PAL Leaders Program 2014 - Student Development in Action! by Gary Ryan

PAL LEADERS PROGRAM

Student Development in ACTION!

PROJECTS 2014 www.orgsthatmatter.com

Bouncing Around

Monash Gone Wild

Peer Mentor Video

Food, Music & Friends

Monash (RSPCA) Cupcake Day

RSPCA Cupcake Fundraiser

Hardrock Climbing Day

National Tree Planting Day

Treasure Hunt

Melbourne Amazing Race

Nike Run

Monash Egg-Sta-Sea

O Week Funday

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COPYRIGHT PAL Leaders Program Projects 2014 – Student Development in ACTION! The PAL Leaders Program Projects 2014 – Student Development in ACTION! ebook has been created by students from the Monash University PAL Leaders Program from within the Faculty of Business and Economics. Published by What Really Matters Publishing c/- Organisations That Matter Compiled By Gary Ryan, Facilitator of the Projects Program Level 8, 350 Collins Street Melbourne, Victoria 3166 AUSTRALIA Phone +61 3 8676 0637 E-mail: info@orgsthatmatter.com Copyright © 2014 Gary Ryan, Organisations That Matter® & Monash University & each of the members of the project teams All effort was made to render this ebook free from error and omission. However, the author, publisher, editor, their employees or agents shall not accept responsibility for injury, loss or damage to any person or body or organisation acting or refraining from such action as a result of material in this book, whether or not such injury, loss or damage is in any way due to any negligent act or omission, breach of duty, or default on the part of the author, publisher, editor or their employees or agents.

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CONTENTS Bouncing Around Food, Music & Friends Hardrock Climbing Day Melbourne Amazing Race

4 10 17 24

Monash Egg-Sta-Sea

Monash Gone Wild

Monash (RSPCA) Cupcake Day

National Tree Planting Day

Nike Run

O Week Funday

Peer Mentor Video

RSPCA Cupcake Fundraiser

Treasure Hunt

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PROJECT DELIVERY DATE: 14th August 2014

Faculty of Business and Economics

PROJECT NAME:

Bouncing Around

TEAM MEMBERS

PROJECT ROLE

Noah Yeung

Team Leader

Hugo Lai

Treasurer

Stephanie Shields

Communicator with Bounce Inc

Tamara Marjorie O’Donnell

Poster Designer

Rebecca Riley

Orientation Recruiter and Catering

Yi May Khow

Preparation of Reports and Orientation E-Planner

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1. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT SUMMARY 1.1 Project Background Overview

1.3 Project Closure Synopsis

The goal of this project at this stage is to enhance the student-student experience of first year students in the bachelor of business across Caulfield campuses through a get to know you/icebreaker night at BOUNCE, particularly to encourage students across countries to get to know each other and highlight how much support there is for students outside of their own home campus. Some details may be revised following full costing.

• The event is organized on 14th August, 2014. Our objectives had been achieved. There were 19 students who are first year students or first year in Australia attending the program.

1.2 Project Highlights and Best Practices Project Highlights: • Everyone had a great time bouncing away at the trampoline park.

• Students were able to communicate with others and knowing students from different majors, especially for those who were from Malaysia Sunway Campus. It is a good opportunity for them to understand campus life in. • Students from six different countries joined the program that we were able to promote cultural diversification in Australia. Students could understand both Australia culture and cultures from other countries.

• Getting to meet students who are on exchange and also new to the Australian campus (we had a fair share of newly transferred students from the Sunway Malaysia campus). • Having 19 students take time out of their schedule to attend our event. Best Practices: • Great communication skills practiced with group members. • Become buddies with the participants after the events • Pre planning and financial budgeting. • Ensured participants listed to the safety briefing at the venue and enjoyed the event. • All team members participated during the event.

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE 2.1 Goals and Objectives Performance

2.4 Schedule Performance

1. To create an event for first years and new Monash students to meet new people and create friendships for beginning of their Monash experience. 2. Provide a space for students to have fun and take a break from university studies. 3. To give an opportunity for students to try out a trampoline park. Actual 1. The participants all enjoyed the trampoline park experience and had a wonderful time meeting new friends. 2. Many participants found it their first time at the trampoline park, and enjoyed it.

April • Bookings have been made for the venue, and the deposits have been paid. • Submitted E Planner details to Ali for Sem 2 O Week, and has received a reply and the eplanner details are up on the booking system. June & July • Preparation of posters. • Deciding on food options for the event. • Creating the feedback survey. • Setting up a booth during orientation to promote the event.

2.2 Success Criteria Performance

August • Preparation of surveys.

• Whether everyone turned up for the event.

• Event itself.

• How the participants felt about the event. • Rating given for the event.

2.5 Budget Performance Details

2.3 Milestone and Deliverables Performance • Booking of the venue. • Delegation of tasks.

($)

Income Faculty’s Subsidies

465

Fee Revenue ($5 x 18 ppl)

Total Income

• Purchase of food. • Setting up booth to promote our event.

Amount ($)

555

Expenses Venue Costs (Per Hour):

• Waste management. • Transport accessibility.

Hosted Group (Includes socks only) $25.50 pp

465

• All team members participated during the event.

Marketing Expenses (Posters etc.)

4.2

Food Expenses

Total Expenses Profit/(Loss)

(547.2) 7.8

Above is our budget performance. Overall, we made neither a loss nor profit with the funds provided from Monash University Business and Economics Faculty.

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS 3.1 Resource Management

3.4 Quality Management

• Initially we looked into providing transport for the participants however this was too costly and required significant organization. Ultimately we used public transport to overcome this issue, with leaders guiding the students.

This occurred through:

• As no food was allowed to be brought into the venue, we purchased some from Costco and provided a picnic. Management was needed with the selection of food along with setting up the picnic.

Team meetings – the creation of agendas and checklists along with regular report submission to ensure that all goals were being met and work towards Measured the number of attendees to our event, and compared this to both the booking system and the name list done on the night.

3.2 Issue Management

After our event we handed out a survey which all participants completed which helped us to determine the quality of our event.

• We have no outstanding issues as the event went smoothly with no follow-up issues.

3.5 Communication Management

3.3 Risk Management Project Risks Mitigated: • Initially 3 out of the 6 members had work before the event, and they were driving to the event location after work, so the remainder 3 members were appointed to meet the participants at university in order for everyone to head to the location together and ensure nobody got lost(our participants consisted of international students who were new to Melbourne and would not be familiar with accessing the area using public transport). • We initially wanted to provide pizzas or head to a nearby restaurant for dinner after the event with the participants, but eventually decided on providing snacks and soda beverages to the participants after the events. There was the potential for food poisoning, however all food provided was pre-packaged to minimize this. • The group planned to provide food during the event. However, due to food safety reasons, no outside food were allowed to be eaten at Bounce Inc. After discussing with the group members, we bought food and drinks for the participants to snack on after the event, by having a mini-picnic at the area near the venue, and everyone had a great time laughing and making new friends.

• The group communicated via a Facebook group and also meetings on the Caulfield Campus. • It was very effective with the Facebook for opinion sharing and documents sharing among the group of 6 people. • The group meetings on campus allowed us to discuss further questions that wouldn’t have arisen without a group discussion. • Phone calls/texting was used when a quick response was required.

3.6 Customer Expectation Management • We explained the event to the best of our abilities, prior to the event to manage participants expectations, including answering any questions they had. This was done through conversations and information on the fliers and booking system. • In general, nearly 95 percent of students ranked 5 out of 5 for our program in accordance with the survey conducted at the end of the program, with one percipient giving us 6/5. • We also talked to the students, both during the event and after where the vast majority expressed their enjoyment of the event, with many who wanted to return in the future.

• All fire safety, physical safety and similar issues were handled by the bounce organization staff.

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.7 Lessons Learned

3.8 Postproject Tasks

We conducted a survey immediately after the event via by handing out paper surveys, and found that the students enjoyed it a lot, but wanted a time extension as they felt that one hour was too short. It would be advised if in the future, if a two hour event were to be run, the budget should be revised for a higher entry fee. Our entry fees were heavily subsidized, hence the one hour booking to give students a cheap and affordable rate of $5.

• Email Gary with this report and photos.

• We advise future groups to check if outside food and beverages can be brought into private venues, if not, find a suitable alternative outside or nearby.

• Could option to do a 2 hours event, for a higher price.

• Start the project as soon as possible when the group is formed.

• Give this report to Ali.

3.9 Project Closure Recommendations • Decide on which campus you wish to focus on if there if it’s a cross campus team. • Someone recommended to have an experienced person to teach a trick or two for additional fun in the future.

• Be realistic when planning out the ideas for the event. Many group members will mean there is bound to a be variety of great ideas, but stick to the most practical ones. • It’s possible to work as a team even with members from different campus, as long as everyone is committed to running the project successfully. Teamwork, communication, planning & organizing, initiative & ...

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4. CONNECTION TO EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN YOUR LESSONS LEARNED SECTION 4.1 Employability skills • Problem solving. • Importance of communication. • Being flexible and ready to adapt to unexpected situations. • Time management and abiding datelines.

5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you section We would like to thank Monash University Business and Economics Faculty, specifically the Dean, for allowing us to participate in the Leaders Program 2014 and giving us this chance to display our leadership and plan this event for our fellow students. We would also extend our huge gratitude and thanks to Alison Richardson, manager of the PAL Program who has provided us tremendous support, advice and assistance. Additionally, huge thanks to Bounce Inc for allowing us to hold our event at their location and providing safety assistance whenever needed during the event. Besides that, we would love to extend our thanks to the participants of our event for coming along and enjoying themselves. Furthermore, thank you for providing us valuable feedback and allowing us to enhance your Monash experience.

Finally, we would like to thank each and every member of Team #10, our team leader Noah Yeung for coordinating the entire group and communicating with external parties, Hugo Lai for creating the budget, Rebecca Riley for setting up the booth and purchasing the snacks for the event, Tamara Marjorie O’Donnell for designing the poster, Stephanie Shields for handling the location booking and payment with Bounce Inc, and Yi May Khow for preparing the Leaders Project Closure Report and preparing the surveys and orientation – E-Planner. We have gained immeasurable experience from the program and are grateful for giving us a chance to give back to the Monash community.

6. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT APPROVALS Prepared By: Yi May Khow (Preparer of Reports and Orientation E Planner)

Approved By: Noah Yeung (Leader)

Approval Date: 4th October 2014

Tamara Marjorie O’Donnell (Poster Designer)

Stephanie Shields (Communicator with Bounce Inc) Rebecca Riley (Orientation Recruiter and Catering) Hugo Lai (Treasurer)

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PROJECT DELIVERY DATE: 7 August 2014

Faculty of Business and Economics

PROJECT NAME:

Food Music & Friends

TEAM MEMBERS:

PROJECT ROLE:

Melissa Lau

Secretary Treasurer

Hong Yu Leng

Communication Officer

Hanh Nguyen

Marketing Officer

Nannette Brown

Team Leader

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1. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT SUMMARY 1.1 Project Background Overview The original goal for this project was to create an event to help First Year Students make new friends, learn about preparing for employment and making the most of their university opportunities.

Best Practices: • Using a variety of communication channels to promote the event and communicate with participants. • Completing bi-monthly reports to update our project manager on our progress

The goal was to achieve ‘Student to student’ and ‘Student to university’ interaction.

1.3 Project Closure Synopsis

The success criterion for this event was to hold an event that had all the planned elements such as participants, music, food and interaction with all participants who attended.

This project is being closed because it has been successfully delivered with all project deliverables and objectives being met. This final report will be sent to Alison Richardson (project manager) and Gary Ryan.

1.2 Project Highlights and Best Practices Project Highlights: • Hiring a soloist to perform throughout the night • Inviting a Final Year student to talk about his successes in finding a Graduate job and discussing his interview experiences.

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE 2.1 Goals and Objectives Performance Goals: • First Year students to attend the event • Hire a musician to play during the event • Invite Final year students from the Business and Economics faculty to share their studying experiences as well as their experiences in job interviews and internships/graduate jobs. Objective: • To help First Year students make friends and learn about making the most of their time at university as well as gain tips when finding a job and attending interviews.

2.2 Success Criteria Performance Were all criteria achieved? To what level of success? Overall all success criteria were achieved. It was successful to the extent that the speeches, venue, catering, entertainment were planned and delivered successfully. However, the number of participants we expected was less than we expected.

If some criteria were not achieved, what were the reasons? Is achievement anticipated at a later date? We had planned to have 20 students attend the event. However we only had 14 people registered to attend the event. Reasons for less numbers could be because we started promoting the event quite late, which could have affected the exposure of the event to possible First Year students. We were not able to deliver a poster well in advance because of internal conflicts within the team. There was also bad weather during the night, which could have affected the number of students who wanted to attend. Who is responsible for measuring continued progress? The secretary, Melissa was responsible for measuring continued progress. She asked the participants for the feedback after the event such as whether they enjoyed the event or whether they found the information shared by final year students were useful. She received positive feedback as they thought learning about job interview skills and listening to our experiences was helpful. The students also commented that they had fun during the night.

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE (cont) 2.3 Milestone and Deliverables Performance The milestones that were set out during the planning process include: • Deciding on the theme and structure of the event • Booking a venue • Developing a marketing plan for this event • Hiring a soloist/group as entertainment for the night • Planning and preparing food for the event Before deciding on an evening for First year Students, our group had originally wanted to organise a dinner and invite academic staff to talk to the First Years. However our project manager told us about the lack of success with a concept that includes academic staff, so we changed the event to a ‘balls game’ event. However, some team members thought that this type of event would not be interesting and insightful. After a few meetings, we all agreed on an evening where Final Year students can discuss their successes and experiences to First Year students. We also decided to launch the event in Week 2 in the Second semester because we wanted to target International Students because our team was culturally diverse. We then contacted our project manager to book the West Cellar Room at Monash University (Clayton) because we felt it was the most suitable room for students, music and food. In order to hire a singer, team members enquired within their networks as well as with advertised artists. It did take some time to find the right singer for an affordable price, but we were able to book a soloist well before the event. The marketing officer thought of creating a poster for our event, a facebook page for our event and also promoting during orientation day (semester two). We were able to put all the information of our event on our flyers and posters. This included a brief description of the event, time, venue and a QR code linked to our event booking page. We not only put posters around campus but our project manager also put our event details on the Ebooking system (for First Year students) as well as in their orientation bags.

2.4 Schedule Performance Project Schedule Overview: Nanette was responsible for supervising the progress of the team and being the main contact with the soloist. Melissa was responsible of recording minutes of meetings, finalising the budget, contacting our project manager and organising food. Helen contacted the music school and Monash university student theatre for a singer and helped advertise the event. Polly booked the venue and communicated with Monash College to promote the project. Project Schedule Control Process: Each member was responsible to post their progress and any problems that were arising onto the Facebook page. These problems were then put into an agenda during a meeting. Members would also communicate regularly on Facebook or through messaging for an update on everyone’s progress. We also sent bi-monthly reports to our project manager to update our progress. Project Schedule Corrective Actions: At the beginning of the project, the teams communication was lacking and after each member corrected this problem, the members stayed on top of their communication so that it would not happen again.

2.5 Budget Performance The BusEco Faculty had granted a sponsorship of $354.00 The expenses for the project included cost of hiring the singer ($150.00) and food for the night ($204.00). Therefore the total expenses = $354.00 This left a balance of $0.00

As it was complicated to buy pizza from a restaurant outside of the university, we bought pizza that was inside of campus. We also bought finger food, drinks and cutlery from Coles. A team member was also able to source an urn from her connections for free, and this was used to provide hot drinks throughout the night.

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS 3.1 Resource Management The resources that needed changes during the project were the source for entertainment and supplier for pizza. The first resource was entertainment. At first, a team member contacted the Music Faculty in Monash University but their fees were much too high for our budget. We then enquired a soloist recommended by a team member who had heard her sing. We were able to contact her and receive a quote for the event. However, for a few months up to the event she was not contactable, and so we sourced other possible singers in case the original singer could not attend the event. However, a couple of weeks before the event, the original singer contacted our team members apologising for the lack of communication and could still attend the event. As a team, we decided to keep the original singer because she had a genuine excuse of being overseas and was quoted at a reasonable price for the services she is providing (2x 20 minute sets and all equipment) The second resource that needed to be changed during the project was the supplier for pizza. At first we enquired a provider outside of university but were unsure of their quality, conditions of delivery and payment conditions. Therefore we discussed with our project manager and discovered that the Campus Pizza restaurant accepted orders for evening events and was able to take our order. The team decided that this was the best choice because it was convenient to collect the pizzas. We also knew that the quality of the pizzas was good as it was recommended by some of the team members. This project could very well be used in 2015 because contacts have been established with the suppliers for future use. This includes knowledge of contacts for several soloist singers and also pizza restaurants. The only thing lacking in the event was the number of students who attended. However it is a very resourceful and relaxing night for First Year students. This event also gave an opportunity for Final Year students to practice their public speaking and broaden their network with First Year students.

3.2 Issue Management Below lists the two issues that arose during the project: • One team member only showed to 30% of the meetings organised by the team. This member did not contribute to the planning of the event nor communicate with team members. This issue was brought up with our Project Manager in the early stages of the project, however the matter was only resolved after the event. Due to the

team members’ lack of communication, even after other members tried to contact her, we have decided to not give her acknowledgement as a team member but rather someone who has contributed a design for the team. We also had issues finding a soloist for the event because we needed a singer who was willing to stay for two hours (although only play a couple of sets) and be paid $150 (including equipment). It was difficult to find a soloist who was willing to travel to Monash University. We enquired with the Music Faculty but their rates were much too high for our budget. Finding the original singer for our event was a two month process. However there was also the problem of not having a sufficient quote from the singer because she did not have an ABN number and we could not contact her for a few months. Although we had prepared for a few other singers to replace the original singer, the original singer was able to provide an ABN and quote after she contacted us again.

3.3 Risk Management Project Risks Mitigated: Project risks were mitigated with thorough communication between team members. There were risks of team members not participating in the development of the plan and in order to mitigate it, we established what acceptable and unacceptable behaviour was. However, as a team we did not enforce penalties when unacceptable behaviour was evident, so in reflection post-event, we have agreed as a group that the behaviour was unacceptable and there should be a penalty for that behaviour. Outstanding Project Risks: An outstanding project risk is not submitting this final report in before Tuesday 7 October so it can be put into the Ebook. Also not have all members of the team review this final report and acknowledge it.

3.4 Quality Management We delegated tasks and the overall progress was supervised by the team leader. We sent our project manager bi-monthly reports and she gave advice on whether we were on the right track or not. Team members also checked each other’s work in order to improve the quality of our reports and other work.

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.5 Communication Management

3.7 Lessons Learned

The project communication process included face-to-face communication through meetings which were scheduled monthly and more frequently up to a few weeks before delivering the project. When we were not able to meet faceto-face we used facebook for informal communication, email when communicating with our project manager and skype, which was used for official meetings.

There were a few lessons learnt during this project. Firstly, we learnt that in order for the team to work well as a group and for each member to take responsibility for their participation, acceptable and unacceptable behaviour needs to be set before any planning for the project begins. For example, as a group, we had troubles with one member not participating or attending meetings, at first we gave warnings, but if we had set the rules, then this problem could have been solved quickly rather than not resolved until after the event.

During the project, it became evident that official meetings were more effective when issues needed to be discussed and solved. Therefore, we organised meetings more frequently the last couple of months up to the event.

