Saint PRM524 full course – All discussions,Assignments and final – september 2016

Saint PRM 524 module 1 discussion

 

Module 1 Discussion, Option #1

Imagine that you are a project manager (PM) working on acquiring a project team for a software installation project. Which process group are you in? What are some of the characteristics you would look for in your team? Where might you find a quick reference within the PMBOK® Guide regarding the connection between knowledge areas and process groups?

Saint PRM 524 module 2 discussion

Module 2 Discussion

What, in your opinion, is the role of scope management in improving customer or team satisfaction? How might the value of integrity add to the level of customer satisfaction? Where might you find the four main components of scope management within the PMBOK® Guide?

Saint PRM 524 module 3 discussion

Module 3 Discussion, Option #1

As a reminder, you are the project leader for the Genesis System Upgrade project to replace the monitoring system. Alpha Technologies, the major security firm for whom you work, is concerned with three major priorities related to securing a major airport in the U.S. The system must:

• Comply with complex airport and government security requirements

• Ensure passenger safety from parking to plane boarding

• Improve operational efficiencies and reduce security costs

Considering this additional information, discuss who might be your primary and secondary stakeholders for the project. What expectations might your secondary stakeholders have? What tools might you use from the PMBOK® Guide to aid in project stakeholder management?

Saint PRM 524 module 4 discussion

Module 4 Discussion, Option #1

On any project team, the project manager might face challenges in both time and communication management. A time management issue that you should be familiar with is the concept of a time-robber. This refers to activities that take away from the focus on project activities located on the WBS. How would you as a PM, discover and address the time-robbers of a virtual team as opposed to a collocated one? Explain how you would communicate necessary changes to mitigate or eliminate such time-robbers.

Saint PRM 524 module 5 discussion

Module 5 Discussion, Option #1

Describe the difference between project risk mitigation and risk avoidance. Take one side of the debate on which is a better strategy to circumvent variances in your planned project schedule. Name at least one input in the PMBOK® Guide for planning risk responses.

Saint PRM 524 module 6 discussion

Module 6 Discussion, Option #1

Your procurement team is planning to buy low light, network surveillance cameras and digital video recorders (DVRs) for the Genesis System Upgrade project. You must choose between using existing equipment from your internal inventory (several cameras older than five years) to create the network on your own and purchasing new equipment as a bundle from an outside supplier or set of suppliers. Use the Internet to determine a beginning supplier list to answer the following:

• What should go into the make-or-buy analysis?

• What are your seller selection criteria?

• Using cost benefit analysis, what are the pros and cons of sole source procurement versus competitive selection?

• Does the PMBOK® Guide provide guidance on make-or-buy analysis? If so, share at least one insight.

Saint PRM 524 module 7 discussion

Module 7 Discussion, Option #1

Based upon this week’s reading in the AMA textbook and information provided in the PMBOK® Guide, what does effective project integration look like in practice? Provide specific examples from previous projects or hypotheticals based upon your class project.

Saint PRM 524 module 8 discussion

Module 8 Discussion

Some project professionals feel that blurring the lines between the traditional boundaries of project management, quality, and other management disciplines will help companies achieve excellence in quality. Others believe that excellence is achieved through emerging technologies, such as process modeling or process automation, since they allow organizations to receive information for real-time measurement, process execution, and task management. Which side of the debate do you favor? Why? Explain in terms of improving quality with an emphasis on product-based projects. Feel free to use the PMBOK® Guide as a reference.

Saint PRM 524 module 2 assignment

PRM 524 – Applied Project Management Case

Assignment 1

Using what you learned in Webinar 1 – Getting Started with MS Project, create a new MS Project file (blank file) and name it with your last name and ASMT1 (example: WilsonASMT1) as the file name. Use the Gantt Chart view and enter the tasks, durations, and dependencies from the basic WBS below. For the dates, use the start date of Monday of Module 3. Be sure that each task is auto-scheduled and be certain to include the non-workday “Company Picnic” that will occur on Thursday of Module 3.

