Questions and Answers of Project Management

Suppose that your organization is deciding which of four projects to bid on, as summarized in the following table. Assume that all up-front investments are not recovered, so they are shown as
Research risk management software. Are many products available? What are the main advantages of using them in managing projects? What are the main disadvantages? Write a short paper to discuss your
Describe how to use a probability/impact matrix and the Top Ten Risk Item Tracking approaches for performing qualitative risk analysis. How could you use each technique on a project?
Find an example of a company that took a big risk on an IT project and succeeded. In addition, find an example of a company that took a big risk and failed. Summarize each project and situation in a
Search the Internet for the term IT outsourcing and find at least two articles that discuss outsourcing. Summarize the articles and answer the following questions:• What are the main types of goods
Explain the make-or-buy decision process and describe how to perform the financial calculations in the simple lease-or-buy example provided in this chapter.
Interview someone who was involved in an IT procurement process, such as a manager in your organization’s IT department, and have the person explain the process that was followed. Alternatively,
What are the main types of contracts if you decide to outsource? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
Search online for samples of IT contracts. Use search phrases like “IT contract” or “sample contract.” Analyze the key features of the contract. What type of contract was used, and why?
Review a sample RFP for an IT project. Write a paper summarizing the purpose of the RFP and how well you think it describes the work required.
How can organizations use a weighted scoring model to evaluate proposals as part of seller selection?
List two suggestions for ensuring adequate change control on projects that involve outside contracts.
Research the topic of understanding body language. What are some common body movements that can help you understand how people are really feeling? What does it mean if someone looks up a lot when
Several issues have arisen on the Global Treps Project. Ashok, your team member in India, broke his wrist playing tennis yesterday and cannot work on the project at all for three weeks. His work,
Use the following data to answer the questions that follow.Average velocity = (Remaining effort Day 1 - Remaining effort Current Day)/(Current Day 2 Day 1) Estimated completion date 5 Current Day 1
What courses in your educational program address the development of communications skills? What skills do you think employers are looking for? Do you think there should be more emphasis on
Find examples of how project teams use new technologies to communicate project information. Which technologies seem to be most effective? Document your findings in a short paper, citing at least
Discuss the importance of understanding tone of voice and body language in comprehending the meaning of what people say. Give examples of how the same words said in different ways have totally
How many different communication channels does a project team with six people have? How many more communication channels would there be if the team grew to 10 people?
Review the templates for various project documents provided in this chapter. Pick one of them and apply it to a project of your choice. Make suggestions for improving the template.
Explain why you agree or disagree with some of the suggestions in this chapter for improving project communications, such as creating a communications management plan, stakeholder analysis, or
Research new software products that assist in communications management for large projects. Write a short paper summarizing your findings. Include websites for software vendors and your opinion of
Provide examples of when you would use at least three of the Seven Basic Tools of Quality on an IT project.
Based on the list you created for Task 1, determine how you will measure progress on meeting the requirements. For example, you might have people take a survey after they view the online training
Assume that you have completed three months of the project. The BAC was $120,000 for this six-month project. You can also make the following assumptions:PV = $60,000EV = $55,000AC = $50,000a. What is
Interview someone who uses some of the techniques discussed in this chapter. How does the person feel about network diagrams, critical path analysis, Gantt charts, critical chain scheduling, Scrum,
Read at least two of the first five references cited in this chapter with statistics about the importance of IT and project management. Create a short paper or presentation summarizing which
Find someone who works as a project manager or someone who works on projects involving IT, such as a worker in your school’s IT department or a project manager active in a professional group, like
Write a paper summarizing key information available on the PMI’s website (www.pmi.org). Also read and summarize two recent reports from PMI, including “Pulse of the Profession®: Success Rates
Find any example of a real project with a real project manager. Feel free to use projects in the media (such as the Olympics, television shows, or movies) or a project from your work, if applicable.
Watch a free online video on the history of project management created by Mark Kozak-Holland (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1uxCBx2-UQ). Summarize how the project management knowledge areas can be
Research articles and tools on project portfolio management. Summarize the advantages of performing project portfolio management as well as challenges.
