Given the following information, calculate the critical ratios and indicate which activities are on target and which need to be investigated. Comment on the situation for each of the activities.
> Contrast pure project organizations, functional project organizations, and matrix project organizations.
> What is the project management office (PMO) and what purpose does it serve?
> How does the weighted scoring approach avoid the drawbacks of the NPV approach? Can the two approaches be combined? How? What weights would be appropriate if they were combined?
> Contrast the two types of project life cycle and discuss why it is important to know which type the current project is following.
> Identify the three goals of a project. What does it mean for a project to be “overdetermined?”
> Contrast win-lose negotiation, lose-lose negotiation and win-win negotiation and explain why the latter is so important in project management.
> Why is it important for the project manager to adopt the systems approach?
> What is the primary role of a project manager? How are the primary roles related to one another?
> Using a spreadsheet for Exercise 5, determine how Nina’s ability to negotiate a lower rent at location 3, thereby raising its ranking to “good,” will affect the overall rankings of the four locations.
> Nina has been asked to lead a team that has been tasked with finding a new location for a boutique concept her company would like to test. The team has identified four candidate shopping centers to locate the new boutique in. Some cater to a higher class
> Discuss how you would go about getting competent staff from a functional department.
> Using a spreadsheet for Exercise 2, find the following: (a) What would be your recommendation if the weight for the transportation cost went down to 10 and the weight for union relations went up to 25? (b) Suppose location A received a score of 3 for tr
> (a) Compare your answer in Exercise 2 to the answer you would have found if you had used an unweighted, 0-1 scoring model. Assume that a score of 1 means does not qualify and a 2 or 3 means it does qualify. (b) Next, revise the unweighted model by deleti
> A company has established a project team to identify a location for a new manufacturing facility. Use a weighted scoring model to analyze three candidate locations (A, B, C) for setting up the new factory. The relative weights for each criterion are show
> A four-year financial project is forecast to have net cash inflows of $20,000; $25,000; $30,000; and $50,000 in the next four years. It will cost $75,000 to implement the project, payable at the beginning of the project. If the required rate of return is
> What do you suggest Mr. Lament do, if anything, to begin his preparation for defending or settling this potential lawsuit?
> 1. If you were Preston, what characteristics would you be looking for in a new control system? 2. Will a new control system be adequate for the problem? Explain.
> What should Mary Lynn do?
> 1. Is the minimum slack rule a reasonable way to schedule resources of the Textbook division? Why or why not? 2. What complication is added by making this project four separate projects?
> 1. Critique the launch meeting. Are there aspects you think are worth emulating? Are there aspects you would do differently? 2. 3. Convert your mind map into a WBS. 4. Review your mind map and identify risky potential failure points. Which are the most s
> 1. Explain how you would execute your roles as project manager of this project? 2. As the project manager, how would you handle trade-offs? 3. How would you recommend this project be organized? Functional project? Pure project? Matrix? Why? 4. What crite
> Why do so many “self-directed teams” perform poorly? What can be done to improve their performance?
> 1. Who would you recommend Stacey Thomas select to serve as project manager? Why? 2. How would you recommend this project be organized? Functional project? Pure project? Matrix? Why? 3. Do you agree with Stacey’s decision that the project should be staf
> 1. What information should he ask the consultants for before accepting their proposal? 2. What project management tools would you suggest Avery ask the consultants to use to outline the project more specifically and address his concerns? 3. What should
> Which of the three methods would you recommend, and why?
> 1. Do you think Sam’s plan is going to work? Why or why not? 2. Would Crystal Ball be useful in assessing Sam’s plan and changing it, if necessary? 3. How would you handle the bid on the new project?
> 1. Develop a mind map for this project. 2. Convert your mind map into a WBS. 3. Discuss how your mind map might be used to facilitate other project planning activities such as resource allocation, schedule development, and risk analysis.
> What do you suggest Jeremy Smith do?
