INTRODUCTION

Thank you for your comprehensive due diligence report setting out the strategy, costs, and timing proposed for the Generate Blade merger. It is with pleasure that we advise your organisation of our intention to proceed with Stage 2 – Project Delivery.

The renamed, rebranded and reconstituted “Blade Generate Financial” (BGF) Board would like your PM firm to initially proceed with the office accommodation project for the colocation of both Generate and Blade staff in Melbourne & Sydney only. Staged refit or adjustment to other BGF Australian and International offices will progressively occur in line with lease expiry or renewal dates for each of those offices, but at this point they are not to be included as part of your project brief.

REQUIREMENTS OF STAGE 2 – PROJECT DELIVERY

Your team has recently been appointed as Project Manager by BGF for the delivery of the Melbourne and Sydney accommodation project. As Project Manager you are required to prepare a comprehensive ‘Project Management Plan’ (PMP) for the successful delivery of the project and secure client approval of same before implementation.

This PMP is your first significant project ‘deliverable’ and should communicate your intentions for an effective planning and control framework to guide the successful delivery of this project.

It is expected that the Project Manager will submit and present the PMP in draft format to the client. Following client feed back the Project Manager shall make appropriate changes and resubmit the final PMP for client approval and implementation.

The objective of a successful PMP is that it clearly sets out a plan for the effective ‘management’ of the project and can be clearly communicated to the project team, the client and relevant project stakeholders. Marks will be discounted for padding or excessive detail as this would reduce the Project Manager’s ability to get buy in and ownership of the PMP by the project team/stakeholders.

It will be expected that the Project Manager will use their experience to make informed reasonable assumptions around likely project circumstances in preparing the PMP. Any assumptions made should be articulated to the client through the draft version of the PMP and feedback sought to ensure the final version clearly captures the Principals Project Requirements, which are then linked to the proposed methodology and governance framework. Please note this PMP is a ‘project specific’ management plan and should not contain any generic or theoretical information unless its clearly identified as relevant to your project delivery strategy.

Additional briefing information:

 Following the advice contained in the Due Diligence report BGF has secured options for new office/buildings in both Melbourne and Sydney, both prime central CBD location, these are called Melbourne House and Sydney Square. Lease options have been negotiated by BGF for both with 3 year initial lease terms and options for two 3 year lease extensions. Six years is deemed sufficient time for amortisation of the fit out and data infrastructure costs.

 The PMP must analyse and confirm the final area requirements for each new office fit out and advise BGF so lease arrangements can be finalised. Both new buildings can readily meet BGF’s expected current & forecast area requirements.

 The fit out and accommodation should be ‘A’ grade, in m2/staff ratios, quality, amenity and environmental performance, to positively reflect BGF’s new corporate identity and to support its stated objectives for the merger, staff retention & sustained growth.

 Initial staff numbers to be located in each new location: in Sydney Blade 52/Generate 46, in Melbourne Blade 43/Generate 27.

 The BGF Board are forecasting 5% growth per annum for both the Melbourne and Sydney offices in both revenue and staffing requirements over the next 6 years and the PMP shall outline a cost effective strategy to progressively accommodate the additional staff, without compromising the quality and amenity of the new office fit outs for staff.

 These brief requirements should be further developed along with your own findings and included as a ‘Reverse Design Brief’ (physical project scope) up front within the PMP to identify the key project characteristics, key environmental design (Green Building Council) provisions, area requirements and parameters to be considered for the project. Please use bullet points. 

REQUIREMENTS OF THE PMP

This PMP sets out the plan for delivering the project and should, as relevant for this particular project, consider each of the key questions set out below:

1) What?

 What is the project’s Background?

 What is the project’s Objectives?

 What are the project’s Success Criteria and how will the Achievement of the success criteria be Measured?

 What is the Scope of the project?

2) Who?

 Who fulfils the Key Project Roles?

 Who is responsible for the Project’s Governance and how will this be structured?

 Who are the Internal Resources on the project?

 Who are the External Resources on the project?

 Who are the Internal Stakeholders on the project?

 Who are the External Stakeholders on the project?

 Who will receive Project Communications?

3) How?

 How is the project being Approached?

 How will the project Risks be identified and controlled?

 How is the project being Controlled?

 How are Procurement activities being planned and who is responsible?

 How will the project be Implemented?

4) When?

 When are the Project Milestone Dates?

 When are the key Meeting Dates?

 When are Key Decisions due?

5) How Much?

 How much money is available in the Project Budget to achieve the set objectives and fulfil the success criteria?

Your response to the above questions should be integrated within your actual PMP strategies as follows:

The PMP will include a number of succinct management plans (strategies) including:

 Governance strategy, an effective Project Control Group (PCG) project governance structure.

 Project team and superintendence strategy, how your PM team intends to effectively and efficiently manage the design and implementation stages of the project, in both locations.

 Compliance Strategy to ensure all appropriate client/project objectives, statutory obligations and approvals are properly managed and met, including appropriate occupational health and safety procedures, insurances etc.

 Risk Management Plan, to effectively identify, manage and where appropriate to ‘allocate’ key project risks through contracts and appointments.

 Procurement Management Plan, covering appropriate design, supply and fit out contractor and supplier arrangements, ensuring managed risk allocation, effective contract controls and cost efficiency, for both professional appointments and commercial contracts, using your recommended Australian Standard (AS) forms of contract.

 Communications Plan, to ensure positive timely communications and effective control throughout the project

 Program (Schedule) Management Plan, the project schedule and your firm’s strategy to effectively manage time, including key program dates.

 Cost Management Plan, the project budget and your effective strategy for managing the client’s funds throughout the project. Note: please use industry standard cost rates (‘office fit out costs Melbourne Sydney’ available online), matched to the quality standards for this office fit out and m2/staff allowances proposed. Include all professional (design) fees (6% total), the new PM/superintendence fee for this discrete project (9% total) and a $1.5m prime cost allowance for all specialised new data infrastructure costs for both sites. %’s indicated above are of the total project cost excluding professional fees. These parameters should be sufficient for your team to prepare a quite accurate ‘actual budget’ for a project of this type, which will be assessed accordingly.

 Project Management Methodology, which ‘must’ specifically be matched to ‘this’ project and its requirements. Demonstrate why? your proposed methodology is appropriate for this project.

 Any other relevant management strategies deemed necessary by your firm for the effective and successful delivery of this project.

Where identified please note and cross reference the interdependence of each separate plan or strategy above, to each of the other plans or strategies, all forming parts integral to one holistic Project Management Plan. Example: risks identified ‘to be allocated’ under the Risk Management Plan, are ‘actually allocated’ within the contract agreements as part of the Procurement Management Plan.

This PMP is a functioning professional ‘project deliverable’, as such no executive summary or extensive general introductions are necessary. A title page, group participants etc., a covering letter, appropriate relevant preamble text for each section, together with Harvard referencing where appropriate are all required.

The PMP is a Project Control Document that needs to be approved by the Client. It is also a live document and will be updated as the project progresses through the key Project Milestones. Revisions to the PMP need to be formally tracked and approved by the Client.