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Solutions Manual for Project Management 6th Edition by Pinto

ISBN: 9780135421086

CHAPTERONE

Introduction Why Project Management?

ChapterOutline

PROJECTPROFILE

Case—ReimaginingaDecayingAirportasaFuturisticCity

1.1 THENEEDFORPROJECTS

1.2 WHATISAPROJECT?

GeneralProjectCharacteristics

PROJECTPROFILE

DuelingSpaceships:SpaceXvs.Boeing

1.3 WHYAREPROJECTSIMPORTANT?

PROJECTPROFILE

London’sElizabethLine:ConcludingEurope’sLargestConstructionProject

1.4 PROJECTLIFECYCLES

PROJECTMANAGERSINPRACTICE

VilmaShu,SmealCollegeofBusiness,PennStateUniversity

1.5 DETERMINANTSOFPROJECTSUCCESS

1.6 DEVELOPINGPROJECTMANAGEMENTMATURITY

1.7 EMPLOYABILITYSKILLS

1.8 AICONNECTIONS

1.9 PROJECTELEMENTSANDTEXTORGANIZATION

NewsandUpdates

Summary

KeyTerms

DiscussionQuestions

CaseStudy1.1MegaTech,Inc.

CaseStudy1.2TheITDepartmentatHamelinHospital

CaseStudy1.3Disney’sExpeditionEverest

CaseStudy1.4TheMostExpensiveVAHospitalinHistory:The$2BillionDollarScandalin Aurora,Colorado

InternetExercises

AIEngagementExercises

PMPCertificationSampleQuestions

Notes

DISCUSSIONQUESTIONS

1.1Whataresomeoftheprincipalreasonswhyprojectmanagementhasbecomesuchapopular businesstoolinrecentyears?

Intoday’smarket,thelengthofproductlifecyclesisshortening.Thismeansbusinessesare underpressuretoproduceneworimprovedproductsatanincreasinglyrapidpace.Growing globalmarkets,consumertastes,andcompetitiondemandthatproductsconstantlybeimproved tobebetter,faster,andsleekerandoffermorefeatures.Mostorganizationsareplanningtheir nextproductorproductimprovementastheirlatestinnovationisjustonitswayoutthedoor. Underconventionalbusinesspractices,keepingupwiththisdemandforinnovationcanbe difficult.Projectmanagementprovidesorganizationswithatoolkitwithwhichtoenhance innovationandaccelerateproductdevelopment.

1.2Whatdoyouseeastheprimarychallengesto introducingaprojectmanagementphilosophy tomostorganizations?Thatis,whyisitdifficulttoshifttoaproject-basedapproachinmany companies?

Manycompaniesfaceresistancetochange,whichcanmakeimplementinganewapproach,such asaproject-basedstructure,verydifficult.Employeesmustbetrainedinnewprocessesandlearn howtointegratethemintotheirexistingroles.Often,resistancearisesbecauseemployeesare hesitanttoembracemajorchangesin establishedpracticesduetouncertaintyaboutpotential outcome.

1.3Whataretheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofusingprojectmanagement?

Advantages:

 Innovative,producenewideasandnewproducts

 Gearedtowardaccomplishingaspecificgoal

 Aimedatcustomersatisfaction

Disadvantages:

 Inaccurate costestimatesduringinitialstagesmaycauseprojecttofailduetolackof resources

 Lowsuccessrateinsomeindustries

 Requiresheavycommitmentbystaff

1.4Whatkeycharacteristicsdoallprojectspossess?

Projects:

 aretemporaryoperationswithadefinedlifespan

 helpdevelopandexecuteorganizationalstrategiesandgoals

 aresourcesofinnovationandprogress

 stimulateinternalcollaborationbetweenmembers ofvariousfunctionalareas

 arelimitedbyresourceandtimeconstraints

 endwhenobjectivesaresuccessfullyreached

1.5Describethebasicelementsoftheprojectlifecycle.Whyisanunderstandingofthelife cyclerelevantforourunderstandingofprojects?

