Another trade-off PMs have to make is between team process and progress – the purpose being to keep the peace, give the team an occasional rest, protect the larger organization or other projects, and so on. What might happen if the PM does not anticipate these trade-offs?
> What are the measurement challenges associated with using a multivariate model such as a scoring model?
> What are some of the commonly used project evaluation criteria?
> Using earned value analysis, explain how the total cost of a partially completed project can be estimated.
> Why is it probably a good idea to avoid periodic reports, except in specific cases such as reports tied to the organization’s accounting system?
> Why is the hierarchical planning process useful for project planning? How might it influence the plan if the hierarchical planning process was not used?
> The monitoring system is the direct connection between project planning and control. Why is this true?
> What does it mean to say that project monitoring and control are on the opposite sides of project selection and planning?
> Why can’t the PM use the organization’s current information system for project monitoring and reporting?
> List and describe the three most common criteria by which to evaluate different resource allocation priority rules.
> When allocating scarce resources to several different projects at the same time, why is it important to make sure that all resource calendars are on the same time base (i.e., hourly, daily, or weekly …)?
> Explain the difference in the problems faced by a PM who is short of secretarial resources and one who is short of a “Walt.”
> The arrival and departure times of commercial aircraft are carefully scheduled. Why, then, is it so important to have excess capacity in the airport control tower?
> List as many things as you can think of that should be entered into a specific resource’s calendar.
> What does it mean to “fast track” a project?
> Given the fact that a project’s resource requirements are clearly spelled out in the project’s action plan, why are PMs so concerned with resource allocation?
> Give several examples of a type of project that would benefit from a template project plan being developed.
> Describe in your own words what is meant by Goldratt’s critical chain.
> What is meant by the term “student syndrome”?
> Explain why project-oriented firms require excess resource capacity.
> Consider Figure 5-14. Paths a-b-c and a-b-d converge at activity f, but we ignore this potential merge problem in the text. Why?
> What is a “dummy” activity?
> For the following project, (a) List all predecessors of task 5. (b) List all predecessors of task 4. (c) List all predecessors of the network finish (F).
> Will all activities on a noncritical path have the same slack? Why or why not?
> How do you determine the ES for an activity with two predecessors? How do you determine the LF for an activity with two successors?
> How is slack determined?
> When activity times are known with certainty, the critical path is defined as the set of activities on a path from the project’s start event to its finish event that, if delayed, will delay the completion date of the project. Why must this definition be
> In many project-oriented organizations, even routine processes are treated as projects. Why do you think this happened? How is it accomplished?
> 1. To what extent were the problems facing the notebook computer development project avoidable? 2. What could have been done to avoid these problems? 3. Would it make sense to apply a project selection model such as the weighted scoring model to the pr
> Not uncommonly, the Gantt chart is deceptive in its apparent simplicity.” Briefly explain.
> A probabilistic network has a critical path of 21 days and a .95 probability of completing this path in 24 days. Therefore, the project has a .95 chance of being finished by the end of the 24th day. True or False? Briefly explain your answer.
> Are there other kinds of changes in a project in addition to the three basic types described in Section 4.4? Might a change be the result of two types at the same time?
> Would you expect a task in a manufacturing plant that uses lots of complex equipment to have a learning curve closer to 70 percent or 95 percent?
> What is the logic in charging administrative costs based on total time to project completion?
> Contrast the disadvantages of top-down budgeting and bottom-up budgeting.
> Distinguish among highly probable risks, extremely serious risks, and highly vulnerable areas in risk identification.
> Under what circumstances is it sensible to do without a project launch meeting?
> Why is participatory management beneficial to project planning? How does the process of participatory management actually work in planning?
> Discuss the pros and cons of identifying and including the project team at the project launch meeting.
> Usually projects involving high levels of technological uncertainty are quite complex. Yet Shenhar says to use a flexible management style with high-uncertainty projects, but a formal style with complex projects. Explain.
