organisation, it aided in focusing the team, enabling us to allocate tasks within specific timescales and raise moral and passion for the task, both within the team and through-out the organisation. The analysis of threats helped highlight the challenges ahead, before they became an issue, allowing us to plan, to a degree, for the unexpected, as well as being able to plan ahead for required resources before access to them became an issue. It also acted as a reminder of what our competitors were already doing and achieving ahead of us, and acted as a drive for the team and organisation. This was highly successful in focusing the team and ensuring we achieved the required standard on schedule.

Project Management Technique One – Project Schedule

As this project was time sensitive, with an assessment date pre-set by the assessing body, time management was the most crucial element of the whole project, so it was important to fully plan out the project.

“Time Management refers to making the best use of time as time is always limited… know which work should be done earlier and which can be done a little later.” (Juneja P, 2019)

By reviewing the project early on, after the initial Situation Analysis, I was required to prioritise the work, and identify those areas that were of greater importance, or would take longer time periods. To better plan for this, I utilised a Gantt chart to plot each activity required, length of time, where some tasks would overlap, and where others where dependant on each other completing before the next task could start (see Appendix XXX). Reviews were scheduled in at regular intervals and, after the project completion, an evaluation was also pre-scheduled, so as to better facilitate the commencement of the secondary project. My team and I, along with the Directors, found this chart a useful tool, to keep us on target to achieve the aim. At times certain elements meant that we veered off course, but by having the reviews scheduled in, we were able to re-look at the chart, adjust it to bring us back in line, and ensure we achieved the required time scale.

Describe how you have applied a technique(s) to analyse and resolve a problem during this project (relate a model/theory to your example). (2.2)

It was highlighted early on that, to achieve sections of the standard, we would require a new contracting system that could more effectively track, maintain and ultimately satisfy one of the standard’s criteria’s. However, with financial constraints on the project in place, it was becoming increasingly difficult to source a cost effective, yet robust enough system to achieve the goal. At this stage we decided on an additional review to be held on this problem and we applied the Rational Model, as it was the most straight forward approach in quickly highlighting the issue and attempting to resolve it.

Once the problem had been laid out (which included a detailed criteria evaluation of the standard relating to this section), we were then able to reassess the issue before us. All key members of the team brought their findings and research so far, and as a team we were able to fully evaluate each option and discuss ways forward. Once it was all laid out, with all the potential options and future benefits of each option, it suddenly became clear that a pre