Objective of the Project

The Globex Corporation was founded in the year 2013 after the merging of two large regional businesses. Globex works for providing quality agricultural solutions to the clients. Globex has undertaken a project of development of a new online cash platform that is known as i-Crop. Globex has given the responsibility of development of the application to Virtucon as Globex had been a long standing client of Virtucon. The aim of the project is to develop an application with an easy interface. An easy interference of the application will make it easier for the growers to operate the app via smart phone or the web browsers.

Virtucon will be developing the project in house and will be implementing it as inexpensively as possible. The following sections of the document provide the details of the project team, their communication plan along with the aims and objectives of the project.

Part One

The project is based on developing an online cash marketplace platform. The project will not replace any existing system but will develop a new system. The Globex has made it clear that the application that is to be developed will be on a mobile enabled platform so that the sellers of the grains can have an easy access to the domestic along with the export opportunities. The application will enable the seller to set a price for their crops and the buyers will bid on the set crops.  The bid that will be preferable to the seller will be selected and the payment will be made according to the preferences of the seller. The description and the identified objectives of the project are discussed in the following section.

Development of i-Crop application is a project that will enable an easy way of managing, selling and buying of the warehoused grains. I-Crop application will be a value added service for the clients of Globex who will grow and purchase the grains. The application will provide one of the most convenient ways of buying and selling of the warehoused grains as the buyer and the seller could communicate directly.  The I –Crop application will incorporate solutions to unstable internet connectivity so that the transaction issues can be addressed as they occur.  There are certain other features of i-Crop application including printing option, each access from web browser and the application and so on. The objectives of the project are as follows-

• The application will be available free of cost for the clients of Globex
• The application with incorporate an easy user interface
• The payment for the grains will be made according to the decision of the seller
• The system will enable easier recovery post any network issue or coverage issue
• The project will be delivered on time and will be implemented in an inexpensive manner as possible.

Project Team

The table below gives an idea of the knowledge and skills that are possessed by the team members

Team Communications

A Communication plan is developed in order to ensure that the team members are engaged in an effective communication among themselves. This will ensure easier sharing of the project progress and the necessary updates.

Team Rules & Expectations 

Prior to the execution of the project, it is essential to set proper team rules and identify the expectations of the team. The team rules that will be followed during the implementation of the project are as follows-

• A state of honesty and integrity will be maintained among the team members (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017)
• The team will ensure that the project is completed within a scheduled time
• The team members will follow the PMI code of ethics and professional conduct
• The team will ensure that the project does not incorporate any standing delays.
• The team will work according to the project plan (Marchewka, 2014).

The expectations from the project team are as follows (Harrison & Lock, 2017)-

• The team will be able to complete the tasks allocated within a set deadline
• The project team will ensure that the project requirements are gathered in an appropriate manner.
• The project team will enable an easier management of the project resources (Kissi, Dainty & Tuuli, 2013).
• Finally, it is expected that the project team will be able to deliver the task in the most inexpensive manner as possible. 

Team values

When the team values are put in place, it helps in easier management of a project. The team value is a characteristic that helps in segregating the right from wrong (Haughey, 2013). The team members will follow the team rules and will always act according to the set rules to meet the expectations. Following a set team value helps in easier decision making that in turn drives the project towards success. An efficient project management team should follow a planned approach of implementation a project which will eventually reduce the chances of conflict in a project team. The team values for this project management team are as follows (Burke, 2013)-

• The project team will ensure that the tasks are executed according to the project plan
• The team will not involve in any conflict (Leach, 2014)
• The team will ensure that the project is delivered within the set deadline
• The team will follow the PMI code of ethics and professional conduct (Beringer,  Jonas & Kock, 2013)

 Code of ethics

The code of ethics ensures that the project team will be fair and responsible towards their work. A project or a project team needs to follow the code of ethics to implement a project in an ethical manner. The code of ethics associated with this particular team is as follows (Phillips, 2013)-

• The team members will maintain integrity in their work (Bredillet, 2014)
• The members will be responsible for completion of the project works in a scheduled time
• The team members will follow the professional code of conduct (Heagney, 2016)
  1. Learning Cycles

Meeting 2

 Meeting 3

1. Team Learning Record

Learning Cycles

In order to ensure an easier and effective information flow within the team, it is essential to develop a communication plan (Zulch, 2014). The communication plan that is developed will be followed by the project management team for ensuring effective communication among the team. The communication plan that has been developed in illustrated in the following table (Bratton & Gold, 2017)-

The above table represents the communication plan that will be used by the team members to communicate the status of the project along with the project progress. Communication plan will therefore ensure an improved communication among the team members.   

Part Four:
Reflection –

This project had been a good opportunity for me to learn the different aspects of managing a project. Project management is a complex task and the project manager is responsible for managing and implementation of a project successfully. The project manager has a leading role to play in management of a project as the project manager has the responsibility of developing a project plan.

Communication Plan

I have understood the importance of different tools and techniques that are used in project management. Scheduling is an important aspect of project management as it ensures the delivery of the project within a scheduled time. While working on the project, I have understood the importance of communication in project management. Therefore a communication plan is developed which will ensure effective communication flow among the team members. 

Conclusion:

The report gives an overview of the development strategy and team works which will be followed while development of the i-Crop Application. This application will be developed in order to ensure easier management of the warehoused grains. The application will help the buyers and the seller to easily communicate about a particular transaction thus increasing the efficiency in the process of management of the warehoused grains.

The report gives an overview of the team structure along with the detailed responsibility of each team members. The report identifies the aims and the objectives of the project and formulates a communication plan for easier project implementation. Effective communication among the team members are essential to ensure and easy communication flow among the project team.  If followed a planned approach, it is possible to deliver the project within a scheduled time.

References

Beringer, C., Jonas, D., & Kock, A. (2013). Behavior of internal stakeholders in project portfolio management and its impact on success. International Journal of Project Management, 31(6), 830-846.

Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2017). Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.

Bredillet, C. (2014). Ethics in project management: some Aristotelian insights. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 7(4), 548-565.

Burke, R. (2013). Project management: planning and control techniques. New Jersey, USA.

Harrison, F., & Lock, D. (2017). Advanced project management: a structured approach. Routledge.

Haughey, D. (2013). The role of the project manager. Project Smart UK. Retrieved online, 4.

Heagney, J. (2016). Fundamentals of project management. Amacom.

Kerzner, H., & Kerzner, H. R. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.

Kissi, J., Dainty, A., & Tuuli, M. (2013). Examining the role of transformational leadership of portfolio managers in project performance. International Journal of project management, 31(4), 485-497.

Leach, L. P. (2014). Critical chain project management. Artech House.

Marchewka, J. T. (2014). Information technology project management. John Wiley & Sons.

Perkins, D. (2014). Conceptualizing defensive silence in project-manager-to-project-sponsor communication. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 35(1), 2-19.

Phillips, J. (2013). PMP, Project Management Professional (Certification Study Guides). McGraw-Hill Osborne Media.

Zulch, B. G. (2014). Communication: The foundation of project management. Procedia Technology, 16, 1000-1009.