ABSTRACT
This research paper looks at the psychology behind both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The paper is divided into two sections, one each for anorexia and bulimia.
Each section begins with a brief description of the disorders and how the disorder can be recognized or diagnosed. Then it goes on to explain the causes of the disorder and especially what psychological aspects may precipitate the onset of the disorder. Finally each section briefly describes what can be done to prevent the disorder.
In this research paper we will first look at the psychology behind Anorexia Nervosa and then the psychology behind Bulimia Nervosa. We will also very briefly look at the causes and the treatments for these disorders.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder. Low body weight, body image distortion and an obsessive fear of gaining weight characterizes this disorder. Individuals suffering from Anorexia Nervosa are obsessed about controlling their body weight through variety of means � voluntary starvation, purging, vomiting, excessive exercise or diet pills. Anorexia Nervosa is considered to be a complex condition involving psychological, neuro-biological and sociological components. (Lask & Bryant-Waugh, 2000, p.23)
Close to 10% of those diagnosed with the disorder die due to causes related to the disorder and as a result Anorexia is thought to have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder (Birmingham, Su, Hlynsky, Goldner & Gao, 2005, p.143).
The Essay on Eating Disorder Anorexia Nervosa
In society today the media showers us with pictures of beautiful women. Most of these women have a specific quality about them, they are all thin. We are falsely led to believe that in order to be considered beautiful we must be thin. We live in a society that has such social clich " es such as "you can never be too rich or too thin." Ideas like these lead people to believe that the thinner they ...
Suicide rates amongst anorexia sufferers too, are higher than in the general population (Pompili, Mancinelli, Girardi, Ruberto & Tatarelli, 2004, p.99).
Further, a recent review suggested that less than one half recover from the disorder fully, only one third improve while around 20% remain chronically ill (Steinhausen, 2002, p.1285).
Psychology behind Anorexia Nervosa
Feelings of fatness and unattractiveness are known to cause this eating disorder. It is a well-known fact that individual�s suffering from this disorder have a tendency to over-estimate their unattractiveness and most of all their fatness. Research has concluded that this is not a perceptual problem but rather that the evaluation of this perception is impaired in anorexics.
High levels of obsession, restraint and perfectionism have been found to be common traits amongst people with anorexia. Many sufferers maybe have one or more mental illnesses that exist alongside this disorder. Substance abuse, clinical depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and high levels of anxiety are some of the other illnesses that can exist alongside anorexia.
Professor Chris Fairburn of the University of Oxford has created a model, which explains how anorexia and similar disorders are maintained. It suggests how psychological treatment should be provided for sufferers of this disorder. The basis for this model is that major eating disorders except obesity share similar psychopathology that causes and retains the behaviors attributed to this disorder � such as interpersonal difficulties, chronically low self esteem, and mood intolerance.
It has been found that high rates of anorexia nervosa sufferers have experienced sexual abuse as children in comparison to the general population. These numbers are thought to be as high as 50%. While having experienced sexual abuse as children is not considered to be a particularly high risk factor, those who later develop the disorder have found to have more chronic symptoms.
Like other mental illnesses even anorexia can be caused by social and environmental factors. For instance those in careers such as modeling have a higher chance of developing the disorder caused by social and peer pressure to be thin. Further, exposure to media that promotes thinness as the ideal size for females too has been found to cause anorexia and similar eating disorders.
The Essay on Anorexia Nervosa Eating Disorder 2
Anorexia nervosa is a potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by a lack of self-esteem, an intense fear of becoming obese, and self-induced starvation due to a distorted body image (Durham, 1991). Anorexia can occur later in life, but it is most common in girls between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. According to the Center for Change, recent estimates suggest that 1% of ...
From everything that has been stated above it can be safely said that Anorexia Nervosa is a mental disorder that is characterized by an excessive fear of gaining excessive body weight and caused in most individuals who have low self esteem and are prone to depression and other forms of mental illnesses. Further individuals with this disorder are also known to be prone to higher levels of suicide.
