Application of Project Management
Question 1 (20 points) Your Score:
You are a PMP just hired to serve as the head of a project management office for a large, international corporation. The company is organized as a matrix organization and is in the planning phase of an extensive program consisting of multiple interrelated projects. The teams which are assigned to these projects are dispersed in offices in a dozen different offices in Asia, Europe, North, and South America.
The program manager invites you to a breakfast meeting along with two of the senior business managers who are significant stakeholders in the project.
“We would like to pick your brain,” says the program manager as you settle in at a vacant seat at the conference room table with a mug of coffee and a bagel. “The last time I led a program like this, I was extremely frustrated by the lack of effective communication within and across the project teams.”
“For that project, the company provided us with access to a full-featured intranet, access to Microsoft Project Enterprise Edition with licenses for everyone on the project, teleconference lines, and WebEx accounts. The project managers worked up and implemented a complete communication plan using all of this technology and a detailed status reporting schedule. We held frequent meetings throughout the entire initiative.”
The program manager ruefully shook his head. “Despite all of that, I found myself continually being surprised by bad news almost as soon as the project began.” He nods at the business managers sitting around the table. “We’ve decided we don’t want to go through that kind of experience again. We’ve brought in different project managers this time, and they have put together another, similar project communications plan. We would also like to hear your thoughts about how best to promote effective communication for a program like this. What should we be looking out for, and what other things should we be thinking about?
How would you respond?
Response Question 1
Project management is crucial to attain and accomplish an implemented project in organizations. Effective and efficient communication between the team managers involved in the entire process is vital in the achievement of the mission. Usually, plans contain various means which are managed by different project managers simultaneously. Therefore, effective communication is required by the multiple project manager in sharing crucial information related to the project and how to improve and minimized potential risk (Project Management Institute, 2017). Various strategies can be applied accordingly to promoting the perfect sharing of information. Provision of conducive and free-space communication will play a significant role in ensuring the concern project managers can freely share vital information and provide better suggestions to better the communication plan.
Furthermore, feedback analysis is an essential technique that can be applied in the promotion of precise communication—understanding the real issues facing the project and availability for assistance in case of any challenge encountered with the project. Communication will ensure problems encountered are dealt with and handle accordingly. As a result, PMBOK indicates that the project managers will be able to maintain and sustain the project running as they can access vital information. Moreover, improved communication has a higher chance of increased success and accomplishment of several projects since the project can be finished within the allocated time. Considering the nature of communication strategy which utilized technology in the majority of its parts, concerning projects managers are subjected to widespread challenges. For example, managers are required to master the skill necessary to operate and communicate effectively using the technology introduced.
Application of the concept of mutual understanding between the various managers in the project will mean the success of the project. Quick response in areas where the managers face challenges will mean smart solutions and intervention. Hence, the reduced incidence of potential risk that is inevitable in management theories. Constant assessment and evaluation of the ongoing project and communicating results to the involved project managers will ensure the project is accomplished in the required manner.
Question 2 (20 points) Your Score:
You have just been hired as a project manager for a medium-sized company.
On your first day at the company, Rodrigo, a senior vice president, brings you into his office after introducing you to some of his other direct reports. After some friendly chatting about how your onboarding process is going, he asks you for advice about what he considers to be his biggest headache.
“Our company has grown dramatically over the past five years. We’re proud of our success, and it’s due in large part to the commitment of our people to delivering good work,” he begins, then pauses for a moment. “The problem is that as we’ve grown, we have to take on more and more projects to support that growth.”
He continues, “It was simple when we were a dozen people working together on everything, even though we all had to work extremely hard. In the beginning, we had to focus intensely on getting major initiatives completed to survive as a firm. We aren’t facing life-or-death situations anymore, but it seems every time I turn around, someone wants to get started on another project. Right now, anyone who has an idea for a project pitches it to me verbally, and I tell them whether they should get started on it or not.”
“Some of my decisions have paid off, but too many haven’t. Our company president told me we need to do a better job of deciding what we should and shouldn’t do. What would you suggest we do before approving a project, and how would it help us?
What would you recommend to Rodrigo?
Response Question 2
Business organization success much depend on how effective an organization manages and eliminates the challenge of risks associated with the business nature. Therefore, project managers are tasked with a great job of ensuring each project proposed is worked out to completion and success. As a result, this will play a crucial role in ensuring the company acquires more net profits and success in the highly competitive global market. Usually, for business organizations to attain a high level of success, they must work hard to ensure they increase their productivity rate through the completion of various projects within a short time (Project Management Institute, 2017). Hence, managers should be well equipped with a vast knowledge of deciding which projects have a higher rate of success to accomplish and, at the same time, avoid or minimize associated risk factors.
