16 Jan Question 28 Specific features are created

BUS375 Project Management

Week 1 Discussion

You as a Project Manager

Many of you may believe that you have never worked in project management, but in reality, most of you have already at some point in your life. Think back to a time when you organized a key event (e.g., birthday parties, weddings, yard projects, house renovations, family vacations, projects at work) that meets the definition of a project.

Describe the event you planned.

Summarize the things that went well and / or things that went wrong.

Be sure to reference some of the key skills covered from the chapter.

BUS375 Project Management

Week 2 Discussion

Project Structure

You have been hired to lead a project (e.g. a relocation of a corporate HQ office), similar to this project: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/digger/wp/2016/10/18/marriott-to-move-headquarters-to-downtown-bethesda/?utm_term=.721d2114db06. As the Project Manager, you know it is important get the project off to a good start. You are working with your Project Sponsor to decide on the optimal project management structure for this project. You are confident that either a dedicated project team structure or a matrix structure will work for the project, but the Project Sponsor thinks either will fail. Describe how you will reassure him that either structure will be successful.

BUS375 Project Management

Week 3 Discussion

Developing Your Project Scope

You have now completed the charter for your office relocation project. The Project Sponsor wants to expand the scope of the project, but you are hesitant to do so per the constraints in place. One reason the sponsor is looking to expand the scope is because of a financial incentive for him. Discuss why increasing the scope of this project is not a good idea. If you must increase scope, what additional considerations (i.e., costs, timeline) must be given to accomplish this scope change?

BUS375 Project Management

Week 4 Discussion

Your Project Budget

Now, it is time to estimate your project’s budget. Your Project Sponsor has set a limit on the amount of money you can spend. You know your budget will exceed that limit. Using the information covered in the required readings, describe the importance of properly establishing a project budget and what controls you can implement to keep your budget in check.

BUS375 Project Management

Week 5 Discussion

Dedicated or Non-Dedicated Resources

You are now deciding on resources for a project team. Some of the resources you are planning to add reside outside of the US. You selected them because of their expertise with similar projects. You were able to convince your project sponsor on a structure, but he is not sold on dedicated resources. Using information from the readings, which set of resources will you choose? Or, will you choose a combination of both? Why?

BUS375 Project Management

Week 6 Discussion

Project Challenge – Schedule Change

Your Project Sponsor and customer are impressed with your project schedule, but due to some factors out of your / their control, you’ve been told to deliver your project early. Using the information from the readings, explain how you would go about assessing the possibility of delivering your project early. How will that affect scope, costs, and schedule?

BUS375 Project Management

Week 7 Discussion

Being a Leader for Your Project

As we learned in Week 6, your Project Sponsor informed you that you have to deliver your project much sooner than anticipated. When you break the news to your team, they are not happy with the decision for they are concerned that the project will now fail. Using the information that you learned from readings, what can you do as a leader to ensure your project team that this is the right thing to do? What will you do to motivate them?

BUS375 Project Management

Week 8 Discussion

Adding New Resources to Your Project

You have added some new staff, including an outside partner to your project team, to help you reach your new deadline. They have very little understanding of your project and you don’t have a lot of time to educate them on the project’s specifics. Describe how you plan to incorporate them as members of your project as well as how to get them up to speed on your project.

BUS375 Project Management

Week 9 Discussion

Educating Your Project Sponsor on EVM

Your Project Sponsor is not familiar with earned value management (EVM). You have been asked to provide him with a quick overview of EVM. Using the information covered in the readings, suggest the top three (3) EVM performance measures you would educate your Project Sponsor on. Also, identify other performance factors beyond EVM that you would communicate to your sponsor. Provide a rationale for your selection of topics.

BUS375 Project Management

Week 10 Discussion

We are done! Not so fast!

You have now delivered the project to your customer. The project was delivered ahead of schedule, as requested by your project sponsor, but over budget by 20%. Now, it is time to reflect on what went well and what didn’t go so well. Based on feedback throughout the course, what would you have done differently in terms of scope, resources, and / or schedule, and why?

BUS375 Project Management

Week 11 Discussion

What’s Next?

You have reached the end of this course. Many of you took this course as part of your concentration in project management while others took it as an elective. What are the top three things that you learned about project management that you did not know?

BUS375 Project Management

Week 4 Assignment 1

Initial Project Proposal

Note: This is the first of three assignments which, as a whole, will cover all aspects of the project life cycle relevant to your selected project.

