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Project Management Casebook 1st Edition David I. Cleland , Richard Puerzer , Karen M. Bursic , A. Yaroslav Vlasak - Solutions
The Apollo 13 project was an example of an effective team. What are the key characteristics of an effective team?
If you have seen the movie Apollo 13 you have become familiar with the personalities of some of the people who played a part in the mission. List some of their attributes which make them good members of a project team. Do you see any resemblance between these management skills and those identified
Describe a project or even an everyday activity in which the unexpected happened. How did you handle it, and did it work out? How does this ability to deal with the unexpected play a part in project management? What are the major processes identified by the PMBOK Guide intended to deal with the
List and discuss three parallels between the Apollo 13 mission and project management that the author points out.
The author gives advice on handling communication with three different stakeholders. What are the common characteristics of the strategies?
The case suggests three conditions for success when communicating with the media. What are these? Can you think of any additional conditions?
How would you handle the morale of workers and others on the project given the criticism aimed at the project?
Stakeholder management can be the key to the success of many projects. Develop a model which can be useful for any project for proper stakeholder management.
This case describes both the media and political figures as possibly detrimental to this project. Describe the importance of properly communicating with the project stakeholders.
The author notes that an effective project manager must have a combination of technical and managerial skills. What other specific skills are critical for an effective project manager?
The author focuses on the importance of being "close to the customer."What is meant by this phrase and how is it accomplished?
The author states that, "In a highly technical area of development such as this, throwing resources at the problem does not necessarily solve it." Is this only true for technical areas?
Through the case, the author describes how the company, its products, and the relationships with its customers were transformed. What are some of the lessons of the cultural shift the company underwent during the 1970s?
This case illustrates how a traditional company was transformed into a project-driven organization. Describe the characteristics of a classic functional organization. What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of a functional organization?
Some opponents of the team approach might argue that the culture of the United States is too individualistic to support this kind of organizational design and that Americans are not predisposed to work as part of a team. Defend or refute this position.
There are numerous examples in the literature of companies using selfdirected work teams. Review the literature to find another example of the use of these kinds of teams. Discuss the organization of the teams and the benefits gained from their use.
What are the characteristics of an effective team? Do you think these characteristics are present in less effective groups?
When a new team is put together to run a project, anxiety among members can run very high. As a project manager said, "Moving a team member's desk from one side of the room to the other can sometimes be just about as traumatic as moving someone from Chicago to Manila." What can the project manager
The Bosma Machine and Tool Corporation experienced a number of barriers during the transition to self-directed work teams (SDWTs) from its previous organization. What were some of those barriers?
The author mentions Pacific Mutual's core values of "openness, change, risk taking, accountability, and goal orientation." What barriers would the lack of these values present to a company trying to introduce project management teams?
The author states, "Because reengineering doesn't happen overnight, and because competitive conditions are increasing, now is the time for insurers to overhaul their business processes. Changes in the industry are accelerating and will continue to do so as less competitive companies are acquired by
The case mentions that previously the term "on-time" meant differing things to different groups of workers. Therefore, groups completed taslzs based on their own interpretation of what was necessary to complete that task. How is this problem addressed and solved through the new methodology?
The general life-cycle for most products in the life and health insurance market is depicted in Figure l. Do you see any resemblance between ths life-cycle and a generic project life-cycle?
In Figure 4, the author depicts the new project life-cycle. This life-cycle has six different phases, including an "implementation phase." Do you perceive this phase as having a clearly defined beginning and end, or do you think that this phase is occurring throughout the entire project?
The project management officer was able to manage well enough to receive more responsibilities and gain control over a budget of $1 billion despite the fact that the Meaford camp was not a complete success. To what do you attribute this apparent disparity in additional responsibility and success?
It is clear from the case that the project took advantage of the economic situation of the area in order to "get the best value for the money from DCCs."However, this triggered the undesired side effects of the bankruptcy of several companies, substandard quality requiring remedial work, and delays
This project had three contractors go bankrupt during the course of the project. These three contractors were responsible for almost one-third of the construction work on the project. However, all of the work involved with the project was completed on schedule and under budget. Given what was
Figure 1 of the case presents the project team organization. The author describes it as "a self-accounting, independent, self-contained organization that was dedicated to cradle-to-grave implementation of the project." Following the descriptions from section 2.3.3, Organization Structure, in the
This project is described as unique, with a magnitude and scope not undertaken by the Canadian Army since the 1950s. How was ths challenge taken?
The author ends the case with the phrase: "This project has demonstrated that, more than anything, people have made the difference and that the most powerful tool in project management today still remains to be the human mind." Do you agree with this statement?
This case does not mention any problems in dealing with the Libyan government despite all of the international unrest surrounding Libya. How might the project management have successfully "sold" this project to the government?
