“In certain places, the Covid-19 vaccine effort has hit a few speed bumps; stockpiles have accumulated, and deployment to vulnerable countries and at-risk groups has been slower than expected. Nevertheless, experts have expressed confidence that safe and highly effective vaccines are reaching the market, and we are beginning to see “the light at the end of the tunnel” of this devastating pandemic. The epidemiological end to the Covid-19 pandemic seemed like an optimistic dream a few short months ago but with the development, approval, and rollout of several vaccines, it is now practically realisable in much of the world.”

Read the full article here: McKinsey and Company. nd, ‘The risks and challenges of the global Covid19 vaccine rollout’, https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/risk-and- resilience/our-insights/the-risks-and-challenges-of-the-global-covid-19-vaccine-rollout (accessed 15 January 2024).

For the purpose of this assignment, consider the development and roll-out of the vaccine as a programme in a larger project to be undertaken by a single organisation.

QUESTION 1 [44 MARKS]

1.1 Briefly discuss how the organisation would establish the feasibility of the project described in the introduction to this assignment.

Discuss the following in your response:

• Tools to determine the project timeline;
• Tools to determine the project financial feasibility; and
• Tools to determine the market feasibility.(18)

1.2 Refer to the common operating model of Covid-19 vaccine delivery created by McKinsey (2021) and mentioned in the case study, and discuss the possible scope creep issues that might arise.

Discuss the following in your response:

• The definition of scope creep (3 marks);
• Identification of areas that might cause scope creep (8 marks);
• Identification of areas that might cause scope creep from the case study (9 marks);
and
• Ways in which the project manager can manage scope creep (6 marks). (26)

QUESTION 2 [38 MARKS]

2.1 Discuss the importance of using operational management in the context of delivering
Covid-19 vaccines globally focusing on:

• Identifying the scope of operations management (10);
• Listing the key issues in operational management that can arise (10); and
• How these issues might be avoided by the various project managers (5).

(25)
2.2 Briefly discuss the importance of risk management in a project of this magnitude. Then discuss how the project manager can make sure that risk contributes to the project’s success. (13)

QUESTION 3 [18 MARKS]

Briefly discuss the at least four aspects that a project manager must consider before closing the project in the case study. In your response, briefly describe what the closure phase entails.

Answers to Above Questions on Project Management

Answer 1: The feasibility analysis of any project needs to be carried out before planning to undertake it. It is important to consider certain important factors while establishing the feasibility of a project such as timeline management, financial viability, and acceptance of project goals to the market. An analysis of all these factors including the tools and techniques that can be utilized to evaluate the viability of the project is carried out as follows: