project team

Clear roles and responsibilities

(b)

Principles behind Project Management Systems and Procedures

There are several principlesbehind project management systems and procedures thatwillmake significant contribution in the success of any project by fulfilling some specific requirements (Stepanek, 2012).In this way, use of advance technology, involvement of trained operators and selection of suitable procedures are some key principals behind project management systems and procedures that can be effective for project success. It is because these principals can guide the project manager, which is quite significant to use project management systems such as WBS, Gantt chart and control procedures effectively in order to complete the project successfully (Hallows, 2005).

In regard toplan an eco-tourism campaign project,the fulfilment of following project requirements will be helpful to satisfy the principles of successful project management:

Understand and meet client’s expectancy (expectations of Scottish tourism sector)
Meet project constraints (time, cost and quality)
Well-organized resource utilization(Stepanek, 2012).
Build a project team with clear ownership and roles
Project control documentation
Accomplish facts for quicker decision making
Track project status (Hallows, 2005).
Define project organisation
Use baseline control(Bertini, 2014).

Project Termination and Post Project Appraisal

Project termination refers to a situation when project is finished after completing all associated activities.There are several elements that will be involved in terminating and conducting post project appraisal of eco-tourism campaign planning project (Morfaw, 2011). Identify lessons learnt, review and document the project, archive project records, recognise outstanding achievement and disburse resources are the key elements of project termination (Schwalbe, 2013). Following are some of the key elements involved in terminating the project and conducting post-project appraisals:

Elements Involved in Project Termination:

Identify and release available resources

Ensure final product delivery and client acceptanceof deliverables

Ensure all payments collected from the client

Prepare a final report

Elements Involved in Post Project Appraisal:

Recognize project achievements

Plan group or project team meeting

Identify areas that need improvement

Decide action plans

Prepare and send a brief report to authority

Task 2

(a)

Organisational Structure

There are several types of organizational structure such as functional, divisional, matrix, and project based that are available to use for the purpose of organizing the project effectively. Functional organizational structureis like hierarchical structure in which project team divided into segments according to functions and expertise of each personnel (Taylor, 2008). This organizational structurehas greater flexibility that can be useful to manage the project effectively. Divisional structurerefers to organizing of work by dividing the functional areas of the project into divisions in order to function independently (Schwalbe, 2013). On the other hand, matrix organizational structure isa hybrid form in which teams are used to complete tasks associated with the project. This structure gives the mix of divisional and functional organizational structures that is quite effective to achieve desired level of project success (Fewings, 2013).

To identify a most appropriate organisational structure is crucial to achieve suitable group dynamicin project team, which is quite significant to successfully complete a project(Hanson, 2014).In case of this project,tourism ministry or department of Scotland is the main authority of the project, which will approve project plan and budget.While, Shooting Star Event Ltd. has the responsibility of project handling and completion. It means project manager (Business Executives of Shooting Star) will directly report to Scottish tourism officials. Along with this,representatives of ecotourism department, travel agents and Shooting Star will be worked as executives under the project manager.In addition, a project coordinator and team staff will also be included in the project. The below diagram shows theorganisational structure of the project:

Roles and Responsibilities of Participants

The roles and responsibilities of each participant involved in the planning of an ecotourism campaignare summarised in below table:

S. No / Project Participant / Roles and Responsibilities
1 / Project Manager
(Business Executive of Scooting Star) / Responsible to manage entire project and supervise project activities as well as report to project sponsor
2 / Project Sponsor
(Scottish tourism department) / Allocate budget, approve scope statement and provide regulatory help
3 / Ecotourism Expert / Provide guidance for eco-tourism opportunities in Scotland and regulatory requirements
4 / Event Manager and Planner / Planning and management of campaign activities
5 / Travel Representative / Provide inputs from travel agents’ side
6 / Project Coordinator / Responsible to create co-ordination among all participants
7 / Team Staffs / Perform project activities

The above table exhibitsroles of different personnel that will require for completing this project on time with required specifications. The Business Executive of Scooting Starwill play the role of project manager, who will be the main person to plan, communicate, organize, execute, and monitor and control the project. The Scottish tourism department is the sponsor of this project that will be responsible to provide fund for meeting the financial requirements of the project.Along with this, there will be an ecotourism expert, event manager, travel representative and project coordinator who will also be involved in the project. The role of these personnel is different from each other, but equally important for the successful completion of this project (Taylor, 2008).

(b)

Project Control and Co-ordination

In project management, there are several tools and techniques that are useful to ensure effective project coordination and control, which is quite important to achieve project success. Project coordinationrefers to planning and managing several responsibilities at the same time to ensure smooth running of the project.For the purpose of effective coordination, the project manager needs to select team members with a diverse set of skills and knowledge that can be effective to ensure effective coordinate among team members (Mawby, 2007). In case of planning an ecotourism campaign, project manager willfocus to create a suitable project execution and schedule plan as well as communication plan in order to administrate and manage the various project activities effectively (Schwalbe, 2013). Apart from this, project manager will also look to implement a project control cyclethat will help to develop an effective coordination and control in the project.