> Discuss the reasons for inviting the functional managers to a project launch meeting rather than their subordinates who may be actually doing the work?
> Contrast the project plan and the work breakdown structure.
> What are some benefits of setting up a project plan for routine, frequent projects?
> What are the advantages and disadvantages of a matrix project organization?
> List five reasons to organize a new product development project as a transdisciplinary, matrix-organized project.
> List five reasons to organize a new product development project as a functionally organized project in the parent firm’s Marketing Department.
> What is meant by “micromanagement?” Why is it such a managerial sin?
> Review the chapter and make a list of all the advantages and disadvantages of matrix project organization you can find.
> Explain the meaning and implications of “projectitis.”
> Explain why the systems approach is necessary to manage projects.
> Contrast pure project organizations, functional project organizations, and matrix project organizations.
> What is the project management office (PMO) and what purpose does it serve?
> How does the weighted scoring approach avoid the drawbacks of the NPV approach? Can the two approaches be combined? How? What weights would be appropriate if they were combined?
> Contrast the two types of project life cycle and discuss why it is important to know which type the current project is following.
> Identify the three goals of a project. What does it mean for a project to be “overdetermined?”
> Contrast win-lose negotiation, lose-lose negotiation and win-win negotiation and explain why the latter is so important in project management.
> Why is it important for the project manager to adopt the systems approach?
> What is the primary role of a project manager? How are the primary roles related to one another?
> Using a spreadsheet for Exercise 5, determine how Nina’s ability to negotiate a lower rent at location 3, thereby raising its ranking to “good,” will affect the overall rankings of the four locations.
> Nina has been asked to lead a team that has been tasked with finding a new location for a boutique concept her company would like to test. The team has identified four candidate shopping centers to locate the new boutique in. Some cater to a higher class
> Discuss how you would go about getting competent staff from a functional department.
> Using a spreadsheet for Exercise 2, find the following: (a) What would be your recommendation if the weight for the transportation cost went down to 10 and the weight for union relations went up to 25? (b) Suppose location A received a score of 3 for tr
> (a) Compare your answer in Exercise 2 to the answer you would have found if you had used an unweighted, 0-1 scoring model. Assume that a score of 1 means does not qualify and a 2 or 3 means it does qualify. (b) Next, revise the unweighted model by deleti
> A company has established a project team to identify a location for a new manufacturing facility. Use a weighted scoring model to analyze three candidate locations (A, B, C) for setting up the new factory. The relative weights for each criterion are show
> A four-year financial project is forecast to have net cash inflows of $20,000; $25,000; $30,000; and $50,000 in the next four years. It will cost $75,000 to implement the project, payable at the beginning of the project. If the required rate of return is
> What do you suggest Mr. Lament do, if anything, to begin his preparation for defending or settling this potential lawsuit?
> 1. If you were Preston, what characteristics would you be looking for in a new control system? 2. Will a new control system be adequate for the problem? Explain.
> What should Mary Lynn do?
> 1. Is the minimum slack rule a reasonable way to schedule resources of the Textbook division? Why or why not? 2. What complication is added by making this project four separate projects?
> 1. Critique the launch meeting. Are there aspects you think are worth emulating? Are there aspects you would do differently? 2. 3. Convert your mind map into a WBS. 4. Review your mind map and identify risky potential failure points. Which are the most s
> 1. Explain how you would execute your roles as project manager of this project? 2. As the project manager, how would you handle trade-offs? 3. How would you recommend this project be organized? Functional project? Pure project? Matrix? Why? 4. What crite
> Why do so many “self-directed teams” perform poorly? What can be done to improve their performance?
> 1. Who would you recommend Stacey Thomas select to serve as project manager? Why? 2. How would you recommend this project be organized? Functional project? Pure project? Matrix? Why? 3. Do you agree with Stacey’s decision that the project should be staf
> 1. What information should he ask the consultants for before accepting their proposal? 2. What project management tools would you suggest Avery ask the consultants to use to outline the project more specifically and address his concerns? 3. What should
> Which of the three methods would you recommend, and why?
