Important: Students are requested to read widely and answer the following questions on project management. Furthermore, students are required to integrate theory and practise in their answers. The examiner will take into consideration the links between theory and practice and finally the synthesis of the discussion. Students should support their discussions with tables, figures and graphs where possible.

Consider the scenario that you are a project manager in the South African department of human settlements. The minister of human settlements, Lindiwe Sisulu has summoned you to her office to discuss a high profile RDP (reconstruction and development programme) project in Soweto. The project entails the building of five hundred (500) new low cost homes on a demarcated piece of land. This project has arisen due to an outcry by the United Nations Human Rights Council. The houses are for destitute families that have been waiting for homes for 20 years, and have been living in conditions that are inhuman. The spotlight is on South Africa as this issue has made headlines around the world and in order to make up for the grief that these families are experiencing, minister Lindiwe Sisulu needs to deliver on this mandate within time, cost, resources and quality. You have six months to deliver this project and failure is not an option. You are required to undertake some research in order to understand the construction of houses from a project perspective. This will help enhance the application of project theory to the construction of the houses. Analyse the following questions and develop your response to each one by clearly showing how you will manage the project using sound project management principles.

Note: students are required to read beyond the scope of the scenario and module guide to answer the questions that follow. Foundations of literature include primary and secondary sources.

Questions:

QUESTION 1 (18)

After your appointment as a project manager, the minister has called a meeting with you in order to ascertain a sense of what your duties entail as a project manager. This is an opportunity for you to showcase the importance of a project manager. Use this opportunity to discuss the role of a project manager in managing projects and reiterate how you will apply the role of a project manager to ensuring that you prudently manage this high profile project.

QUESTION 2 (18)

In your meeting with the minister she requested that you provide her with a plan that outlines the project success and failure considerations. She is concerned that previous projects failed due to ignorance of the project possible successes and failures. Discuss the project success factors that you will consider and the basic causes of project failure in order to convince the minister that you are capable of delivering on the project.

QUESTION 3 (18)

In addition to the project success and failure identification that the minister has requested for, she also asked that you detail the project lifecycle to her. Discuss the steps in the lifecycle of your project so that the minister can understand the process involved in the delivery of the project.

QUESTION 4 (18)

As the appointed project manager you have summoned your team to a project meeting to discuss the associated risks. Advise your team on the project risk management process they should employ in order to manage the risks associated with the project.

QUESTION 5 (18)

Project Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully. The minister has reiterated that there is zero tolerance on scope creep for this project. Her mandate is to support you in all areas in order to deliver the project within scope. Discuss the scope management process that you will adopt so that you can assure the minister that the project scope will be well managed.