Can you think of a local public project that had significant cost overruns like the Portland Tram project?
> Suppose instead of assigning Bjorn’s work to Thor, you have the opportunity to hire two new plumbers to perform Bjorn tasks (shortening them by 50 percent). What would the new project estimated completion date be? Show your work.
> Bjorn and Thor are plumbers who have been scheduled to work on the construction of a new school building. Just before the start of the project, Bjorn broke his arm and cannot work on the project. Now Thor has to handle his own activities as well as Bjorn
> Consider a project with the accompanying Gantt chart. Stella is your only electrical engineer and she is responsible for activities 3 and 4, which overlap. Level the project so that Stella is only working a maximum of 8 hours each day. What would the new
> You have been assigned to a project risk team of five members. Because this is the first time your organization has formally set up a risk team for a project, it is hoped that your team will develop a process that can be used on all future projects. Your
> Gather a small team of students. Think of a project most students would understand; the kinds of tasks involved should also be familiar. Identify and assess major and minor risks inherent in the project. Decide on a response type. Develop a contingency p
> Assume you are the project manager for the Tidal 2 software project. You have been asked to calculate the expected cost for the project. Your company’s database indicates that developers can handle eight function points each person-mont
> Your roommate is about to submit a scope statement for a spring concert sponsored by the entertainment council at Western Evergreen State University (WESU). WESU is a residential university with over 22,000 students. This will be the first time in six ye
> You are the president of Silver Fiddle Construction (SFC), which specializes in building high-quality, customized homes in the Grand Junction, Colorado, area. You have just been hired by the Czopeks to build their dream home. You operate as a general con
> Mrs. Publinsky and her husband, Xander, are planning their dream house. The lot for the house sits high on a hill with a beautiful view of the White Mountains. The plans show the size of the house to be 2,900 square feet. The average price for a lot and
> Omega 2 Project. Using the “complexity weighting” scheme shown in Table 5.2 and the following function point complexity weight table, estimate the total function point count. Assume historical data suggest five functio
> Use an example of a project you are familiar with or are interested in. Identify the deliverables and organization units (people) responsible. How would you code your system? Give an example of the work packages in one of your cost accounts.
> Exercise Figure 5.1 is a project WBS with cost apportioned by percentages. If the total project cost is estimated to be $800,000, what are the estimated costs for the following deliverables? a. Design b. Programming c. In-house testing What weaknesses ar
> Check out the Project Management Institute’s home page at www.pmi.org. a. Review general information about PMI as well as membership information. b. See if there is a local PMI chapter. If not, where is the closest one? c. Use the search function at the
> What are one or two lessons you learned from this Snapshot?
> Why was it important to give players and staff a chance to explore London one evening?
> How valuable do you think being certified PMP is?
> If you were a student interested in pursuing a career in project management, how important do you think being a CAPM would be?
> How did H4H reduce the chances of human error on the project?
> You are sitting around the fire at a lodge in Dillingham, Alaska, discussing a fishing expedition you are planning with your colleagues at Great Alaska Adventures (GAA). Earlier in the day you received a fax from the president of BlueNote, Inc. The presi
> What options did Habitat for Humanity(H4H) use to complete the house so quickly?
> What do you think Dan Gold is referring to when he argues that all parties must make a concerted effort to work as partners?
> What benefits do small pharma firms accrue through outsourcing project work?
> If you were Governor Pete Wilson, how would you respond to criticism that C. C. Meyers made too much profit from the project?
> What options for accelerating project completion did C. C. Myers use on the Northridge Earthquake project?
> What do you think would have happened if for some reason it took Samsung three years to release its next-generation smartphone?
> Have you ever responded to a bet? How effective was it?
> Can you think of another product like smartphones that have rapid new-product releases?
> Why would people resist a multi project resource scheduling system?
> Do you agree that geeks are different from other workers?
> The G&E Company is preparing a bid to build the new 47,000-seat Shoreline baseball stadium. The construction must start on June 10, 2019, and be completed in time for the start of the 2022 season. A penalty clause of $500,000 per day of delay beyond Apri
> What do you think would have happened if the Washington Forest Service did not assess the impact of resources on their two-year plan?