> 1. Do you think Sam’s plan is going to work? Why or why not? 2. Would Crystal Ball be useful in assessing Sam’s plan and changing it, if necessary? 3. How would you handle the bid on the new project?
> 1. Develop a mind map for this project. 2. Convert your mind map into a WBS. 3. Discuss how your mind map might be used to facilitate other project planning activities such as resource allocation, schedule development, and risk analysis.
> What do you suggest Jeremy Smith do?
> 1. Under these circumstances, would Justin be wise to pursue a top-down or a bottom-up budgeting approach? 2. Why? What factors are most relevant?
> 1. If you were the project manager, how would you handle the situation? 2. How can a customer be assured of satisfactory project completion?
> 1. Define the project deliverables. 2. Define project constraints and assumptions. 3. Develop a level 1 WBS. 4. Develop the RACI matrix for this project based on the Level 1 WBS. 5. Would a Project Charter have been useful here?
> 1. Comment on the pros and cons of the CEO, Dr. Splient, as the Project Manager. 2. Who is the funder of the project? Who is the sponsor? Who is the project owner? 3. List all the potential stakeholders in this project? 4. This initiative consists of a
> Why would the members of a “NOT” work independently if they were members of a designated team? What does independently” mean in this context?
> 1. Does the monitoring and control method seem adequate? 2. What are the potential problems?
> Additional task precedence information about the Textbook Revision Project described in Exercise 5.10 in Chapter 3 is now available. JR and Mike are preparing to revise their project management textbook. The project of revising the book begins with devel
> Enter the tasks and task durations into the Gantt Chart View in Microsoft Project.
> In addition to your regular responsibilities, your supervisor has just assigned you to be in charge of your organization’s annual golf tournament. It is expected that 100 to 150 employees will enter the tournament. In addition to organizing the event,
> Enter the following information into an Excel spreadsheet. The time estimates were made at the 90 percent level (see Section 5.2, Calculating Probabilistic Activity Times subsection). All activity times are in days. a. Draw the network b. Calculate the e
> Given the following highway rerouting project: a. Draw the network. b. Find the ESs. LSs, and slacks. c. Find the critical path. d. If the project has a 1 ½-year deadline for reopening, should we consider crashing some activities. Explain.
> Server Farm Inc. (SFI) needs to upgrade its server computers. Company management has identified the following two options: (1) shift to a Windows-based platform from its current Unix-based platform, or (2) stick with a Unix-based platform. It is standa
> Develop a mind map for a nonprofit organization’s annual casino night charity event.
> Prepare a WBS using MSP with the steps that must be completed before Vern Toomey can contact outsourcing vendors. If Vern starts on August 1, 2016, how long will it take to get ready to contact outsourcing vendors?
> Find the best alternative given the cost outcomes below. The probability of rain is 0.3, clouds is 0.2, and sun is 0.5.
> Exactly why were projects in the pharmaceutical company mentioned in Section 2.5 in the PMO subsection always late and over budget?
> If you were the project manager, which method would you use, and why?
> 1. Which projects would you recommend Handstar pursue based on the NPV approach? 2. Assume the founders weigh a project’s NPV twice as much as both obtaining/retaining a leadership position and use of the Internet. Use the weighted factor scoring method
> 1. Identify as well as you can the three iron triangle constraints for this project: cost, time, and scope. 2. Identify the expected benefits of this project for Friendly Medical Center. 3. Comment on the strategic initiatives resulting from the Board’s
> 1. What information does Alison need to determine the probable impact of Kelsey’s proposed project on the other projects in the department? 2. Should her findings affect her decision about Kelsey’s project? How?
> How would you recommend they reach a consensus on the action plan for the project?
> Given the following information, calculate the critical ratios and indicate which activities are on target and which need to be investigated. Comment on the situation for each of the activities.
> Can you think of any other desirable characteristics for team members than those listed in Section 2.6?
