Strayer BUS517 Full Course Latest 2020 April

BUS517 Project Management

Week 1 Discussion

You as a Project Manager

Many of you may believe that you have never worked in project management, but in reality, most of you have already at some point in your life. Think back to a time when you organized a key event (e.g., birthday parties, weddings, yard projects, house renovations, family vacations, projects at work) that meets the definition of a project.

Describe the event you planned.

Summarize the things that went well and / or things that went wrong.

Be sure to reference some of the key skills covered from the chapter.

 

BUS517 Project Management

Week 2 Discussion

PROJECT STRUCTURE

You are working with your Project Sponsor to decide on the optimal project management structure for an upcoming complex project that will involve over 100 members, similar to this project: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/digger/wp/2016/10/18/marriott-to-move-headquarters-to-downtown-bethesda/?utm_term=.721d2114db06.

The Sponsor believes that a dedicated project team structure will not work. He has the same concerns about this structure that the author has noted. You are confident that this structure or a matrix structure will work for the project. Describe how you will reassure him that either structure will be successful.

 

BUS517 Project Management

Week 3 Discussion

DEVELOPING YOUR PROJECT SCOPE

You have been hired to lead a complex, two-year project (the project of your choice). As the Project Manager, you know it is important get the project off to a good start. Using the tools provided in the required readings, provide a quick summary of your project, including the scope and at least three goals and objectives of your project.

 

 

 

 

BUS517 Project Management

Week 4 Discussion

Your Project Budget

Last week, you were given control of a project. You have properly defined your project. Now, it is time to estimate your budget. Your Project Sponsor has set a limit on the amount of money you can spend. You know your budget will exceed what that limit is. Using the information covered in the required readings, describe the key components of your budget that you will need, as well as how long it will take to complete it (using the materials we covered this week), and why it exceeds your Sponsor’s limit.

 

BUS517 Project Management

Week 5 Discussion

Dedicated or Non-Dedicated Resources

You are now deciding on resources for a project team. You have a choice to staff a team of resources who will be dedicated (or allocated) 100% to the project, or staff a team of resources who will be dedicated (or allocated) three days each week to your project. Using information from the readings, explain how you can use either set of resources.

 

BUS517 Project Management

Week 6 Discussion

Project Challenge – Schedule Change

Your Project Sponsor and customer are impressed with your project schedule, but due to some factors out of their control, you’ve been told to deliver your project early, roughly 15% earlier than anticipated. Using the information from the readings, explain how you would go about assessing the possibility of delivering your project early. How will that affect scope, costs, and schedule?

 

BUS517 Project Management

Week 7 Discussion

Being a Leader for Your Project

As we learned in Week 6, your Project Sponsor and customer informed you that you have to deliver your project much sooner than anticipated. When you break the news to your team, they are not happy with the decision for they are concerned that the project will now fail. Using the information that you learned from readings, what can you do as a leader to ensure your project team that this is the right thing to do? What will you do to motivate them?

 

BUS517 Project Management

Week 8 Discussion

Adding New Resources to Your Project

In order to deliver the project ahead of schedule, you have been granted permission to add more resources to your team. Your Project Sponsor has worked out a deal to add an outside firm (partner) to your project team. They have very little understanding of your project and you don’t have a lot of time to educate them on the project’s specifics. Describe how you plan to incorporate them as members of your project, as well as how to get them up to speed on your project.

After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of your classmates on their suggestions.

 

BUS517 Project Management

Week 9 Discussion

Educating Your Business Sponsor on EVM

Your Project Sponsor pulls you aside and admits that he has no idea what earned value management concepts (EVM), such as AC, BCWP, and EV mean; he is only concerned that you deliver the project ahead of schedule and under budget. Using the information covered from your readings and other activities, develop a project to educate him, including which EVM performance measures you would educate him on. Provide a rationale for your selection of topics.

After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of your classmates on their suggestions.

 

BUS517 Project Management

Week 10 Discussion

We are done! Not so fast!

You have now delivered the project to your customer ahead of schedule, but slightly over budget. Now, it is time to reflect on what went well and what didn’t go so well. Based on feedback throughout the course, what would you have done differently in terms of scope, resources, and / or schedule, and why?

 

BUS517 Project Management

Week 11 Discussion

What’s Next?

Suppose you have graduated from Strayer University with your degree and you have been working on a variety of projects. Now, you are ready to pursue a certification in project management, but you are not sure which one to get. After visiting the PMI’s certification website (http://www.pmi.org/certification.aspx#certification-types), you see several certification options. Select the certification that would most interest you and explain why you chose such a certification.