3.6 Customer Expectation Management We had three different customer segments: • The Dean of the BusEco Faculty • Project Manager, Alison Richardson-supervisor Ali • The team members • First Year and College Students • Guest Final Year Student The expectation of the BusEco faculty was to provide the team members an opportunity to deliver a real project for First Year Students while in a safe environment. This opportunity helped improve the team member’s leadership skills, communication and teamwork skills, as well as hold some responsibility for the delivery of the project. Alison would have had a similar expectation to the Dean but may have also expected the team to come across some problems and work together to overcome those problems. The team’s expectation was to deliver the project successfully with all areas of the event planned properly and that no areas were left unplanned. The participants would have expected to gain an insight from Final Year students on their success with Graduate jobs/Internships. Also their experiences in Univeristy clubs/extracurricular activities. The First Year students may have also wanted the Final Year student’s opinion on their Majors and what they are studying. The students may have also expected the evening to be relaxing with food and music while making new friends. The guest could have expected to be given the opportunity to practice their public speaking and also broaden their networks with who they meet during the evening.

Using facebook as our primary communication channel worked well because it was convenient for members as they use facebook daily. It was also a good channel to share documents and updates of each other’s work. However, there were risks of miscommunicating when using facebook, so we also used skype where we could meet face-to-face and rediscussed the issues that were brought up on facebook. We also learnt that team members should be CC’d into emails that related to the project because it helped with communication and kept each member up to date with the progress of the project.

3.8 Postproject Tasks The postproject tasks that needed to be completed included handing back receipts and leftover goods for Ali to collect. This has been completed. The other task that needs to be completed is sending the Final Report to Ali and Gary for the Ebook. This will be achieved on completion of this report.

3.9 Project Closure Recommendations Some recommendations: • It is important to gain the approval from the project sponsor and the project manager before making commitments to suppliers. • Communication is imperative for a successful team because tasks can be left unsolved because members thought it was solved. Or miscommunication can create unnecessary conflicts within the team. • It is important to set out unacceptable and acceptable behaviour. But not only that, it is very important to enforce what was agreed upon throughout the project. • It is also very important to have a backup plan for each area of the project, for example having an alternative pizza supplier as well as alternative soloists who can be used for the event.

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4. CONNECTION TO EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN YOUR LESSONS LEARNED SECTION Employability Skills This project has helped team members develop and challenge many of their employability skills. For example, conflict resolution was a main skill which members improved on, or were exposed to because there were disagreements in the team throughout the project and negotiation as well as communication was important to solving these conflicts.

Members also improved their communication skills through the use of different communication channels. Throughout the project, the communication in the team improved because members learnt that sound communication not only helps solve problems but also increase efficiency and motivation of the team.

5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you section We would like to thank the Dean of the BusEco for providing the opportunity and resources for the PAL project. We would like to thank our project manager Alison Richardson for providing advice and guidance throughout project.

Lastly, we would like to thank Elena Nguyen for supporting the project by contributing the poster design for the event, Charlotte Grace for providing entertainment throughout the night and Matthew Taylor for being the guest for the evening.

We would also like to thank Gary Ryan for his support and training during the workshops.

6. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT APPROVALS Prepared By: Melissa Lau (Secretary Treasurer) Approval Date: 29th September 2014

Approved By: Hanh Nguyen Hong Yu Leng Nannette Brown

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PROJECT DELIVERY DATE: 11th August 2014

Faculty of Business and Economics

PROJECT NAME:

Hardrock Climbing Day

TEAM MEMBERS

PROJECT ROLE

Kenneth Chung

Team Leader

Kevin Huynh

Team Member

Yu Hua Chang

Team Member

Seerat Batra

Team Member

Matthew Poon

Team Member

Matthias Koh

Team Member

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1. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT SUMMARY 1.1 Project Background Overview To enhance student-to-student engagement • To engage first year students and help them transition into university • To develop skills such as leadership and organisation • To promote physical and mental well-being of students

1.2 Project Highlights and Best Practices Project Highlights: • Participants had an enjoyable day with something they never experienced • No injuries or incidents occured at the event • Team members were able to develop their organisational, communication and leadership skills Best Practices: • Using social network to promote the event • Instructors gave safety information to all participants including leaders

1.3 Project Closure Synopsis This project is being closed as the event has been hosted and was a success. All project objectives and deliverables have been met.

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE 2.1 Goals and Objectives Performance

2.4 Schedule Performance

Our goal was to deliver a project to engage first year students at university. We decided to hold a rock climbing event that promoted physical and mental well being and also provided students an opportunity to interact with one another and make friends.

2.2 Success Criteria Performance

Project Schedule Overview: 23rd March - Draft the final project plan 30th May - Design poster ideas 1st July - Confirm project plan with faculty and come up with marketing strategies for semester 2 20th July - Produce final poster design

• Our original target was 25 students.

1st August - Start marketing the event around campus

●• However, we were only able to manage a turnout of 16 people because of budget constraints. We had to reduce the price of the event for students as it was too expensive. However, in order to reduce the price, we had to reduce the number of attendees in order to stay within the budget provided to us by the faculty.

5th August - Confirm sign ups for the event

• Matthew Poon was responsible for monitoring our continued progress. We maintained a sign up sheet where we kept kept track of people attending the event.

2.3 Milestone and Deliverables Performance Milestones 1. Coming up with project plan 2. Marketing the project 3. Reaching the target number of sign ups 4. Implementing the actual project Deliverables 1. After tossing between various project ideas we were able to conclude on a rock climbing event

6th August - Confirm venue booking and catering 11th August - Actual project implement Project Schedule Control Process: We assigned the team members’ tasks through face-to-face meetings, mobile app (Whatsapp), E-mail and Skype, and constructed a list to check tasks as we completed them. Project Schedule Corrective Actions: We were running behind our target number of sign ups a week before our project was due. This was a serious issue as we had to make a deposit to the venue and confirm final numbers. In order to overcome this, we started promoting more aggressively and gave the venue a heads up. The increased promotions worked in our favour and we were able to deliver a successful rock climbing event. Project Schedule Integration with Managing Project: Apart from the fact that we had to increase our promotions significantly to meet our revised targets, all other processes ran smoothly.

2. Marketing the project was challenging however we used a lot of online promotion (facebook and PAL booking system) and offline promotion(handing out flyers and setting up stalls at Oweek)

2.5 Budget Performance

3. Our initial target was 25 attendees however this was reduced to 16 owing to budget constraints. We were able to achieve this target.

Venue hire: $35

4. Our actual project ran as per plan and we recieved positive feedback.

Funding from Monash BusEco faculty: $458.75

less Costs: Rock climbing entry and gear hire: $19 * 16 students = $304 Food catering cost: $110 (Subway) Drinks: $9.75 = $458.75 Profit = Nil

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS 3.1 Resource Management During our project the resources utilised were food, venue and transport.The only resource that we changed was transport. We changed from the initial idea of hiring a bus to private cars, since most of the participants can make their own way to the venue. The project knowledge that can be retained are venue booking, advertising and promoting, budgeting, transport and food. For venues, it is advisable to book 10days in advance, to pay the deposit of $100 and to confirm the number of attendees. New Leaders Team should go through student clubs, peer mentor groups and first year lectures to help promote the event for greater exposure. Budgeting can be complicated because attendee numbers are hard to predict and confirm but the budget outline should still be done in advance so Ali can allocate the necessary resources. Hiring a bus is not a feasible option because it costs over $700 for a small coach. Food should be ordered from a nearby catering provider so that the food is kept fresh and time is not wasted.

3.3 Risk Management Project Risks Mitigated: The risk of participants injuring themselves was mitigated through trained instructors performing a demonstration and supervising participants and ensuring all safety equipment was used. There was a risk of lack of interest or awareness from potential participants. This was mitigated through extensive promotion on social media and in person (through handing out and posting fliers around Clayton campus).

3.4 Quality Management Our promotional materials were checked and approved by the team and Ali before it was printed and distributed to ensure the quality was up to professional standard. All tasks were run according to schedule and all goals were met to deliver a successful event. Feedback was collected at the end of the event to ensure all participants had an enjoyable time.

3.2 Issue Management The issues that we encountered were attracting first year students to participate in our event and what were the appropriate venues to advertise for our event.

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.5 Communication Management

3.7 Lessons Learned

The project was communicated through Facebook and posters around the university. Leaders also approached students to gather interest for the event. This was reasonably successful as we achieved our target number of 16 participants.

The communication within the team was very effective and efficient. Everyone was updated regularly and aware of the tasks that needed to be completed.

Within the project team we communicated through faceto-face meetings, Facebook group, Skype and Whatsapp. These forms of communication were very effective in delegating and implementing tasks.

3.6 Customer Expectation Management Our customer groups were the BusEco Faculty Dean, Ali and the participants. We believe that our project has met the expectations of the Faculty Dean and Ali by helping first years integrate into university life. During the social interaction dinner section of our event, we asked the students for feedback about the event. We were given responses such as “This event was successful” and “This was fun!”. Therefore,this was evident that our expectations were met.

One area that could have been improved is the awareness of fire evacuation procedures. Participants and leaders should have been briefed at the start of the event of emergency exits and plans in case of a fire and other dangers. Another area that could have been improved was the promotion of the event. A more sustained and longer promotional campaign may have helped us attract more participants.

3.8 Postproject Tasks All project tasks are complete.

3.9 Project Closure Recommendations

The main recommendation is to understand the marketing avenues and more effectively utilise these avenues to reach out to first years.

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4. CONNECTION TO EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN YOUR LESSONS LEARNED SECTION Employability Skills Leadership: Through the leadership project, we were able to overcome conflicts within the team through effective communication. We were able to delegate tasks to team members based on their respective abilities and strengths. We were also able to target out specific audience (of first-year students) through the BusEco mentoring program, Monash student clubs, Facebook and through in-person promotion. Teamwork and Communication: Every time we needed to revise our targets or re-evaluate our plans, we initiated discussionsand held meetings through Skype and in person. At times our team had differences of opinions but we were able to communicate with each other and appreciate different ideas. As a group we collaborated and reached an unanimous decision regarding the functioning of our project. Subsequently, we were able to deliver a fun filled event that was appreciated by all attendees. We strongly believe that our teamwork was the key to our success. Conflict resolution: During group discussions, there were conflicts between which project ideas the group should implement to engage with first year students. To overcome the issue, everyone was given equal chances to participate and demonstrate what they think is suitable. In addition, we utilised the de Bono thinking hats to make our decisions. In the end, we were able to come to a conclusion as a group.

to interact with the first year students. We were able to break the ice and foster a social environment, where students were able to make new friends. The result was all participants feeling satisfied. Self-management Communication with other leaders was done through email and mobile devices. Regular updates would be posted through these mediums and it was up to each leader to check these mediums and complete their tasks. The result was that everyone was aware of their duties and the organising of the event was running smoothly. Initiative and enterprise At one point of the project, it looked like we struggling for numbers. So the leaders resolved to increase the level of promotion we did for the project. This was done by placing even more posters throughout the university and approaching first years to garner interest. This initiative helped to increase the level of awareness throughout the university and eventually enough participants had joined the event. Planning and organisation We first had to develop a plan at the first workshop with Gary Ryan. This involved learning a new process called thinking hats.This helped structure the line of thinking and organised it into an easy to follow format.The plan helped to organise tasks for each individual member so the project could be completed to a high standard.

Technology Our group was initially finding it difficult to physically meet up and meet deadlines. We then started using alternate means of conducting meetings such as skype and facebook chat. Additionally we started using google drive to share project update reports and share documents. We were able to better coordinate and save time required to travel and meet up in person. The result was that we were able to work more efficiently and get things done on time. Service excellence At the start of the event, some first years did not feel comfortable interacting with everyone. In order to encourage participation, our group members started

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5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you section We would like to express our gratitude to Alison Richardson, Gary Ryan, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics Colm Kearney and Hardrock Climbing. Without their support, this project would not have been possible.

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PROJECT DELIVERY DATE: 11th August 2014

Faculty of Business and Economics

PROJECT NAME:

Melbourne Amazing Race

TEAM MEMBERS

PROJECT ROLE

Jiaqi Ma (Maya)

Team Leader

Shaffa Hussain

Team Member

Ling Zhu (Cara)

Team Member

Yuxi Shi (Cissy)

Team Member

Yitong Kong (Olivia)

Team Member

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1. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT SUMMARY 1.1 Project Background Overview • This project attracted 30 new post graduate students mainly aimed at enhancing new students’ People to People contact and adapting to the new studying and living environment. • A race style competition in Melbourne CBD was arranged for new students to develop their awareness about local landscape and culture through visiting different places. Meanwhile the race was to assist new students to create a social net and develop friendship with peers and existing students.

1.2 Project Highlights and Best Practices Project Highlights: • Were able to attract 30 students which was the targeted level of participation from new students. • New students from different cultural background and departments attended the event representing the true diverse nature of student community at Monash. • The event provided all participants opportunity to learn the key places in Melbourne CBD and have a basic understanding about local culture. During the process they developed friendship which was a key experience in enhancing and enriching their University life. The event also familiarized the participants on use of Melbourne public transport.

Best Practices: • Every member attended the group meeting as per schedule, provided their input on agreed time line. • Make use of face to face discussion, used communication tools like emails, whatsapp to ensure effective communication. • Project updates were shared and guidance was sought on issues through active communication with Ali, Manager PAL program. • Participants of the race were informed well before the race through emails of the rules, regulations and requirements like running shoes. • During the event, assigned one volunteer (Sr.student) to each group to ensure participants’ safety issue. We also had distributed snacks and water to make sure participants are not dehydrated. • After the event, we provided all participants and volunteer a small ceremony for lunch and prizes.

1.3 Project Closure Synopsis • The project is being closed as the project has been successfully launched as schedule and has been completed. • We were able to accomplish the objectives and deliverables identified for the project.

• The winner group of the event was presented with prizes.

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE 2.1 Goals and Objectives Performance • We have successfully had 30 new students registered which met our target objective. • Student-to student, student-to-volunteers interaction and communication had been created. • All participants had a great opportunity to expand their contacts at university and also develop their team work and communication skills. • Participants who are new students in Monash have acquired general knowledge about Melbourne CBD and local culture.

2.2 Success Criteria Performance The event was successfully run on time and we had target number of students participated in the event. This project has achieved most of objectives. Students performed a great team work throughout the event, at the celebration event; everyone exchange contacts and made friends. All participants expressed they were more familiar with the key places at CBD and local culture. Risk management within the event was successfully delivered.

2.3 Milestone and Deliverables Performance All deliverables were achieved with high quality and new students’ acceptance. The event was held on time and it assisted all participants to have a better understanding about Melbourne landscapes and culture. All new students gain fun during the race and developed social net and friendship with others.

Project Schedule Control Process: We controlled the process by meeting and discussing all updated information. Each group members were responsible for one specific task related to the plan. Project Schedule Corrective Actions: We adjust the budget and event’s process based on the accurate participants’ number on time. Project Schedule Integration with Managing Project: We adjusted the planned based on the changes and participants.

2.5 Budget Performance Water and food package:

2 (48 packs)

$16

Chewy bars

$2.5

$10

Chewy bars

$2.5

$10

Shapes

$2.9

$15

Biscuit

5 bags

$4.85

$25

Water

(547.2)

Delites 5 bags

$2.5

$12.5

Juice

8 bottles

$40

Bakery stuff & Danish

10 packs

$40

Cups

6 packs

Serviettes

2 packs

Rice shapes

2.4 Schedule Performance Project Schedule Overview: We started to plan and process the whole event since June. We divided the whole planning process tasks to each team member to prepare and discuss as per schedule time line. In July, we finalized all tasks together and successfully delivered the event.

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS 3.1 Resource Management

3.4 Quality Management

There are several resources required by the project, including preparing materials, volunteers, food and awards for the winner team and lucky draw.

• The most important segment to ensure the project ran smoothly was to reach consensus about all the details within the group and to establish a thoughtful plan, especially the budget which could help us to control expenditures.

• All preparing materials were planned and prepared before the race. • The volunteer issue was solved by the support of Alison, other leaders from PAL and friends of some team members. • For the food part, we estimated the amount of food/ drink before the event according to the number of confirmation we received from participants. • The awards we bought are strictly controlled by the budget we made before the event.

3.2 Issue Management The project has very few outstanding issues that need to be processed. To set the route of race properly and feasibly may be the most outstanding issue during the whole process, which was resolved by team members traveling through all the listed attractions in the CBD and calculating the estimated time of the whole race.

• In order to guarantee enough participants on the race day, we sent confirmation massages through texts and emails according to the name list retrieved from the PG booking system. • We also chose to purchase refreshments and drinks on the day of race and double-checked the expiry dates to make sure that we got the freshest food.

3.5 Communication Management First of all, we all agreed to have face-to-face meeting at regular intervals to discuss and solve the problems we encountered. In addition, we communicate through group emails to share updated information and progress. Other channels of communication that we used included: • Mobile phones (calls and SMS) • Facebook

3.3 Risk Management

• Wechat and Whatsapp

Project Risks Mitigated: • To mitigate the risk of not achieving the target level, a well thought out strategy was developed and we also ask for Alison help us to post the advertisement on the orientation e-Planner and create an event in the PG booking system. We also posted some advertisement in Caulfield campus

3.6 Customer Expectation Management

• To ensure the safety issue and avoid the dehydration situation, we allocated one volunteer (supervisor) to each group. All supervisors were responsible to monitor the whole process in terms of providing the safety instructions and water.

Students • Every new student participant has been allocated to a team and each team has a senior student volunteer to guide them through during the event. This created a sense of belonging for each student. • We kept a friendly and fun tone when we communicated with students. Also, when they were waiting for food and briefing, we ran culture ice-berg sessions to encourage students to make friends with each others. Project Management • We held weekly meeting with team members and allocate job responsibilities for each member • We created a project plan, advertising plan and catering plan for the project • Team leader keep regular communication with Ali Richardson, the manager of the PAL Program

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.7 Lessons Learned

3.8 Postproject Tasks

Which activities and processes worked well? • Catering was very successful. We provided sufficient refreshment as breakfast and light lunch for all student participants and volunteers. We provided water and snack for participants to carry during the event to avoid dehydration and hunger occurred. Therefore, food is the king!

The post project tasks are not much planned. But after the event, we had a celebration party, which to deliver the prizes and also provided another chance to participants to catch up with other students. In terms of measurement for the event, most of objectives have been met. Every participant has enjoyed the events and made a lot of friends.

• Project plan are well structured and followed to make sure the project ran smoothly.

3.9 Project Closure Recommendations

Which could have been improved, and how?

The project is considered to be a successful one although there was a communication gap between team members and the project sponsor(Alison), there were regular meetings and sufficient communication in the team to make sure the project ran smoothly.

Planning Planning should be conducted as specific as possible. We did well in the event schedule, but not very well in the promotion plan, as we did not have a clear plan on timeline finishing artwork and advertising distribution etc. Time management As postgraduates, team members have commitment to study or work. This makes a challenge for all team members to allocate much time on the project. Some members were not able to attend regular meeting as they are working or in overseas. Thus, we need to improve for next time. Communication gap We have the project manager communicate with the faculty (Alison), and we communicate in the regular meetings and emails. However, there is communication gap between team members and Alison. Next time, every team member should be kept in the loop in all important conversation with the faculty. Teamwork and Leadership Being able to work independently is definitely a talent, but encourage team members and participants to move on the same pace is challenging. We should consider thoroughly and also stand in other’s shoes to see how we can allocate tasks that suit everyone’s strength and capability, and how we can work in a same pace with a positive attitude.

