Question: Why is scheduling overtime a popular choice

> How can a project manager influence customer expectations and perceptions?

> What does the acronym BATNA refer to and why is it important to being a successful negotiator?

> Why is the principled negotiation approach recommended for negotiating agreements on projects?

> Break into groups of four to five students. Assign half of the groups the role of Owner and the other half the role of Contractor. Owners: After saving for many years you are about to hire a contractor to build your “dream home.” What are your objective

> The National Oceanic Research Institute is planning a research study on global warming in Antarctica. The 16-month network schedule is presented below. It is followed by budgets for each activity. Create a time-phased budget for the research project in t

> Sitting in her office, Karin Chung is reviewing the past four months of the large corporate accounting software installation project she has been managing. Everything seemed so well planned before the project started. Each company division had a task for

> Shell Case Fabricators (SCF) designs and builds shell casings that enclose electronic products such as calculators, cell phones, modems. Typically the cases are plastic or plastic compounds. SCF has six different production lines that cover different ty

> Goldrush Electronics (GE) produces a range of electronic products. GE has a strong commitment to project management. GE operates as a projectized organization with each project organized as a fully dedicated team. The compensation system is based on a 40

> Chad Cromwell, head of university housing, gazed up at the tower at Buxton Hall and smiled as he walked toward the landmark building. Buxton Hall was built in 1927 as a residential complex for over 350 students at Pacifica State University. At the time B

> For what kinds of projects would you recommend that a fixed-price contract be used? For what kinds of projects would you recommend that a cost-plus contract be used?

> What are the fundamental differences between fixed-price and cost-plus contracts?

> What are the elements of an effective project vision? Why are they important?

> What are the differences between the five-stage model of team development and the punctuated equilibrium model?

> What can a project manager do to avoid some of the pitfalls of a highly cohesive project team?

> What are the unique challenges of managing a virtual project team?

> The technical and sociocultural dimensions of project management are two sides to the same coin. Explain.

> When would it be appropriate to hold a formal team-building session on a project?

> What is the difference between functional and dysfunctional conflict on a project?

> Why should a project manager emphasize group rewards over individual rewards?

> Assume that you have the following decision-making options: (1) make the decision on your own with available information, (2) consult others before making a decision, and (3) call a meeting and reach a consensus, seeking to arrive at a final decision eve

> Amber Briggs looked nervously at her watch as she sat at the front of a large table in the cafeteria at Kerzner Office Equipment. It was now 10 minutes after 3:00 and only 10 of the 14 members had arrived for the first meeting of the Kerzner anniversary

> Franklin Equipment, Ltd. (FEL), with headquarters and main fabrication facilities in Saint John, New Brunswick, was founded 75 years ago to fabricate custom-designed large machines for construction businesses in the Maritime Provinces. Over the years its

> Tran was taking his dog Callie on her evening walk as the sun began to set over the coastal range. He looked forward to this time of the day. It was an opportunity to enjoy some peace and quiet. It was also a time to review events on the Ajax project an

> Why is it critical to keep the project sponsor informed?

> What does the exchange model of influence suggest you do to build cooperative relationships to complete a project?

> Why is a conductor of an orchestra an appropriate metaphor for being a project manager? What aspects of project managing are not reflected by this metaphor? Can you think of other metaphors that would be appropriate?

> What are some of the key environmental forces that have changed the way projects are managed? What has been the effect of these forces on the management of projects?

> What is the difference between leading and managing a project?

> Why is trust a function of both character and competence?

> Why is it important to build a relationship before you need it?

> What differences would you expect to see between the kinds of influence currencies that a project manager in a functional matrix would use and the influence a project manager of a dedicated project team would use?

> You are the project manager for the Seaburst construction project. So far the project is progressing ahead of schedule and below budget. You attribute this in part to the good working relationship you have with the carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and

> You returned from a project staffing meeting in which future project assignments were finalized. Despite your best efforts, you were unable to persuade the director of project management to promote one of your best assistants, Jack Nietzche, to a project

> You are managing the renovation of the Old Princeton Landing Bar and Grill. The project is on schedule despite receiving a late shipment of paint. The paint was supposed to arrive on 1/30, but instead arrived on 2/1. The assistant store manager apologize

> You are a test engineer on the Bridge project at Ryman Pharmaceuticals in Nashville, Tennessee. You have just completed conductivity tests of a new electrochemical compound. The results exceeded expectations. This new compound should revolutionize the in

> You are responsible for installing the new Double E production line. Your team has collected estimates and used the WBS to generate a project schedule. You have confidence in the schedule and the work your team has done. You report to top management that

> You work for a large consulting firm and were assigned to the Gold Star LAN project. Work on the project is nearly completed and your clients at Gold Star appear to be pleased with your performance. During the course of the project, changes in the origin

> Define a project. What are five characteristics that help differentiate projects from other functions carried out in the daily operations of the organization?

