MB0033 Project MGT Set 1 2
MB0033 Project MGT Set 1 2
MB0033 Project MGT Set 1 2
Q 1: How can risks cab be prioritized in a project management? Give any suitable
example.
Answer:
Risk Management Risks are those events or conditions that may occur and whose
occurrence has a harmful or negative impact on a project. Risk management aims to identify
the risks and then take actions to minimize their effect on the project. Risk management
entails additional cost. Hence risk management can be considered cost effective only if the
cost of risk management is considerably less than the cost incurred if the risk materializes.
Risk prioritization – Risk prioritization focus on the highest risk. Prioritization requires
analyzing the possible effects of the risk event in case it actually occurs. This approach
requires a quantitative assessment of the risk probability and the risk consequences. For each
risk rate the probability of its happening as low, medium or high. If necessary, assign
probability values in the ranges given for each rating. For each risk, assess its impact on the
project as low, medium, high or very high. Rank the risk based on the probability. Select the
top few risk items for mitigation and tracking.
Refer to a list of commonly used risk mitigation steps for various risks from the previous risk
logs maintained by the PM and select a suitable risk mitigation step. The risk mitigation step
must be properly executed by incorporating them into the project schedule. In addition to
monitoring the progress of the planned risk mitigation steps periodically revisit the risk
perception for the entire project. The results of this review are reported in each milestone
analysis report. To prepare this report, make fresh risk analysis to determine whether the
priorities have changed.
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Q 2: Mention any six charactertics of interpersonal behavior. What are the types of
reviews?
Answer:
Interpersonal Behaviour - In a team the maxim that all members will do well to remember is
“Learn to appreciate the problems of others, and some others would appreciate yours”. It is
therefore important that in a business environment, particularly in Project Management, an
effort to evolve solutions jointly has great benefits, both for the teams as well as the
organization. The top management has the responsibility of encouraging such a culture to
develop team work to healthy interpersonal behaviour.
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• Clarity of expression and communication
• Patience in listening and reacting with empathy
• Documentation and correct recording
• Offer to help
• Call for help whenever necessary
• Seeking information before attempting decisions
• Not waiting for things to go wrong
• Motivation of others through efficiency and meticulousness, rather than urging and
exhibiting dependency
• Putting team goals ahead of individual targets.
The project manager should make it a habit of expressing appreciation openly for any good
work done. Cross Functional Teams have become a necessity and the synergy they generate
would be lost if interpersonal behaviour is not of high standard. As members are from
different functions, understanding the requirements or compulsions of others is difficult. This
fact should be impressed upon all the members and requesting them to cooperate is vital.
Reviews Types
The reviews are generally divided into four types which are conducted at different stages of
the project.
A project review is a process where we capture information from the team experience and
see the variances and deviations from the plan. These reviews help in increasing productivity
and improve organizational success. The purpose of the reviews can be generally stated as
under. Depending on the manager’s ability they can be made more meaningful. Performance
improvement starts with commitment to an agreed plan. The reviews are meant to keep the
activities are according to the plan. The purpose of them can be states as:
• Finding out the feasibility of the project and helping management team to take a
decision based on this initial Review.
• Checking if all the necessary activities were done before presenting a customer the
proposal or solution
• Checking if all the formal agreements and procedures were formally accepted and
reviewed between the customer and the project delivery organization.
• Finding out the deviation and allowing elbow room for changes in the action
plan for improvement.
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Answer:
Focusing on the various strategic initiatives taken up for multiple projects and the issues
related to benefits and risks.
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Bringing about the attention of management to a defined set of benefits, which are
understood immediately, which are managed throughout the implementation and at
completion.
Helping top management to set priorities, choosing options and allocate resources
Setting up mechanisms to measure and ensure that the projects making contributions for
realizing expected business benefits.
Leading the organization on the path of ‘where it’ an ‘where it wants to be’
Ensuring that the effects of the programme driven changes are coordinated, the transitions
are successfully managed. The operations are effective and efficient.