Planning and job allocation • Jobs and tasks have been allocated to each member according to each one’s strength, so that there was definitely synergy effect in the team. • Most of tasks have been completed on time as scheduled Member’s performance • Although it is not easy for PG students to allocate much time for the project, but every member has made time as possible as she/he can. (ie. Regular meeting during weekend, discussion through emails, discussion on social media etc.) • Everyone worked with a can-do attitude and was willing to seek help if there was difficulty Problem identification and solving • When we have identified that there is communication gap between team members and the project sponsor, everyone was very active to solve the problem. (ie. Team members suggested to cc everyone in the emails with project sponsor. Team members took over project leader’s role when project leader was in overseas.) Participants’ satisfaction • The event went very smoothly and on schedule. Every participant and volunteer expressed they were very happy to participate the event and got familiar with the geography in the Melbourne CBD.

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4. CONNECTION TO EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN YOUR LESSONS LEARNED SECTION Employability Skills The lessons learned in this project are going to be highly useful in our future career. Some of the Employability skills are highlighted: Teamwork and Communication: This is a 5-member project, which needs us to communicate and cooperate with each other through the whole process. In the future career, the employer would more likely to appreciate a team player rather than a loner with the same competency. Delegation of responsibilities In our run of the project, we have clear delegation of responsibilities. The assignment of tasks was according to each member’s preferences and strengths. For example, Maya is majoring in Human Resource and she was responsible to keep all of us in touch and divide tasks into individuals; Cara is more outgoing and she

was responsible for the marketing; Olivia is articulate so she was in charge of the communication with participants and volunteers; Shaffa is economical-minded and he was in charge of budgeting and purchasing; Cissy is more artistic so she was responsible for the material designing. The future employer would expect a leader to know clearly what their subordinates are good at and willing to do, therefore delegate the responsibilities to individuals in the most efficient way. Time management Every task in every work should have a deadline as employers expect their employee to be efficient to achieve the goals. A person can handle the time pressure and still deliver high quality work performance would be appreciated and more likely to be promoted in the work. Our members in this project enhanced time management by successfully running the project when having heavy study and work load at the same time.

5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you section There are a few we would like to acknowledge for assisting us with our project. Without their assistance, we could not have got to this stage. Alison Richardson – PAL Manager First of all, Alison Richardson is the one who gave us the most guidance and support. When we encountered problems in our weekly meetings, Maya would email Ali for advice. Sometimes she provided us answers, and sometimes she gave us a direction to come up with

better solution. Also she kept “pushing” us to proceed our project via the Project Report, and “pushing” us to better outcome through her advice. Volunteers Secondly, we had 10 volunteers on the event day, who helped us a lot to run the race, like guiding the participants and keeping their safety. We understand that as a 5-member project, it is difficult to keep everything organized when we expect a more than 30 participants event. Therefore, thanks to these volunteers, we could carry out this fun race as the way we planed.

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6. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT APPROVALS Prepared By: Jiaqi Ma (Maya) (Team leader)

Approved By: Lin zhu (Cara)

Lin zhu (Cara) (Team member)

Yuxi Shi (Cissy)

Yuxi Shi (Cissy) (Team member)

Shaffa Hussain

Shaffa Hussain (Team member)

Yitong Kong (Olivia)

Yitong Kong (Olivia) (Team member) Approval Date: 5th October 2014

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PROJECT DELIVERY DATE: 22nd April 2014

Faculty of Business and Economics

PROJECT NAME:

Monash Egg-Sta-Sea

TEAM MEMBERS

PROJECT ROLE

Wai Yan Winnie Cheung Photographer, Staff Liaison, & Aquarium Guide Adrian Joseph Crosland Finance Officer & External Liaison James Dew-Griffin

Team Leader

(Clarice) Yee Sim Tan

PR Officer & Aquarium Guide

(Phoebe) Hsu Ting Tay

Clubs Liaison & Aquarium Guide

Adam Charles Trucano Marketing Officer & Aquarium Guide

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1. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT SUMMARY 1.1 Project Background Overview

• Advertising material was visually appealing

Monash Egg-sta-sea was held on the 22nd April 2014 and located, principally, in the Melbourne CBD. The event consisted of a tour of the Melbourne Aquarium, an Easter egg hunt at the Domain Tunnel park, and a barbeque lunch nearby on the banks of the Yarra river. Attendance was open to students of the Business and Economics Faculty; a total of 30 participated on the day with six PAL Leaders volunteering to run the event.

• Using business and economics lectures to market

Aim The aim of the event was to foster student to student and student to community engagement and provide an enjoyable experience for students during the Easter break of Semester One.

• Extensive use of communication networks (Facebook, Lecture shout outs, my.monash portal, W.O.M.) • Maximised economies with supplies.

1.3 Project Closure Synopsis Monash Egg-sta-sea is being closed as the event has been held and all outstanding tasks related to the event have now been completed. Project objectives and deliverables have been met.

Target Attendance targets for the event were set at a minimum of 20 based on previous performance of PAL Leaders’ projects for 2013 and 2012. Maximum numbers for registration were set at 40. This limit was reached in the lead up to the event but 25% of those registered did not attend on the day.

1.2 Project Highlights and Best Practices Project Highlights: • Participants were generally satisfied. Students expressed that they enjoyed the aquarium tour because they have never been there before due to cost and that their friends didn’t want to go. • Everyones dietary requirements were met due to careful and considered planning of food shopping list. We had sufficient amounts of food and drinks. • PAL leaders actively engaged in interactions with students and also facilitated the introductions and interactions among students, acquainting them with each other • Egg hunt was a good novelty and was certainly one of the main reasons for people attending Best Practices: • Adhered to OH&S and Food Safety Procedures • Efficiently planned and executed said plan.

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE 2.1 Goals and Objectives Performance

2.3 Milestone and Deliverables Performance

During Project Management Skills Workshop 1 the key objectives of fostering student to student and student to community engagement were identified.

Prior to event day the major milestones were related to the production of advertising material, creating a Facebook Event, lecture shout outs, opening registration, finalising attendance and then emailing confirmations to all students registered. These were all delivered at slightly later dates than anticipated due to last minute price confirmations with the Faculty.

Originally these were to be achieved through a trivia night event however subsequent meetings of the organising committee resolved to revise the project to something less complex and more achievable. Further brainstorming led to the idea of an animal event plus barbeque with recreational sporting activities. In order to differentiate from PAL’s the Faculty’s previous excursions to Healesville Sanctuary and the Melbourne Zoo, the Melbourne Aquarium was chosen as the key attraction. The project goals were ultimately achieved. The day featured a range of BusEco students interacting and enjoying themselves thus meeting the aim of student to student engagement. Moreover many students were able to navigate throughout the city of Melbourne. For this reason, students were able to obtain a greater understanding of the city and therefore meet the aim of student to community engagement. Further to this second goal, it should be noted that the remaining funds of the event were donated to UNICEF. We managed our budget effectively and efficiently, by balancing the amount of income and expenses and thus were able to fulfil this criteria.

On the event day the major milestones were registering people, beginning the tour, purchasing supplies whilst the tour was underway, leading our students to the location of the barbeque, holding the barbeque, and running the egg hunt. All were achieved slightly behind schedule due to atrocious weather conditions in the morning and late arrivals. After the event day, the major milestones were primarily administrative in nature such as the finalisation of finances, reports, and photographs of the event day. This project closure report represents the final stage in this process.

2.2 Success Criteria Performance Primary success criteria were quantitative, measured by attendance on the day and registration numbers as a proxy for public interest. Minimum attendance and registration was set at 20 students. A maximum of 40 registrations were available in the lead up to the event, a ceiling that was met, and 30 students attended on the day. Primary criteria were therefore met. Secondary success criteria were qualitative, related to the delivery of the event and the participants’ enjoyment of it. Whilst this is harder to measure, the aquarium tour, barbeque, and egg hunt were all delivered. Students’ reactions during and comments after the event suggest that there was an overall positive level of satisfaction with the event.

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE (cont) 2.4 Schedule Performance

2.5 Budget Performance

Project Schedule Overview: The schedule of Monash Egg-sta-sea had four overarching phases: development, marketing, finalisation, and the event day delivery. Development was planned to take place for the first two to three weeks of semester one in which all the committee would investigate and organise each of their respective responsibilities. Marketing was to take place after development once advertising material had been produced and run until the event day. In this period, students were to be reached on as many mediums as possible to promote the event. Finalisation was to take place in the week prior to the event day. Registrations were to close during this period. Prospective attendees were also contacted to detail the event plan and requirements. The event was then held on the Tuesday of the mid semester break, the day after Easter Monday.

Project Budget Overview: (from the committee’s perspective, not Faculty’s) Revenue

408.00

Aquarium Ticket Subsidisation 1:1 @ $12p/p (30 Students + 4 Volunteers @ $12)

540.00

Ticket Price / Cash Received $15p/p (30 Students + 6 Volunteers @ $15) Total Revenue

948.00

Expenses Food BBQ Food

216.90

Extra Bread

8.40

225.30

Chocolate

Project Schedule Control Process: Control processes focused on committee meetings to identify agenda and extensive use of a Facebook Group and Google Drive to update each other and liaise. Regular meetings were difficult due to the busy schedules of committee members.

Chocolate from Woolworths

26.00

Chocolate from Aldi

20.35

Project Schedule Corrective Actions: None taken as no serious issues arose.

Remainder donated to UNICEF

Project Schedule Integration with Managing Project: Schedule proved to be ambitious due to the complexity of the development phase. The time requirements of coordinating should not be underestimated. However after this initial setback the schedule was largely maintained.

46.35

Pamphlet Design

20.00

Aquarium Tickets @ $12p/p

408.00

(30 Students + 4 Volunteers @ $12) Total Expenses

699.65 248.35

Monash Egg-Sta-Sea An event to reel you in!

BusEco PAL Leaders Program

Contact Monash.Egg-sta-sea@gmail.com

April 22 2014 Melbourne City

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS 3.1 Resource Management

3.2 Issue Management

Prior to event day, the only resources utilised were the pamphlets for Monash Egg-sta-sea. Once designed, these were printed at no cost to the committee and handed out to students at lecture shout outs. It was the responsibility of the Marketing Officer to see that the pamphlets were designed, printed, and handed out to other committee members rostered on for lecture shout outs. One committee member sourced their own chocolate eggs to hand out at lecture shout outs. The costs associated with this were not included due to the majority of eggs being consumed outside the requirements for the project.

No outstanding issues with completion of this report.

For the event day itself, it was determined that, as much as possible, resources required for the event would be purchased with funds collected on the day. This represents a trade-off between receiving payment before the event (thus reducing the chance of subsequent nonattendance) and payment on the event day (thus reducing the chance of over or under spending on resources as numbers are certain). Future versions of this event will need to determine their own best strategy. Payment prior to the event would be desirable if an online payment system can be arranged with the University.

3.3 Risk Management Project Risks Mitigated: Major project risks surrounded obvious challenges such as food safety and participantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safety on the day. Food risks were mitigated by ensuring committee members responsible for cooking had food handling certificates and an understanding of food safety. Other risks were mitigated through common sense precautions such as monitoring participants during road crossings, ensuring participants had committee membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; numbers, etc. A Risk Assessment Sheet was provided by the faculty to be filled in and submitted. The exercise proved useful in predicting and taking steps mediate risks. It is worth noting that sourcing a first aid kit was not possible. Outstanding Project Risks: No outstanding risks applicable.

Chocolate was an exception to rule of purchasing after payments were received. Before the start of the event, the Team Leader investigated local shops and found stocks of discount Easter eggs were surprisingly low the day after Easter Monday. Not wishing to risk an undersupply of eggs, the committee member purchased chocolate supplies at nearby shops and was reimbursed later. Notwithstanding this, all consumables were purchased, somewhat hurriedly, while participants were in the Aquarium. Extra bread was purchased during the event by the Finance Officer. The Team Leader also wishes to emphasise through his mea culpa of estimation that future events can never have too much bread for a barbeque. Nonconsumables such as cooking utensils, cameras, and small consumable items like oil were brought by committee members. Games were also brought for backup entertainment on the day Left over reusable items like plastic plates, napkins, etc, were donated to other teams for use in their projects. If this event were to be run again in 2015 or beyond, the project knowledge of this report should be of use to future PAL Leaders.

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.4 Quality Management Prior to event day, the primary quality management took place with the advertising pamphlets. The Marketing Officer was responsible for producing a high quality pamphlet that could then be printed for distribution subject to wider committee approval. Once produced, the pdf of the pamphlet could also be ripped so that images could be used on other mediums. Control management was done through constant communication between committee members and the Marketing Officer’s capabilities. On the event day itself, quality control primarily focused on the tour, barbeque, and hunt. Utilising the professional services of the Melbourne Aquarium was meant to ensure quality with the tour. Appropriate purchasing decisions were used to maintain the quality of the barbeque and hunt. The committee members charged with purchasing the supplies tried to seek quality where possible, avoiding food items that, while cheap, were potentially of lower quality and would detract from the experience. The location for the barbeque and hunt was also chosen based on aesthetic and quality criteria. In addition to these measures, committee members also tried to maintain the quality of the experience by running the event in a friendly and amicable manner. It should also be noted that weather is undoubtedly a factor in the quality to any outdoor event and Monash Egg-sta-sea was no exception. Sadly the weather that day proved to be much less than ideal. Nonetheless participants seemed to enjoy themselves though future events such as this should be wary or Melbourne’s erratic climate.

3.5 Communication Management Communication began with first workshop and the formation of the committee. Before the start of the teaching period in Semester 1 the committee met again to finalise the project plan and divide responsibilities. Thereafter communication primarily took place via a Facebook Group and meetings where the schedules of committee members permitted. A Google Drive folder was also created to allow all members to work on documents in tandem. Facebook proved to be invaluable to members.

3.6 Customer Expectation Management Customer expectations are difficult to both monitor and manage. Nonetheless the pamphlet and associated materials formed the base of boosting customer expectations about the event by providing high quality advertising featuring the logo of the PAL Leaders program. At the same time customer expectations are tempered by the fact that such project events are student run and expectations should be reflect that. Responses on and after the day suggest that participants enjoyed themselves and that the project was a success

3.7 Lessons Learned What worked well: • Egg hunt proved to be very enjoyable • Starting early (before semester in the committee’s case) gave a large advantage over other teams What can be improved: • Make sure that there are definite lines of communication between team members • Buy more bread for barbeques • Understand financial arrangements with the Faculty and arrange as soon as possible • Be prepared for lecture shout outs and train if not confident • Recognise that a Facebook is not enough and not a barometer of interest, registration numbers on the booking system are. • Consider travel distances between sites a bit more • Have processes in place to ensure that students can be easily contacted and communicated with.

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4. CONNECTION TO EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN YOUR LESSONS LEARNED SECTION Employability Skills Monash Egg-sta-sea has allowed committee members to enhance their skills in the following area: • Project planning and delivery: The project planning itself was an innovation in the sense that we combined a visit to the aquarium (structured activity) with an Easter-Egg-Hunt/BBQ (socialising activity) • Teamwork: Leveraging existing skills of Team Members in project planning phase and allowing expansion/development in project execution phase • Negotiation: Negotiate a mutually agreeable level of subsidy between faculty and group, involving frequent productive meetings • Problem solving: On the day we faced sudden and unexpected problems (such as lost participants) so we had to make decisions on the spot and new arrangements to remedy it.

• Customer service: We utilised our volunteers’ labour to both manage participants administratively on the morning whilst at the same time engaging them personally to ensure an enjoyable start to the day. • Communication: Very open and efficient communication channels; very easy for customers to approach • Leadership: Distributed leadership structure where all members engaged with their role effectively and also had an effective decision making structures (democratic process for large decisions) • Time management: Due to the time-poor nature of volunteers we had allocate face-to-face time efficiently and otherwise engage in alternative means of communication • Technology: Maximising returns from all electronic mediums + learning to transfer information across mediums

5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you section Monash Egg-sta-sea would like to acknowledge those who supported this great event: • The Dean – Professor Colm Kearney

• The Melbourne Aquarium

• Alison Richardson

• PAL Leaders

• Gary Ryan

• UNICEF

• Faculty of Business and Economics

• Attendees

6. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT APPROVALS Prepared By: James Dew-Griffin Approval Date: 29th Septemberr 2014

Approved By: Wai Yan Winnie Wheung Adrian Joseph Crosland Yee Sim Tan Hsu Ting Tay Adam Charles Trucano

PAL Leaders Program – Monash Egg-Sta-Sea

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PROJECT DELIVERY DATE: 6th August 2014

Faculty of Business and Economics

PROJECT NAME:

Monash Gone Wild

TEAM MEMBERS

PROJECT ROLE

Apple Wang Jenny Lynn Serquiña Tammy Huynh Linda Nguyen Xiaonan Ren Brendan Linke

Team Leader Deputy Team Leader Promotion Manager Volunteer Manager Game Manager Prize Manager

PAL Leaders Program – Monash Gone Wild

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1. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT SUMMARY 1.1 Project Background Overview The P.A.L leadership program required participants to complete a group project benefitting other students. The initial plan for the project was rather ambitious, stretching across the entire semester. Through two workshops and several team meetings, we narrowed the scope down to a single day fun game event; which involved team work and competing against other students in games that required individuals to utilise different set of skills. Original Goals • Enabling first year students to meet a range of other students with whom they could remain friends in the future, hence widening their network and making their time at Monash more enjoyable; • Providing an opportunity for students to work in a team, therefore, enhancing team-working skills; • Developing communication skills over the course of the day, as students were to be put in a situations where they were forced to work towards a common goal; • Offering a unique opportunity to develop event management, time management, resource management, team work and communication skills; • Establishing a fun game event within the budget and fulfilling goals set above.

1.2 Project Highlights and Best Practices

 

ACHIEVED GOALS SET WITHIN GIVEN BUDGET GREAT FUN FOR EVERYONE

Best Practices: The project process involved 3 key practices which enabled it to be completed successfully: • Planning: Project planning started approximately six months before the project due date. This allowed the group time to formulate ideas and how to implement them. • Communication: The team met regularly to discuss project outcomes and for honest feedback about methodology. • Reporting progress: Reports on the status of the project were made to the project’s sponsor every 2 months. This ensured we kept on track with the project objectives and that we maintained a realistic project vision in terms of achievability.

1.3 Project Closure Synopsis The project is being closed because it has been completed. The intention of the project was to create a one-day event, which occurred on the 6th of August, 2014. Goals and objectives set initially have been met and all participants had a great time and got the most out of it, particularly the friendships they gained from this event.

PAL Leaders Program – Monash Gone Wild

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE 2.1 Goals and Objectives Performance

2.2 Success Criteria Performance

We aimed to enrich the first year students experience by providing ‘ice-breaker’ activities, and “Monash Gone Wild” has successfully achieved this purpose. To monitor performance, we prepared feedback forms for participants to complete after the activities. There was feedback from 40 participants, with an average rating of 9.03 for our game activities, an average rating of 8.66 for our networking component, and an average rating 0f 8.70 for our prize give-aways. Many participants enjoyed the events and stated that our event was “fun” in the feedback forms. Others commented that they “really enjoyed the event” and that they were “looking forward to more events [like Monash Gone Wild]”. Our purpose was to also help participants connect with each other. We observed that participants made friends and shared contact information with each other after this event. One of our participants stated that “it was really nice to meet new friends here. Thanks” in the feedback form. We aimed to work collaboratively as a team to ensure that the project would be delivered successfully. We constantly cooperated with each other during the planning and delivery phase. There were no conflicts at all as we focused on “solutions” instead of “concerns”. We met this objective and successfully completed the tasks allocated to us.

