Business Project Management

Introduction

Project management can be defined as a management process that is including a variety of different steps and procedures for analyzing and controlling relevant protocols of a specific issue or a problem that an organization or individuals face and need to find solutions for it to achieve a group of relevant goals. Project management is a process and an approach that uses methodologies and techniques for planning a project since its beginning to end in accordance to a number of goals the project is based upon. (Nagarajan, 2004) The process of project management involves a number of steps and procedures including planning, control, execution and closing stages and they can be fit to many different types of projects. Business project management is defined as a tendency for applying business management strategies and setting plans and action plans for achieving business goals. (Nicholas and Steyn, 2008) The current paper is discussing a project for Oman Shapoorji company for construction Oman explaining the project management process with a time management plan, a cost plan, work breakdown structure, change management plan and a risk management plan. The assignment is discussing the Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) project and how the project was managed.  The project life cycle 4 Ds are discovering, designing, developing and deploying the project. (Westland, 2007).

Body

Time management plan

Iland, (2013) discussed time management planning and how it is important for business management, he referred that it has steps and stages as it begins by defining the project goals then listing the tasks and jobs required for achieving the goals then enlisting the mini tasks under each job or main tasks and jobs should be ordered according to their importance and priority and finally timelines should be listed and steps of tasks should be explained in detail.

Gnnat Chart

Oman Shapoorji

Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) project

Objectives

2016

2016

2017

2017

A

Project Objectives

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

April

May

June

1

Constructing package 3 of Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre

1.1

Making foundation works

1.2

makingthe electrical as well as pluming jobs.

2

Delivering the work on time & with specifications.

2.1

working along with time schedules

2.2

monitoring work application

3

Making sure of safety and security

3.1

ensuring electrical works, plumbing, painting and finishing

3.2

matching the amounts and materials with specifications

4

Working with a prescribed budget

4.1

Allocating money on tasks

4.2

monitoring tasks performance with money allocation

B

IP/Commercialization Strategy

1

Goal1: Achieving profits for the company.

2

Goal 2:Reaching higher revenues than before

3

Goal 3: Improving financial situation

C

Regulatory Strategy

1

Goal 1: Initial Regulatory Planning

2

Goal 2:meeting considerations

3

Goal 3: Regulatory exact Submission

D

Follow on Funding Plan

1

Making a Business Plan

2

Following a Funding Plan steps

3

Engaging a Commercial partner or partners

4

evaluating the plan after applying

The Gnnat chart explains how the project is going on and how tasks and jobs are set according to goals as the project objectives are constructing a package of three of Oman convention and exhibition centers, delivering work on time, making sure of safety and security and working with a prescribed budget. The chart shows that the project works according to a set of strategies such as IP/ commercialization strategy and regulatory strategy in addition to a funding plan for scheduling money allocation.

Matrix chart

Architects	engineers	Consultants	Contractors	Workers
Making the designs of the project	Making sure of materials and specifications according to designs	Making Financial allocations such as cost plans.	Making contracts with owners.	Do the construction different tasks according to engineers' orders.
Supervising the designs' execution	Giving orders to workers	Making schedules and budgets	Giving orders to workers with the aid of engineers	Making works of building, painting, plumbing …etc.
Giving advice for application	Making sure of materials allocations	Ensuring safety and security on sites and supervising work and giving advice.	Monitoring workers and amounts of materials.	Following orders of their bosses.

Cost plans

According to Gerstel, (2002), cost plans are made for identifying the costs of a project and they are made by financial consultants to set different costs along with the project and how contracts can deal with financials of the project. They are helpful in managing budgets, money allocation and in making effective execution of the project according to the budget.

Project's cost plan

Tasks	Budget
Construction works	30.000.000$
Employees' payments	5.000.000$
Electricity works and plumbing works	4.5.000.000$
Accessories	3.000.000$
Total	42.5.000.000$

The company has prepared costs in a way that ensures profits to it as it was expected that the project will make a reasonable profits after the right money allocation as the money was allocated to cover construction works, employees; payments, different works and accessories to be 42.5.000.000$ but profits were estimated by 65.000.000 which means a net profit of 23.000.000$.

Work breakdown structure

According to Brotherton et al, (2008), a work breakdown structure (WBS) is a structure for the work divisions and tasks and it is used in construction works and other works to show the process of project management and how the engineering processes are going on in relation to percentages of dividing the budget according to the importance of each task. It depends on dividing work missions on smaller units and components in order to organize the different teams running the work and it is a hierarchical decomposition of the general overview of the project to be carried out by different teams of the project in order to meet the objectives and goals of the project. The work breakdown structure may contain elements that can be either services, products or even data or to gather all different types of tasks. It can also give the project detailed percentages of costs estimations and how budget is allocated on each mission and task. It is used for guiding the project towards achieving details of the works and it can be useful for engineers and consultants as well at the same time and it is helpful in allocating resources and dividing works on worker through using the time schedules with deadlines. 

