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) which 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.
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on how their project could have been improved.
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Week 2 Discussion: Developing Your Project Scope
You have been hired to lead a project (the project of your
choice). As the project manager, you know it is important to get the project
off to a good start. Using the tools provided in the required readings, provide
a quick summary of your project, including the scope and objectives of your
project. Be sure to include a high-level WBS for your project.
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on any recommendations to their project.
Week 3 Discussion: Your Project Budget
Last week, you were given the mantles of a project. You have
properly defined your project. Now, it is time to estimate your budget. Using
the information covered in the required readings, describe the budget you will
need to support your project as well as how long it will take to complete it
(using the materials we covered this week).
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their budget recommendations.
Week 4 Discussion:
Communicating Your Project Plan
You have added some new staff to your project team. 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. Using the tools provided in Online Lecture 1, describe how you plan
to get your new staff members up to speed on your project.
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their resource recommendations.
Week 5 discussion
Dedicated or Non-Dedicated Resources
You are now deciding on resources for a project team. You
have a choice to staff a team of resources who will be dedicated (or allocated)
100% to the project, or staff a team of resources who will be dedicated (or
allocated) part time to your project; however, they will dedicate 100% to the
activities you assigned them. Using information from the readings, which set of
resources will you choose? Or, will you choose a combination of both? Why?
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their resource recommendations.
Week 6 Discussion: Managing Risks
You are ready to move forward with your project, but you
realize you have not done a good job in identifying risks for your project.
Using information that you learned from both online lectures, describe a key
risk (either one that is technical, external, or organizational) that could
impact your project. Then, recommend a risk response for it.
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their risks and the response chosen to address it.
Week 7 Discussion: Project Challenge – Schedule Change
Your business 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?
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their recommendations.
Week 8 Discussion: Being a Leader for Your Project
As we learned in Week 7, your business sponsor and customer
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 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?
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their recommendations.
Week 9 Discussion: Educating Your Business Sponsor on EVM
Your business 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 online readings, suggest the top
three (3) EVM performance measures you would educate your business sponsor on.
Provide a rationale for your selection of topics.
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their EVM suggestions.
Week 10 Discussion: We are done! Not so fast!
You have now delivered the project to your customer. 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?
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their recommendations.
Week 11 Discussion: What’s Next?
Suppose you have graduated from Strayer University with your
degree and you have been working in the management field for at least five (5)
years. During your five (5) years, you have worked on a variety of projects.
Now, you are thinking you are ready to pursue a certification in project management,
but you are not sure which one to get. After visiting the PMI certification
website, you see several certification options. Select the certification that
would most interest you and explain why you chose such a certification.
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their selection and rationale.
Assignment 1
MS Project Familiarization
Due Week 3 and worth 90 points
Prior to completing the assignment, be sure to review the
selected MS Project tutorial videos located in Week 2 of the Blackboard online
course.
Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you summarize
your thoughts on Microsoft Project:
Give your opinion on how easy or difficult MS Project seems
to be from a user experience standpoint.
Suggest at least two (2) challenges you foresee in using MS
Project in this course.
Describe why it is important to use a tool like MS Project
instead of using other tools (e.g., MS Word, MS Excel) to manage and track your
schedule.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting
requirements:
Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12),
with one-inch margins on all sides.
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.
Assignment 2
Project Proposal
Due Week 6 and worth 150 points
You have been selected to be the project manager (for a
project of your choice). The project you choose here will be used again in
Assignment 4 (Week 6) and you may be asked to reference this project in
subsequent weekly discussions. 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.
Write a two to three (2-3) 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 three (3) project goals and three (3)
project objectives.
Identify the key customer(s) and at least two (2)
stakeholders for your project. Remember, you are delivering the project to your
customer(s); however, there are others (stakeholders) who have a vested
interest in your project.
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.
Examine your project’s greatest challenge and provide a
recommendation for addressing the challenge in question.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting
requirements:
Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12),
with one-inch margins on all sides.