Success Criteria • 80 attendees • Spending within $500 • Participants highly satisfied with their experience • Volunteers praised the event • Leaders gained valuable experience • Our sponsor (Alison) is pleased with overall result However, not all of the criteria were achieved, with attendance slightly less than the expectation. We put this down to two reasons. Firstly, without the registration system, we did not have a good plan to attract campus students. Secondly, our event was held during the teaching period, so some students had classes and the 3 hour game section was quite long for them. Apart from this, our event was quite success and achieved 90% of performance goals.

2.3 Milestone and Deliverables Performance Nearly all the deliverables were achieved with high quality and customer acceptance, which is clearly reflected in the participants’ feedback. However, after the event, our communication strategy was not implemented very well. The major reason was due to the fact that we tried to make our event perfect and attempted to cover everything, but in reality, that was very hard to achieve. If we had the opportunity to take on the project a second time, we would increase the integration rate of the overall project which would mean participants getting a complete experience during the 3 hours. To sum up, our event achieved the expected effect. All participants were divided into 4 teams, which were named 1, 2, 3 and 4. Final rankings were: Team 4, Team 2, Team 1 and Team 3. Prize distribution Team 4: 10 Extended Power Banks Team 2: 9 Thumb Drives Team 1: 10 Movie Tickets Team 3: Books Volunteers: Coffee Cups The rest of the prizes were distributed as lucky draw prizes.

PAL Leaders Program – Monash Gone Wild

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE (cont) 2.4 Schedule Performance MEETING

DATE

DISCUSSION

Project Schedule Corrective Actions: There was not any major correction on our process, we strictly followed the plan and made small adjustments accordingly, such as:

Briefing

19th April 2014

• Project identification workshop

• When someone was away, the others took more responsibility to keep the schedule on track;

Meeting 1

25th April 2014

• Idea generation and feasibility discussion

Project Schedule Overview:

• Discuss event theme and finalise key concept Meeting 2

15th May 2014

• Discuss timeline • Game identification • Facebook page creation • Poster design

Meeting 3

30th May 2014

• Game items identification • Venue booking • Poster revision and approval • Equipment sourcing

Meeting 4

15th June 2014

• Prize identification • Equipment booking (PA set and power supply)

Meeting 5

30th June 2014

Meeting 6

20th July 2014

• Prize purchase • Game items purchase • Volunteer recruitment • Registration follow up and control

Meeting 7

25th July 2014

• Even running sheet creation

Meeting 8

3rd August 2014 • Volunteer briefing

• Removed initial scheduled lunch plan as we realised that there was not sufficient funding; and there was not enough manpower to support execution; • Initial timing was set from 11am - 3pm, due to lunch cancelation, we rescheduled the time to 1pm to 4pm. Best Practices The project process involved 3 key practices which enabled it to be completed successfully: • Planning: Project planning started approximately six months before the project due date. This allowed the group time to formulate ideas and how to implement them. • Communication: The team met regularly to discuss project outcomes and for honest feedback about methodology. • Reporting Progress: Reports on the status of the project were made to the project’s sponsor every 2 months. This ensured we kept on track with the project objectives and that we maintained a realistic project vision in terms of achievability.

• Event rehearsal • Familiarise timeline Event Day

6th August 2014

• 11am, all arrived • 11am - 1pm, setting up • 1pm – 4pm, event taking place • 4pm – 4:30pm, pack up

Project Schedule Control Process: Individual completed assigned tasks as requested. Sent reminder emails and WhatsApp messages

Vice-captain and captain kept a close eye to follow up on task status and assist whenever necessary

Rule of thumb: strictly follow initial plan, do not give up and do not make any excuses unless there are reasonable grounds

Strategically adjust and adapt accordingly. It was common that someone could not make a particular meeting, we still carried out the meeting without interruption and updated others individually

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE (cont) 2.5 Budget Performance Initial Budget: $500 Actual Spending: $480 ITEM

PRICE

QTY

TOTAL

SUPPLY

CATEGORY

Comsol Power Bank

$19.99

$199.90

Officeworks

Prize

Coloured Tape

$9.16

Officeworks

Game Item

Water

$8.00

$32.00

Officeworks

Beverage

Self-adhesive Label

$6.99

Officeworks

Stationary

Smiley Face Sticker

$3.97

Officeworks

Stationary

Name Tags

$5.98

Officeworks

Stationary

Scotch Tape

$2.00

$4.00

Officeworks

Stationary

Water Cups

$2.00

Officeworks

Prize

Whistles

$1.00

$6.00

Kmart

Game Item

Rope

$7.00

Bunnings

Game Item

String

$3.00

Bunnings

Game Item

Music System

$10.00

$50.00

MONSU

Event Item

Electricity Supply

$10.00

$30.00

MONSU

Event Item

Tables and Chairs

$10.00

$30.00

MONSU

Event Item

Movie Tickets

$9.00

$90.00

Ali

Prize

Scoreboard and Chairs

$0.00

BEIMS request

Game Item

TOTAL

$480.00

Special Support from Ali ITEM

QTY

Books

Coffee Cups

USB

Monash Pens

$3.97

TOTAL

Self-Supplied Items ITEM

PRICE

QTY

TOTAL

Rope

$7.00

Officeworks

Ping Pong Balls

$0.00

Officeworks

Carton Boxes

$0.00

Officeworks

Chopsticks

$0.00

Officeworks

Wigs

$10.00

$60.00

Officeworks

Basketballs

$0.00

Officeworks

Scissors

$0.00

Officeworks

Rulers

$0.00

Officeworks

TOTAL

SUPPLY

$67.00

PAL Leaders Program â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Monash Gone Wild

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS 3.1 Resource Management

Timeline Feedback Forms

Initial Resources Supply 1. Sponsored by Ali

Meeting Minutes

2. BEIMS request 3. Purchased from Officework, Kmart & Bunnings

Intellectual Property

Cost and Prize List To-Do List

4. Self-Supplied

Game Rules

5. Hired from MONSU

Event Running Sheet

The resource needs changed as a result of the addition of games throughout the planning process. The costs that were associated with hiring equipment such as the sound system and microphone were identified early in the process, however the smaller costs concerning games were identified later. These included: ping pong balls, carton boxes, strings, newspapers, spaghetti, mash marrow etc. There was no hassle in managing this, as Jenny and Apple were assigned to purchase the items on their way to the campus. There was not a great deal of tangible resources to be transferred to other projects. The team did, however, have extra water bottles and other leftover items listed on the table on the next page which were returned or donated to the PAL team. ITEM

QTY

Water

Whistles

Coloured Tape

Pink Scotch Tape

Air Horn

Coloured Wigs

Bucket

Rope

Name Tags

TOTAL

Quiz

3.2 Issue Management • No particular outstanding issue need to be addressed except the closure report. • All borrowed items were returned by Apple; • A ‘Thank you’ email was sent to all volunteers by Linda; • Event photos were uploaded by Linda; • Feedback was consolidated and summarised by Brendan; • The project report timeline was completed as follows: • 30th Aug 2014 First draft of closure report • 10th Sep 2014 Second draft of closure report • 20th Sep 2014 Final report • 25th Sep 2014 Submission

A future group of Leaders could certainly run a similar event in coming years, and in fact, the feedback from the event participants indicated this would be a desirable scenario. In terms of capturing the intellectual property, we have listed items below that might be a useful reference for others.

PAL Leaders Program – Monash Gone Wild

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.3 Risk Management One of the main risks we were facing while planning for our event was the chance of unfavourable weather conditions. Even when we went to check on the Australian Government – Bureau of Meteorology website, there was still uncertainty as Melbourne weather cannot be predicted well in advance. Being winter at the time, our group came up with a Plan B – indoor activities (some of the games had been changed to fit in with sports centre), in case it rained or was too windy. Fortunately, it was sunny with a bit of wind so we stuck to our original plan and had much enjoyment with outdoors activities. Another possible risk was health and safety for both our team members and participants. Since we designed our games to be high-involvement, in the registration form we reminded everyone to wear warm and comfortable clothes. We also advised girls that it was not recommended to wear skirts. Our team wanted to make sure that everyone had some food/beverages during event time and one of our volunteers had made a large quantity of healthy cookies which were delicious and ensured participants could satisfy their hunger and at the same time still have fun. Due to the large number of people registered for the event, team members alone would not have been able to deliver the event without assistance, so we decided to seek at least ten volunteers in order to assure the best outcomes for event. Thanks to volunteer’s efforts, we were able to perform our best on event day and are proud of what we have achieved. At the end of project, there were no outstanding risks.

3.4 Quality Management • We ensured that the objectives of our project were linked to the needs and expectations of commencing students. We aimed to provide them with enjoyable ‘icebreaker’ activities, opportunities to make new friends, develop communication and teamwork skills during the activities, and a pleasant and welcoming experience to Monash University. • We planned the running of the day thoroughly and carefully, and considered all possible faults that could have arisen such as a larger volume of participants than expected/less than expected which could have affected the team numbers and the scoring system of the games and left us short on prizes to give away. Then we came up with alternative solutions to the issues. This ensured a quality project would be delivered.

• We created a back-up plan in case unexpected conditions occurred such as the change of weather on the day of our event. In this case, we booked an indoor hall to conduct the activities of our event if it rained on the day. We checked the weather forecast beforehand to allow sufficient time for cancellation of the indoor booking. • We monitored the progress of our plans for the event, and we submitted our plans to Ali well beforehand. During the planning phase of our ‘Monash Gone Wild’ event, we updated Ali with issues and actions to be taken. We sought feedback from Ali, and utilised the feedback. The main promotional resource we utilised was the Event Flyer and poster. We ensured all members in our team proof-read the contents of the event flyer and poster created by the promotional manager to make sure there were no spelling errors and made sure that team members were satisfied with the final copy. Finally, we submitted this to Ali for her revision of our work and suggestions for improvements or changes.

3.5 Communication Management The project communication process was divided into: Planning phase We constantly collaborated with each other via email, google docs (to share our working files), mobile, and regular team meetings throughout this project. Implementing phase We attempted to tap into all promotion channels available to us. We utilised social media including Facebook to attract participants to the event, and posted our event into MPA and BusEco, PAL, and on team members’ Facebook pages. However, this option of promotion wasn’t that successful as we only attracted 27 guests who clicked “Going”. We utilised Monash’s booking system assisted by a supervisor. This channel of promotion was successful as most of our participants attended this event registered through the Monash Booking System. Monitoring and reviewing phases We successfully delivered the ‘ice-breaker’ activities to first year students. Revision of the project (team project report).

PAL Leaders Program – Monash Gone Wild

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.6 Customer Expectation Management Internal Customers • PAL Project Manager: Alison Richardson • Team members External customers • Volunteers • Participants • Resources supplier: MONSU, Equipment Department & Sports Centre CUSTOMER

Alison Richardson

EXPECTATIONS • Submit project report on a timely basis • Read PAL newsletter thoroughly and book events in advance to avoid disappointment • Ask for advice and instruction if unsure what to do, don’t make uncertain assumptions • Smart budget management: being creative and resourceful

Team Members

• Identify individual roles and responsibilities • Building a team that allows open communication and creative thinking • Trust and respect each other • Respond to team member’s enquiry on a timely manner • Attend meetings on time and submit individual tasks on time with a high standard

Volunteers

• Assign an individual member to manage the team to avoid misguided or insufficient communication • Give instructions clearly • Identify each volunteer’s role explicitly • Have all information printed out and ready for them to read • Pre and post email to acknowledge their contribution • Small appreciation: Monash Coffee Cup

Participants

• Event promotion to be available on various channels • Pre and post event reminders and appreciation • Event start and finish according to schedule • Attractive prizes • Fun games and additional value of networking • Score games fairly and distribute prizes accurately

• Be specific on requests • Take good care of items borrowed or hired Resources Supplier • Return on time in the same condition as initially borrowed • Settle payments on time if there are any

3.7 Lesson Learned Planning and organising • Picked a specific date for our event and ensured every team member was free on that day. • Agendas were sent to every team member a day

before each meeting which allowed everyone to raise any issues or prepare what they will be asked in meeting. The meeting minutes were then sent straight away to everyone after closing out the meeting. • Took registrations using the BusEco Registration System, to have a formal way of knowing the number of expected attendees. • Every team member was allocated tasks and roles and had clarifications made clear. Team work • Every team member had a specific position in the project based on their preferences and strengths. • As we are a diverse group, everyone was very respectful to each other’s culture, working style and personal traits. • Even though some members had part-time jobs or other assessments, they still committed to putting in 100% effort towards the project. Time management • Meeting dates were set on days that everyone was free and usually closed out after two hours to ensure people had enough personal time. • To be effective, most of the time, team members worked collaboratively and contributed ideas and listened carefully to other member’s opinions. • Different ideas among members allowed us to be more creative and gave us an opportunity to learn more about each other. Marketing • For time and cost saving reasons, we promoted our event mainly by word-of-mouth, Facebook and email. • Word-of-mouth was our main strategy as team members passed out flyers during orientation week and delivered an elevator pitch about ‘Monash Gone Wild’ with passion. Leadership • It was not just the team leader who was involved in decision making and the decision making process. Every team member took leadership in their allocated tasks they were in charge of such as volunteers, promotion, prizes and games. • Motivated and influenced others by interacting with both Monash Undergrad and Postgrad through a Faculty Networking session to help them with academic resources.

PAL Leaders Program – Monash Gone Wild

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.9 Project Closure Recommendations To Future Leaders • Organising and executing a successful project requires numerous team meetings. Selecting team members is one of the first and most crucial part of this team project. Check their availability and workload to have an idea how likely they are going to contribute their most to the project. • Commitment, Cooperation and Communication are the 3 Cs that need to be kept in mind for all leaders. • Value every member’s opinion and respect one another to encourage a broader view and contribution.

Project • Select a project that members are passionate about in order to keep everyone excited and engaged. It is important that everyone enjoys the whole process of organising the project up until the execution day rather than just fulfilling an obligation or requirement. • Start early, organise meetings, set up a timeline and deadline. • Be creative and flexible yet simple enough to execute. • Identify all possible uncertainties and create contingency plans; be prepared for unexpected scenarios! • Stick to a budget, finalise items before purchasing.

4. CONNECTION TO EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN YOUR LESSONS LEARNED SECTION Planning and organizing • We learned a great deal about planning skills right from the beginning. Such as planning the number of meetings required and timelines. • Plan what games to host are and what resources are required for those games. • I dentify who is in charge of what, so we can always keep the task on the right track. • It is important to measure how one is in control of his or her workload.

Teamwork • Working in a team gives us an idea of how difficult or challenging it might be when working with people from a completely different background.

• For leaders, they learnt a great deal on managing other commitments: working, club and community involvement, internship and overseas trips, etc. • In today’s fast paced working environment, one needs to know how to prioritise tasks. Being able to meet deadlines and prompt attendance are important factors when employer select candidates.

Marketing • Not just marketing for the event, but also market ourselves. • The experience gained from marketing this event provides us with an idea of what components/ aspects are needed to be taken into consideration when organising an event.

Leadership

Time Management • We learned how to map out steps, time frames and resources required at a particular timeline for the event (when to meet and where to meet). • Determine important dates: such as event date and time. Wednesday is when MONSU provides free lunch, and 2nd week is still the beginning of the semester, so students are yet to be fully committed to study and remain open and flexible in attending our event.

• Being able to initiate and step up is one of the top competencies that most organisations look for in an employee. • Even for a non-managerial role, one will stand out if he or she possesses competent skills in handling crisis, conflicts, stress and taking on multiple tasks.

PAL Leaders Program – Monash Gone Wild

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5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 5.1 Special Thanks

5.2 Reference Resource

We would like to thank so many people for enabling our project to come to fruition. PAL coordinator and student development leader Ali Richardson was a tremendous help over the past 6 months. She was very generous in dealing with our queries about how to achieve certain outcomes at the university and made sure we had sufficient funds to cover the cost of our project. Without Ali’s support, the project would certainly not have happened.

• All resources are available under Google Drive: Account: palleader14@gmail.com | Password: monash14

Monash University (in particular the BusEco department) provided the opportunity and financing for the project, which enabled us to achieve more than we would have been able to if having to finance the day on our own. We are grateful for their assistance.

• Documents shared: i. Meeting minutes ii. Quiz questions iii. Feedback form iv. Monash Gone Wild poster v. Event reminder letter vi. Final game instruction vii. Registration list viii. Event running sheets ix. BBQ and lawn booking form x. Team project update

Gary Ryan’s project workshop sessions gave us a great framework for planning the day, and we learned a lot from them. We are looking forward to the debriefing and review session.

• Contact information: If anyone would like further clarification or tips on organising a similar event, please feel free to contact either Apple (applewjh@ gmail.com) or Jenny (jenny_serquina@yahoo.com).

We are also thankful for the assistance MONSU gave us in setting up the sound system and providing tables and chairs on the lawn. The volunteers who assisted us on the day were great and made the experience less stressful for the six of us. They did a fantastic job setting up and dealing with questions from the participants, and we are extremely grateful for their help. Many thanks to: 1. Dorota Rachel 2. Chuyang Zhao (Louis) 3. To Thi Kim Duyen (Grace) 4. Tien Trung Luu 5. Shaffa Husain 6. Desmond Phan 7. Jenny Trang Le 8. Nguyen Thi Thu Trang (Janet) 9. Jenna Linke 10. Rahman M-aimc 11. Doan Tuan Anh

PAL Leaders Program – Monash Gone Wild

Enable your Student Leaders to Move Beyond Being Good! Student Development Programs Gary Ryan from Organisations That Matter has been facilitating Student Development Programs since 1995 to rave reviews from students and staff alike. Programs are tailored to the student outcomes that you desire while enabling students to fully understand and appreciate how student development relates to career success. Gary’s workshops are practical and engaging while enabling students to ‘see’ the link between theory and practice. As a facilitator who works in the ‘real’ world Gary is able to provide students with a current perspective with regard to how they can leverage their time as students for career success. In a world where the sense of belonging that universities once provided for their students has become harder and harder to nurture, Gary assists student leaders in seeing how their campus activities and volunteering contribute to a bigger picture that is good for themselves, their university and their community.

