Planning a wedding can be quite a project, such as a stakeholder management project in a healthcare facility or a risk management project in a multinational business organization. This personal project plan can indeed benefit from project management strategies that are implemented in the organizations, including careful planning of the events, attention to minute details, and the right tools to ensure everything at the wedding turns out right. Building on the application of the PMBOK framework to a wedding project plan, the process involves detailed planning, execution of the plan, monitoring of the events, and closing wedding activities across various areas. This paper discusses my personal project experience as the project planner for the wedding event of my cousin that will be planned using the structured approach of Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOKs) and also explores how the PMBOKs’ 3 processes relate to this project’s procurement efforts.
Wedding Plan Procurement Management Project
The process of project management is the application of knowledge, techniques, and skills that are needed to “project” events or activities in order to meet the requirements or objectives of the project (Singh & Williams, 2021). When it comes to organizing the project management of the wedding event, the process involves various aspects such as venue selection, catering, transportation, dresses, decoration, photography, and, most importantly, entertainment. Therefore, the initiative to take in managing procurements for the wedding event is to plan how procurements will be conducted, including identifying the procurement strategy and what needs to be procured. It also involves what procurement methods need to be determined and how the procurement management plan for the wedding event will be developed. In this procurement process, the scope of the wedding depends on the aspects that are important to my cousin and her partner, such as maintaining the guest list, venue selection, theme for the reception, and the overall budget. Applying the PMBOK framework and identifying the key stakeholders, such as the bride, groom, parents, friends, and other family members, who will be involved in the planning process is crucial for creating a work breakdown structure (WBS) approach. The WBS approach breaks down the event into different categories to divide it into small manageable tasks that can be easily handled during the identification and implementation of the procurements (Șavga & Șavga, 2022). The manageable components of the project management in the wedding plan will help identify activities, understand the dependencies of the wedding activities, and set boundaries for the project. Applying the PMBOK framework, the wedding will have a unique result with a beginning and an end while creating a detailed timeline for each task through project management skills, which include:
Initiating or Plan Procurement Management
The process of initiating under the PMBOKs’ criteria involves identifying the procurement needs required for my cousin’s wedding, such as several goods and services that will help manage the wedding project. First, I will create a project charter that outlines the purpose of the event, the objectives of the project, key stakeholders involved in the planning and management of the event, and initial requirements for the reception at a specific venue at a specific time. For instance, the objectives of my cousin’s wedding might include having a romantic outdoor ceremony while staying within a specific budget. As PMBOK concerns the knowledge based on project management, the framework involves a structured approach to initiate, plan, execute, control, and close the procurements to stay organized and reduce the stress of the phases necessary for the development and management of the projects, which describes the core process in terms of “integration” and “interaction” between processes (Lyandau, 2022). The strategy involves defining the scope of the wedding relating to the aspects that are important to the couple and their preferences regarding venue selection and wedding theme, from colours to music. The other factor involves the identification of the stakeholders, including the couple, family members, friends, guests, and vendors, to manage venue rental, photography services, transportation, floral arrangements, catering services, and other aesthetic details. The work breakdown structure (WBS) will break down larger tasks into small manageable components, from invitations to entertainment in the form of lights, colours, and music by different individuals and vendors for each task.
Based on the procurement needs identified for the wedding plan project, different procurement methods can be identified and considered. PMBOK’s framework will ensure that the procurement management aligns with industry standards and the wedding plan project is comprehensive and well-structured. For the wedding project, procurement methods would include a request for proposal (RFP) and single source procurement (SSP) to create a timeline for the wedding, estimating the time required for each task in the ceremony and organizing them into manageable sequences. These processes will also help in the identification and allocation of resources for each wedding task, such as choosing a venue, arranging seating, managing people, and allocating a budget for each resource. The method of RFP will be considered for services that will be offered at the wedding, such as photography, videography, catering, and entertainment, where quality and quantity vary according to the style the couple wants to execute their wedding plan greatly. Similarly, the method of SSP will be considered for the straightforward and unique purchases that have been specially chosen by the couple for their great day, such as a designer dress or a famous DJ, while evaluating the quotation as availability and cost are the main criteria in such a situation.
