10 Intro to Proj Mgmt

7/31/2019 10 Intro to Proj Mgmt

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Master in Business Administration Semester 3Subject Name Introduction to Project Management

Assignment Set- 1

Q 1. Describe the three strategy levels in detail.

Corporate StrategyCorporate strategy is basically related to the purpose and scope of the business to meet stakeholder

expectations. This is often explicitly stated in a mission statement. It is heavily influenced by investors

in the business, and acts to guide strategic decision-making throughout the business. Corporate strategy

is about managing its business units and products so that each becomes competitive and can contribute

to corporate purposes. Hence corporate level strategy is fundamentally concerned with the selection of

businesses in which the company competes, develops and coordinates. Corporate level strategy

addresses the following:

Reach: To define the corporate responsibilities. These include identifying overall goalsof the corporation, selecting the types of business in which the corporation may beinvolved, and the way of integrating and managing the business.

Competitive contact: To define the localisation of the corporate competition.

Manage activities and business relationships: To develop synergies by havingbusiness units complement one another, both by sharing and coordinating staff andother resources across business units or by investing financial resources acrossbusiness units.

Management practices: To decide the ways of governing business units throughcentralisation and decentralisation.

Corporate strategy can best be described as the overall plan that integrates thestrategies of all businesses within a corporation. A diversified company has two strategylevels:

Corporate level strategy: This strategy aims to create value for the corporation as awhole.

Business level strategy: This strategy addresses the way to create competitiveadvantage in each business.

Corporate Strategy Planning

Two tools popularly used in the planning of corporate strategy are:

Ansoff matrix BCG matrix


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Business Unit StrategyBusiness unit strategy is concerned with how a business unit competes successfully in a particular

market. It includes strategic decisions about choice of products, customer requirements, gaining

advantage over competitors, creation of new opportunities and so on. A strategic business unit can be

planned independently from the other business units of the firm.

Business level strategy addresses the following:

technologies.

calactions.

The detailed action of business level strategy is taken to provide value to the customers.Business level strategy is also adopted to gain a competitive advantage by exploring corecompetencies in specific, individual product or service markets. The four generic strategies toestablish a competitive advantage over industry rivals are as follows:

Cost leadership: The firm offers products to customers at the lowest price essentially by tightcontrol over production and overhead costs.

Differentiation: The firm provides value to customers by delivering products with uniquefeatures and characteristics rather than with the lowest price. For example, lower costs forbuyers by ensuring better quality thereby leading to lesser breakdowns; by raising perceptionsof buyers of the customer support provided by the firm by responding quickly.

Focussed low cost: The firm not only sells its products at lowest price, but also selects asmall segment of the market to provide goods and services. For example, sale of a product toonly a Government department.

Focussed differentiation: The firm not only competes with rivals based on differentiation,

but also selects a small segment of the market as in focussed low cost strategy.

A fifth strategy is also adopted sometimes, which integrates low cost and differentiation strategy. Here,

the customer realises value based both on product features and a low price. Southwest Airlines is an

example of a company that adopts this strategy.

Operational StrategyOperational strategy is concerned with the process of organising business in order to deliver the

corporate and the business-unit level strategic direction. It focuses the on issues of resources, processes,

people and so on. Operational strategy is also termed as Functional strategy. Functional levels provide

input (input, is usually information on resources and capabilities) into the business unit level and

corporate level strategy. After developing the higher level strategy, the functional units translate it into

discrete action-plans so that each department follows it to achieve success.

Q 2. a. Describe the various roles undertaken by a Project Manager. [5 Marks]

Project Management RolesIt is important that a hierarchy is maintained in the organisation to report any project relatedissues to the top management such as status of the work, suggestions, or any other factors.However, it is important that the issues are reported systematically and in order. The following


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steps illustrates the role of various members associated with the team Also, in some projects,where deploying manpower could be a problem, one person could execute more than one of theroles mentioned below:

Project Expeditor: Responsible for monitoring and reporting the status of the project tothe senior management. However, this role has no authority. A project expeditor acts

only as a communication coordinator and does not possess the rights to enforce anydecisions.

Project Coordinator: The role is similar to that of a project expeditor. However, theproject coordinator has some limited authority to make decisions.

Programme Manager: The programme manager is also called as the change manager.The programme manager ensures that the delivery of projects benefits the business ofthe organisation. The programme manager has command of all the managers andleaders responsible for monitoring the project.

Project Manager: Manages individual projects assigned. The project manager has

project leaders as reporting employees.

Project Leader: Responsible for managing the different stages of the project. A projectleader can report either to a project manager or to a programme manager or to both.

b. List and explain in brief the qualities of a Project Manager.

