Introduction
In contemporary project management, the intention is to identify the change requirement and set the foundation for all project activities. Based on the case study and discussion, several issues have been identified. Based on these issues, project management is in a better position to integrate with the change requirements and different stages of the project life cycle. It seems like a strategic planning process, which can stimulate the capacity to improve the business process and enhance the visibility of outcomes. This project is related to the ASQ education division, which struggles with sacristy or different resources. The leadership team of the company claims that members are facilitated due to high-quality educational services. However, more value is still provided to all key stakeholders, including organizations, communities, members, and students. In this comprehensive analysis, the focus is on the study of the change requirement, project life cycle stages, and justification of all changes, which are to be incorporated. Of course, appropriate concepts and tools will be used to enable improvement in the educational environment.
Change Request Analysis
The project management has to assess what kind of change requests are occurring in this particular project. For instance, there are always two types of the change request. The first change request occurs within the project scope. On the other hand, some change requests arise from outside of the project scope. It is a fact that the change request inside the project scope is the little correction of the current requirements, and it has limited or minimum impact on the project outcomes. However, out-of-scope change requests are big and significant changes in the scope and project life cycle activities are to be made. Regarding this particular project, which is interrelated to ASQ educational division, the company wants to evade resource scarcity and set the foundation for better allocation of resources. It is outside scope change requirements, which need significant changes in the project life cycle activities.
With limited resources, the company often struggles with how to produce or bring high-quality products or services for all key stakeholders. Improving the education quality in all learning environments is a significant change. In this particular project, the educational division is looking to fulfil the needs of all its segments. The main segments of this educational division are K-2, higher education, and workforce development. For instance, when navigating the change request in higher education, the company may intend to improve the learning environment for educators, administrators, board members, and students at different community colleges and technical institutions. On the other hand, when it comes to K2, the company wants to improve the learning environment for public and private educational institutions, including educators and administrators, and different students from kindergarten grade 12 (Grover, Kovach, & Cudney, 2016).
Finally, regarding workplace development, current workforce members are to be facilitated by an improved learning environment. The change request seems pertinent and change in the learning environment will help these people get jobs and learn appropriate skills to enter a competitive workforce. Short courses and workshops will be initiated by the educational division for these people, as they can enter different industries such as manufacturing and many other services. In short, refining the element of the education division’s strategic plan is a significant change request. By using the project life cycle and six sigma approaches or methodology, the difference is to be made. It can be said that the strategic planning process is associated with the change requests mentioned above. For instance, the strategic intent or thinking of the corporation is to make new education strategies, which can be aligned with the vision, mission, goals, and objectives of the education division. Consequently, it can be said that the project change requirements can be referred to as the new needs of the education division system to set the foundation for an improved and differentiated learning environment for all segments. Now, project management has to adopt appropriate methodologies to achieve expected outcomes (Grover, Kovach, & Cudney, 2016).
Change Details in the Project Management Processes
Details of the changes in the project management process are necessary to elaborate along with some key insights. The change detail is essential, as the project manager can set the ground to conduct each project activity incredibly. The details of the change in the project management process can be described by navigating the current products and services. For instance, the main product or service of the education division is the QED newsletter, as the company wants to spread the information to all division members and ordinary stakeholders. Now, a possible change is to make the newsletter differentiated, as it is to be taught how industries are changing or evolving with time. This change is mandatory to create awareness for education and administration to make changes in the education system. The second product or service is a high-quality approach to higher education, backed by the electronic journal. Journal is released with open access. However, the significant change that the company can make is to divide the journal into a different segment.
For instance, journals should be separated into workplace development, K2, and higher education. The quality education conference and workshops are current initiatives and changes regarding the design and consistency is to be made. Websites, LinkedIn groups, and many other digital considerations should be improved or changed. In the project management process, one of the main aims is to foster a shared vision, establish an appropriate balance of focus, and provide valuable products and services instead of focusing on conventional ways of dealing with educational or learning environments. Differentiation among market segments is to be justified, as members are to be in the related department. Apart from it, the impact of other competitors must be reduced or evaded. One of the significant changes is resource utilization. Determining the satisfaction rating for each segment is the right approach or replacement, which can contribute to project outcomes.
Stages of Project Life Cycle
· Initiation
The project life cycle is associated with several stages. These stages are initiation, planning, execution, control, and closure. In this particular project, the most important thing is to collaborate with the division’s leadership team to define the project charter and baseline. In this phase, it will be discussed how methodologies to improve the process, such as LSS, can be integrated. Apart from scope, objectives, and baseline for the project, the educational decision has to identify gaps regarding the current organizational design. Of course, high-performance targets are to be set to make the educational outcomes differentiated. Another important consideration for the education division is to come up with low-cost products and services for customers and members, as it is one of the best strategies to beat its emerging competitors. Consequently, it can be affirmed that the initiation stage sets the ground to check the feasibility and revise the strategic intent. It is all about setting the tone when starting the project, as any change in the initiation stage may also cause changes in planning and other phases (Burke, 2013).
