Project Management Leadership and Skills: ASSIGNMENT 1: Create a business case for establishing a British Target Store

Target Corporation Project in United Kingdom
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Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Project plan PAGEREF _Toc4430028 \h 1Introduction PAGEREF _Toc4430029 \h 2Background information PAGEREF _Toc4430030 \h 3Problem statement PAGEREF _Toc4430031 \h 4Project definition and objective PAGEREF _Toc4430032 \h 5Literature review. PAGEREF _Toc4430033 \h 5Analysis of Internal environment PAGEREF _Toc4430034 \h 8Roles and responsibilities PAGEREF _Toc4430035 \h 9Performance measurement PAGEREF _Toc4430036 \h 10Stakeholder analysis PAGEREF _Toc4430037 \h 11Constraints and risks PAGEREF _Toc4430038 \h 13Communications PAGEREF _Toc4430039 \h 14Project budget PAGEREF _Toc4430040 \h 15Work cited PAGEREF _Toc4430041 \h 17
Project plan
Target corporation project will deliver outline of the project, comprising the goals and objectives. This project serves to accommodate all the stakeholders in order to realize the set deliverables.
The project plan defines the; Scope and problem statement, Background information, Project definition, Business and project goals and objectives, Stake holder analysis, Constraints and risk factors ,Project management approach, Project budget.
The project approach will outline of literature review of the available approaches to project management. The aim is to determine the most appropriate type of approach that will help in realization of goals and objectives
Further, this will help to break down the project in phases that are easier to manage and track for performance as well as assigning of responsibilities and duties
Goals and objectives
This section will outline the specific objectives and milestones to be achieved by the project. The goals and objectives of the project is;
* Improve customer satisfaction
* Analyze on the risk factor associated with establishment
* Improve on the supply chain
* Achieve better pricing hence competitive advantage.
Risk assessment
* The Risk Assessment endeavors to define, arrange and portray a relative approach that mitigates the  
* The risk assessment in this project will be constantly be monitored, evaluated and updated at timely intervals. Reports of assessment will be delivered to the project manager for approval and amendment
* The development Manager will share modifications and recommended solutions with the organizing team on weekly and monthly intervals.
Risk indicators
* This seeks to identify element that are to be used to measure on performance.
* For this project productivity, effectiveness and efficiency will be used as a measure of performance.
* Information sharing is an important element to the project’s success. Project members rely on information to determine the status and the influence of the project to their interests. In this project, communication methodology will be; Top down ,Bottom up Middle out
The participants in this project include; Investors, Top level management, Project manager, Project organizing team and business consultants experts.
Executive summary
The project involves the design and analysis of Target stores in the United Kingdom market. The primary aim of the plan is to analyze the internal and external environment in the United Kingdom in order to establish the complexities of the systems and devise favorable solutions that will enhance the success of the project. The individual components of the whole system are integrated among the major stakeholders and performance metrics established. Following the developments of the designs, prototypes are developed and tested to determine the degree of viability of the project. After testing, the whole retail system was modified to improve on the functionality before the actual implementation of the project.
Introduction
Interests in project management have evolved and sparked different opinions among academics and business practitioners. Over the past years and mostly in the current global business world, projects have continuously as a delivery mechanism in business formulation and accomplishment of strategic plans. According to CITATION HEA16 \l 1033 (HEAGNEY, 2016) a project can be defined as the unique organization of individuals and resources devoted towards a common objective. Generally, projects are expensive and high-risk activities with established timelines, capital investment and expected level of performance. Plans play an essential role in a business strategy as they help cover business dimensions such as correction, solving problems and raising a campaign of awareness CITATION JUG14 \l 1033 (JUGDEV, 2014).
On the other hand, project management is the application of skills and knowledge tools and techniques to project activities, to achieve desired results. Project management as a business tool helps an organization achieve efficiency, effectiveness in the unwavering, complex and competitive environment CITATION ZIr10 \l 1033 (Irani, 2010). Traditionally, Project management process is; starting, arrangement, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing and re-evaluation of the deliverables. All management is s drawn in the areas of; competing needs of, incorporation, opportunity, time, cost, quality, procurement, human resource communications, risk and stakeholders management.
Project planning is an essential element in project success. The process of project planning ensures that tasks complete on time. Project planning involves a series of steps which sets out how to achieve specific objectives. Commonly, Project plan help increase the chances of project success by minimizing the rate of failure and, hence devising an effective strategy for completion CITATION JUG14 \l 1033 (JUGDEV, 2014). Projects are unique, vary and there lacks a common ground on executing plans, though, the process of project management are similar to some extent. Different approaches have been developed to address the process of project planning and initiation.