Bulimia Nervosa
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) recognizes Bulimia Nervosa as an eating disorder. Individuals with this disorder experience frequent episodes of binge eating that lead to emotional distress because they feel out of control. This sense of loss of control causes them to have compensatory behavior patterns in order to prevent weight gain. These compensatory behavior patterns could include excessive exercising, periods of strict dieting and starvation, self induced vomiting, these individuals are also known to experience laxative abuse and diuretic abuse they are even known to use appetite suppressants and medication to speed up metabolism. DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria require episodes of binge eating that occur at least twice weekly for 3 months. People with bulimia nervosa are also dissatisfied with their body shape, weight, or both.
Bulimia is considered distinct from the only recently recognized syndrome of binge-eating disorder, here no regular or consistent compensatory behavior accompanies the bingeing episodes. The DSM-IV-TR recognizes 2 major variants of bulimia nervosa, as follows: purging and non-purging Many reports suggest that people with bulimia often have a history of anorexia nervosa. Some reports have suggested this association in as many as 60% of cases. While people with uncomplicated binge-eating disorder tend to be obese, people with bulimia nervosa are typically of normal weight. The natural history of eating disorders is such that individuals may pass through several diagnoses over time, meeting criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder at various points (Uwaifo & Daly, 2005).
Psychology behind Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia too like anorexia is related to deep psychological issues and a feeling of lack of control. Therefore sufferers attempt to gain control over their lives through their destructive eating habits. In order to do this they may hoard food. When they are stressed or lose control they binge and consume great quantities of food sometimes in the neighborhood of 20,000 calories or more.
The Essay on Anorexia Versus Bulimia Eating Disorder
Anorexia Nervosa is a serious, life-threatening eating disorder defined by a refusal to maintain minimal body weight within 15 percent of an individual's normal weight. ... their family that they are indeed healthy. Bulimia nervosa, often simply called bulimia, is an eating disorder. People with bulimia consume large amounts of food and ...
Often after sometime these individuals will realize that they have no control over the binging and purging habits any longer. At that point binging becomes an addiction that they are unable to break and they will not be purging any longer either. This in turn causes them to gain weight which will then lead to anxiety and the sufferer will revert back to having bulimia.
Different states of anxiety, boredom, emotional tension, exhaustion and substance abuse are known to have potential to precipitate an event of binge/purge cycles in individuals suffering from the disorder. Further other psychological factors such as low esteem and affective self-regulation are also known to be present simultaneously in the individuals.
An inappropriate concern about body image and an excessive preoccupation with thinness seem central to both anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Some evidence suggests an association of bulimia (particularly the bingeing episodes) with disinhibition for food intake.
The rather common association of eating disorders with affective disorders suggests a possible relationship between them. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is particularly common in this regard. It is still unclear whether the association is causative (primary), secondary to the bulimia itself, or represents a common set of risk factors for bulimia and MDD. Furthermore, obsessive-compulsive disorder is more common in persons with bulimia than in those without bulimia. Anxiety disorders, other related neuroses, and phobias also have been noted to be more common.
The role of sexual abuse in the development of eating disorders is controversial. Some reports suggest a strong association, while others detect no association. Some evidence suggests a relationship between addictions and eating disorders, particularly in binge-eating disorder (Uwaifo & Daly, 2005).
While it is not known how to prevent the onset of bulimia, less emphasis on physical perfection in a social and cultural sense may help reduce the number of individuals afflicted with the disorder. Further it has been found that early intervention through psychotherapy can help immensely. Encouraging children to adopt healthy eating habits too will help prevent or reduce the onset of bulimia later in life. Another very effective step would be also to teach children to pay more attention to internal qualities rather than external characteristics.
The Essay on Problem Solving and Google
Outstanding opportunities for employees. Google is open for very talented and inspired people, and give best opportunity to be promoted in professional sphere. Example, Oleg, starting his career as an engineer become a leader of developing tools department team after only 8 months period. This is I think very motivating staff. Looking at google HRM site, everything brought so understandable, and ...
Works Cited
Birmingham CL, Su J, Hlynsky JA, Goldner EM & Gao M. (2005) The mortality rate from anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 38 (2), 143-6.