Genesis System Upgrade Project WBS

1. Evaluation & Recommendations (5 Days)

2. Develop Project Charter (10 Days) (Link to 1)

3. Sponsor Review/Approval (2 Days) (Link to 2)

4. Create Preliminary Scope Statement (5 Days) (Link to 3)

5. Determine Project Team (5 Days) (Link to 3)

6. Project Team Kickoff Meeting (1 Day) (Link to 5)

7. Develop Project Plan (10 Days) (Link to 6)

8. Verify & Validate User Requirements (14 Days) (Link to 7)

9. Design System (14 Days) (Link to 8)

10. Procure Hardware/Software (14 Days) (Link to 9)

11. Install Preliminary System (2 Days) (Link to 10)

12. Test Preliminary System (5 Days) (Link to 11)

13. Install Live System (5 Days) (Link to 12)

14. User Training (2 Days) (Link to 13)

15. Audit Procurement (5 Days) (Link to 14)

16. Document Lessons Learned (2 Days) (Link to 15)

17. Update Files/Records (2 Days) (Link to 15)

18. Gain Formal Acceptance (5 Days) (Link to 14)

19. Archive Files/Documents (1 Day) (Link to 17)

20. Closeout Meeting (1 day) (Link to 19)

Saint PRM 524 module 3 assignment

PRM 524 – Applied Project Management Case

Assignment 2– Resources and Instructions

21. Use the Resource Sheet view in MS Project to enter the following names of personnel assigned to the project:

John

Mike

Nancy

Dave

Dr. Jackson

PMO

(YOUR NAME) as PM

Pindar

Emilio

Pam

Estaban

Craig

22.Use the Gantt Chart view to assign resources from the dropdown menu under the Resource Names field for each of the following tasks:

m. Evaluation & Recommendations – John, Mike

n. Develop Project Charter – John, Mike, Nancy, Dave

o. Sponsor Review/Approval – Dr. Jackson

p. Create Preliminary Scope Statement – Nancy

q. Determine Project Team – PMO

r. Project Team Kickoff Meeting – PM

s. Develop Project Plan – Dave, PM

t. Verify & Validate User Requirements – Pindar, Emilio, Pam

u. Design System – Pindar, Estaban

v. Procure Hardware/Software – Nancy, PMO

w. Install Preliminary System – Emilio, Estaban

x. Test Preliminary System – Pindar

y. Install Live System – Emilio, Estaban

z. User Training – Craig

aa. Audit Procurement – PMO

bb. Document Lessons Learned – PM

cc. Update Files/Records – PMO

dd. Gain Formal Acceptance – Dr. Jackson

ee. Archive Files/Documents – PMO, PM

ff. Closeout Meeting – PM

3. Generate a Resource Overview report and save and name it by choosing File – Export – Create PDF/XPS – lastnameFirstname-REPORT1– Publish Range All (submit this file with your MS Project

file).

4. Reduce the Design System by two days and allow Pindar and Estaban to work overtime to keep the schedule on track.

5. As PM, Schedule yourself for a doctor’s appointment on the final day of the project (moving it out one extra day) for the Closeout Meeting.

Saint PRM 524 module 4 assignment

PRM 524 – Applied Project Management Case

Assignment 3– Resources and Instructions

1. Using the Gantt Chart view, create a detailed and comprehensive timeline by taking the following steps:

Add an “End Project” milestone and link it to the final activity.

Add a “Charter Approved” milestone after the Sponsor Review/Approval activity.

Link the Create Preliminary Scope Statement and Determine the Project Team to the Charter Approved milestone (Hint: Use predecessor column).

Change the predecessors in the Project Team Kickoff Meeting activity to the two prior activities (Create Prelim Scope/Determine Project Team).

Add a “Project Plan Approved” milestone and link it to the Develop Project Plan activity.

Link the Verify & Validate User Requirements activity to the Project Approved milestone.

Add a “Live Rollout” milestone after the link to User Training.

Link the Audit Procurement and Gain Formal Acceptance activities to the Live Rollout milestone.

