...The Wow Project In the new economy, all work is project work. And you are your projects! Here’s how to make them all go Wow! First appeared: FC24, p.116 BY TOM PETERS I learned about the future of work by living in the projects — the kind of projects you routinely do at a professional-services firm. More years ago than I care to remember, I reported to the offices of McKinsey & Co. in San Francisco for my first day as a professional management consultant. At 9 a.m., I started to work. At 3 p.m. that afternoon, I was on an airplane to Clinton, Iowa to work on a project that involved an investment in a $150 million petrochemical plant, and even if you’d spotted me four letters, I couldn’t have spelled “petrochemical.” But that was life — in the projects. Fast-forward 25 years. All white-collar work is project work. The single salient fact that touches all of our lives is that work is being reinvented. The workplace revolution that transformed the lives of blue-collar workers in the 1970s and 1980s is finally reaching the offices and cubicles of the white-collar workers. For the blue-collar worker, the driving force behind change was factory automation using programmable machine tools. For the office worker, it’s office automation using computer technology: enterprise-resource-planning systems, groupware, intranets, extranets, expert systems, the Web, and e-commerce. After decades of wholesale neglect, companies are finally facing the fact of pathetic white-collar productivity...
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...top leadership on The Trophy project compounded Reinhart’s problems and made managing the project a complete nightmare. This was also mainly due to the fact that there was no business case formulated for this project. The baseline plan might have been formulated but it did not cover all aspects of the project plan. For instance there was no clear project objective outlined so the team members only realised that they had a role to play months after the project had started. Had the project been divided into work packages commonly called Work Breakdown Structure, and responsibilities handed to the right parties the project would have kicked off on a positive note. By creating a network diagram which shows what goes where and the interdependencies of activities it would have made it easier for everyone to see the objective of the project. There was a need to review the project immediately after it was realise it was falling behind and measures put in place to remedy this. Reinhart conducted his own investigation and realised that the line managers where charging him direct labour time which proved to be expensive, this item could have been noted before commencement of the project had all players been consulted before hand. The line managers had no idea what they had to do on the project but where just given tasks to perform without knowing the strategic vision of the organisation as regards the project. There was a need to do a risk analysis on the project as this would prepare Reinhart...
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...binocular. What kind of project management structure would you recommend they use for this project? What information would you like to have to make this recommendation, and why? To determine the project management structure, I would want to know the current management structure of the firm, and the project management structure, the firm has used in the past. As, it might become difficult for the employees to adjust to matrix structure if they are used to a functional structure. The priority of the project is also an important factor in determining the project management structure. If the company is constantly loosing out on revenue, it is vital to complete the project as soon as possible. The availability of resources is also a key factor, if the human and other resources such as technology, research labs etc. are abundant then I would choose a dedicated team and if the resources are scarce, a matrix structure would be preferable wherein employees can concentrate on both their function and project work. However, considering the information in hand I would recommend that the company adopt a strong matrix system. The company is already a market leader in optical scopes and entering in the binocular market is not the highest priority activity for them. Moreover, the development of a new product should not hamper the company’s current functional activities. Hence, adopting a strong matrix, wherein the project manager controls most aspects of the project and functional managers...
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...PM 592 COURSE PROJECT John Lawson, Mathew Freeman ENERGY EFFICIENCY INSTALLATION BUSINESS VENTURE PILOT PROJECT TABLE OF CONTENTS: Item | Page | 1.0 Executive Summary | 2 | 2.0 Project Description | 2 | 2.1 Major Activities | 3 | 2.2 Resources | 3 | 2.3 Project Milestone | 4 | 2.4 Assumptions | 4 | 2.5 Project Deliverables | 4 | 2.6 Constraints | 4 | 2.7 Risk Management | 5 | 3.0 Work Breakdown Structure | 6 | 4.0 Cost Estimates | 8 | 4.1 Cost Estimation Assumptions | 8 | 4.2 Cost & Contingency Estimation | 9 | 5.0 Financial Analysis | 11 | 6.0 Project Schedule | 12 | 7.0 References | 12 | 1.0 Executive Summary This project is a pilot project for the development of a business venture to promote the installation of energy efficiency and conservation features into homes to save home owners money through the reduction of monthly energy bill. The objective of the project is to install energy efficiency features into a home of about 2500 square feet in Atlanta, Georgia and expected to be completed within 5 months at an estimated cost of $96,558.21, using a three point estimation; and achieve about 50% savings in energy usage. The expected benefits include: * Reduced utility and maintenance costs * Increased home comfort * A healthier and safer indoor environment * Improved building durability * Ultimate increase in home value The project will begin on April 16, 2013...