Process of P2M
The objectives sought to be achieved and the methods which are adopted and the activities
that are going to be undertaken i.e. the process include the following steps:
Preparing and maintaining a set of activities and the workflow that is to be followed and
identifying business areas responsible for different stages in the above;
1. Making sure that the priorities that the above generate are relevant and the projects
are run on the basis of their impact on the business as a whole;
2. Structuring the programme so that the responsibilities and roles – at both programme
and project level – are acceptable to both the top management and managers;
3. Planning the various points of review between various phases of the projects. The
process has to incorporate all the important aspects which are to be addressed during
implementation and management of the projects. It is important to identify all
factors and incorporate resources – men, materials, technology and time – so that
their provision can be planned.
When we consider the portfolio of projects as a programme, the main considerations will be
on resources, risks associated with the programme, quality of the projects at every stage of
the execution as meeting the requirements of the client as per the contract and monitoring
the change processes that get enmeshed during implementation. The specifics concerning the
above are listed below:
i) Evaluating the risks associated with the programme – the planned changes to the
business operations;
ii) Ensuring that the processes to ensure quality are sufficient and purposes are fully
met;
iii) Keeping track of the changes and developments external to the project
environment and studying their impact on the programme.
iv) Making sure that the personnel in business affected by the above are informed and
trained so that the projects are smoothly;
v) Ensuring that the support services like human resources and IT are able to
adopt to the changes that take place in the projects and business operations as a
whole.
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Answer:
ROI - Return on Investment (ROI) is the calculated benefit that an organization is projected
to receive in return for investing money (resources) in a project. Within the context of the
Review Process, the investment would be in an information system development or
enhancement project. ROI information is used to assess the status of the business viability of
the project at key checkpoints throughout the project’s lifecycle.
ROI may include the benefits associated with improved mission performance, reduced cost,
increased quality, speed, or flexibility, and increased customer and employee satisfaction.
ROI should reflect such risk factors as the project’s technical complexity, the agency’s
management capacity, the likelihood of cost overruns, and the consequences of under or
nonperformance. Where appropriate, ROI should reflect actual returns observed through pilot
projects and prototypes.
ROI should be quantified in terms of dollars and should include a calculation of the breakeven
point (BEP), which is the date when the investment begins to generate a positive return. ROI
should be recalculated at every major checkpoint of a project to se if the BEP is still on
schedule, based on project spending and accomplishments to date. If the project is behind
schedule or over budget, the BEP may move out in time; if the project is ahead of schedule
or under budget the BEP may occur earlier. In either case, the information is important for
decision making based on the value of the investment throughout the project lifecycle. Any
project that has developed a business case is expected to refresh the ROI at each key project
decision point (i.e., stage exit) or at least yearly.
Exclusions
If the detailed data collection, calculation of benefits and costs, and capitalization data from
which Return on Investment (ROI) is derived was not required for a particular project, then it
may not be realistic or practical to require the retrofit calculation of ROI once the project is
added to the Review portfolio. In such a case, it is recommended that a memorandum of
record be developed as a substitute for ROI. The memorandum should provide a brief history
of the program, a description of the major benefits realized to date with as much
quantitative data as possible, and a summary of the process used to identify and select
system enhancements.
Some of the major benefits experienced by sites that installed the information system that
would be important to include in the memorandum are:
In each case above, identify the specific site, systems, and labour involved in determining
the cited benefit. Identify any costs or dollar savings that are known or have been estimated.
The memorandum will be used as tool for responding to any future audit inquiries on project
ROI.
For the Project Management Review, it is recommended that the project leader replace the
text on the ROI document through -
(2) A bulleted list of the most important points from the memorandum of record; and
In subsequent Reviews of the information system, the ROI slide can be eliminated form the
package. There is one notable exception to this guidance. Any internal use software project
in the maintenance phase of its lifecycle that adds a new site or undertakes an enhancement
or technology refresh that reaches the cost threshold established by Standard will need to
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satisfy capitalization requirements. It requires all agencies to capitalize items acquired or
developed for internal use if the expected service life is two or more years and its cost meets
or exceeds the agency’s threshold for internal use software. The standard requires
capitalization of direct and indirect costs, including employee salaries and benefits for both
Federal and Contractor employees who materially participate in the Software project.
