Public-Sector Project Management: Meeting The Challenges And Achieving Results 1st Edition David W. Wirick(auth.) - Solutions

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5. Which of the following is the best description of a project charter?It describes both the project scope and the product scope at detail level.It authorizes the project and the use of organizational resources to meet project requirements.It breaks down the project scope over several steps to
4. Standards and regulations concerning the work of the project should be taken into consideration during the planning process. All of the following are true regarding standards and regulations except:Standards and regulations are one of the elements included in the enterprise environmental factors
3. Who should always issue the project charter?A person internal to the project's organization A project initiator or sponsor A low-level manager of the performing organization A high-level manager of the performing organization
2. You've prepared the following analysis for two different projects for review by the selection committee. Project A's payback period is 8 months and its NPV is -27,000. Project B's payback period is 10 months and its NPV is 150,000. Which project should the selection committee pick?Project A,
1. While controlling quality on your projects you will monitor repetitive activities and plot sample variance measurements to determine if the product is in control(which is defined by being plus or minus three standard deviations of the mean).Which tool and technique does this describe?Scatter
For an activity represented in a cumulative production plot by a sin gle line at 60 to the vertical, how does the shape of the line change if, whenever the work is repeated, a 5% improvement occurs in the duration taken to undertake that work? Sketch graphically what is happening to the cumulative
How do you alter a cumulative production plot in order to reduce non-productive periods?
In repetitive construction, it is important to provide continuity of work for people and plant. For example in multistorey building construction it is important that the different trades when finished working on one storey have work to start on the following storey.Howdoes the cumulative production
Using a similar format to Figure 7.26, what would the program look like where a building was being demolished floor by floor, starting at the top of the building?
Search the simulation literature for pseudorandom number generators other than the one given above.
Thefollowing is a FORTRANlisting of a main program and subroutine based onthepseudorandomnumbergeneratorgiveninOtnesandEnochson(1978, p. 414).PROGRAM SIM CALL TDRAND(1,X,I)CALL TDRAND(0,X,I)END SUBROUTINE TDRAND(K,X,I)IF(K.EQ.0) GOTO 1 I =783637 1 CONTINUE I =125∗I I =I−I/2796203∗2796203
Thefollowing is a FORTRANlisting of a main program and subroutine based on the pseudorandom number generator, ri+1 = ari+c−mki where r0 =673 a=17 m=220 =1048576 and c=1.PROGRAM SIM CALL ATRAND(1,X,IR)CALL ATRAND(0,X,IR)END SUBROUTINE ATRAND(K,X,IR)IF(K.EQ.0) GOTO 1 IR =673 1 CONTINUE IA =17
Consider a triangular distribution (probability density function) for an activity’s duration as in Figure E7.1a where, t1 is an optimistic duration, t3 is a pessimistic duration and t2 is the most likely duration. Note, there is a discontinuity at t = t2. Figure E7.1b shows the associated
If a project person is trying to hide something that is his/her fault, how do you get accurately reported information on a project’s performance, especially with a large span of management? Should the people (namely the planning staff) who are going to use the project data be the ones who collect
Planning calculations indicate which are the critical activities. Following disturbance, replanning may indicate changed critical activities; some non critical activities may become critical, while some critical activities may become non-critical. How do you stop people from overreacting to such
Suggest ways of making monitoring, reporting and replanning an accepted part of the work environment.
Where do the monitoring and reporting personnel fit in the organisa tional structure of a project team?Can the monitoring and reporting be done by the planners?What communication is necessary between the monitoring and reporting personnel and the planners in order that the project plan is
Commentonthe suitability or usefulness of the following contractor’s report, as a feed into replanning. Note that a contractor’s project report is more selective than an owner’s project report.
If ascope change occurs, is it correct to regard it as being incorporated into the project? Or, does it create a new project (one with a re-defined baseline)?
For monitoring, reporting and replanning practices of which you are aware, identify their strengths and weaknesses.
The status report at the end of day 10 for a project (network shown in Figure E6.2) is given in Table E6.1.Draw a bar chart showing the original schedule and the activities as executed. Assume that the original duration estimates of the activities remain unchanged, except where noted in Table
What matters have to be taken into consideration in monitoring, reporting and replanning with respect to cost? What do you regard as the most important matter? What is commitment costing?