The author mentions the procurement, transportation, communication, travel, and human resource problems faced in the course of the project.Among all of these problems listed, why did the job satisfaction and staff motivation become the priority of the project?
Can uncertainty such as the international political uncertainty described in this project be scheduled? When should project management identify and evaluate such risks?
Human resources are discussed in this case, both from the stafuoffice and field staff/construction point of view. What are the difficulties and differences in managing these two different groups?
Due to political changes, the management of this project was faced with completely different challenges than initially perceived. If, as a project manager, you are going to be involved with an endeavor with this characteristic, what management model would best suit your needs?
This case describes how the natural environment affects all aspects of how the project work is done. Compare and contrast how these natural environmental risks are analogous to risks in other types of environments (public relations, political, etc. ).
Though the construction of this facility was "cost-driven," cost management was not the only project management area used in the administration of the project. Mention at least two other project management areas involved in the making of this project.
The author stresses the importance of facilitating the transition between construction and completion (executing to closing the project). How did the project managers deal with this challenge?
The risk and opportunity evaluation completed for this project identified several potential scheduling problems. How does this evaluation and its effect on scheduling affect cost management?
The case described a significant amount of planning as having gone into the project. How did this planning help to reduce costs?
Discuss the analogy between this strategy and the project management processes: initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing listed in the PMBOK Guide, section 3.2, Process Groups.
The prime requirement of this project was clearly established. It was to rninimize the total installed cost. The management of the project, in order to achieve this requirement and fulfill this project's objective, followed the strategy presented in Figure
A project is said to be successful if the work is finished on time, to cost, and to quality. We understand clearly how to measure time and cost-days and dollars-but few people have a clear idea of what they mean by quality in the context of projects. Discuss the concept of quality with specific
Why is project scope management so important to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games project? Illustrate your answer with some examples from projects that you have studied or worked on and draw parallels.
By what yardsticks will the Sydney 2000 Olympics Games project be measured, and how will it be considered a success? Give examples to illustrate your answer.
Why is time management critical to the Sydney 2000 Olympics Games project?
A work breakdown structure (WBS) is the backbone of the project management of any project. According to the PMBOK Guide, what is the concept of the WBS? Do you see any resemblance between the work done in developing the Olympic bid and the WBS?
In the case, Mr. Gundlach describes his task as "to catch all of the activities we have to perform." Do you see this description as having any resemblance to a project management endeavor?
This case was written in 1996. If possible, update the results of the bidding process for the 2004 Olympic Games, focusing on South Africa's bid. From your research, what were the strengths and/or weaknesses responsible for the success/failure of its bid?
Benchmarking can be used in this project, i.e., matching Atlanta's preparation effort. How can this be beneficial in the management of the project?
Obviously, hosting the Olympic Games could be economically beneficial to Cape Town. Given this, how much of a risk is the investment in preparing the bid? How would the efforts completed to create the bid document be best used to aid the city if Cape Town is not awarded as the host city of the 2004
Although the Olympics is an entertainment and sporting event, it is very much tied with financial performance. As a project manager, what are the main steps in assuring proper project cost management, and assuring economic success?
Would the standardization of the procurement methods described in the case serve the city well in the future? Would you recommend that project managers be required for similar tasks in the future? Where do you draw the line on the necessity of using project management?
Explain the difficulties of managing a project involving stakeholders with different objectives in the project, i.e., the relationship between the vendor and customer.
What was the project manager's main challenge in completing the project?
The PMBOK Guide, section 10, Project Communications Management, analyzes a project's communications process in four main phases. List communication challenges the project faced and classify these challenges in the different phases.
The PMBOK Guide, section 2.4, Key General Management Skills, describes the most important personal tools of a project manager. Which of these skills do you think were the most valuable in the project management of this project?
Describe the eventual implementation strategy used on this project. What are some potential problems of this approach?
What were the keys to project success as cited in the case? What other factors influence the success or failure of a project?
What were some of the specific problems originally encountered by the project teams?
Briefly describe how the original project management team(s) were organized. Identify some of the problems resulting from operating under this structure.
Describe some of the scope management problems created by using one goal statement as the sole guiding factor on the project in this case. Define scope management for any project.
What two or three scope management factors were most critical to the success of this project? Why?
The project team put special effort into the fulfillment of the schedule so the tenants would be able to move on the predetermined dates. Therefore time durations were crucial for the completion of this goal. What are the techniques more frequently used to estimate activity duration?
The case stresses the importance of planning as crucial to the success of the project. During the planning phase of a project it is necessary to develop a strategy that addresses all the issues that can influence the project. What are the topics that the planning strategy should cover?
The author identifies some of the most important skills or abilities of a superintendent that help to keep a project on track. Which are those? Can you add some?