Theprojectlifecycleincludesthestagesoftheproject’sdevelopment.Thebasicelementsofthe cycleinclude:

 conceptualization:outlinesprojectgoal,scopeofwork,identifiesrequiredresourcesand stakeholders

 planning:specifications,timetables,andotherplansarecreated;workpackagesare brokenout;assignmentsaremade;andprocessforcompletionisdefined

 execution:actualworkofprojecttakesplace,majorityofteamworkisperformed,and, characteristically,majorityofcostsareincurred

 termination:projectiscompletedandpassedontocustomer,resourcesarereassignedand teammembersdisbanded

Projectlifecyclesserveasavaluableframeworkfordeterminingthescopeandresource requirementsofspecificprojects.Byclearlydefiningaproject’slifecycle,organizationscan identifypotentialchallengesandpitfallsearlyintheprocess.Morebroadly,understanding projectlifecyclesenhancesawarenessofhowprojectsoperatewithinanorganizationandhow theydifferfromtraditionalcorporateprocesses.

1.6Thinkofasuccessfulprojectandanunsuccessfulprojectwithwhichyouarefamiliar.What distinguishesthetwo,bothintermsoftheprocessusedtodevelopthemandtheiroutcomes?

Thisquestionisintendedforclasseswithstudentswhohavehadsomeexperiencewithprojects inthepast.Itseekstogetthemtoexaminethecausesofsuccessandfailurefromtheirown experience.Instructorsshouldthenbegindevelopingalistofthevariouscausesofsuccessand failureasapointofdiscussion.

1.7ConsidertheExpeditionEverestcaseattheendofthechapter:WhatelementsinDisney’s approachtodevelopingitsthemeridesdoyoufindparticularlyimpressive?Howcanafirmlike Disneybalancetheneedforefficiencyandsmoothdevelopmentofprojectswiththedesiretobe innovativeandcreative?Basedonthiscase,whatprinciplesappeartoguideitsdevelopment process?

ThiscaseletsstudentscommentontheparticularlyappealingelementsinDisney’sproject managementapproach,forexample,theirattentiontodetailandwillingnessnottocutcornersin termsofcostorschedule tomakesurethattherideoffersamemorableexperience.Theneedto balanceefficiencyandcreativityisaninterestingonebecauseitgetstotheheartofprojecttradeoffs.Therearealwaysmoretripstobetaken,moretimetobespent,moreartifactsthatcanbe gatheredtocontinuously“tweak”theride;however,ultimately,theymustalsoadheretoarolloutschedulethatgetstheprojectcompleted.Howmuchisenough?Howmuchistoomuch? Theseformthebasisofgreatin-classdiscussions.Finally,itisimportanttogettheclassto considerotherfactorsthatmustweighintoprojectdevelopmentdecisions,likesafetyand generalappeal.Forexample,creatingaridethatistoointenseforyoungchildrenwouldviolate Disney’s“kidfriendly”philosophy.Likewise,allnewridesmustfirstbecompletelysafeforthe passengers,so anydesignissuesalwaysmustbesubordinatedtosafety.

1.8ConsiderthesixcriteriaforsuccessfulITprojects.WhyisITprojectsuccessoftenso difficulttoassess?Makeacaseforsomefactorsbeingmoreimportantthanothers.

ITprojectsuccessisoftendifficulttoassessbecausethecriteriaforsuccess—systemquality, informationquality,use,usersatisfaction,individualimpact,andorganizationalimpact—arenot easytoaccuratelymeasure.Customerfeedback relatedtousersatisfaction,systemquality,and impactmayvaryfromusertouser. Forinstance,whilesomeoneininsuranceclaimsmayfind thesystemuserfriendlyandbeneficialtoeverydaytasks,anemployeeinactuarymayfindit cumbersomeanddifficulttonavigate.WhenitcomestoITprojectsandthecriterionabove,user background,training,andexperiencecouldgreatlyaffectthesuccessrateoftheproject.These factorsmaynotbefullyknownduringinitialplanningandimplementationstages.

However,criteriasuchassystem/informationqualityandusemaybeeasiertoassess.Theteam shouldbeabletodeterminewhetherthedesignedsystemmeetsthespecificationsofthe customer.Allspecificationsshouldhavebeendeterminedfromthebeginning,soupon completiontestrunsshoulddetermineifthesystemmeetsqualitystandards.Intheareaofuse, followingimplementation,inmostcases,itispossibletotrackuse.Dueto theirabilitytobe moreconcretelymeasured,thesefactors,combinedwiththeoverallsatisfactionofthecustomer, maybemoreimportantindeterminingsuccessoftheprojectthanothermorearbitrarymeasures.