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...PROJ 598 Professor Samuels Answers to Questions in the ZAP Scenario 1. Understanding and Assumptions: Since John is not in the position anymore to explain what happened during the negotiation and contract signing, the following scenarios are assumed: a) The memo signed by John that Bear Construction Company indicating that ZAP is responsible for all permits and inspections had transpired during the negotiation portion, and prior to the finalizing and signing of the contract for this project. b) The fact that it happened prior to signing the contract is deduced from what the building manager, Iris said during the project team meeting. c) It is implied that during the finalization stage of the contract, the agreements probably changed thus the condition in the memo no longer holds as it did prior to this. Thus, as it was approved in the contract, it is Bear Construction’s responsibility to get all of the inspections and permits necessary to complete the job/project. Analysis Based on the assumptions stated above, it could be noted to be correct that ZAP Pharmaceutical Company to point out that it is Bear Construction’s role to speak with local township, and obtain all of the required inspections and secure all of the needed permits, as documented, agreed to, and signed for in the contract between the two parties. If the memo was to be considered as an amendment to the final contract, then that should have been noted in the memo originally as such, and have...
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...Performance Digital Dashboard Devendra Singh & Heather Shendell Keller School of Management IS535- Managerial Applications of Information Technology Professor Bhupinder Sran June 13, 2011 Performance Digital Dashboard In any business structure the organizations stay focused by utilizing “organizational magnifying glass” which keeps the objectives of the company and workforce streamlined. Executives and senior management needs more than their experience and charisma to run the business effectively. To communicate key strategies clearly and concisely the management needs an information system that facilitates their effective decision making. The system need to focus on employees on activities and tasks that best suits the organization’s strategies and mission statement. The system should be able to measure performance, align efforts of the employees and reward the contributions of employees which will steer the organization in the dame direction cohesively and lead to same destination. In current fast paced environment all the organizations need a performance dashboard to interpret the organizations strategy into a strong business strategy which measures all metrics, initiatives, and tasks which will customize into a fast paced entity and individualized organization. The dashboard provides accurate, timely information and insights that enables the management to improve decision making, optimizing processes and execute the plan proactively. In...
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...accepted this project after the director stated that it would be his baby all the way? Despite Henry Gable’s very apparent shadiness I would probably have taken the project too due to the backing that the project has. Even though the project had issues, based on all we have learned in project management, it is rare that a project has the amount of attention and backing from top executives, as well as, strong resources from the functional team. Many of the cases we studied are problematic because they did not have this type of backing and priority which in the end, created other conflicts. Do engineers with MBA’s aspire to high positions in management? I think the ones who have the unique ability and skillset of both a PM and Engineer probably do aspire to have high positions in management. However, in my limited experience, I think that most engineers would gravitate towards being a project engineer where they are experts in their field and are most comfortable with technical details as opposed to the administrative ones. Gary Anderson was a perfect example of this. I feel that many engineers lack the essential administrative and soft skills of a PM to motivate and manage a team to a successful outcome. Was Gary qualified to be project manager? I do not think that Gary was qualified to be a project manager. Just because ‘we can’ does not often mean ‘we should do.’ It was probably very easy for Gary to complete his MBA and therefore assume that he could be a project manager. However...
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...accepted this project after the director stated that it would be his baby all the way? Despite Henry Gable’s very apparent shadiness I would probably have taken the project too due to the backing that the project has. Even though the project had issues, based on all we have learned in project management, it is rare that a project has the amount of attention and backing from top executives, as well as, strong resources from the functional team. Many of the cases we studied are problematic because they did not have this type of backing and priority which in the end, created other conflicts. Do engineers with MBA’s aspire to high positions in management? I think the ones who have the unique ability and skillset of both a PM and Engineer probably do aspire to have high positions in management. However, in my limited experience, I think that most engineers would gravitate towards being a project engineer where they are experts in their field and are most comfortable with technical details as opposed to the administrative ones. Gary Anderson was a perfect example of this. I feel that many engineers lack the essential administrative and soft skills of a PM to motivate and manage a team to a successful outcome. Was Gary qualified to be project manager? I do not think that Gary was qualified to be a project manager. Just because ‘we can’ does not often mean ‘we should do.’ It was probably very easy for Gary to complete his MBA and therefore assume that he could be a project manager...
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...Huntsville Plant Project Report Shannon Foreman Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University Abstract This research paper will explain the process and reason for a communication plan as it pertains to the success of the Huntsville Plant Project. It was once quoted by, President and CEO of National Semiconductor Corp, Gilbert Amelio that, "Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter." There are many ways to communicate; this report will focus on three forms of communication, Face-to-Face, Personal and Impersonal Written. The report will take a look at which method of communication is best for this project, best for that phase of the project and how best to generate and distribute project documents among project stakeholders and team members throughout the project in an affective and timely manner. This report will address individual’s responsibility for distribution of each document, generation of each document, what action each recipient is expected to take and the type of document each individual is responsible for developing. A communication plan has been shown to be an effective tool in assisting management in the successful outcome of project deliverables. Keywords: communication...
