Project Plan PJ Enterprises

April 20, 2017

Project Information
Project Name

This project will be referred to as PJ Enterprises Telephone Operator Training and

Product Guide Development.

Project Description/Overview

PJ Enterprises has employed Optim Learning Solutions (OLS) to design, develop,

and implement an innovative performance solutions program for Telephone
Operators (TOs) to increase the skills and expertise of these employees. The
instruction is ultimately intended to improve customer service scores and increase
sales results.

To assess fully the needs of the organization, and with the approval of Jane
MacKenzie, the projects management sponsor, OLS, conducted a performance
analysis over the period of March 1319, 2017, to analyze PJ Enterprises current
performance related data and identify appropriate performance solutions. The
performance analysis was the basis of performance solutions presented to Jane on
March 20, 2017, and a project charter reflecting the agreements made in that
meeting was presented to PJ Enterprises on March 27, 2017.

The performance solutions suggested by OLS included development of a Product

Guide and revised Telephone Operator Training. Upon receiving the necessary
information from product vendors via the Product Vendor Liaison, OLS will create
the Product Guide and related training materials to instruct TOs in its use. The
Product Guide will be available in a printable PDF format searchable by PJ
Enterprises' unique product number or keywords.

Telephone Operator Training will consist of four hours of instructor-led training

with a number of hands-on activities and assessments. Training will be conducted
each quarter. At the end of this training, TO competency will be certified through
assessments. Training sessions will be held quarterly to allow for seasonal changes
to PJ Enterprises catalog.

Project Purpose

The purpose of this project for PJ Enterprises is to improve customer satisfaction

scores, achieve consistent call performance, decrease call times, and increase sales
for TOs. As a result of implementing Telephone Operator Training and the Product
Guide, PJ Enterprises and OLS anticipate an increase in customer satisfaction and
reaching the targets set by PJ Enterprises for 2017.

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Project Plan Team 1
 Business Objectives

The improvement in TO call etiquette and accessibility to product information will

help PJ Enterprises reach the desired 10% improvement in customer satisfaction
scores. Additionally, increasing TO efficiency through access to product
information through the Product Guide will assist TOs in handling a minimum of
six calls per hour, contributing to the desired 30% increase in sales in 2017.

Scope Statement
Deliverables Included

OLS is responsible for:

Developing the Telephone Operator Training and Product Guide.
Gathering product information and images through PJ Enterprises SMEs.
Creating the Product Guide so it is searchable by important product information
including PJ Enterprises unique product number, pricing, photos, and descriptions, and
additional details like fiber content, washing instructions, sizing charts, etc.
Delivering initial TO training provided by an OLS trainer as outlined in the Project
Deliverables section.
Creating the Facilitator's Guide.
Producing a Participant Guide with all needed handouts, role-playing prompts and
assessment checklists.

Exclusions

OLS will not provide or be responsible for:

Any deliverables outside of those deliverables specified in this document.
Product Guide update training unless presented and agreed upon in a separate
charter/proposal.
Integration of any policy or standards changes for PJ Enterprises, unless presented and
agreed upon in a separate charter/proposal.

Project Completion Criteria

This project will be complete when the following deliverables have been
completed and signed off by PJ Enterprises:
Product Guide
TO training, including
o Design document
o Training content
o Training materials (including Participant Guide, Facilitator Guide, Product Guide Job
Aid, Handouts and Assessments)
o Training evaluation results

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 .

Project Plans
Primary Plans

This project will provide design, development, delivery, and evaluation of an

improved TO training program for PJ Enterprises. The training will consist of
Product Guide use, standard call script use, and common and difficult customer
scenarios. The following will be included:
Project task schedules
Scheduled meeting plans
Status report plan
Milestone plan
Change management plan
Communication plan
Risk assessment plan
Instruction development plan
Quality control and evaluation plan
Budget plans for time and materials

Scheduled Meetings

OLS has scheduled the following regular meetings; however, additional meetings
may be called should the need arise.

Meeting Frequency Attendees Description

Kickoff Meeting Once Entire project Introduce PJ

team stakeholders and team
members, and provide
overview of project
objectives.

OLS Team Weekly every OLS team Review prior weeks

Meeting Monday members work, prepare for
coming week, and
address other issues as
required.

Project Sponsor Weekly every OLS team, Jane Sponsor Jane

Meeting Wednesday MacKenzie MacKenzie joins the
OLS project team to
ask questions about
the weekly status
report, answer
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 questions from the
project team, and
decide if any follow
up or additional
resources are required
of PJ Enterprises
resources in the next
week.