1.9Asorganizationsseektobecomebetteratmanagingprojects,theyoftenengagein benchmarkingwithothercompaniesinsimilarindustries.Discusstheconceptofbenchmarking. Whatareitsgoals?How doesbenchmarkingwork?

Benchmarkingcompares theperformanceofacompanytothatofindustrycompetitorsandin somecases,forinstance,whereproceduresorfunctionsaresimilar,tothatofsuperior performersinotherindustries.Tosetbenchmarks foracompany,firstaleaderintheindustryis selected.Then,thecompanygathersdataofthatleader’sperformancemeasures.Thedatais

analyzedandgapsbetweentheleader/benchmarksandthecompanyarenoted.Thecompany thensetsgoalsandstrivestomeetthebenchmarkingstandards.Thegoalofbenchmarkingis, therefore,toseekoutweakperformanceareaswithinthecompanyandsetgoalsfor improvement.

1.10Explaintheconceptofaprojectmanagementmaturitymodel.Whatpurposedoesitserve?

Implementingprojectmanagementoccursinphasesovertime.Companiesevolvethroughstages ofprojectmanagement.AProjectMaturityModelisastructuredframeworkusedtoassessand improveanorganization’scapabilityinmanagingprojectseffectively.Maturitymodelsprovidea startingpointforcompaniesnewtoprojectmanagement.Projectmaturitymodelsoffer businessesawaytomapoutnecessarystepstobecomingcompetitivethroughproject-based work.Maturitymodelsassessaspecificcompany’scurrentpractices (relatedtoprojects), establishthecompany’spositioninrelationtoitscompetitors,andprovideguidelinesfor improvement.Theyuseindustrydatatoestablishaseriesofbenchmarks.Basedonindustry competitors,theycanthendeterminestagesrequiredaswellashowquicklyacompanyshould develop.Thecompanycanthenfollowthemodeltoachievethehighestlevelofabilityineach pertinentprojectmanagementarea.

1.11CompareandcontrastthefourprojectmanagementmaturitymodelsshowninTable1.3. Whatstrengthsandweaknessesdoyouperceivein eachofthemodels?

Thefourmodelseachusefivelevelsbeginningwithaninitialadhocorsporadicuseofproject managementandendingwithafullyintegratedprojectmanagementsystemwithemphasison innovationandcontinuousimprovement.Othersimilaritiesamongthemodelsincludean elementofbenchmarkingoruseofindustrystandardstomeasureprojectmanagement performance.Themodelsdovaryontherelativepaceofinnovation.Forinstance,theESI’s InternationalProjectFrameworkdevelopsmoreslowlyinearlystagesthanthatofKerzner’s ProjectManagementMaturityModel.Inaddition,somemodelsfocusmoreonlearningwhile othersaremoredirectedatcontrol.Kerzner’sdiscussestrainingandcurriculumwhileSEI’s CapabilityMaturityModelIntegrationoutlinesstepsforcontrolandassessmentofresults.

CenterforBusinessPractices

Strengths:Itismappedoutatanappropriatepace;therearenobroadleapsfromonestagetothe next.Also,itemphasizestheroleofprojectmanagementascorporateprocesses,whichmeans projectmanagementbecomespartoftheworkingfirm,notjustpartofthejobdutiesofaspecific grouporteam.

Weaknesses:Thismodellacksdirectioninmanagementtraining.Itreferstomanagement awarenessandsupport,butdoesnotmentiontrainingorformaltraining.

Kerzner’sProjectManagementMaturityModel

Strengths:Kerzner’sdoesamuchbetterjobofdesignatingatwhatlevelsmanagersneedtobe trainedorcurriculumdeveloped.

Weaknesses:Benchmarkingdoesnotcomeinuntillevel4,whichmaybealittlelate.Afirmin thismodelwouldhavealreadyintegratedprojectmanagementprocesses;tryingtomakeany significantadjustments(inaccordancewithbenchmarkingfigures)afterthisintegrationmaybe difficult.

ESIInternational’sProjectFramework

Strengths:Thismodelhastwostrongqualities.Thefirstisitsovertemphasisoninnovationand continuousimprovement.Secondly,themodelemphasizestheneedforintegrationand understandingthroughoutthefirm.

