Planning the project Watt, A. (2019). Project Management, 2nd Edition. BCcampus Open Education. No Plagiarism and APA format needed. Problem set 1 Question 1 Everyone has been involved in projects

Planning the project

Watt, A. (2019). Project Management, 2nd Edition. BCcampus Open Education.

No Plagiarism and APA format needed. 

Problem set  1

Question 1

Everyone has been involved in projects. What is the largest project you have been involved in? (You do not have to have been the project manager, but could have played another role.)

1. Write one sentence that describes the objective of the project.
2. Describe specifically how this project meets the definition of a project used in this textbook. (How is it unique? What were the time constraints? If it is over, how did you know it was over? If it is ongoing, how will you know when it is over?
3. What was your role? Were you the project manager, a volunteer, some other role? If you were not the project manager, who was?
4. Was the project part of a larger portfolio or program of projects?
5. Who else was involved?
6. What was the budget?
7. Did you anticipate any risks at the outset? Did the project experience any outside forces that caused a change in either the objectives or the approach to achieving those objectives?

Question 2

In what ways can the following activities be seen as projects? In what ways do they resemble ongoing, routine business activities? Feel free to add assumptions and details to describe how the activity might be a project in one context and routine in another.

1. Reading the chapter before attending a university lecture.
2. Taking the bus to work each day.
3. Piloting an aircraft between Vancouver and Fiji.
4. Teaching a course for the first time; teaching the same course every semester.

Question 3

Go online and search for project life cycle models. Identify at least two that are different from the PMI model, and compare and contrast the phases. Be sure to cite your sources.

Problem set 2

Question 1.

1. Identify a major public infrastructure project that is either underway, complete, or proposed in your region. This could be a bridge, road, building, or something of that nature. For the project you have identified, think of as many stakeholders and stakeholder groups as you can. Create a three-column table. In column 1, list the stakeholders. In column 2, list what each stakeholder wants to get from the project. In column 3, list the influence each stakeholder has over the project.

Question 2. 

2. How can the stakeholders change over the course of a project? Give examples of changes in who the stakeholders are, and also in how their interests or influence over the project might change throughout the term of the project.

Problem set 3

1. Software project decision point.

• Option 1: Purchase the FunSoft package: Cost $200,000 for software and $85,000 for hardware in year one; with $50,000 to customize it and a $40,000 annual licensing fee for the life of the contract. There will be an annual saving of $61,000 due to the layoff of a clerk.
• Option 2: Purchase the SoftComm package, which will operate on the vendor’s hardware: Cost $250,000 for a five-year license, payable half up front and half during the first year of implementation. The maintenance contract, at $75,000 a year, includes all currently identified modifications to the software for the first three years. The clerk’s hours will be cut by half, for a saving of $25,000 a year.

In both cases, sales are expected to increase from the current $1 million a year, by 10% per year each year (over each year’s previous year’s sales) after full implementation.

Assume a five-year life for the software.

Problem Set 4

Question 1

1. Go online and find at least two sites with definitions of fast tracking and crashing a project schedule.

Question 2

2. Go online and research the difference between total slack and free slack.

Question 3

A project to put on a major international sporting competition has the following major deliverables: Sports Venues, Athlete Accommodation, Volunteer Organization, Security, Events, and Publicity (which has already been broken down into pre-event publicity and post-event publicity.) Prepare a WBS for any single major deliverable on the list. Remember the 100 percent rule, and number your objectives.

Problem set 5

Earned-value analysis. A project budget calls for the following expenditures:

Task

Date

Budgeted Amount

Build forms

April 1

$10,000

Pour foundation

April 1

$50,000

May 1

$100,000

Frame walls

May 1

$30,000

June 1

$30,000

Remaining tasks

July 1 and beyond

$500,000

Define each term in your own words, calculate these values for the above project, and show your work:

1. Budgeted cost baseline (make a graph illustrating this one)
2. Budget at completion (BAC)
3. Planned value (PV) as of May 1
4. Earned value (EV) as of May 1 if the foundation work is only two-thirds complete. Everything else is on schedule.
5. SV as of May 1.
6. Actual cost as of May 1 is $160,000. Calculate the cost variance (CV) as of May 1.
7. Schedule performance index (SPI)
8. Cost performance index (CPI)
9. Estimate to complete (ETC), assuming that the previous cost variances will not affect future costs
10. Estimate at completion (EAC)

Problem set 6 

Question 1.

1. In addition to cost, what factors should be considered in selecting a building contractor? What can go wrong if the lowest bid is selected and nothing else is considered? (Answer in your own words, maximum 70 words.)

Question 2.

2. What is the difference between an RFP and an RFQ? Give two specific examples where an RFQ could be used and two specific examples where it is more likely that the organization will go with an RFP. (Use examples NOT from your textbook.)

Question 3.

3. Prepare a Pareto chart of the possible causes for a student to fail a final examination in a university course.

Problem set 7 

Question 1.

1. Describe the general processes that should be followed in managing risks throughout a project. Be sure to include the general sequence in which these processes are carried out.

Question 2.

