Project Management For Engineering Business And Technology 6th Edition John M. Nicholas , Herman Steyn - Solutions

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3 What are the advantages and limitations of culture frameworks?
1 Identify the issues in the project initiating phase.
2 How could the scope creep have been avoided?
3 Where do you see the impact of national cultures in this case?
2. How might she have pre-identified issues that ultimately required her to redo the budget?How might she have anticipated other issues that emerged later?Spirit Electronics Company, a US firm, is building an office branch in Puerto Rico. Susan Marcie of the construction management firm Weller &
1. In managing the project, how did Susan explicitly address the fact that it was an “overseas”project?Spirit Electronics Company, a US firm, is building an office branch in Puerto Rico. Susan Marcie of the construction management firm Weller & Waxhall is managing the project; this is her first
3. What do you see as the criteria for evaluating the success of this international project?Construction at the Mozambique site posed major challenges. The locals speak Portuguese, but the expatriate managers, supervisors, and the computer software use English. Some basic engineering work was done
2. The project has received the go-ahead and you now face the reality of mobilizing your team and starting work in a foreign country. What special project challenges can you expect, and how will you go about laying the foundations for success?Construction at the Mozambique site posed major
1. You are the newly appointed director for the proposed Mozal project. The feasibility study is complete, and you must convince the international sponsors and lenders to commit to the project. Develop a presentation to a special board of stakeholders asking for the go-ahead to commit $1.4 billion
4. Discuss the social responsibilities relating to projects in developing countries such as Mozambique.Construction at the Mozambique site posed major challenges. The locals speak Portuguese, but the expatriate managers, supervisors, and the computer software use English. Some basic engineering
3. The team began searching for a suitable site in 1995, but the project was not launched until 1998. Discuss the kind of work required during the pre-project phase of a high-risk international project such as Mozal and the importance of that work.Construction at the Mozambique site posed major
2. What actions led to successful completion of the project despite the risks?Construction at the Mozambique site posed major challenges. The locals speak Portuguese, but the expatriate managers, supervisors, and the computer software use English. Some basic engineering work was done in Canada and
1. Summarize the issues and factors that posed risks to the Mozal project. Which of these arose from the international nature of the project?Construction at the Mozambique site posed major challenges. The locals speak Portuguese, but the expatriate managers, supervisors, and the computer software
What strategies were employed to identify and reduce project risks?
What adjustments did the project manager have to make in estimating the resources, time, and cost of the project to account for differences in countries supplying labor and materials to the project?
How did the project manager identify special issues related to the international nature of the project and account for them in planning the project?
Discuss the following roles, as appropriate: of the local project manager, of the steering committee, of the PMO.
What difficulties were encountered that stemmed from the international nature of the project?Could they have been avoided through better planning?
How did the project manager and staff learn about the culture and traditions of the host country? In your opinion, were they knowledgeable and well prepared to work in the host country?
Discuss aspects of the country, culture, language, and social behavior of the host country that challenged the project manager.
What did the contractor and/or project manager have to do in this project that differed from a typical domestic project?
What are some strategies for handling risks in international projects?
What special issues should the communication plan for an international project address?
List some factors that must be taken into account in estimating resources, time, and cost for an international project and in establishing budgets and schedules for the project.
Comment on the size of work packages in an international project. How are work packages tracked and controlled?
Describe the purpose and content of the summary matrix in Table 20.5.
Name some of the issues that the WBS in an international project might have to address.
Describe the WBS for identifying the unique issues of an international project. How is the technical WBS of an international project similar to or different than the technical WBS for a single-country, domestic project?
Discuss the process of developing the scope and SOW for subprojects in a multisite, multinational global project.
How can the project manager learn about the host country and potential risks related to culture and environment in the project?
What are ways to build relations with local vendors and officials? Why are these relations so important?
What are ways to build teamwork and encourage cooperation between members of the project team from the home country and host country?
What is the role of the PMO in an international project?
What is the role of the project steering committee (or governance committee or review board)in an international project? What is the difference between the global and local steering committees?
What are the responsibilities and qualifications of the local representative?
Who should be trained in the cultures, traditions, and regulations of the home or host country, the managers and staff who will be going to the host country to work on the project, or the local managers and subcontractors who will be working on the project for a contractor that is based overseas?