Given that the early players in a project have the most ability to influence the cost of a project, why is it then that examples continually occur of projects proceeding without thorough preparatory work?Is there a false economy here of project owners saving money initially in the belief that the
Theterms ‘variance control’ and ‘configuration management’ are some times used to describe the process of watching the scope (of a project). Why do some projects have a need to watch their scope? Do some contractors deliberately play for variations?
What value is there for a cumulative delay plot that is additional to a bar chart showing as-planned and actual? Or, is it redundant information?Does it give management new information?
In earned value reporting, the production/schedule variance is in a unit of money. (This may seem strange.) Why do you think this is so? How might you convert production/schedule variance to a unit of time?
Give your views on the best way of obtaining a measure of the per cent complete at any point in a project. You do not have to restrict your thinking to the rules presented above.
It is tempting to compare actual costs with the budget. Consider Figure E6.1, where the figure shows the actual cost running above the budget at the latest reporting or status date.What can be deduced from Figure 6.1 regarding:• How much is the project over- or under-spending compared with its
An owner, at pre-tender, estimates a contract package at $2.1m. The lowest bid from tenderers is $1.8m and this bid is accepted by the owner.Doesthe owner’s project manager administer the contract based on a budget of $2.1m or $1.8m? Why?
List reporting problems, other than those mentioned here, of which you are aware.
Review the information requested in any project forms to which you have access. Comment on the design of the forms and the need for more/less/alternative information.
How do you establish the best frequency of monitoring a project or activities? Do you monitor at the completion of each activity? Do you monitor after a certain time period? Other?
A work breakdown structure subdivides a project into hierarchical units of subprojects work packages activities. The end result of the work breakdown process is a collection of work units or activities of relatively short duration and of manageable size.Each activity is of a size to facilitate
Consider a project associated with a social or sporting group to which you belong. Develop a work breakdown structure for the project.Draw a responsibility chart/matrix (Chapters 3 and 7) concerning all the project participants.Draw an organisational chart identifying all the people involved.Relate
Awork breakdown structure (WBS) is chosen to suit the needs of each project. It is an accepted way of representing how a project is broken into finer components. However, it is possible to not be systematic and describe the work in an unstructured list.What is the difference between an unstructured
Howdo you know what is the lowest level to decompose a project?
Assume that you are undertaking a project of holding a technical or public seminar. Some of the more important activities would involve those related to:• Attendees (informing, handling queries, enrolling, payment)• Venue(selection– size, etc., booking, refreshments and meals, payment, room
Draw a tree diagram for the assembly of a machine or toy with which you are familiar. At the top of this diagram is the toy or machine. The next level represents subsystems; the next again level sub-subsystems and so on.The bottom level represents the individual nuts and bolts and discrete
Consider a project with which you have been involved and consider the time horizons of the programs involved. How many programs were necessary and what time horizons were used in each program?
For a project with which you are familiar, what would be the most important tasks that should be incorporated in a preliminary project pro gram/schedule?
Rank, in your opinion, the following poor practices in programs:• Toomuchor too little information• Development without foresight as to the program end-users∗• Lackof continuous updating• Theuse of unsuitable computer packages• Lack of identifying programs as part of contract
Programsareusuallypreparedwithdifferentdegreesofdetail fordif ferent end-users. For example topmanagement requiresbroadoverview information,whilepeopleat theworkfaceneedverydetailedtask-by-task information. Consider aprojectwithwhichyouhavebeen involvedandconsider thenumberof levelsofpeople
In examining some proposed forestry (timber harvesting) operations, an environmental impact statement is prepared. The main activities in this are listed in Table E3.1. The order in which the work is planned to be done is according to the network logic of Figure E3.1 Assume each of the ‘Study’
An S curve (money) represents cumulative expenditure. Why is this form of diagram preferred by industry over reporting on individual activity expenditure, much like a bar chart reports on individual activity durations?
Why might some planners dogmatically criticise activity-on-link dia grams (while stating a preference for activity-on-node diagrams), yet quite happily use bar charts?
For the following project network in activity-on-link diagram form, convert it to an activity-on-node diagram form. For convenience, activities have been listed as letters of the alphabet.A BD CF EG Convert the following project network in activity-on-node diagram form to an activity-on-link
Obtainauser’smanualforacomputerprogramthatdoesnetworkanal ysis including resource handling and overlapping relationships. Research the program input and program reporting facilities.