Key Qualities and Skills of a Project ManagerProject manager plays a vital role in managing a project and is also responsible for definingroles and responsibilities of each member in the project team. A project manager ensures thatthe project meets its deadlines with expected quality output according to the specifications givenby the client.However, for efficient management of the project, the project manager is expected to have the

following qualities1:

Leadership ability: It is the ability to lead a group with integrity, openness andreceptiveness. A good project manager should strictly adhere to the values, morals andmethods as defined by the organisation. Rather, it simply means that the words, actionsand decisions of a project manager are bound to certain standards defined. A to suittheir defined job roles. It is required to provide appropriate training sessions such goodproject manager has the ability to gather information from various sources and make a

final decision based on the input. A project manager is able to take decisions strictlyadhering to the framework and structure of the organisation and not based on unleashedemotions. A good project manager is able to solve the queries and prioritise the needsand concerns of the other members of the team. Project managers ideally possesscritical management skills that enable to inspire and motivate the group leading towardsa common goal.

Ability to steer team growth: People are the most valuable asset of a company.Therefore, for an organisation to flourish and meet its successful deadlines, it is very


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essential to develop people, by nurturing their skills, appreciating their work, andproviding training that is necessary as communication skills, team building skills, timemanagement skills and leadership skills.

Ability to take decisions: A project manager should be well organised and able to meetspecific targets within the allotted time. The project manager has skills to manage

various tasks and responsibilities that are both internal and external to the project. Theproject manager makes decisions keeping in mind the resources available, thescheduled time targets and the expenses incurred. The project manager is selfmotivated, self initiated, creative, and is able to solve any queries from the team. Theproject manager anticipates and has solutions to problems associated with the project.

Ability to manage the finances of the project: A project manager effectively analysesand keeps track of the project finances to ensure a balance between the planned budgetand the incurred budget.

Commitment: A project manager is committed to the roles and responsibilities allottedand also create a positive and energetic work environment for the team to work in.

Excellent communication skills: 85-90% of project managers tasks are aboutcommunication. Good communication skills help project manager to express andcommunicate effectively with all the stakeholders and also the team. Communicationdoes not imply only sending information and speaking effectively; it also includesListening skills, which means receiving information and understanding the messagecommunicated from the other end.

Good interpersonal skills (Individual Skills): Good interpersonal skills are defined asthose skills which are very essential to interrelate, interact or deal with others in theorganisation. Project managers possess good interpersonal skills to ensure that work isdone on time without hurting the sentiments of any of the member of the project team.Interpersonal skills are categorised into communication skills, people skills and softskills. An efficient project manager has good interpersonal skills that facilitate variousways that are suitable for interacting with other team members in various situations.

Technical Skills: A project manager should have technical skills relevant to the project.The project manager knows the tools and techniques used in the project to ensureproper utilisation of resources.

Problem solving skills: Project managers should possess problem solving skills andprovide solution to most of the anticipated problems. A project manager should have theability to identify the problems and concerns that arise out of various social situations. Acapable project manager is able to take timely decisions in case of any risks oruncertainties associated with the implementation of the project.

Time management skills: A good project manager understands that time is a non-

renewable resource, thus plans and schedules tasks based on the priority that it has tobe completed. A good project manager also ensures that scheduled tasks areimplemented and executed on time as per the wants and demands of the client with theexpected quality outcome. The project manager also ensures that there is ongoinginteraction with the clients to determine whether there are any changes in thespecifications from the clients.


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Project managers base their decisions based on a sound understanding of the concepts and

techniques used in the implementation of the project.Some of the skills that a project manager

requires with respect to project implementation are as listed below:

Agency responsibilities: A good project should possess ability to deal with theobligations and challenges during the development, implementation and execution of the

project. For example, the implementation of a software development project, a projectmanager ensures that the project meets the requirements of the end user, performsperfectly , provides software that is user friendly, cost effective and that can bemaintained and managed efficiently.

Understanding the nature of the project: It is very important for the project managerto analyse the nature of the project to assign roles to various members of the team.Understanding the nature of the project ensures that suitable resources, tools andtechniques are chosen for the implementation of the project. The nature of the projecthas to be in line with the companys structure, policies and planned budget.

Conforming project feasibility: The project manager is able to manage the project in amanner that is feasible to various kinds of situations.

Defining and setting the project scope: It is very essential that the objectives and the

scope of the project are defined along with the shared decision by the senior membersof the team. The probability of project failure increases when there is no clear definitionand clear understanding of the objectives of the project. Once the goals and theobjectives of the project are set, the task that follows is to identify the scope of theproject. When scope has to be defined for a project, various factors have to be taken intoconsiderations such as:

o The amount of effort that has to be put in the project assignedo The duration of the completion of the projecto Financial commitmentso Duration and availability of the resources.

Setting goals: Project managers ensure that the goals of the project benefit theorganisation in terms of finance as well as the overall growth of the organisation.

Assigning roles and responsibilities: It is vital that the job roles and responsibilitiesare assigned based on the skill set possessed by the employees.