Is the one-page summary schedule report shown in Figure 4 an effective means of communication?
Define what is meant by a "media plan'' and list elements that should be contained within it. Discuss the importance of good external communications.
Define and highlight the differences between a project's mission, objectives, and goals and provide examples from the case.
The case mentions the difficulties of scheduling and budgeting due to out-ofscope activities and poor estimates of baseline schedule duration and budgets. How should the project manager control the undertaking of activities which are out of the project's scope? .
The case presents three of the reports used to control the project's development. Section 10.3 of the PMBOK Guide, Performance Reporting, lists the elements that a performance report should include. Evaluate the detailed schedule report depicted in Figure 2 using the PMBOK Guide standards.
Is the one-page summary schedule report shown in Figure 4 an effective means of communication?
Define what is meant by a "media plan'' and list elements that should be contained within it. Discuss the importance of good external communications.
Define and highlight the differences between a project's mission, objectives, and goals and provide examples from the case.
The case mentions the difficulties of scheduling and budgeting due to out-ofscope activities and poor estimates of baseline schedule duration and budgets. How should the project manager control the undertaking of activities which are out of the project's scope? .
The case presents three of the reports used to control the project's development. Section 10.3 of the PMBOK Guide, Performance Reporting, lists the elements that a performance report should include. Evaluate the detailed schedule report depicted in Figure 2 using the PMBOK Guide standards.
Figure 1 shows the organization chart of the Al-Tarneer project. What kind of organization does this represent?
This project was handled by the Bechtel Corporation, a private company, and not the Kuwaiti government. List some of the advantages to this project being handled privately and not publicly.
How were the multinational relationships handled in this project?
One of the regular outputs of the development of the project plan is the work breakdown structure. Define the work breakdown structure and its benefits.
This case describes an enormous undertaking made up of many different projects. Which of these projects can be considered the most important?Why?
This project was a major undertaking. The challenges it faced ranged from providing the basics for being able to live in the desert (water and shelter) to finding creative methods for getting imports into the country through nontraditional routes. From the author's point of view, the project went
Fisher's managerial style is described as rather informal, resembling that of a coach or parent. How do you feel about this type of leader?
Kodak has obviously had many successful products, but is described as bad at developing products aimed at the less costly consumer market. How might its project management be focused to address these markets?
How are the use of Kodak's new measures concerning project progression and completion going to affect these projects and their management? What are some of the intangible or cultural effects? What guidelines can be used to ensure that this is done effectively?
New Kodak CEO George Fisher is described as taking a slow approach to reorganizing Kodak. He claims that he is doing this in order to presewe Kodak's successful business segments. By doing this, the scope of the reorganization effort is controlled and focused. Draw comparisons between this method
Many symptoms of poor management can be identified from the case including large debt, slow decision-making, multiple reorganizations, avoidance of risk taking, disjointed efforts, etc. However, what was the real problem Kodak was facing before 19932
Since George Fisher was named as the new CEO of Kodak in 1993, many changes have taken place. Is there any resemblance between a new administration taking over a company and the undertaking of a new project?
The case mentions the importance of meeting the requirements of five different certifications along with careful lobbying in order to enable entry of the yacht into the races. All projects face these kinds of challenges. Review the literature to develop your own model for dealing with these issues.
Had this same project analysis been performed on another boat in the Sydney to Hobart, how might it have pointed out any deficiencies in the project process?
Cost management was described as subsidiary to time and quality objectives for this project. If this situation had been different, i.e., a restrictive boat budget, how might the project results have changed?
This project essentially describes a job-shop point of view. How might the creation of a fleet of championship boats change the described project life-cycle?
The project initiator believes that winning a yacht race depends 80 percent on the preparation stage and only 20 percent on the effort in the actual race.Einstein was quoted as saying that a creation is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration. Which of these statements do you agree with?
The outcome of this project was outstanding. What do you think are the primary reasons for this success?
This effort began as a project. In its current state, it is an ongoing effort by the company with no end in sight. Review the definition of a project and answer the following question: How can it be determined that an effort need no longer be managed as a project?
Would this project be termed a success even if it meant no economic gain but the same environmental gain? If you were developing the proposal for this project given only the non-economic gain, how would you "sell" it to stakeholders?
The case description contains the following statement: "The project's mission was to capture all of the produce and floral department byproducts for composting by late 1993." The words mission, vision, objectives, and goals are very frequently used in management. What are their definitions and
How did the project build commitment from every member of the team? List several reasons for this commitment.
This project challenged the way in which things are usually done, and based its success on what were considered special management methods. Mention a couple of the examples from the project which you think reflect these "special" practices.
The author of this case presents communications management as "the golden thread which ran through the project." If the supplier relationships were less trustful, how would this have changed the management and success of the project?
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