BUS517 Project Management

Week 6 Assignment 1

You have been selected to be the Project Manager (for a project of your choice). The project that you decide to use should meet the key criteria of a project, such as (a) having a beginning and an end; (b) results in something being delivered to someone; (c) requires a series of activities that must be done to complete the project; and (d) requires resources (e.g., people, materials) to complete the work. The project must be one of a professional nature and must last for at least twelve months. NOTE: You are prohibited from using projects that can be found on the Internet, including projects found in places like CourseHero. All project submissions are submitted to Safe Assign for review.

Write a two to three page paper, in which you define the scope of your chosen project. In your paper you must:

Provide a brief summary of your chosen project.

Describe at least three (3) project goals and three (3) project objectives.

Identify the key customer(s) and at least two (2) stakeholders for your project. Remember, you are delivering the project to your customer(s); however, there are others (stakeholders) who have a vested interest in your project.

Describe at least three (3) key milestones and /or deliverables for your project.

Describe a high-level timeline that includes key tasks and deadlines.

Estimate the project’s overall cost and any key staffing and non-staffing resources needed.

Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar websites do not qualify as quality resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.

Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Evaluate corporate strategy and the project life cycle phases to define the project and initiate a project plan.

 

BUS517 Project Management

Week 8 Assignment 2

In Assignment 1, you have defined key portions of your project. Now, it is time to develop a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and project schedule for your project. Note: Please use the project from Assignment 1 to complete this assignment, which requires that you develop a WBS & Project Schedule for your project.

This assignment requires you to:

Create a WBS for your project using the proper format (MS Word, MS Excel, Visio, or any other applicable format) to depict WBS graphically (see Figure 4.4 from Chapter 4 of the Larsen textbook). Alternatively, you may use a coded format using MS Word (See Exhibit 4.1 from Chapter 4 of the Larson textbook as an example. The example is in MS Project format but the same could be done in MS Excel).

Create a project schedule that lists all of the core activities, dates (start & finish), and resources to complete your project. While it is recommended that you use MS Project, you can use MS Excel to create your schedule. Your project schedule must contain at least 30 separate activities/tasks.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Develop a project plan including the critical elements of project scope, priorities, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and communication plan.

Develop a project network to implement the project plan, manage projects effectively, and complete required resource reallocation.

 

BUS517 Project Management

Week 10 Assignment 3

Now, it is time for you to discuss your project’s challenges (e.g., risks); performance management plan (e.g., earned value management); and proposed plan for closing the project when it is done.

Write a four to six page paper, in which you define the execution, control, and closure aspects of your chosen project. In your paper you must:

Provide a brief summary of your chosen project.

Identify and discuss your project’s greatest challenges (at least three) and provide a recommendation for addressing each of the challenges.

Examine how you manage your project performance via earned value management. Identify at least three key EVM metrics you will use for your project.

Discuss your plan to properly close your project when it is over.

Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar websites do not qualify as quality resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.

Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Develop a process for measuring the progress of a project, providing oversight, coordinating project closure, and determining project effectiveness.

BUS517 Project Management

Quiz 1

Question 1Which of the following is  NOT considered to be a characteristic of a project?

Question 2Which of the following is  NOT typical of a project manager?

Question 3A project does not include

Question 4A project lifecycle

Question 5Project management is being driven by

Question 6A professional organization for project managers is the

Question 7Two dimensions within the project management process are

Question 8Project management is important to understand when people are a part of a project team because they

Question 9In the ________ stage of What is a Project? you are more likely to find status reports, changes, and the creation of forecasts.

Question 10A series of coordinated, related, multiple projects that continue over an extended time period and are intended to achieve a goal is known as a

Question 11Projects are usually classified into all but one of the following categories. Which one is  NOT one of the typical classifications?

Question 12Which of the following is  NOT one of the requirements for successful implementation of strategies through projects?

Question 13The assessment of the external and internal environments is called ________ analysis.

Question 14Which of the following is  NOT one of the characteristics of effective objectives?

Question 15Which of the following is  NOT true for strategic management?

Question 16The following are responsibilities of the governance team when managing a portfolio system EXCEPT

Question 17Which of the following is  NOT true about organizational politics?

Question 18Which of the following is  NOT a problem associated with the absence of a project portfolio system?

Question 19Project selection criteria are typically classified as

Question 20A project screening matrix typically contains all of the following EXCEPT

Question 21How does someone learn more about an organization’s culture?

Question 22Which structure would be most appropriate for developing a new, highly innovative product that has strict time constraints?

Question 23Elizabeth is considering how to structure a project team that will not directly disrupt ongoing operations. The project needs to be done quickly and a high level of motivation will be needed in order to do that. For this situation, the ________ organization would be the best choice.

Question 24A project team that operates with a full-time project manager as a separate unit from the rest of the organization is structured using ________ organization.

Question 25Bill is working on a project involving the upgrading of a management information system. The project is being managed by the information systems department with the coordination of other departments occurring through normal channels. He is working in a ________ organization.