Furthermore, PMBOK suggests that project managers should develop fundamental skills and knowledge in deciding on projects with high chances of success before approving the project. As a result, this will play a significant role in ensuring the company avoids unnecessary risks and but instead concentrate on maximizing the outputs in terms of profits. Additionally, the senior president should introduce a system of project approval from the board members’ committee. Incorporation of such strategies will increase the chance of deciding on the most promising projects to undertake in the bus. Besides, the company needs to advance from medium size to larger size through ensuring it only targets projects that are attainable within the given time and budget. Avoiding misleading decisions will save and increase the effective rate of the business as well as the limited resources. Project managers should be keen on how their hand over the proposed projects to the senior president to ensure they provide enough ample time to review the plan before arriving on the final decision.
Question 3 (20 points) Your Score:
You are working in a project management office for a Fortune 500 company. Your job is to provide advice to project teams that undertake a variety of large and small projects. One day, you are contacted by Neil, a novice project manager who is part of a team working on an extensive and complex software project. The project is of such an enormous scale that the team expects to contract a lot of the work out to third party vendors.
“I could use some advice,” Neil sighs. “The lead project manager for the project has assigned me to handle procurement management planning for the project. As she suggested, I put together a team of people to work on developing our procurement approaches.”
“The team has been debating the kinds of contracts we should be putting together for the project. We are going to need to hire at least one vendor to handle some complex software development for some key subsystems. Joe, the representative from the finance department, is adamant that all of the procurement contracts we create will be what he called ‘firm fixed price’ contracts. He said the company had been burned too many times by cost overruns on vendor contracts, and the CFO has had enough.”
“Neither the lead project manager nor I have had many experiences with procurement. We thought it would be best to talk with you before we discuss this with Joe again. How do you think we should respond?”
What advice would you give Neil?
Response Question 3
The vast number of business organizations are always under risk associated with poorly planned and managed projects with results in failure and eventually affecting the business negatively in terms of finance. Therefore, project managers, as well as project advisors, should be extra keen and alert in terms of advice and decisions they settle on. In such a scenario, for example, various appropriate procurement strategies need to be implemented as soon as possible, as suggested by PMBOK. Proper procurement management will indicate and promise the success of the projected project. The selection of a more experienced team to handle procurement planning will play a vital role in ensuring the company avoids the incidence of cost overrun, which negatively affects the progress of the company in terms of growth and accomplishment.
Cost reduction is an essential element that the project managers in charge of the procurement planning should consider throughout all processes incurred in conducting the project. As a result, the most efficient and effective cost reduction strategies will ensure the company minimizes cost and increase output in terms of net profits, therefore, propelling successful accomplishments of the projected planned projects (Project Management Institute, 2017). Moreover, a risk management strategy is another tactical strategy to employ in attaining a successful procurement plan. Various studies have indicated that poor risk management has been among the causes of projects and, ultimately, business failure in most organizations over the world. Therefore, proper handling of the issue of risk will mean the company will be able to handle most of its projects successfully.
Project managers should ensure they have assessed the cost and all resources required to accomplish the project without overspending. Furthermore, both the project managers and advisers should ensure they maintain total quality management throughout the entire project to avoid any form of associated risk. Consequently, this will ensure the company uses only the allocated budget to accomplish a particular project and saving on any potential risk associated with project accomplishments. Poor management has brought much organization to the ground due to organizations engaging in failed projects that will result in tremendous losses.
Question 4 (20 points) Your Score:
You are a project manager in an information technology delivery unit of an organization that adopted highly detailed predictive project management processes several years ago. They are required for all projects, and while they are expected to be tailored for each project, their use is carefully audited by members of the organization’s project management office (PMO). A strategic technology investment committee oversees all technology projects and approves the project management approaches used on them.
One afternoon, you are called into a conference room for a meeting with Ali, the head of the PMO, and Gabriela, the new director of software development. You notice that many of the other project managers employed in the unit are also in attendance.
Ali calls the meeting to order and begins to talk. “Thanks to all of you for coming. As you may know, Gabriela joined our group recently, and she is getting ready to kick off a new project which is intended to develop a next-generation knowledge management portal for us. I’ve explained how we prefer to use our waterfall SDLC on all of our software projects. She’s told me she would like to use Scrum for this project. I’ll let her tell you more about it.”
Gabriela smiles and says, “That’s right, Ali! I earned my Certified Scrum Master credential three years ago and led several Scrum teams at my old company. The knowledge management portal project is expected to involve a lot of innovation, so I think an agile approach would be best.”