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.
Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality,
logic/organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the
following rubric:
Points: 150
Assignment 2: Project Proposal
Criteria
Unacceptable
Below 60% F
Meets Minimum Expectations
60-69% D
Fair
70-79% C
Proficient
80-89% B
Exemplary
90-100% A
1. Provide a brief summary of your chosen project.
Weight: 12%
Did not submit or incompletely provided a brief summary of
your chosen project.
Insufficiently provided a brief summary of your chosen
project.
Partially provided a brief summary of your chosen project.
Satisfactorily provided a brief summary of your chosen
project.
Thoroughly provided a brief summary of your chosen project.
2. Describe at least three (3) project goals and three (3)
project objectives.
Weight: 13%
Did not submit or incompletely described at least three (3)
project goals and three (3) project objectives.
Insufficiently described at least three (3) project goals
and three (3) project objectives.
Partially described at least three (3) project goals and
three (3) project objectives.
Satisfactorily described at least three (3) project goals
and three (3) project objectives.
Thoroughly described at least three (3) project goals and
three (3) project objectives.
3. Identify the key customer(s) and at least two (2)
stakeholders for your project.
Weight: 13%
Did not submit or incompletely identified the key
customer(s) and at least two (2) stakeholders.
Insufficiently identified the key customers and at least two
(2) stakeholders.
Partially identified the key customers and at least two (2)
stakeholders.
Satisfactorily identified the key customers and at least two
(2) stakeholders.
Thoroughly identified the key customers and at least two (2)
stakeholders.
4. Describe at least three (3) key milestones and /or deliverables
for your project.
Weight: 13%
Did not submit or incompletely described at least three (3)
key milestones and /or deliverables for your project.
Insufficiently described at least three (3) key milestones
and /or deliverables for your project.
Partially described at least three (3) key milestones and
/or deliverables for your project.
Satisfactorily described at least three (3) key milestones
and /or deliverables for your project.
Thoroughly described at least three (3) key milestones and
/or deliverables for your project.
5. Describe a high-level timeline that includes key tasks
and deadlines.
Weight: 13%
Did not submit or incompletely described a high-level
timeline that includes key tasks and deadlines.
Insufficiently described a high-level timeline that includes
key tasks and deadlines.
Partially described a high-level timeline that includes key
tasks and deadlines.
Satisfactorily described a high-level timeline that includes
key tasks and deadlines.
Thoroughly described a high-level timeline that includes key
tasks and deadlines.
6. Estimate the project’s overall cost and any key staffing
and non-staffing resources needed.
Weight: 13%
Did not submit or incompletely estimated the project’s
overall cost and any key staffing and
non-staffing resources needed.
Insufficiently estimated the project’s overall cost and any
key staffing and non-staffing resources needed.
Partially estimated the project’s overall cost and any key
staffing and non-staffing resources needed.
Satisfactorily estimated the project’s overall cost and any
key staffing and non-staffing resources needed.
Thoroughly estimated the project’s overall cost and any key
staffing and non-staffing resources needed.
7. Examine your project’s greatest challenge and provide a
recommendation for addressing the challenge in question.
Weight: 13%
Did not submit or incompletely examined your project’s
greatest challenge and did not submit or incompletely provided a recommendation
for addressing the challenge in question.
Insufficiently examined your project’s greatest challenge
and insufficiently provided a recommendation for addressing the challenge in
question.
Partially examined your project’s greatest challenge and
partially provided a recommendation for addressing the challenge in question.
Satisfactorily examined your project’s greatest challenge
and satisfactorily provided a recommendation for addressing the challenge in
question.
Thoroughly examined your project’s greatest challenge and
thoroughly provided a recommendation for addressing the challenge in question.
8. Clarity, writing mechanics, and formatting.
Weight: 10%
More than 8 errors present
7-8 errors present
5-6 errors present
3-4 errors present
0-2 errors present
Assignment 3
Greendale Project ReDux
Due Week 8 and worth 90 points
This assignment consists of two (2) parts: a project
schedule, and a written response. You must submit both parts as separate files
for the completion of this assignment. Label each file name according to the
part of the assignment it is written for.
