1. Complete a computer equipment inventory for the Training and Management Systems Unit, describing all the systems you find. Hint: Create an inventory form to simplify your task.
2. Using the software evaluation guidelines given in the text, do a brief evaluation of GEMS, a software package used by the Management Systems employees. In a paragraph, briefly critique this custom software by comparing it with commercial off-the-shelf software such as Microsoft Project.
3. List the intangible costs and benefits of GEMS as reported by employees of MRE.
4. Briefly describe the two alternatives Snowden is considering for the proposed project tracking and reporting system.
5. What organizational and political factors should Snowden consider in proposing his new system at MRE? (In a brief paragraph, discuss three central conflicts.)

Sometimes the people who have been here for some time are surprised at how much we have actually grown. Yes, I do admit that it isn’t easy to keep track of what each person is up to or even what purchases each department has made in the way of hardware and software. We’re working on it, though. Snowden would like to see more accountability for computer purchases. He wants to make sure we know what we have, where it is, why we have it, who’s using it, and if it’s boosting MRE productivity, or, as he so delicately puts it, ‘to see whether it’s just an expensive toy’ that we can live without.”