Universities don’t rehire external providers unless they are of a high and deliver what they promise. Gary’s lost list of repeat university clients include:  The Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University (both undergraduate and postgraduate student development programs)  The Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University (Undergraduate student development programs)  The Faculty of Law, Monash University (undergraduate and postgraduate student development programs)  Monash University Institute of Graduate Research (Higher Degree by Research student development programs)  Monash University Injury Research Institute (Higher Degree by Research student development program)  RMIT University (undergraduate and postgraduate student development programs)  RMIT University George Alexander Scholarship program (undergraduate student development programs)  Victoria University (undergraduate and postgraduate student leadership conference)

organisations

THAT MATTER

Visit http://orgsthatmatter.com/universities.html for more information or email Gary at Gary.Ryan@orgsthatmatter.com

Enable your Student Leaders to Move Beyond Being Good! Gary’s programs include: • EXPLORING LEADERSHIP

“Really insightful workshop that enlightens where many others instruct.” Eduardo Neerhut, RMIT University

• TEAMWORK FOR BUSINESS – INCLUDING THE TEAMS THAT MATTER® PROCESS FOR CREATING HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS

“Fantastic! Had an absolute ball. Thought it was going to be all listening and taking notes but the activities were fun. Worth the time outside of study. Extremely useful. Now I just need to implement it.” Lauren Chen, Student Leader, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University

• COMMUNICATION FOR BUSINESS

“Once again another great workshop. Really hands on. Activities were really relevant. Workshop was engaging and informative throughout.” Stephanie Shield, Student Leader, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University

• SERVICE EXCELLENCE FOR BUSINESS – INCLUDING THE OTM SERVICE STRATEGY® FOR CREATING CULTURES BASED ON SERVICE EXCELLENCE

“Really great session. It was a good insight and Gary was able to relate the theory with good real life examples that were clear/understandable. It was really informative whilst being fun. Some points were able to be viewed from different perspectives. Great learning experience. Thanks Gary.” Brittany Hallgren, Student Leader, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University

• YES FOR SUCCESS PLAN FOR PERSONAL SUCCESS®

“Very motivating. Allowed clear, concise goals to be identified when previously ‘fuzzy’. Helped to guide / identify strategies to help achieve desired goals / outcomes. Forced more ‘internal investigation’ that had previously been put in the ‘too hard’ basket. Re-enforces the strength for personal / career growth when a plan can be followed and put into action.” Kelli Bradford, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University

• USING PROJECT MANAGEMENT AS AN OVERLAY FOR YOUR HIGHER DEGREE RESEARCH

“It was a privilege to learn from Gary. His tools for success are useful and can be modified to suit individuals. I strongly suggest attending any of his workshops. In fact, I think all students should benefit from his knowledge.” Tessa Jones, PhD Candidate, Monash University

• THE SCIENCE OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

“Incredibly inspiring and comforting environment. Very useful and informative. Gary has an energy and vibrant personality, very encouraging and practical. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience.” Kelsey Paske, Student Ambassador Faculty of Law, Monash University

• RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT FOR MANAGERS

“Impressive seminar delivered by a very knowledgeable and modern/ forward looking person in this area of relationship management. Very good structure of the workshop with hands-on practical examples and applicability to work environments. I feel privileged to have been part of the workshop and all my queries had been successfully answered. The workshop has definitely enhanced my knowledge and will prove useful in improving my organisational and communication skills.” Girish Hurryvansh Aubeeluck, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University

• THE SEVEN SKILLS OF DIALOGUE

“Very insightful series of presentations and discussions on the importance of dialogue in communication with others in all walks of life – personal and interpersonal interactions. I appreciate your insight, knowledge and passion encouraging people to improve communication skills and bring out their best! Thanks Gary.” Maria Tirca, Student Ambassador Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University

• PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERIES – REAL PROJECT BY REAL STUDENTS CREATING REAL COMMUNITY BENEFITS

“The workshops proved extremely helpful in enabling me to highlight employability skills and its link to what to do in the Leaders Program. In addition, the workshops were really helpful in providing me with knowledge on planning, organising and executing projects.” Bhararth Srinivasan, Student Leader, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University

organisations

THAT MATTER

Using his vast experience Gary can assist you in designing and implementing a student development program that matches the needs of your university and your students. Visit http://orgsthatmatter.com/universities.html for more information or email Gary at Gary.Ryan@orgsthatmatter.com

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PROJECT DELIVERY DATE: 18th August 2014

Faculty of Business and Economics

PROJECT NAME:

Monash RSPCA Cupcake Day

TEAM MEMBERS

PROJECT ROLE

Amanda Tang

Team Leader/ Admin

Linh Tran

Budgeting and Finance/Admin

Rhyannon Phung

Marketing/Implementation

Jade Chan

Implementation/ Resource management

Jenny La

Social Media/Marketing/Admin

Katherine Catris

Resource management/ Project management

PAL Leaders Program â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Monash RSPCA Cupcake Day

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1. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT SUMMARY 1.1 Project Background Overview Cupcake Day for the RSPCA is a national event held on Monday the 18th August. Our group project involved organising Monash Cupcake Day, a fundraising event to raise awareness of animal cruelty and create some fun for students through cupcake decorating. Our project consisted of decorating cupcakes that had been pre-made by our group members, as well as a design-a-cupcake competition for all participants.

1.2 Project Highlights and Best Practices Project Highlights: • Raised awareness for the RSPCA - Animal Cruelty • Fundraising for the event Best Practices: • Used social media to promote the event and raise awareness • Pre-planning and budgeting • Utilised a food handling safety certificate

1.3 Project Closure Synopsis This project is being closed as all project objectives and deliverables have been met.

PAL Leaders Program – Monash RSPCA Cupcake Day

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE 2.1 Goals and Objectives Performance

welfare of the community by connecting the university and students to the event.

• Raise awareness for animal cruelty

Project Schedule Control Process: Our team generally used our Facebook group to communicate our meetings times and planning process and allocation of the tasks. Nearer to date we utilised a group chat on mobile app Whatsapp to communicate our finalising of the project as it was more interpersonal to the needs of commencing the project.

• Enhance the student to student experience • Introduce RSPCA cupcake day • Aim to raise $600 • Create some fun amongst university and students • Assisting the RSPCA in fighting animal cruelty by supporting the national event, RSPCA Cupcake Day

2.2 Success Criteria Performance Our target revenue was $600. However, we fell short of this by $188.20. There were many factors that contributed to this: • Unexpected competition due to MONSU hosting a Free Pizza event in the MONSU lounge beside our table • Attendance was lower than expected Despite this outcome, our event generated awareness and support for the RSPCA cause. Our final profit stood at $83.80 which was achieved through minimised expenses and careful planning.

2.3 Milestone and Deliverables Performance • Prepared and delivered over 300 cupcakes for the event in a timely manner

Project Schedule Corrective Actions: Initially, we wanted to do a “trash and treasure” charity event. Whereby, we would sell someone else’s unwanted belongings to other people’s who would treat it as a gift to raise funds for the less fortunate. However, due to some transportation and facilities needs for the event we decided to change it to something more manageable and fun. As we all also have a common interest in love for animals and cupcakes, we all agreed RSPCA Cupcake Day would be an excellent choice. Project Schedule Integration with Managing Project: We wanted to hold the event on the official RSPCA Cupcake Day to emphasis the event’s link to raising money for the RSPCA. thus we scheduled our event for the 18th of August. Under some good management by the whole team we were able to successfully implement our event on that date.

• Complied with health and safety regulations regarding extension cords and food handling which required the obtainment of a DHS food safety certificate. • Successfully raised awareness and encouraged extra donations • Issues with the transportation of cupcakes were resolved with active planning and contact with members. • Successfully involved students and staff through the decorating side of the event which encouraged creativity with the variety of toppings provided.

2.4 Schedule Performance Project Schedule Overview: Through our first project management workshop with Gary Ryan we came up with some ideas for the event we wanted to hold. Our 6 team members had a common interest of wanting to host a volunteering event and support for the

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE (cont) 2.5 Budget Performance The following figures represent the financial performance of our Monash Cupcake Day event: Revenue = $411.80 Budgeted Expenses = $494 Actual Expenses = $328 Final Profit = $83.80

Cake Day Event Budget Budget: $500.00 Expenses

A copy of our budget is presented right:

No. of items/hours

Total Cost

MONSU area hire

$37 per hour

3 hours

$111.00

Table hire

$10 per table/ per hour

4 x 3 hours

$120.00

Ticket book

All proceeds (revenue) from the charity event went to the RSPCA to help fund animal shelters, vaccinations and equipments.

Cost per item

$2*

$4.00

Printing cost (poster etc.)

$0.68*

$13.60

Cupcake liners (pack of 50)

$3.00

$18.00

Sub Totals

$267.00

Coles Expenses Egges (6 pack)

$3.30

$19.80

Unsalted butter (250g)

$2.30

$27.60

Muffin trays

$5.60

$33.60

Plastic bowls (109 pack)

$1.63

$4.89

100s & 1000s (350g)

$5.05

Caster sugar (500g)

$1.27

$7.62

Chocolate icing mix

$2.75

$5.50

Rainbow pearls (75g)

$5.50

$11.00

Rainbow sprinkles (100g)

$3.85

Silver cachous (112g)

$9.90

Star rainbow sprinkles (65g)

$3.85

Strawberry icing mix

$2.75

$8.25

Vanilla icing mix

$2.75

$5.50

Mini Oroe pack (230g)

$4.18

$16.72

Assorted lollies pack (180g)

$2.84

$9.52

Mini marshmellows (100g)

$2.04

$8.16

Self-raising flour (1kg)

$0.75

$4.50

Cupcake stand

$5.00*

$20.00

Piping equipment

$3.65

Estimated Total Expenses

$23.10

$227.41

$494.01

*Estimated costs **Availability of the stand is uncertain ***Better alternatives may exist

Other mentions Movie tickets x 2 (provided by Ali) The budget is a rough guide that may change to proce variations or other unforseen expenses.

3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS 3.1 Resource Management This project had several resources • Fight animal cruelty logo • Facebook cover image • Information poster • RSPCA fundraising tool kit • Cupcake ingredients - toppings, raw ingredients • Cooking utensils • Kitchen facilities • Storage containers • Monsu lounge hire - Chairs, tables • Our own design posters and banners

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.2 Issue Management The main issue we encountered was on the day of the event. We had a lack of preparation time on the morning of the event. Our original plan was for participants to spread frosting on the cupcakes and decorate with toppings, however this was no longer an option as we realised it would take a substantial amount of time for each person to do so, creating long lines. We reduced line waiting time by spreading the frosting on ourselves in the OSS room. Another issue was the transportation of the cupcakes as each team member needed to make approximately 50 cupcakes each and travelling to university with these cupcakes was one of our challenges. But fortunately, planning ahead, we were able to overcome this issue that we anticipated for. Another challenge presented itself to us on the day of the event. MONSU held an event where they were giving out free pizza, this was supposed to be held on the lawn but due to bad weather conditions the event relocated right next to us at the Monsu lounge which affected us dearly. Even though the facilitators of the pizza event were offering help in terms of advertising for our event, many student preferred free pizza over cupcakes. Towards the end, we had issues selling the remaining 50 or so cupcakes. We decided to reduce the price of the cupcakes to $1 and also bundle pricing for more purchases of the cupcakes. The changes towards the end helped us raise more funds.

3.3 Risk Management Project Risks Mitigated: The greatest risk of our event was giving customers food poisoning. The freshness and quality of our food that was edible. Outstanding Project Risks: We mitigated this risk by ensuring we utilised safe food handling practices. We also completed a food safety course online and attained a certificate for MONSU approval purposes.

3.4 Quality Management Quality Management • To ensure cupcakes were of a high standard, we made sure all cupcakes baked were consistent in taste and appearance

• Regarding advertising, we ensured we complied with MONSU standards • There was a lack of focus of the competition with the event, which need more emphasising and notice by the students

3.5 Communication Management Our group utilised a number of communication channels to manage the project. It was difficult to hold face to face group meetings as it was difficult to find a time when all 6 group members were available to meet up. To work around this problem, we utilised Skype, Facebook and regular mobile calls. We also utilised whatsapp to send photos and messages closer to the event date to help organise things. This was particularly useful when purchasing items for the cupcake day itself, as we were able to send photos of the items required when we each shopped at Coles individually. It was also useful in taking photos of the cupcakes to ensure consistency. We created a facebook event page for our Monash (RSPCA) Cupcake day, which was run and operated by our two assigned team members in terms of marketing exposure for the event. We also used instagram and networking with our friends, colleagues and associates to draw attention to the event. We also personalised our logos, banners and posters to suit our event for our own version of Monash Cupcake day.

3.6 Customer Expectation Management Students and Staff • Worked to ensure students and staff were enjoying the event • Engaged with people waiting in line Ali Richardson – Manager of the PAL program • Communication with Ali through email and F2F meetings allowed us to be aware of her expectations of us throughout the event • We then planned each aspect of the event in line with her expectations

• Buttercream frosting used was made just 9 hours before the event and kept in the refrigerator overnight to ensure freshness

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.7 Lessons Learned

3.8 Postproject Tasks

Lessons Learned

There are no outstanding tasks

The management of the project takes into account team communication, planning and organisation that could have been better executed.

3.9 Project Closure Recommendations

For example, we did not anticipate the lack of traffic around the MONSU lounge area and we did not have a backup plan. During the event, we resorted to carrying the cupcakes around on trays and proactively asking passer bys if they were interested in purchasing a cupcake for the RSPCA. Our exposure for social and marketing for the event needed more involvement with the target audience and more engagement was needed to generate more attention from the students. We may need to reassess what university students favour more in terms of sweet/ dessert focus.

• Avoid being overly optimistic regarding participant turnout, especially if the event has no formal RSVP • Have a contingency plan for bad weather, even if the event is held indoors, as other factors may influence your event as a result of bad weather • Prepare for unexpected expenses as to not over-budget

4. CONNECTION TO EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN YOUR LESSONS LEARNED SECTION Employability skills Time Management: • Time management skills were developed through planning a time to meet up with other group members, taking into consideration each member’s study and work commitments as well as deadlines for our event. Leadership: • Being proactive in organising the event and each aspect of the event including suggesting to host meetings, planning the logistics of the event, booking the venue and purchasing items for the event. Teamwork: • Regarding the organising of the event, we delegated tasks to each member as this was the best way to facilitate work.

Planning & Organisation: • Planned and met deadlines to ensure work was completed on time ready for the next phase of our project. • Prepared posters, flyers and a Facebook group for the advertising of our event. Problem Solving: • As traffic flow was lower than anticipated, in an effort to meet our fundraising target, we took the initiative to walk around university to sell cupcakes to generate greater revenue. • Changed plans last minute to reflect the lack of time we had to prepare on the morning of the event. This required quick thinking and flexibility in our operations of the event.

• Posted regular updates on our Facebook group to ensure all group members were aware of the state of our operations

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5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you section • Colm Kearney - Dean, Faculty of Business and Economics • Ali Richardson - Manager of the PAL Program • Gary Ryan - Director of Organisations That Matter • MONSU Monash Student Union, Caulfield Campus • RSPCA Org Australia http://www.rspcacupcakeday.com.au • Monash University, Caulfield Campus

6. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT APPROVALS Prepared By: Amanda Tang

Approved By: Katherine Catis

Linh Tran

Rhyannon Phung

Jenny La

Jade Chan

Approval Date: 29th Septemberr 2014

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PROJECT DELIVERY DATE: 27th July 2014

Faculty of Business and Economics

PROJECT NAME:

National Tree Planting Day

TEAM MEMBERS

PROJECT ROLE

Ksenia Chabalova

Team Leader

Amelia Paullo

Team member

Clare Higgins

Team member

P. Gabriella Karmana

Team member

Sinh Binh Nguyen

Team member

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1. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT SUMMARY 1.1 Project Background Overview The project’s goals were: To deliver the project by the due date having at least 20 first year students participating on the 27th July (National Tree Day), while at the same time staying within our limited budget. Also by doing this project we wanted to inspire awareness about climate change and environmental sustainability, as well as connect the Monash faculty with the local community.

1.2 Project Highlights and Best Practices Project Highlights: • High number of participants • Rewarding experience for both participants and organisers • Positive feedback from the participants and the event organisers

Best Practices: • Created Facebook page for communication and marketing purposes • Buying high energy snacks and water • Booking taxis well in advance • Using gloves and special equipment to handle plants

1.3 Project Closure Synopsis The project is being closed as it has been successfully executed on the 27th of July, meeting all of our expectations. All deliverables have been successfully executed on time as well as the project itself. This things include setting up a facebook page to keep participants updated, creating brochures within specified time frame to advertise and to be able to be included in the O- Week showbag, delivering short presentation during lectures.

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE 2.1 Goals and Objectives Performance

• Book Taxis

The goals of the project is enhance the awareness of environmental sustainability, create a team building environment and connect the Monash Faculty with the local community.

• Successfully organised for groups of students to be transported from Monash caulfield to Fairway Reserve on the 27th - we were very pleased to see such a great turnout of students on the day

2.2 Success Criteria Performance

• Monash students planted an estimated 500 tree saplings over a period of 2hrs - this was an outstanding achievement for many students who had never participated in an event like this before

• Purchase snacks

The project ran smoothly and according to plan. Our success was measure by high participation from the first year university students and positive feedback from the students as well as the community.

2.3 Milestone and Deliverables Performance • Contact and organise with the Monash Council for a group of Monash Students to attend the National Tree Planting Day at Fairway Reserve of the 27th of July

• Great opportunity for students to give back to the local community and improve their environmental awareness • Students were able to interact with one another and make new friends • Group barbeque to celebrate our efforts at the end • Transport students back to monash caulfield at the end of the day

• Group booking online for the National Tree Planting Day website registration • Presentations to first year students in lectures during week 11 • Presentation to mid-semester intake of students during mid-semester break - this was very effective as the majority of the students who attended were present at this presentation

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE (cont) 2.4 Schedule Performance Project Schedule Overview: March:

Project Schedule Control Process: • We maintained contact with each other throughout the project via social media, face to face meetings, text, telephone and email.

• Initial workshop “identifying Projects” - brainstormed ideas of projects to conduct. First conception of tree planting day

• Ksenia was our communication representative with Ally who ensured we were meeting budget and planning expectations

• Planning for second meeting April: • Segregation of duties for each group member • Created social network page for the event • First contact with Monash City Council to enquire about Monash Student Group attending the tree planting at Fairway reserve • Drafting brochures May: • Workshop “Launching Projects” • Submit bi-monthly report • Organise budget (food, taxis, printing costs)

Project Schedule Corrective Actions: • Taxi vouchers we were given had expired. Team members had to use their own money to pay for the taxis on the day and were later reimbursed by Monash.

2.5 Budget Performance Budget Performance The expenses incurred were taxi (transport) $75, printing cost $45, and snacks $25. The expenses were sponsored by Monash University. We had performed under the budget, and no profits were raised as no remuneration were required to be obtained from the student.

• Printing brochures and posters • Online group registration on National Tree Planting Day website June: • Conduct presentations to first year business students at Caulfield • Distribute brochures • Follow up calls to the council to confirm attendance July: • Conduct presentation to mid-semester intake of first year business students at Caulfield • Purchase snacks and drinks • Receive taxi vouchers from Monash • Book taxis • 27th of July: National Tree Planting Day - Monash group traveled to Fairway Reserve to plant trees September: • Workshop “Concluding Projects” • Submit final report

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS 3.1 Resource Management

• Finishing individual sections by deadline

Resources that were required were gloves, drink (water), transport (taxi), food (snacks),BBQs (provided)

• Confirmation and report from each team member to monitor the plan

• Challenge: Not providing enough amount of food and drinks to state in the budget because of uncertainty of attendance.