Part A: Project Schedule
(Submit as one [1] Microsoft Project file)
Create a multi-level work breakdown structure (WBS) and
detailed project schedule, using the information from the “Greendale Stadium
Case” located at the end of Chapter 6, and incorporating the following
constraints.
Note: When you create your MS Project schedule, you will
need to update your project per the following constraints:
The project must consist of at least twenty (20) tasks.
Each task must have a start and finish date that matches the
duration noted in the assignment.
Each task must be assigned to a resource (e.g., Demolishing
Crew; Construction Crew; Landscaping Crew).
Assume that the crew works during normal weekdays (no
weekend work) under normal conditions (8 hours per day).
In terms of holidays, you can assume no work will be done
the following days: New Year’s Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Good Monday,
Friday before Memorial Day, Memorial Day, the business day before Independence
Day, Independence Day, the Friday before Labor Day, Labor Day, the day before
Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving), the
business day before Christmas, Christmas Day, the business day after Christmas
Day, and New Year’s Eve.
Part B: Written Response
(Submit as a Microsoft Word file)
Respond to the following questions in a one to two (1-2)
page paper based on your project schedule.
When will the project be completed?
What is the critical path for the project?
How much slack / float is in your project? What activities
have the greatest slack / float?
Identify the top three (3) activities that you believe could
impact the project completion date.
What additional activities you would add to this project to
make it more complete, from a project management viewpoint?
Format your assignment according to the following formatting
requirements:
Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12),
with one-inch margins on all sides.
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.
Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality,
logic/organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the
following rubric.
Points: 90
Assignment 3: Greendale Project ReDux
Criteria
Unacceptable
Below 60% F
Meets Minimum Expectations
60-69% D
Fair
70-79% C
Proficient
80-89%
Exemplary
90-100% A
Part A: Project Schedule
1a. Create a multi-level work breakdown structure (WBS) and
detailed project schedule, using the information from the “Greendale Stadium
Case” located at the end of Chapter 6, and incorporating the stated
constraints.
Weight: 55%
Did not submit or incompletely created a multi-level work
breakdown structure (WBS) and detailed project schedule, using the information
from the “Greendale Stadium Case” located at the end of Chapter 6, and
incorporating the stated constraints.
Insufficiently created a multi-level work breakdown
structure (WBS) and detailed project schedule, using the information from the
“Greendale Stadium Case” located at the end of Chapter 6, and incorporating the
stated constraints.
Partially created a multi-level work breakdown structure
(WBS) and detailed project schedule, using the information from the “Greendale
Stadium Case” located at the end of Chapter 6, and incorporating the stated
constraints.
Satisfactorily created a multi-level work breakdown
structure (WBS) and detailed project schedule, using the information from the
“Greendale Stadium Case” located at the end of Chapter 6, and incorporating the
stated constraints.
Thoroughly created a multi-level work breakdown structure
(WBS) and detailed project schedule, using the information from the “Greendale
Stadium Case” located at the end of Chapter 6, and incorporating the stated
constraints.
Part B: Written Response
1b. Respond to the stated questions in a one to two (1-2)
page paper based on your project schedule.
Weight: 40%
Did not submit or incompletely responded to the stated
questions in a one to two (1-2) page paper based on your project schedule.
Insufficiently responded to the stated questions in a one to
two (1-2) page paper based on your project schedule.
Partially responded to the stated questions in a one to two
(1-2) page paper based on your project schedule.
Satisfactorily responded to the stated questions in a one to
two (1-2) page paper based on your project schedule.
Thoroughly responded to the stated questions in a one to two
(1-2) page paper based on your project schedule.
2b. Clarity, writing mechanics, and formatting.