Project Bi-weekly OLS team, Project stakeholders

Stakeholders (every other Stakeholders meet to receive
Meeting Wednesday) progress updates from
following the the project team. They
Project will also provide input
Sponsor regarding any high-
Meeting level project issues
and pose any
questions related to
the project. Key
stakeholder invitations
will be dependent on
project stage.

Scheduled Status Reports

OLS will provide written status reports to Jane MacKenzie every Monday
beginning from Monday, April 10, 2017. Reports as Microsoft Word documents
via email.
A status report will be delivered weekly by Instructional Designer(s) to Project
Manager and will include:
Brief descriptions of instructional strategies,
Overall design sequencing decisions,
Problems encountered since last update.
A status report will be delivered weekly by Project Manager to OLS team and PJ
Enterprises Project Sponsor and project team and will include:
Progress of deliverables,
Issues that need addressing,
Schedule status of scheduling, and
Budget.
This report will be used to focus the discussion at weekly/bi-weekly Project
Sponsor and Project Team meetings.

Assumptions

OLS is responsible for:

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Project Plan Team 1
 Development of all deliverables including Product Guide and all training.
Managing the scope of the Product Guide and TO training materials.
Project management of all in-scope deliverables.
Weekly status reports to Jane MacKenzie.
Meeting all designated milestones.
Completing project on time and within budget.
Jane MacKenzie, representing PJ Enterprises, is responsible for:
Providing OLS with requested Product Guide information.
Making appropriate SMEs available to give input on and review all materials.
Managing feedback process and handling sign-offs for drafts and deliverables.
Providing a liaison between the product vendors and OLS so that OLS can receive all
necessary information with which to update the Product Guide.
Providing IT support in planning and implementing the Product Guide.
Scheduling and providing facilities and computers for the training created by OLS.
Scheduling employee attendance for training sessions.

Constraints

The following circumstances will constrain OLSs ability to complete the project:
The high turnover rate among telephone operators at PJ Enterprises may affect the
availability of telephone etiquette SMEs on a consistent basis, leading to difficulties in
maintaining a consistent perspective on proper telephone etiquette at PJ Enterprises.
Assistant Merchandising Manager Ray Johnsons high workload may limit his ability
to source product information for OLS, thus leading to more time needed to create the
Product Guide. OLS cannot contact product vendors directly for these details.
Sheena Perezs recently increased responsibilities may limit her ability to serve as
SME on the project, which may cause delays in the materials review process.

External Dependencies

The successful completion of the project depends upon the following external
factors:
The ability of the external product vendors to deliver accurate and complete product
information on time to update accurately the product guide.

Project Approach

OLS will utilize the ADDIE process for this project:

Analyze available data including TO performance statistics and PJ Enterprises sales
figures, and compare those to the targets set for 2017 to discover where and how
performance can be improved.
Design training solutions and job aids to meet those performance objectives.

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 Develop content and materials proposed in the design phase.
Implement the training solutions and job aids.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the training solutions and job aids based on user feedback
to refine future iterations of these materials.

Milestones

The dates below are for sign-off on indicated documents. For a complete schedule,
refer to the Schedule section of this document. Note that all dates appear in the
MM/DD/YY format.

Milestone or Activity Deliverable Target

Date

Design document sign off Finalized design document 04/14/17

Training materials signoff Finalized training materials 05/17/17

Conduct pilot training Pilot training 05/22/17

Implement (delivery) Deliver training 06/15/17

Training evaluation results Training evaluation results 06/30/17

WBS Diagram

This diagram outlines the tasks that TOs will perform in the Telephone Operator
Training. See Appendix A for a full-size version of this diagram.

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 Schedule

This schedule documents ownership of work packages along with start and due
dates. If anyone is unable to meet a due date for any reason, that person should
inform the Project Manager as soon as possible.
Note that all dates appear in MM/DD/YY format. Completed work packages are
expected to be submitted by End of Day (EOD) Eastern Time on or before listed
the due date.
Ownership is listed by initials. The following individuals are named in the table:
Steph Boysen (SAB)
Jane MacKenzie (JEM)
Laura McWhorter (LMcW)
Lisa Mernaugh (LM)
Beena Waugh (BW)
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)