• Regular report to Ali to ensure the on-going effectiveness of plan

3.2 Issue Management • The issues that arose during the project was the taxi vouchers which had expired. Team members used their own funds to cover expenses during that time and were compensated after the event. • Challenge to organise which group members would give speeches in first year classes due to conflicting timetable. In the end we could not attend all of them, but we did make an effort to come along to the midsemester intake during the holidays

2. Performance and advertising management • Consistently handing out brochures in many lectures, O-Week • Consistently updating brochures based on previous student feedback and making them available to reach larger amount of participants • Sharing and fixing advertisement on facebook to meet the required number of participants in the objective list. • Consulted with Ali to have various advertising methods

3.3 Risk Management

3.5 Communication Management

Project Risks Mitigated: • Uncertainty of attendance resolved by confirmation and reminding message 2 days before the event

Communication channels that were used were

• Proper food safety resolved by carefully selecting and buying new foods and checked with National Tree Planting instructors who provided BBQs

• Telephone Call

• Health safety and protection resolved by providing gloves • Participants may go missing in the bush resolved by constant head counting and counted the students when they got back on the taxis Outstanding Project Risks: There are no outstanding risks

• Facebook • SMS • Face to face meetings • Online booking system

3.6 Customer Expectation Management The customer group for this project was first year business students.in order to meet their expectations, our team created the event which was: • To make friends, social networking opportunity

3.4 Quality Management 1. Team management • Regular team meetings to identify challenges and barriers that needed to overcome • Making decisions on time to ensure problems had been resolved before event occurred

• Get in touch with the environment and reduce the carbon footprint • Students are encouraged to attend as extracurricular participation would boost the quality of their CVs • The event was fun with free food

• Constant communication through social networks such as facebook • Reporting contingent difficulties immediately to team members

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.7 Lessons Learned Overall our team was very effective and worked well together. For a group of people who had never worked together before, we had very few problems and demonstrated a great deal of commitment to ensuring the success of the tree planting day. Individual Employability Skills Communication: We learnt that face to face communication is very valuable, especially in this age of modern communication. We were heavily reliant upon social media and technology to communicate with one another, but we often performed the best when we got together and had an interactive group discussion. Sometimes communication issues occured on facebook as messages can be easily misinterpreted. It can also take longer to communicate in text rather than speaking out loudÂˇ Leadership: This program was designed to improve our individual leadership skills by running a real life event. We also were able to segregate our group tasks and duties so that jobs were completed efficiently and on time.Some of the varied roles included marketing, team management, social media representative, external communications with the Council ect Planning & Organising: Our team worked well as we were able to formulate a plan for our project and create reasonably achievable goals.For example, when creating the brochures we had to ensure the draft was finalised by week 9 so that it could be printed in week 10, ready to be distributed to students during the week 11 presentations.If we had not stuck to deadlines then our whole advertising campaign would have been ineffective. Organisation was also important, especially as we were dealing with an external third party - The Monash city Council. It was crucial that we maintained communication with the Council so that they knew how many students to expect, at what times ect. Initiative & Enterprise: Our group took great initiative when we organised to present at first year lectures in week 11. This required us to communicate with the lecturers individually to gain permission to speak at such times as our presence was a disruption to normal teaching hours. We were also proactive by emailing lecturers after the presentation and giving them an electronic version of the flyer to upload on the subject internet page. This was a great way to get in contact with students who were not present during the lecture. Teamwork: It has not been easy to work effectively as a team but we have done well in terms of delivering a highquality event to first year students. We have language barrier which might have undermined the effectiveness of the plan, but it was not a big problem as we worked hard together. In order for a plan which contains many aspects

such as budgeting, advertising to be successful, teamwork actually integrated and connected them to write down a comprehensive plan. Moreover, as a team, we worked and spent efforts towards a common goal together, which enhance success probability of an event. For example, we raised awareness students in lecture theater that required presenter, distributors of brochures, communicators with students. Because each individual had different schedules, we helped and backed up each other and then reported to the absent members. Service Excellence We ensured that participants had a great experience by giving them a well structured event schedule which included all the necessary information about the event, we also communicated any event changes to them in a timely manner through event facebook page. We provided transportation to the event and back, lunch, snacks and water were provided to each participant. We ensured safety of each participant by making sure that gloves were provided for plant handling. We did a head count before going back to make sure no one was left behind. Self-management: From the very beginning we set a structure of the team and drafted a fortnightly plan. Specific tasks were delegated to each team member which were overseen by the team leader who was in charge of bi-monthly reporting of our progress. We made sure the project was planned, implemented and executed at the best of our ability by organising regular meeting to make sure that tasks assigned to each team member were met. Problem solving: Our team encountered an issue in regards to the taxi vouchers being expired during the tree planting day. Our team was provided taxi vouchers to transport our participants from the Caufield campus to the tree planting location. As our team realised that the vouchers had expired,to overcome this issue, team members used their own funds to cover the expense during that time. They were then compensated after the project had been completed. Technology: The lessons learnt in regards to technology, was how to employ social network as a marketing tool. In order to promote and enhance accessibility for students to our project, our team created a facebook page. Since most of our group members have no prior experience, it was a great learning curve for us to experience first hand. As a result of creating a facebook page, we were able to advertise our event to students who we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get to meet face to face,provide more detail information about the tree planting day and get more participant from other non monash students.

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.8 Postproject Tasks Postproject Tasks The post project tasks are to send our team photo’s of the event and report to Gary’s drop box and to Ally’s email

3.9 Project Closure Recommendations Project Closure Recommendations The main recommendation would usually be to gain project closure approval from the Project Sponsor, including agreement that the project has fulfilled all of the requirements as documented and that the Project Sponsor is satisfied that all outstanding items have been satisfactorily addressed.

4. CONNECTION TO EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN YOUR LESSONS LEARNED SECTION Employability skills • Conflict resolution • Effective communication • Segregation of duties • Awareness of the influence of social network • Teamwork Skills

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5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you section We would like to offer our sincere gratitude to the Monash Business and Economics Faculty Dean Professor Colm Kearney, Alison Richardson the Student Development Manager and PAL Program Manager and Gary Ryan. All of these mentors gave us endless support and encouragement throughout the project. Ally especially was invaluable in her dedicated communication and assistance in the day-to-day creation and implementation of our projects. Thank you very much.

6. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT APPROVALS Prepared By: All team members

Approved By:

Approval Date: 29th Septemberr 2014

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PROJECT DELIVERY DATE: 13th August 2014

Faculty of Business and Economics

PROJECT NAME:

Nike Run

TEAM MEMBERS Arrian Stubbs Adrian Lim Mabel Leung

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1. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT SUMMARY 1.1 Project Background Overview • The Nike + Run Club is designed to blend both the training and social aspect of running into the one experience. Our leader’s project group seeks to gather fitness minded students to join the run, connecting people who share the joy of the being fit and build a social and academic community support network both inside and outside of university • Success criteria was to get at least a 30-40% response rate from people that said they were interested in the event. • One of the project goals were to promote healthy well-being and encourage students to exercise

1.2 Project Highlights and Best Practices Project Highlights: • Overwhelming attendance - everyone was able to finish the event

Best Practices: • Use of social media to promote and market the event • Utilisation of the resources of a leading university with aspirations of being the best Australian university • In collaboration with Nike Australia, pulled resources together to host a healthy and fun filled activity • Project members were able to make use of in-depth fitness knowledge to offer support and advice to participants

1.3 Project Closure Synopsis • Project closed as team objectives were achieved • Continuing support to students’ enquiry were meet through mobile, social media and e-mail • Ongoing legacy developed through attendance at the Nike + Run Club by both project members and participants

• Project ran smoothly without any hiccups or injuries • Continuing Nike + Run Club interest and social networks post the event were formed • A number of group photos were taken and a group of participants went out for dinner afterwards

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE 2.1 Goals and Objectives Performance

2.4 Schedule Performance

• Achieved a higher attendance rate than projected

Project Schedule Overview: • 18th March - Team Brainstormed ideas for the event

• People ran more surprisingly well than initially thought based on feedback

• 20 June - Initiate contact with Nike for details of the weekly event

• People challenged themselves by running a higher pace/ distance group

• 1 July - Finalized event details and created Facebook event page

• Students bonded over dinner post event, continued to make connections

• 17th July - Designed of brochures

• Interests was formed after the event, people came back the following weeks with the goal of improving their fitness

• 1-7 August - Emailed interested students as a reminder, utilized Monash Event Pages to further gather interest in the event

• Promote a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle, in additional to networking and socialising

Project Schedule Control Process: • Project timeline was drawn up

2.2 Success Criteria Performance

• Adhered to timeline by usage of reminders, technology and communication between members

• Success was measured based on response rate, attendance, the level of interest and willingness to be involved with the event after their initial run and the level of support given to students • Response and attendance rate exceeded what was planned • Attributed to hard work and dedication shown by the team • Informal survey undertaken to establish general motivation, satisfaction and happiness levels both pre and post the event to gauge the overall success of the event

2.3 Milestone and Deliverables Performance • A number of students weren’t able to participate due to commitments, however overall interest was quite high and queries were answered accordingly

Project Schedule Corrective Actions: • Some ideas brainstormed were scrapped due to time constraints • Some over ambitious ideas such as arranging private transport from the university to the end were not implemented Project Schedule Integration with Managing Project: • N/A

2.5 Budget Performance N/A - Entire event was not-for-profit and therefore free, only requirement was student participation and therefore there was no budget required for the team’s event.

• Fitness issues and fears hindered some participation • Email, phone calls and social media were used to continue generate awareness in the event • Some participants were able to break personal best running times and some participants even gave longdistance running a go for the first time

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS 3.1 Resource Management

3.5 Communication Management

• Utilising the different strengths of the team members to manage the event given the high expectations, for example each team leader or ambassador volunteer led different running pace levels

• The team started off with face to face communication and gradually branched off to social media and mobile communication usage to keep up with project deadlines.

• Budgeted different ideas, team meetings with specific agendas were held to identify the best idea given the situation and resources available

• Communication with interested members were done via various social media platforms, email and text to ensure all interested members were able to obtain the relevant information regarding the event.

• Team debriefing to get feedback from students, team meetings to recognize limitations (e.g. the lack of a budget due to it being a free event), in order to improve the effectiveness of the team if future projects arises • Project member knowledge of long distance running, fitness and nutrition was utilised for the benefit of participants

3.2 Issue Management • Communication issues to a certain extent due to commitments of different team members

3.6 Customer Expectation Management • The team was bombarded with enquires before, during and after the event. • Support and transparent communication for interested parties. • Disclaimer over the risk of bad weather was communicated to students in the event of weather disruptions

• General consensus to “make time” to ensure delivery of a successful event • Recruited Monash ambassadors to assist due to a smaller BusEco leaders group and a lack of manpower in the project in respect to the number of participants

3.3 Risk Management Project Risks Mitigated: • Injuries, emergency evacuations were thought of (e.g. First Aid Kit, First Aid Certified) • Back-up Nike + Run Club date planned in the case of the event being cancelled due to weather or other external factors Outstanding Project Risks: • N/A as all project risks did not manifest

3.4 Quality Management • Assurance were provided to the extent of safety procedures and emergency evacuation procedures to ensure the delivery of a safe and enjoyable running experience • Variable risk - weather patterns • Spoke to participants before and after the race to ensure they were happy with the manner under which the event was being ran

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.7 Lessons Learned

3.8 Post Project Tasks

• Our group needed to outreach to various university students in order to gain exposure to the event. The action taken included using different platforms of communications. The result reached was the recognition that with regards to communication “not one size fits all” communication strategy

• No leftover funds due to not-for-profit event.

• We were keen to implement new technology in order to streamline the project and achieve greater efficiencies. Action taken included developing familiarity with QR Codes and utilising this to the events advantage. Through incorporating QR Codes we found that there was less work to be performed for both ourselves and participants, in addition to being able to use such technological knowledge moving forward • The group was keen to highlight important processed related to the event to participations. Action taken included e-mailing and sending SMS text messages to students in order to provide vital information and address popular issues that students may have. Despite this, we realised that we could have setup a FAQ section on Facebook to answer basic questions and this would have saved us the hassle of addressing a number of questions individually

• Project successfully completed. • On-going communication with student was given to interested students weeks after the event. • Event will continue to run on a weekly basis with the idea of continuing the building of a support network for runners.

3.9 Project Closure Recommendations • Collaborated with Nike to deliver a safe and fun event challenging students both physically and mentally • Gummies and post workout drinks were provided to replenish vital liquids needed by the human body • Project was deemed to be a success and people were encouraged to participate in the Nike + Run Club moving forward • Discussions as to possibly trying to arrange social group meet-ups from Monash university for future Nike + Run Clubs, independent of BusEco Leaders program due to success

4. CONNECTION TO EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN YOUR LESSONS LEARNED SECTION Employability skills • Evaluation of target audience - Identify customer concerns and maintaining timely response • Delegation of responsibilities - team brainstorm of ideas, finance (budgeting potential events), artistic skills (design of brochures) • Communications skills - emailed various stakeholders to update on event details, employed the usage of different communication platforms to meet the different needs of different people • Conflict resolution - making time for team meetings

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5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you section • Professor Colm Kearney (Dean) - providing ongoing support for the Monash Business & Economics Leaders Program

• Special recognition to Ambassadors who volunteered and assisted with the event: 1. Ricky Kumala 2. Benjamin Poon

• Gary Ryan - providing support and guidance in advising our ideas, giving valuable insight in how to run and conduct our activity • Alison Richardson – provided us with Monash t-shirt and on-going communication and mentorship, facilitation of the BusEco Leaders program in which many lessons were learnt and employed in the process of providing an event which students were highly active, energetic and motivate everyone to take part

6. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT APPROVALS Prepared By: Adrian Lim Approval Date: 29th Septemberr 2014

Approved By: Arrian Stubbs Mabel Leung

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PROJECT DELIVERY DATE: 24th July 2014

Faculty of Business and Economics

PROJECT NAME:

O Week Funday

TEAM MEMBERS

PROJECT ROLE

Whitney Liu

Project Manager

Jozh Ternola

Liaison Officer

Jake Laverty

Events Coordinator

Ashley Coleman-Bock

OH&S Officer

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1. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT SUMMARY 1.1 Project Background Overview Our projects original goals were to focus on student-tostudent engagement, especially targeting new Monash students. We set out to provide a fun and welcoming atmosphere for new students during orientation, and in addition also intended to our project to be informative in order to assist in preparing new students in learning how to tackle university. Success would be an event with at least 50 participants.

1.2 Project Highlights and Best Practices

Best Practices: • Risk assessments to manage OH&S purposes • Perfect production line for cooking; speedy delivery of well cooked sausages in a hygienic manner • Pre-planning for unplanned events, numbers, risks, and others • Meeting below the required budget • Excellent teamwork and support skills

1.3 Project Closure Synopsis

Project Highlights: • Informational video of 8 minutes, preparing new students to university life.

With the conclusion of orientation, and the successful delivery of the project, this team project is no longer required. All objectives have been met, and it can now be concluded.

• Student turnout was approximately 400 students, about 10 times our initial goal for success • Ambassadors (current students) were also engaged (seven ambassadors) • Clubs moved downstairs, and our event aided in promotion of university clubs • Positive feedback from Monash students and staff

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE 2.1 Goals and Objectives Performance

undergraduate students; the latter were not planned audiences. However, we were flattered that there were more students to reach the students.

Orientation • Provide lunch for the BusEco Faculty students on their second day of orientation

2.3 Milestone and Deliverables Performance

• Create a fun atmosphere where it is comfortable for the new students to meet and interact with each other

Planning the orientation BBQ and the video both had individual milestones that contributed to the success of the planned activities.

• Allow the BusEco Ambassadors to experience giving advice to new students Introduction Video • Give new Caulfield students an insight of university life from current students

Orientation • Booked inflatables with original budget • Successfully negotiated for budget to be increased for catering on the day

• Provide a guide and advice from students of different faculties allowing the advice to be more general and can be applied to all first year students

• MONSU resources were booked smoothly

• Familiarise first year students with some faces around campus for a more comfortable transition

Introduction Video • Participation from students from 1st to 3rd Caulfield students

2.2 Success Criteria Performance

• Completed the video at a high quality that is easily accessible for faculty

The main criterion on the day was to create an atmosphere where the new students were comfortable to meet and interact with each other.

• Flexible with purchase of catering when obstacles arose

• Informative, friendly and engaging for first year students

We were successful in creating this atmosphere since students from other faculties attend the BBQ also. The atmosphere was very friendly that other students who had their orientations on the same day as the BusEco students were attracted by the event as they walked by. • There were approximately 400 students who pass through the whole day with around 100 students at a time at the place of the BBQ. • Chatting with groups of students, they seemed to find it comfortable to have met the other students on the day and fit in well with each other. • A major setback on the day was the inflatables hired. The reason being that the inflatables was run in the hall where it was a different location to the BBQ. Another reason for the lack of participation was the lack of communication to go to the hall for the inflatables. The video seemed to have positive feedback from the faculty staff. However, the new students provided no formal feedback. Note: The video was shown to three groups including the Caulfield undergraduate students, Caulfield postgraduate students and the Clayton

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE (cont) 2.4 Schedule Performance Early Planning Stage: The original idea was to have a carnival day targeted for the first year students during semester 2. Alongside the carnival day, charities would be invited down to the raise awareness for the cause that they were representing and a mobile blood truck for blood donation. The reason was to linked to story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin; we wanted to increase people’s awareness for social responsibility. However, during the planning stage for this idea, many problems arose including: the calculated costs were above a budget that could be approved; not enough connections to charities that could participate; the blood truck was unable to visit due to issues with permits. Therefore, we decided to decrease the scale of our activity. Planning Stage: We then decided to have an activity day for the first years where we would provide catering (mainly a BBQ and other snacks) and have activities on the side; it would be in semester to encourage more participation. Ali Richardson suggested that we execute the plan in orientation week to increase the budget for catering. We agreed as it would provide as more flexibility with the activities to provide. On top of the BBQ for orientation day 2, we wanted to create something that can be reused for the future first year students; which is why we decided to create an introduction video that gives them a guide from actual students to succeed in first year. Organisation Stage: From the time of the planning to the time of execution, everything had to be set in place for the orientation day 2. The lawn was booked for the BBQ, the speakers and BBQs were booked from MONSU, the inflatable activities were booked for the day and a tentative shopping list was made for the catering depending on the number of registrations. Finally, BusEco Ambassadors were contacted to provide assistance for the BBQ and to interact with the first year students as part of their self-select. Students from different faculties from year 1 to 3 were interviewed and recorded for the video to be edited for viewing. Execution Stage: On the day, many obstacles arose but we adapted to the situations. First there was confusion with the meeting point for the students who registered for the event. But we dealt

with it to clearly point out to the students to have lunch before going to the activities. Second, we only catered for food for the amount of students that registered so we had to notify other students that we could not give them food. However, we made an executive decision that it would not represent BusEco well if it denied students an experience in their orientation week, so we bought more food and used almost all the allocated budget for food. Third, the cooking process was slow and there was a huge line. Teaching and reminding the Ambassadors of a production line process for preparing the BBQ made the line move smoothly and the cooking faster. The execution for the video was very successful as it was shown to three sets of audiences which is fulfils its purpose to prepare as many first year students as possible.

2.5 Budget Performance Project Budget Overview: We were performed under budget for the allocated money that BusEco was prepared to provide for us. However, in hindsight, it was possible to save more due to unnecessary costs. At the time of planning, it was a great idea to provide an activity with the BBQ but as the day panned out, the inflatable activities were not needed due to the fun environment that was already created around the BBQ and the ineffective positioning of the activities. The allocated budget was $500 for the inflatable activities and $500 for catering on the day. Estimated Budget Calculation Debit

Credit

Income

Monash Sponsorship Income

$950.00 Cr

Expense

Original Allocated Food Expense Extra Food Expense Party Hire Expense Excess Funds Returned to Ali Total Income/Expense

PAL Leaders Program – O Week Funday

$337.70 Dr $102.49 Dr $495.00 Dr $14.81 Dr $0

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS 3.1 Resource Management The project aimed to engage with resources as efficiently as possible. The first resource we dealt with was time; individual expectations on time commitments were set from the outset. Regular meetings meant that deadlines could be regularly re-evaluated and altered if need be. Time was used so efficiently in this project, that most, if not all preparations were completed months in advance of the project delivery date. The only preparations left to the last minute, were those that were managed with Just-in-Time management philosophy. This was limited primarily to stock that we didn’t want to hold, and maintain. The food for the barbeque for example was picked up on the morning of the event to minimise inventory costs. Our management of human resources was also strong. Internally, the team met at regular intervals to set goals and review progress, with everyone contributing honestly to the project. Of importance here, is that all members’ activities were managed based on their strengths, and ability to execute their set task. Externally, we also followed through, managing our ambassadors who served as helpers on the day of the event. These ambassadors received preparatory information, training, and task delegation to upskill them for the event. They were monitored during the event, and provided with avenues to gain further advice or input if required from the managing team.