There are several methods such as implementation of cost and schedule control and gap analysis that can be useful to improve control during the project lifecycle. It is because the implementation of accurate cost and schedule control can be effective tocontrol project activities, team members and task completion duration, which is quite significant to complete the project successfully(Schwalbe, 2013). Along with this, gap analysis can be effective to identify errors in project planning by making comparison of actual and budgeted figures. This method will not only effective to identify mistake, but also to eliminate errors, which is goodto facilitate effective control in the project (Janke, 2008). At the same time, following practices will be useful to implement project control cycle:

Recognise the main purpose and restriction of the project
Analyse baseline of the proposal
Monitor against baseline plan
Identify and report derivatives
Settle on remedial plan

(c)

Leadership Requirements and Qualities

To become an effective project leader, project manager needs to havesome specific qualitiesthat enable him/her toplan, implement, manage and monitor the eco-tourism campaign project effectively (Jacobs, 2012). In concern to this, following leadership qualitiesrequire in the project manager:

A good communicator
Ability to share a clear vision and inspire others
Positive attitude and enthusiasm
Ability to face pressures and stressful situations
Ability to delegate tasks
Ability to craft an atmosphere of reliance
Team building and handling skill

All these leadership requirementsin terms of skills and qualities are quite essential to have by the project manager. It is because the proposed project will require expertise to design and implement ecotourism campaign successfully (Schwalbe, 2013). The above identified leadership qualities can enable the project manager toperform his role effectively and develop unique image, which is quite significant to manage project team in effective manner. Along with this, the ability of effective communication, assign tasks, team building, positive attitude and fair decision can be effective todeliver the project on time to client with required specifications (Fewings, 2013).

Human Resource Requirements

Human resource is a basic requirement to run and carry out a project. Due this reason, it is important to plan for human resources in order to place the right members or employees at the right position at right time, which is quite significant to achieve project objectives (Taylor, 2008). In case of proposed project, first of all, need to build a team by including participants from different areas like tourism department, travel agents, event management, administration and Shooting Star. It is because all these personnel from different areas will be needed to successfully complete the project. But at the same time, all these personnel have required skilled with sufficient amount of previous experience in the similar filed (Schwalbe, 2013). In addition this, lower level workers will be also selected from the company as team staff to meet the human resource requirements of the project (Taylor, 2008).All these are some of the main human resource requirement that will be required to complete the project within the set time period.

Task 3

(a)

Project Plan

A project plan is developed to design a promotional campaign for ecotourism sector of Scotland.The main location for implementing this project is different cities of Scotland as well as global tourism trade fairs. This project will be organized during 2nd August 2014 to 10th April 2015 in order to cover most of local and international tourism fairs to promote ecotourism of Scotland. To manage this project, PRINCE2 approach as well as various project management tools such as WBS, Gantt chart and control process will be used. It is because all these instruments will be helpful to plan, execute and complete this project successfully (Schwalbe, 2013). Some other elements of project plan are as follow:

Project Goals:

To prepare a marketing campaign for ecotourism in Scotland
To design main activities of ecotourism campaign
Topromote environmental awareness, conservation and protection

Project Deliverables:

A detail plan of campaign
A list ofcampaign activities
Basic infrastructure for ecotourism campaign
Tie-up with international ecotourism travel agencies
Tie-up with discovery channels for promotion

Contract Terms:

Following contract terms are made with suppliers of promotional materials:

Half payment will make when placing order, while reaming make after the delivery of materials.
Material will be returned in case of not meeting quality standards.

Project Budget:

The below table summarizes theestimated budget for resources that will be employed to complete the project:

S. No. / Resource / Budget
1 / Salary expenses / £ 145,000
2 / Administrative expenses / 50,500
3 / Fees of Scooting Star Event Ltd. / 180,500
4 / Material costs / 65,000
5 / Travel expenses / 45,000
6 / Hardware and Software acquisitions / 50,000
7 / Other expenses / 32,500
Total Budget / £411,000

Procurement Plan:

Following processwill follow to ensure effective procurement of resources:

Project Schedule:

A detailed project schedule is presented in the below Gantt chart:

Project Scheduling, Estimating and Cost Control Techniques

Project Scheduling:

A project schedule is critical to developfor this project management plan.It is becauseapplying project scheduling technique is quite significant toensure project success by organising and completing the project in a timely and financially responsible manner.Here, Gantt chart technique is used todevelop a detailed schedule for this project (Given Above). Project scheduling will enable the project manager to monitor and control project undertakings as well as to track project development, which is quite important to ensure project success (Taylor, 2008).

In concern of project scheduling, WBS, task responsibility matrix and statement of work (SOW) are some techniques that can be useful to ensure accurate project scheduling. For example, WBS can be an effective way for project manager to develop project schedule. It is because it helps to break-down the activities in small tasks and sub-tasks that will enable the project manager to make schedule for the project (Schwalbe, 2013). A WBS for the proposed project is as given below:

Cost Estimating Techniques:

Following aresome useful cost estimation techniques in project management:

Bottom-up Estimating:It is a process of estimating individual costs that allow the project manager to get a more refined estimate of a particular component in the project.The use of this technique can enable the project manager to get accurate budget estimations than other methods (Heldman, 2009).

Resource Costing:It is the most common technique of cost estimation in which a list of required resources is prepared with expected costs and then total of costs is done to finalize the project budget.It is easy to use and apply for cost estimation (Gray, 2010).

Analogous Cost Estimating:It is a top-down cost estimating method that is useful when enough information about the project is not available. It is a judgment technique in which professional judgmentsare used to estimate costs. The use of this method will be cost effective in eco-tourism campaign project (Heldman, 2009).

Cost Control Techniques:

Following techniques are available for cost control:

Cost Change Control System: A cost change control system isthe set of procedures and rules that will enable the project manager to change the cost baseline any time to control project cost. This technique can be effective for the project manager to control project costs as well as to ensure the project completion in on-budget. It is because it guides the team in making decisions about changes to the budget, which is quite effective to increase cost efficiency (Taylor, 2008).