Assessment 2: Report on Coles Australia

1. Executive Summary:
The largest retail and department store chain in Australia is called Coles Supermarket. The
main focus of a large auxiliary organization is providing new products to its customers. This
report's objective is to investigate Coles' organizational strategy and competitive positioning
within the retail sector. The aims of this report are as follows: The organizational strategy of
Coles and the strategy of its competitors Suggestions for enhancing its approach 2.0
Overview of the business Melbourne serves as the primary location for Coles Supermarkets
Australia Pty Ltd, an Australian corporate retailer that specializes in retail, client service, and
general business. The group uses Coles as a stand-in. Nevertheless, Wesfarmers, the parent
association, requires the association. George Coles founded the association in 1914 in
Collingwood, Melbourne. In Australia, there are roughly 807 stores. (Course hero: Own the
study hour)
This document provides a concise summary of the Project Management Plan (PMP) for the
Coles Australia project. The PMP is an extensive document that details the strategic approach
for effectively carrying out and overseeing the project, by the company goals and the
expectations of important stakeholders. Project management involves the use of knowledge,
expertise, tools, and methodologies to carry out project tasks that fulfill project specifications.
Project management involves the systematic process of starting, organizing, carrying out,
monitoring, and completing the tasks of a team to accomplish particular objectives and meet
predetermined success criteria within a specified timeframe. (Ashley Cabral April 23, 2018)
The purpose of this Project Management Plan is to establish a systematic framework for the
planning, implementation, and oversight of the project operations. It functions as a strategic
plan for project managers and team members, providing them with clear direction and
guidance throughout the several stages of the project's lifespan, while also ensuring that the
project is in line with the aims and objectives of the organization. As a start, it gives us a look
at what the project's scope, timeline, cost, performance, and other similar factors should be.
When the project manager or team members see a change from the standard, they will follow
the project management plan and make changes to scale back. The worst thing that could
happen is that the changes don't bring the differences back on track. In that case, the project
manager would have to formally ask for a change in the baselines.
Furthermore, the document offers a point of reference that may be utilized to enforce policies
about project management and go into uncharted territory. It serves as a legacy system to
standardize all processes and methodologies for comparable projects. These can also serve
another purpose. For example, a project management plan for larger projects may consist of a
compilation of smaller plans for individual component projects. (Chaffey, 2023)
This paper provides comprehensive plans for managing scope, time, cost, team,
communication, and risk in the Coles Australia project, specifically designed to address its
unique demands and requirements. In addition, the report provides a comprehensive risk
analysis utilizing the Risk Matrix to identify, evaluate, and mitigate any risks that could affect
the success of the project. By according to the instructions specified in this Project
Management Plan, stakeholders can get a thorough comprehension of the project's extent,
goals, outputs, schedules, resource needs, communication procedures, and risk reduction

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techniques. This guarantees efficient synchronization, cooperation, and decision-making
during the whole duration of the project, ultimately resulting in the successful completion of
the Coles Australia project.
2. Project goals
 Implement Innovative Technologies
The project aims to implement advanced technologies and digital solutions to update
Coles' IT infrastructure, allowing for flexible and efficient operations that can adjust
to changing market trends and customer preferences.
 Providing guidance and supervision to team members
It may be necessary to provide supervision to teams working on a project to ensure
task completion, strategic adjustments, or the maintenance of quality standards.
Project management establishes a hierarchical structure and system of responsibility
that enables the provision of advice and assistance to all members of the team.
 Enhance Customer Experience
The project's objective is to enhance the entire customer experience through the
implementation of modern IT systems that optimize inventory management, decrease
waiting times, and improve product availability and variety.
 Facilitating communication and collaboration
Effortless communication and collaboration are essential for the achievement of any
project or team. Project management facilitates frequent meetings, talks, feedback
sessions, client approvals, and the interchange of ideas to ensure that all individuals
are aligned toward common objectives, minimizing any inefficiencies in time or
effort.
 Ensure Scalability and Sustainability:
The project aims to provide a flexible and enduring IT infrastructure that can
accommodate Coles' future growth and expansion strategies, guaranteeing the
company's long-term sustainability and competitiveness in the retail sector.
3. Scope Statement
The project's scope includes the strategic planning, systematic development, and
efficient execution of a complete IT solution for Coles Australia. The objective of this
solution is to update and improve Coles' retail processes, better the experience for
customers, and increase operational efficiency. The project will be segmented into
multiple stages, with each stage dedicated to achieving specific goals and objectives

