Implementation Of A Property Management System

Implementation of a Property Management System in a Hotel Organization

Project Plan

Willie J. Broussard Jr.

Project Management/MGT 573

Instructor: Paul Levine

Submitted on: May 15, 2006

Introduction

"Project management is the discipline of defining and achieving targets while optimizing the use of resources (time, money, people, space, etc)" (Wikipedia, n.d.). In essence, the project management processes and methodologies are used to align resources with the company's or organization's mission(s) in order to achieve predictable results. In order for one to be an excellent project manager, she or he:

* "Must show enthusiasm for project.

* Must be flexible in order to manage change effectively.

* Must possess a tolerant attitude toward ambiguity as excellent teambuilding and negotiating skills.

* Must put the customer first. and

* Must adhere to the priorities of the business.

* Must be knowledgeable of the industry or technology" (Baker, Baker, & Campbell, 2003).

Prior to starting a project, a project manager (PM) should assess the risks of her or his project in order to successfully complete a project whether it simple or complex. The PM should be able to forecast how various problems, issues, and/or concerns might affect key areas of the project whether it is considered to be a constraint or risk. Constraints as well as risks can bring a project to a subtle halt or an abrupt halt depending on the situation. It is important for the PM to know the difference between the two. For example, budget can be a constraint as well as a risk.

Furthermore, it is imperative to define the project, justify why the project is taking place, know the scope of the project, know what the project is suppose to achieve, determine how to measure the success of the project, and determine some best practices to facilitate the success of the project. This paper will briefly discuss the tasks and milestones, identification, assessment and mitigation of risks, change management, and key learning points as it pertains to the implementation of a new Property Management System in a hotel organization.

Specific tasks and milestones

Tasks specific to this project include selecting the Property Management System to implement, preparing the hotel property for the implementation, training the staff, inputting information from the old system to the new system, and turning on the new system.

Milestones in this project are the selection of the committee, selection of the Property Management System, selection of hardware/software, arrival of hardware/software, beginning of training, inputting of current reservations and deposits, implementing the new system and supporting the system.

Tools used to Measure Project Success

Prior to subscribing to a methodology for measuring success of the project, one must determine the complexity, size, and various characteristics of the project. Then one can begin the building blocks leading to the use of efficient project management processes as well as maintaining control of the project itself. These building blocks can eventually result in the proper metrics.

As described by Phadnis (2005) "Project metrics selected should reflect the voice of the customer (customer needs), as well as ensure that the internal metrics selected by the organization are achieved." Instead of utilizing the traditional Balanced Scorecard, one would use the following concept of the four perspectives:

* "Financial perspective: What financial objectives must we accomplish to ensure the success of the project?

* Customer perspective: By working on this project, what customer objectives will be met?

* Internal perspective: To achieve the customer objectives which processes will have to be worked on? and

* Learning perspective: To achieve the project goals, how must one learn and innovate" (Phadnis, 2005)?

Once careful thought of these four perspectives have been completed, then one can complete the metrics that will be used to facilitate the functionality of measuring the progress and success of the project. Some of the metrics that come to mind are; was the budget within its limit, were the milestones adhered to, and was the project completed in a timely fashion. The PM in conjunction with the Comptroller will keep track of all monies expended and provide a printout weekly of expenditures in spreadsheet format. At the specified timeframes, the PM will conduct an internal audit to ensure that the project is on schedule as promised. A survey will be provided to the stakeholders asking for a review of how the project was carried out and deliverance satisfaction.

Identification, Assessment, and Mitigation of Risks

When the PM has identified the risk, she or he should reduce the risk using the following strategies: "reduce the likelihood the event will occur and or reduce the impact that the adverse event would have on the project" (Gray & Larson, 2006, p. 215). There are numerous risks to any project but only four risks will be listed since they have been considered priority in the success of this project. Those risks are:

* Budget - New software has to be designed and purchased in order to carry out the objective of the project. The organization might not have enough funds for assigned team members to travel to the designated areas during site visits. The impact of this risk will be 15 percent. To mitigate this risk, the PM should identify cost-effective approaches while ensuring the efficient and cost-effective development and utilization of management information systems and other technological resources meet the organization's needs; while understanding the impact of technological changes on the organization. Prior to implementation of the project, travel and per diem should be included as part of the budget proposal.

* Connectivity - Each end user of the product might not have the capability to connect to the system