Running head: ZEKE MOTORCYCLE CRUISERS COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT PLAN

Zeke Motorcycle Cruisers Comprehensive Project Plan

Shamona Willis
Prof. Franklin Mitchell
BUS 375
August 22, 2014

ZEKE MOTORCYCLE CRUISERS COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT PLAN

Zeke Touring Class Cruisers Project Scope and Management Plan

It has been determined that the touring class cruisers will be manufactured and developed
as a division within Zekes company. The project scope plan will start by separating this project
from the home company original operations. As an independent segment, we will have to train
and hirer the technical staff. The administration function will be link to the original
administration office. In order to quicken the development of the touring class cruisers the
project manager management plan will include the responsible of preparing its own reports on
project advancement, making minor purchases and deliveries.
The Executive project manager is the head of this division and will bear full
responsibility for the project and report to the senior staff and sponsors at the headquarters. By
decentralizing this division from the original operation this should create a better communication
between the team and project manager. In order to develop Zekes touring class cruisers the
management plan is to organize the trained team members to assist in carrying out the project
initiation activities. These team members will be selected from within the original organization
or recruited from outside. The management plan will also consist of established measures,
managing the 12 tasks, a resource plan, and preliminary schedule and budging, identifying and
assess risk, and making sure that the project is finished by its due date.
How we Will Staff Zekes New Company
The project manager will be selecting experienced engines, line leaders, tech staff, and
skilled labors from the existing company first and then recruiting from the outside. All the
employees including the selected staff from the existing company will be trained to improve
business performance, profit and staff morale. This training will allow the existing staff to
venture into other positions within the organisation. Such as positions with better prospects and

ZEKE MOTORCYCLE CRUISERS COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT PLAN

better pay. We will also select representatives from the current clients list, new vendors,
subcontractors, and suppliers to give professional opinions and views on the development of the
cruisers to form relationships.
Four Team Building Strategies for Zekes New Team
A major problem faced by many project leaders is managing the anxiety that usually
develops when a new team is formed. The anxiety experienced by team members is normal and
predictable, but is a barrier to getting the team quickly focused on the task (Kerzner, 2013, pg.
243). While proper attention to team building is critical during early phases of a project, it is a
never-ending process. The project manager is continually monitoring team functioning and
performance to see what corrective action may be needed to prevent or correct various team
problems. Therefore the project manager has come up with four strategies to help the team
building process go smoothly at Zekes new company.
The first strategy will be to talk to each team member one-on-one about the objective of
the project, who will be involved and why, the importance of the overall project, what role they
will be performing, the rules, and what rewards maybe forthcoming. This strategy can help
minimize some barriers to effective team building (Kerzner, 2013, pg. 245). The second strategy
is to recognize changes in performance levels for the team or individual team members. Such
changes can be symptomatic of more serious problems. This strategy can help you nonverbal
recognize what your team may need to help them meet their goals. For example if an individual
is dragging on the job he or she may need a change of pace or some time off to reenergize
(Kerzner, 2013, pg. 246).
The third strategy is to hold regular meetings to evaluate overall team performance and
deal with team functioning problems. The focus of these meetings will be directed towardswhat

ZEKE MOTORCYCLE CRUISERS COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT PLAN

we are doing well as a team and what areas need our teams attention. This approach often
brings positive surprises in that the total team is informed of progress in diverse project areas.
The fourth and final strategy is to use the participative leadership style to encourage workers to
communicate with one another and get involved with decision-making either by themselves or
with assistance of the project manager. This approach will encourage workers to take an active
role in the success of the project (Kerzner, 2013, pg. 254).
The Project Managers Role
The project manager role at Zekes new motorcycle company will be to produce the large
motorcycle motors with the available resources and within the constraints of time, cost, and
performance. Her role will also include resolving conflicts, to act as the external and upper-level
customer, functional manager, and communicate the focal points. As the authority of this sector
she will alternate, terminate, and negotiate all required decisions or functional disciplines for
accomplishment of the necessary work package within her branch (Kerzner, 2013, pg. 175). The
project manager role will further include initiating the execution of project activities, acquiring
and assigning resources, orient and train new team members, keeping the project on schedule,
and assure the quality of project deliverables. In doing this he/she will monitor the project
progress and change against the baseline project plan, maintain the project workbook and
communicate the statue to all interested parties so that everyone understands how the plan is
evolving.
The people behind the projects are the fundamental drivers of success. They must possess
a wide range of skills in order to be effective project managers. Zeke believes that if his project
manager has the three top-level characteristics of effective management that is tested upon
hiring, the project will be a success. The first characteristic is being knowledgeable about the

ZEKE MOTORCYCLE CRUISERS COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT PLAN

business and technical aspects of the project before being hired. Risk is posed when an
individual who is not knowledgeable about motors and the subject matter is in the leadership
role. Plus it is important for the project manager to have experience in the field of motors and to
do their homework on Zekes company before hand to make the executives feel that their
company and project is as important as anybody elses (Wu, 2005, pg. 31).
The second characteristic is having leadership skills an outstanding project manager must
be able to inspire people and garner respect, not just among the project team members, but also
among the sponsors and representatives from the user community. This requires the project
manager to manage the expectations of the direct reports as well as the supervisors, which
establishes rapport and helps to create accountability for everyone involved. The third
characteristic is to have grade A communication skills. To be an effective leader, an individual
also must be a great communicator. An outstanding project manager conveys messages and
ideas in an articulate manner that resonates with the target audience. This requires superb
writing abilities and verbal communication skills (Wu, 2005, pg. 32).
The Importance of Identifying the Critical Path
At Zekes Motorcycle Company management is continually seeking new and better
control techniques to cope with the complexities, masses of data, and tight deadlines that are
characteristics of our highly competitive industries (Kerzner, 2013, pg. 597). The Critical Path is
the longest path through the network and determines the duration of the project. It is also the
shortest amount of time necessary to accomplish the project (Kerzner, 2013, pg. 600). The
project manager has adopted the critical path method (CPM) to cut project costs and time. At
Zekes a CPM chart is formed to provide the framework from which detailed panning can be
initiated and costs can be controlled and tracked (Kerzner, 2013, pg. 612).