Skim through Appendix A on Microsoft Project 2016 (available on the Companion website for this text). Review information about Project 2016 from the Microsoft website (www.microsoft.com). Research
Discuss ethical decisions that project managers often face. Do you think a professional code of ethics makes it easier to work in an ethical manner?
Research information about PMP® and CAPM® certifications. Find at least two articles on this topic. What are benefits of certification in general? Do you think it is worthwhile for most project
Review PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Find and summarize two articles related to ethics in project management.
Summarize the three-sphere model for systems management in your own words. Then use your own project experience or interview someone who recently completed an IT project, and list several business,
Apply the four frames of organizations to a possible project that involves the development of a new technology like mobile banking, online retail, or social media. Work with two other class members
Research the trend of using virtual teams. Review the information on team role theory from www.belbin.com and other related sources. Write a summary of your findings, and cite at least three
Research the agile movement as it applies to software development and other types of projects. See how many books and websites are available on the topic. Is there evidence to show that agile
Write a short summary of an article that discusses the importance of top management support for successful IT projects. Your summary should include your opinion on this topic.
Watch videos about Scrum and Kanban by Axosoft or other organizations. Summarize what you learned and any questions you have in a short paper. Try to find answers to your questions and cite your
Review the Opening and Closing case about Tom Walters tablet project. Also find at least two articles about the NFL’s adoption of tablets. Using the four frames of organizations presented in this
Research a project management method, such as PRINCE2, Agile, RUP, or Six Sigma, and how organizations use it, citing at least two references. Why do you think organizations spend time and money
Review the sample documents provided for JWD Consulting to answer the following questions. What was the success criteria for this project? What was the estimated discounted life cycle ROI? Describe
What are some of the typical challenges project teams face during each of the five process groups? You can frame your discussion based on a project described in one of the feature boxes in this
What are the main differences between the two versions of the JWD Consulting case study? When should you use a more prescriptive or agile approach? Do you think users of the JWD Consulting intranet
Review the product backlog, sprint backlog, and burndown chart provided in this chapter. Read articles or watch a video about using a Scrum method that mentions these artifacts. Write a short paper
You are a project consultant for the ACME Company and are helping to develop an agile method using Scrum. The company has always used predictive project management methods for software development,
Review at least two surveys about the use of agile methodologies, such as the annual survey on the state of agile by VersionOne. Also find a critical analysis of these surveys as they are sponsored
Summarize each of the proposed projects using a simple table format suitable for presentation to top management. Include the name of each project, identify how each one supports business strategies,
Perform a financial analysis for a project using the format provided in Figure 4-5. Assume that the projected costs and benefits for this project are spread over four years as follows: Estimated
Prepare a draft project charter and an assumption log for the Global Treps project. Assume that the project will take six months to complete and have a budget of $130,000. Use the project charter
Describe project integration management. How does it relate to the project life cycle, stakeholders, and the other project management knowledge areas?
Write a short paper based on the chapter’s opening case. Answer the following questions:a. What do you think the real problem was in this case?b. Does the case present a realistic scenario? Why or
Economic inequality is a huge issue. A recent study found that the world’s 80 wealthiest individuals own as much as the entire world’s poorest 3.5 billion people. The richest 1 percent of the
Evaluate the four projects by preparing a weighted scoring model using the template provided on the Companion website for this text. Develop at least four criteria, assign weights to each criterion,
Download a free trial of MindView mind mapping software from www.matchware.com or similar software and create a mind map of a SWOT analysis for your organization. Include at least two strengths,
Prepare a business case for the Global Treps project. Assume that the project will take six months to complete, use many volunteer hours, and cost about $130,000 for hardware, software, travel, and
Either from your own experience or by searching the Internet, describe a well-planned and executed project. Describe a failed project. What elements of project integration might have contributed to
Start a lessons learned register to document knowledge learned on this project. Include la lessons learned ID, date, source, category, description, impact, recommendations, and proposed actions. Be
Discuss the importance of following a well-integrated change control process on IT projects. What consequences can result from not following these best practices? What types of change control would
Prepare a change request for the Global Treps project, using the template provided on the Companion website for this text. Assume that you have decided not to provide an online version of the show as
Research software mentioned in this chapter, such as software for assisting in project selection, enterprise project management software, or cloud-based applications. Find at least two references and
Watch videos and read articles to research how two different organizations did a good job in directing and managing project work. You can search “PMI Project of the Year award” to find examples.