2. Prepare a sample risk register for a project to put humans on Mars (four or five risks).

Question 3.

3. What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative risk analysis? Which one is always done? Why is the other one not always done for every project?

Problem set 8 

Question 1

Your team has been asked to test and document enhancements to a web application that allows buyers to purchase custom-printed canvas shoes. The tasks and dependencies are as follows:

• Create a testing plan

Once the testing plan is ready, your team can:

• Test the user interfaces
• Test the database
• Test the network
• Write the documentation first draft

When the user interface tests are complete, you can:

• Perform user testing—enlist some users to test the user interface

When the database and network testing are complete, you can:

• Perform integration testing—network with the database

When the user testing of the user interface and the database testing are complete, you can:

• Perform integration testing—database, network, and user interface

When all integration testing and user testing are complete, you can:

• Perform system testing

Then you can:

• Review and revise documentation

After all other tasks are complete, you can:

• Obtain management approval

Duration estimates for the tasks:

a.

3 days

b.

10 days

c.

6 days

d.

7 days

e.

20 days

f.

5 days

g.

3 days

h.

2 days

i.

8 days

j.

4 days

k.

5 days

1. Create a network diagram and a Gantt chart for the project tasks. Ask your instructor if you are permitted to use software such as Microsoft Project to help you prepare your diagrams.

Question 2

Wedding cost estimation: Given the following information, calculate the estimated costs for a wedding with 250 guests and a bridal party of six, using the methods indicated. Show your work.Note that members of the bridal party are already counted as guests, you don’t need to add them twice.

1. Parametric estimate
2. Bottom-up estimate
3. Analogous cost estimate
4. You will probably notice some differences in the estimated values. Are these differences significant? What might cause the differences? If you were estimating a significant project in the future, which method(s) would you use and why?

Wedding Cost Estimates

Item

Dollars

Groom’s brother’s wedding, last year, 175 guests, similar venue and style

$20,300

Catering

$65 per person

Photographer

$1,500

Rental of hall

$500

Clothing, bride

$2,000

Clothing, groom

$750

Flowers

$800

Other décor items

$500

Cake

$500

Gifts for bridal party

$80 each

Wedding planner

$2,000

Wedding planner’s estimate of typical cost for this kind of wedding

$10,000 plus $75 per guest

Question 3

Cost reimbursable contract calculation.

1. A contract calls for a total payment of $800,000 with a guarantee. Essentially the contractor is guaranteed to make at least $200,000 above his costs. If the contractor can demonstrate his costs exceed $600,000, the project will pay the difference, with a $50,000 ceiling on the overage. The contractor demonstrates he spent $623,000. How much (gross) must the project remit to the contractor?
2. Another option for the same contract has the contractor guaranteed to be paid his costs plus 20%, for costs that exceed $600,000. With the same initial assumption—guarantee of $800,000 gross payment (no requirement to itemize costs), but if the contractor can show that costs exceed $600,000, the project will pay $800,000 plus the costs that exceed $600,000, plus 20% of those excess costs, with a ceiling of $900,000 gross. The contractor demonstrates he spent $623,000. How much (gross) must the project remit to the contractor?
3. Under option 3.2, at what dollar amount of total costs would the contractor be assuming all of the excess costs beyond that point?
4. In which option did the project assume more of the risk of a cost overrun? Explain.

All 8 problem sets need below requirements 

The assignment is to answer the questions provided above in essay form. This is to be in narrative form. Bullet points should not to be used. The paper should be at least 1.5 - 2 pages in length, Times New Roman 12-pt font, double-spaced, 1 inch margins and utilizing at least one outside scholarly or professional source related to organizational behavior. This does not mean blogs or websites. This source should be a published article in a scholarly journal. This source should provide substance and not just be mentioned briefly to fulfill this criteria. The textbook should also be utilized. Do not use quotes. Do not insert excess line spacing. APA formatting and citation should be used.

Practical Connection Assignment

At this University, it is a priority that students are provided with strong educational programs and courses that allow them to be servant-leaders in their disciplines and communities, linking research with practice and knowledge with ethical decision-making. This assignment is a written assignment where students will demonstrate how this course research has connected and put into practice within their own career.

Assignment: Provide a reflection of at least 500 words (or 2 pages double spaced) of how the knowledge, skills, or theories of this course have been applied, or could be applied, in a practical manner to your current work environment. If you are not currently working, share times when you have or could observe these theories and knowledge could be applied to an employment opportunity in your field of study. 

Requirements:

• Provide a 500 word (or 2 pages double spaced) minimum reflection.
• Use of proper APA formatting and citations. If supporting evidence from outside resources is used those must be properly cited.
• Share a personal connection that identifies specific knowledge and theories from this course.
• Demonstrate a connection to your current work environment. If you are not employed, demonstrate a connection to your desired work environment.
• You should NOT, provide an overview of the assignments assigned in the course. The assignment asks that you reflect how the knowledge and skills obtained through meeting course objectives were applied or could be applied in the workplace. 

All 9 assignments will be submitted to SafeAssign. No Plagiarism and APA format needed.