Ali looks around the room at all of the project managers. “I’ve told Gabriela I’m willing to consider the use of Scrum,” he says, “but this is a large, highly visible project. I’ve expressed my concerns to her, but I thought I should discuss this with all of you. Should we try Scrum on this project? What considerations should we take into account in making a recommendation to the strategic technology committee?”
What answer would you give to Ali and Gabriela?
Response Question 4
Project managers are faced with the tactical task of selecting and recommending the best and most effective project for consideration in proposal and implementation. As a result, they should be much alert on factors to consider concerning a proposed strategy to ensure the company can attain and accomplished the proposed project without incurring any risk. Therefore, the project managers need to conduct a critical analysis review concerning the proposed Screw project in the company. Various features such as the compatibility of the software with the current system, cost and general cost of maintenance, and prospects of how the software will play in transforming the company forward in terms of technology should be keenly reviewed (Project Management Institute, 2017).
Furthermore, consideration of the nature of the scrum work framework, which is highly effective in team management, promises positive results in project management. Usually, most of the successful projects depended on proper management. Vast studies have indicated numerous successes and accomplishments that Scrum has played in propelling effective team management in an organization and, eventually, success (Project Management Institute, 2017). Application of Scrum ensures that the committed team will require no push and supervision in conducting their various task and, as a result increasing the rate of project success. Moreover, the technique of self-regulatory and responsibility employed in Scrum project management will mean a higher chance of success as the project will run within the stipulated time frame. The three characteristics of adaptation, inspections, and transparency will offer more top opportunities for acceptance by the investment committee teach who is mainly in charge of technology advancement. Scrum projects cultivate a culture of experience and practical application rather than a mare utilization of unproven theories in a real and actual scenario. Therefore, these several characteristics of the Scrum project will play a significant role in convincing the investment committee to adopt the proposed project plan.
Question 5 (20 points) Your Score:
You are a project manager who works on the Technology Project Oversight Committee (TPOC) for Omni-Corp, a Fortune 500 company. TPOC includes a team of senior managers empowered to oversee the organization’s project portfolio management (PPM) processes for the company’s information technology projects. These processes have been in place for over a decade. Due to a retirement within the past two months, a new manager named Lillian has come aboard the committee. She had been given access to a knowledge portal containing historical project portfolio management historical data. Lillian has significant expertise in one of the company’s primary service areas, but little prior experience with technology projects.
Lillian approaches you a couple of days before the first monthly TPOC meeting she will attend. “I have to confess I’m a bit surprised by the project success data I’ve seen in the reports for the past view years. It looks like the failure rate for our technology projects is running around 30%,” she remarks.
“Look at the report on this project to create a new product last year. The project was canceled only two months after it started, with over 80% of its budget left unspent. I would have thought we would demand a 100% success rate. For anything less than that, I’d expect us to either make drastic changes to the way we run projects or even start replacing personnel. How are we getting away with this?”
What would you say to Lillian?
Response Question 5
Every success on every started project requires crucial strategies to ensure it is started and completed within the projected time. Hence, the three techniques of precisely understanding the purpose, application of effective communication, and appropriate facilitation are crucial to achieving success in any project as recommended by PMBOK. Therefore, for the Omni-Corp company to ensure and increase the success rate in most of its technology projects, various strategies should be incorporated while carrying out the entire process. For example, PMBOK suggests that the company should select the most qualified and experienced personnel to carry out specific projects. As a result, such a strategy will play a vital role in ensuring the project is completed within the required time with no or little risk.
Furthermore, the reduction of works in progress, as well as maintaining a high level of focus and concentration on the project, is essential. Besides, this will ensure any impeding challenges incurred are handled and corrected timely, hence, avoiding the incidence of problems advancing to levels where it cannot be managed due to late response (Project Management Institute, 2017). Moreover, clarification of project scope will eventually result in success as the projects will be approached using the best approaches. For instance, the application of Scrum methodology in planning and implementing the plan will mean an increased chance of accomplishment. Additionally, consistently follow up, and assessment on how the project is being undertaken is crucial as it enables timely action in case of any challenge encountered in the process. Concerned project managers should hold a regular meeting to discuss and share any impending problems faced and how to avoid them during the implementation of the technology project (Project Management Institute, 2017). Flexibility in terms of change is crucial as it enables the managers to change the initial plan to fit the current change encountered while conducted the projected project. Relying on more advice from the more experienced senior managers in the same field will promise the high chance of accomplishing the project.