Lask B, & Bryant-Waugh, R (eds) (2000) Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence, Hove: Psychology Press.
Pompili M, Mancinelli I, Girardi P, Ruberto A & Tatarelli R. (2004), Suicide in anorexia nervosa: a meta-analysis, Int J Eat Disord, 36 (1), 99-103.
Steinhausen, H.C. (2002,) The outcome of anorexia nervosa in the 20th century, Am J Psychiatry, 159 (8), 1284-93.
Uwaifo, G. & Daly, R., (Dec. 1, 2005), Bulimia, eMedicine from WebMD, Retrieved on Nov, 12, 2007 from
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS AT GOOGLE
ABSTRACT
This paper focuses on Google Inc and looks at how compensation and benefits work as a human resources function at Google.
The author evaluates the current compensation and benefits package accordingly and gives recommendations on how it can be improved for the organization to meet its short term and long term goals with the use of this package as a tool.
Introduction
In this paper we look at Google Inc and how it uses compensation and benefits as a human resources function to attract, recruit and retain employees.
The paper looks at what the company gains by providing employees with such a good package, what the organization expects to gain and if what they have gained so far is on par with their expectations.
In the final part of this paper recommendations are made on how the organization can use the compensation and benefits package effectively to meet its long and short-term goals.
GOOGLE�S PHILOSOPHY
The Google, philosophy for its employees is that � it has a culture that is designed to help get the individual to where he or she wants to go in life. The flexible project based approach and specially designed corporate structure along with its innovative perks and benefits are all in place to serve one purpose and one purpose alone. And that is to ensure that Google employees not only have great jobs but great lives too.
The Research paper on Benefits that are important to employees: A review of employee benefit programs
When employees look for employment compensation is important. However, employee benefits programs can be the deciding factor when it comes down to decision making; accept or decline a job offer. Having a “good benefits package” is the most desired attributes in an employer and it attracts human talent (Conlin, 2008). Even the decision to stay with at an organization or to leave, the topic of ...
Whether the individual wants to have fun or wants to change the world no matter what the individual�s goal in life are, Google wants to fulfill these dreams and goals by bringing out the best in the individual and ultimately gaining from the individual�s contribution to the organization.
In the next section of this paper we look at the benefits and perks that are offered by the organization to meet the philosophy and goals set above. Then we will take a closer look at the benefits and evaluate the effectiveness of this package and make recommendations on what can be done to improve it further.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS AS A HUMAN RESOURECES FUNCTION AT GOOGLE
The compensation and benefits package in an organization is designed as an overall part of the entire reward system and is used to attract and retain employees. This package is further used to maintain and increase employee morale, motivate performance and satisfaction on the job. A compensation and benefits package is required to also meet legally mandated requirements in terms of minimum wages and pay equity legislation set out by the federal, state governments (Kanungo & Mendonca, 1997, p.326).
At Google the compensation and benefits package is another part of the human resources function that is used to achieve the organizational goals through the effective use of the package. This compensation and benefits package that is offered by Google is far above and beyond what is legally required of the company to fulfill.
As innovative as the company is in all its business activities it has also been very innovative in the types of benefits that it has offered its employees. Given below is a brief overview of some of the benefits as indicated on the �benefits� website as those offered by Google Inc.
– Health and Wellness � Comprehensive Medical, Dental and Vision coverage for the employee and dependants, Life and AD&D coverage that automatically covers 2 annual salaries with options to purchase additional insurance if required. A Flex Care Spending Account, and Employee Assistance program that provides free legal counseling, referrals for child and pet care, financial planning sessions and much more. Short Term and Long Term Disability coverage and Business Travel Accidental insurance just to name a few.
The Business plan on Employee Benefits General Mills
1. Introduction to Employee benefits We used to call them "fringe benefits," but we quit using the word "fringe" when we saw the magnitude of that figure." - James Morris A benefit is a form of indirect compensation. Unlike in many other countries where benefits are uncommon, U. S. has been a major provider of these benefits to the citizens. In many other states, citizens as well as employers are ...
