ASSIGNMENT BRIEF

Assignment Questions
This project will constitute a phase of your firm’s annual operating plan for generating revenues and competitive advantage.

Task Requirements
Identify a business issue/problem, or opportunity as below:

Assignment Background
In the past, oil and gas (O&G) companies have attempted to address oil-price declines by resorting to traditional cost-cutting measures, including layoffs and capital expense reductions. Many are taking a similar approach this time — a risky proposition in a time of unparalleled uncertainty for the industry. Indeed, the current scenario could pose potentially disastrous consequences for O&G firms that are not prepared to change their current operating models. For example, since October 2014, at least 10 O&G companies have filed for bankruptcy.
Other, forward-looking O&G firms, such as the one you are now working for, however, believe today’s turbulent market landscape provides an opportunity to gain competitive advantage by harnessing new technologies. These companies are already reaping sizable benefits: In the Eagle Ford region in North America, for example, improved drilling techniques and technologies are now enabling oil rigs to produce 18 times more efficiently than in 2008 and 65 percent more efficiently than in 2013. In addition, O&G firms now have the opportunity to achieve further efficiencies through digital technologies powered by the Internet of Everything (IoE) — the networked connection of people, process, data, and things.
With this forward looking strategy in mind your firm is considering a $3.2bn investment in technology across its up, mid & downstream operations.
This investment is focused on the near-term reward of increased shareholder value while maintaining long-term sustainability.
Fraught with challenges today, including declining production rates coupled with increasing production costs; a lack of knowledge & expertise among young workers due to a retiring skilled workforce; and, of course, a host of complications associated with increasingly remote & dangerous mega projects, not to mention the fall in crude oil prices.
The firm sees potential for technology to address some or all of these industry issues? Can this investment in technology improve operational efficiencies; lead to significant cost savings; and/or make the dangerous, messy, and exceedingly complicated jobs in this sector safer & easier? What enhancements can tech deliver in the oilfield?
If the firm goes ahead with this investment it will become a leader in tech led O&G exploration and would want to solidify this leader position via a global campaign showcasing its new capabilities & status.

Assignment Task:

You have just started working for a major oil and/or or gas company, and have joined a project team. You & your team have been tasked with an international short term project, with duration of 3 months. With its new investment your firm will become a leader in tech led O&G exploration/production & would want to solidify this leader position.
Therefore, you & your team are tasked with scoping a multi-national marketing project – across digital channels only – a project that can help the firm communicate its capabilities to appropriate stakeholders & help it to solidify this leader position, showing the financial & non-financial benefits to the firm of this investment & the project.
If they go ahead with the investment it will allow the firm to meet its overall business need, of achieving increased sales operational efficiencies & competitive advantage.
Your task is to write a business report detailing the resources needed to produce this project. Other teams have also been asked to put together a report along the same lines and the best one will be selected by senior management before implementation begins.

For this:

In order to create “a well thought-out plan, including defined measures of success”, and to convince your CEO.

Source: 18th Annual Global CEO Survey findings. Explore the data at www.pwc.com/ceosurvey
You, as a project group, will need to critically analyse your organisation’s current situation, utilising & critically evaluating, appropriate academic models, theories & frameworks to establish a project that will help your company gain competitive advantage with a measurable outcome.

Your company’s Details:
Name: AMINA Inc
Company snapshot
• Ranking in FTSE100
• Headquarters: London (Global HQ),
• Operations: Operates in 37 countries & territories.
• Employees: 127,000
• Profit (2016 – 2017 Financial Year): $170billion.

As you will be recommending the project the dates must be in the future.
The final report should be presented in the style of a formal report addressing your senior management team. Use business English and write in the third person e.g. “It is recommended that…” not, “I think we should do this…” Ensure your tasks are clearly signposted for the examiner by using good formatting, headings, and titles that relate to the assignment question.

You will need to support your answers throughout with robust research & examples/benchmarks/best practice from a wide range industries or companies.

