1.7 Discussion and Practice

1. Conduct an internet search to identify a project-planning success story. Break the story down by doing the following. Be prepared to share your results.

   • Provide an overview of the four phases of project management in the context of the story.

   • Discuss the 5Ws as applied to the story.

   • Identify the elements of the project management triangle.

   • Discuss challenges faced in the story.

   • Describe lessons learned (how they could have done it better).

2. Conduct an internet search to identify a project-planning horror story. Break the story down by doing the following. Be prepared to share your results.

   • Provide an overview of the four phases of project management in the context of the story.

   • Discuss the 5Ws as applied to the story.

   • Identify the elements of the project management triangle.

   • Discuss challenges faced in the story.

   • Describe lessons learned (how they could have done it better).

3. Go back to your project-planning success and horror stories. How did communication contribute to the end results? Paying particular attention to your horror story, explain how you would improve communication to improve the end results.

4. Imagine that you have a younger cousin in high school who is currently deciding which university is best for her. You agree to have coffee with her to help with her university search and selection process. You decide to apply the 5Ws to her situation. Thinking about each of the 5Ws, what advice would you give?

   • Why

   • Win

   • Who

   • What

   • Woops

5. Identify one of your group projects for the semester. Pick the one that is going to be the most difficult to manage. Apply project planning principles to this project. Specifically, do the following.

   • Decompose your project to work packages.

   • Delegate the work packages amongst your group members.

   • Create a schedule using an activity schedule and Gantt Chart.

   • Evaluate this plan.

Additional Questions

1. Differentiate between a project and a program. What are the defining characteristics of each? How are they related?

2. Consider the projects of constructing a large commercial building versus planning and executing a community Fourth of July celebration. How would the two projects differ in the application of the twelve project delivery principles: Stewardship, team, stakeholders, value, holistic thinking, leadership, tailoring, quality, complexity, opportunities and threats, adaptability and resilience, and change management?

3. Explain why the Implementation stage of project management costs the most compared to the other stages in the project management life cycle.

   Discuss in detail the purpose and major activities of the following concepts:

   • 5a. The Initiation stage of project management.

   • 5b. The Planning stage of project management.

   • 5c. The Implementation stage of project management.

   • 5d. The Close Out stage of project management.

4. Why, in your opinion, is project management so popular in today’s modern organization? What are the driving forces that make project management so necessary?

5. You have been asked by your organization’s Human Resource Department to define what a project manager does so that they can develop a job description and advertise in a national paper. As your firm seeks project managers, you realize that project management is an area in which you are interested as well.

   You decide to meet with your department to discuss project management. As a group, answer the following questions:

   • What qualities should a project manager have in order to be successful in today’s organizations?

   • What should a person expect to do in a typical project management position?

   • Where is the best place to recruit project managers and why?

6. Your organization is going through a lot of change lately. One by-product of this change is that your organization is going to develop a project management focus to do work in the future.

   You have been asked to lead a discussion of what makes up a project. Apparently, people within your organization are confused . . . is it a team meeting? Can it be as simple as a department budget review? Provide a list of ten characteristics of what truly makes up a project.