> 1. Under these circumstances, would Justin be wise to pursue a top-down or a bottom-up budgeting approach? 2. Why? What factors are most relevant?
> 1. If you were the project manager, how would you handle the situation? 2. How can a customer be assured of satisfactory project completion?
> 1. Define the project deliverables. 2. Define project constraints and assumptions. 3. Develop a level 1 WBS. 4. Develop the RACI matrix for this project based on the Level 1 WBS. 5. Would a Project Charter have been useful here?
> 1. Comment on the pros and cons of the CEO, Dr. Splient, as the Project Manager. 2. Who is the funder of the project? Who is the sponsor? Who is the project owner? 3. List all the potential stakeholders in this project? 4. This initiative consists of a
> Why would the members of a “NOT” work independently if they were members of a designated team? What does independently” mean in this context?
> 1. Does the monitoring and control method seem adequate? 2. What are the potential problems?
> Additional task precedence information about the Textbook Revision Project described in Exercise 5.10 in Chapter 3 is now available. JR and Mike are preparing to revise their project management textbook. The project of revising the book begins with devel
> Enter the tasks and task durations into the Gantt Chart View in Microsoft Project.
> In addition to your regular responsibilities, your supervisor has just assigned you to be in charge of your organization’s annual golf tournament. It is expected that 100 to 150 employees will enter the tournament. In addition to organizing the event,
> Enter the following information into an Excel spreadsheet. The time estimates were made at the 90 percent level (see Section 5.2, Calculating Probabilistic Activity Times subsection). All activity times are in days. a. Draw the network b. Calculate the e
> Given the following highway rerouting project: a. Draw the network. b. Find the ESs. LSs, and slacks. c. Find the critical path. d. If the project has a 1 ½-year deadline for reopening, should we consider crashing some activities. Explain.
> Server Farm Inc. (SFI) needs to upgrade its server computers. Company management has identified the following two options: (1) shift to a Windows-based platform from its current Unix-based platform, or (2) stick with a Unix-based platform. It is standa
> Develop a mind map for a nonprofit organization’s annual casino night charity event.
> Prepare a WBS using MSP with the steps that must be completed before Vern Toomey can contact outsourcing vendors. If Vern starts on August 1, 2016, how long will it take to get ready to contact outsourcing vendors?
> Find the best alternative given the cost outcomes below. The probability of rain is 0.3, clouds is 0.2, and sun is 0.5.
> Exactly why were projects in the pharmaceutical company mentioned in Section 2.5 in the PMO subsection always late and over budget?
> If you were the project manager, which method would you use, and why?
> 1. Which projects would you recommend Handstar pursue based on the NPV approach? 2. Assume the founders weigh a project’s NPV twice as much as both obtaining/retaining a leadership position and use of the Internet. Use the weighted factor scoring method
> 1. Identify as well as you can the three iron triangle constraints for this project: cost, time, and scope. 2. Identify the expected benefits of this project for Friendly Medical Center. 3. Comment on the strategic initiatives resulting from the Board’s
> 1. What information does Alison need to determine the probable impact of Kelsey’s proposed project on the other projects in the department? 2. Should her findings affect her decision about Kelsey’s project? How?
> How would you recommend they reach a consensus on the action plan for the project?
> Can you think of any other desirable characteristics for team members than those listed in Section 2.6?
> A project has just completed the 87th item in its plan. It was scheduled to have spent $168,000 at this point in the plan, but has actually spent only $156,000. The foreman estimates that the value of the work actually fi nished is about $162,000. What a
> At week 24 of a project to shoot a television commercial, the project manager is worried about her budget since costs have risen to $7,500. Is there a cost overage? If so, how much is it? Is the schedule ahead or -behind? Overall, does the project appear
> A project in its 26th week has an actual cost of $270,000. It was scheduled to have spent $261,000. For the work performed to date, the budgeted value is $272,000. What are the cost and schedule variances for the project? What are the SPI and CPI?
> Given the network for an HR training project with normal times and crash times (in parentheses), find the cost duration history. Assume indirect costs for facilities and equipment are $100 per day.