Planning organisational change: In situations, where an existing structure of theorganisation is not matching the requirements of the project taken up, it requireschanging or updating the framework or certain activities of the organisation to ensureaccommodating of the new process tasks. Thus, the organisation should be wellprepared for the transitions of the plan so as to meet the specifications and therequirements of the client. However, a delay in the transition planning of the project canimpair the productivity of the organisation. The planning of the changes in theorganisation hold good in various aspects such as policies, procedures, description ofnew job roles, and other services of the customers.

Q 3. a. Describe the major types of stakeholders in a project.

According to Stanford Research Institute5 stakeholders arethose groups without whose

support the organisation would cease to exist.

The major stakeholders of a project are:

Project Manager

Customer


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Performing Organisation

Project Team Members

Sponsor

Society

Major Stakeholders of a Project

Project ManagerProject manager is the interface between the customer and other internal stakeholders. Theproject manager holds the responsibility for the successful implementation of the project and isan important stakeholder.CustomerCustomers are the internal or external group of individuals who directly affect the project. The aim of

the project is to create a product, service or facility based on customer requirements and to deliver it to

the customer. Hence, the project team must consider all requirements of the customer while creating

the deliverable. The customer can be any one of the following:

Internal customer: They are individuals within the parent organisation. For example,the IT department is assigned to provide a software package for the accountsdepartment. The accounts department is the internal customer.

Intermediate customer: They are external to the company but not the final user of theproduct. For example, distributors and wholesalers.

External customer: They are individuals or organisations that pay for and use the finalproduct.

Performing Organisation

The performing organisation is the enterprise whose employees are most directly involved inperforming the work of the project. Therefore, the project contributes towards achieving thecorporate goals of the performing organisation.In addition, there are several other stakeholders like project owner, fund providers, suppliers orcontractors, government agencies and media outlets and the society. Stakeholder roles andresponsibilities may overlap. For example, when an engineering firm finances a plant it is in thedesigning or construction field, the role of the engineering firm changes from performingorganisation to sponsor for the projects undertaken by the designing or construction company.


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The naming or grouping of stakeholders is primarily an aid to identify individuals ororganisations who view themselves as stakeholders.Project Team MembersTeam members working in their individual areas of expertise play a crucial role in the success ofthe project. They work directly with or under the project manager depending on the organisationstructure adopted for the project. The project manager, therefore, uses team building skills to

ensure that the team members work as a team.SponsorThe sponsor is an individual or a group within or external to the parent organisation who arranges the

financial resources in cash or in kind for the project. The sponsor may be a senior executive of an

organisation or a junior manager with formal authority who is responsible for the project thus, acting as

a link between the project and the performing organisation.

b. Describe the major type of Organisational structure in Detail.

Organisational StructureOrganisational structure has a significant impact on the functioning of a project manager. Toenable successful completion of a project, it is important that the resources required for project

implementation flow freely from the organisation to the project.There are three types of organisational structures:

Functional organisation is a hierarchical structure. It defines a clear Superior-Subordinaterelationship, i.e, the line of control is clear. Each department carries out work in its area ofspecialisation and employees in each department work with its respective expertise within thedepartment's line of control. In a manufacturing organisation, the different departments areproduction, finance, marketing, quality control, engineering, administration, personnel and soon. If a new product is to be developed, the engineering department handles only the designdevelopment phase of the product. If answers to questions concerning manufacturing,marketing or quality control are found, the query is passed on to the respective departmentthrough formal communication channels.

Project-based organisations are designed to provide near total authority to the project

manager. The project manager directs work and sets priorities to employees assigned to theproject manager for the project. Functional departments exist in this organisation, but the groupsworking in these departments report directly to the project manager in the execution of variousprojects.

Matrix-based organisations combine the features of functional and project-basedorganisational structures. In this type of organisational structure, project managers andfunctional managers have equal authority, which implies that the functional staff member reportsto both project manager and their functional manager. This constitutes a dual reporting systemfor each functional staff member.

Q 4. List and describe in brief the various qualities of the project management process.


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Q.5. Write a short note on the following:

a. SWOT Analysis as a Strategic Planning tool.

Corporate Strategy PlanningTwo tools popularly used in the planning of corporate strategy are:

Ansoff matrix

BCG matrix

Ansoff MatrixThe Ansoff matrix (originator Igor Ansoff in 1957) presents the product and market choicesavailable to an organisation. The Ansoff matrix is used to aid decision-making concerned withmarket expansion and diversification. Markets may be defined as customers, products, or itemssold to the customers. It considers two factors:

Newness of the product to the company.

Experience of the company with the intended marketThe table shows the four corporate strategies using an ANSOFF Matrix.

Table: ANSOFF Matrix (Source: Corporate Strategy by Igor Ansoff)

OLD ProductOLD Market-Market Penetration

NEW ProductRelated Diversification-OLDMarket(Product Development)

OLD ProductNEW Market-Expansion(Market Development)

NEW ProductUnrelated Diversification-NEWMarket

The explanations for the four strategies mentioned in the quadrants of Table are as follows:

Explanation for Ansoff Strategies

Strategy Explanation

Market Penetration Requires an increase of existingmarket share in existing markets.