– Retirement and Savings � This too is far above and beyond the mandated requirements with 401K where �employees may contribute up to 60% and receive a Google match of up to the greater of (a) 100% of your contribution up to $2,500 or (b) 50% of your contribution per year with no vesting schedule! We also offer a variety of investment options to choose from, through Vanguard, our 401(k) Plan Administrator. To help you with those tough investment decisions, employees can access Financial Engines to receive personalized investment advice.� (Benefits).
Further there are 529 Savings plans that will enable the employee to save for the children�s college or post secondary education.
– Time away � Here again the company provides much more than is legally required of them such as 15 days paid vacation as an employee joins the company and going up to 20 days in 5th year and 25 days in the 6th year of service plus 12 paid holidays. Sick days as required. Attractive Maternity and Parental leave benefits and even an opportunity to expense up to $500 in take out food during the first 4 weeks after the arrival of the newborn.
– Benefits beyond basics � Here Google offers its employees education assistance of up to $8000 per annum � but the employee is expected to get grades of B or better. Employee referral programs that give a bonus of $2000 dollars if the referred candidate accepts the offer and remains for over 60 days with the organization. Back up childcare arrangements and excellent child care provisions at the Google Child Care Centre for children between the ages of 12 weeks and 6 days with low teacher/child ratios and many other activities not provided in other places. Adoption Assistance, which reimburses up to $5000 for legal costs and adoption agency costs etc. Also Google offers an attractive gift matching contribution of up to $3000 per year for those employees who make donations to non-profit organizations.
– Benefits way beyond basics � This includes free food where gourmet chefs cook some of the most sumptuous items complemented by an all day fruit and smoothie bar. On site doctors and out of this world massage therapy for those tough days. Shuttle services and Financial planning classes. Many more services such as oil changes for the car, hair styling, massage therapy, laundry services, dry cleaning services, onsite gym and fitness classes are all the additional on site benefits that are offered. Further the organization also provides the employees with discounts for products and local attractions, movie days, ski trips, sauna, roller hockey and volleyball and much, much more.
Given above is a brief overview of the benefits package that is provided to employees with Google Inc. While there is not a lot said about the monetary based pay just reading everything that has been said above gives us a very good idea of what a comprehensive benefits package is offered to the employees by the organization.
As said above Google uses this compensation and benefits package as an effective tool in its human resources function to achieve the organization�s short and long-term goals. And we will now evaluate the benefits that have been outlined above and see how effective it has been in achieving those said goals.
The health and wellness package offered to the employees is on par with what most of the high tech companies that make the best employer list offer their employees. Offering a package such as this that is on par with the best in the industry enables Google to be very competitive in the tight labour market conditions that we are experiencing today.
The medical, dental and vision care aspects that comprehensively cover the employee and dependents is certainly a plus point along with the insurance benefits and employee assistance benefits that are being offered.
In terms of retirement and savings the organization is doing a commendable job in this arena and should be applauded but like anything in business there is always room for improvement and an annual or a bi-annual survey conducted to gather the views of the employees on what they think about the savings and retirement plans of the organization what they would like to see in the future in this area would be a good way to gather feedback and understand the specific needs according to the different demographics that comprise the entire workforce at Google.
Time away again has been very well planned and Google has gone above and beyond what is required by Federal and State law to provide employees with an outstanding package that would no doubt help attract some of the most qualified and skilled candidates in the industry. However like in the retirement and savings aspect of the package the employee feedback should be sort periodically to keep abreast with the changing needs of the employees.
Benefits beyond basics have been very comprehensively designed too like the other aspects of the entire benefits package of the company. The education assistance program that is offered by the organization has easily got to be one of the best offered by any organization in the country. What�s more it is tied to excellent performance on the part of the individual, which serves dual purposes. Such a scheme is an excellent selling point when it comes to attracting and recruiting employees to work in the organization. Further it helps in the continuous development of the individual which is an essential component when it comes to attracting and retaining employees and increasing job related motivation. It can also be said that encouraging the individual to continue learning and developing can only have a positive effect on the productivity and contributions made by the individual toward the organization. Therefore the utility of this particular aspect in furthering the human resources function of the organization cannot be commended enough. The child care arrangements and all other perks under this category like adoption assistance only go further in complementing the benefits package and ensuring that the employee feels highly valued and appreciated by the organization and can only bring out a sense of deep loyalty and satisfaction on the employee.