Planning and Designing or Conduct Procurements
The applicable and achievable implementation of the conduct procurement in the project management is classified as completion of the identification, initiation, and planning stages for the execution and controlling processes of the procurements (Watermeyer, 2023). This process, under the criteria of PMBOKs’ framework, includes the contract types, responses from vendors, the vendor selection criteria, and the awarding of the contracts to the market’s best vendors to make her wedding day special. This plan involves assigning roles and responsibilities to the key stakeholders, including family members and vendors, to be responsible for each task they are assigned. For instance, Mark, the bride’s brother, will be assigned the task of managing the entertainment department and Emily, the bride’s sister, will take care of planning a budget-friendly but great venue for the wedding. They will also be assigned their roles regarding who will make immediate decisions in case of any problem, such as if there would be rain on the wedding day. For instance, Mark will be assigned the role of risk manager to make a decision and prepare a backup plan in case of rain, such as having a backup indoor venue to save his sister’s big day. Moreover, the procurement conduct plan involves managing the fixed-price contracts for catering services and entertainment activities so that contracts would be awarded to the potential vendors.
Clear expectations regarding the request for proposal (RFP) need to be communicated to the vendor, such as the number of guests expected to arrive and preferred cuisines, in order to avoid misunderstandings. For this, a scoring system can be used to compare professional vendors in the market to avail themselves of the best services on the wedding day, such as the costs or reputation of the vendor. Once the process of identification and finalizing the preferred vendors is completed, stakeholders, including family members and friends, can negotiate with the identified vendors to finalize the terms according to the couple’s preferences and expectations. For instance, stakeholders will finalize a contract with a DJ on the types of music, instruments going to be used on the wedding day, and payment terms. Once the terms are negotiated, contracts are awarded to the specific vendors, and service agreements between both parties will be signed. For the planning and designing of the wedding procurement project, communication with stakeholders is crucial to ensure everyone is on the same page of agreement so that adjustments can be made as needed.
Executing or Controlling Procurements
After the completion of the “Conduct Procurement” stage in accordance with the PMBOK’s strategic approach, the process of execution or control procurement begins, which involves managing all the set expectations and delivering them as desired and planned. This final phase of PMBOK’s framework involves monitoring the performance of the contracts and vendors, maintaining effective communication with the vendors, and making necessary adjustments to ensure all setup arrangements are according to the plans and schedules of the stakeholders involved. In this regard, managing communication and monitoring vendors’ progress are essential steps to ensure that the wedding procurement project is delivered as per the services agreed. For instance, I will keep in touch with the venue coordinator to ensure that all expectations of the couple are met and every vendor serves the way they signed the agreement while in plan procurement and conducting procurement stages of the project management.
This might include time-to-time meetings, status updates from the vendors, and frequent site visits in case of outdoor event planning. However, despite the initial planning and complete control of the project management, issues and changes can arise, which is the important phase of PMBOK’s approach. The framework allows for a “formal change management” process to implement and document the changes as required by the stakeholders. For example, if my cousin wants to change her wedding cake to a flowery theme, the contract with the menu planner will be adjusted accordingly. In this execution phase of the PMBOK’s strategic approach, the final process is closing the procurements by finally reviewing all the tasks and activities of the wedding event to ensure that all goods and services are delivered as expected and planned. The process finally reviews issues that are resolved according to the change management strategy, payments are made according to the agreements, and lessons learned during the event are documented by the stakeholders to improve future procurement management.
In sum, applying project management principles can help an individual stay organized and on track during all the events of a wedding. Applying PMBOK’s framework to a wedding procurement project ensures all the phases and processes are managed according to the structured approach. By carefully initiating, planning, controlling, and closing the wedding plan procurement, I, as a wedding planner, will ensure that the wedding event of my cousin runs smoothly and satisfactorily while meeting the bride’s and groom’s expectations.
References
Lyandau, Y. V. (2022). Project Management Based on PMBOK 7.0. Proceedings of the ISC 2020: Imitation Market Modeling in Digital Economy: Game Theoretic Approaches, 283–289.
Șavga, G., & Șavga, L. (2022). Project scope management through PMBOK.
Singh, H., & Williams, P. S. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: PMBOK (®) Guide. Project Management Institute.
Watermeyer, R. (2023). Project Procurement Management in Developing Countries. In Building a Body of Knowledge in Project Management in Developing Countries (pp. 355–386). World Scientific.
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