3.2 Issue Management The largest issue we faced as a team was most certainly a lack of participation from one team member. This member failed to respond to communication by a range of means (email, social network, mobile), and did not attend meetings. In executing their tasks they did not meet deadlines, and frequently re-delegated to other team members, who then had to do the work of two people. This was not just a block to our efficiency; it was a threat to our ability to execute the project at all. Mid-way through the team came to a decision to keep the individual informed, but to operate as if they were not able to take tasks. This led to a more efficient distribution of tasks, and a more productive operation. The unfortunate side effect of which though, was that the non-contributing team member, did not end up participating in the event on the day.

3.3 Risk Management Project Risks Mitigated: There were a number of risks with our event. Primary risks were around the provision of food. As we had helpers on the barbeque, there was the potential for them to experience burns. We had a supervisor on site to manage this. Additionally, with food preparation, specific guidelines need to be followed to ensure the risk of food poisoning is minimised. We managed this by having a supervisor with a food-handling certificate manage all cooking, and encourage those with previous barbeque/ food handling experience to man the barbeque. Next, our major inflatable activities posed significant risks to the health and safety of students. For each activity we completed risk management reports, and then on the day, had hired supervisors to manage them. Finally, there’s always a risk of financial fraud in any project, despite the excellent natures our team members possessed. To mitigate this we set a policy that all money that travelled through the group required paper evidence on its movement. In all cases the best way to do this was to keep receipts. At the conclusion of the project, these were reviewed to ensure the budget matched with spending.

3.4 Quality Management Quality management efforts were ensured through preplanning; supplies and the suppliers were selected, inflatable providers were screened to suit project needs, and smooth flow on the day was all documented. On the day quality management came in the form of proper food handling procedures to ensure food quality was up to scratch. Ongoing risk management procedures ensured all inflatable activities stayed up and running, and did not go out of commission. Roaming supervisors from our team, as well as volunteers, worked to gauge the experience of participants on the day, and manage any arising quality management issues.

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.5 Communication Management

3.7 Lessons Learned

There were two primary communication channels maintained.

A range of vital lessons was taken from the project. Consensus by the team on the most important lessons, led to the list below.

The first was between the team and the faculty. To streamline this and ensure no double-up and no confusion, we set one person as point of contact with the faculty, who would also be our designated project leader. She ensured they had all the information and documentation to ensure our project was supported, and went ahead. The second was internal communication between members. This was facilitated through the use of a range of communication methods including face-to-face meetings, texting, calling, video calling, social networking, and emailing, depending on what was most appropriate for the information that needed to be communicated. Channel selection depended on the need for context, for example group meetings with open debate required high context methods such as face-to-face. Communication was heightened in crisis times, with team members encourage to monitor key forums during these times to ensure they were up-to-date with changes. The project leader facilitated all this, following up with members who were missing key communiqué, or who were failing to keep-in-touch.

3.6 Customer Expectation Management Our customers in this project were primarily new students. While they had limited expectations, they were only attending a compulsory day of administration procedures before formally commencing, it was important we drastically exceeded expectations. New students are a vulnerable group, and require a nurturing and supportive environment to become fully engaged students. This was their first experience of university, so the project had to make it an incredible one.

• Communication is key; regardless of how dedicated your members are, how much experience they have, how much they are invested in a project, nothing will progress without communication. In the end the team environment is not just aided by communication, but depends on it. Where there is limited communication, communication break-down, or communication delays, there can be damaging effects for the project. • Try before you buy; wherever you are seeking to invest in something, ensure you know what you are getting. Being either too enthusiastic, or not cautious enough, a team can potentially purchase inadequate products for their outcome, if they do not experience a product before they purchase it. • Group members must not just be able, but also willing; a member cannot be forced to take action. In a team, with no hierarchy or lines of authority, there is no instructional power. In this situation members need to generate their own motivation for the project. Other members of the team can contribute to their peer’s enthusiasm, but cannot force their action. • Employability skills are not just university skills; employability is about your ability to deploy what you’ve learnt. Can you apply the concepts and theory in real life? The greater you ability to do this, the more employable you are, and the only way you demonstrate this, is through real world experience.

The primary expectations students had of us, once they were aware, was to be content and full. We aimed to fulfill this through the provision of fun activities and food, in a safe environment, physically and socially, in which to take their first steps in university. To manage this, we ensured food kept flowing even when supplies ran out, by making additional trips to local stores. Activities were kept running through the entire event. And our team members, as well as volunteers, roamed the event area to engage students socially, and make them feel welcome.

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.8 Post-project Tasks Send completed report, photos, and any additional materials to faculty representatives to evidence work done.

3.9 Project Closure Recommendations A number of recommendations resulted from learning on the project:

• In regards to pre-planning, taking potential attendance, or interest online would aid in planning on the day. Ordering food, and activities works best where numbers more closely approximate those that actually attend. • Consider the need for OH&S supervisors; these are a costly expense, and if a project can run under other reasonable risk management procedures, it should be considered.

• Before hiring equipment or activities, inspect them. Images and descriptions online may be misleading, and can damage the outcome of your event.

4. CONNECTION TO EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN YOUR LESSONS LEARNED SECTION Employability skills • Segmentation of responsibilities –allocating appropriate tasks to each individual to utilise their strengths. This meant that the project was completed in a much more efficient manner and assisted in the decision making process. We clearly outlined each person’s individual responsibilities so their role within the group was understood by all involved • Working within the constraints of a chain of command – With the activities, our group required approval from Ali. When approval was not granted, we were required to come up with an alternative. This is consistent with the corporate world when an individual may need to seek approval from a superior. • Communication – Given our unique study and external commitments our group found it difficult at times to have regular meetings in person. Therefore we needed to be flexible and used alternative methods (e.g. social media, email) of contacting one another. This project required strong communication to ensure a cohesive project • Conflict resolution – At times our group did not always agree. In order to overcome these issues, we were required to talk the situation through as a group. Once taking into account each individual’s position we would then provide possible solutions, choosing the most appropriate one.

• Team Work – In order to carry out a cohesive project we were required to work with each other’s ideas and role. We were also required to assist each other when required and not confine ourselves specifically to our roles. • Time Management – This event coincided with our studies, therefore we were required to allocated sufficient time to both our study, our project and the program • Budgeting – This project had a strict allocation of funds. In order to ensure a successful event, that remained within the budget we were required to research the cost of the services and items provided. • Leadership – each individual was required to manage their respective role and hold team members accountable to ensure they were sharing the load. We were also responsible for leading each other and the new Monash University students. • Problem Solving – In order to have a successful plan, our group was required to modify our plans at times and have back up plans when the original plans were unsuccessful.

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5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you section Alison Richardson – PAL program manager – for support, emotional, informational and financial. Your help is invaluable, and we can’t thank you enough for your time and effort to support us. Colm Kearney – Faculty of Business and Economics Dean – for your support of the PAL program, thank you. It means a lot to students to gain this practical experience before we enter the workforce. Gary Ryan – Director of Organisations That Matter – thank you for you time and passion and guidance throughout the project, and ensuring our projects and teams were of high performance. MONSU – thank you for supporting us and allowing us to use Monsu equipment. To the PAL Ambassadors; Nethmi Buddhasiri, Fiona Vilfand, Benjamin Leung, Ricky Kumala, Max Craig, Prashanth Manoharan and Elizabeth Do – thank you for volunteering your time to help us deliver this fantastic project.

6. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT APPROVALS Prepared By: Whitney Liu (Team Leader)

Approved By: Jozh Ternola (Team Member) Jake McLaverty (Team Member)

Approval Date: 30th September 2014

Ashley Coleman (Team Member)

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PROJECT DELIVERY DATE: 30th August 2014

Faculty of Business and Economics

PROJECT NAME:

Peer Mentor Video

TEAM MEMBERS

PROJECT ROLE

Jay Hurree

Team Leader

Nanthini Thirumoorthi

Team Member

Ellen Foulidis

Team Member

Erandhi Mendis

Team Member

Rachael Cho

Team Member

Lily Jae

Team Member

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1. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT SUMMARY 1.1 Project Background Overview • Original goal was to build awareness for the PAL program at orientation through film. Highlighting what students gain from the program itself and offering an insight into what the PAL program is. • Our original goal was to also add a different perspective/take on the program that students would initially have gathered prior to starting at Monash. • Success criteria: To be able to deliver a an edited short clip to show to prospective PAL mentees and get them excited about what they could potentially gain from this program

1.2 Project Highlights and Best Practices Project Highlights: • Providing us as last year students the opportunity to work on something that would benefit the university cohort in a fun and relaxing way. Best Practices: • Worked closely with Alison Richardson who is in charge of the Peer Mentor Program. • Advertised for participants though BusEco Leaders Facebook page

1.3 Project Closure Synopsis This project has been closed as all project objectives and deliverables have been met. We were able to deliver a short clip on delivery date meeting all our set objectives.

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE with editing software meeting at the Caulfield campus and communicating online with the other members who were not able to be present.

2.1 Goals and Objectives Performance The original goals of the project was to: • Increase the intake for the peer mentor program by 20-25% • Film a minimum of 10 students • Film a video 2-3 minutes in length Actual performance resulted in the filming of 6 students and the length of the video being 6 minutes. As a team we reached the decision that 10 students would be too many and, a 2-3 minutes video too difficult after conducting the interviews. The way in which we set out to complete each checkpoint was different to how we initially set things out to be completed, however in the end, the quality of the video and content was what we set to achieve.

2.2 Success Criteria Performance • All criteria’s were achieved to our desired level. Due to time constraints and commitments of our team members, some of the checkpoints were not completed on due dates, however this was all communicated through our Facebook page and rectified by other members who were free during that time to ensure that our project was back on track majority of the time.

2.4 Schedule Performance Project Schedule Overview: An effective and informative video with the goal of encouraging first year students to participate in the peer mentor program. Project Schedule Control Process: We created Google docs to manage and control the tasks for each team member. We all kept track of who is doing what and the Project Schedule Corrective Actions: • Google hangout because we couldn’t meet face to face • Changed the mentees/mentors who were being interviewed in the video based on availability • Alternated who was interviewing the mentees/mentors based on availability

2.5 Budget Performance This project did not require financial support, however, video and editing software was provided by the faculty.

• We were all responsible for measuring the continued progress with regular check ins with each other as to who had done what in the last week (e.g. who had completed filming of scenic shots, who had mentees lined up to film, and who was free to edit)

2.3 Milestone and Deliverables Performance Yes the video was produced, however, implementation has been planned for 2015. Project milestone dates had to be adjusted due to timing conflicts. Due to the fact that various group members were travelling during the mid semester break, the editing of the video had to be delayed until the semester reconvened. Additionally, as the editing software required was only available at the Caulfield campus, this made it more challenging for group members to meet up at the proposed time. However, this challenge was overcome with team members who were available and had practical experience

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS 3.1 Resource Management A video camera and the iMovie software were used throughout the duration of the project.

3.6 Customer Expectation Management Customer Expectation Management

This equipment can now be fully utilised by other members of the faculty for any upcoming projects. The iMovie software is also available so that others who desire to edit and produce a video are able to do so.

Implementation of the project has been planned for 2015

This project could be run again in the upcoming year by a new leaders’ team with some modifications. A video could be produced about the peer mentor program taking a different approach to communicating the information to the targeted audience.

• ‘That was helpful and informative’

3.2 Issue Management Due to commitments of team members, it was difficult to organise a regular set time to update each other on the progress of our project. This was overcome with Google hangout (meetings held online). We were also given one recorder to film everything on, this made it difficult to film more than one shot each time. However through careful planning, we were able to pass the camera onto each other to ensure all shots required were filmed. We were all responsible to report our own issues through the progression of filming to ensure that other members were aware. This allowed others members to also come up with suggestions as to how to best go about resolving the issue at hand.

3.3 Risk Management Again, due to time constraints and some group members going overseas during the holidays, we were sceptical of whether we would be able to complete the task before 6th of October.

3.4 Quality Management Team Leader (Jay) did keep on top of everyone, we updated each other on whether or not there was any progression on the film, set aside time to do editing together (at least 2 people at one time)

However, we are expecting ‘customers’ to react with: • ‘I want to join the Peer Mentor Program’ • ‘That has motivated me to apply for the program’ • ‘That represented the University and faculty well’

3.7 Lessons Learned Activities and processes that worked well: • Communication through Google hangouts and Google docs • Ensuring that there was more than one group member available for the filming at the one time • Communicating with peers who were involved with us during the Peer Mentor Program 2013 Activities and processes that could have been improved and how: • Co-ordination for the editing of the video using iMovie could have been improved by 3.8 Postproject Tasks • The project will be implemented in 2015 • Project Closure report needs to be handed in both to Alison Richardson and Gary Ryan

3.9 Project Closure Recommendations Our Project Sponsor (Ali) has been satisfied with the finish product of our project with all requirements being fulfilled in terms of content, and presentation.

3.5 Communication Management • Google hangouts, drop-box, Google docs, instant messaging through a group created. • The most effective process was to update each other through instant messaging, and Google hangout.

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4. CONNECTION TO EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN YOUR LESSONS LEARNED SECTION Employability skills Leadership skills that have been developed throughout this project: • Delegation of responsibilities; being able to assign team members to compile a list of questions for those being interviewed, conducting the interviews and editing the video • Communication: being able to find a way (through google hang-out, google docs and whatsapp) to

communicate effectively with fellow team members and additionally communicate with Program Coordinator Alison Richardson via our team leader (Jay) • Adapting to change in circumstances: when planned interviews fell through or due to timing conflicts couldn’t be conducted by the proposed team member, we were able to reschedule filming days and contact other team members to fill in

5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you section We would like to firstly thank the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics, Professor Colm Kearney for providing the resources that have allowed us to take part in the PAL Leaders Program and undertake this Project.

Finally thank you to the PAL Ambassadors and also their mentees who have kindly provided their thoughts and opinions and who have allowed us to feature them in this video.

We would also like to thank Alison Richardson for her ongoing support in producing this Peer Mentor video.

6. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT APPROVALS Prepared By: Jay Hurree (Team Leader)

Approved By: Erandhi Mendis (Team Member) Ellen Foulidis (Team Member) Nanthini Thirumoorthi (Team Member)

Approval Date: 5th October 2014

Rachael Cho (Team Member) Lily Jae (Team Member)

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PROJECT DELIVERY DATE: 29th September 2014

Faculty of Business and Economics

PROJECT NAME:

RSPCA Cupcake Fundraiser

TEAM MEMBERS

PROJECT ROLE

Rebecca Sayers

Team Leader

Sonia Sadrani

Communications

Fiffy Chu

Marketing

Mia Lentini

Resources

Marianne Phan

Finance

PAL Leaders Program â&#x20AC;&#x201C; RSPCA Cupcake Fundraiser

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1. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT SUMMARY 1.1 Project Background Overview We ran a cupcake stall with the aim to raise money for the RSPCA, helping to bridge the gap between the Business and Economics Faculty at Monash University to the wider community. We engaged students throughout the campus by displaying promotional material with the offer of food and beverages for purchase, as well as, playing music to attract attention to the stall. We baked three different types of cupcakes; chocolate, vanilla and red velvet, decorating with animal design in mind, linking it back to the RSPCA cause.

1.2 Project Highlights and Best Practices Project Highlights: • Raising $531.65, which enabled us to help de-sex two kittens • Selling out within 3 hours • Having a demand from customers to return the following day Best Practices: • Food handling course completed by at least one team member • All sanitary equipment purchased and used ie. gloves, paper towel, table clothes • Tapped loose cords to floor • Food allergy caution sign clearly displayed

1.3 Project Closure Synopsis The project objective was met, the money raised was donated to RSPCA, and the money remaining on the Coles voucher was returned to Alison Richardson along with a copy of the receipt.

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE 2.1 Goals and Objectives Performance

2.4 Schedule Performance

The key objectives for the project included: • Creating an environment that allowed the faculty to connect with the community • Targeting first year students • Raising awareness for the RSPCA • Raising a minimum of $500 to donate • Enhancing the University experience for students and staff • Stay within the confines of the budget we had created

2.2 Success Criteria Performance We succeed in fulfilling the key objectives we had outlined from the beginning. We created the opportunity for students and staff alike to be in touch with the community, and giving back to a worthy cause. We focused advertisement of the stall to first year students through the placement of marketing material in tutorial and lecture rooms that first years would be located. Through the distribution of fliers, starting up conversations with students, and displaying the pins on our shirts, we were able to engage everyone about why we were selling cupcakes, and the difference they could make through the purchase. This enabled us to enhance the university experience, and brighten the day of people around campus. At the end of the day we raised $531.65, which exceeded our initial expectations and surpassed our budget.

2.3 Milestone and Deliverables Performance Some of the Milestones we achieved throughout the project included: • Approval from RSPCA • Approval of budget and activity from Ali • Receiving the RSPCA fundraiser package • Getting Coles voucher for ingredients from Ali • Purchasing the ingredients • Baking the cupcakes • Getting approval from MONSU to post our posters around university • Selling out with high customer satisfaction

Project Schedule Overview: 1. Get approval of activity from Ali 2. Get approval of fundraiser from RSPCA 3. Division of tasks 4. Create marketing material (Facebook event, posters, fliers) 5. Research recipes and cost ingredients 6. Create budget 7. Propose budget to Ali to receive approval 8. Collect Coles voucher 9. Purchase ingredients 10. Distribute marketing materials and generate word of mouth 11. Speaking at 1st year lectures 12. Bake cupcakes 13. Blast Facebook sharing 14. Setting up stall and food caution signs 15. Selling cupcakes, hot chocolate and RSPCA pins 16. Return voucher with left over balance and receipt to Ali 17. Collected re-imbursement for printing marketing materials 18. Donate money to RSPCA Project Schedule Control Process: 1. Facebook group 2. Facebook messager 3. Text messages 4. Skype 5. Emails 6. Face-to-face Project Schedule Corrective Actions: 1. Request approval for marketing material from MONSU 2. Lower price for left over cupcakes 3. Create hot chocolate and cupcake combo deals 4. Lower price for hot chocolate due to lack of sales 5. Buy duck tape for to tape down loose cords

2.5 Budget Performance Income

Buseco PAL Budget

$83

Expense

Supplies Advertising Total Income/Expense

PAL Leaders Program – RSPCA Cupcake Fundraiser

$71 $12 $0

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS 3.1 Resource Management

3.7 Lessons Learned

There was a large number of items we needed to successfully run our stall. We required space, tables, chairs, access to electricity, pins and promotional material, and baking materials.

A variety of lessons were learned throughout the course of the project, and on the day of our stall. We learned that communication and organisation is key in implementing a project and ensuring that all team members were aware of our goals and aims for the day. Self-management skills were put to the test through each individual having a specific role on the day with a timetable to follow. Our leadership skills were further enhanced through each team member having their own distinct leadership role.