The benefits that go WAY beyond, really do stand up to their name. It is known that even though Google is such a large and widespread company its main focus is to give its employees the benefits of a belonging to a large company and the closeness and satisfaction of working in a small company where every individual is counted and valued. This category of benefits does just that with all its activities that it provides such as movie nights and roller hockey and volleyball � which help increase team spirit and gives every employee a sense of belonging.
Further it also goes on to provide the employees with so much of on site services that would help make the lives of the employees much easier and keep their productivity levels quite high because all the necessary day to day routine activities can be completed in the work premises and that will not add to their stress levels nor take away time that can be spent at work achieving the organization�s goals.
Added to that the massage therapy and gourmet food that is available just gives the employees a sense of luxury that other organization�s would be hard put to match, which in turn can give Google the edge when it comes to retaining its valued employees and not losing them to the competition.
From everything that has been said above it is apparent that Google has done an excellent job at designing a compensation and benefits package that enables its human resources function to work effectively, however there is still room for further improvement and we will look at some of the areas in which Google can further improve in the next and final section of this paper.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO MAKE IT MORE EFFECTIVE
In today�s culture where health and fitness is a top priority with everyone it would be a good idea for Google to look into providing its employees with a fitness subsidy that they can utilize toward and fitness related goal that may not be provided right now by Google, such as Yoga, skating, weight loss programs etc.
In terms of time away from work there has been no mention of reimbursement of unused vacation and sick days. While this is not an essential component of the benefits package to reimburse unused sick days � it would be a good idea to look into this. Employee feedback regarding this aspect of the benefits package can give the organization some valuable insight into this particular area which can be used to further develop and fine tune this in a way that it would help retain and motivate better performance from the employees.
The benefits package that was so far discussed has not given any details on flexible work and telecommuting aspects that are allowed by the organization, while it can be assumed that almost every organization in today�s ever changing world will be providing its employees such benefits one way or another � the importance of it cannot be emphasized enough. Therefore like the other aspects of the benefits package � periodic employee feedback should be sort and the organization should look at what the competition is offering and the changing needs of today�s workforce and continue to look at this aspect of the package and change it accordingly as time goes by so as to always have an edge when attracting, recruiting and retaining employees in this vastly diverse and constantly tight labour market.
Conclusion
In this paper we looked at the Google Inc. philosophy and how the organization has shaped its compensation and benefits package to meet the said philosophy. We evaluated the benefits package from the angle of its human resources function and found that it has a very strong and robust benefits package. However it is the recommendation of the author that Google, avoids being complacent and looks at ways and means of continually improving the package according employee feedback that is gathered periodically, which will help the organization to continue to have an edge in the market over its competitors.
References
Benefits, Google Jobs, retrieved on 3 December 2007 from < http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/static.py?page=benefits.html#hw>
Kanungo, Rabrindra & Mendonca, Manuel, (1997), Compensation: Effective Reward Management, (2nd ed.), McGill University, Canada
North Sea Oil Project Management
Abstract
This paper discusses the project management stages and processes that the North Sea Oil project will go through.
Initiation, project planning and design, project execution and projection, monitoring and control and completion are the stages that this project will go through throughout its duration.
Integration management, scope management, time and cost management, quality management, human resources management, communication management and risk management are the key processes that will be used for this project.
The selected project manager will need to have excellent interpersonal skills, prior experience in the oil and gas industry and with projects of this nature.
Introduction
The objective of this paper is to analyze and outline all the activities required to manage the North Sea Oil infrastructure project within the set time frame and budget.
This analysis will include details of the project management process along with information on the expected stages of the project, risks and issues that may prop up and the leadership and administration requirements needed to complete a project of this magnitude.