You have been selected to be the Project Manager (for a project of your choice). The project that you decide to use should meet the key criteria of a project, such as (a) having a beginning and an end; (b) results in something being delivered to someone; (c) requires a series of activities that must be done to complete the project; and (d) requires resources (e.g., people, materials) to complete the work. The project can be one of a personal or professional nature and must last for at least nine (9) months. NOTE: You are prohibited from using projects that can found on the Internet, including projects found in places like CourseHero. All project submissions are submitted to Safe Assign for review.

Instructions:

In Assignment 1, you will write a three to four (3-4) page paper, in which you define the scope of your chosen project. In your paper you must:

Provide a brief summary of your chosen project.

Describe at least two (2) project goals and two (2) project objectives.

Describe the project structure that you will use to manage the project.

Identify the key customer(s) and at least two (2) stakeholders for your project. Discuss their roles and their impact to the project. Remember, you are delivering the project to your customer(s); however, there are others (stakeholders) who have a vested interest in your project.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

This course requires use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different than other Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details.

Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Analyze the key concepts, processes, and components of project management.

Develop a project plan including the critical elements of project scope and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

Click here to view the grading rubric for this assignment.

BUS375 Project Management

Week 8 Assignment 2

Assignment 2: Revised Project Proposal

Due Week 8 and worth 150 points

Your Project Sponsor has reviewed your project proposal and has asked that you make some changes to it.

Instructions:

In Assignment 2, you will provide a four to six (4-6) page paper, in which you must:

Provide a summary of your project.

Update the goals and objectives based upon his feedback as well as add two more goals & objectives. NOTE: Use your professor’s feedback to update your goals & objectives.

Describe at least three (3) key milestones and /or deliverables for your project.

Describe a high-level timeline that includes key tasks and deadlines.

Estimate the project’s overall cost and any key staffing and non-staffing resources needed.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

This course requires use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different than other Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details.

Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Analyze the key concepts, processes, and components of project management.

Develop a project plan including the critical elements of project scope and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

Develop a process for managing & controlling a project.

BUS375 Project Management

Week 10 Assignment 3

Project Execution, Control, & Closure Proposal

Your Project Sponsor has approved your project proposal and has asked you to come up with a proposal for the execution, control, and closure for the project.

Instructions:

For this assignment, you will provide a four to six (4-6) page paper, in which you must:

Provide a brief summary of your chosen project.

Identify and discuss your project’s greatest challenges (at least three) and provide a recommendation for addressing each of the challenges.

Examine how you manage your project performance via Earned Value Management (EVM). Identify at least three key EVM metrics you will use for your project.

Discuss your plan to properly close your project when it is over.

Use at least three (3) academic resources for this assignment. These resources should be related to your chosen project and the content provided in Assignment 3. Note: Wikipedia and other websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

This course requires use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different than other Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details.

Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Analyze the key concepts, processes, and components of project management.

Develop a process for managing & controlling a project.

Develop a process for measuring the progress of a project in order to determine its effectiveness.

Develop a process for coordinating project closure and determining the project’s effectiveness

Click here to view the grading rubric for this assignment.

BUS375 Project Management

Quiz 1

Question 1 Which of the following is NOT one of the driving forces behind the increasing demand for project management?

Question 2 As the number of small projects increase within an organization’s portfolio, what is a challenge an organization faces?

Question 3 Which of the following activities is NOT considered a project?

Question 4 Project management is being driven by

Question 5 A series of coordinated, related, multiple projects that continue over an extended time period and are intended to achieve a goal is known as a

Question 6 Two dimensions within the project management process are

Question 7 Which of the following activities is the best example of a project?

Question 8 Project management is important to understand when people are a part of a project team because they

Question 9 Corporate downsizing has increased the trend toward

Question 10 Which of the following is typically the responsibility of a project manager?

Question 11 When it comes to project prioritization, senior management is responsible for

Question 12 Typically, a project sponsor is

Question 13 Which of the following is NOT one of the characteristics of effective objectives?

Question 14 All of the following are symptoms of organizations struggling with strategy disconnect and unclear priorities EXCEPT

Question 15 Which of the following is NOT true about organizational politics?

Question 16 The following are responsibilities of the governance team when managing a portfolio system EXCEPT

Question 17 In order to formulate strategies that align with the mission some of the activities the organization will need to perform are

Question 18 Project managers who understand the role that their project plays in accomplishing the organization’s strategy will be inclined to do all of the following EXCEPT

Question 19 Why do project managers need to understand their organization’s mission and strategy?