> The network for shooting a TV commercial as shown in the table has a fixed cost of $90 per day, but money can be saved by shortening the project duration. Find the least-cost schedule.
> Consider the project network below. Suppose the duration of both activities A and D can be reduced to 1 day, at a cost of $15 per day of reduction. Also, activities E, G, and H can be reduced in duration by 1 day, at a cost of $25 per day of reduction. W
> Given the project shown in Figure 5-10 of Chapter 5 and the fact that the facility used by activities c and d is scarce, which activity would benefit from each of the rules?
> What are the potential ramifications of not utilizing integration management techniques or parallel tasking while planning and implementing a project?
> Given the following AOA network, what is the first activity to be given extra resource?
> After entering the resource information, are there any problems with the resources being overloaded? If so, level the resources so that the resources are not overloaded. What impact does leveling the resources have on the expected project completion ti
> Given the following information regarding a project involving an initial public offering (IPO):
> Referring to the previous two questions, modify your simulation model to develop distributions for the slack time of each path. What do these distributions tell you?
> Resolve the previous exercise using computer simulation and compare your answers. Explain any differences you observe. Which methodology do you have more confidence in and why?
> Given an auditing project with the following activities: Activity Std. Dev. Critical Duration a. Add b. Balance c. Count d. Deduct e. Edit f. Finance g. Group h. Hold 2 Yes 2 1 3 Yes 4 3 2 1 Yes 1 2 6 2 Yes 4 2 Yes
> In the following table, task durations are given in weeks. The estimates were made at the 95 percent level (see Section 5.2, Calculating Probabilistic Activity Times subsection).
> Given the information in the following table: Activity Duration Predecessor None 4 6 a b a 4 a 2 4 5 e f b, d 3 f, g e, h h 4 i 2
> Refer to Table 5-4 and Figure 5-14. Recalculate the variance for each activity on the assumption that the optimistic and pessimistic estimates were made with a 90 percent probability. Again, recalculate the likelihood that the critical path will be finis
> Refer to Table 5-4 and Figure 5-14. Recalculate the variance for each activity on the assumption that the optimistic and pessimistic estimates were made with a 95 percent probability. Recalculate the probability that the critical path will be completed i
> The following activities were listed during a brainstorming session on product development. Find the appropriate predecessor-successor relationships and then construct an AON network to reflect the project using the activity duration times given in the i
> The project referred to in Exercise 5.11 has been partially completed. Task a required 4 weeks, task b 9 weeks, task c 4 weeks, and task d 5 weeks. Update the simulation model you developed for Exercise 5.11 and calculate the probability that the project
> Given the project in Exercise 5.6, simulate the completion of the project 1000 times, assuming that the activity times follow a normal distribution and that the time estimates are made at the 95 percent level.
> Given the information in the following table, draw the AOA network. Using the same information, enter the data into MSP assuming a 7-day workweek. (To change the calendar in MSP from its 5-day week default click “Help,” type “calendar change,” and follow
> Refer to the network in Figure 5-14. What is the probability that path a-b-c-f will interfere with the promised project completion of 50 days? Recall that the critical path, a-b-d-g-h, had a probability of .86 for a 50-day completion. What is the probabi
> Given the project in Exercise 5.11, simulate the completion of the project 1000 times, assuming that the activity times are at the 99 + level and follow a triangular distribution.
> Information about the cash flows for a four-year financial project are listed in the following table. The cash flows are assumed to follow a triangular distribution. The cost of implementing the project is expected to be between $60,000 and $70,000, with
> What would happen to the NPV of the above project if the inflation rate was expected to be 4 percent in each of the next 4 years? You may use either Excel® or CB to determine your answer.
> A four-year financial project is forecast to have net cash inflows of $20,000; $25,000; $30,000; and $50,000 in the next 4 years. It will cost $75,000 to implement the project, payable at the beginning of the project. If the required rate of return is 0.