> Can you think of other examples where the physical environment constrains project work?
> Why do climbers not turn back at the designated turnaround time?
> How important is it for climbers to join their Sherpas in puja rituals?
> How did Controlled Demolition Inc. respond to the risk?
> What do you think was the greatest risk facing this project?
> How could an RBS like the one featured in Figure 7.3 have prevented the disaster from occurring?
> Why do you think British Airways decided to go fully operational on day 1?
> Does this example support the risk event graph (Figure 7.1)? Explain.
> What kinds of projects should avoid using concurrent engineering?
> Brian Smith, network administrator at Advanced Energy Technology (AET), has been given the responsibility of implementing the migration of a large data center to a new office location. Careful planning is needed because AET operates in the highly competi
> What are the disadvantages of concurrent engineering (fast tracking)?
> On what kind of projects would the critical path be irrelevant?
> Why is it important to identify the critical path before starting a project?
> What else do you think Olympic organizers could do to make the event more sustainable?
> Can you identify personal examples of white elephants?
> Why is the range so much higher for IT projects than construction projects?
> What kinds of estimates are best suited for this method?
> Do you agree with the statement that “nothing great would ever be built if people knew in advance what the real costs and challenges were”?
> Why is it important that final activities not be open-ended?
> Josh and Mike met as roommates during freshman year at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Despite a rocky start they became best friends. They are planning a two-week adventure together to celebrate their graduation in June. Josh has never been t
> How could this mistake have been avoided?
> How did Helmstetter’s vision conflict with USGA rules?
> How does the custom of “dogfooding” contribute to the culture at Google?
> How important do you think the perks Google employees receive are for maintaining the culture of Google?
> Which of the four kinds of PMOs described in the chapter does Telstra’s PMO appear to be?
> What similarities and differences do you see between Lockheed’s Skunk Works and Apple’s Mac team?
> Is projectitis the price you pay for truly innovative projects?
> Do you agree that true innovation can only come from a small group of dedicated professionals?
> Can you think of a project code name not mentioned in the Snapshot? What function did it serve?
> What benefits did Frontier Airlines obtain by using a weighted scoring scheme to assess the value of projects?
> Three years ago the Sharp Printing (SP) strategic management group set a goal of having a color laser printer available for the consumer and small business market for less than $200. A few months later the senior management met off-site to discuss the ne
> Troi, the project manager of a large information systems project, arrives at her office early to get caught up with work before her co-workers and project team arrive. However, as she enters the office she meets Neil, one of her fellow project managers,
> The concept of limited liability is an out-of-date nineteenth-century concept.’ Discuss.
> Discuss the concept of ‘independence’. Why is that so important for audits?
> Critically evaluate the relationship between a company’s external auditor and its directors.
> You are presented with the following information relating to three companies: Statement of profit or loss for the year to 31 March 2021 Required: Calculate the following accounting ratios: (a) Return on capital employed (b) Capital gearing.
> The following trial balance has been extracted from the books of Keith Ltd as at 30 June 2020: Additional information: 1 Inventory at 30 June 2020 valued at cost amounted to £155,000. 2 Depreciation is to be provided on machinery and vehic
> Nelson Ltd was incorporated in 2003 with an authorized share capital of 500,000 £1 ordinary shares, and 200,000 5 per cent cumulative preference shares of £1 each. The following trial balance was extracted as at 31 May 2020: Add
> The following trial balance has been extracted from Carol Ltd as at 30 April 2020: Additional information: 1 Inventory at 30 April 2020 was valued at £140,000. 2 Depreciation for the year of £28,000 is to be provided on building
> Beech is a retailer. Most of his sales are made on credit terms. The following information relates to the first four years that he has been in business: The trade is one that experiences a high level of bad debts. Accordingly, Beech decides to set aside
> Design a possible fraud scheme. Consider what its impact would be on the financial statements and how auditors may uncover a similar fraud.
> Examine the usefulness of management accounting in a service-based economy.
