...What is a Project? Many people do not understand the basic characteristics of projects. You should focus on the definition of a project as a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Provide examples of projects to which your students can relate. The attributes of a project should be noted as well. A project: • Has a unique purpose. • Is temporary. Project • Is developed using progressive elaboration. • Requires resources (often from various areas). • Should have a primary sponsor or customer. • Involves uncertainty. Describe several projects with which you are familiar. Students like to hear about their instructor's experiences and share their own. You can also discuss the triple constraint of project management¾balancing scope, time, and cost goals. Use a visual example that will help students remember scope, time, and cost. (I describe a Far Side coffee mug I have that shows Einstein wearing thick spectacles (specs are like the project scope) and looking puzzled at an equation he wrote on a chalkboard. At the end of a complicated math proof is the conclusion that time = $.) Give examples of each constraint on various projects with which you are familiar. Some of these examples should have a stronger emphasis on scope, and others should be more focused on time and cost. The project management course itself can be used as an effective example of a project. The time and cost of the course are fairly inflexible, so the main constraint...
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...The play, The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman, uses long, uninterrupted monologues to show a character's full views about the murder of Matthew Shepard, and homosexuality in general. Juxtaposition is often used within a monologue to show the discrepancies that some people in the town feel about the Matthew Shepard incident. An example would be, “Moment: One of Ours.” In the previous moment, Harry Woods, and Matt Galloway give emotional interviews about all the support people had shown for Matt at the homecoming parade. However, this is all juxtaposed by Sherry Johnson’s monologue in the next moment, where she goes on to say, “A lot of it is my feeling that the media is portraying Matthew Shepard as a saint, and making kim a martyr. And I don’t think he was.” She then misinterprets facts about Matthew to justify her feelings about him. “It’s scary. You know about his character and spreading AIDS and a few other things, you know, being the kind of person that he was. He was, he was just...
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...What is the role of a Project Manager? Project managers are the point people responsible for coordinating activities of project team members to achieve project objectives. Whereas project team members tend to have narrowly focused skills and expertise, and are primarily concerned with day-to-day functions, Project Managers focus equal attention on near- and long-term activities. Historically the role of Project Manager focused on the larger, more technical projects. However, in recent years it is being applied to a variety of smaller, less technical projects as well. The Project Management function has received a lot of attention over the last 10 years and has become a highly desired competency in most organizations. Specifically, what are the responsibilities of a Project Manager? A true Project Manager is responsible for effectively and efficiently: • Defining the scope of projects; • Developing project schedules; • Estimating project costs; • Gaining stakeholders’ approvals; • Measuring project progress; • Controlling project changes; • Closing out projects. Why are soft skills important to being a great Project Manager? The common thread running through all the essential skills needed to be a great Project Manager is working with people. Whether it’s defining the scope of a project, exercising change control or closing a project out, the more comfortable Project Managers are with interacting with people the more successful...
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...What is the Racial Project in Egypt? Introduction: Our research paper will be based on the racial project in Egypt, and how people are acting upon this racial project without even realizing it. A lot of people don’t usually realize when and how they are being racist against an Egyptian person who is considered one of their own. Egyptians tend to think they are the nicest and least racists of all people around the world, but after conducting our research we will begin to discover whether or not this is the case. After conducting research and observations, we came across the fact that the Egyptian people differentiate each other under the categories of religion. There are only two types of religions identified by the Egyptian government and are written in ID cards, those two religions are Islam and Christianity. Even though, there are some Egyptians who believe in other types of religions, the government does not recognize these religions, so they cannot be identified with what they believe in. So, what happens is that they are forced to be identified as either a Muslim or a Christian in their ID’s whether they believe in either form of religion because the Egyptian government and its people base religion as one of the main pillars of society and life and refuse to accept other forms found in Egypt such as Judaism, Baha’i, Atheism and Agnosticism. The question here lies within the context of the people and the government. Why would the government and its people...