This paper begins by examining the different stages associated with successfully managing this project and goes on to detail the processes that will be used to do the same. Further this paper will also give a high level view of the skills and competencies required by the Project Manager and the Risk factors and communications needs throughout the project.
Project Stages
There will be five main stages that will be looked at in this paper; they are the Initiation stage, the project planning and design stage, the project execution and projection stage, the monitoring and control stage and the project completion stage.
Project initiation stage
This is the most important stage in the project. In the event that this stage is not completed accurately it is highly unlikely that the project will meet the needs of all the stakeholders and thus will not be a success (Chamoun, 2006, p.34).
In this stage it is necessary that we gather sufficient information to understand the business environment in which the North Sea Oil Infrastructure project is operating in so we can incorporate the necessary controls in to the project. Wherever we don�t have sufficient information it should be reported separately and allowances made for any unforeseen situations and circumstances propping up. Further recommendations should also be made on how to fix them.
The following areas should be covered in the initiation stage
– Setting up measurable goals after analyzing the business needs and oil exploitation worker needs
– The current operations if any should be reviewed
– Have a conceptual design of the final and complete infrastructure requirements
– Forecast equipment requirements
– Develop a budget and do a financial analysis including a cost and benefit analysis
– Identify stakeholders and select and recruit personnel for the project
– Design project charter including the costs, tasks, and schedule and identify deliverables
Once the above has been completed we can move to the next stage of the project.
Project planning or design stage
In the initiation stage a conceptual design of the final outcome was completed. Therefore when we get to this stage a prototype of the infrastructure required at the end would have been built and tested. Further we already have decided on the best controls to ensure that the final outcome will meet the specifications of the project charter. Therefore in this stage we will include a final outcome that
– Meets the business needs and needs of the project sponsor and all the users � namely the staff working on site once oil exploitation work begins
– If a prototype has been built then in this stage we will ensure that it functions as required and any changes that need to be made will be made in this stage before we can move forward
– Analysis has be to conducted to further ensure that the final outcome can be achieved within the set time frame and budget
– Ability to do all of the above without compromising on quality
Once the above have been successfully completed then we can safely move to the next stage of the project.
Project execution or projection stage
Now since all the planning has been completed it is time to start putting all the plans in to action and carrying them out. In this stage we will start building the infrastructure for the North Sea Oil project.
This stage and the next stage will actually be carried out simultaneously. While the infrastructure is being built it is also essential to monitor the tasks, budgets, schedules and ensure that everything is going to plan (Whitty, 2005, p. 577).
Project monitoring and controlling systems
This stage is completed simultaneously with the execution stage. The reason for this is because it is essential to ensure that work is carried out as planned and using the allocated resources and within the agreed budget and the time frame.
If the project is not going as planned for some reason � if it is taking longer than planned to complete any component of the infrastructure or it is more expensive than originally expected then immediate control measures should be taken to stem any further problems that would be arise.
When the work has been executed as planned we can move to the next stage.
Project completion stage
This is also known as the closing stage of the project. However, though the project has been completed it doesn�t mean that everything comes to an end at this point. While the execution of the project ends and the end product has been completed it is at this point that the maintenance and post completion support for the users begins along with health and safety audits etc to ensure that all the necessary safety measures are in place (Kerzner, 2003, p.144).
It is in this stage that we receive formal acceptance of the project from the project sponsor after which the final administrative activities will take place i.e. Archiving documentation and other relevant information for future reference (Whitty & Schulz, 2007, p.19).
Now that we have had a high level view of the different stages that this North Sea Oil project will undergo � we will now look at the different Project Management processes that will be used to successfully deliver the end result.
Project Management Processes
In this section we will examine the different project management processes that will be used to complete this project. Listed below are the different processes that we will be looking at in this paper. Integration Management, Scope Management, Time & Cost Management, Quality Management, Human Resources Management, Communications Management and Risk Management. (Project Management, n.d.)
We start off this part of the paper by looking at the Integration Management process and systematically examine the rest of the processes and what we need to do to successfully complete each process and finally achieve the business needs and required end result.