Market Expansion Requires identification of newcustomer for existing products.

Product Expansion customers Requires development of newproducts for existing customers(Related diversification).

Diversification Markets Requires production of new productsfor new markets (Unrelateddiversification).

Based on management of time availability, skill of personnel, and fund mobilisation capacity the

company decides to adopt one or more of the four strategies. The fourth strategy provides highgrowth potentials but requires careful planning and analysis prior to taking any decision. If thefirm decides to expand in all four areas, some of its businesses could end up being badlymanaged.The limitation of Ansoff matrix is that the matrix tells us one part of the strategy story, but it isimperative to look at other strategic models like Strength Weakness Opportunity and Threat(SWOT) analysis2 in order to view how the strategy changes in the future.

b. Net Present Value (NPV) as a Project selection criterion.


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Net Present Value (NPV) as Project Selection Criterion

NPV is the present value of the future revenues after deducting future costs. This is a verypopular and valid method for selecting a project from the financial viewpoint. Some factors thatcompanies use to enhance NPV are:

Government policy. For example, special tax benefits and exemptions for an industry or

a location.

Economies of scale: In manufacturing, unit cost is substantially reduced by adopting highproduction volume. For example, petroleum refining, steel production, and mining.

Product differentiation: This is achieved by innovative product features, high qualityproducts, customised service and so on.

Technology superiority: DRL outperformed its competitors in the drug-manufacturingindustry because of their technology based on research and development.

Q 6. Describe in brief the Human resource management process in a project.

Human Resource Management ProcessHuman Resource Management includes various processes that are vital to make the mosteffective use of the people involved with a project. The main process involved with the HRManagement process includes:

Acquiring the project team.

Developing the project team.

Managing the project team.

Acquiring a Project Team

The members who belong to different groups and functions and are allocated to the activities ofthe same project, form a project team. A team can be divided into sub-teams if required.Generally, the project teams are only used for a defined period of time. However, they aredisbanded when the project is complete. Sometimes, due to the nature of the specific formationand disbandment, project teams are usually agile in organisations.Acquiring a project team is the process of acquiring the specific people needed to accomplish allphases of the given project. Ultimately the team members will bring all the specific qualificationsand capabilities to the project team. However, the project management team has control overthe selection process. Selection of team mates involves certain concerns which need to beevaluated.A number of factors are considered while deciding the team members. These factors include aseries of environmental factors (such as workexperience, availability, and cost), derivation of

clear and concise project organisation charts, and formulation of a thorough staffingmanagement plan. Once the team is properly staffed, the next steps (or outputs) of the processinvolve staffing out assignments to the team, determining availability of resources, and updatingthe staffing management plan.Important factors that are considered during the process of acquiring the team are:


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The project manager should efficiently discuss and induct others who are in a position tosupply the required Human Resources in a project.

Failure to obtain the essential Human Resources for the project will affect projectagenda, budgets, consumer satisfaction and quality. It declines the probability ofsuccess and eventually results in project cancellation.

The figure depicts the inputs, tools and techniques and the output of acquiring a project team.

Acquiring a Project Team: Inputs, Tools and Techniques and Output

The inputs for acquiring a project team are:

Enterprise environmental factors: Team members are available from internal andexternal sources. When selecting the team members, it is important to evaluate thefollowing factors:

Availability

Ability

Experience

Interests

Costs

Assets of organisational process: Assets of organisational process covers reviewingthe documented policies, procedures, and guidelines governing staff assignments.

Roles and responsibilities: The roles and responsibilities document should be

assessed to determine a team members roles, responsibilities, skills, levels of authority,

and competencies. Project organisation charts: The project organisation chart is an input/output device

that serves a valuable role for the Project Management team and team leader in theprocess of keeping a thorough and careful organisational record of the project s

processes. Staffing management plan: The staffing management plan with the project schedule is

reviewed to ascertain when team members are needed.

For successful completion of a project, it is always beneficial to gather the best teamavailable. With the right team, one will have good foundation. The common tools andtechniques utilised to ensure quality output from a good project team are:

Pre-assignment: Pre-assignment is commonly done when the project team positionsare known in advance. This is usually completed when the project is dependent on theexpertise of an individual.

Negotiation: Negotiation is used when the project manager needs to assure that theproject receives skilled staff within the required time frame. Another situation which calls


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for negotiation is when particular or scarce resources are needed to complete the projectplan.

Acquisition: When organisations do not have the in-house staff needed to complete theproject, staff acquisitions is done to provide new resources, consultants, orsubcontractors to the project.

Virtual teams: Virtual teams are utilised in the following situations:

The teams encompass individuals who are not located in the same region. The teams comprise employees who work from home.

The teams consist of individuals working in different shifts.

