Questions

Q1

1.1 Select a project, and determine at least two aspects of the project scope that might have the tendency to go out of scope and potentially derail the project. Next, develop a WBS that contains the three levels of detail and takes the two eventualities you determined into account.

1.2 Determine the main advantages of developing a WBS for this project. Support your response.

Q2

Case Study: Ghost Stories

On December 26, 2004, an earthquake reaching 9.1 on the Richter scale triggered

a series of devastating tsunamis off the coast of Indonesia. They spread throughout

the Indian Ocean, killing large numbers of people and inundating coastal

communities across South and Southeast Asia, including parts of Indonesia,

Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. The 2004 Asian tsunami was one of the deadliest

catastrophes in modern history, with more than 220,000 lives lost.

Nils Lofgrin, who had managed several construction projects in Australia and

New Guinea, was sent by his construction firm to restore a five-star resort along

the Andaman coast in southern Thailand that had been ravaged by this tsunami.

Casualties at the resort included 12 staff and 37 guests. This was Nils’s first assignment

in Thailand.

Nils flew down and toured the site. His assessment of the damage was that it

was not as severe as feared. The basic infrastructure was intact but debris needed

to be cleared and the resort refurbished. He reported back to headquarters that

with a bit of luck he should have the resort up and running in a matter of months.

Little did he realize how soon he would regret making such a promise.

The problems began immediately when he was unable to recruit workers to help

clean up the mess at the resort. The Burmese migrant workers who comprised a

significant portion of the workforce in this region had fled into the hills out of

growing fears of being arrested and deported. Even when he offered double wages

he was not able to recruit many Thais. At first he attributed their reluctance to the

shock caused by the devastation of the tsunami. Everyone he met seemed to know

someone who had died or even worse had just disappeared. But he soon realized

there was more going on than just shock.

Nils was at a restaurant having a lunch with a Thai friend when an animated

discussion broke out among some Thai patrons nearby. He asked his friend what

was going on. The friend said someone was telling the story of a local taxi driver

who had picked up three foreign tourists and was driving them to Kata Beach

when he looked around and found his cab empty. Another told the story of a local

family whose telephone rings constantly through the day and night. When answered,

the voices of missing friends and relatives cry out for help.

Nils sank in his chair when he began to realize that no one wanted to work for

him because prospective workers believed that the region and his resort are

haunted by ghosts.

2.1 Working in a strange and foreign culture while adhering to the project management guidelines can present challenges. A project manager must utilize information for project professionals working overseas, as well as work on virtual projects involving colleagues from different countries. From Chapter 15 of the textbook, describe the four major issues surrounding the management of international projects. Next, from the case study, determine which of the four issues that you identified best describes the problem of Lofgrin, the project manager. Support your response.

2.2 From the case study, determine Lofgrin’s problem, and recommend a strategy for Lofgrin to consider in order to resolve the problem. Next, create a three-level WBS for the strategy that you recommended. Justify your response.