Integration Management
Coordinating the various interrelated processes of the project is the main objective of the integration Management process.
In order to complete this process successfully the following requirements need to be met.
– Develop a project plan
– Get approval for the plan
– Manage the implementation of all activities described in the project plan
– Update the plan as it changes along the way
– Communicate all the changes to the relevant stakeholders
Of all the activities that have been stated above the developing a robust project plan is of paramount importance. Therefore here we will look at what needs to go into the project plan stage of this process.
In order to develop a project plan the following steps need to be completed.
First and foremost the objectives of this project will be described which in turn will help us identify what steps will need to be taken to reach the stated objectives.
Next the project deliverables will be identified and then finally the plan will describe all the various tasks that need to be completed under each process to adequately complete the project.
We should always keep in mind that the project plan is not only a guide for the implementation process because it identifies what needs to happen and who needs to is and within what time frame it needs to be done. But it is also a baseline for measuring the performance of the project itself. This project plan can be used to compare the actual work that has been completed against the planned work, the actual cost against estimated cost and the actual time spent completing the said tasks against the forecasted time (Meredith & Mantel, 2002, p.134)
As we all know a project is considered successful only if the needs of all the stakeholders have been met. Therefore here we will identify the key stakeholders in order for us to identify their needs. This in turn will help us determine the objectives of the project.
Achieving these said objectives will be the ultimate goal of the project and when they are met successfully then we can rest assured that the project has been a success.
Identifying the key stakeholders may not be an easy task as it may sound however it is safe to say that in this particular project the following groups can be considered as key stakeholders. The British Government, the funding authority, environmental organizations, the project team including the project manager, the oil and gas industry, the workers on the project, the end users of the infrastructure, the general public and the material suppliers.
Now that we have identified most of the stakeholder groups we will have to conduct a needs assessment to identify their varying needs.
Obviously this is one of the toughest phases of the project plan, however unless we get this part right the successful completion of the project may not be a possibility. One of the pitfalls that we should watch out for in this stage is that stakeholders don�t give us inaccurate data in terms of their needs. Therefore we should be careful in the needs assessment stage to weed out any particular needs and wants that may not be in line.
Upon creating a list of needs we would then have to prioritize them in order of importance and determine which ones will be used as the main objectives of the project.
Once the objectives have been identified it is now time to define them and quantify them wherever possible so it would be easy for us to identify when we have met the set objectives. Once the objectives are identified it�s a matter of planning and forecasting how we will achieve those said objectives. In order to make it easier to understand we will now look at the Scope Management process and how that will affect the project plan.
Scope Management
The objective of this process is to ensure that the project includes all the areas and work required to complete the project successfully and also to ensure that nothing more than the required areas or work are included in the plan. Given below are the steps required to manage the scope of the project accurately
– Scope of the project has to be defined in terms of project deliverables.
– Changes to the scope will always have an impact on the timelines and budgets therefore respond to any scope changes from the stakeholders appropriately
– Try as much as possible to make changes to the project scope only if appropriate and then too only based on project performance, ie. In the event performance is not as good as expected then look at ways and means to reduce the deliverables without affecting the end result.
– The project plan should include all changes to the scope.
– Key stakeholders should be notified of the additions or deletions to the scope and project plan and wherever necessary it would be prudent to sort approval.
Using the objectives that were quantified in the project plan we can now create a list of deliverables and how and when they should be completed. At this time these costs and timelines will still be only forecasts and in the next process we will further discuss how we can get more concrete timelines and costs in place.
Time and Cost Management
The main objective of this process is to ensure project completion within the allotted time and within budget. In order to carry out this process successfully we will design and develop a project schedule, estimate the necessary resources and costs involved and finally monitor performance.
The project schedule will indicate the different activities and tasks necessary to complete the project along with an estimate of the duration. Further this schedule will be used to estimate the necessary resources for each task or activity. Once the timelines and resources are forecasted then we will be able to calculate the cost of each activity accurately.
As you can see this would result in a formalized project schedule document that will enable us to monitor actual performance against estimated performance.