> Critically evaluate the purpose audit serves in the corporate world and its value to society. Answer: 1. Arguably audit allows companies to get easier access to the capital markets. 2. It improves trust in the actions of directors (who act as ‘agents
> Standard costing is all about number crunching and for someone on the shop floor it has absolutely no relevance.’ Do you agree with this statement?
> Is it likely that a standard-costing system is of any relevance in a service industry?
> Chimes Limited has prepared a flexible budget for one of its factories for the year to 30 June 2021. The details are as follows: Additional information: 1 The company only expects to operate at a capacity of 45 per cent. At that capacity, the sales reven
> The following budget information relates to Flossy Limited for the three months to 31 March 2021: 3 Capital expenditure to be incurred on 20 February 2021 is expected to amount to £470,000. 4 Sales of plant and equipment on 15 March 2021 is
> Avsar Limited has extracted the following budgeting details for the year to 30 September 2020: 1 Sales: 4000 units of V at £500 per unit7000 units of R at £300 per unit 2 Materials usage (units): 8 Fixed overhead: £
> Gorse Limited manufactures one product. The budgeted sales for period 6 are for 10,000 units at a selling price of £100 per unit. Other details are as follows: Two components are used in the manufacture of each unit: Inventory at the beginni
> It is impossible to introduce a budgetary control system into a hospital because if someone’s life needs saving it has to be saved irrespective of the cost.’ How far do you agree with this statement?
> Does a fixed budget serve any useful purpose?
> Suppose that when all the individual budgets at Sparks plc are put together there is a shortfall of resources needed to support them. The Board suggests that all departmental budgets should be reduced by 15 per cent. As the company’s Chief Accountant, ho
> Assume that you are a personnel officer in a manufacturing company and that one of your employees is a young engineering manager called Joseph Sykes. Joseph has been chosen to attend the local university’s business school to study for a diploma in manage
> How far do you think that the information presented in a limited liability company’s financial statements is useful to the owners of a small business? Answer: 1. The information provided is little different from that relating to sole trader or partn
> The Head of Department of Business and Management at Birch College has been told by the Vice Principal (Resources) that his departmental budget for the next academic year is £150,000. What comment would you make about the system of budgeting used at Birc
> What do you expect is the required experience and background of a CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and CFO (Chief Financial Officer) of a big business?
> Outlane Limited’s overhead budget for 2019 is as follows: The company has four production departments: L, M, N and O. The following information relates to each department. Previously, the company has absorbed overhead on the basis of 10
> Assess the usefulness of activity-based costing in managerial decision making.
> How should reciprocal service costs be dealt with when calculating product costs?
> Some non-accountants believe that the technique of overhead absorption was devised simply to provide jobs for accountants. How far do you agree?
> Has total absorption costing any relevance in a service industry?
> Arithmetical precision for precision’s sake’. How far is this statement true of the traditional methods used in absorbing overheads into product costs?
> Iron Limited is a small manufacturing company. During the year to 31 December 2020 it has taken into inventory and issued to production the following items of raw material, known as XY1: Notes: 1 There were no opening inventory of raw material XY1. 2 The
> Find out more details about a high profile fraud or accounting scandal case of your choice. Present to the class. Answer: Leave students to present their findings.
> The following information relates to Steed Limited for the year to 31 May 2021: Required: Calculate Steed Limited’s gross profit for the year to 31 May 2021 using each of the above closing inventory values.
> Appleton used to operate her business as a sole trader entity. She has recently converted it into a limited liability company. Appleton owns 80 per cent of the ordinary (voting) shares, the remaining 20 per cent being held by various relatives and friend
> You are presented with the following information for Trusty Limited: Required: Calculate the value of closing inventory at 31 March 2020 using each of the following methods of pricing the issue of materials to production: (a) FIFO (first-in, first-out) (
> Examine the argument that an arbitrary pricing system used to charge direct materials to production leads to erroneous product costing.
> Clare Wong spends a lot of her time working for a large local charity. The charity has grown enormously in recent years and the trustees have been advised to overhaul their accounting procedures. This would involve its workers (most of whom are volunteer