Program managers are considered to be the source of cost information for internal use
software projects. If capitalization data is collected for the project in the future, the project
would be expected to calculate and track its ROI.
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Answer:
Baseline
The Baseline created can be used to compare the original project plan with actual events and
achievements. This will display the days required for each task and project phase. For actual
operating instruction please refer the Microsoft Project User Handbook. The Microsoft Project
family of products offers tools to work on a Project from management point of view.
Microsoft Project is designed for people who manage projects independently and don’t
require the capability to manage resources from a central repository. Microsoft has a team
project management solution that enables project managers and their teams to collaborate
on projects. After creating a fairly complete final project plan it is a good idea to create a
baseline to compare the original project plan with actual events and achievements.
Reviewing baseline
This will display the days required for each task and project phase. It includes -
Tracking Progress
After creating a baseline, if the project has begun, it is necessary to enter actual dates that
tasks are being completed and the resource utilization used to complete them. Again review
different views and the cost and summary tables before proceeding to the next section.
Return to the Entry view of the Gantt chart before proceeding.
Balancing Workloads
At times people and equipment can become assigned more work than they can complete in
normal working hours. This is called over allocation. Project can test for this condition and
reschedule (or level) their workload to accommodate completing tasks during a normal day.
Monitoring Variance
After a baseline has been established and the project has begun, it is desirable to determine
if tasks are being accomplished on time and /or if cost over runs are occurring.
Creating Reports
Project has many different built-in reports and has the capability building custom reports and
exporting data to other MS Office applications for integration into other reporting venues.
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GDM - The Global Delivery Model (GDM) is adopted by an Industry or Business such that it has
a capability to plan design, deliver and serve to any Customers or Clients Worldwide with
Speed, Accuracy, Economy and Reliability. The key Features of GDM are ·
Standardization
Modularization
Minimum Customization
Maximum Micro structure
Adoption of a Combination of the Greatest Common Multiple and the Least Common
Factor of a Large Mass of Microbial Components-
d) Maximum micro structuring - Splitting of the Product Modules further into much
smaller entity identifiable more through characteristics rather than application
Features. Approach through Standardization of these Microbial Entities even across
Multiple Modules. Application of these Microbial Entities to rest within multiple
Projects or Products or even as add-ons suit belated Customer Needs.
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ASSIGNMENTS
Subject code: MBOO33
SET – 2
SUBJECT NAME: – PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Q 1: What are the various characteristics of a project? What is the importance of each
characteristic? Give examples.
Answer:
It is well known to all that the organizations continue to grow year by year.
As there is a need to grow it becomes necessary for a growing organization
to resort to proper growth plan. The plan needs to be properly prepared. It
is possible to prepare proper plans only if the manager has sufficient
knowledge of the various process of the project envisage for growth. The
manager has to work on the various life cycle stages and apply necessary
planning tools to come out with a proper growth plan of the company. The
various techniques of identifying the project items, work break down
structure of the project , task duration, estimation etc are to be done
meticulously.
Characteristics
d) Risk - The risks involved in the project affecting its completion time
is high at the initial stages and low at the later stages of the project.
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e) Design changes - The project during the course of its progress may
be subjected to changes because of some external factors. The
influence of such external factors on the project may result in
changes in the design f the project though not very often. It is
observed that such changes if any are normally high during the initial
stages of the project and decreases as the project approaches finish.
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Answer:
Dr. Deming's teachings and philosophy can be seen through the results they produced
when they were adopted by the Japanese, as the following example shows: Ford Motor
Company was simultaneously manufacturing a car model with transmissions made in
Japan and the United States. Soon after the car model was on the market, Ford
customers were requesting the model with Japanese transmission over the USA-made
transmission, and they were willing to wait for the Japanese model. As both
transmissions were made to the same specifications, Ford engineers could not
understand the customer preference for the model with Japanese transmission. It
delivered smoother performance with a lower defect rate. Finally, Ford engineers
decided to take apart the two different transmissions. The American-made car parts
were all within specified tolerance levels. On the other hand, the Japanese car parts had
much closer tolerances than the USA-made parts - i.e. if a part was supposed to be one
foot long, plus or minus 1/8 of an inch - then the Japanese parts were within 1/16 of an
inch. This made the Japanese cars run more smoothly and customers experienced fewer
problems.