Weight: 5%
More than 8 errors present
7-8 errors present
5-6 errors present
3-4 errors present
0-2 errors present
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Assignment 4
Project Schedule
Due Week 10 and worth 150 points
This assignment consists of two (2) parts: a project
schedule, and a written response. You must submit both parts as separate files
for the completion of this assignment. Label each file name according to the
part of the assignment it is written for.
Part A: Project Schedule
(Submit as one [1] Microsoft Project file)
In Assignment 2, you developed a project plan. Now, using
the information from your project proposal, create a multi-level work breakdown
structure (WBS) and detailed project schedule.
Your project must include the following criteria:
The project must consist of at least twenty-five (25) tasks.
Each task must contain a start date, a finish date, and have
main staffing and non-staffing resources assigned.
Assume that your work activities are completed during normal
weekdays (no weekend work) under normal conditions (8 hours per day).
In terms of holidays, you can assume no work will be done
the following days: New Year’s Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Good Monday,
Friday before Memorial Day, Memorial Day, the business day before Independence
Day, Independence Day, the Friday before Labor Day, Labor Day, the day before
Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving), the
business day before Christmas, Christmas Day, the business day after Christmas
Day, and New Year’s Eve.
Part B: Written Response
(Submit as a Microsoft Word file)
Write a one to two (1-2) page response in which you:
Analyze your project in terms of project completion,
critical path, and slack / float. Specifically, be sure to answer the
following:
When will the project be completed?
What is the critical path for the project?
How much slack / float is in your project? What activities
have the greatest slack / float?
Summarize the recommendations or improvements you would make
to your project schedule. Specifically, be sure to answer the following:
Identify the top three (3) activities that you believe could
impact the project completion date.
What additional activities would you add to this project to
make it more complete, from a project management viewpoint?
Format your assignment according to the following formatting
requirements:
Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12),
with one-inch margins on all sides.
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.
Exam 1
Question 1 All of the following are organizational
considerations when determining the right project management structure EXCEPT
Question 2 Which of the following combinations represents
the extremes of project organization?
Question 3 At the project level, which of the following is a
factor that should influence the choice of project management structure?
Question 4 MegaComputers Inc., has assigned a project
manager for each of the five new-product teams. The managers, as well as the
project team members, work on the projects on a full-time basis. The structure
being used is ________ organization.
Question 5 Which of the following is NOT true of project
management structures?
Question 6 There are 5 steps involved when defining a
project; which of the following is the last?
Question 7 There are 5 steps involved when defining a
project; which of the following is the first?
Question 8 The ability of a 911 emergency system to identify
the caller’s phone number and location is considered to be a
Question 9 How is project scope defined?
Question 10 The first step of project scope definition is to
Question 11 One of the primary jobs of a project manager is
to manage the trade-offs associated with the project. Which of the following is
NOT one of the basic classifications of project priorities?
Question 12 Having a strong communication plan can go a long
way toward mitigating project problems. A communication plan should address all
of the following EXCEPT
Question 13 There are 5 steps involved when defining a
project; which of the following is the second?
Question 14 The lowest element in the hierarchical breakdown
of the WBS is
Question 15 The _________ is used to assist in making
project trade-offs among schedule, budget, and performance objectives.
Question 16 As the number of small projects increase within
an organization’s portfolio, what is a challenge an organization faces?
Question 17 Project management is important to understand
when people are a part of a project team because they
Question 18 In the _____________ stage of the project life
cycle, a major portion of the physical project work performed.
Question 19 Which of the following is NOT a reason why
project management has become a standard way of doing business?
Question 20 Which of these is NOT part of the
“sociocultural dimension” of project management?
Question 21 Projects should align with the organization’s
overall strategy in order to
Question 22 In the _____________ stage of the project life
cycle the project’s schedule and budget will be determined.
Question 23 Corporate downsizing has increased the trend
toward
Question 24 Project management is ideally suited for a
business environment requiring all of the following EXCEPT
Question 25 Which of the following is NOT considered to be a
characteristic of a project?
Exam 2
Question 1 Which of the following will correctly calculate
the total slack in an activity?