Work Package Owner Start Due

Analyze learning LM, SAB, BW 04/01/17 04/04/17

environment

Analyze work LM, SAB, BW 04/01/17 04/04/17

environment

Analyze customer LM, SAB, BW 04/01/17 04/04/17

satisfaction feedback

Analyze employee LM, SAB, BW 04/01/17 04/04/17

satisfaction feedback

Analyze TO LM, SAB, BW 04/01/17 04/04/17

performance
expectations

Analyze TO job tasks LM, SAB, BW 04/01/17 04/04/17

Analyze learner LM, SAB, BW 04/01/17 04/04/17

characteristics

Define learner LM, SAB, BW 04/01/17 04/04/17

characteristics

Define course objectives SK 04/01/17 04/04/17

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 Define course outline SK 04/01/17 04/04/17

Define instructional SK 04/01/17 04/04/17

strategies (strategies,
methods and
assessments)

Create design document SK, LMcW, 04/04/17 04/06/17

LM, SAB, BW

Submit design document SAB 04/06/17 04/06/17

for stakeholder review

PJ stakeholder review of JEM, SMEs 04/06/17 04/10/17

design document

Modify design document LMcW 04/10/17 04/13/17

PJ stakeholder review of JEM, SMEs 04/13/17 04/14/17

design document
changes

PJ design document JEM 04/14/17 04/14/17

signoff

Create learner training SK, LMcW 04/17/17 05/01/17

materials (including
activities & assessments)

Create Facilitator Guide SK, LMcW 05/01/17 05/05/17

Create job aid for SK, LMcW 04/17/17 05/05/17

Product Guide use

Submit training SK 05/05/17 05/05/17

materials, guides and job
aids for PJ stakeholder
review

PJ stakeholder review of JEM, SMEs 05/05/17 05/12/17

training materials, guides
and job aids

Modify training SK 05/12/17 05/16/17

materials, guides and job
aids

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Project Plan Team 1
 PJ stakeholder review of SK 05/16/17 05/17/17
training material changes

PJ SME & sponsor sign JEM, SMEs 05/17/17 05/17/17

off on training materials,
guides and job aids

Identify learners and BW, SK, SMEs 04/17/17 05/17/17

pilot learners

Determine training BW, JEM 04/17/17 05/17/17

locations and times

Setup & conduct pilot BW, SK 05/17/17 05/22/17

training

PJ stakeholder review JEM, SMEs 05/22/17 05/24/17

and feedback of pilot

Pilot test revisions SK 05/24/17 05/26/17

PJ training signoff JEM 06/09/17 06/09/17

Schedule training BW, JEM 05/22/17 06/09/17

Conduct training SK 06/15/17 06/15/17

Create evaluation plan LM, SAB, BW 04/06/17 04/11/17

Collect evaluation data SK 06/15/17 06/16/17

Analyze evaluation data LM, SK 06/16/17 06/30/17

Communicate evaluation SAB 06/30/17 06/30/17

results

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Project Plan Team 1
 Gantt Chart [SAB]

This Gantt chart shows the development schedule for the whole project at the
category level. See Appendix B for a larger version of this chart.

Change Management Plan

OLS proposes that the project team use the process outlined below to address and
manage changes to the project scope.

Purpose

The purpose of the Change Management Plan is to provide a clear, step-by-step

process for controlling any changes that occur to the approved scope of the project.
The plan will discuss how decisions are made and how to communicate the
change.

Goals

The goal of the Change Management Plan is to establish a process for addressing
and documenting change requests, and to assign responsibilities to change
requests.

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Project Plan Team 1
 Change Control Process

The Change Control Process defines how OLS will handle changes that occur, how
issues will be tracked, prioritized assigned and resolved as well as the procedure
for evaluating the change and either approving or denying the change. The
decision regarding the examination is communicated to all concerned.

Stage Responsible Actions

Party

1 Any project Change in the project scope that has

stakeholder happened or is about to happen

2 Any project Submits a Change Request Form to the

stakeholder Project Manager to request changes to
deliverables or scope

3 Project Manager Evaluates how the change will impact

the project, makes recommendation, and
decides who to involve and how to move
forward

4 Project Manager Reviews project scope change and

discusses appropriate actions required
Project Sponsor and the possible impacts

Stakeholders
affected by the
change

5 Project Sponsor Approves or denies the change presented

6 Project Manager Verifies the appropriate updates are made

to all project documents such as scope,
budget, schedule and project plan

7 Project Manager Documents the impact of the change

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Project Plan Team 1
 Responsibilities

The table below identifies the responsibilities of each role in the process.