ZEKE MOTORCYCLE CRUISERS COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT PLAN

Many iterations are normally made during the planning phase before the CPM chart is
finished. Network replanning is performed either at the conception of the program in order to
reduce the length of the critical path, or during the project should the unexpected occur. One
important replanning technique that Zeke Company use is the resource allocation plan, which is
an attempt to find the shortest possible critical path based upon the available or fixed resources
(Kerzner, 2013, pg. 612).
The Outline of Zekes Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Price and Cost Strategy
Zekes WBS is a product-oriented family tree subdivision of the hardware, services, and
data required to produce the large motor cruisers. The WBS is the single most important element
because it provides a common framework from which the total program can be described as a
summation of subdivided elements shown below (Kerzner, 2013, pg. 600):
Description
Level
Managerial

Total program

{1 {2 {3

Project

Levels
Task
{4 {5 {6

Subtask
Work package
Level of

effort

Zekes pricing is based on a type I Acquisition global pricing strategy. Its objective is to win the
program and execute it profitably and satisfactorily according to contractual agreement. We use
a standardize estimate manuals to price out the work and cost, that is usually 90 percent accurate
(Kerzner, 2013, pg. 678). Zekes company will be using the bottom up estimate, which is a

ZEKE MOTORCYCLE CRUISERS COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT PLAN

technique that uses well-defined project information, generally from the WBS, to develop an
estimate a degree of accuracy (Kerzner & Saladis, 2013, pg. 216).
Zekes Development Charts
(A) Zekes WBS
TASK #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37

Zekes Large Motor Cruisers

New Product Stage
Define New Product Opportunity
Describe New Product Idea
Create a Product Proposal
Research Opportunities
Define Research Goals
Define Research Methods
Determine Method to Collect Data
Begin Data Collection
Organize Data
Analyze Data
Compile Data To Prepare for Decision
Decision to Begin New Product
Development
Market Research Stage
Assign Task for Investigation
Develop a Plan
Complete Vendor Surveys
Complete Consumer Surveys
Compile Retrieved Info
Analyze Surveys
Evaluate the Market
Analyze the Competition
Product Development
Weigh Risks of Product Failure
Against Benefits of Product Success
Obtain Short-Term Facilities for
Production of Test Product
Allocate Temporary Workers
Obtain Small Amounts of Inventory for
Test Production
Obtain Shipping Method for Test
Product
Determine Target Market
Determine Population To Be Sampled
Determine Sample Size
Begin Negotiations with Vendors to
Stock The Test Product Temporarily
Determine the Amount of Product to
be Made
Begin Production of Test Product for
Test Market
Conduct Test Market
Compile Data
Analyze Data

ZEKE MOTORCYCLE CRUISERS COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT PLAN

38
39

Make Recommendation
Decision to Begin Mass Production of
New Product
Advertising / Market
Brainstorm Ideas for New Launch of
Advertising Campaign
Put Ideas Into Advertising Proposal
Create Advertisement
Establish Media Buying
Distribute Advertisements To Media
Create Promotional Ideas
Set Date for Launch of New Product
Paired With Promotion
Make Reservations for Site of
Promotional Launch
Set Up Advertising for Promotion of
the Promotional Launch
Schedule Events for Promotion
Employ Staff for Promotion
Obtain Product for Promotion
Launch Product at Promotion
Determine Success of Promotion
Event
Production
Obtain Method of Transportation
Between Production Facilities and
Distribution Center
Obtain Method of Distribution to
Vendors
Determine Area to Distribute Product
In
Send Sales Team Out To Potential
Vendors To Sell Products
Make Arrangements With Vendors To
Carry Product
Determine How Much Product Will Be
Needed
Assign Production Manager
Assign Goals for Production
Create a Line Schedule for Production
Order Inventory for Production
Begin Production
Maintain Quality Control
Obtain Orders From Vendors
Allocate Orders
Pick Orders / Ship Orders
Bill Orders
Restock Used Resources.

40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
67
68
69
80

(B) Activities Gantt Chart

ZEKE MOTORCYCLE CRUISERS COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT PLAN

ACTIVITY
CONTRACT NEGOTIATED
CONTRACT SIGNED
LONG LEAD PROCUREMENT
MANUFACTURING SCHEDULES
BILL OF MATERIALS
SHORT LEAD PROCUREMENT
MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS
MANUFACTURING PLANS
START-UP
0

10

WEEKS AFTER GO-AHEAD

12

14

16

18

20

ZEKE MOTORCYCLE CRUISERS COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT PLAN

Reference
Kerzner, H. (2013). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and
controlling (11th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Kerzner, H., & Saladis, F. P. (2013). Project management workbook and PMP/CAPM exam
study guide (11th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Wu, J. (2005). Characteristics of an Outstanding Business Intelligence Project Manager. DM
Review, 15(5), 30-32.

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