The current project of constructing package 3 of Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre depends on a WBS that divides work on three main streams which are internal works, foundation works and external works dividing the 100% budget into three main parts on them to make internal works have 50%, external 255 and foundation works 25% as each of them is classified to include minor jobs and tasks with different percentages of the budget as shown in the figure.

Change management plan

Change management plan is a plan for managing any changes and facing any challenges that may occur during the execution of the project and applying its processes and it can document and focus on the needed information for managing the project changes till it is delivered to the client effectively. The change management plan is made in the project's planning stage as it focuses on works done by the project managers, team work, the sponsors of the project and leaders who give advice and support during the execution of the project in order to achieve the plan effectively. Change management process makes the procedures of the project are effective and orderly for monitoring its submission and evaluation processes as this helps managers approve to release the changes to the project during work. (Lorenzi and Riley, 2000)

Change management plan

Project name: Constructing package 3 of Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre

Introduction: the project may need to change some employees shifts, some main tools used for the construction process and add new tasks.

Project sponsors: the Omani government

Project objectives: constructing a package of three of Oman convention and exhibition centers, delivering work on time, making sure of safety and security and working with a prescribed budget.

Change objectives: Improving the results of the work, delivering work on deadlines and improving the HR work capacity.

Change plan elements: new more workers-more money-different shifting system-adding new tools and equipments.

Rational for the change: enhancing the work capacity.

Stakeholders analysis: employees and other stakeholders may find it good for them to make such changes but the sponsors may find difficulty in adding new money to the budget.

The table shows that changes may be in adding new more workers, more money, more equipment and changing shifts of engineers in order to increase the effectiveness of work and how stakeholders may react to changes as for example, sponsors may not agree on adding more money to the budget.

Risk management plan

A risk management plan is a plan for managing the potential risks a project may face and to define reactions to such risks and how to deal with them. Managers are the employees who set such plans by identifying risks and analyzing them. (Carpenter, 2010) Risks may be of positive or negative impact on the project and they should be tackled with by project management that assesses them and find solutions for them as risks may be avoided, controlled, mitigated or managed according to the type and effect of each risk on the project. A risk management plan can reduce errors that may occur during executing the project and can lead to better outcomes. (Inhofe, 2001)

Risk management plan

	Risk	Outcome	Current treatment actions	Proposed treatment actions
1	Loss of materials	Lack of effective work and lack of specification application.	Avoiding material loss by strict monitoring systems.	Adding new materials by buying them.
2	Budget is not enough	Work will not be done as asked.	Making an accurate financial plan.	Adding new elements to the budget.
3	Some employees turnover	Work will be delayed and not delivered on deadlines.	Making strict contracts with employees.	Bringing more workers.
4	Safety accidents	Reputation of the project will be affected. Employees may leave the project.	Ensuring safety measurements.	Bringing new equipments that ensures higher safety levels.

The table shows how the project managers can deal with the potential risks such as loss of materials, not enough budget, employees turnover and safety accidents as the current solutions may not be enough for dealing with the risks which makes managers give potential solutions for the risks to face them and deliver the work on deadlines according to specifications.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to refer to project management and how it should be done according to what is needed from a project and that there are many elements that should be considered when managing a project such as planning, facing challenges and risks and controlling the budget and financials. Oman Shapporji is executing a project for Constructing package 3 of Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre and is depending on managing the work effectively as there is a time management plan that has main three goals which are constructing a package of three of Oman convention and exhibition centers, delivering work on time, making sure of safety and security and working with a prescribed budget so the project can be done according to the gnat chart. The project has a cost plan where costs are estimated according to the different tasks of the project and profit is estimated after costs. The work breakdown structure gives an idea about the tasks and mini tasks involved within the project which are main three and have minor ones with different set percentages of budgets. The project has a change management plan that focuses on basic potential changes the project may have to improve it and a risk management plan that provides current and potential future solutions to face and avoid different risks that the project may face and can lead to loss or delay of the project. 

The impact of motivation on the productivity of the employees in industrial sector in Oman

Introduction

Motivation is one of the most important tools of human resource management as it can be used to improve the employees' performance and improve the productivity of the business organization. In industrial sectors in Oman, motivation is used in many different ways to urge employees and increase their enthusiasm to do work better and to achieve better desired results.