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 In-Scope Statement

Level 2: Major
Level 1: Project Level 3: Work Deliverables Level 4: Tasks
phases Packages and Activites

Project Charter
Project Initiation

Requirements Analysis
Planning and design Report

System Design
Development and Documentation
Implementation

Software Development
Testing and quality
Assurance

Hardware procurement
Deployment and
Rollout

System Testing plan

Monitoring and
Optimization

Deployment Stretegy

WBS Diagram

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4. Time Management
A structured approach to project execution is described in this time management plan, with
distinct deadlines and milestones for every stage. To guarantee project success, regular
monitoring, feedback loops, and communication are crucial. The timetable may need to be
modified in response to evolving needs, hazards, and resource availability. A Gantt chart of
the above report is provided in another file.
5. Cost Management:
The budget plan for Coles based on Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is as follows

WBS Item Estimated cost

Develop Project charter $2000
Gather Requirements $3500
Create System Design $4200
Develop System Module $6800
Produce Hardware $5000
Conduct Unit Testing $3000
Perform System Integration $4500
Execute User Acceptance Test $3800
Develop Rollout Strategy $2500
Migrate Data $3200
Provide User Training $2800
Monitor System Performance $3500

6. Team Management
Name Role Skills
Sarah Khan Project Manager Project management,
leadership, strategic
planning
Lisa Wilson Business Analyst Requirements gathering,
data analysis, stakeholder
engagement
Danial Davis Hardware Specialist Hardware procurement,
installation, troubleshooting
James Thomson Software Developer Programming (Java,

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 Python), problem-solving,
teamwork
Rayan David System Architect System design, architecture,
technical expertise
Huma Quality Assurance Testing methodologies,
attention to detail, analytical
skills
Junaid Deployment manager Deployment strategies,
coordination,
communication

7 Communication Plan:
Communicat Objective Meeting Frequen Audience Owner Outputs
ion Type type cy
Meeting Introduce Face to Once off Project Project Objectives,
Start-up the Project Face Team, Manager Purpose,
team and Sponsor and Project
purpose Overview
Weekly Review Zoom/teams Weekly Project Project Requireme
progress Project (Virtual) Team Manager nt
meeting milestones specificatio
and ns
progress
Requirement Discuss Virtual Bi- Develope System Approved
s Review and refine (Skype) weekly rs, Architect system
project Business design
requireme Analyst
nts
Design Review Face-to- Monthly System System Progress
Review and Face Architect, Architect report,
approve Develope action
system rs items
design
Testing Provide an Virtual Weekly Quality Quality Test
Status update on (Zoom/ Assuranc Assuranc reports,
Update the testing Teams) e, e issue log
progress Develope
rs
Deployment Plan Virtual As Deploym Deploym Deployme
Planning deployme (Skype) needed ent ent nt plan,
nt strategy Manager, Manager schedule
Team

8. Risk Analysis
The risk Matrix of risk analysis for the Coles Project is as follows.

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Risk Register
Risk Likelihoo Impac Cause Response Resources Owner Risk
d t Update
(1-5) (1-5)

Delays in 3 5 Technical Agile Additional Project yes

software changes and development developers, Manage
developme inadequate methodology Project r
nt resources Manager
Regulatory 4 4 Changes in Regular Legal team, Project Ongoin
Requireme government monitoring Complianc Manage g
nt Changes regulations and e Officer r (Yes)
compliance
checks
Data 2 4 Cybersecurit Implementatio IT Security IT Continu
Security y n of robust team, Securit e
Breach vulnerabilitie security Complianc y
s measures e Officer Manage
r
Delays in 3 4 Supply chain Diversificatio Procureme Project Yes
hardware disruptions, n of vendors, nt team, Manage
Procureme manufacturin expedited Project r
nt g issues orders Manager
Overrun 3 4 Inaccurate Regular Finance Project Yes
budget cost budget team, Manage
estimation, monitoring, Project r
unforeseen cost control Manager
expenses measures
Scope 4 3 Unclear Regular scope Project Project No
Creep project reviews, Manager, Manage
scope, change Stakeholder r
stakeholder control s
requests process

