Carnival For Charity

MGT 598 – Project Management Group 6 Project

 The project’s idea was to run a carnival for charity event, which revolved around two main objectives, The First Objective is to create awareness regarding the cases of students who have learning disabilities and require a rehabilitation process in order to blend in with society.

The second objective of the project is to raise funds for the sole purpose of donating to the charity organization. The funds are to be generated on the day of the event through selling food such as corn, popcorn and various other items to the participants of the event.

 

Brief Description of the Charity organization:

We have chosen the Academic and Vocational Rehabilitation as our charity organization. The center is considered as a semi government entity that supports students with various disabilities, be it physical, or learning disabilities. Thus, the event had to take place within the property of the center.

This organization accepts charities or donations in any form, be it through providing a service to the center, donations, or items that the center might need to further aid the rehabilitation process for the students. The center has approved the event to be held on Tuesday 14 March 2017.

The team met with the management of the center and explained the idea of the project and the purpose or objective that the team was trying to achieve. Throughout the initial meeting, the center emphasized the importance of the privacy of the students, as they requested the team to limit the publicity of the event in order to ensure that the environment on the event day is controllable.

 

 

 Factual analysis of success in terms of project objectives:

The team managed to hold the event with no major problems due to sticking to the responsibility matrix and risk response matrix. We devised a detail plan of action and risk assessment to ensure that everything was taken care of and ensuring that team members are fully aware of the tasks assigned to them.

 

The only major risk that was present on the day of the event was the risk of having bad weather (namely dust storm and rain on that day), which the team overcame by having a backup plan of shifting the event indoors. As the weather settled down, we managed to have the event indoors and outdoors which allowed more activities to be held throughout the carnival.

 

The team set out with two main goals and objectives, we set out to accomplish them by devising a detailed plan of action that included a work breakdown structure (WBS), responsibility matrix, risk assessment matrix and response matrix. Our main goal was to raise awareness for children who have learning and physical disabilities, as the targeted number of participants was 150 participant. The second objective was to raise a minimum of BD 100 on the event day from selling goods, consumables, and tickets for activities.

 

We were successful in meeting and exceeding the objectives that we initially set, as the number of participants reached 457 on the day of the event. In addition, the total revenue and donations that were gathered on the day of the event reached BD 1,195.

 

 

 

Lessons Learned:

 

  • Nothing is set in stone – the nature of projects is extremly unpredictable. Our team faced a hiccup in every step that we took in order to secure the delivery of our project and it was not a smooth process as we had planned for.

 

  • Take time to plan, but do not over do it. The nature of the project does not allow you enough time to over complicate objectives. Our team has come to an agreement on the second session due to the time constraints of the project. in addition, keep in mind that time openings for specific venues may not be in your favor as there are other teams who are on the lookout for a venue for their projects.

 

  • Communication – ensure that everyone is aware of the latest updates as soon as you can. The reason for that is that you do not want to waste time on tasks that are already completed by other members as your team cannot afford it due to the time constraints that you have.

 

 

For Future Teams:

 

  • Ensure that you have everything in writing. Having plans, matrixes and all over project related items in writing will smoothen the process and workflow of your project. The importance of documentation is often underestimated, as without documentation, our plan was surely to be in flux. Our team had one member who documented every plan, matrix, table, cost, item that was required for our event, and that has helped us achieve our goals.

 

  • Always have a backup plan. This relates to the various risks associated with projects, as there are factors that are out of the team’s control that could potentially jeopardize or even cancel the project as a whole.

 

  • Keep the ball rolling – Do not give up if a sponsor or a vendor rejects your request. Many teams face issues when they do not get approvals or acceptance from third parties, so it is always good to have a backup plan and keep seeking alternatives.