Industrial sectors in Oman are important to improve the country's economy and strengthen business movement in it. They focus on human resources and try to find effective methods for getting the best outcomes from the human resources that are considered a basic asset that needs to be invested in. This is done through applying motivation that can be monetary and non monetary through rewards, recognition and other means.

The current report is discussing motivation and its impact on employees' productivity in the industrial sectors in Oman. It presents an overview for motivation definition, types and how it can be used by the organization's management to improve productivity. There is a presentation for some managerial challenges that can be solved by implementing motivation such as employees' turnover and change management. The report also discusses how motivation can be used in the industrial sector of Oman and how this can be applied to improve its productivity.

Research questions

1. What is motivation and what are its types?
2. How does HRM use it to affect the productivity of employees?
3. How can motivation face different managerial challenges such as employees' turnover and implementing change in industrial sector in Oman?
4. How can motivation improve the Omani economy through its implications in the industrial sector?
5. What can be done more to motivate employees better in industrial sector in Oman?

Research objectives

1. Understanding motivation and its different types.
2. Realizing how motivation can be well applied by HRM.
3. Investigating the impact of motivation on productivity.
4. Finding out how motivation in industrial sector in Oman can face challenges.
5. Realizing the relationship between motivation and economy.
6. Suggesting ideas to improve employees' motivation in industrial sector in Oman.

Literature Review

According to Al Araimi, (2013) motivation can be defined as moving employees' behaviors towards better performance and higher level of achieving the organizational goals; it can be applied by understanding employees' needs and raising their morale through effective methods and techniques.

Ganta, (2014) discussed motivation and its types referring to Extrinsic motivation which is the motivation that depends on external factors surrounding the employees such as their need to be promoted, the need to have a monetary reward, being known as a good employee or any other material achievements. Milne, (2007) discussed the Intrinsic motivation is that type of motivation that comes from the inside of the individual as employee' enjoyment and happiness to perform well, their feeling of belonging to the work organization, their need to feel appreciated and respected for good work and any other achievements that are not material.

Lai, (2011) discussed how motivation can be applied by the human resource management and confirmed that management has to realize the needs of employees before implementing methods of motivation; he referred to the different needs of employees through Maslow's needs and explained that each employee has to be focused on individually to understand how to raise his morale through motivation. Adair, (2006) confirmed that motivation can solve different problems in the business organization such as turnover as motivation can raise morale of employees and raise their feeling of belonging to the organization which in turn improves their performance and increases their productivity.

The industrial sector in Oman has two main parts which are the public sector and the private one. Both sectors focus on motivation to improve the productivity of employees. This can be regarded through views of authors such as views of Powmya and Zainul, (2014) who discussed how industrial sectors in Oman are facing different challenges related to modernization and urbanization in Oman as these changes lead to new market needs and difficulties in finding market opportunities. Back, (2012) explained that these challenges made employees are in need for more motivation to provide better performance and better business outcomes.

When organizations apply motivation effectively, they can overcome challenges such as turnover as according to Swailes and Fahdi, (2010) voluntary labor turnover rates are very high and are increasing in Public sectors of Oman and Omnization can't solve the problem so there must be serious solutions for facing the problem through providing employees with motivation that can improve their performance, retain them and improve productivity.  statistics from the Omani Civil Service (Ministry of National Economy, 2010) show that there were 8400 new appointments in the year 2008 half of which were women and 4180 employee left the Service. The number of Omani nationals resigning in 2008 was more than 54% on the previous year in spite of the fact that they receive high salaries. Reasons for leaving work included passive effects such as lack of communication, conflicts, stress and being in places where employees are not relaxed or feeling good. Latham, (2012) explained that employees are in need to a work environment that can motivate them to do better and feel belonging to the place they work in. Motivating employees don't mean to raise their salaries only but it means to provide them with the suitable work environment where they can communicate their problems with their leaders and express their feelings that may cause stress in the work environment. This means that non-monetary rewards such as parties, recognition, promotion and developing the work environment physically and psychologically can help motivate employees in order to raise their morale, communicate the organizational goals with them and encouraging them to do better and raise productivity of the business organization. (Swailes and Fahdi, 2010)

Motivation is highly related to change management as according to POHANKOVÁ, (2010) change can be considered a big challenge in many business organizations and motivation can help managers implement change effectively. Many organizations in the industrial sector of Oman are applying change to cope with the local and international changes and developments and to cope with globalization requirements; change may lead to difficulties when management try to implement it so management has to motivate employees to implement change. Motivation can help in encouraging employees, raising their enthusiasm to implement change. They need to understand change to be motivated and to have enough time for being trained to apply such change. McMillan et al, (2009) asserted that change is a main organizational driver for success and this makes motivating employees to apply change very essential for reaching success easily and fast. They confirmed that motivation can be used to encourage employees to do certain required behaviors that can raise the company's productivity such as applying change as they depended on the expectancy theory as when managers try to improve employees' expectations about their future career, they can make them apply changes and improve the company's productivity.

