*PROJECT AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT L5M8 paper 3

1. What are the competitor ways of completing complex project?
2. When is the exact date for completing each phase of the project
3. Who will be responsible for undertaking a particular project task?
4. What negotiation style will be used with raw material providers to reduce costs?

Imogen is the owner and manager of a well-established, non-profit training business that provides marketing and advertising training to individuals both locally and globally. In recent years, she has observed a decline in the number of new learners signing up for qualifications. Recognizing that changes are needed to sustain the business, Imogen decides to evaluate all the potential causes contributing to this trend by creating a diagnostic diagram. After completing this analysis, she plans to review a model based on Lewin's work on change management.

Her analysis reveals some internal weaknesses, particularly in the delivery methods. Unlike her competitors, who are using email and online platforms, Imogen's lecturers and course writers still send course materials by mail. Additionally, there are rumors of a new provider entering the market that will operate entirely online, never meeting learners face-to-face. This approach is unfamiliar to Imogen, who has always prioritized in-person client meetings and has a representative on the road for this purpose.

In addition to technological factors, Imogen discovers other forces driving the need for change, including environmental concerns, political factors, and demographic shifts. The areas where she has been focusing her outreach for new business have changed as well. Once thriving industrial regions are now towns struggling with poverty. Rather than targeting these areas to attract new learners, Imogen considers whether she could shift her CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policy toward supporting these communities. She wonders how she missed these economic shifts and realizes the urgency of acting quickly to save her business.

Imogen understands that the changes required must be both comprehensive and rapid. She sets new objectives and goals, categorizing her approach into areas like “avoid” and “preserve” outcomes, and maps these goals against the current position of the business. Once her plan is in place, she knows she must address her team. She feels anxious about this, as many employees, particularly the trainers, have been with her since the company’s inception. Two trainers nearing retirement may resist the change, as Imogen anticipates they will struggle to adapt to such a radical shift.

To prepare for the team’s reaction, Imogen reviews a model on employee responses to change to help her empathize with the stages they are likely to experience. Ideally, she hopes her employees will quickly move from an initial sense of loss to understanding the rationale behind the changes. This transition process is something she studied during her college training.

Imogen contemplates whether hiring an external contractor to manage the change would be beneficial, given their expertise. However, she questions whether her close-knit, family-style workforce would be open to an external consultant, or if it would be better for her to lead the change herself. She understands that for the change to succeed, she needs the support of her team. Failure is not an option if the business is to remain viable in the future.

1. Documentary credit
2. Overdraft
3. Leasing
4. Hire purchase

1. Closure
2. Control
3. Review
4. Co-ordination

1. Safety and Quality
2. Competitive and value
3. Risk and reward
4. Cost and delivery

1. Resource loading.
2. Resource lagging.
3. Resource levelling.
4. Resource leading.

1. Approving project initiation.
2. Sanctioning project resources.
3. Creating the project timeline.
4. Recruiting project managers.

1. Project reporting.
2. Critical path.
3. Gantt chart.
4. Risk accountability.