Chapter 4, Project Integration Management

Roseanne Rocaberte
Jul 22, 2017 · 5 min read

1. Read the report “2015 Pulse of the Profession. Capturing the Value of Project Management” by PMI mentioned in the What Went Right section, page 194 of the 8th Edition of the book. Summarize the key points on this study and your opinion of it. Describe some specific steps organization can take to provide a supportive culture for project management.

-2015 Pulse of the Profession focusing on developing a culture of project management, cultivating talent and defining processes, organizations will capture value and gain competitive advantage. The report shows that high performers focus on the Greater knowledge transfer effectiveness, More rigorous risk management, More frequent use of agile/incremental/iterative practices in project management and Higher benefits realization maturity.

Also In this report, we will explore the Pulse findings in greater detail and demonstrate a clear path forward through a focus on the following fundamentals, which essentially take us back to the basics. • Culture: High-performing organizations fully understand the value of project management and are creating a project management mindset. • Talent: High-performing organizations are significantly more likely to focus on talent management, establishing ongoing training, and formal, effective knowledge transfer. This is especially important in project management, where technical skills are enhanced by the leadership and strategic and business management capabilities that are nurtured through experience. • Process: High-performing organizations support project, program, and portfolio management though standardized practices and by aligning projects and programs to the organization’s strategy.

2. Perform a financial analysis for a project using the format provided in the book (IT Project Management, Revised 6e). Assume that the projected costs and benefits for this project are spread over four years as follows: Estimated costs are $200,000 in Year 1 and $30,000 each year in Years 2, 3, and 4. Estimated benefits are $0 in Year 1 and $100,000 each year in Years 2, 3, and 4. Use a 9 percent discount rate, and round the discount factors to two decimal places. Create a spreadsheet or use the business case financials template on the companion Web site to calculate and clearly display the NPV, ROI, and year in which payback occurs. In addition, write a paragraph explaining whether you would recommend investing in this project, based on your financial analysis.

Assumption:

As you can see the ROI is -9% In business, the purpose of the return on investment metric is to measure, per period, rates of return on money invested in an economic entity in order to decide whether or not to undertake an investment so for me i wouldn’t recommend investing on this project because of it’s too low ROI.

3. Develop an outline (major heading and subheading only) for a project management plan to create a Web Site for your class, and then dill in the details for the introduction or overview section. Assume that this Web site would include home page with links to a syllabus for the class, lecture notes or other instructional information, links to the Web site for the books that we are using in the class, links to other Web sites and all links to personal pages for each member of your class and future classmates. Also, include a bulletin board and chat room feature where students and the instructor can exchange information. Assume your instructor is the project’s sponsor, you are the project manager, your classmates are your project team and you have three months to complete the project.

OUTLINE

Website

1. Home Page

1.1 Syllabus

1.2 Subject to be taken

1.3 Student record(id number, names, age, gender, course)

2. Activities

2.1 Title of Activities

2.2 Number of Activities

3. Projects

3.1 Title of Projects

3.2 Date Announced

3.3 Date Submitted

4. Students

4.1 Regular

4.2 Irregular

5. Schedule

5.1 Days of classes

5.2 Time of classes

4. Write a short paper based on the chapter’s opening case. Answer the following questions (Information Technology Project Management, 7e, page 140, Opening Case):

O P E N I N G C A S E

Nick Carson recently became project manager of a critical biotech enterprise at his Silicon Valley Company. This project involved creating the hardware and software for a DNA-sequencing instrument used in assembling and analyzing the human genome. The biotech project was the company’s largest endeavor, and it had tremendous potential for future growth and revenues. Unfortunately, there were problems managing this large project. It had been under way for three years and had already gone through three different project managers. Nick had been the lead software developer on the project before top management made him the project manager. The CEO told him to do whatever it took to deliver the first version of the DNA-sequencing software in four months and a production version in nine months. Negotiations for a potential corporate buyout with a larger company influenced top management’s sense of urgency to complete the project. Highly energetic and intelligent, Nick had the technical background to make the project a success. He delved into the technical problems and found some critical flaws that kept the DNA-sequencing instrument from working. Nevertheless, he was having difficulty in his new role as project manager. Although Nick and his team got the product out on time, top management was upset because Nick did not focus on managing all aspects of the project. He never provided them with accurate schedules or detailed plans of what was happening on the project. Instead of performing the work of project manager, Nick had taken on the role of software integrator and troubleshooter. Nick, however, did not understand top management’s complaints — he delivered the product, didn’t he? Didn’t they realize how valuable he was?

a. What do you think the real problem was in this case?

· I think the real problem in this case was Nick Carson as a Project Manager doesn’t properly manage the people, plans and work required to complete a project.

b. Does the case present a realistic scenario? Why or why not?

· Yes it is because some companies encounter same problem when it comes to their management.

c. Was Nick Carson a good project manager? Why or why not?

· No. Because the Project Manager just focus in the role of software integrator and troubleshooter instead of performing the work of being a Project Manager.

d. What should top management have done to help Nick?

· Top Management must communicate with Nick Carson to inform him to give them an accurate schedule or detailed plans of the project.

e. What could Nick have done to be a better project manager?

· Nick Carson must focus on the big picture of the project and steer the project team toward successful completion.

REFERENCES:

http://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/learning/thought-leadership/pulse/pulse-of-the-profession-2015.pdf

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B34dHydvn0msTDRBalA4UmJELVU/view

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