2. Add the following Summary Tasks:

Initiation Phase- from Evaluation & Recommendation to Charter Approvedmilestone

Planning Phase–from Create Preliminary Scope to Project Plan Approvedmilestone

Execution Phase–from Verify & Validate User to Live Rollout milestone

Closeout Phase–from Audit Procurements to End Project milestone

3. Generate a timeline showing only the four phases above along with the milestones.

Color-code each phase with a different color.

Pull out the milestones from the timeline (if necessary).

Create a presentation-size copy and paste it into a blank Word Document (may be helpful to use a landscape orientation). Save it, name it (lastnameTimeline), and submit this with your MS Project file.

Saint PRM 524 module 5 assignment

PRM 524 – Applied Project Management Case

Assignment 4– Resources and Instructions

1. Using the Gantt Chart view, take note of your current completion date for the project.

2. Set the Status Date of the project to today’s date.

3. Set a Baseline for the entire project.

4. Show the baseline (gray bars) on your timeline.

5. Add the following completion percentages to the tasks below:

Evaluation & Recommendation – 100% complete

Develop Project Charter – 95% complete

6. Move the Sponsor Review/Approval task out 2 business days (add two days) and keep the link to the next task.

7. Show the critical tasks on the timeline.

8. Adjust the Duration on critical tasks that can logically be changed to get your project back to its original completion date (cannot change Sponsor Review/Approval activity again)

9. Generate a Project Overview report by phase (default). Save and name the file: Choose File – save as – browse to where to save – from Save as type: dropdown – select PDF Files – rename lastnameOVERVIEW(leave publish range set to “All”).

10. Provide a Resource Overview report. Save and name the file: Choose File – save as – browse to where to save – from Save as type: dropdown – select PDF Files – rename lastnameRESOURCE

(leave publish range set to “All”).

Saint PRM 524 module 6 assignment

PRM 524 – Applied Project Management Case

Assignment 5 – Resources and Instructions

1. Access the Resource View of your project.

2. Add the following Standard Rate for each of the employees or offices below (you must also enter Overtime rates for Pindar and Estaban):

John – $35/hr

Mike – $35/hr

Nancy – $35/hr

Dave – $35/hr

Dr. Jackson – $65/hr

PMO – $45/hr

Project Manager (student) – $40/hr

Pindar – $55/hr std. – $82.50/hr overtime

Emilio – $55/hr

Pam – $35/hr

Estaban – $55/hr std. – $82.50/hr overtime

Craig – $35/hr

3. Enter the following material costs to your sheet at the bottom.

Resource Name:Hardware– Type:Material– Material:Bundles

Resource Name:Software– Type:Material– Material:Flat Fee

4. Attach 3 Hardware Bundles and 1 Software Flat Fee to the Procure Hardware/Software task within the Execution phase.

5. Generate a Resource Cost Overview report. Save as a PDF file named lastnameCOST1.

6. Generate a Task Cost Overview report. Save as a PDF file named lastnameCOST2.

Saint PRM 524 module 7 Final project plan

PRM 524 – Applied Project Management Case

Final Project Plan – Assignment Guidelines

Include:

23. Business style report

24. Cover Page

25. Table of Contents (at a minimum, include the bold section headers in this table)

26. 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font

27. Graduate-level grammar/style

28. Labeled and numbered captions at the bottom of each figure (ex. Figure 1: Resource Overview Report)

Note: Page suggestions are provided as a guide. Please do not exceed the suggestions by more than a full page.

Project Plan Introduction (1-2 Pages)

Overview:

Write an overview of your project including major milestones and main deliverable.

Requirements:

Provide a brief statement of requirements for your project.

Project Scope (1 Page)

Write a scope statement for your project. Be certain to also state exclusions from the project plan that the customer or other major stakeholder might reasonably expect you to include.

Project Stakeholders and Hr Management (2 Pages)

Stakeholders:

Write two paragraphs about the potential stakeholders for your project using the information from Discussion Question 3 (Module 3).