Question 26Which of the following cultural characteristics relates to the degree to which groups within the organization are encouraged to operate in a coordinated or independent manner?

Question 27Factors in identifying cultural characteristics include all the following EXCEPT

Question 28Which of the following combinations represents the extremes of project organization?

Question 29Which of the following is  NOT true regarding organizing projects within a matrix arrangement?

Question 30The structure that manages projects within the existing organizational structure is ________ organization.

 

BUS517 Project Management

Quiz 2

Question 1A “Dissemination Mode” is

Question 2Which of the following is  NOT one of the items that would appear on a project scope statement or checklist?

Question 3Linda has just been assigned manager of a project to develop a new advertising campaign for an established product. Her first step should be to

Question 4In reviewing the project plan, Susan sees that the first prototype must be completed by October 12. This would be best classified as a

Question 5There are 5 steps involved when defining a project; which of the following is the first?

Question 6A communication plan is a key component for giving guidelines on how to track project

Question 7The ability of a 911 emergency system to identify the caller’s phone number and location is considered to be a

Question 8The project scope statement indicates that the client is responsible for training the people who will be using the equipment and that the project team will train the client’s trainers. This is an example of

Question 9A Process Breakdown Structure can provide a reasonable alternative to a Work Breakdown structure for an extensive development project if

Question 10If a project is small and does not require an elaborate system to assign tasks, which of the following is a good choice?

Question 11Refining Estimates may be necessary for a number of reasons. For example, a manager getting further into a project and obtaining a better understanding of what needs to be done to accomplish a project and meet the needs of the customer is an example of

Question 12Which of the following is a good condition for top-down estimating?

Question 13Which of the following would best represent direct project costs?

Question 14Learning curves are more likely to be applied in situations where most of the costs are

Question 15Which of the following methods is  NOT considered a top-down approach to estimating project time and cost?

Question 16The bottom-up approach for estimating times and costs that uses costs from past projects that were similar to the current project is known as

Question 17Jose is forecasting project time and cost for constructing a new building by multiplying the total square footage by a given dollar amount. Which of the following methods is he using?

Question 18Refining estimates may be necessary for a number of reasons. For example, people working on prototype development needing time to interact with the design engineers after the design is completed is a good example of

Question 19Large projects that have long time horizons and a very high complexity can be referred to as

Question 20Ed is looking over the actual results of projects and comparing them to what was estimated. He notices that the projects that took six months or longer to complete were noticeably more off the estimates. Which of the following factors is he recognizing?

Question 21Which of the following is  NOT one of the basic rules to follow when developing project networks?

Question 22One piece of information that the arrows within the Activity-on-Node network can convey is

Question 23The assumption that all immediate preceding activities must be 100% complete is too restrictive in some situations. When an activity is broken down into smaller segments in order to start the succeeding activity sooner, this is called

Question 24The amount of delay within a task that will not delay the overall project is known as a

Question 25Concurrent engineering, which has dramatically reduced the development time for new products, relies on what kind of lag?

Question 26A project network provides the basis for ________.

Question 27Tom is responsible for ordering hardware for a custom home his company is building. The contractor installing the hardware is scheduled to start in 5 working days, but the hardware is on backorder and will not arrive for another 9 working days. Fortunately, Tom has 10 days of slack; however, he shares this slack with the hardware installer. He will have to let the contractor know that the hardware will be ready 4 days later than expected and that the slack for the installer has been reduced by 4 days. Tom and the installer share 10 days of

Question 28Which of the following will correctly calculate the total slack in an activity?

Question 29________ activities are to be completed immediately following a particular activity.

Question 30When translated into a project network, a work package will become

 

BUS517 Project Management

Quiz 3

Question 1After your team has successfully identified potential risks that could affect the project, what is the next step?

Question 2Which of the following is  NOT involved in risk control?

Question 3This response is used to remove any uncertainly associated with an identified Opportunity.

Question 4The risk management tool that is divided into three color-coded zones representing major, moderate, and minor risks is the risk

Question 5An unanticipated event that occurs which is beneficial to a project is known as a(n)

Question 6Which of the following is identified to cover major unforeseen risks and, hence, are applied to the total project?

Question 7Which of the following is  NOT one of the potential responses to a specific risk event?

Question 8This response is used to increase the potential effect of an identified Opportunity.

Question 9Which of the following activities might you consider adding a time buffer to?

Question 10A ________ (responsible for the work package) involved in risk assessment and mitigation will help focus attention on all aspects of risk management.

Question 11In a resource-constrained project, the first priority in assigning resources is usually given to activities with the

Question 12A special truck that George needs on his project has been scheduled on another project. This is an example of what type of resource constraint?