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...What Makes a Good Project Manager? Introduction What makes a good project manager? When evaluating this question we can start by breaking the question down, and stripping some key words in it. In this case, the words project, and the word manage, by doing this we are able to start arriving at some assumptions. The Project Management Body of Knowledge defines a project as such: “A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result (Project Management Institute, 2008, p. 442). The word Manager most all of us can define this ourselves. It is someone in charge, a leader, a “shot caller”, descion maker, or thorn in our side. In answering the several question asked at the end of our reading assignment this week, we will be looking at what makes a good project manager, as well as problems they may face. In Answering Chapter Questions Characteristics listed in our text of a perspective list of a project manager consist of, “aggressiveness, confidence, poise, decisiveness, resolution, entrepreneurship, toughness, integrity, versatility, multidisciplinary, and quick thinking” (Meredith & Mantel, 2012). This list seems to be pretty extensive and no way could one person ever amount to all of these. Successful project managers will most defiantly have some of this if not most of these attributes. However, they can be a bit more simplified, and focused. Project Managers are great forecasters and projectors; they can operate ten steps ahead of the process...
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...What is Project Cycle Management (PCM)? “Project Cycle Management” is a term used to describe the management activities and decision-making procedures used during the life-cycle of a project1. The image of a ‘project cycle’ assists applicants to understand how to organize their work so that it is based on real needs, is well planned, monitored and evaluated, and allows involved parties to learn from every project to improve their future work. The cycle represents a continuous process in which each stage provides the foundation for the next. The generic project cycle has six phases. In practice, the duration and importance of each phase may vary for different projects. Identification Evaluation Identification Appraisal Evaluation Preparation Preparation Appraisal Implementation and monitoring Proposal preparation, approval , financing Implementation and monitoring Proposal preparation, approval , financing Identification – generation of the initial project idea and preliminary design Preparation – detailed design of the project addressing technical and operational aspects Appraisal – analysis of the project from technical, financial, economic, gender, social, institutional and environmental perspectives Proposal preparation, approval and financing – writing the project proposal, securing approval for implementation and arranging sources of finance Implementation and monitoring – implementation of project activities, with on-going checks on progress and feedback...
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...first determine what is and what is involved in project scope management; second analyze why it (its quality) cover a big importance on an IT project. Introduction: Defining the scope of a project is one of the most difficult part of project management. There are different factors that are involved to contribute in a project success, like the user participation, have clear objectives and a good planning about people and budget (Schwalbe, 2011). Project Scope Management (PSM) – what is and what involves: It is possible to define a project scope management (PSM) as an activity that defines the domains, limits and the boundary of a project through the identification of all requirements (as software elements for example) that have to be delivered following a defined plan (Woolridge, R,Hale, D,Hale, J,&Sharpe, 2009). According to Schwalbe (2011) there are five main processes that are involved to define a PSM: 1. Collecting Requirements: Collect and document all needs and expectation from the customer point of view and the processes that have to be used for their realization. 2. Defining Scope: create a scope statement document based on previous requirements and processes identified. In this phase the project document is updated. 3. Creating the Work Breakdown Structure: WBS has purpose to subdividing all project deliverables identified, into smaller and more manageable components. 4. Verify Scope: is the phase where all involved stakeholders check and control the project document created...
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...Running head: REFLECTION: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 1 Reflection on what I learned from the Information Technology Course and Project Jonathan Balarama Keita Thongsook College BA TESOL REFLECTION: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Reflection on what I learned from the Information Technology Course and Project To begin with a definition, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary, Information Technology is ‘the technology involving the development, maintenance, and use of computer systems, software, and networks for the processing and distribution of data’. Information Technology is a vast subject and it is quite interesting. The course The ICT course was not really difficult, as I had a very good knowledge about the different types of technologies that were presented, but the idea of adapting them to my classroom got me thinking. Although, I have used technology in my classroom before, now I 2 have new ideas and skills to do a better job. In class I was given many different materials such as the different ways to use mobile phones, tablets or computers in the classroom. A brave new world talks about how the new generation have different ways of doing things and most importantly learning, which makes a lot of sense to me because I am not very old myself and I love to practically do or understand something, which I find helps to a greater extent in learning. More than half the world uses some sort of software based technology and the numbers are rising every day, so keeping technology...