Background information
Target Corporation was founded in 1962 by George Dayton, as a discount retailer of the subsidiary Dayton Dry Goods Company in Minnesota. In the year 1970, the organization grew and had twenty-four outlets with sales of over two hundred million dollars. Following the 1970s, the organization started acquiring stores from companies such as Arian department stores chain, Mervyns and Ayr-way retail chain. Amid 1980 –2000, the corporation, embarked to national-wide expansion through acquisitions several retail outlets in the country. The company offers products ranging from households’ essentials, clothing, private label products, and credit and debit cards facilities. By the year 2013, the organization entered the Canadian market, when Zellers chain a subsidiary of Hudson Bay Company disposed of its discount stores CITATION Bea11 \l 1033 (Beach, 2011). On entry, the company was expected to succeed with 81% of shoppers around the country expressing interest in visiting the outlets due to the brand equity and reputation.
Problem statement
Less than two years in operation the Canadian market, Target Corporation decided to pullout terming the decision was the best option available. The corporation would have sunk to liabilities if there were no extra funding. Although several factors such as competition from Walmart and a weakened Canadian dollar, in my opinion, poor planning from the start is the primary contributing factor. Canadian market faces stiff competition from large corporations such as Walmart, Costco and Safeway hence low pricing and apparel selection would be the most distinguishing element. Nevertheless, target corporations did not understand the customer need but instead relied on their reputation.
First, lack of customer intelligence led to its downfall of target Canada. The pricing discrepancies among the Canadian and American stores distracted the customers from visiting the stores. On its onset, Canadian shoppers believed that the organization would have matched the better experiences witnessed in the US market; however, 40% affirmed that target Canada was of no comparison to their counterparts in united states when it comes to prices CITATION Ric11 \l 1033 (Volpe, 2011). Tapping to data collection and analysis would have helped the business to understand the external and internal environment. Second, the empty shelves failed to satisfy customer needs.
Further, the venture failed to create an adequate distribution system which sparked online complains about the low inventory. These supply chain inefficiencies meant that the corporation could not offer online shopping solutions at the moment. Tapping into customer intelligence would have helped the organization anticipate demand and the central constituency.
Third, lack of customer involvement is another underlying challenge that affected Target Corporation. Customers had a great shopping experience in the experience in the United States than in Canada. Its failure, it’s a clear indication of not only perceptions on brand but also customer expectations and previous experiences CITATION Ric11 \l 1033 (Volpe, 2011). The organization would have enjoyed a leeway if it had sought to understand customer experiences. Target Canada delivered experiences that did not match the customer’s expectation and the organization strategic plan. A continuous control and monitoring process of tasks would have helped keep track of the progress.
Project definition and objective
The project aims to effectively develop target stores in the UK market that offer excellent customer service at relatively fair prices and reduce chances of failure. This development will focus on providing customer satisfaction and addressing the supply chain problems the organisation experienced in the Canadian market. The project aims to bring on board all players in the market from preliminary stages.
Literature review.
Given the nature of project management, different approaches have been devised to explain the processes. All these aspects assume an exceptional emphasis fashioned by the goals and resources and time frame of each project. The approaches include;
Phased approach
A phased approach, traditional or waterfall approach divides a plan into different sequential steps. This approach assumes that any scheme is divided into various stages. This approach consists of four phases; initiation, planning and design, evaluation, monitoring and control, and closing. In this method resistance to change is reduced and allows findings learned to be implemented in the next phases CITATION Tac09 \l 1033 (Tacconelli & Neil Wrigley, 2009). Additionally, it provides a solid foundation of project-level data that can be used to evaluate strategies at every level of execution. This approach is suited for small business with clear project outline.
Lean project management
This methodology incorporates the aspects of lean manufacturing that aims in reducing wastes and time in processes and increasing customer satisfaction. The method originates from the Henry Ford assembly line that integrates the six sigma concepts. Lean wastes include defects, overproduction, and non-value adding activities CITATION Tac09 \l 1033 (Tacconelli & Neil Wrigley, 2009). The process uses the A3 problem-solving method; plan, do check and act. Additionally, the process adopts the six sigma black DMAIC (define, measure analyze, implement and control). This approach is best suited for relatively short and improvements projects.
Process-based approach
The approach assumes and treats projects as part of the daily operations of an organization that aligns to the goals and objective of the organization. Before the onset of any project, an evaluation is conducted to see if the plan aligns with an organizational mission and purpose. On the contrary, the project is terminated or reorganized to add worth to goals and objectives CITATION JUG14 \l 1033 (JUGDEV, 2014). Further, in this approach business processes be elements of inputs transformation into outputs. This model is appropriate for the project in a controlled environment where all plan need business justification.
Iterative and incremental project management
The business world is continuous amidst the changing internal and external environment. Iterative style of project management factors in these and introduces the concepts of agility, dynamic systems, and extreme project development. The general principle in this approach is to divide project management into brief and repetitive phases that help address problems and implement new solutions. The process uses the ideas...