Communication Plan & Project Schedule Overview The sponsor of the project has reviewed your scope definition (goals, objectives, project structure,

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Project Planning and Management

Dynisha Beamon

Strayer University

BUS375

Instructor: Peter Freeman

April 29, 2022

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Project Planning and Management

Project introduction and overview

The paper intends to create a project plan on the plausible non-intrusive ways of

conducting census in India. The old intrusive way of counting people can be tiresome and

sometimes infringes on citizens' privacy; thus, there is a need to avoid infringing on people's

privacy. Developing a non-intrusive mode of the census is an efficient way of counting people in

India to enhance government budgeting (Council of Economic Advisors, 2000), determine

education levels, allocate resources, assess economic well-being, and monitor citizens' compliance

with the law. The project's primary focus is to evaluate the viability of a non-intrusive census,

develop the best mathematical model convenient for computing India's population size, and predict

the possible trends in the Indian population. Upon achieving the required mathematical model, an

android application can be developed with the help of software engineers, and the population

prediction algorithm can be integrated into the application.

Importance of defining goals and objectives of a new project

Goals and objectives are crucial in giving a clear sense of direction and guidance in a new

project. Dreams and goals align project researchers in a manner that allows them to accomplish the

vision (Woodruff, 2019) and mission for which the project is meant. Second, setting clear goals

and objectives can act as employee motivation. Employee morale is boosted (Woodruff, 2019), and

they become more enthusiastic by knowing the expected outcomes. The outcomes are achieved

without wasting much time and resources. If the employees lack the requisite skills to achieve the

goals, they can easily find means of learning to accomplish the objectives and the set goals.

Furthermore, setting goals creates standards through which performance can be evaluated.

Performance standards are established (Woodruff, 2019) by outlining the objectives. Setting

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objectives is a way to measure an organization's rate of failure or success. Thus, the managers can

identify (Woodruff, 2019) the organization's weaknesses or strengths and take the appropriate

actions. It is under the consideration of the goals and objectives that the budget is set. Objectives

ease the fund allocation process to achieve specific goals. Putting objectives in a new project can

also help know the timelines for which various activities should be implemented in the project.

Two goals and objectives for each of the goals in the project

The first goal of this project is to study and explore the various intrinsic and extrinsic

factors in the population of India. The first goal is to explain the implication of population growth

on poverty levels in India using non-intrusive methods. The second goal of this project is to

develop mathematical models for developing android applications to analyze the population of

India. The objective of the second goal is to use the developed models to predict India's possible

future population.

Importance of understanding organizational structure where the project will be completed

Understanding the structure of the organization can boost project productivity and

performance. The project manager and analysts (Mouzon, 2019) can know how to assign specific

tasks and get them done. Understanding the structure facilitates the accomplishment of objectives

and aids in proving the return of investment (ROI) based on the tasks delivered. In addition,

knowledge of organization structure allows networking (Mouzon, 2019) and building research

team relationships. Exposure can result from understanding the structure of the organization.

Exposure facilitates the grabbing of new opportunities (Mouzon, 2019) and gaining new insights

that arise in the organization. Consistently having good performance creates an outstanding

reputation that increases the odds of acquiring new opportunities in the organization.

Description of the project management structure for my project, type, and its importance

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I prefer using matrix-based project organizations to other project management structures in

my project. Matrix structure efficiently allocates scarce resources (pm4dev, 2016). The matrix

structure is the best choice to allow flexibility in a scenario where programmatic needs and

priorities constantly vary. In the matrix form of structure, my project research team can enable

units (pm4dev, 2016) to focus on technical areas where they are competent. The project can

receive maximum attention from various specialists from the organization. I would consider using

a balanced matrix project management structure due to the equal distribution of authority between

the members and the project manager.

Project stakeholders and their impact on my project

Stakeholders refer to both external and internal participants in the project implementation

and can negatively (Simplilearn, 2022) or positively affect the project output. I will have

Mathematicians, research scientists, data analysts, and software engineers as the key stakeholder in

my project. Mathematicians are responsible for coming up with Mathematical models and

equations that can estimate the population of India. Data analysts are responsible for analyzing data

collected through surveys and checking the prediction algorithms used in the android application.

Research scientists will work on any additional task outside the scope of the three stakeholders.

Finally, the software engineers will code and program the application programs to yield the

required results.

Best practices for estimating and developing project budget

The best way to create budget estimation is to use historical data. Looking at budgets of

similar projects (Bridges, 2019) that were developed in the past is an excellent way to go. One can

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further check the successes or failures of past projects to help create a more accurate budget

estimate. Moreover, one can consult the experts (Bridges, 2019) who have ever made similar

budgets before to avoid obvious pitfalls. Once done with creating a budget, one can share it with

the experts to determine the levels of accuracy involved.

References

Bridges, J. (2019). 7 Steps for a Successful Project Budget. ProjectManager. Accessed on the 28th

of April, 2022.

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Council of Economic Advisors, (2000). The uses of census data: An analytical review. A Report by

the Council of Economic Advisors. Accessed on the 28th of April, 2022.

https://clintonwhitehouse3.archives.gov/WH/EOP/CEA/html/censusreview.html

https://www.projectmanager.com/training/create-and-manage-project-budget

Mouzon, F. (2019). Who Is Who: The Importance Of An Org Structure When Delivering Projects.

PMtimes Resources for Project Managers. Accessed on the 28th of April. 2022.

https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/who-is-who-the-importance-of-org-structure-when-

delivering-projects/

pm4dev, (2016). Project Management for Development Organizations. pm4dev.

https://www.pm4dev.com/resources/free-e-books/3-the-project-management-

organizational-structures/file.html

Simplilearn, (2022). Stakeholders in Project Management and their Role You Should Know.

Simplilearn. Accessed on the 28th of April, 2022.

https://www.simplilearn.com/stakeholders-impact-on-the-projects-

article#:~:text=Stakeholders%20are%20those%20who%20can,be%20external%20and

%20internal%20both.

Woodruff, J. (2019). The Importance of Clear Objectives, Directions, Directions and Project Plans.

CHRON. Accessed on the 28th of April, 2022.

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-clear-objectives-directions-project-plans-

32965.html