The teams consist of individuals with mobile handicaps.

The results from the right project team are a good foundation to start a project when the projectmanager has negotiated and secured the services for successful completion of the project. Theoutput of acquiring a project team process is:

Assignments of project staff: Assignments of project staff illustrates who has beenassigned to the project. These assignments should be documented in team directory, inproject organisation charts and in schedules.

Availability of resources: Availability of resources gives the time periods that eachproject team member can work on.

Updates of staffing management plan: Changes in the staffing management plan isneeded in order to update the plan with the real team.

Developing a Project TeamDeveloping a project team is a process of enhancing interaction among the team members andalso the project manager. The process refers to increasing competencies of individuals andbuilding up team spirit, which finally leads to a quality project2.To achieve project success, there should be good communication among the team members.Project managers should administer the development of the project team. The project managershould create the relevant environment for teamwork, provide new goals for the team to

compete and achieve. Project managers should encourage feedback from the team. The projectmanager should provide effective review and good support to the team staff.Open communication between the project manager and team reduces conflicts. Themanagement should also support the project managers. The project stakeholders shouldprovide the required support to the development of the project team.Projects are done in diversified environments. The project team may experience variance in

language, industry and culture while at work. The project team should be dedicated to the

project and the team members should work together, without losing their individuality. The goals

for developing a project team are:

To develop technical knowledge about the project, this leads to quality output and meetingdelivery schedules with reduced cost.

To enhance trust among team members, thus reducing conflicts.

To develop cohesiveness in the project.

To allow sharing knowledge among team membersThe figure depicts the inputs, tools and techniques and the output of developing a project team.


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Figure : Developing a Project Team: Inputs, Tools and Techniques and Output

The inputs for developing a project team are:

Project staff allocation: Project staff allocation deals with listing the members of theproject team.

Staffing management plan: Staffing management plan deals with staff attainment,guidance and release. The project staff should be recognised individually and also as ateam.

Resource availability: Resource availability deals with assigning the project teammembers according to the time available.

The project team development requires a good knowledge regarding the strengths andweaknesses of the team members.Developing a synergistic project team means knowing the team members, helping them buildupon their strengths and overcoming their weaknesses while promoting productive workingrelationships within the team.The following tools and techniques help to identify the team assets:

Team management skills: The Project Management team should know the skills of each

person to understand the individuals of the team. These skills improve a team s

communication, creativity and performance. Team management skills unite a team amidstcultural differences.

Team training: The project team should be trained in every technical aspect involved inthe project. The training can be classroom training, online learning, on-the-job trainingand mentoring. The training should be planned according to the Human Resource plan.

Team developing activity: The team developing activities are effective means forachieving team trust. The team should communicate effectively even if the team isplaced in remote locations.

The first factor in team effectiveness is the diversity of skills and personalities, where differentpersonality types balance and complement each other. The second critical element for asuccessful team is that all the team efforts are directed towards the teams goal. This relies

heavily on good communication in the team and harmony among the members. The third factor

involves resolving issues in project development. Even if the teams goals are clear and

accepted by everyone, there may be issues due to lack of communication, differences inapproach, limited resources, difference in personalities and interdependency.The project manager should consider these three factors and introduce team building activities

accordingly.

The five stages of team development are: Forming: Forming involves knowing every team member individually. The team

members are inclined to work independently. They find out about each other and knowwhos who.


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Storming: Storming involves the actual Project Management process. This stagepromises action. There is a struggle for project team control, and momentum builds asmembers have to lead the project team. During this phase, the team members figure outthe hierarchy of the team and the informal roles of team members.

Norming: Norming is working together, socialising, and providing constructive criticism.

The team develops a strong commitment to the teams goal and work to achieve it.

Performing: Performing means smooth movement of project development by a well-organised project team. The team members blend into their roles and focus oncompleting the project work as a team.

Adjourning: Adjourning implies completion of the project so that the team is ready for anew one.The various factors in project development team are listed below:

Ground rules: Ground rules make certain clear expectations regarding appropriateteam behaviour. The project team members should have a clear idea about these rulesto decrease misunderstanding and increase productivity.

Co-location: The team members should be placed in the same physical location to

increase team building opportunities.

Team staff rewards: The Project Management should recognise and reward the teammembers to improve project work.

Empathy establishment: The project team should have an empathetic approach toeach other. Developing a project team is a continuous process that needs to beassessed on an ongoing basis. When tools and techniques are used to develop theproject team, the project manager or Project Management team needs to assess theteam's improvement.

The output of developing a project team is:Team performance assessment: Developing strategies and working according to it increases

the team performance. It enhances the teams chances of meeting the project objectives. The

teams performance can be measured by the following factors:

Performance of tasks assigned.

Competencies to build a better team.

Project cohesiveness.

