INITIATING AND EXECUTING THE PROJECT
Aldo061991
Catherine.docxCourse- Initiating the Project
Problem Set 1
Project vs Operation Exercise
What is a project? What are ongoing operations? How are they alike? How are they different?
Find four (4) news stories in your local or regional newspaper (two of each) that discuss either a project or ongoing operations. These must not be older than 2015. Then provide information for each of the following:
Project Article #1
City:
News source (APA reference):
Web address:
Brief Description:
Why is this a Project?
Operations Article #1
City:
News source (APA reference):
Web address:
Brief description:
Why is this Operations?
Project Article #2
City:
News source (APA reference):
Web address:
Brief Description:
Why is this a Project?
Operations Article #2
City:
News source (APA reference):
Web address:
Brief description:
Why is this Operations?
Problem Set 2
Using exactly one hundred (100) words you will provide an elevator pitch/business case for one of the Projects you selected to review for Week 1. This pitch/case should cover the important elements of the project: who, what, where, when, and why?
This assignment should be single-spaced so do not change any of the formatting for this document.
News source (APA reference):
Web address:
City:
Elevator Pitch (100 words):
Problem Set 3
Instructions: Copy and paste your Business Case from Week 2 assignment. Analyze the selected project to determine which organizational structure/culture (Section 4-2a on page 110) would be the ideal or preferred organizational structure for this project. Discuss why you selected this structure and justify that choice. Then, discuss which structure is the least preferred and explain/justify why this would not be a preferred organizational structure for your selected project. Provide specific examples, elements or components from the project to explain your justification. Each of the justification sections should be a minimum of 300 words.
Business Case (copy and paste):
Preferred Org Structure:
Least Preferred Org Structure:
Problem Set 4
Stakeholder Identification Exercise
Instructions: Using the Project you selected for the Week 2 Business Case/Elevator Pitch Exercise complete the following Stakeholder Identification Exercise. Fill in each of the quadrants for internal and external stakeholders impacted by the project progress and the project results. List as many stakeholders as you can identify but no more than ten (10) per quadrant. Also, copy and paste the Business Case/Elevator Pitch from Week 2 on the second page of this document.
Be specific with your stakeholder identifications. For example, if the project were the repurposing of a fast food restaurant to operate under emergency circumstances (i.e. 2020 Coronavirus pandemic) then you should not just list “Customers” as stakeholders. You would need to identify these more specifically as “Dine-In Customers”, “Drive Through Customers”, Walk-In Customers” and “Delivery Customers”.
Copy and Paste the Business Case from Week 2:
|
|
Internal |
External |
|
Impacted by Project Progress |
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. |
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. |
|
Impacted by Project Result |
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. |
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. |
ACTVITY 6 – EXECUTING THE PROJECT
Case Study 11.1: It’s an Agile World
This case illustrates a common problem in software and IT development, where programmers and IT staff are anxious to lock in specifications as early as possible so they can “get to work” without having to worry about invasive or disruptive input from the end users. Unfortunately, what typically happens is that the finished product is not what the users needed or thought they needed and a long list of fixes and modifications are needed to make it work correctly. This case is based on a true story in a hospital IT department that routinely struggled with these sorts of user conflicts until they sifted to an Agile methodology.
Questions
1. Why does the classic waterfall project planning model fail in this situation? What is it about the IT department’s processes that leads to their finished systems being rejected constantly?
3. Why are “user stories” and system “features” critical components of an effective IT software development process?
4. Using the terms “Scrum,” “Sprint,” and “User stories,” create an alternative development cycle for a hypothetical software development process at Northwest Regional Hospital.
Case Study 12.2: “First Come, First Served”: Resource Challenges for Sunrise Restoration
This case is intended to highlight the challenges in resource assignment, particularly in the common cases where project managers within the same firm are competing with each other for the use of scarce and valuable human resources to accomplish their tasks. Without clear guidance from top management and a valid priority system, the ability to acquire resources is often the result of chaotic bargaining and negotiation among equals. This case is based on a real situation and the outcomes were very much in line with the way they are described in the case. The business owner did not want to simply invest in more resources for fear that they would be underutilized. He much preferred the system of negotiating among his project managers, even if that led to inefficient utilization of the resources that were available. Students can be asked to take the side of the owner or Tyler to debate the options that Sunrise can use to manage its resources.
Questions
1. Describe some of the resource constraints that Sunrise and its project managers are facing.
2. Is Sunrise’s current model of prioritizing resource assignments viable? Why or why not?
3. How could technology alleviate some of Sunrise’s resource management issues?
4. Would Tyler’s suggestion to hire additional technicians and purchase more equipment solve the resource problems at Sunrise? Why or why not?