Read the report “2015 Pulse of the Profession®: Capturing the Value of Project Management” by PMI, mentioned in the What Went Right feature. Summarize key points in this study and your opinion
Find two recent articles related to managing project knowledge. Summarize your findings in a short paper.
You are working on a project to develop a new or enhanced system to help people at your college, university, or organization to find jobs. The system must be tailored to your student or work
Document your approach for collecting requirements for the project. Include at least five technical requirements and five non technical requirements in a requirements traceability matrix. Also
What is involved in collecting requirements for a project? Why is it often difficult to do?
Read the report cited in the chapter called PMI’s Pulse of the Profession: Requirements Management—A Core Competency for Project and Program Success. Find one or two other reports on requirements
Discuss the process of defining project scope in more detail as a project progresses, going from information in a project charter to a project scope statement, WBS, and WBS dictionary.
Consider Table 6-3. All duration estimates or estimated times are in weeks, and the network proceeds from Node 1 to Node 8.Data from in Table 6-3a. Draw an AOA network diagram representing the
Create the same WBS from Exercise 3 using Microsoft Project or similar software and indenting categories appropriately. Use the outline numbering feature to display the outline numbers, or enter the
Consider Table 6-2. All duration estimates or estimated times are in days, and the network proceeds from Node 1 to Node 9. Data from in Table 6-2a. Draw an AOA network diagram representing the
Using the file you created in MindView or similar software for Exercise 3, export the WBS into Project 2016 or similar software. Make adjustments as needed and then print the Gantt chart from Project
Develop a strategy for scope validation and change control for this project. Write a short paper summarizing key points of the strategy.
Review three different template files from Microsoft Project 2016, MindView, or any other project management software tool. What do you think about the WBSs? Write a short paper summarizing your
Research the benefits of and requirements for earning a certification in business analysis, as described in the What Went Right feature in this chapter. Summarize your findings in a short paper.
Why is defining activities a process of project schedule management instead of project scope management?
Identify at least five milestones for the Global Treps Project. Write a short paper describing each milestone using the SMART criteria. Discuss how determining the details of these milestones might
What do you think about adding slack to individual task estimates (sometimes called padding estimates)? What do you think about adding a project buffer for the entire project, as critical chain
Find at least three different sample schedules created in Microsoft Project, MindView, or other project management software. Analyze the schedules, focusing on how complete the task lists are, how
List some of the reports you can generate with Project 2016 to assist with project schedule management.
You and your team are continuing your work on the Global Treps Project. Your project sponsor, Dr. K., has asked you to refine the existing cost estimate for the project so you can evaluate supplier
Create a cost estimate and model for building a new, state-of-the-art multimedia classroom for your organization within the next six months. The classroom should include 20 high-end personal
What is meant by a sunk cost? Give examples of typical sunk costs for an IT project as well as examples from your personal life. Why is it difficult for people to ignore them when they should?
Read the free ebook Cost Estimating in an Agile Development Environment by Alvin Alexander, which discusses estimating software costs. Find one or two other references on ways to measure software
How is project cost management different when using an agile approach?
Develop a list of quality standards or requirements related to meeting the stakeholder expectations described in the running case. Provide a brief description of each requirement. For example, two
How is schedule management different when using an agile approach?
Search for videos that explain how and why you would want to find the critical path for a project. Write a short paper describing your findings. Summarize the best two videos; provide screenshots and
Research how schedule management is performed on agile projects. Summarize your findings in a short paper or presentation.
What are the main processes in project quality management?
Why is quality management becoming more important? What does it mean to use lean in quality assurance?
Research the criteria for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award or a similar quality award provided by another organization. Investigate a company that has received this award. What steps did
Review the information in this chapter about Six Sigma principles and Six Sigma organizations. Brainstorm ideas for a potential Six Sigma project that could improve quality on your campus, at your
Review the concepts in this chapter that are related to improving the quality of software. Write a short paper describing how you could apply these concepts to software development projects.
Several people working on the Global Treps Project are confused about their responsibilities for providing content for the new website. Recall that the team members include you, the project manager,
What are some of the considerations for project quality management in agile/adaptive environments?

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