Rachel Glossop is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Rush Cosmetics, a company which manufactures and sells its own brand of environmentally friendly toiletries and cosmetics. The company is the market leader in its niche market, and is one of the top ten brands in the total cosmetics market in Yorkland, where it is based. Rachel has always been perceived by her staff as a visionary manager. However, she sometimes lets her enthusiasm for certain ideas become an obsession. She often fails to think through all the implications of her ideas and will pursue them to fruition regardless of cost. Her managers are aware of this, but are also aware that it is her vision and drive which has helped the company reach the position it is in today.

Rachel has called a meeting of managers from the information technology, production, accounting, marketing and procurement departments. The company’s business analyst has also been asked to attend the meeting. At the meeting she announced, ‘I have an idea…’, at which her managers thought about their busy schedules and inwardly groaned. ‘We’ll bring together people from all over Yorkland, get them to compete in a fun, but challenging, muddy obstacle race and turn it into a huge marketing event. We are going to host a mud run,’ she continued. ‘We’ll give away gift bags containing samples of our latest beneficial ‘mud’ skincare range and invite finishers of the race to experience an introductory treatment using our ‘sore muscle’ products.’

She emphasised that this would be a very significant marketing project and she asked Mary, the marketing manager, to be the project manager, with the other attendees at the meeting forming the project team. Amongst her list of requirements for the event were:
– An attention grabbing venue, such as the grounds of a stately home or palace
– Large display screens at the start and finish points and around the venue
– Digital timers for competitors
– Celebrity guests
– After-race entertainment, such as rock bands
– Media coverage

Before she could continue with her lengthening list of requirements, Rajesh, the production manager, asked why he had been invited to the meeting. He felt that this was purely a marketing exercise rather than a project, and suggested that the marketing department should run it just like any other marketing campaign.

Rachel replied, ‘I believe that this is a project. In fact, I’ve come up with a great name for it: we’ll call it the ‘Mud Rush’ project. It has all the characteristics of a project and it needs the full support of all of you. I’ll leave it in Mary’s capable hands, but I want regular updates.’ At which point, she left the room to attend another important meeting.

After her departure, the departmental managers discussed Rachel’s idea. Mary felt, and the others agreed, that despite Rachel’s enthusiasm, the event should still be fully justified from a business perspective and that it should be managed correctly in order to ensure its success. Rajesh stated that he was worried about negative repercussions if anyone should get injured and Mary stated that all the risks should be fully documented.

The business analyst agreed, and stated that this, and other project documentation, would be key to the success of the project and that much of this documentation should be produced during the early stages of the project.

Required:

Rachel had stated that the Mud Rush project ‘has all the characteristics of a project’.

(a) Explain the features which make this a project and distinguish it from routine work at Rush.

(b) Discuss, within the context of the Mud Rush project, why each of the following documents is needed to help ensure the eventual success of the project:
(i) Project initiation document;
(ii) Business case;
(iii) Project plan;
(iv) Risk analysis.