· Planning
In the planning phase, the project management or education division must shape the comprehensive course of action to meet project goals and objectives. For instance, in the planning process, the education division decided to involve stakeholders through surveys and interviews. The company wants to know or understand its stakeholder’s value, and accordingly, the leadership team can guide to improve the products and services. The high-quality approaches have been identified, which may contribute to the improvement of products and services. Education conferences and workshops (QECW) and high-quality approaches to higher education are two main changes or objectives, which cannot be implemented or executed without proper planning. In this planning phase, the needs and wants of each member group or segment are to be identified, and finally, the change is to be justified. It seems good to plan how these approaches are implemented, as roles and responsibilities of all key stakeholders in the education division are to be defined. The planning phase is linked to multiple opportunities.
After analyzing the current system in all learning environments, the leadership team has identified opportunities to improve. For instance, integration or collaboration with local ASQ sections will help to deploy new concepts and techniques and enhance the learning environment, especially in the K-2 segment. The significant advantage of the partnership is that the division generates resources that are to be shared at the local level. Prioritizing the resources and enabling the efficient utilization of these resources is one of the primary strategic considerations. As mentioned, the whole planning process is based on different strategic opportunities. Now, QECW is the best option for this education decision, and educators or practitioners will be portraying standards in workshops. These standards will be implemented at the local level effectively. No doubt, differentiation is a crucial option or strategic alternative to gain and sustain a competitive advantage (Silvius, Schipper, & Planko, 2012). The planning process helped to reach QECW, as it is the best solution to consolidate and repositioning, especially at the local level. It is all about merging individual products and services to utilize the resource and maintain high quality (Project Management Institute, 2017).
· Execution
In the execution stage, the QAHE is to be implemented. The leadership team of the education division will be using a guiding framework, mentioned in the case. For instance, all high-quality approaches, which are defined, must be included in the QAHE publication. It is all about making this resource accessible to all market segments, especially at the local level. Instead of focusing on differentiation, the primary intention of the education division is to change the structure. For instance, the roles of editor, associate editors, and reviewers are defined. Based on the experiences of editors, associate editors and reviewers, quality and standards can be shaped and delivered.
The new vision and mission have been incurred, as higher education commission and education division seems imperative. It is all about streamlining the education standard and quality, as even customers can review this quality standard through the division’s website. Some quality measures and performance indicators are essential, as based on it, different improvises or changes can be made. In the execution stage, the best thing that project management can do is improve the performance of editors.
For instance, it has been revealed that the transitions of editors are not smooth at the current stage. The new roles and responsibilities of editors are to be defined to maintain the quality content, addition, and editing. When it comes to the improvement in quality in the learning environment, there is a need to make all articles in the publication acceptable. So far, many articles, which have been included in the publication, are not up to the mark, and it may impair the quality. In this execution phase, the education division has to set the criteria only to take acceptable articles. In the execution phase, the education division and leadership team must make sure that all strategies, which were streamlined or utilized in the initiation and planning stage, must be implemented along with some improvisations. Changes in the model of publications are also necessary to get expected results (Grover, Kovach, & Cudney, 2016).
· Control
It is one of the most critical stages in the project life cycle. Specific metrics have been established to assess the quality and workability of changed or strategies. Regarding publication, submission, acceptance, and citation, each article is to be assessed or evaluated. In the control plan of the project, the best thing is to sideline the historical data and evaluate the publication year for baseline performance. It can be affirmed that the control plan is flexible, and several changes can be made even in the controlling process to get things in the favor. Interestingly, the control plan is flexible, and the education division is always in the best position to embrace some changes and evaluate the process accordingly (Grover, Kovach, & Cudney, 2016).
· Closeout
The closeout is the final stage of the project lifecycle. At this stage, the education division must confirm that all strategies are implemented effectively along with the fulfillment of needs and wants of different market segments. These strategies and executions are to be included or recorded in documents. Ensuring that all activities are completed on time can justify the project closure (Medeiros, Araújo, & Oliveira, 2018).
Integrated Change Control
The change process in the education division can be integrated with the DMAIC model. For instance, the first stage in this model is defining. In the defining step, the education division will describe the current activities and shape the capable team to implement strategies. It seems imperative to identify issues or challenges at the right time and develop a talented group of educators, administrators, and all key stakeholders. All these key stakeholders have recognized some gaps or changes, and accordingly, an appropriate preparation will be enhanced. The purpose of documentation is to clear a roadmap and set the foundation to implement the required changes (Project Management Institute, 2013).