Question 20 Which of the following terms is often used to denote a project that a powerful, high-ranking official is advocating?

Question 21 Which of the following is NOT true regarding organizing projects within a matrix arrangement?

Question 22 Which of the following cultural characteristics relates to the degree to which groups within the organization are encouraged to operate in a coordinated or independent manner?

Question 23 Which of the following combinations represents the extremes of project organization?

Question 24 Which organization’s culture is NOT a culture a project manager has to be able to operate in or interact with?

Question 25 Which of the following cultural characteristics relates to the degree to which employees identify with the organization as a whole rather than with their type of job or field of professional expertise?

Question 26 Which of the following is a disadvantage of a projectized organization?

Question 27 Bill is working on a project involving the upgrading of a management information system. The project is being managed by the information systems department with the coordination of other departments occurring through normal channels. He is working in a ________ organization.

Question 28 Factors in identifying cultural characteristics include all the following EXCEPT

Question 29 Which of the following is an advantage of a functional project management organization?

Question 30 Which structure would be most appropriate for developing a new, highly innovative product that has strict time constraints?

BUS375 Project Management

Quiz 2

Question 1 How is project scope defined?

Question 2 The WBS is best suited for projects that have a tangible outcome. Which of the following is used when the final outcome of the project is less tangible or is a product of a series of steps or phases?

Question 3 All of the following are ways the WBS helps in managing projects EXCEPT

Question 4 The ________ is used to assist in making project trade-offs among schedule, budget, and performance objectives.

Question 5 When work packages are integrated with organizational units, a control point is created called a

Question 6 Jose is looking at a document that outlines the specific deliverables and sub-deliverables required to complete the writing of a technical support manual. He is most likely viewing the

Question 7 Which of the following is a good example of a Process Breakdown Structure?

Question 8 A Responsibility Matrix will clarify

Question 9 There are 5 steps involved when defining a project; which of the following is the second?

Question 10 All of the following are usually included in a work package EXCEPT

Question 11 Which of the following does NOT help describe a bottom-up estimating approach?

Question 12 Janet is forecasting how much money her department needs to support a new project. She estimates that two people and $25,000 in expenses will cover her needs. Because management typically insists on reducing forecasts by 20 percent, she increases her estimates to allow for that reduction. Which of the following factors is illustrated in this situation?

Question 13 Benefits of Reference Class Forecasting include

Question 14 Laura is forecasting the time and cost of developing an intranet for a new customer. Her department has completed six such intranets for customers during the last two years. Although the proposed system is about the same size as the others, she estimates that it will take about 10 percent less time and money. Which of the following methods is she using?

Question 15 Refining estimates may be necessary for a number of reasons. For example, people working on prototype development needing time to interact with the design engineers after the design is completed is a good example of

Question 16 Typical kinds of costs found in a project include all of the following EXCEPT

Question 17 Learning curves are more likely to be applied in situations where most of the costs are

Question 18 Which of the following is a good condition for bottom-up estimating?

Question 19 The salary of the project manager would be an example of what type of cost found in a project?

Question 20 Reasons why estimating time and cost are important include all of the following EXCEPT

Question 21 Activities which can take place at the same time are termed

Question 22 Tom is responsible for ordering hardware for a custom home his company is building. The contractor installing the hardware is scheduled to start in 5 working days, but the hardware is on backorder and will not arrive for another 9 working days. Fortunately, Tom has 10 days of slack; however, he shares this slack with the hardware installer. He will have to let the contractor know that the hardware will be ready 4 days later than expected and that the slack for the installer has been reduced by 4 days. Tom and the installer share 10 days of

Question 23 When creating a project network, your primary input will be the

Question 24 When completing a backward pass, you carry the LS to the next preceding activity to establish the LF, unless the next preceding activity is a burst activity, in which case you select

Question 25 The assumption that all immediate preceding activities must be 100% complete is too restrictive in some situations. When an activity is broken down into smaller segments in order to start the succeeding activity sooner, this is called

Question 26 Which of the following is NOT one of the basic rules to follow when developing project networks?

Question 27 Bill is building a project network that involves testing a prototype. He must design the prototype (activity 1), build the prototype (activity 2), and test the prototype (activity 3). Activity 1 is the predecessor for activity 2 and activity 2 is the predecessor for activity 3. If the prototype fails testing, Bill must redesign the prototype; therefore, activity 3 is a predecessor for activity 1. This is an example of

Question 28 After the total slack for each activity is identified, the project manager can more easily identify the ________.