A challenge we encountered on the day was having to safely secure wiring on the ground to ensure a safety hazard was not created, similarly waste management was an issue we needed to address on the day.

3.2 Issue Management Originally our projects intention was as a way of destressing students during week 12, which can be often very hectic. The idea stemmed from “puppy therapy”, which had been done at different universities as a antistress technique for students. However, we found it difficult to get approval during the time we required. Similarly, we encountered issues with MONSU regarding usage of their space inside as weather was a problem for us. In the end we changed our plans to not have puppies and liaised with MONSU in a more effective matter.

3.3 Risk Management We had to ensure food safety laws were abided, while ensuring contamination did not occur (through wearing gloves) and appropriately labelling cupcakes to prevent allergic reactions or anaphylaxis shocks. Due to our efficient risk management, we had no outstanding project risks.

3.8 Postproject Tasks All tasks have been completed with money being donated to the RSPCA towards a good cause. Additionally, we need to upload the photos into Dropbox and invite Gary to the file.

3.9 Project Closure Recommendations If we were to take part in this project again we would conduct some small market research to see what drinks people would be willing to buy and the approval process for posters being placed around the university. We also need to gain project closure approval from the Project Sponsor (Ali Richardson) in agreement that our project has fulfilled all of the requirements as documented above.

3.4 Quality Management We only had RSPCA approved material, and ensured that all cupcakes were made with the same quality products. All recipes were tried previously for quality assurance.

3.5 Communication Management A Facebook group was created for all documents and information to be shared. Similarly, group meetings were organised in person and over Skype to discuss the progression of the project during the different stages.

3.6 Customer Expectation Management Students and faculty members were our customer groups. Both groups expected quality cupcakes for the price we were selling at. We managed expectations by ensuring baking standards were top quality and that we took appropriate measures in handling the products.

PAL Leaders Program – RSPCA Cupcake Fundraiser

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4. CONNECTION TO EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN YOUR LESSONS LEARNED SECTION Employability skills The duration of our PAL Leader’s Program has further extended and established the predominant employability skills that will be essential for life after university. Our project has taught us time management skills in ensuring a successful project can be established in a short amount of time with few resources. It has also given us first hand experience in delegating tasks to the individual’s skill advantage, which ensured that no conflict took place in terms of task completion.

5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you section We would like to thank Dean Colm Kearney of the Faculty of Business and Economics, Ali Richardson for her support and guidance throughout the program, Gary Ryan from Organisations That Matter for his wisdom and encouragement, and RSPCA for providing us with all resources to successfully run the stall. Also, the other teams for positively taking part in the success of our project and providing any help required along the way.

6. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT APPROVALS Prepared By: Mia Lentini

Approved By: Sonia Sadrani Fiffy Chu Rebecca Sayers

Approval Date: 1st October 2014

Marianne Phan

PAL Leaders Program – RSPCA Cupcake Fundraiser

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PROJECT DELIVERY DATE: 11th August 2014

Faculty of Business and Economics

PROJECT NAME:

Treasure Hunt

TEAM MEMBERS

PROJECT ROLE

Angelique Etiennette

Team Leader

Yi Ming Jin Catherine Brace Leon Shen

PAL Leaders Program â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Treasure Hunt

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1. PROJECT CLOSURE REPORT SUMMARY 1.1 Project Background Overview • Objective: The higher purpose for this project was to achieve student to student interaction and student to campus interaction. • Goal: The aim of this project was to run a treasure hunt for the new intake of first year undergraduate students in Semester 2 to be held during O-Week. We aimed to attract a maximum of 50 students who would work in groups to solve a number of clues around Clayton Campus and upon completion receive a ‘treasure; prize. • Success Criteria: Our team goals were to create a project that would be well received by students who took part and be able to be replicated in future by Bus-Eco Leaders. We further based the successful completion of our project by whether we were able to;

1.2 Project Highlights and Best Practices Project Highlights: • 22 Students Participated • We successfully ran the Treasure Hunt without any major issues • Everyone who participated (students and volunteers) were all willing and active in participating which created a fun and friendly atmosphere • We received positive feedback for our event Best Practices: • Planning and organization of games • Scenario Planning • Communication with staff, suppliers and Ali

• Receive positive feedback from Ali

• Continuous revision of budget

• Obtain volunteer participation

• Creation of multiple budgets to fit contingency plan

• Have a minimum of 20/ maximum 40 undergraduates, take part in the Treasure Hunt

• Marketing- flyers and presentation to students

• Stick to budget • Develop our employability skills

1.3 Project Closure Synopsis • Our project was successfully completed on the 23rd July. All our project deliverables have been met.

• Stick to proposed deadlines

PAL Leaders Program – Treasure Hunt

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE 2.1 Goals and Objectives Performance

• Project implementation- running event with good turnout

Student to student interaction was achieved as students communicated in teams and used problem solving skills to solve clues. Working in a team also gave participants the ability to meet new students and form new friendships.

Deliverables • Treasure Hunt: Successfully implemented, volunteers and participants responded with positive feedback

Student to campus interaction- as the Treasure Hunt clues led students to various locations around the campus, students were able to familiarize themselves with different buildings and places in the university.

2.2 Success Criteria Performance • We were able to successfully run a project which was well received by participants and further more achieve;

• Student to student interaction: Students interacted with each other participating in group activities • Prizes - high value prizes for first, second and third place. Chocolates provided for all other participants. • Free Lunch - Variety of fresh (hot) meat and vegetarian pizzas provided + soft drinks • Successful promotion of business faculty through event-encouraged students to attend future faculty events, build familiarity with business faculty buildings

• Positive feedback from Ali who commented that our project was “Well organized, Well planned, Well executed. A great team effort by everyone involved” • Participation: • 6 volunteers participated • 33 students took part • Developed a range of employability skills- leadership, planning organization, communication, technology • Met proposed deadlines Future Replication of our project appears feasible; there are low barriers in replicating a project such as ours. The main focus in on sound planning and organization of games and clues, and being able to adapt to changes. Ultimately the success of the project is heavily reliant upon the cohesion of the team and communication with all relevant parties. Advertising played a major part in securing students to participate in our project and organizing games which were challenging enough for students helped to ensure everyone was able to solve clues, and were motivated to do so.

2.3 Milestone and Deliverables Performance Project Milestones • Finalising Budget • Advertising/ Marketing- putting flyers up • Game design • Contingency Plan

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE (cont) 2.4 Schedule Performance Project Schedule Overview: We had an initial schedule which outlined a brief plan for our project. This was modified as we progressed through the planning of our event, through weekly group meetings, we kept track of our progress and made a note of key deadlines we needed to meet pending the launch of our Treasure Hunt. Project Schedule Control Process: Regular Team Meetings Facebook group communication Group Skype calls Regular emails to Ali Dropbox account Maintain Minutes of meetings SMS Project Schedule Corrective Actions: • Venue change - Unavailability of the sports centre where we initially planned to hold one of our activities meant we needed to find an alternate space and activity for our treasure hunt • Prize organization - due to the uncertainty of attendees, we had obtained prizes based on groups of 5- which meant we has to restructure the rotation of activities to suit the group numbers • Food - Based on achieving a higher turnout than anticipated, we had to increase the amount of pizzas we ordered the day before our event was scheduled • Date - The date of our event was moved up to O-Week, so we had to revise the amount of students we targeted as well as advertising, food and games • Budget - Due to the lack of certainty around how many participants we could expect- we created 3 budgets to suit various student group numbers • Marketing - Initially we planned to advertise via social media, but we then decided to change this by advertising with flyers and speaking during the Undergraduate Orientation session • Game Variation - Due to weather restrictions, we were unable to go ahead with the dartboard activity we planned, therefore we changed our activity on the day of the event to suit an indoor setting

• Main dining hall: Despite booking the main dining hall for lunch, students who weren’t participating in our event had occupied the tables we reserved. We had to clear the area so that all event participants could share lunch together Project Schedule Integration with Managing Project: We used the project schedule as a guideline, for flexibility and adaptability we monitored and reviewed our plans as needed on an ongoing basis. Contingency Plan- Game Progression Plan A 20 ppl, 4 groups G1

Matheson

Sports centre

Vege patch

Rotunda

Sport centre

Vege Patch

Rotunda

E2.69

Vege Patch

Rotunda

E2.69

Matheson

Rotunda

E2.69

Matheson

Sports Centre

E2.69

Matheson

Sports Centre Vege Patch

Fountain

Plan B 30 ppl, 5 groups, 6 ppl G1

Matheson

Sports centre

Vege patch

Rotunda

E2.69

Sport centre

Vege Patch

Rotunda

E2.69

Matheson

Vege Patch

Rotunda

E2.69

Matheson

Sports Centre

Rotunda

E2.69

Matheson

Sports Centre

Vege Patch

E2.69

Matheson

Sports Centre Vege Patch

Rotunda

Fountain

Plan C- 40 ppl, 8 groups, 5 ppl G1/2

G3/4

G5/6

G7/8

Matheson

Sports centre

Vege patch

Rotunda

Sport centre

Vege Patch

Rotunda

E2.69

Vege Patch

Rotunda

E2.69

Matheson

Rotunda

E2.69

Matheson

Sports Centre

E2.69

Matheson

Sports Centre Vege Patch

Fountain

Plan D- 50 ppl, 10 groups, 5 ppl G1/2

G3/4

G5/6

G7/8

G9/10

Matheson

Sports centre

Vege patch

Rotunda

E2.69

Sport centre

Vege Patch

Rotunda

E2.69

Matheson

Vege Patch

Rotunda

E2.69

Matheson

Sports Centre

Rotunda

E2.69

Matheson

Sports Centre

Vege Patch

E2.69

Matheson

Sports Centre Vege Patch

Rotunda

Fountain

PAL Leaders Program – Treasure Hunt

Fountain

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2. PROJECT PERFORMANCE (cont) 2.5 Budget Performance At the beginning of our project, as we were unaware of how many students would attend our event, we prepared four budgets each targeted at 20, 30, 40 and 50 people respectively. We did careful research regarding the prizes and other costs for materials we needed therefore costs for these two categories are quite fixed. The only outstanding concern was for the cost for food, due to the uncertainty of number of attendants it was difficult to know how much to order. Initially we had ordered 12 pizzas however the night before our event, additional students registered for our event thus we increased our order to 17 pizzas. Our expected cost for pizza was based on a plan of 20 participants, thus the last minute participant increase explained the $90 variation in price from 216 (12 pizzas) to the actual cost of $306 (17 pizzas). Ali gave us a $30 Coles/ Myer voucher which we used to purchase material for the event, due to the increased student numbers, we decided to purchase additional chocolate coins so that all participating teams could receive a prize, thus explaining the variance in expected price for ‘other costs’. Overall we were $97.07 over budget, which is explained due to the increase in participant numbers. As our estimated budget for a group size of 30 people was we performed within the $1000 expense limit, we were able to complete our project within budget.

Budget Performance Treasure Hunt Budget (expected 30 people 6 groups) Estimated Costs

Notes

Actual Costs

Advertising (Printing)

$0.00

Poster A3x6

$0.00

Flyers (A$) x 150

$0.00

Game handouts (clues) x 12

$0.00

Colored A4 paper

$0.00

Sub Total for Advertising

$0.00

Variances

$0.00 Alison is going to print all the advertising stuff for free

Prizes

$0.00 $0.00 $0.00 0

Base don 6 students per group

Prize: 1st place Coles Vouchers x 5

$300.00

$50 voucher per person

$300.00

$132.00

$11 voucher per person

$132.00

Prize: 2nd place Cinema Vouchers x 5 Prize: 3rd place Book vouchers x 5 Sub Total For Prizes

$50.00

$10 book store voucher

$50.00

$482.00

Details are almost decided and the costs are fairly fixed

$482.00

$216.00

At first we estimated 15 pizzas should be ordered at $10 each. But actually 17 large pizzas have been ordered at $18 each on the event day. 3 x margarita, 4 x chicken, 3 x meat lovers, 4 x hawaian, 3 x vegetarian

$306.00

Food

Pizza x 12 (and some drinks)

Sub Total for Food

$216.00

$306.00

$90.00

Other Costs Straws

$11.12

8 packs of 40-pack straws

$11.12

Tape

$5.36

2 tapes

$5.36

Wrapping paper

$3.00

1 wrapping paper

$3.00

Chocolate coin

$3.45

4 pack actually bought

$10.52

Sub Total for other costs Total Costs

$22.93

$30.00

$7.07

$720.93

$818.00

97.07

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS 3.1 Resource Management What resource needs changed during the project? • Budget - The budget was continuously revised to suit the changing project needs • People - email communication with Ambassador volunteers before event, provision of summary document outlining responsibilities on the event day. • IT - encourage regular use of Facebook group to keep communication current, regularly upload most recent draft of event documents

• Participant Engagement (Difficulty of clues)- Activities were revised and tested to ensure international students new to Monash would find the clues challenging enough to stay engaged and easy enough not to lose interest

3.4 Quality Management Quality management processes • Regular communication with Ali- via project reports, meetings and emails to obtain feedback • Prizes offered to students were attractive and valuable to attract participants

• Time - design effective planning schedule to allow all steps to be completed

• Time management- Deadlines were met, and progress frequently reviewed to ensure proper performance

Outline the steps to be taken in shifting project resources to other projects. • Materials including straws and activity clues could be kept for future use. Other materials such as flyers and prizes were either consumed or cannot be re-used due to the date (flyers)

• Online surveys were administered to students and volunteers upon completion of the event to obtain feedback for future improvement

• Project knowledge that will be used for future projects includes strong communication skills during planning and running of the event. Time management is very important and can be carried across into a range of projects. Flexibility and being able to adapt to change is an attribute team members developed through this project which can serve well in future projects which take place in turbulent environmental conditions

3.2 Issue Management There are no issues still outstanding upon the completion of this project

• Games were designed to be student friendly and meet the needs of participants and stakeholders

3.5 Communication Management Project communication process • Regular scheduling of meetings- including agenda and minutes provided • Online communication via facebook group • As a group we all made an effort to meet regularly and communicate with each other • Not all group members checked the fb group, therefore different communication mediums (mobile, email) were used to inform members of updates

3.3 Risk Management Project Risks Mitigated: • Unfavorable weather conditions - A contingency plan was created in the event of wet weather. Our activities were organized so the majority of games were under sheltered areas • Inadequate Volunteer Participation- We targeted more volunteers than were needed so that if some volunteers didn’t show up, we would still be able to run the project • Participant participation rate- A contingency plan was created so that regardless of the amount of students taking part- the activity cycle could be arranged to best suit the group size

PAL Leaders Program – Treasure Hunt

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3. PROJECT CLOSURE TASKS (cont) 3.6 Customer Expectation Management • Ali - Regular progress updates, correspondence via email and regular meetings • Participants/Volunteers- obtained feedback, areas for improvement • BusEco Faculty - Professional event operation, Respectful representation of faculty • Monash University - Obtained permission from relevant authorities: Obtained MSA Authorization for posters/flyers, Appropriate use of Venues Communication with security of event details • Bus Eco Leaders - allowed leaders to advertise at our event • Own Group- Developed employability skills- managed when allocating tasks and feedback from meetings • Initially, we expected the project would be a be a small event run during semester, with a low budget, not involving food. The expectation of the size of the event changed when Ali suggested running it during O-Week. The budget increased to include free lunch. • Our expectations of game design changed a few times depending on availability of spaces and resources.

3.7 Lessons Learned Which activities and processes worked well? • Obtaining approval from MSA for putting up posters and flyers • Efficient spending - we utilized the funds gained from the budget and had money left over • The game design was effective in engaging students • Having a contingency plan allowed us to be prepared for different events • Operations Management- on the day of the event- all volunteers and leaders had responsibilities to manage a different game- this gave everyone a chance to manage participant groups and manage their skills hich could have been improved, and how? W • Training- feedback from volunteers showed that they would have liked to receive prior training and be involved in the design of the event • Trial run - in order to see any flaws in our project before launch day, we may have benefited from running a trial run • Pizza- there was left over pizza after lunch which was a waste of resources • Feedback - We administered the surveys online, however the response rate was quite low for

participants. In future we would give out the surveys at the end of the event, before prizes are handed out to receive better responses • Registration - We found the BusEco booking system to be inflexible- it was hard to ascertain how many students we were reaching as we didn’t have direct access to the system • Forecasting - it was very difficult to estimate how many participants we would attract- in order to deal with this we created different contingency plans so the depending on the group size we would modify how the games were organized • Spare prizes - We ordered an exact amount of prizes but didn’t have any extra- in future we would have extra prizes so that group sizes aren’t too restricted (eg. If there are an odd number of people and we need an extra prize)

3.8 Postproject Tasks • Email photos and project closure report to Gary Ryan via google docs.

3.9 Project Closure Recommendations Running a project like ours, the main success factors are careful planning and organisation. Having contingency plans is really helpful because there is a lot of uncertainty around how many students you can expect to attract to your event, thus a contingency plan allows you to plan for different scenarios. Marketing and Advertising which our group did via flyers and advertising orientation week and with peer mentees also greatly added to our ability to attract participants. It is also important to confirm venue bookings and requirements, as communicating with staff was sometimes difficult and inflexible as they had a limited understanding of what our project entailed, and at times were reluctant to cooperate with us, for example when seeking approval from MSA for posting up flyers we were granted authorisation for only 10 flyers, so its important to be aware there may be difficulties in obtaining approval. Lastly, effective communication and sharing of tasks between all group members is a critical factor to running a successful event. Not everything can be planned with certainty, and especially on the day of the project launch, having clear communication between all team members allows you to respond to problems as they arise and mitigate risks as a team using a variety of skills and knowledge which all members bring to the team. Keeping Ali up to date on our project progress and notifying her of any issues or queries that arose was also an essential factor in enabling our project to be successfully implemented.

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4. CONNECTION TO EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN YOUR LESSONS LEARNED SECTION Employability skills Time management - Recognised the order that tasks needed to be completed in (e.g. advertising needed to be completed slightly before the event, so students could plan in advance to attend, but no so far ahead that students forgot the actual date. Communication - Facilitated team bonding between students by organising ‘icebreaker’ games before the treasure hunt, also working respectfully and cooperatively with other teammates.

Technology - used google docs and Facebook to reduce travel time, cost and promote effective communication Initiative - Approached organisers of a similar university treasure hunt event for a meeting, to discuss problems we might encounter while organising our event. Problem Solving - One venue room was locked before the event. We contacted administration, who gave us access to the room. Learning - Learnt how to prepare budget which contained relevant expenses to plan for our project

Contingency planning - Came up with a range of different options for the treasure hunt itself, depending on participant numbers and weather conditions. Organisational skills - We needed to provide a large number of pizzas at a specific time. We decided to buy from a local venue to allow quick provision of food that was still hot. Teamwork - Delegated responsibilities between team members, communicated effectively to ensure no misunderstandings Leadership - Managed a large group of students (30+) in a range of activities e.g. ‘icebreaker’ games, treasure hunt activities

5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you section • Alison Richardson - For providing helpful resources • Gary Ryan - For offering experience and insight into project management • Volunteers - For putting time and energy into helping make our project a success

• Dean Colm Kearney - For supporting the BusEco Leadership Program, which enabled us to gain meaningful experiences. • MSA - For allowing us to advertise our event in Campus Centre

PAL Leaders Program – Treasure Hunt

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