Question 13Resources are adequate, but demand varies widely over the life of the project. Delaying noncritical activities to lower peak demand on resources is known as resource

Question 14All of the following are types of resource constraints EXCEPT

Question 15When there are not enough people, money, and/or equipment available for a project it is known as being

Question 16Sam, the project engineer, has been scheduled to run the product system test at the same time he is to build a marketing prototype. This is an example of what type of resource constraint?

Question 17All of the following are benefits of scheduling resources before project implementation EXCEPT

Question 18Most of the scheduling methods available today require the project manager to classify the project as either ________ constrained or ________ constrained.

Question 19If resources are not adequate to meet peak demands, the resulting reschedule is termed

Question 20When developing a new software package, logically, the software must be designed before the code is written, and the code must be written before it is tested. These activities are dependent on each other by ________ constraints.

Question 21Cost slope can be determined by dividing the

Question 22When it is necessary to reduce project duration and resources are constrained, which of the following is  NOT a reasonable option?

Question 23An activity’s normal time and cost are 8 and $100, respectively. Its estimated crash time and cost are 6 and $160, respectively. What is this activity’s crash cost per time unit?

Question 24The less steep the cost slope of an activity, the

Question 25Sometimes very high ________ costs are recognized before a project begins and reducing these costs through shorter project durations becomes a high priority.

Question 26As a project is crashed and project duration is reduced, direct costs typically

Question 27Which of the following is  NOT one of the more commonly used options for cutting project costs?

Question 28When a project manager must reduce project duration but resources are constrained, creating a software program that will have fewer features than originally planned or building a house without the bonus room the owner originally specified in the plans would both be examples of

Question 29The shortest possible time an activity can be completed realistically is called ________ time.

Question 30As a project is crashed and project duration is reduced, indirect costs typically

 

BUS517 Project Management

Quiz 4Question 1In terms of commonly traded organizational currencies, being involved in a task that has a large significance and having a chance to do something important and do it well are examples of ________-related currencies.

Question 2The following are necessary when mapping dependencies or building a social network EXCEPT

Question 3Which metaphor best captures the role of a project manager?

Question 4The second ring in the network of relationships for project managers includes all of the following EXCEPT

Question 5The one thing that can help establish your right to lead the project more than anything else is

Question 6In terms of commonly traded organizational currencies, providing friendship, giving emotional backing, and listening to others’ concerns and issues are examples of ________-related currencies.

Question 7In terms of commonly traded organizational currencies, sharing personnel, undertaking unwanted tasks, and providing technical knowledge are examples of ________-related currencies.

Question 8Which of the following would be defined as the ability to lead and manage yourself by establishing a sense for who you are, what you stand for and how you should behave?

Question 9When managing stakeholders, a project manager should

Question 10Which of the following groups of stakeholders place constraints on project work such as requiring permits to be secured, that work is built to code, or that safety standards are met?

Question 11During which stage of team development is the team fully functional and accomplishing project goals?

Question 12Establishing a team identity is facilitated by

Question 13How can a project manager support and encourage functional conflict?

Question 14Which of the following is commonly associated with high-performing project teams?

Question 15The essence of positive synergy can be found in the phrase

Question 16When project managers reduce the intensity of the conflict by smoothing over differences or interjecting humor when dysfunctional conflict arises, they are attempting to ________ the conflict.

Question 17The biggest challenge to managing a virtual project team is

Question 18Experience and research indicate that high-performance project teams are much more likely to develop under all the following conditions EXCEPT

Question 19During which stage of team development do close relationships develop and the group demonstrates cohesiveness?

Question 20Roger is new-product project manager for a retail company. Recently the team has exhibited a high degree of conflict over who will control the group and how decisions will be made. Which stage of development is the team in?

Question 21Outsourcing project work to a supplier with questionable labor practices can cause a situation called

Question 22Key practices in the partnering approach to managing contracted relationships include

Question 23Mathematically, customer satisfaction is a function of the extent to which perceived performance exceeds expectations. A customer satisfaction ratio of .95 indicates that a customer is

Question 24Principled negotiation emphasizes developing win/win solutions while protecting yourself against those who would take advantage of your forthrightness. Which of the following is  NOT one of the key points of principled negotiation?

Question 25Customer satisfaction can be quantified by

Question 26The result of team building among the project’s participants that states their common goals for the project as well as the procedures that will be used to achieve these goals is a

Question 27Outsourcing project work requires

Question 28Successful firms are very careful in selecting the work to be outsourced. If expectations and requirements are fuzzy or open to debate, working together can become very difficult. The following are ways to clarify requirements and procedures EXCEPT

Question 29The following are ways a project manager can manage a customer’s expectations and perceptions EXCEPT

Question 30When considering principled negotiation, revealing why you are trying to achieve something instead of demanding what you want or need is an example of