Based on your chosen project you will be required to cover the following points, which will form the sections of your overall Report:

1. Milestone 1 (Week 2)
• Students to form groups of up to 5 members.
• Teams to convene an initial kick off meeting.
• Appoint Project Manager (PM) – as leader/spokesperson to deliver weekly team updates.
• Discuss the purpose of the project – why it’s needed and what will it achieve.
• Discuss the merits and limitations of A Project Plan: This meeting should produce a project plan to deliver against the milestones set out in the document via an issues/ activity log as a control method.
• Discuss the merits and limitations of Project’s Scope: What’s in, what’s out
• Show use of weekly action/issues log to demonstrate that all work and responsibilities for the group have been set for all tasks.

Presentation of Activity/Issues Log to Project Sponsor (2 mins max): week 2 (during the tutorial) – Succinct project progress meeting; use of activity/issues log covering how project is being controlled and delivered; how any issues are being dealt with. All to be included in your appendices. (LO 1, 2, 3, 4)

2. Milestone 2 (week 3)
• Conduct a High level critical analysis of:
• Business Environment – Micro and Macro (internal, external factors) – critical analysis via but not limited to applying PESTEL analysis &/or Porters 5 Forces, McKinsey’s 7S’s in context.
• Why does a project need robust information/research: Critically discuss the Information/Research needs of your project – e.g. Primary/Secondary,
• Discuss the merits and limitations of Stakeholder Analysis
• Discuss the merits and limitations of Constraints Analysis (Internal and External).

Presentation of Activity/Issues Log to Project Sponsor (2 mins max): As per instructions in Milestone 1. (LO 1, 2, 3, 4)

3. Milestone 3 (week 4)
• Critically discuss Risk – The associated organisational risk in context;
• Risk management,
• Risk Analysis using Force Field Analysis.
• Risk Control/ response/management Programme: – Risk category & type, Assessment/impact of risk on the company, Evaluation of probability, Response to the risk, Contingency planning
• Assess all resource capacity, capability and necessity relative to the proposed project:
• Resource Reviews – 5 Ms of management – Men, Minutes, Machinery, Materials, Money.
• Personnel Requirements – RACI Resource capacity, capability and necessity

Presentation of Activity/Issues Log to Project Sponsor (2 mins max): As per instructions in Milestone 1. (LO 1, 2, 3, 4)

4. Week 5: Presentation of Activity/Issues Log to Project Sponsor (2 mins max): As per instructions in Milestone 1. (LO 1, 2, 3, 4)
5. Milestone 4 (week 6) – Critically evaluate the project via a Robust cost benefit analysis.
• Apply SMART objectives to the project.
• Cost benefit analysis;
• Critically discuss: Budgeting/ Type of budget used –
• Develop costing for the project based on identifying (research required – prices should be based on realistic indicative figures) the main components that you will need).
• You will need carry out a financial appraisal of the project to include;
• Set the Costs/Budget for the project
• Financial Benefits
-Forecast, ROI, Payback, Breakeven
• Non-financial benefits

Presentation of Activity/Issues Log to Project Sponsor (2 mins max): As per instructions in Milestone 1. (LO 1, 2, 3, 4)

6. Week 7: Presentation of Activity/Issues Log to Project Sponsor (2 mins max): As per instructions in Milestone 1. (LO 1, 2, 3, 4)
7. Milestone 5 (week 8) – Scheduling
Critically evaluate the implementation/schedule plan for the project, and communicating with stakeholders (internal and external) applying project management techniques of:
• Work Breakdown Structure
• Gantt Chart
• Critical Path
• Project Control
• Methodology chosen to manage the project, with a justification.
• Communication Plan

Presentation of Activity/Issues Log to Project Sponsor (2 mins max): As per instructions in Milestone 1. (LO 1, 2, 3, 4)

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8. Week 9: Presentation of Activity/Issues Log to Project Sponsor (2 mins max):
As per instructions in Milestone 1. (LO 1, 2, 3, 4)
9. Milestone 6 (week 10)
Critically discuss how the project will be:
• Terminated & Hand over
• Evaluated via Post Implementation review (PIR) and use of appropriate evaluation methodology.
• An overall Conclusion to the business Report. Make justified recommendations.

Presentation of Activity/Issues Log to Project Sponsor (2 mins max): As per instructions in Milestone 1. (LO 1, 2, 3, 4)
Notes:
• Word count will not include material presented weekly.
• No feedback will be given on weekly presentations.
• Individual absence from weekly up-date will not impact others in team who update.