Can it be assumed that a technology or process that proved successful in a project in one country will automatically be successful in an identical project in another country? Explain.
In global projects that include subprojects at multiple sites, who is responsible for day-to-day oversight of each subproject at each site?
A project involves team members in New York and Rome. Discuss how you would accommodate the 6-hour time difference to maximize communication and coordination between them.
Name some forms of export/import restrictions. In what ways can they impact an international project?
What is an “offset”? What is the difference between indirect and direct offsets?
Describe ways a contractor can protect against rising costs or falling prices resulting from fluctuating exchange rates.
Describe the role of informal gatherings and social events in building trust.
What are some benefits of hiring local contractors in an international project? What are the drawbacks and difficulties?
. How can the project manager know in advance of impending political or labor/union problems in the host country?
What legal problems are associated with contracts in international projects? What steps should be taken to avoid them or to deal with them should they arise?
What are “Incoterms”?
For an overseas project, whose laws prevail, the host country’s or the home country’s?
Why might worker layoffs following the project cause legal problems for the contractor or employer?
Consider two countries you are familiar with. Compare and contrast them in terms of the following:Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions, language, formality, gift giving, attitudes about age and about time, food and drink, holidays and time off, and customary labor time.
Describe each of Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions. How is awareness of these dimensions relevant to project management?
In the previous list of unknowns, which are “implicit” and which are “explicit”? Why are implicit unknowns potentially more problematic for the project manager?
What are the four main categories of “unknowns” in an international project?
Consider the analogy of an international project to a play. In international projects, who are the actors, what are the scripts, what are the sets, and what are the props?
Repeat the ranking, but besides strategic fit, risk, and ECV include a fourth criterion: public image of project (4 = high, 0 = none). Assume the projects are rated as follows on public image (numbers in parentheses are ranking on list):Project Public image Project Metis 0 (5)Project Adrastea 1
Discuss any possibilities you see of further refinement or optimization of the ranking list(consider quantitative techniques, etc.).Judy sees this assignment (see Case 19.2) as an opportunity to test a scoring technique that she recently proposed. The technique requires that for each project a
A turbulent environment may lead to a change in strategy. How should such a change be handled?Judy sees this assignment (see Case 19.2) as an opportunity to test a scoring technique that she recently proposed. The technique requires that for each project a score be assigned for the strategic fit
How should resource availability be taken into account?Judy sees this assignment (see Case 19.2) as an opportunity to test a scoring technique that she recently proposed. The technique requires that for each project a score be assigned for the strategic fit and the risk, and that the specific ECV
How should preferences and biases of executives be handled?Judy sees this assignment (see Case 19.2) as an opportunity to test a scoring technique that she recently proposed. The technique requires that for each project a score be assigned for the strategic fit and the risk, and that the specific
Discuss the role the scoring technique could play regarding biases and internal politics.Judy sees this assignment (see Case 19.2) as an opportunity to test a scoring technique that she recently proposed. The technique requires that for each project a score be assigned for the strategic fit and the
Discuss the relative results.Judy sees this assignment (see Case 19.2) as an opportunity to test a scoring technique that she recently proposed. The technique requires that for each project a score be assigned for the strategic fit and the risk, and that the specific ECV be calculated.The following
Use Judy’s technique to numerically score each of the projects according to strategic fit, ECV, and risk. Then numerically rank the projects based on the scores, assigning projects with the same scores the same rank. (For example, on ECV, Europa is ranked 1, Callisto 2, and so on; on strategic
uggest a way to proceed to reach consensus on the priorities. Indicate stakeholders that should be involved.Jim LaPlas, the CEO of Galactic Mining, compiles a list of seven projects to investigate the feasibility of mining 7 of Jupiter’s known 79 moons. All the projects passed the initial
4. Discuss the role that availability of resources should play in decisions about the sequence in which the projects should be commenced. (Consider money, key personnel, and other important resources).Jim LaPlas, the CEO of Galactic Mining, compiles a list of seven projects to investigate the
3. What role do you think biases and internal politics would play in selecting projects?Jim LaPlas, the CEO of Galactic Mining, compiles a list of seven projects to investigate the feasibility of mining 7 of Jupiter’s known 79 moons. All the projects passed the initial screening assessment.He
2. Discuss the possibility of prioritizing the projects solely on financial criteria.Jim LaPlas, the CEO of Galactic Mining, compiles a list of seven projects to investigate the feasibility of mining 7 of Jupiter’s known 79 moons. All the projects passed the initial screening assessment.He hands
1. Compile a list, ranking the projects in order of priority, from No. 1 to No. 7. First, do this individually and then discuss with a group of people who also ranked the projects individually.Jim LaPlas, the CEO of Galactic Mining, compiles a list of seven projects to investigate the feasibility
2. List topics or issues that are not mentioned in the case but should be considered before the project gets the go-ahead.The first sentence in the executive summary of the draft business case reads, “The proposed cement factory would be the perfect answer to top management’s goal to grow
1. Explain why a business case should take into account alternative scenarios for the important variables.The first sentence in the executive summary of the draft business case reads, “The proposed cement factory would be the perfect answer to top management’s goal to grow PCS’s product base
If the organization has a PMO, discuss the PMO’s role in portfolio management and the gating process.