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...Use the Systems Approach, and what Makes it so Critical to the Success of Project Management [Name] System approach is a strategic management concept which views the structure of a company as that of an interconnected and purposive system consisting of various business sections. It is a key approach to effective organizational management and structuring that groups elements on the basis that they can successfully be linked up together to give room for better management. System approach can be used in project management to evaluate both external and internal elements which affect the success of a business. According to Banathy, system approach is multi-directional (1964). This is because it allows an interactive approach to project elements. This management approach defines a project’s goals, objectives and the set procedures that are followed in successfully completing it. System approach is important to the success of any viable project. By interconnecting several elements of a project, this system provides a simplified base for management that reduces complexity. It also helps promote specialization and efficient coordination between different project departments. This results in efficient and specialized handling of project’s tasks and procedures, all which are critical to the success of project management. Moreover, through system approach, management strategies can be analyzed and evaluated for improvement. Simulations of new project management models can also be made...
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...Your CEO has asked you to do some high-level planning during your project initiation. What are some of the things that the project manager should provide to support this request? Do you consider this a wise request considering you are just initiating your project? Why or Why not? By Nana Kwabena Agyemang One of the major sources of project failure is a lack of a well-defined and formalized project initiation process which includes poor planning and poor quality requirements specification. As matter of fact, poor project planning is really common in most project initiations. Right from the project initiation, if the initial stages contains any issues it can carry on throughout the project life-cycle and the results of this is clear, project failure. This is why as a PM, you should be able to involve or bring together each and every stakeholder during project initiation to help curb out any doubts and resolve any issue before the start of the project. This initiation stage is very important because it is vital for the team who will deliver the product, for those who’s going to be the final user of the product, and for the stakeholders in the project to come into agreement on the project initiation. The PM should define the project initiation stage to include the following: * Creation of a Product Description Statement: This should be a high-level and informal, statement that will help describe the very nature or characteristics of the product or process that’s going to...
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...The piece of literature that grabbed my attention and had a great effect on me is A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, which was written by Ishmael Beah. The book is about Ishmael and his older brother and how they survived during the war in Sierra Leone. The boys live in horrific conditions and under a constant risk for their lives. The only thing that keeps them going is their hope, faith, love and memories about their family since they were told that there family was alive. However, due to the heartbreaking circumstances, the boys do not meet their family. As a consequence of such a cruel surviving, Ishmael and his friends are forced to become fearless child soldiers. However, Ishmael is eventually rescued by the United nations where he undergoes complete rehabilitation in the United States. Ishmael’s book inspires me to fight against injustice and crimes. I was born in Nepal, where we moved from, to the current residence in the US. Nepal is also under great political instability and social differences. Hence this book inspired me to fight against injustice and crimes. As a consequence, I am trying to make people aware by encouraging my friends and family to educate the Nepalese citizens. The book also provides a unique perspective of the dark sides of civil wars. I have learnt not to judge people instantly because their upbringing may have been completely different. Here, at the community college, I have met friends from different cultures and backgrounds. I have...