Weaknesses:Themovementbetweenlevels1through3maycauseproblemsforafirm.Inlevel 1,processesareill-definedandhavelittleorganizationalsupport;thischangeslittleasthe corporationmovestolevel2,whichhasnoprojectcontrolprocesses.Then,inlevel3,processes aretailored.Giventheundefinednatureofprocessespriortolevel3,itmaybehardtoreachthis goalinitially.Thismaycausecompaniestobecomestalledinlevel3.

SEI’sCapabilityMaturityModelIntegration

Strengths:Qualityisatopconcerneveninearlystagesofthismodel.Analysisandinsurance proceduresaredevelopedatdifferentstagestoensurestandardsaremet.

Weaknesses:Ontheotherhand,theattentiontotestingmayalsohinderprojectmanagement integration.Theremaybeanoverabundanceofmeasurestocontrol,analyze,andqualifyinthis system.Whilequalityisofimportance,theleveloftimecommitmenttothoseproceduresmaybe thecruxofthismodel.Teammembersmaybecomefrustratedwiththeprojectprocessifthey(or theirwork)areconstantlybeingmeasured,tested,andre-measured.

CASE STUDIES

CaseStudy1.1MegaTech,Inc.

MegaTech,Inc.,isdesignedtohighlightsomeofthereasonswhyanorganizationthathad operatedinarelativelystableandpredictableenvironmentwouldseektomovetoanemphasis onproject-basedwork.ThetriggereventinthiscaseistheadventoftheNAFTAtreaty,which openedupcompetitiononamoreprice-competitivebasis.

Questions

1.WhatisitaboutprojectmanagementthatoffersMegaTechacompetitiveadvantageinits industry?

Projectmanagementtechniqueswillallowthefirmtocombinetheadvantagesofinternal efficiencywithexternal(environmental)responsiveness.Forexample,itwasdeterminedthat successfulfirmsofferfrequentproductupdates,whichMegaTech’smovehasallowedthemto exploit.Ithasalsopromotedateam-basedatmospherethatisencouragingcooperationandunity ofeffortamongthedifferentfunctionaldepartments.

2.WhatelementsofthemarketplaceinwhichMegaTechoperatesledthefirmtobelievethat projectmanagementwouldimproveitsoperations?

Theintense,newcompetitivenatureofthemarketplaceimpelscompaniestofindnewmethods forcompetitiveadvantage.Withmanynewcompetitorsandseriouspricepressure,successwill requirefirmstobefasttomarket,holdthelidoncosts,andofferfrequentupgradesandnew products—allwhileencouraginganatmosphereofrisktakingandcooperation.

CaseStudy1.2TheITDepartmentatHamelinHospital

TheITDepartment caseshowstheprevalenceofprojectsinsettingsthatareperhapsnotas obvious(inthiscase,alargehospital).Thecaseisdesignedtogetstudentstounderstandthe ubiquitousnatureofproject-basedworkinourmodernpublicandprivateorganizations.Italso demonstratescareerpathsandhowsuccessfulworkonprojectsisoftenrewardedwithcorporate success.Projectsarenot adistractionoraside-line;theyaretheprincipalmeansbywhichtheIT department’soperationsaredemonstrated.

Questions

1.Whatarethebenefitsanddrawbacksofstartingmostnewhiresatthehelpdeskfunction?

Mostnewhiresstartatthehelpdeskfunction,wheretheycanbecomefamiliarwiththesystem, learnaboutproblemareas,becomesensitivetouser’sfrustrationsandconcerns,andunderstand howtheITdepartmentaffectsallhospitaloperations.Studentsmayalsonotethatthough

mundane,workingatthehelpdeskforcespeopleto“paytheirdues”bydemonstratingtheir commitmenttotheorganizationpriortobeingtrustedwithenhancedresponsibilities.

2.Whatarethepotentialproblemswithrequiringprojectteammemberstobeinvolvedin multipleprojectsatthesametime?Whatarethepotentialadvantages?