Someplannersinclude in their program an allowance for delays– due to weather, industrial action or other unforeseen circumstances. These delays are incorporated into programs as separate activities. The argument behind this is that the overall program should present as realistic as possible
(a) Isolate the parts of the ‘classical’ management function approach of what are categorised as ‘planning’, organising, staffing, direct ing, ‘controlling’ and coordinating that imply involvement with (i)schedule/production, (ii) money, and (iii) resources. How might this
Under what circumstances should incomes and expenditures, as shown in Figure 3.17, be plotted based on dates of anticipated transfer of funds and billings, or based on invoiced, committed or paid amounts, or other?
Project close-outs commonly have a heavy emphasis on a fixed com pletion date. Planning may be done backwards from this point. What special planning problems would this create compared to planning being done in a forward sense?
Both planning and design are inverse systems problems. Broadly, in both problems you are trying to determine the input of a system in order to achieve a desired output. This is in contrast to analysis where you determine the output of a system resulting from a given input.List the conceptual
Plot, on the following diagram, your view of planning-related tasks over the duration of projects, from the point of view of:• Theowner.• Themain contractor.Amount of planning related activities Concept Project start Development Implementation Termination Project end
The sale of something can be treated like a project. Imagine you are selling your car or house. What kind of planning would you undertake?
Project duration and cost are related. But how are they related? There is a view put forward on large projects that ‘Extra duration costs extra money. Reduced duration saves money.’ What is your view?
List possible sources of control that could be used in the follow ing situations in order that the project does not diverge further from the planned state. No change in scope is allowed. (In particular, the specifica tion cannot be altered.) No unethical practices are allowed. It is assumed that
Estimate the cost involved in the planning of a project that you are familiar with. Base your estimate on the number of planner-hours that you think are involved.Estimate the cost of delay (avoidable) in the project’s completion date by one day, one week and one month. Base your estimate on
Rank, in your opinion, the following planning-related reasons why some projects perform poorly. Use a scale from 1 to 10, with the strongest cause as 1 and the weakest cause as 10.– Inadequate period of time and effort spent on planning– Lackof ability on the part of the planner– Lackof
In what way can a plan limit flexibility in developing new ideas, stifle initiative, and focus people’s attention on the small picture at the expense of the bigger picture?
Listbenefits of thorough planning. What are the disadvantages or draw backs to thorough planning?
The question many people ask is ‘why plan?’ if plans are continu ously changing. Also some people state that they have been associated with projects where no planning was carried out and the projects were successful.How do you respond to such comments?
Lecture timetables, transport timetables, television programs, training schedules, bar charts, time-scaled networks, and cumulative production plots are all examples of ways planning information is conveyed. Why do we use one way in one situation and another way in a different situation?Examine
Consider a typical project. What form of planning might be under taken by the various project participants– owners, consultants, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers?
Look around you. The presence of planning is everywhere. Con sider how people’s routines are affected by the following end-products of planning:• What would you do without television, radio and movie pro grams/guides?• Howwouldyou like to live in a city without transport timetables?•
What is planning to you?
For a project you are familiar with, identify at least two business drivers; choose two of those drivers to create a matrix; name and explore thefourscenarioscreatedbythatmatrix;andidentifyasetof strategies for the project that are responsive to those scenarios.
For a project you are familiar with, create a social network map and analyze it. Who are the network nodes that require the most atten tion? Which nodes represent the most risk?
For a project you are familiar with, use Table 13.1 to determine its level of complexity.
Forapublic-sectorproject,identify thepotentialsourcesofchaosand complexity in it. Identify how you might react to them.
Whatbifurcation points canyouidentify inyour life? Whataboutthe point at which your child goes off to college? When your company introduces a new, unproven technology?
How would it change your management of a project to view it as a social structure? What techniques would you apply to manage that social structure?
What initial conditions might have a dramatic impact later in your projects? How do those initial conditions amplify as you attempt to manage to the project plan?
What self-organized systems have you seen develop without guid ance or intention? How could those self-organized systems confound your projects? How could you make those self-organized systems work for your projects?
Whatfactors create turbulence in your projects? What analogies can you find between the turbulence created in physical systems when high speed is combined with disruptions and the turbulence in projects?