Human Resource Management:

Using the information from Assignment 2 (Module 3), identify/document team names, project roles, contact information, responsibilities, and skills using a spreadsheet as your HR management plan. Include the Resource Overview report from Assignment 2 (Module 3) to document the planned number of hours and scheduling of personnel.

 

Project Timeline, WBS, and Communications Management Plan (2 Pages)

Project Timeline:

Note your major project milestones and include the timeline from Assignment 3 (Module 4) in this section.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS):

Using Assignment 1 (Module 2) and Assignment 3 (Module 4), create a formal WBS outline using the four main phases and related tasks. Keep in mind that your project title is level 1.0 and the phases begin with 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4. Be consistent in your numbering style.

Project Communication Management:

Discuss your communication plan for the Genesis Upgrade project. This discussion should include types and timing of meetings, preferred communication style/tools, and responsibility of various team members on reporting project progress.

Project Risk Management & Timeline Update (2 Pages)

Project Risk Management:

Identify at least four risks in your project and how you, as the project manager, plan to avoid or mitigate them during the execution of your project. Be sure to include the risk, the potential impact on one or more of the triple constraints of scope, cost, or time, and the probability of the risk occurring in a percentage (ex. 40% chance). Give each risk a rating using a scale that you provide.

Project Timeline Update:

Include your Resource Overview report from Assignment 4 (Module 5) as a snapshot of the timeline (start/finish dates) for each resource and the remaining work left within the schedule from the point in time that you generated the report.

Project Costs & Procurement Management (3 Pages)

Project Costs:

Provide the Task Cost Overview report from Assignment 5 (Module 6) and discuss the implications of the top-level costs for each phase of the project. Provide the Resource Cost Overview report from Assignment 5 (Module 6) and discuss how the costs are spread among resources.

Make or Buy Decision:

Detail your decision to use existing equipment or to buy new equipment for the Genesis System Upgrade project based upon your answer to Discussion Question 6 (Module 6).

 

Project Integration Management & Project Progress (3-4 Pages)

Integration:

Based upon Discussion Question 7 (Module 7), describe your view of project integration management as applied to the Genesis System Upgrade project.

Project Progress:

Based upon Audio Visual Presentation (AVP) 3 (Module 7), include the following reports to your plan. Generate each report using today’s date:

· Cost Overview Report

· Work Overview Report

· Critical Task Report

· Milestone Report

Lessons Learned:

Summarize a few significant lessons-learned relating to managing a project such as the Genesis Systems Upgrade project. You can draw from module content, webinars/MS project practice, and/or from the PMBOK® Guide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINAL eXAM

 

 

 

Question 1.1. Which statement describes best handling of assumptions during the initiating processes? (Points : 4)

It is the responsibility of the sales person in charge to identify all risks related to a customer project.

Organizational, environmental, and external assumptions should be addressed by the project charter.

Managing and organizing assumptions means avoiding risks right from the start of the project.

Risks are a sign of uncertainty. Avoiding all uncertainties means that a project should have no risks at all.

 

Question 2.2. What should managers consider before conducting a performance-evaluation interview with a project team member? (Points : 4)

Which management fallacies can most easily be delegated to the worker?

How can discussion of the manager’s leadership style be avoided?

How can disputes related to unsatisfactory performance be avoided?

Has the employee been provided with sufficient instructions and work tools?

 

Question 3.3. During code inspection in a major software development project, a project management team identified frequent occurrences of critical programming errors. These errors are scattered across the code and occur without a discernible pattern. Which tool is most likely to help the team identify areas of error concentration in order to develop a prioritized response strategy? (Points : 4)

Process decision program chart

Decision tree

Check sheet

Influence diagram

 

Question 4.4. Projects frequently do not meet customer expectations for which of the following reasons? (Points : 4)

Technical inability and poor risk management by the contractor

Poor risk management by the contractor running the project

Unclear scope definition by the customer for whom the project is performed

Poor technical ability of the contractor running the project for the customer

 

Question 5.5. What is not true for change requests? (Points : 4)

Change requests should always be handled in a controlled and integrative fashion.

