Project Control

Since our primary objectives were to increase awareness and help the COMF project we used the project control cycle to begin our plan execution.

Brown Abstract Financial Cycle Instagram Post (1).png

01 Setting a goal

For Awareness

Setting up a LinkedIn account: Giving Report, 29% population consider social media as the most inspiring communication tool. BEMSCA has an Instagram and Facebook page but we found that it would be more lucrative for them to have a LinkedIn account in order to be able easily increase awareness amongst the target population as LinkedIn members are 56% more likely than the average internet user to donate to charities, (LinkedIn, 2022).

Videos for BEMSCA’s socials: Online videos recorded an audience reach of 91.4 percent among internet users worldwide, (Statista, 2022). BEMSCA is making a website for themselves which is the reason we aim to create an introductory video for them which can be used in future even after the end of the action project.

Instagram Challenge: We thought it is beneficial to engage more people on Instagram as small non-profits have 1837 followers on Instagram as opposed to BEMSCA’s 540 followers, (Global NGO Technology Report). It is crucial for BEMSCA to be more active on Instagram and other social media accounts.

For COMF Project

Drafting and distributing surveys: BEMSCA is working on a Contain Outbreak Management Fund for Public Health UK. They aim to survey the people of BANES and University of Bath students are a good subset identified by them. We aim to draft and circulate a survey for them using Google Forms.

Focus groups: In order to keep a variety in the data collection techniques we aim to carry out focus groups for university students led by our charity contacts.

Event at Fairfield house: In order to generate more awareness about BEMSCA, it was crucial for people to come and see the Fairfield house and meet the people of BEMSCA. Over 80% of millennials report that making a positive difference in the world is more important to them than professional recognition, (Harvard Business Review, 2018). Therefore, university students or the younger population were identified as our suitable target audience. Besides that, BEMSCA also wanted to hear the views of students to study the impact of the pandemic on their mental health. The socialising event coupled with focus groups and a soft run of the surveys at the Fairfield house was planned.

02 Measuring Progress

RAID Document

Risk Assessment

RACI Matrix

We used a RAID document to keep a log of the events that occured in order to be able to control and predict all the uncertainties that might occur. This PM tool helped us keep a review, update and keep a check of all the developments during our project status meetings. Following is a summary of the RAID document that we used:

Carrying out a thorough risk assessment helped us stay one step ahead of the problems that we might encounter. It also helped us reduce costs that can come with potential problems. As our event had a barbecue it was necessary for us to comply with the food safety guidelines given by the SU. The risk assessment came in handy on the day of the event as none of our guests faced any problems related to transport which was one of our concerns.

This tool reduced any frustration we might face in regards to management as all the team members had a clear idea of their own deliverables and collective deliverables as a team. It also made our meetings more time efficient, (Mangat K., 2022). It helped us achieve a smoother communication standard in our team.

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03 Gap Analysis

Between planned and actual performance - Instagram Takeover

Bath School of Management social media team announced a takeover for selected practice track groups and we were able to win the pitch and get a slot to present our group wherein we decided to seize the opportunity to promote BEMSCA and generate awareness. We thought it was ideal to tweak the initial plan of doing an Instagram Takeover as bathsofm's account has wider reach.

Misalignment with charity's needs or views

Questionnaires Dilemma: We understood that our charity wanted us to draft a student focused questionnaire but they later on decided to go ahead with same questionnaire for all age groups.

Catering for the event: During the case project delivery, we were in talks with LJ Hugs for catering our event and delighted that they agreed to help us but when we presented the idea to our charity it was turned down without much explanation.

04 Corrective Action

In-person meetings

In order to make quick decisions and to be able to work coherently as a group, we managed to do the majority of our meetings offline. This helped us form good bonds amongst ourselves and work in harmony as well as instantly fix any mistakes. It enabled smoother communication and better effieciency as we could help each other as well as entertain each other.