What techniques have you used to manage the uncertainty in your projects? What techniques have been embedded in your organiza tion’s project management processes?
Foranoutsourcingrelationshipyouarefamiliarwith,createasetof mechanismsformanagingchanges
Foranoutsourcingprojectyouarefamiliarwith, identifythecom ponentsoftheSLAthatarenecessaryandcreateanSLA.
Foraprojectyouarefamiliarwith,identifyminimumrequirements forvendorsandasystemforevaluatingvendorbids. Identifythe criteriathatwill beusedtoevaluatebidsandtheweights tobe assignedtoeachofthefactors.
Foranoutsourcingarrangementyouarefamiliarwith,identifythe termsyouwouldsuggesttoyourlegaldepartmentfortheoutsourc ingcontract.
Usingthetemplateshownearlierinthechapter,createaperform anceimprovementplanforanoperationorprocess.Trytoidentify measurableoutputandoutcomeindicatorstomeasuresuccess.
What arrangements ormechanisms do youuse formanaging changes inyouroutsourcingrelationships?Howwellhave they worked?Whatimprovementscouldhavebeenmade?
Whataretheoutcomesofyouragencyordepartment?Forout sourcedoperations,whatoutcomescanbemeasured?
What challengesmight your organization faceas itmakes the conversionfromactivitytooutputandoutcomemanagement?
What termsareusedtodescribethedocumentsthatcreateand recordtheagreementbetweenyourorganizationanditsoutsourced vendors?
What cultural changes do you anticipate in your outsourcing initiativesoruseofvendorsformajorprojectdeliverables?What cultural barriershaveyou facedandwhat strategieshaveyou deployedtocopewiththem?
Whatactivitiesdoesyouragencyengagein?Whatactivitiesare monitoredormeasured?Dotheseactivitiesprovideasolidindicator ofyoureffectiveness?
Whatcriteriadoyouusetodeterminewhentobuygoodsorservices orusein-houseresourcesforyourprojects?Whatchallengeshave youexperiencedinpurchasinggoodsorservices?
What types of contractshaveyouused foryourprojects?What workedwellandwhatdidnot?Whattypesofdisputeswerecreated?
Whatminimumrequirementsdoyourequirevendors tomeet?Whatadditionalminimumrequirementsdoyouthinkmightbe useful?
What processes have youused to select vendors?Have those decisionsbeencontestedbyvendors?Whatroledo legal counsel andpurchasingdepartmentstaffplayinthepurchasingdecision?
Whatchallengeshaveyouencounteredinmanagingvendorcon tracts?Havecontractdisputesreachedthepointwherelegalaction wasrequired?Whatwastheresultandwhatlessonswerelearned?
Doyouemployabidders’conference?Howdoyoumakecertainthat allvendorsreceivethesameinformation?
Whatchallengeshaveyoufacedinworkingwithyourpurchasing agency?Whatstrategieshaveworked?
Whatnewdemandsdoyoufaceasamanager?Whatdemandsare rootedintheexpectationsofmore-seniormanagersandwhichare relatedtoyouremployeesorvendorsassignedtoyou?
Developaplanusing the template illustrated inTable11.4 for managingthelegalandadministrativeconstraintsofapublic-sector project.
Forthefivemostseriousnegativerisksthatyouidentifiedearlier, developrisk-responsestrategies. Includemoredetail thansaying,‘‘this riskwill bemitigated.’’ Instead, identifyhow itwouldbe mitigated, transferred, avoided, or accepted. Identifywhowould
Forthelistofrisksthatyouidentifiedinthelastexercise,assigna probabilityandimpactscoreandmultiplythetwotocreatearisk factor. Inaddition, identifyrisktriggers for themost significant risks,anddesignatesomeoftherisksforinclusioninthewatchlist.Usetheriskregistertemplateprovided.
Forapublic-sectorprojectyouarefamiliarwith, identifyasetof project risks. Use the risk categories you identified in the risk managementplantohelpwithyouridentification.
Foraprojectyouarefamiliarwith, createarisk-impactscalefor negative risks that fits the risk factors and tolerances of your organizationandanotherforthepositiverisks.
What other best practices can you imagine for managing the risks of public-sector projects?

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Public-Sector Project Management: Meeting The Challenges And Achieving Results 1st Edition David W. Wirick(auth.) - Solutions

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