Change requests surpassing the formal change control processes can lead to scope creep.

Professionally managed, change requests can help in improving a project and resolving emerging problems.

Change requests are always a sign of bad planning and therefore, should be avoided.

 

Question 6.6. The cost baseline is developed during which process? (Points : 4)

Perform integrated change control

Develop schedule

Estimate costs

Determine budget

 

Question 7.7. During the execution of a project to build a complex defense system, your team has run into a deep crisis. The project’s goal and objectives have been challenging right from the start, but now you have discovered that your team members have become increasingly unaware of them. Being busy solving detail problems, they often fail to understand the overall requirements. Then they develop solutions that resolve issues in their area of limited responsibility while causing new problems at the interfaces with other system components. Meanwhile, the team members show signs of growing frustration, and time is running away. How can you help your team in this situation? (Points : 4)

Ignore the low-level issues and focus on achieving the overall requirements. Details can be sorted out during test and handover.

Problems of this dimension have their origin in fundamental personal incompatibilities between team members. You should replace them all.

If everybody simply does their jobs, then there should be no problem. Make sure that team members are fully aware of their accountability.

Accompany your team members along a sequence of maturity levels from dependence through independence to interdependence.

 

Question 8.8. During a meeting, a discussion came up: To which degree does your project have to be compliant to the processes enumerated in the PMBOK® Guide? What should be the guiding principle to answer this question? (Points : 4)

The processes are meant as rough guidelines to which a team should only adhere if there is enough consensus.

The project team must select appropriate processes required to meet the project requirements.

The more processes the project team follows, the better the project’s performance will be.

Without alterations, the project manager must follow all 42 processes for project management.

 

Question 9.9. What is typical for high-context cultures? (Points : 4)

A message has little meaning without an understanding of the surrounding context.

Technical means for communications can focus on transfer of spoken and written language.

Communication is preferred and avoids passing over a great deal of additional information.

To understand a message, no information on history or personal opinion is needed.

 

Question 10.10. How should change management be planned for? (Points : 4)

Change management can be planned in a set of management plans or a specific change management plan.

Planning for change management should be done while the various change control processes are being applied.

Changes are generally not predictable; therefore, planning for change management cannot be reasonable.

Changes are a sign of bad planning. One should avoid changes during a project, thus eliminating the need to manage them.

 

Question 11.11. In configuration management, which of the following is necessary to maintain the integrity of baselines? (Points : 4)

Releasing only approved changes for incorporation into products or services.

Ensuring transparency across all project management processes and activities.

Ensuring that team members adhere to a code of ethical conduct and behavior.

Analyzing variances by comparing baseline information with actual project data.

 

Question 12.12. ___________ are usually not a manifestation of unique organizational cultures and styles. (Points : 4)

Individual traits and attitudes of co-workers

Shared visions, values, norms, beliefs, and expectations

Policies, methods, and procedures

Views of authority relationships

 

Question 13.13. How does a project management team stay in touch with the work and the attitudes of project team members? (Points : 4)

Using closed questions during team meetings

By observation and communication

Through third-party assessments

Through the team members’ functional managers

 

Question 14.14. You are the project manager for the development of a new type of power plant.

Your project is making fast progress, and it is getting nearer to the day of product acceptance. Which technique will be most important for product acceptance? (Points : 4)

Impact analysis

Team review

Quality audit

Inspection

 

Question 15.15. At the beginning of project execution, you notice different opinions between team members relating to project work and deliverables and to the level of overall complexity. What should you do right now? (Points : 4)

Use interviews in private with each individual team member to inform them of your expectations and your requirements in an atmosphere of confidence.

Give your team members some time to develop a common understanding of the project scope and product scope. Upcoming interface problems may be resolved later.

Use the risk management processes to identify and assess risks caused by misunderstandings and develop a plan with measures in order to respond to them.

Organize meetings to identify and resolve misunderstandings between team members in order to avoid interface problems, disintegration, and costly rework early in the project.