Oneseriousdisadvantageisthatitstretchesdepartmentalresourcesverythin;peoplecanbe involvedinmultipleprojectsandarelikelytostartlettingcommitmentsslipiftheyarenot careful.Also,itisoftendifficulttomovefromassignmenttoassignmentquicklyandseamlessly. Instead,teammembersexperiencetimeswhentheyarenotproductiveastheytryandmultitask acrossseveralprojectsatonce.Amongtheadvantagesarethatthisconfigurationallowsthe projectteammemberstoworkwithmanydifferentpeople,includingseveralprojectmanagers, experiencingdifferentmanagerialstylesandinterpersonalrelationships.Italsokeepsteam membersinteresthighbecausetheirinvolvementinmultipleteamsandprojectsensuresthatthey donotbecomeboredbyroutine.

3.Whatsignalsdoesthedepartmentsendbymaking“projectmanager”thehighestposition inthedepartment?

ThemainsignalistheideathatthecareerpathforsuccessfulITprofessionalsrunsdirectly throughproject-basedwork.Theycannotbesuccessfulinthisorganizationunlesstheyare competentatfirstservinginandthenrunningprojects.

CaseStudy1.3Disney’sExpeditionEverest

TheExpeditionEverestcaseisanexampleoftheextremeattentiontodetailthatDisneypaysin alloftheirrides.Theirmanagementisa combinationofcarefulplanningcoupledwiththe imaginationandknackforvisualeffectsforwhichthecompanyiswellknown.Thecasetellsthe storyofthedevelopmentoftheride,thenumerousstepsDisneywentthroughtogeteverydetail asaccurate aspossible,andreflectsontheiroverallapproachtoprojectmanagement.

Questions

1.SupposeyouwereaprojectmanagerforDisney.Basedontheinformationinthiscase, whatdoyouthinkthecompanyuseswhendesigninganewride?Thatis,howwouldyou prioritizetheneedsforaddressingprojectcost,schedule,quality,andclientacceptance? Whatevidencesupportsyouranswer?

ThecaseclearlyshowsthatDisneymakesitsprioritiesqualityandclientacceptance.Giventhe industrytheyarein,theymustfirstensurethatalltheirridesaresafeandof thehighestquality (customersexpectnothinglessfromtheDisneyname).Becausetheseissuesareparamount, concernswithcostandschedulearesecondaryconsiderations.Toillustratethispriority,consider themultipletripsthatDisneyImagineerstooktoNepaltogatherlocalartifacts,checkthe

topography,andbuildingstyles,andotherstepstoensureaccuracy.Thesecomeatacostbutto Disney,theoveralleffectisworthit.

2.WhyisDisney’sattentiontodetailinitsridesunique?Howdotheyusethe“atmosphere” discussedinthecasetomaximizetheexperiencewhileminimizingcomplaintsaboutlength ofwaitfortheride?

Disneyisinterestedincreatingmorethansimplyaride;theyseektoprovidetheircustomers withanexperience.Inordertomaximizethiseffect,theattentiontodetail,includingthe ancillarybuildingstheyconstructandthewayinwhichthegroundsareprepared,is alldesigned todistractthecustomerfromthesometimelengthywaitfortheride.ThebetterableDisneyisto developthissenseofoverallatmosphere,themoretheircustomerswillfindtheridememorable andtheiroverallsatisfactionwithDisneywillbethatmuchhigher.

CaseStudy1.4TheMostExpensiveVAHospitalinHistory:The$2BillionScandalin Aurora,Colorado

ThiscasefollowsthedisastrousrecordoftheFederalGovernmenttryingtobuildaVAhospital inAurora,Coloradoandthemanychallengesthatwereexposedbecauseofhugecostoverruns andscheduledelays.Governmentprojectshavehadacheckeredhistoryand thecaseidentifiesa handfulofexamplesbeforediscussingtheAuroraVAHospitalindetail,includingatimeline spanningnearly20yearsfromthedeterminationthatanewhospitalwasneeded,tothefinal opening.Thecasealsoinvestigatesanumberofreasonswhygovernmentprojects,suchasthe AuroraVAHospital,arepronetotheseproblems,withalaundrylistofissuesthatroutinelypop up,including(1)lackofconsequencesforusingbudgetsinefficiently,(2)thedifficultyin discipliningfederalemployeesincasesofclearmisbehavior,and(3)persistentlyunrealisticand lowbiddingbycontractorswhoknowthatoncetheprojectisapproved,overrunswill automaticallybecovered.Studentsenjoythecaseasanexampleoffailure,butalsoitrequires themtoreflectonhowtheymightproposeuseful solutionstothesechallenges.