Question 29 ________ activities are to be completed immediately following a particular activity.

Question 30 ________ activities must be completed immediately before a particular activity.

BUS375 Project Management

Quiz 3

Question 1 Including the change control system within the ________ is a key to a successful project.

Question 2 The chances of a risk event occurring as a project proceeds through its life cycle tend to

Question 3 Adopting proven technology instead of experimental technology in order to eliminate technical failure would be an example of which risk response?

Question 4 Purchasing an accident insurance policy would be an example of responding to a risk by ________ it.

Question 5 This response allocates some or all of the responsibility of realizing the identified Opportunity for the project.

Question 6 The risk associated with the unlikelihood that one of the key members will be struck by lightning would most likely be handled by which of the following?

Question 7 The initial step in the risk management process is to

Question 8 Which of the following is NOT one of the potential responses to a specific risk event?

Question 9 Tools such as a risk assessment form and a risk severity matrix are used to

Question 10 The cost impact of a risk event occurring as a project proceeds through its life cycle tends to

Question 11 A special truck that George needs on his project has been scheduled on another project. This is an example of what type of resource constraint?

Question 12 Technical constraints have been carefully considered when developing a project network. Which of the following is true at this point?

Question 13 In reviewing the status of her project with top management, Shirley was told that there are only two programmers that she can use for her project. Her project is classified as ________ constrained.

Question 14 Most of the scheduling methods available today require the project manager to classify the project as either ________ constrained or ________ constrained.

Question 15 While balancing assignments, a project manager must also balance:

Question 16 When there are not enough people, money, and/or equipment available for a project it is known as being

Question 17 In a resource-constrained project, which of the following is most likely to be changed?

Question 18 All of the following are benefits of scheduling resources before project implementation EXCEPT

Question 19 Susan is to conduct environmental testing but the chamber cannot hold all the equipment that she wants to test. This is an example of a constraint that could impact the sequence and timing of activities in a project network. What type of constraint is it?

Question 20 All of the following are types of resource constraints EXCEPT

Question 21 Cost slope can be determined by dividing the

Question 22 Reducing project duration

Question 23 Before crashing, direct costs for an activity represent normal costs, which typically mean low-cost, efficient methods for completing the activity in a(n) ________ amount of time.

Question 24 As a project is crashed and project duration is reduced, indirect costs typically

Question 25 Which of the following is NOT considered a project indirect cost?

Question 26 All of the following are disadvantages of scheduling overtime EXCEPT

Question 27 In selecting the best activity to crash you would first select the activity with the

Question 28 The relationship between the normal point and the crash point is assumed to be

Question 29 Without any formal planning, the president of a software company remarks in a speech that new technologically advanced software will be available in one year. This may lead to a project that must be done faster than anticipated. This is an example of reducing project duration caused by

Question 30 The direct cost for completing an activity in the shortest time it can realistically be completed in is called its ________ cost.

BUS375 Project Management

Quiz 4

Question 1 Networks are mutually beneficial alliances that are generally governed by the law of

Question 2 The second ring in the network of relationships for project managers includes all of the following EXCEPT

Question 3 The key to exercising influence is

Question 4 In terms of commonly traded organizational currencies, providing friendship, giving emotional backing, and listening to others’ concerns and issues are examples of ________-related currencies.

Question 5 Project success or failure often is reliant upon the contributions of all of the following groups of stakeholders EXCEPT

Question 6 In terms of commonly traded organizational currencies, sharing personnel, undertaking unwanted tasks, and providing technical knowledge are examples of ________-related currencies.

Question 7 Which of the following groups of stakeholders place constraints on project work such as requiring permits to be secured, that work is built to code, or that safety standards are met?

Question 8 The closest relationships in a project network of relationships are between the project manager and

Question 9 Stakeholders such as human resources, information systems, purchasing agents, and maintenance are typically classified as

Question 10 When managing stakeholders, a project manager should

Question 11 During which stage of team development do close relationships develop and the group demonstrates cohesiveness?

Question 12 When project managers reduce the intensity of the conflict by smoothing over differences or interjecting humor when dysfunctional conflict arises, they are attempting to ________ the conflict.

Question 13 Sam is the coach of a high school soccer team and has noticed that some close relationships have formed as well as feelings of camaraderie and shared responsibilities for the team’s success. Which stage of development is the team in?