 

Question 16.16. According to Bruce Tuckman, which of the following lists includes the stages of team development? (Points : 4)

Tell, sell, consult, join

Forming, storming, norming, performing

Direct, support, coach, delegate

Honeymoon, rejection, regression, acceptance, re-entry

 

Question 17.17. You monitored figures on cost and planned/earned value for each individual project week until the data date at the end of the sixth week.

 

What is the status of this project at this date? (Points : 4)

The project is behind schedule and over budget.

The project is ahead of schedule and over budget.

The project is behind schedule and under budget.

The project is ahead of schedule and under budget.

 

Question 18.18. What is the purpose of a project charter? (Points : 4)

To link the project, which is going to be planned, executed, and monitored/controlled to the ongoing work of the organization.

To formally authorize a project or a phase and document initial requirements which satisfy the stakeholder’s needs and expectations.

To describe the process of performing the work defined in the project management plan in order to achieve the project’s objectives.

To document how the project will be planned, executed, monitored/controlled, and closed.

 

Question 19.19. During project execution, you found out that work is often not performed at the right time and in the right order. Deliverables are made by one team member that cannot be processed by another one. This already leads to timely rework and bad morale among team members. Which project management tool is most appropriate to deal with problems like this? (Points : 4)

Work authorization system

Communications management plan

RACI matrix

Organization chart

 

Question 20.20. During execution in a project to build a major road bridge, your team found a major flaw in the technical drawings. On an ad-hoc basis, they had to find and implement a workaround to avoid delays and mitigate technical problems. What should you do next? (Points : 4)

The workaround was performed on a technical level only. As long as it does not influence the function of the bridge or the organizational configuration of the project, a change request will not be necessary.

It is normal in projects that during project execution inconsistencies arise between planning documents and actual implementation. This is no problem as long as the functional status of the product is maintained.

Meticulously document the problem and the workaround to create a requested change to the project management plan, which will then be passed to the body responsible for the change control decision.

A retroactive formal change request side is not reasonable. Create some additional documents describing the workaround and sign them by yourself. You can present them during the next regular CCB meeting.

 

Question 21.21. You were able to obtain measuring equipment with very high accuracy and precision. You used it to make a sequence of measurements directly at a production process output and depicted the results on the following control chart.

 

 

 

Which statement is the best conclusion from these results? (Points : 4)

The process has high precision but low accuracy. It should be adjusted.

The process has high precision but low accuracy. It should be improved.

The process has high accuracy but low precision. It should be improved.

The process has high accuracy but low precision. It should be adjusted.

 

Question 22.22. A project manager’s PDM network schedule gets audited by a scheduling expert.

The expert tells the project manager to focus more on nodes with “path

convergence,” also known as “sinks.” What is he referring to? (Points : 4)

Nodes in a network logic diagram, which have multiple predecessors.

Nodes in a WBS, where several branches are brought back together.

Nodes in a conditional network diagram, at which it becomes deterministic.

Nodes in a decision tree, showing various branches with the same chance.

 

Question 23.23. Which statement best describes the purpose of the communications management plan? (Points : 4)

The communications management plan describes rules of behavior and respect for communications in cross-cultural teams.

The communications management plan focuses on the use of communications technologies by the project management team.

The project management plan is a subsidiary document of the overall communications management plan.

The communications management plan describes the information delivery needs including format and level of detail.

 

Question 24.24. Which of the following documents is not used as input for the validate scope process? (Points : 4)

The requirements traceability matrix, linking requirements to their origin and tracing them throughout the project lifecycle.

The validated deliverables completed and checked for correctness by the perform quality control process.

The project management plan, containing the scope baseline consisting of the project scope statement and its associated WBS and WBS dictionary.

The RACI matrix describing accountabilities in case of product rejection.

 

Question 25.25. Crashing describes a technique to speed up a project by: (Points : 4)

reducing the number of features of the product in order to reduce development work.

reallocating existing resources or assigning additional resources to the project.

overlapping activities that were originally planned to be done in sequence.

reducing the duration estimates for activities to increase the pressure applied to the staff.