Questions

1.GiventhechallengesofmanaginglargepublicprojectslikeAuroraVAHospital,how mightyousuggestcreativewaystominimizecostoverrunssuchasthisprojectexperienced?

Thisquestionisintendedtodemonstratetostudentsthewaythatprojectmanagementrequiresus tocarefullyplantheprojectfront-end,developacoherentgoalorsetofgoalsfortheproject,and makesurethatthesegoalsarewidelyunderstood.Oneoftheproblemswiththisprojectwasthat ascostscontinuedtorise,theprojecthadtobere-evaluatedandthescopeadjustedmultiple timestocutcosts,whileoverall,theproject’scostscontinuedtoballoon.Italsorequiresstudents toconsidertheproblemwithoversightinsuchlargeprojectsandthewayunscrupulous contractorscantakeadvantageofthesituationtounderbidbecausethereislittlepenaltyfor overrunningabudgetoncetheprojectin“onthebooks.”

2.Successfulprojectmanagementrequiresclearorganization,carefulplanning,andgood execution.Howwastheabsenceofeachofthesetraitsshowninthisexample?

TheAuroraVAHospitalcaseoffersgreat examplesoftheneedtocarefullyorganizeavarietyof differentcontractorsandotherstakeholders,toensurethateveryoneisworkingtowardthesame goals.Theoriginalplanforthehospitalgrewandbecamemoreelaborateandexpensiveasthe projectprogressed.Meanwhile,thekeycontractorshadtypicallyunderbidinordertowinthe work,knowingthatforgovernmentcontracts,therewaslittleincentivetoholddowncostsafter thefact,astheseprojectsweretypicallyallowedtospinoutofcontrolbutstillproceed.Thecase examinesthreewaysinwhichwasteisallowedtocontinueduringproject execution,asitisrare forgovernmentemployeestobehelddirectlyaccountableformisunderstandings,scopechanges, orcostoverruns.Asthecasenotes,once“thehole hasbeendug,”projectoversightistypically perfunctoryandinsufficienttokeeptheseprojectsonscheduleandonbudget,tothedetrimentof theirfinalpricetagandcapabilities.Allinall,thisisagreatcaseexampleillustratingwhy projectmanagementissuchachallengeandthemyriadissuesandgroupsthateffectiveleaders mustmanageforprojectsuccess.

3.ConsiderthealternativeargumentthattheVAhospitalcouldbeconsideredasuccessstory whenwefactorintheideasof“impact”and“value.”Isthereamiddlegroundbetween efficiency(doingaprojectright)andeffectiveness(doingtherightproject)?

Thisquestionrequiresto thinkaboutprojectsuccessasmorethanjustthetripleconstraintof time,cost,andquality,whichareusuallyconsideredthemeasuresofprojectmanagement efficiency.Bythesecriteria,theAuroraVAHospitalwasanexpensivefailurebutwhenwe considertheprojectinthelargercontextofsocietalvalueorcreatinganimpact,theresultis muchlessclear-cut.Hospitalsofferimportantsocialbenefits,and,onthiscriterion,itcouldbe arguedthattheprojectsuffered“short-termpainforlong-termgain.”Thisquestionisan excellentopportunitytocreateadebateamongmembersoftheclassregardingtheoften-murky natureofprojectsuccess.

INTERNETEXERCISES

1.1ThelargestprofessionalprojectmanagementorganizationintheworldistheProject ManagementInstitute(PMI).GotoitsWebsite,www.pmi.org,andexaminethelinksyou find.Whichlinkssuggestthatprojectmanagementhasbecomeasophisticatedandvital elementincorporatesuccess?Selectatleastthreeoftherelatedlinksandreportbrieflyon thecontentoftheselinks.

Answer:LookunderPMIforOrganizations.Seethemanyareaswhereprojectmanagement canhaveagreatimpact,includingGovernment,AcademicInstitutions,Non-profit OrganizationsandNGO’s,Humanresources,and Marketing.

Threerelatedlinksinclude:



https://www.pmi.org/certifications/project-management-pmp

https://www.pmi.org/certifications/certified-associate-capm

 https://www.pmi.org/certifications/agile-acp

Eachoftheselinkstakesthereadertovariouscertificationsthatcanaddvaluetotheirresume andassistthemontheircareerjourney.