> You are driving to a project status report meeting with your client. You encountered a significant technical problem on the project that has put your project behind schedule. This is not good news because completion time is the number one priority for th

> Garth Hudson was a 29-year-old graduate of Eastern State University (ESU) with a B.S. degree in management information systems. After graduation he worked for seven years at Bluegrass Systems in Louisville, Kentucky. While at ESU he worked part time for

> Cerberus is a successful producer of specialty chemicals. It operates nine large campus sites in the United States, with a number of different business units on each site. These business units operate independently, with direct reporting to corporate he

> Tom Bray was mulling over today’s work schedule as he looked across the bay at the storm that was rolling in. It was the second official day of the Pegasus project and now the real work was about to begin. Pegasus was a two-month renovation project for

> How can a cost-duration graph be used by the project manager? Explain.

> It is possible to shorten the critical path and save money. Explain how.

> What are the advantages and disadvantages of reducing project scope to accelerate a project? What can be done to reduce the disadvantages?

> What are five common reasons for crashing a project?

> Reducing the project duration increases the risk of being late. Explain.

> Identify four indirect costs you might find on a moderately complex project. Why are these costs classified as indirect?

> What is the impact of governance on managing an individual project? Why is this approach important in today’s environment?

> Given the data and information that follow, compute the total direct cost for each project duration. If the indirect costs for each project duration are $90 (15 time units), $70 (14), $50 (13), $40 (12), and $30 (11), compute the total project cost for e

> Use the information contained below to compress one time unit per move using the least cost method. Reduce the schedule until you reach the crash point of the network. For each move identify what activity (ies) was crashed and the adjusted total cost.

> Use the information contained below to compress one time unit per move using the least cost method. Reduce the schedule until you reach the crash point of the network. For each move identify what activity (ies) was crashed and the adjusted total cost. N

> Use the information contained below to compress one time unit per move using the least cost method. Reduce the schedule until you reach the crash point of the network. For each move identify what activity (ies) was crashed and the adjusted total cost. N

> Use the information contained below to compress one time unit per move using the least cost method. Reduce the schedule until you reach the crash point of the network. For each move identify what activity (ies) was crashed, the adjusted total cost, and e

> Use the information contained below to compress one time unit per move using the least cost method. Assume the total indirect cost for the project is $2,000 and there is a savings of $100 per time unit reduced. Calculate the total direct, indirect, and p

> If the indirect costs for each duration are $300 for 27 days, $240 for 26 days, $180 for 25 days, $120 for 24 days, $60 for 23 days, and $50 for 22 days, compute the direct, indirect and total costs for each duration. What is the optimum cost-time schedu

> Use the information contained below to compress one time unit per move using the least cost method. Assume the total indirect cost for the project is $700 and there is a savings of $50 per time unit reduced. Record the total direct, indirect, and project

> You are the assistant project manager to Rassy Brown, who is in charge of the Nightingale project. Nightingale was the code name given to the development of a handheld electronic medical reference guide. Nightingale would be designed for emergency medic

> Go to an Internet search engine (e.g., Google) and type in “project communication plan.” Check three or four that have “.gov” as their source. How are they similar or dissimilar? What would be your conclusion concerning the importance of an internal comm

> Each year countries enter their sailing vessels in the nine-month Round the World Whitbread Sailboat Race. In recent years, about 14 countries entered sailboats in the race. Each year’s sailboat entries represent the latest technologie

> Given the project network derived in Part A of the case from Chapter 7, Brown also wants to be prepared to answer any questions concerning compressing the project duration. This question will almost always be entertained by the accounting department, rev

> Several complications arose during the course of trying to meet the deadline of January 20 for the “Now” Wedding rehearsal. Since Lauren was adamant on having the wedding on January 21 (as was Connor for obvious reasons), the implications of each of the

> On December 31 of last year, Lauren burst into the family living room and announced that she and Connor (her college boyfriend) were going to be married. After recovering from the shock, her mother hugged her and asked, “When?” The following conversatio

> Rassy and the team were concerned with the results of your analysis. They spent the afternoon brainstorming alternative ways for shortening the project duration. They rejected outsourcing activities because most of the work was developmental in nature a

> How does resource scheduling tie to project priority?