Rate of staff turnover.Managing a Project TeamManaging a project team is the process of delegating responsibilities and tasks, monitoring team

performance, providing feedback, solving issues, and coordinating changes to enhance overall project

performance. Managing the team is one of the most critical aspects of project management. The project

manager should encourage building competencies among the team members and reward them

accordingly.

Key aspects of managing a project team are:

Assigning work and observing the commitment level in each team member.

Building co-operative working relationship and ensuring effective communication amongall members of the project team.


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Monitoring team spirit.

Providing effective performance review and appraisal to inspire the project team.

The figure depicts the inputs, tools and techniques and the output of managing a project team.

Figure : Managing a Project Team: Inputs, Tools, Techniques and Output

The inputs for managing a project team are: Assets of organisational process: Assets of an organisational process includepolicies, procedures and systems which are used to reward the project team.

Project staff allocations: Project staff allocations are the list of duties assigned to themembers of the project team. Staff allocation documents are used during the monitoring andtracking process to evaluate individual team members.

Team roles and responsibilities: The roles and responsibilities document include thetasks assigned to the project team members.

Project organisational plan: Project organisational plan represents the reportingrelationship among the project team.

Staff management plan: The Staff management plan describes the team memberrequirement and list of training plans.

Assessment of team performance: Team performance assessments are thedocumented formal or informal assessment of the project teams

performance. The project manager should identify and solve problems, reduce conflictsand improve overall team work.

Work performance: The team members performance is measured and documented

as work performance documents.

Project performance reports: Performance reports illustrate project performance

information compared to the project plan. These reports provide a base for determining theactions needed for successful project delivery.

The tools and techniques used for managing a project team are: Inspection and discussion: The project manager monitors the progress toward projectgoals, interpersonal relationships, and work of every team member.


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Project performance reviews: Performance reviews are used to clarify team memberresponsibilities and to achieve future goals. Project performance reviews facilitate teammembers to receive feedback from supervisors.

Managing conflicts: Managing conflicts reduces critical disagreements within theproject team. The project manager uses informal and formal intrusions to resolve problems

before the conflict damages the project. Issue log: An issue log is a list of action items and the names of the team membersresponsible for carrying them out. An issue log helps project managers to monitoroutstanding items.

The output of managing a project team is:

Requested changes: Requested changes are project staffing changes (either plannedor unplanned) which affect the project plan. An integrated change control is processed incase of a disrupting change in project plan.

Recommended corrective actions: Recommended corrective actions involveovercoming the addition or removal of a team mate, additional training, or actionsrelating to disciplinary processes.

Recommended preventive actions: The recommended preventive actions are taken toreduce the impact of expected problems.

Updating of organisational process asset: Updating of organisational process assets

are either inputs to team members performance appraisals or lessons learned

documentation.

Staffing management plan updates: A staffing management plan is a supplementaryplan of the project management plan. The staffing management plan updates approvedstaffing related change requests.


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Master in Business Administration Semester 3Subject Name Introduction to Project management

Assignment Set- 2Q 1. List and explain in brief the inputs to the following processesa. Acquiring a project team.

Acquiring a Project TeamThe members who belong to different groups and functions and are allocated to the activities ofthe same project, form a project team. A team can be divided into sub-teams if required.Generally, the project teams are only used for a defined period of time. However, they aredisbanded when the project is complete. Sometimes, due to the nature of the specific formationand disbandment, project teams are usually agile in organisations.Acquiring a project team is the process of acquiring the specific people needed to accomplish allphases of the given project. Ultimately the team members will bring all the specific qualificationsand capabilities to the project team. However, the project management team has control overthe selection process. Selection of team mates involves certain concerns which need to be

evaluated.A number of factors are considered while deciding the team members. These factors include aseries of environmental factors (such as workexperience, availability, and cost), derivation ofclear and concise project organisation charts, and formulation of a thorough staffingmanagement plan. Once the team is properly staffed, the next steps (or outputs) of the processinvolve staffing out assignments to the team, determining availability of resources, and updatingthe staffing management plan.Important factors that are considered during the process of acquiring the team are:

The project manager should efficiently discuss and induct others who are in a position tosupply the required Human Resources in a project.

Failure to obtain the essential Human Resources for the project will affect project

agenda, budgets, consumer satisfaction and quality. It declines the probability ofsuccess and eventually results in project cancellation.

The figure depicts the inputs, tools and techniques and the output of acquiring a project team.

Acquiring a Project Team: Inputs, Tools and Techniques and Output

The inputs for acquiring a project team are:

Enterprise environmental factors: Team members are available from internal andexternal sources. When selecting the team members, it is important to evaluate thefollowing factors:

Availability


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Ability

Experience

Interests

Costsb. Communication planCommunication PlanPlanning communication is the process of ascertaining the information and communication needs of the

project stakeholders. Communication plan helps to communicate the right information, to the right

people at the right time. It is a schedule of communication events used to make sure that the project

stakeholders are kept properly informed. The various factors such as the time, effort and resources that

are required to perform these planned communication activities are the part of the Project

Management. The communication goals, strategies and stakeholders are described in the

communication plan.