If the organization has both portfolio management and gating processes, discuss the relationship between the two and the manner in which they are integrated.
Does the organization have a gating process? Describe the gates, assessment criteria, and list who participates at each gate. In your opinion, is the process effective?
How are projects compared and rank-ordered? Who makes approval and funding decisions?
Describe the organization’s project analysis and selection process. What kind of analysis and selection models and methods are used?
Does the organization have portfolio managers or PRBs (governance boards, project steering committees, etc.)? Describe their roles and modus operandi.
Does the organization have a portfolio management process? If so, describe the key steps in the process and the managers and others who participate in the process. In your opinion, is the process effective? What are its strengths and weaknesses?
28. Describe the differences between the gating process and portfolio management. What are the difficulties in integrating the two processes? How might the difficulties be overcome so that portfolio projects can also be gated projects?
27. Once a project has been approved and admitted to the project portfolio, how is it monitored thereafter? Under what circumstances might the project be cancelled?
26. Suppose Project D is added to the projects in Table 19.5 and has been rated for effectiveness as shown in the table subsequently:Compute the total weighted effectiveness using the weights in Table 19.4. How does Project D compare to the others in Figure 19.7?
Discuss similarities and differences between bubble charts and cost–benefit grids.
Explain how cost–benefit grids can be used to rank-order projects.
What is the drawback of ranking projects using single-criterion methods?
What are the three main approaches to comparing and selecting projects?
What are the drawbacks of financial models? Of scoring models?
What advantage do scoring models have over financial models in terms of assessing the value or utility of projects?
Project A and Project B have the same overall cost of $4M. Project A’s likelihood of success is 95 percent; Project B’s chances are 50 percent. Project A is expected to generate $11M revenue but will incur $5M maintenance costs. Project B is expected to generate $8M revenue and efficiencies
In Problem 15, suppose the likelihood of project success is 0.5 × 0.8 × 0.7 = 0.28.• What is the B/C ratio for the project?• Which measure makes the project look more attractive, ECV or B/C? In your opinion, does the project merit approval?
In the previous example, what else must be considered if the stream of earning were in euros instead of dollars?
Projects W, X, Y, and Z are each being screened according to four criteria: potential return on investment, lack of technological risk, environmental “friendliness,” and service to community:• Project W: return, high; lack of risk, medium; environment, medium; service, low.• Project X:
How would spare capacity influence project selection decisions? What should you do with spare capacity?
Explain portfolio selection. What kinds of projects does it consider—current, proposed, or both?
What is the purpose of pre-screening in the project selection process? How does it differ from project screening?
“Some projects you simply have to do. You have no choice.” Give examples of projects where you have no choice.
What are the responsibilities of the project review board? Who are the members of the PRB?
What are the responsibilities of the project portfolio manager?
Compare the following; for each, state the focus and how it relates to projects:• Strategic management• Portfolio management• Gating methodology.
Is it poor practice to do the easiest projects first (“pick the low-hanging fruit”)?
What is a project portfolio? How do project portfolios differ from programs?
What are four or five main features of project portfolio management?
7. The case illustrates the phase-gate process. What are the phases and gates? Why do you think the program is managed in this way?An example of program and project management at NASA is the hypothetical Mercury Exploration Program (MEP) for sending a series of three flyby space probes to the

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