> Why is it critical to develop a time-phased baseline?

> How does resource scheduling reduce flexibility in managing projects?

> Explain how time is wasted in management of projects.

> Buffers are not the same as slack. Explain.

> Why is the implementation of projects important to strategic planning and the project manager?

> Distinguish between project and feeder buffers.

> Present six reasons scheduling resources is an important task.

> Explain the risks associated with leveling resources, compressing or crashing projects, and imposed durations or “catch-up” as the project is being implemented.

> How can outsourcing project work alleviate the three most common problems associated with multiproject resource scheduling?

> We have smashing systems for reporting, tracking, and controlling costs on design projects. Our planning of projects is better than any I have seen at other companies. Our scheduling seemed to serve us well when we were small and we had only a few projec

> Jack and Jill Smith have just retired and want to build a small, basic cabin in the Blue Mountains of Vermont. They have hired Daryl Hannah as the general contractor for the project. She has assembled a team of three workers to complete the project: Tom

> Check out the Goldratt Institute’s homepage at http://www.goldratt.com for current information on the application of critical-chain techniques to project management.

> Apply critical-chain scheduling principles to the Print Software, Inc., project. Revise the estimated time durations by 50 percent except round up the odd time durations (i.e., 3 becomes 4). Draw a CCPM network diagram similar to the one contained in Fig

> What is the difference between mitigating a risk and contingency planning?

> What is the difference between avoiding a risk and accepting a risk?

> Develop a communication plan for an airport security project. The project entails installing the hardware and software system that (1) Scans a passenger’s eyes (2) Fingerprints the passenger (3) Transmits the information to a central location for evalua

> What are the likely outcomes if a change control process is not used? Why?

> How are the work breakdown structure and change control connected?

> Project risks can/cannot be eliminated if the project is carefully planned. Explain.

> What are the major differences between managing negative risks versus positive risks (opportunities)?

> Explain the difference between budget reserves and management reserves.

> The chances of risk events occurring and their respective costs increasing change over the project life cycle. What is the significance of this phenomenon to a project manager?

> The Manchester United Soccer Tournament project team has identified the following potential risks to their project: Referees failing to show up at designated games. Fighting between teams. Pivotal error committed by a referee that determines the outcom

> Search the Web using the key words: “best practices, project management.” What did you find? How might this information be useful to a project manager?

> Bill (Senior VP of product development): Carlos [project manager], we have to talk. I am concerned about the way we manage project risk here at Futuronics. I just came from an international “Future Mote Devices” meeting at UC Berkeley. [Note: A mote is a

> The expected times and variances for the project activities are given below. What is the probability of completing the project in 25 periods? Varlance ID Description Prodecossor Pilot production Select channels of distrib. Develop mktg. program Non

> Individually, identify projects assigned in previous terms. Were both sociocultural and technical elements factors in the success or difficulties in the projects?

> Rachel, 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 manager

> Beach Corporation purchases tickets to sporting events and uses them to entertain customers. In the current year Beach Corporation purchases the following tickets: 100 tickets to football games (face value of the tickets is $7,000) ……………. $10,000 A skyb

> Milt, a self-employed attorney, incurs the following expenses in the current year: Dues paid to the local chamber of commerce ………………………..……. $ 1,000 Business lunches for clients and prospective clients (Milt does

> Amelie is an employee who uses her personal automobile in connection with her job. During 2017, Amelie drove her car a total of 28,000 miles. Her business log shows that she drove 22,400 miles for business purposes. She is reimbursed $0.30 per mile from

> Michelle is an employee who must use her personal automobile for employment-related business trips. During 2017, Michelle drives her car 60% for business use and incurs the following total expenses (100% use of car): Gas and oil …………………………………………... $12,

> Cassady, an employee of a law firm, maintains an office at the principal business location of her firm. She frequently travels directly from her home to client locations within and outside the metropolitan area. Cassady is not reimbursed for her transpor

> In the current year, Melissa, a single employee whose AGI is $100,000 before any of the items below, incurs the following expenses: Safe deposit box rental for investments …………………………………………. $ 100 Tax return preparatio

> Maxine incurs the following employment-related business expenses in the current year: Professional dues and subscriptions ………………………………………………….. $1,000 Airfare and lodging …………………………………………………………………………….. 2,000 Local transportation for employment- related