The best time for planning communication is at the start up phase of the project life cycle. It ensures

that the plan includes the tasks needed to communicate effectively throughout the project cycle. The

key features influencing the communication plan includes Project Management team structure, scope of

the project and feedback from the stakeholders.

There are two ways of planning communication:Constant communication: Constant or regular communication involves communicating to

the project team, managers and project stakeholders on a regular basis. These types ofcommunication include regular status reports, project team meetings and monthly statusupdates about the project. The constant communication also includes the regular stakeholderreport updates.

Event driven communication: The event driven or one-time communication includessessions discussing critical issues, stakeholder meetings, training schedules and wrap upsessions.

Q 2. Write short notes on the following idea generation technique:

a. Mind mapping

Mind MappingAnother way to look at the human levels of thinking is the mind mapping concept. Mind mappingexercise is aimed at increasing mental energy to utilise creative thinking skills, enabling themind to track out ideas which normally lie in obscurity on the edge of thinking.Following example is taken from the software Buzans iMind Map which was chosen for the

brainstorming session aimed at planning for the future of young and developing minds. Thesoftware replicates the organic shape, form and use of colours and images to convey a thoughtor idea a graphic technique for stimulating creativity and unleashing the truth, often untappedpotential of the mind. This was used in June 2008 at Petra, Jordan, where 30 Nobel Prizewinners (scientists, entrepreneurs, academics, and humanitarians) participated in theconference focused on the theme Reaching for New Economic, Scientific and Educational

horizons. Two of the many conclusions of the brainstorming session were - elimination of child


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poverty worldwide is essential to move forward with educational development; new andinnovative learning tools are the foundation for a positive future for the next generation.

b. Delphi technique

Delphi MethodThis is a systematic, interactive, forecasting method that relies on a panel whose members arecarefully selected independent experts. It is based on the principle that forecasts from anunstructured group of individuals are comparatively inaccurate than forecasts from a structuregroup of experts. The experts answer prepared questionnaires in two or more rounds. After

each round, a facilitator provides an overall summary of the experts forecasts from the

previous round as well as the reasons they provided for their judgments. The participants revisetheir earlier answers by knowing the responses of other members of the group. The processstops after a predetermined stop-criterion like number of rounds or achievement of consensus.Usually, participants maintain secrecy even after completion of the final report. The facilitator,who is the coordinator of the Delphi method, sends out the questionnaire, collects and analysesresponses, and identifies common and conflicting viewpoints.

c. Brainstorming

BrainstormingThis method aims to give people freedom of mind and action to create and reveal new ideas. Allspontaneous ideas from a group are gathered to find a solution for a specific problem. The rulesfollowed during brainstorming are as follows:

No criticism of ideas

Go for large quantity of ideas

Build on each others ideas

Encourage wild ideas

Brainstorming consists of a facilitator who composes the brainstorming panel and an ideacollector to record the suggested ideas. Sometimes the facilitator is also the idea collector.Some of the leading questions that a facilitator asks during the session are Can we combinethese ideas?and How about looking from another perspective?The idea collector also

numbers each idea for future reference. When a participant exhausts all ideas, the creativity andexperience of another participant is brought out. This often makes group brainstorming sessionsenjoyable experiences. This also facilitates in bringing team members together. Individualbrainstorming is effective in generating many ideas, but not at developing the ideas.

Brainstorming is used to generate ideas, for others to evaluate and select. The strategy is moreeffective when the brainstorming group evaluates and selects a solution to the problemproposed. In either case, the organisation offers incentives so that participants maintain theirbrainstorming efforts.Brainstorming is a lateral thinking process. It is employed particularly when new ways of thinkingare called for and when there is a need to break out of old established patterns of thinking.Some instances where brainstorming is used are when there is a need to look at newopportunities, when there is a need to improve the service offered, or when existing approachesare just not giving the right results.


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d. Nominal Group technique

Nominal Group TechniqueThis is a type of brainstorming. This technique encourages all participants to have an equal say in the

session. Participants are asked to write their ideas anonymously. The moderator collects the ideas and

each idea is voted on by the group. The process of voting can be simply by show of hands. The topranked ideas are sent back to the group or subgroups for further brainstorming. Each subgroup comes

back to the whole group for ranking the listed ideas. Sometimes the group revaluates the ideas that

were previously dropped. This method requires a trained facilitator.

Q 3.Describe in brief the various sources of project financing.

Q 4. Explain the important concepts in Research design?

Q 5. Explain the following

a. Project Vs. Program Vs. Portfolio

Difference between Project, Program and Portfolio Management

Project Management: A project has a definite start and end date with a clearly mentioneddeliverable produced and project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools,techniques and processes to effectively manage a team to achieve this final deliverables, whichmeans the management of a specific project. Project management focuses on delivering thespecific objectives of the project.