Once we complete the project schedule if it becomes apparent that we cannot realistically meet the deadline set by the project sponsor then we should bring it to their notice immediately and should either renegotiate the timelines, reduce the project scope and deliveries or increase the resources (keep in mind this will inevitably increase costs) whichever is most appropriate.
Now that the project schedule has been compiled � the essential part of the project plan has been completed and now we will look at the Quality Management process
Quality Management
As is apparent from the name of the process, it�s objective is to ensure that the project will meet the needs that it was meant to.
In this phase we will develop a quality plan and carry out quality control activities. The quality plan will include the activities that need to be completed throughout the duration of the project that would enable the project to be completed successfully. This plan can be either formal or informal depending on the needs of the project. In the case of the North Sea Oil Infrastructure project a formal quality plan would be the best choice.
Now that we have discussed the Quality Management process we will discuss the Human Resources Management process.
Human Resources Management
It is the objective of this process to ensure that we will use the Human Resources at our disposal as effectively and efficiently as possible. At this point we will have to carry out organizational planning, ensure and encourage team development and estimate the staff numbers required.
Next we will specifically define the roles and responsibilities so there will be no ambiguity and everyone will be clear about who will be doing what.
We will identify by name which individuals will be carrying out which set of responsibilities in relation to the project.
Then we will go on to describe the numbers and different types of personnel needed to complete the project. In this stage we will estimate the start dates, duration on the project and how we will source these resources. This completes the Human Resources Process.
Communication Management
The objective of this process is to ensure effective communication between the project team and the key stakeholder groups. During this process we will create a communication plan that will describe the information required by different stakeholder groups, how the information will be disseminated to them, who will be in charge of the different communications and how often the communications will be carried out. It would also be prudent to include a section that would details any exceptions to the rule.
We will now look at the Risk Management Process.
Risk Management
Here we will identify and analyze the risks that maybe be e faced during the project phase and formulate plans if possible on how to face these risks.
Some of the risks that we may face in this project are listed below
– Having overly optimistic timelines
– Inaccurate cost estimates that maybe far below the actually necessary funds allocation
– Inaccurate time estimates
– Budget and funding cuts
– Equipment and resources being more expensive than originally estimated
– Suppliers not being able to deliver on time
– Inaccurate stakeholder needs assessments
– Stakeholders changing the scope of the project and increasing their needs
– Extreme weather conditions that may cause unforeseen damage to the construction or even prolong the construction stage of the infrastructure
Once all the possible risks have been identified as listed above we can include them in a schedule and come up with a mitigation plan for each and also a contingency plan. Doing so will help us be better prepared to face the risks and still continue with the project without deviating from the plan too much.
This completes the project management processes that we will be going through during the course of the North Sea Oil Infrastructure project.
As you can see in order to complete this project successfully the selected Project Manager would need to have a good understanding of the business environment that the project sponsor is operating in, a good understanding of the needs of the key stakeholders and excellent communication and co-ordination skills to manage a project of this magnitude. Further having experience in the Oil and Gas industry would be an added advantage. The selected candidate should be comfortable with dealing with white collar as well as blue collar workers have excellent interpersonal skills and also past experience in handling projects which had such large budgets as this project would have.
Conclusion
The North Sea Oil Exploitation Infrastructure project will consist of many different stages and processes as to ensure the smooth running of the project and the successful delivery of the end products.
References
Chamoun, Y. 2006, Professional Project Management, THE GUIDE, 1st edn, McGraw Hill, Monterrey, NL Mexico
Kerzner, H. 2003, Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, 8th edn, Wiley
Meredith, J. R. & Mantel, S. J. 2002, Project Management: A Managerial Approach, 5th ed., Wiley
�Project Management�, LC Power.com. Retrieved May 29, 2007 from
Whitty, S.J. 2005, �A Memetic Paradigm of Project Management�, International Journal of Project Management, vol.23 no.8, pp.575-583
Whitty, S.J. & Schulz, M.F. 2007, �The impact of Puritan ideology on aspects of project management�, International Journal of Project Management, vol.25, no.1, pp.10-20