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...TUGAS PERSONAL 1 (Minggu 1/ Sesi 1) IAN GUMILANG (1801491195) PART I 1. B. Time, cost, and quality and/or scope 2. 3. C. Meeting at least 75 percent of specification requirements 4. A. The project manager 5. A. Flexibility in the project’s end date PART II 1. Attributes that a project manager should have are : a. Show their worth b. Understand business strategy c. Overcome hurdles d. Improve team performance Yes an individual can be trained to become project manager, a. Make sure that they are suitably qualified and have the right character in the first place, if not get them trained up or get rid of them (It may sound harsh, but not everyone is capable or wants to be a PM, however some may just be attracted by the salary). If you don't get rid of the inappropriate people, they will soon drag your other PMs down - asking them questions, causing havoc that others need to clean up or loosing you business. b. On the job training is the best, but don't throw your best potential in the deep end, make sure you start them off with smaller projects with mentors and coaches. c. Make sure they have a personal development plan, you have some money to continually train them or provide them training opportunities - e.g a PM Library of good texts is a good and cheap starting point. d. Make sure that they share their good and bad experiences with each other - lunch and learns is another good example - you provide the free lunch, they learn...
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...There are hundreds, if not millions, of failed projects for one reason or another (or a combination of reasons). The biggest thing would be organization or communication between those handling the project and those affected by the project. Politics play a part many times over and having those pushing for change, regardless of feasibility tend to overpower common sense. Case in point, the communication issues between the police officers working in the subways and the police officers working above the subways. Stated simply, the methods were incompatible those above could not communicate with those below. Logic states this is a huge issue considering the possibilities for emergencies and the inability to communicate between the needed services. It proved to be a hugely tragic issue during 9/11 when there was a breakdown in communication between fire and police. Early in the 1990s the police started working on plans to solve this issue. Two firms were hired to create a new communication system that would allow law enforcement to communicate across departments and between the subway and above ground people. Early in this project it was brought up, extensively, that interference would be a huge issue if the frequencies of VHF and UHF were just shared. Unfortunately, even after $140 million was spent, the interference was still an issue. The project was then terminated at that time. The stakeholders of this particular project involved hundreds of people. The entire NY Police...
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...order to continue growing and getting bigger. Keep in mind that the competition in the field of construction in Indonesia intensifies hundreds of thousands of construction companies (source Balance 26/11/2010) fighting for a share of the budget infrastructure development has not been able to keep pace with infrastructure needs in Indonesia as well as the number of existing construction company, made the intense level of competition and unhealthy. In order to keep revenue and earnings growth the company can continue to increase, the development of the State is to be done so that the demands of Share Holder and Stake Holders WIKA especially in wanting a rapid growth of the company, a large and sustainable can be met. Potential infrastructure projects overseas, particularly developing countries producing oil and gas is very large, this is because the condition of the infrastructure is still minimal. In order for these countries to immediately forward the...
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...Risk Analysis 4 Positive Risk Analysis 10 Decision and Fault Tree Introduction 17 Decision Tree 18 Decision Tree Discussion 18 Fault Tree 19 Fault Tree Discussion 20 Conclusion 20 Works Cited 22 Introduction I will be conducting a risk management plan for the construction of a large scale Ashley furniture store. This plan will identify both positive and negative risks, and will include their probability, impact, risk ranking number and color code and proactive ad reactive response plans. The process of how these risks were identified will be discussed as well as how they were ranked. With any large scale commercial project comes many risks. There can also be multiple strategies to mitigate or avoid certain risks for example and these plans will also be discussed in individual detail. Scope The project will consist of the construction of a 100k sq. ft. facility to house a new Ashley Furniture Store. The facility will be laid out into the following departments; master bedrooms, kids bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, entertainment rooms, kitchens, bedding, and foyer with a designated amount of space for each. Each section will have up to five ceiling lights and five receptacles. Two male, two female and two handicap restrooms will be located in the rear western corner, the front door will face south, and the storage area will be adjacent to the loading dock which will be in the back east area. Customer Service will be located by the entrance....
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...What are the main challenges and obstacles in implementing a project management office (PMO)? At AtekPC, in early 2007 IT projects were mostly of operational and maintenance nature and IT department handles these project on the specific request of concerned business unit or functional area. Most of them are small to medium in terms of both length of project execution and size and they were handled informally without any standard practice. As per the Director of applications, they do have lot of operations project but very less number of enterprise applications. As per him, when they began to take a look at what they needed to do in the future, they realized that they had to really hone our skills to be able to move more aggressively and sure-footedly...
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...4 Stephanie Gaines and Aura Sweeney Management 5017 – Project Management The Problem With Priorities Team # 4 SUMMARY: Question 1. What are the problems facing Kent? Priorities are not being enforced unless project and functional managers can’t agree on the allocation and distribution of resources. The R&D director doesn’t agree with the new computer system so Dan’s, the computer PM, project is given a low priority. There are currently two proposals pending and could be won by Kent Corp provided the new computer model is available for use. Kent Corp is capable of handling 100 projects simultaneously but this system creates a continual reshuffling of resources. Question 2. How would you sum up the situation at Kent and attack the problem? Kent is a large corporation that can handle several different projects at once but they should consider reducing the number of projects by 10-15%. The reduction of work in progress would reduce the burden on resources. Priorities need to be enforced across the board and an independent committee needs to be formed to decide on the priority listing for the company. This would eliminate any potential biases coming from various department heads. Currently the R&D director is the only employee not on board with the new computer system and he has the ability to assign a low priority to the project. No one employee should be able to independently decide the fate of one project that is important to the rest of the company. Upper management...
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