Program Management: A program is a group of related projects which are managed togetherto obtain specific benefits and which cannot be obtain if the projects are managed individually.Program management is focused on achieving the strategic objectives of the integrated project.Portfolio Management: A portfolio is the collection of projects or programs grouped together tofacilitate effective management of effort to meet strategic business objectives and this typicallyincludes identifying, and prioritising projects and programs to achieve specific strategic businessobjectives.


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b. Project work and Traditional functional work .

Differences between Project Work and Traditional Functional WorkProject work and traditional functional work differ in many ways. It is important to understandthese differences.Functional work is routine ongoing work. Each day machine operators, car salesmen,

secretaries, accountants, financial analysts and quality inspectors perform functional work thatis routine, notwithstanding some variations from day to day. The functional worker gets trainingfrom a manager assigned to the specific function, and the manager supervises and managesthe worker according to standards of productivity and quality set for the particular function.In contrast to functional work, project work is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique,

non-routine product or service. A project manager manages a specific project with people and other

resources assigned to him only for project management support on the specific project, and not on an

ongoing basis. The project manager is responsible for the approved objectives of a project such as

budget, schedule and specifications. Project terms are typically not organised in the same hierarchical

structure as that of functional group.

Q 6. Describe the following quality control tools: [2.54=10 Marks]

a. Ishikawa diagram

b. Flow chart

c. Pareto chart

d. Scatter diagram

Cause and Effect Diagram: This is also known as fishbone diagram or Ishikawa diagram was developed in 1960 and named after Kaoru Ishikawa, a Japanese quality control statistician.It is one of the seven basic tools of quality management. It is named fishbone diagram becauseof its fish-like appearance. It is a systematic way of analysing effects and causes that creates orcontributes to the effects. This tool is employed by a problem solving team for assembling allinputs systematically and graphically. All the inputs given to this tool is obtained from abrainstorming session.It enables the team to focus on why the problem occurs and not on the symptoms or history of the

problem. It also displays a real-time snapshot of the collective inputs of the team as it is updated. The

possible causes are represented at various levels of detail in connected branches. The level of detail

increases as the branch goes outwards which means that an outer branch is a cause of the inner branch

it is attached to. Therefore, the outermost branches in a cause and effect relationship diagram usually

indicate the root causes of the problem. Figure 11.4 shows an example of cause and effect diagram.


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Flowchart: It is an essential project management technique. It is used by the project managerand project management team to discuss about the project. Flowchart is a specific graphicalrepresentation of order and process that must take place during the life of a project. Thisrepresents and highlights fundamental elements of project like every single mode of input,processing action, and output. Flowchart is not meant to represent a formal and unyielding planthat describes how the project must be conducted. It is a brainstorming type of activity that is

meant to merely illustrate the anticipated course that the project and its anticipated componentswill take, with the idea that it may in fact become obsolete as the project advances.Flowcharts are also used to represent a document process flow. This is used to figure out bottlenecks or

breakdowns in current processes. Flowcharts are also be used to show changes in process, when

improvements are made or to show a new work flow process

Pareto Charts: This quality control tool is based on Paretos rule. The Pareto rule states that 80 percent

of the problems are often due to 20 percent of the causes. The basic assumption is that most of the

results in any situation are determined by a small number of causes and helps to identify the vital few

contributors that account for most quality problems. The Pareto chart is a form of histogram that orders

the data by frequency of occurrence. It shows how many defects were generated, by a type of category

of identified cause. For example, to determine the errors in the collection of beneficiary data, a project

team identified five causes and frequency of errors, of each cause. The bars represent each category

and, the line the cumulative percentage of the errors. The chart indicates that that 80% of the errors

could be reduced just by improving the data collection in two categories, instead of focusing efforts to

correct all categories.

Example of Pareto Chart

Scatter Diagrams: It is a graphical technique used to analyse the relationship between twovariables. It determines and shows whether or not there is correlation between two variables.Correlation means the measure of the relationship between two sets of numbers or variables.


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Two sets of data are plotted on a graph, where y-axis is used for the variable to be predictedand the x-axis is used for the variable to make the prediction.A scatter diagram shows the possible relationships. It should be noted that two variables might appear

to be related but they might not be. Hence those who know well about the variables must evaluate the

variables. Correlation does not refer a direct cause and effect relationship. If the values of one variable

can be predicted, based on the value of the other variables, then there exists correlation. Allrelationships between variables are not linear. A visible slope of line does not provide any information

about the strength of correlation since the scales of the graph can be expanded or compressed on either

axis of the scatter diagram. The direct or strong correlation between the variables does not necessarily

imply cause and effect relationship. If a correlation is shown by scatter diagram, investigate for further

confirmation. For example, volume of ice cream sold per day is strongly correlated to the daily number

of fatalities by drowning. Neither of the variables is a result and strongly correlated to third variable

which is the outside temperature.

10 Intro to Proj Mgmt

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