Brown, (2007) explained that motivation is used in the industrial sector in Oman in a way to improve productivity of different business organization as this can return with great benefits on the Omani economy as motivating employees can be involved within the general plan for development initiated by the Omani government to improve the Omani economy. This is confirmed in the views of Al Alawai and Mishra, (2016) as they confirmed that motivational factors can lead to higher economic growth in Oman as the motivational factors can help improve productivity in different industrial fields. They confirmed that there should be specific reward systems and performance appraisal systems to be used for motivating employees and encouraging them to do better. According to International Business Publications, (2009) this can be done with the help of the Omani Industrial Zone and guidance from the government for both public and private industrial sectors. Encouraging motivation can improve productivity through encouraging the local entrepreneurs to develop their businesses which will help the Omani economy. Motivation can be used to encourage business organizations to be more creative and provide new innovations to the local market as such products can be internationalized in order to increase productivity and profitability that can both help the Omani economy.

Al Hakmani and Bashir, (2014) confirmed on the need for training managers of different business organizations in the industrial sector in Oman with the help and efforts of the government and the General Institution for the Industrial Zones of Oman and raising managerial awareness about the different models and techniques that can be used to motivate employees. Shah and Gardner, (2008) explained that these training programs should aim at focusing on managers' perceptions of the motivation factors and training them on different leadership styles that can be better in motivating employees such as transformational leadership style that can encourage employees to communicate well and can be more flexible in applying different motivational techniques and types.

Al-Harthy, (2008) discussed how motivation can represent a challenge for different industrial sectors in Oman as he confirmed that motivation should be based on a deep analysis for employees' needs and ambitions and should address these needs and try to meet them. Ushioda and Dornyei, (2009) also stated that motivation type should be chosen by the managers based on the employees' needs and wishes in addition to stressing the positive ideas and innovative ideas by motivating those employees who present such ideas. Adjei, (2009) confirmed on the need for applying theories and practice for motivating employees in the industrial sector and mentioned the goal setting theory that depends on setting goals that are difficult and need high efforts for achieving the goal and this can improve productivity as all employees will be engaged in teams where they can achieve the difficult goals that are clear and reachable but need creative efforts, time management and cooperation. Mentioned also the equity theory that depends on presenting rewards in a fair way without distinguishing between employees as regarding feelings and perceptions of employees is effective in making them motivated and work hard to improve productivity. Wiseman and Hunt, (2007) mentioned another theory that is the reinforcement theory that depends on controlling the behavior consequences through shaping it as employees' behaviors are very important to be considered when leaders are motivating them, positive behaviors have to be rewarded and recognized, pay rise, promotions and monetary rewards are effective for rewarding positive behaviors.

To improve motivation in the Omani industrial sector, there should be great efforts from the government at first to encourage local and foreigner entrepreneurs to develop and expand their businesses in Oman. This can lead to using different methods for motivation such as monetary rewards, recognition, celebrations, appreciation, promotion and empowerment of employees. Theories should be effectively implemented by managers in order to ensure better motivation. This can help improve productivity and enhance company's competitiveness in the local and international markets.  To improve motivation in the industrial sectors in Oman, there should be deep analysis for employees need, good knowledge about motivation theory and effective application for them. To add changes in the different industries in both public and private sectors, managements in the industrial zone of Oman tries to focus on urging business organizations to motivate their employees to bring in better results. This can be done through different drivers to motivate employees such as focusing on finance issues, knowledge and training of employees, the business strategy, leadership of organizations and opportunities for empowering and retaining employees. Motivating employees can raise their morale and provide them with the needed empowerment for improving their experiences and preparing them for having better positions in the business organization. This can help in retaining employees and reducing rates of turnover that passively affects the organization's productivity and profitability.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to stress the importance of motivation to business organizations such as the organizations of the industrial sectors in Oman as motivation can have a great impact on productivity. Motivation can increase and improve productivity of business entities as it is moving the behaviors of employees towards the better performance which can improve productivity. There are different types of motivation such as intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation and managers should be able to use each of them based on the nature and behavior and needs of their employees. Motivation should address employees' needs. The industrial sectors in Oman try to develop their management systems to focus on motivating employees to improve productivity and they should get enough help from the Omani government. Motivation can help management face challenges such as employees turnover and change management. Motivation has a relationship with economy as when employees are ell motivated, this encourages them to do more efforts that encourage entrepreneurs to have more business locally and internationally which improves productivity and enhances the Omani economy.