Risk Assessment Matrix

Consequences
Likelihood 1-Minor 2-Moderate 3-Serious 4-Major 5-Critical
5-Certain 5 10 15 20 25
4-Likely 4 8 12 16 20
3-Moderate 3 6 9 12 15
2-Unlikely 2 4 6 8 10
1-Rare 1 2 3 4 5

Risk Assessment Matrix for Coles:

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 Risk Likelihood (1- Consequences Risk Rating Risk Category
Description 5) (1-5)
Change in 4 4 16 High
Regulatory
Requirements
Software 3 5 15 High
Development
Delays
Data Security 2 5 10 Medium
Breach
Vendor Delays 3 4 12 High
in Hardware
Procurement
Scope Creep 4 3 12 High
Budget Overrun 3 4 12 High

Recommendations:
1. Frequent Risk Monitoring and Mitigation:
Keeping a close eye on hazards and frequent monitoring is necessary for risk mitigation.
This entails doing recurring risk assessments, updating risk registries, and putting
mitigation plans into action to reduce the impact of hazards that have been identified.
2. Participation and Communication with Stakeholders:
This thing encourage the good relationship with stakeholders with all party involvement
and it guarantee that such hazards are recognized and dealt with promptly. Involve
stakeholders in risk assessment procedures, ask them for their opinions on risk
management tactics, and update them on the progress of risk reduction initiatives.
3. Contingency Planning:
Make plans to mitigate the impact of high-risk events that may still occur in spite of
safety measures. These preparations should contain contingency plans and procedures for
distributing resources in case of unforeseen circumstances, so as to minimise delays to
project goals and schedules.
4. Redundancy in Resources and Cross-Training:
Verify that there is adequate redundancy in critical project positions and that appropriate
cross-training has been provided. The project team can mitigate the impact of
unanticipated absences, skill gaps, and shortages of resources by ensuring that backup
resources are readily available and diversifying their skill sets. Furthermore, cross-
training fosters cooperation and knowledge sharing among team members, enhancing the
project's overall resilience.
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, an organized approach to project execution, control, and monitoring is outlined
for the Coles project in the realm of IT project management. The plan is consisted in project's

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goals and expectations by addressing important factors including scope, time, cost, team,
communication, and risk management.
The objectives of the project are well-defined and offering a path to success. The work
breakdown structure (WBS) of the project is expanded upon in the scope statement, which
lists both in- and out-of-scope components to guarantee clarity with stakeholder expectations.
The creation of a Gantt chart, which defines the time management routine plan for the project
and makes project tasks and their corresponding deadlines visible, aids in effective time
management. The budget plan based on the WBS includes cost estimates for every level 4
WBS item. A thorough communications plan, outlining the many forms of communication,
the styles of meetings, goals, frequency, audience, owners, and outputs, helps to facilitate
communication. In the risk analysis, possible project hazards can be evaluated and it gives
suggestions for mitigating them. Regular risk reporting and escalation, resource redundancy,
and monitoring and review regularly are among the recommendations.
In general, the Project Management Plan helps to achieve success and acts as a roadmap for
carrying out the project. The project team may improve project success and reduce potential
risks by adhering to the plan's rules and suggestions, which will eventually result in Coles
Australia.

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 References:
Ashley Cabral April 23, 2018 (2018) Project Management 101: ‘Coles notes’, GovLoop.
Available at: https://www.govloop.com/community/blog/project-management-101-coles-
notes/ (Accessed: 03 May 2024).
Chaffey, D. (2023) Amazon Marketing Strategy Business Case Study, Smart Insights.
Available at: https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/online-business-
revenue-models/amazon-case-study/ (Accessed: 03 May 2024).

Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of

Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). PMI Publications.
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MIT Sloan Management Review. (n.d.). [Online]. Available at: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/
IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. (Publisher: IEEE).
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https://www.projectmanagement.com/
Retail Dive. (n.d.). [Online]. Available at: https://www.retaildive.com/