Deming offers a theory of management based on his famous 14 Points for Management.
Management's failure to plan for the future brings about loss of market, which brings
about loss of jobs. Management must be judged not only by the quarterly dividend, but
by innovative plans to stay in business, protect investment, ensure future dividends, and
provide more jobs through improved products and services. "Long-term commitment to
new learning and new philosophy is required of any management that seeks
transformation. The timid and the fainthearted, and the people that expect quick results,
are doomed to disappointment."
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In the 1970s, Dr. Deming's philosophy was summarized by some of his Japanese
proponents with the following 'a'-versus-'b' comparison:
(a) When people and organizations focus primarily on quality, defined by the following
ratio,
(b) However, when people and organizations focus primarily on costs, costs tend to rise
and quality declines over time.
Deming offered fourteen key principles for management for transforming business
effectiveness.
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Answer:
Because the F-22 fighter plane is not urgently needed and the Defense
Department (DOD) has discovered engine and software problems with the
aircraft, GAO urges that the F-22 be thoroughly tested before large numbers
of these expensive aircraft are acquired. Concurrency between the
development and production phases of F-22 means that independent
testing of high-tech features of the aircraft will not be completed before the
Air Force makes a significant commitment to producing the F-22. Among
other things, the F-22 boast an advanced architecture for the integrated
avionics system, a propulsion system that will allow cruising a supersonic
speeds without the afterburners that current fighters needs, and low
observable technologies. The military has already disclosed engine and
stealth ness problems, and the potential for avionics and software problems
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underscore the need to demonstrate the aircraft's capabilities before
committing to production.
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Q 4: Explain in detail the project management review process. What are the various
post review activates?
Answer:
There is mutual benefit for corporate and major information systems project
teams and many of the programs as a result of the information exchange
generated by the Project Management Reviews. Throughout the project
lifecycle, project staff should collaborate and communicate with staff
responsible for capital planning, information architecture, standards,
information security, safety, configuration management, risk management,
quality management and assurance. The information exchange may address
status, issued, process, requests, requirements, approvals, and assistance in
the areas of project plans, schedule, budget, functional content, scope, staffing,
infrastructure and operations.
Corporate and major information systems are reviewed from their inception to
retirement, i.e., throughout the Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC)
phases of Identification, Selection, Control, and Evaluation.
Once the Project Management Review has been conducted, follow up with
program/project managers on any issues or concerns requiring attention, the
status of open items from the review, and CIO reporting actions, e.g., reports to
the CIO Council. The CIO may also recommend quality assurance analysis be
conducted.
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2. Status of Open Items from Review
The program/project manager is responsible for tracking the open items from
the review and communicating the status in each quarterly review until the
items are closed. The supporting the scheduling of reviews will coordinate with
the program/project manager after the quarterly reviews to help ensure that
new items have been captured for tracking and action by the program/project
manager.
3. CIO Reports
The staff supporting the CIO Quarterly Reviews will prepare a summary report
after each Project Management Review. The summary report will include the
following information:
i) Summary Status
ii) Open Issues/Items
iii) Status Performance Objectives/Measures
iv) Status of Schedule/Cost
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Answer:
b) Mapping of Structures a) high shortage risk and effect, long lead and
reaction times, high total inventory cost, frequent engineering changes.
Significance of Documentation
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Answer:
Various sections and subsections of this unit would cover as part of Project
Management Plan, the following key aspects:
• Project Scope
• Objectives
• Tailoring Notes
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Requirement trace ability will be done through the requisite
pro-tool.
Requisite tool will be used along with estimated size and effort.
This is the estimation criteria to check everything is in place.
Estimate the total effort wrt each activity and effort for each
phase of a project expressed as of percentage of man days.
• People
• Hardware, software and Tools
• Training Plan
• Project Goals
9. · Project Tracking
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Prepare a list probable defects & defect distribution table to
find out deviation for the same. There were very few large
deviations in the process performance; the actual performance
was close to what is expected. This will give a chance to
improve the poor performance.
• Standardization
• Modularization
• Minimum Cutomerization
• Maximum Micro Structure
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