PROJECT MANAGEMENT: What are the benefits and drawbacks of checklists as a method for screening project alternatives?

PROJECT MANAGEMENT – HW 2

TEXT BOOK: Project Management Achieving Competitive Advantage (4th Edt.)

All assignments must be:

Essay Responses:  All questions need to be answered in essay format (must be typed, doubled spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point font, with 1″ margins, and all sources must be sited). Mathematical Responses:  Students must show all the formulas and all procedures.  Answers only will not be accepted, make sure to show all your work.  Answers must be typed, double spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point font, with 1″ margins). For this assignment you will need to complete the following questions in essay format: CHAPTER 3 – Discussion Questions – Chapter 3: Questions 1, 2, 3, 5 (page 108)

1. If you were to prioritize the criteria for a successful screening model, which criteria would you rank at the top of your priority list? Why?

2. What are the benefits and drawbacks of checklists as a method for screening project alternatives?3. How does use of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) aid in project selection? In particular, what aspects of the screening process does the AHP seem to address and improve directly?

4. .N/A

5. How are financial models superior to other screening models? How are they inferior?

CHAPTER 4 – Discussion Questions – Chapter 4: Questions 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 (pages 136-137) and Case Study 4.2 (page 137-138)

4.1 The chapter stressed the idea that project management is a “leader-intensive” undertaking. Discuss in what sense this statement is true.

4.2 How do the duties of project managers reinforce the role of leadership?

4.3 What are some key differences between leaders and managers?

Case Study 4.2 Finding the Emotional Intelligence to Be a Real Leader

Recently, Kathy Smith, a project manager for a large industrial construction organization, was assigned to oversee a multimillion-dollar chemical plant construction project in Southeast Asia. Kathy had earned this assignment after completing a number of smaller construction assignments in North America over the past three years. This was her first overseas assignment and she was eager to make a good impression, particularly given the size and scope of the project. Successfully completing this project would increase her visibility within the organization dramatically and earmark her as a candidate for upper management. Kathy had good project management skills; in particular, she was organized and highly self-motivated. Team members at her last two project assignments used to joke that just trying to keep up with her was a full-time job.

Kathy wasted no time settling in to oversee the development of the chemical plant. Operating under her normal work approach, Kathy routinely required her staff and the senior members of the project team to work long hours, ignoring weekend breaks if important milestones were coming up, and generally adopting a round the-clock work approach for the project. Unfortunately, in expecting her team, made up of local residents, to change their work habits to accommodate her expectations, Kathy completely misread the individuals on her team. They bitterly resented her overbearing style, unwillingness to consult them on key questions, and aloof nature. Rather than directly confront her, however, team members began a campaign of passive resistance to her leadership. They would purposely drag their feet on important assignments or cite insurmountable problems when none, in fact, existed. Kathy’s standard response was to push herself and her project team harder, barraging subordinates with increasingly urgent communications demanding faster performance. To her bewilderment, nothing seemed to work.

The project quickly became bogged down due to poor team performance and ended up costing the project organization large penalties for late delivery. Although Kathy had many traits that worked in her favor, she was seriously lacking in the ability to recognize the feelings and expectations of others and take them into consideration.

Questions

1. Discuss how Kathy lacked sufficient emotional intelligence to be effective in her new project manager assignment.

2. Of the various dimensions of emotional intelligence, which dimension(s) did she appear to lack most? What evidence can you cite to support this contention?

CHAPTER 5 – Discussion Questions – Chapter 5: Questions 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.6 (page 171)

5.1 What are the principal benefits of developing a comprehensive project scope analysis?

5.2 What are the key characteristics of a work package?

5.4 What are the benefits of developing a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) for a project?

5.6 What is the chief purpose of configuration management? In your opinion, why has it become increasingly popular in recent years as a part of the project management process?