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...the systems development life cycle. During systems analysis, you determine how the current information system functions and assess what users would like to see in a new system. Requirements determination, requirements structuring, and alternative generation and selection are the three primary systems analysis activities. 2. What are some useful character traits for an analyst involved in requirements determination? Requirements determination is a crucial part of the systems development life cycle; therefore impertinence, impartiality, relaxing constraints, attention to details, and reframing are important characteristics. 3. Describe three traditional techniques for collecting information during analysis. When might one be better than another? Traditional techniques for collecting requirements include interviewing and listening, observing users, and analyzing procedures and other documents. Interviewing and listening involve talking with users individually or as a group to discover their views about the current and target systems; it also involves carefully preparing an interview outline and guide before conducting the interview. Interviews are best done when only a few people are involved, when you need open-ended questions or the questions vary from individual to individual, or when a more personal method is needed. 4. What are the general guidelines for conducting interviews? The general guidelines for conducting interviews are summarized in Table 5-3...
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...Project Name | | Project Number | | Project Manager | | Prioritization | | Owner(s) | | Start Date: | | Scheduled Completion Date: | | Mission/ Purpose | What is your project going to accomplish? How does this project relate to overall goals and objectives of the company? It is part of a program or larger project? | | SOW | What will this project create? What is the product of the project? At a high level, how do you plan on doing the work of the project? What are the high-level deliverables for this project? | | Objectives | What objectives, if any, of the company is this project designed to meet? | | Business Need | Why should we do this project? What will be gained, changed, or modified? Is there a financial or business reason to do this project? This area should contain any feasibility studies, NPV, PI, PB, or PBD used to advance the project. | | Project Manager and Stakeholders | Who will lead this project? Who are the major stakeholders? | | Milestones | What are the key milestone dates associated with the project? | Budget | What is the order-of-magnitude budget for this project? | | | User Acceptance Criteria/Quality | What are the minimum success criteria as defined by the key stakeholders? | High-Level Project Assumptions | What are the assumptions on which the project is based? | High-Level Project Constraints | What are the major limiting factors that affect the project? | Exclusions and Boundaries...
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...Information Technology Projects What is the current state of IT projects? What are key factors for successful IT projects? Hint: Refer to the summary of CHAO study IT Projects are showing higher success rates. Better project management tools & processes, smaller projects, improved communication among stakeholders, more skillful IT project managers What are four different approaches to improving the likelihood of success of IT projects? Hint: Understand the major characteristics of each approach. 1. Value-Driven Approach; Plain & Simple: IT Projects must provide value to the organization 2. Socio-technical Approach; It’s not just about the technology or building a better mouse trap 3. Project Management Approach; processes and infrastructure (Methodology), resources, expectations, competition, efficiency and effectiveness 4. Knowledge Management Approach, lessons learned, best practices & shared knowledge What is a project? And its attributes? Project: a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Attributes: Time Frame, Purpose (to provide value!), Ownership, Resources (the triple constraint), Roles (Project Manager, Project Sponsor, SME (domain & technical)), Risk & Assumptions, Interdependent Tasks (progressive elaboration – steps & increments), Planned Organizational Change, Operate in Environments Larger than the Project Itself What are different roles in IT projects? Hint: Know the different...
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...1. 1. Approximately what percentage of the wortd's gross domestic product is spent on projects? a. 10 percent b. 25 percent c. 50 percent d. 75 percent b. 25 percent 2. 2. Which ofthe following is a I'IOt a potential advantage of using good projectmanagement?a. Shorter developmenttimesb. Higher workermoralec. Lower cost of capitald. Higher profitmargins c. Lower cost of capital 3. 3. A ___ is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. a . program b process c. project d . portfolio c. project 4. 4. Which of the following is not an attribute of a project? a. projects are unique b. projects are developed using progressive elaboration c. projects have a primary customer or sponsor d. projects involve little uncertainty d. projects involve little uncertainty 5. 5. Which of the following is not part of the triple constraint of project management? a. meeting scope goals b. meeting time goals c. meeting corrmunications goals d. meeting cost goals c. meeting corrmunications goals 6. 6 . ___ is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements. a. Project management b. Program management c. Project portfolio management d. Requirements management a. Project management 7. 7. Project portfolio management addresses ___ goals of an organization, while project management addresses ___ goa • . a. strategic, tactical b. tactical, strategic c....
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