The Abandoned Building Project

A Light in the Attic: Project Proposal

Tabatha Spears

Strayer University

Project Management: BUS 517

Dr. C. Hase

July 18, 2015

A Light in the Attic: Project Proposal

When it comes to project management, there are many facets that a manager must be aware of, and one of the most important of these is the initial project proposal and how the portfolio will be managed throughout the lifecycle of the project. It is also important to ensure that there is a clear and concise goal for the project, so that a proper scope can be developed. Every project must have deliverables, and each milestone should have a specific timeframe for completion. In order to be successful, a project must meet the triple constraint, and with proper management, it is possible to achieve.

Executive Summary Excerpt

A Light in the Attic was founded in 2012 and works with local businesses, schools, and other service organizations to provide shelter, food, educational opportunities as well as vocational rehabilitation for homeless and displaced citizens in the Hampton Roads region. Our principal offices are located in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Business/Product or Service

A Light in the Attic produces/provides the following products/services: screening and placement for local homeless and displaced citizens, counseling for educational and vocational rehabilitation, community outreach projects that help to create jobs and generate revenue.

Presently, our Abandoned Building Project is in the introductory stage.  It competes primarily based on potential revenue generation and increasing the competent work force. Our future plans include developing Virginia Beach within five years.

The Market

We define our market as non-profit community enrichment The total market size was approximately $8.6 million last fiscal year, and is expected to grow by 2.4% by 2018.  We currently hold 9% of this market and believe we can capture 11% of it by 2018.  Some of our most notable customers include local women’s and children’s shelters, Volunteer Hampton Roads, and the Steering Committee of USAA.

Competition

We compete directly with local staffing organizations and alternatives to our product include shelters and half-way houses. Our product is unique/superior because we provide not only a place for our people to eat, sleep, and bathe, but also empower them with knowledge, skills, and confidence to re-enter the work force. We have a competitive advantage because of our board-backed projects, ability to generate revenue, and a success rate of 92% in vocational rehabilitation. We do not anticipate any additional companies to enter this market.

Risk/Opportunity

The greatest risks associated with our business today are employee safety, the cost of building supplies, and sloping economics. We feel we can overcome these risks because of our willingness to work with partner organizations and provide exceptional service to our communities and all of our stakeholders. Our biggest recognized opportunities include Virginia Beach looking to generate a larger income, the beautification activity already in progress in the region, and creating a better-rounded, knowledgeable work force for the construction and renovation industry which has a large customer base in the region.

The Project Concept

When developing the concept of a project, the goal is to solve a problem. This is relevant to any project taken on, but in the case of not for profit organizations, the development of organizational objectives is imperative to the success of the entity. The stakeholders of the organization need to know what is necessary to reach the goals laid before them in the planning phase of the project. Research during the conceptualization process of the project lifecycle is very important. According to Pinto, the conceptualization and planning phases are the areas of highest risk for a project. Also, he states that during the conceptualization, the scope is determined, resources are identified, and stakeholders come to the table. (Pinto, 2013).    

During the concept phase, the major stakeholders, meaning the persons or organizations developing the project, (in this case, A Light in the Attic, the city, the chosen community, and the employment commission) come together to decide on the goals of the project. The project manager and team members have decided to address a problem that is prevalent throughout the Hampton Roads region; this is a two-fold issue: homelessness and unemployment. A by-product of the project plan is city beautification and the generation of revenue. The organization will be a non-profit entity that works to spread awareness and education about homelessness and unemployment while also conducting "The Abandoned Building Project," an endeavor to house and rehabilitate local homeless individuals and beautifying the city by creating specialized teams to renovate the buildings procured by the organization and ready them for re-sale. The overall goal: reduce homelessness and unemployment by training local homeless adults in the construction/renovation trade, provide them temporary housing and care, and finally, re-introducing them into the workforce through a series of training classes and counseling in cooperation with the Virginia Employment Commission and other area volunteers. 

Vision: A Light in the Attic will conduct the abandoned building project in collaboration with the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Employment Commission, and the City of Virginia Beach to select, train, and provide vocational rehabilitation for 150 local homeless adults; this is an effort to reduce homelessness, increase employability, create a more beautiful community through beautification efforts and finally enabling the community to generate revenue from the newly remodeled structures.

This process should take no more than 14 months, with monthly meetings with local management of the collaborating entities to ensure that there has been no change in the scope of the project and that all deliverables are being met within the triple constraint, budget, scope, and time.

Portfolio Management Methodology

“Portfolio project management is the centralized management of projects to ensure that the allocation of resources to projects is directed toward projects that contribute the greatest value to organization goals.” (Larson & Gray, 2010). This is essential for large-scale projects and corporations so that they are able to identify value-added resources and ones that may not be as significant as originally assumed when allocating resources. For this particular project, being as we are a small self-contained organization will not be utilizing a specific portfolio management methodology.