The change has been controlled by education division through measurement. It is the second phase of the model in which the education division will recognize or identify main stakeholders, including educators, administrators, communities, and customers. In this comprehensive change process, the company’s management will be working on current information regarding competitors. Measuring the current information or data regarding rivals is a good approach, as it can set the foundation to differentiate the change process. In short, the education division will be working on those alternatives, which can make the project outcomes different and unique as compared to competitors. In the analysis phase, findings of surveys will be collected, and accordingly, some key categories will be shaped.
Interviews and reviews are better sources for the company to derive essential insights. Interestingly, the company will work on two particular products or services, which are generally accepted by customers in a different market segment. The analysis phase of this model is critical in the change process because it can assess the current situation and any possible gaps. The change control in this particular project is aligned with customer behavior and experiences. Based on past data or information, new strategies or products can be shaped. When intending to plan and execute the change in the project life cycle, the illustration of the current mission and vision and strategic goals and objectives is essential. The company will be able to recognize the difference regarding ongoing mission and vision and compare it to the new possible vision and mission. In the improvement phase, the education division has to streamline solutions and conduct a robust evaluation. For instance, if the company intends to implement high-quality approaches to higher education and K-2, it has to evaluate the solution in planning, execution, and control.
Continuous improvement looks crucial, and evaluation is a critical source to make some changes if needed. Customers’ and stakeholders’ need and wants must be integrated. Based on it, future status can be declared by the education division. Through the control phase, the education division will use metrics such as customer satisfaction and change the role of educators and administrators. It is a fact that by developing the targets in the control phase, the education division can incredibly control the change process (Sparks, Cho, & Kovach, 2008).
Justification for the Required Changes
The justification for the required change is visible. The whole change process or project management can be justified if there is adequate time management. It depends on the education division. It can make a schedule for each activity, the right change at the right time to meet the needs and wants of stakeholders, especially customers, and justify the necessary change. Of course, project management is linked to cost management. The difference can be explained only of the education division completes all activities within the limited budget. Both direct and indirect costs were determined. Productive and successful change can be justified through different risk management strategies. The best practice is to identify potential risks and likelihood and impact, based on the risk assessment; several risk management strategies can be developed. It is all about making the project or change process risk-free to meet expected outcomes (Gentle, 2010).
Effective communication between project team members can also justify effective change control. (Vanhoucke, 2016). The communication process with distinct patterns and protocols can stimulate project members’ capacity to share ideas through work progress. The most appropriate way to control the change process is to improve the communication process, project status, and progress as shared among team members, as further plans or strategies can be executed. Without effective communication, it is always tough to share critical project insight. If there is effective communication between project leaders, managers, and team members, the project can be controlled remarkably. In the education division project, communication was incredible, as due to the best coordination, objectives were met at the end.
The project or change process can also be justified if there is effective stakeholder management. The education division has identified all those people who are affected. From administrators to people at the bottom-line, everyone was engaged well. Therefore, these are some key aspects, which were aligned in this extensive change process. These considerations always play an essential role in reaching the expected project outcomes without any disruption and conflict (Bemker & Schreiner, 2016).
Conclusion
In the end, it is to conclude that the education division has the potential to identify issues or challenges with time. The education division has managed the whole change process by maintaining the project life cycle, including all stages effectively. Integration with Six Sigma was the right decision, as it helped to retain control in the whole change process. High quality approaches to all market segments and improving the overall learning environment were key objectives, which were to be met at the end. In the end, the necessary change process has been justified, as project management knowledge areas were incurred in this extensive change process.
References
Bemker, M., & Schreiner, B. (2016). The DNP Degree & Capstone Project: A Practical Guide. DEStech Publications.
Burke, R. (2013). Project Management Techniques (2 ed.). Burke Publishing.
Gentle, M. (2010). An Introduction to It Project Financials – Budgeting, Cost Management and Chargebacks. Lulu.com.
Grover, S., Kovach, J. V., & Cudney, E. (2016). Case Study: Integrating Strategic Planning and Quality Improvement Methods To Create Sustainably High Performance. Journal for Quality and Participation, 39(2), 23-32.
Medeiros, B. C., Araújo, V. F., & Oliveira, M. K. (2018). Life Cycle Canvas (Lcc): A Visual Model for Project Life Cycle Management. Revista de Gestão e Projetos, 9(1), 87-101.
Project Management Institute. (2013). Managing change in organisations: A practical guide. Newtown Square.
Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (6 ed.). Newtown Square.
Silvius, G., Schipper, R., & Planko, J. (2012). Sustainability in Project Management. Gower Publishing.
Sparks, A. B., Cho, B. R., & Kovach, J. (2008). Leveraging the DMAIC Model to Drive Improvement in a Service Process. IIE Annual Conference. Proceedings, 1(1), 188-193.
Vanhoucke, M. (2016). Integrated Project Management Sourcebook: A Technical Guide to Project Scheduling, Risk and Control. Springer.