Person Responsible Responsibilities

Any project stakeholder Evaluates an issue that will affect scope. Submits a
change request to the Project Manager.

Project Manager Receives the change request. Determines the effect of

the change on the project and determines if it requires
escalation.

Escalates change request. If the issue is likely to

affect the project scope, the Project Manager meets
with the Project Sponsor and any stakeholders
affected by the change to discuss the change request
and appropriate next steps.

Rejects or approves the requested change and

recommended next steps. Prioritizes and implements
multiple changes if required. Recommendations are
documented, and tasks are delegated to the team
member. The appropriate documents including the
scope, budget, schedule, and project plan are updated
accordingly.

Project Sponsor If the change will not affect scope in a negative way,
no action is taken.

If the change will affect scope in a negative way, the

project sponsor must sign off the new course of action
needed to mitigate the risks.

Communication Plan
OLS recommends that PJ Enterprises create a specific communication plan for the
TO Training project. Clear communication addressing the questions pertaining to
the who, what, when, where, and how of the training solution will prepare the
target audience (TOs) for what to expect from the training, and the desired goals
and outcomes for PJ Enterprises. OLS also recommends PJ Enterprises create a
system to record feedback from staff. The best outcomes from communication
planning involve two-way communication between management and staff.

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 Purpose and Goals

When change occurs in an organization, it is important to keep

the affected employees informed so they receive accurate and
timely information. Timing is also important, as you do not
want to release details about the change too soon or too late. If
you communicate details about an upcoming change too soon,
there is a chance that there will be further modifications or
changes in the plans; this may result in confusion or hard
feelings among employees. If you wait too late to
communicate, employees may begin to speculate or draw the
wrong conclusions. There is also the chance that rumors will
start flying.
The purpose of a communication plan is to provide employees
and other stakeholders with the right information at the right
time. In doing so, we expect to achieve our goals of
minimizing negative feelings and reactions, fostering a sense
of investment in the project, and create opportunities for
dialog between all parties.

Recommendations to PJ on Messages to Address Impact of

Project

OLS recommends that PJ Enterprise create a mission

statement and distribute it throughout the organization. This
statement will provide a goal to unite the whole company for
day-to-day activities. Since providing excellent customer
service is the center of the TO Training Project, having the
mission statement align with the training will help support the
process.

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Project Plan Team 1
 Challenges and Opportunities

The table presents challenges and opportunities for the TO

Training project, the appropriate message and channel for
handling them, the parties responsible for addressing them,
and the appropriate timeframe to use.

Audience Challenge Message to Address Challenge Channel Responsibl

e

Telephone May resist a A guided script and the phone etiquette Monthly Customer
Operators new process training will make handling customer employee Service
for interacting calls easier and provide more meetings Supervisor
with consistent customer service. The new s
customers and automated product search function will
finding allow TOs to access needed
product information quickly and answer
information questions with confidence while giving
customers a better experience.

Customer May resist A guided script and the phone etiquette Monthly Jane
Service learning the training will allow TOs to handle stakeholder MacKenzie
Supervisor new Product customer calls more efficiently and meetings
s Guide and provide more consistent customer
telephone service. The new automated product
etiquette search function will allow TOs to
protocols. access needed information quickly,
answer questions and provide better
customer service, thus minimizing the
need to involve Customer Service
Supervisors in resolving customer
issues.

Customer May feel their Supervisors will receive fewer Monthly Jane
Service job is not as transferred calls since TOs will be able employee MacKenzie
Supervisor important to answer customer questions meetings
s themselves. Supervisors will have a
chance to learn to facilitate the
sessions and develop valuable
knowledge and skills to further their
careers.

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Project Plan Team 1
Risk Management Method
While we have noted some specific risks in the Project Charter, other risks may
arise. To monitor and deal with these risks, we will track them in a spreadsheet that
will include the following information:
Identification (ID) number (in order of appearance during project)
Date risk recognized
Description of risk
Outcome if left untreated
Impact rating of risk on a 15 scale where 1 = Very Low, 2 = Low, 3 = Moderate, 4 =
High, and 5 = Severe
Proposed treatment plan for mitigating the risk
Additional resources required (if any)
Risk owner
Time frame for resolution
Note: A larger sample of this spreadsheet also appears in Appendix C.

Project Plan Approvals

Approvals

Approved by:

Name Role Signature Date

Jane MacKenzie Project Sponsor

Stephanie Boysen Project Manager

Appendix A: WBS for Telephone Operator Training
Appendix C: Risk Management Spreadsheet