> The IT unit of a company has been asked to prepare a budget for a special software package project. The group has considerable experience with similar tasks and submits the costs in the following table. The group also thinks that the distribution of the
> A light manufacturing firm has set up a project for developing a new machine for one of its production lines. The most likely estimated cost of the project itself is $1,000,000, but the most optimistic estimate is $900,000 while the pessimists predict a
> 1. Calculate the schedule variance and cost variance for the Bullwhip project. 2. Does Jimmy’s point about the material costs have merit? If so, does this have any implications for the way the earned valued is calculated at Peak? 3. Who is right about th
> 1. What is the cost of completing this project if no overtime is used? How long will it take to complete the project? 2. What is the shortest amount of time in which the project can be completed? What is the cost of completing the project in the shortes
> If the equilibrium rent is _____ the controlled level, then rent control laws are ______. a) above; necessary b) above; irrelevant c) below; necessary d) below; irrelevant
> The distinct feature of the marginal cost curve in the analysis of venues is that it is a) a vertical line. b) a horizontal line. c) a check-shaped curve. d) a backward L.
> The argument that the minimum wage is worse than the Earned Income Tax Credit is based on the idea that a) the people who earn the minimum wage are really poor. b) the minimum wage applies to all workers, not just the working poor. c) the Earned Incom
> A price support mechanism a) can only regulate supply. b) can only regulate demand. c) must involve government purchases. d) can involve government manipulation of the supply or demand of the good.
> Wealth inequality is _____ related to the ratio of mean to median wealth. a) positively b) negatively c) not
> The method of detecting sex discrimination most likely to maximize it would be to use a) simple differences in income between men and women. b) simple differences in full-time wages for men and women. c) regression techniques. d) auditing technique
> Using the monopoly power in one area to compel costumers to buy goods in another area a) is a violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. b) is legal, but bad business practice. c) is illegal but would be bad business practice anyway. d) is legal and a
> The method of detecting sex discrimination most likely to minimize it would be to use a) simple differences in income between men and women. b) simple differences in full-time wages for men and women. c) regression techniques. d) auditing techniques
> Monopoly creates prices that are _____ which would exist under perfect competition. a) lower than that b) equal to that c) greater than that d) more volatile than that
> Economists call the reduction in consumer confidence that resulted from the September 11th attacks an _____ shock which leads to the ________. a) aggregate demand, aggregate demand curve shifting left b) aggregate demand, aggregate demand curve shiftin
> Which advantage does a typical developing country have in attempting to draw foreign investment? a) Very low wages b) Poor education c) Easy profit repatriation d) Independent central banks
> Which one of the following communities would likely see the greatest economic impact from a new casino? a) Plainfield, IN (just outside Indianapolis) b) Gary, IN (outside Chicago and already has one) c) Terre Haute, IN (Indianapolis is 70 miles away;
> We can measure how much someone values the personal touch of a small grocery store by using the amount extra they pay at that store even when there is a Walmart in town. Economists call that a) revealed demand. b) revealed preference. c) parsing the p
> Under perfect competition marginal resource cost ________ supply, under monopsony marginal resource cost _______ supply. a) equals; equals b) equals; is greater than c) equals; is less than d) is greater than; is less than
> If you invested in 20 different companies and chose those companies at random, you would be counting on the _______ market hypothesis and its implication that you would do as well as you would with any other investment strategy. a) random b) complete c
> The typical problem for generating parity in sports leagues is that a) there is no mechanism for bringing in new talent in a way that helps the bad teams. b) there is no means by which players on one team can move to another. c) with no salary cap and
> When a group of competitors joins together to form a monopoly, they are forming a a) cartel. b) coalition. c) union. d) trust.
> The alternative minimum tax has the effect of limiting a) income. b) taxable income. c) deductions. d) exemptions.
> The average index of monthly earnings is indexed a) for wage inflation. b) for consumer price inflation. c) for producer price inflation. d) via a combination of wage and price inflation.