Question 2 Which of the following is provided by both the
project network and the work breakdown structure?
Question 3 Which of the following is NOT one of the basic
rules to follow when developing project networks?
Question 4 Which of the following is true about hammock
activities?
Question 5 Activities which can take place at the same time
are termed
Question 6 When translated into a project network, a work
package will become
Question 7 If testing cannot be completed any earlier than four
days after the prototype has been built, what type of lag exists?
Question 8 The backward pass in project network calculations
determines all of the following EXCEPT
Question 9 The requirement for a freshly poured foundation
to cure before beginning construction is an example of which of the following
type of lag?
Question 10 An activity that has more than one dependency
arrow flowing into it is termed a(n)
Question 11 If a project has more than one activity that can
begin when the project is to start, a common start node should be used to
indicate a clear project beginning on the network. Without a common start node,
each path is a
Question 12 Which of the following represents an activity on
an activity-on-node (AON) project network?
Question 13 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 14 Companies are using which of the following for
improving the estimating process for future projects?
Question 15 Which of the following does NOT help describe a
bottom-up estimating approach?
Question 16 Which of the following is NOT one of the
recommended guidelines for developing useful work package estimates?
Question 17 In practice, estimating processes are frequently
classified as
Question 18 Typical kinds of costs found in a project
include all of the following EXCEPT
Question 19 Refining estimates may be necessary for a number
of reasons. For example, a manager getting further into a project and obtaining
a better understanding of what needs to be done to accomplish a project and
meet the needs of the customer is an example of
Question 20 Which of the following would best represent
direct project costs?
Question 21 What is the relationship between organizational
culture and estimating?
Question 22 Ed is looking over the actual results of
projects and comparing them to what was estimated. He notices that the projects
that took six months or longer to complete were noticeably more off the
estimates. Which of the following factors is he recognizing?
Question 23 Sean is forecasting the time and cost of
developing a customized software program by looking at the number of inputs,
outputs, inquiries, files, and interfaces. Which of the following methods is he
using?
Question 24 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 25 Which of the following is NOT one of the
bottom-up approaches to estimating project time and cost?
Exam 3
Question 1 Which of the following is NOT one of the
potential responses to a specific risk event?
Question 2 Organizations use __________ in conjunction with
work breakdown structures to help management teams identify and eventually
analyze risk.
Question 3 The chances of a risk event occurring as a
project proceeds through its life cycle tend to
Question 4 Which of the following is NOT involved in risk
control?
Question 5 Which of the following activities might you
consider adding a time buffer to?
Question 6 Funds that are for identified risks that have a
low probability of occurring and that decrease as the project progresses are
called ______ reserves.
Question 7 _______________ focuses on how to respond to
events that have a positive impact on a project.
Question 8 The cost impact of a risk event occurring as a
project proceeds through its life cycle tends to
Question 9 The attempt to recognize and manage potential and
unforeseen trouble spots that may occur when a project is implemented is known
as
Question 10 All of the following are types of resource
constraints EXCEPT
Question 11 A project budget report is showing our project
as spending $35,000 against a budgeted amount of $40,000. Which of the
following is true?
Question 12 In a resource-constrained project, which of the
following is most likely to be changed?
Question 13 Rachel is working on a project that technically
allows three activities to be done at the same time. If they were to be
implemented at the same time, she would need 5 contractors in order for the
activities to be completed on time. There are only 3 available for her to use.
This is an example of what type of constraint?
Question 14 Which of the following is NOT a potential
consequence of failing to identify limited resources before project
implementation?
Question 15 Most of the scheduling methods available today
require the project manager to classify the project as either _______
constrained or ______ constrained.
Question 16 Why is it necessary to have a time-phased budget
baseline?
Question 17 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 18 When the project team is salaried, which of the
following is the preferred choice for accelerating project completion?
Question 19 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 20 Which of the following projects would be least
benefited if additional resources were added?
Question 21 Which o