1.2GotothePMIWebsiteandexaminethelink“Membership.”Whatdoyoudiscoverwhen youbeginnavigatingamongthevariouschaptersandcooperativeorganizationsassociated withthePMI?Howdoesthisinformationcauseyoutorethinkprojectmanagementasa careeroption?

Answer:PMIoffersvarioustypesofmemberships,andevenmembershipforstudents.Thereisa longlistofbenefitsfromjoiningPMI,includingwaystoenhanceyourcareergrowthpotential throughskilldevelopmentandfreeanddiscountedprofessionaldevelopment(seecertifications).

1.3Gotohttp://www.pmi.org/business-solutions/case-studiesandexaminesomeofthecases included.Whatdotheysuggestaboutthechallengesofmanagingprojectssuccessfully?The complexityofmanyoftoday’sprojects?Theexcitingbreakthroughsoropportunitiesthat projectsallowustoexploit?

Answer:Thereisaninterestingcasestudythatresultedfroma2021disasterinBritish Columbia,Canada. AtragicweathereventcalledanatmosphericriverflowedacrossBritish Columbiacausingsevereflooding,landslides,andbridgescollapsing.Townswerecutoff andtravelersstranded.TheMinistryofTransportationandInfrastructurereliesonproject managementtoassistwithawiderangeofprojectsfromhighwayimprovementtopublic transportation.Inthisparticulardisaster,theMinistryturnedtoprojectmanagementto identifycriticalpaths,createaworkbreakdownstructure,implementcommunication protocols,conductariskassessment,andmanagecontributorsandvariousstakeholders.

1.4Usingyourfavoritesearchengine,typeinthekeywords“project,”“projectmanager,”and “projectmanagement.”Randomlyselectthreeofthelinksthatcomeuponthescreen. Summarizewhatyoufind.

Answer:For“ProjectManager”

 Indeedsurfaceswithlotsofavailablejobopportunities

 Alinktosoftwaresolutionsathttps://www.projectmanager.com/ For“ProjectManagement”

 Alinktoprojectmanagementtools

1.5GotothelinkfromtheSoftwareEngineeringInstituteofCarnegieMellonUniversityat https://resources.sei.cmu.edu/asset_files/SpecialReport/1994_003_001_16265.pdfandaccess thesoftwareprocessmaturityquestionnaire.WhataresomeofthequestionsthatIT companiesneedto considerwhenassessingtheirlevelofprojectmanagementmaturity?

Answer:

 Iscorrectiveactiontakenwhenactualresultsdeviatesignificantly(Comments: fromtheproject’ssoftwareplans)?

 Issomeoneontheprojectassignedspecificresponsibilitiesfortrackingsoftware workproductsandactivities(e.g.,effort,Comments:schedule,andbudget)?

 Aretheactivitiesforsoftwareprojecttrackingand oversightreviewedwithsenior managementonaperiodicbasis(e.g.,Comments:projectperformance,open issues,risks,andactionitems)?

AIENGAGEMENTEXERCISES

1.1AccessChatGPToranothergenerativeAItool.Giveittheprompt:“Whyisproject managementsocriticalforworldeconomies?”Whichofthesereasonsdoyoufindmost importantandwhy?

Answer:InnovationandTransformation:Allindustriesneedinnovationandtransformationto growandsucceed.Industrieslikehealthcare,finance,andtelecommunicationsevolvethrough projects.Projectmanagementensuresthatinnovationmovesfromideatolarge-scale economic impact.

1.2AccessChatGPToranothergenerativeAItool.Giveittheprompt:“Howdowedefinea ‘successfulproject’?”Notethewiderangeoffactorsthatdetermineasuccessfulproject.Do youseeanyproblemswiththislist;forexample,howlongmightittaketo determineifa projecthassuccessfullydelivered“value”forcustomers?Whatisthedangerinassessing projectsuccesstooearly ortoolate?

Answer:A“successfulproject”canbedefinedinseveraldimensions,sincesuccessgoesbeyond justfinishingontime.Traditionally,projectsuccessisjudgedbythe“IronTriangle”(time,cost, quality),butmoderndefinitionsarebroader—thatis,BusinessandStakeholderSuccess;Long-

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