Question 14 During the delivery phase of a project’s life cycle, the most significant source of conflict is

Question 15 All of the following have been found to be good for running effective project meetings EXCEPT

Question 16 Experience and research indicate that high-performance project teams are much more likely to develop under all the following conditions EXCEPT

Question 17 When reaching a decision during the group decision-making process, the project manager must build a consensus among the group and can do this by all of the following EXCEPT

Question 18 When project teams get too used to not having to go through normal approvals to get things done, this is called

Question 19 The project manager must quickly establish operational ground rules for how the team will work together. These include planning, tracking, managing change, and relationship decisions. Which of the following is an example of a planning decision?

Question 20 During which stage of team development do team members establish ground rules and try to find out what behaviors are acceptable and what performance expectations are?

Question 21 In regard to outsourcing, the MOST effective way to avoid problems with schedules and deadlines is to

Question 22 Outsourcing project work requires

Question 23 Outsourced projects are susceptible to conflicts since people are unaccustomed to working together. Which of the following is a primary control mechanism for dealing with and resolving problems?

Question 24 Customer satisfaction can be quantified by

Question 25 Which of the following is NOT a reason to have a BATNA?

Question 26 The following are ways a project manager can manage a customer’s expectations and perceptions EXCEPT

Question 27 Which of the following is suggested as the best target for a customer satisfaction ratio?

Question 28 Which of the following is part of the traditional approach to managing contracted relationships?

Question 29 Advantages to outsourced project work can include

Question 30 When you call your Internet provider to solve a technical problem and you end up talking to a technician in India or Romania, you have just experienced

BUS375 Project Management

Quiz 5

Question 1The earned value of a project is the

Question 2 The final step in the project control process for measuring and evaluating project performance is to

Question 3 Of the following costs, which are NOT included in baseline?

Question 4 The start of a task may be moved on a Tracking Gantt due to

Question 5 The third step in the project control process for measuring and evaluating project performance is to

Question 6 Sally receives the following information on her project: PV = 100, AC = 75, EV = 100. How well is the project doing in terms of budget?

Question 7 Nancy tells her supervisor that as of right now, $1.05 worth of work has been accomplished for each $1 worth of scheduled work. Nancy got this information from viewing the

Question 8 The value that tells you the planned value of work that has actually been completed is the

Question 9 Jessica just received the following information on her project: PV = 200, EV = 300, AC = 250, BAC = 1500, EAC = 1208. In terms of cost at completion.

Question 10 A reason that the duration on a task may differ from an original duration on a Tracking Gantt chart could be

Question 11 Each retrospective is assigned a(n) ________, typically a team member who is very interested in and familiar with the retrospective. This individual will serve as the contact point for anyone needing information relating to the retrospective.

Question 12 When conducting post-project audits, this is one of the main tools that a facilitator uses.

Question 13 Project closures can fall into all of the following categories EXCEPT

Question 14 An analysis carried out during and shortly after the project life cycle that attempts to capture positive and negative learning is represented in which of the following?

Question 15 The purpose of project evaluation is to assess how well

Question 16 The following are distinguishing characteristics of retrospectives methodology EXCEPT

Question 17 ________ of lessons learned are designed to improve performance on current and future projects.

Question 18 Which part of the final report is designed to be the most useful on future projects?

Question 19 Which of the following summarizes project performance and provides useful information for continuous improvement?

Question 20 Which part of the final report presents major improvement actions that should be made?

Question 21 A learning approach to teach cross-cultural fluency that involves raising affective responses by the trainer to elicit cultural insights is known as the

Question 22 If a construction company in Dallas builds a bridge in Houston, the project would be classified as

Question 23 Government corruption and political stability are examples of which of the following environmental factors?

Question 24 When you begin to lose confidence in your ability to communicate and work effectively in the different culture, you are in which of the following stages of culture shock?

Question 25 Concern about the local restrictions on toxic waste would be classified as which of the following environmental factors?

Question 26 Which of the following is NOT true of a development team using Scrum methodology?

Question 27 Agile methods can be used on larger scale projects in which several teams are working on different features at the same time. In practice this condition is called

Question 28 Specific features are created using Scrum methodology according to four distinct phases. Which of the following places these phases in the correct order?

Question 29 When considering traditional versus agile project management, all of the following are part of the agile project management model EXCEPT

Question 30 The ________ is the customer’s prioritized list of key features desired when the project is completed.