Discussion Forum 1
Chapter 1 – Question 7
Liberty University
BMIS-510
8/30/2017
It is necessary for the project triangle to be balanced at all times for the project’s success because
all components of the triangle (time, scope, resources) work collaboratively towards a common
goal. If one of these components are changed the other components are affected thus requiring
them to be changed as well. [Mot12] The triangle is a depiction of how fundamental balance is in
project management. [Mot12] The project’s success relies on how well the project manager
balances these three components.
Time is an important component of the triangle because it establishes a schedule for the project,
allows you to set deadlines for all phases of the project, and allows you to determine the amount
of resources the project will need based on the amount of time it will take to complete each part
of the overall project.
Scope is important because it provides the overall outlook and direction the project should be
going. It also allows you to create goals for all phases of the project. The scope also includes
what must be done to produce a good outcome for the project.
Resources are important because it allows a budget to be set. Budgets allow the company to keep
control of how much can be spent comfortably on a project. This is important because without a
clear budget being set the company would be spending money blindly. Also included under the
resources umbrella are the employees of the company. It is important to consider this because a
good project manager wouldn’t handle a project that includes 100 employees the same way they
would for a company that has only 10 employees.
A project manager must look at each task that makes up each of the three factors and make sure
that they all align and make sense to the component of the triangle that it falls under. After doing
this they must make sure that each of the three components are reviewed and balance each other
so that the project can stay on track.
For instance, a project manager would look at the scope of the project and create goals. Those
goals would be combined into the overall goal that the project would have to meet in order to be
a success. The project manager would look at the each goal and determine how much time each
goal would take to achieve and create a schedule that the project should follow. The project
manager would look at the resources available and create a realistic budget to stay within to
complete all the mini goals set for the project. They would also use the budget as a reference of
how much the entire project will cost. If anything within time, scope, or resources change the
project manager would have to then go back and look at how that change affects the other
components. If the project manager doesn’t change the others to accommodate the initial change
then it could result in major problems for the project itself, as well as the company.
For example, if the amount of resources change it may cause for you to change the time the
project will take to complete as well as the scope of the project. If the scope of the project is
changed then it may require a shorter or longer period of time to execute each task to meet the
mini goals and the overall goal, which in turn may require more resources. If the time is changed
more resources may be required to complete the project and the scope may need to be changed to
make sure that the completion of the project will be possible.
An unbalanced triangle can cause major implications for the project manager. It could cost the
company tons of unnecessary money, and based on the size of the company could lead to
bankruptcy. The overall scope for the project could be shifted or changed completely. The project
could take much longer than the time given to complete. The resources could be inaccurate and
not stretch throughout the duration of the project. All of these things would could result in the
entire project being unsuccessful.
References
Motiwalla, L. F., & Thompson, J. (2012). Enterprise Systems for Management (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., .
