Questions and Answers of Project Management Processes Methodologies And Economics

4 Prepare a form for a configuration change request for the project selected in Exercise 2.
3 Prepare a configuration identification system for the project you have selected in Exercise 2.
2 Select a project with which you are familiar and explain the most important factors that affect the configuration selection decisions of this project.
1 Prepare a risk management plan for the project of finding a job after graduation.
16. What are the risks associated with the project in Question 15?
15. One of the requirements for graduating with a B.S. in engineering is the successful completion of a design project. Discuss the criteria and the logic that a student should use in selecting a
14. Discuss the risks involved in the project “buying a used car.” Develop a risk management plan for this project.
13. Discuss the problem of assigning weights and estimating correlations in QFD. Suggest a way to solve this problem.
12. U.S. manufacturers spend approximately 80% of their R&D budgets on new technology, whereas their Japanese counterparts spend approximately 80% on process improvement.What do you think have been
11. Henry Ford invented mass production. In so doing, he perfected the assembly line concept in which each worker does only one job or a handful of jobs and is given little other responsibility.This
9. Contrast Juran’s approach with the Kaizen approach. Identify situations in which either would be more or less appropriate.10. Is it possible to implement the idea of training workers and giving
8. The Kaizen approach of Imai stresses gradual, long-term improvement. In what situations or under what conditions might this approach not work very well? Under what conditions is this approach best?
7. What are the similarities and differences between Deming’s 14 points and Crosby’s 14 points?
6. In what ways does CE affect quality?
5. What is the relationship between CM and quality?
4. What is the difference between the communication needs in sequential engineering and CE?
3. Give an example in which CE cannot be applied.
2. Describe a design process with which you are familiar and that is performed sequentially.Explain how CE could be implemented (if possible) in this case. If, in your opinion, CE is not possible,
1. What are the design aspects of writing a term paper?
18 Generate a WP template, and test it on a selected WP.
17 Generate an example of project management–related ethical issue, and discuss possible ways to resolve it.
16 Develop a set of guidelines for project managers in international projects that deal with legal and ethical issues.
15 Prepare a Delphi session for selecting the best project manager for a given project.
14 You have been assigned the task of developing a network representation of the project in Exercise 11.a. Design the network for the WBS in Fig. 11. In so doing, each WP in the WBS should correspond
13 For the restaurant project in Exercise 11:a. Develop another WBS, making sure that it includes the same WPs that are shown in the original WBS in Fig. 11.b. Generate additional WPs for the
12 You have been offered a contract to undertake the restaurant project in Exercise 11 at several campuses that belong to the same university.a. Suggest an OBS for these projects.b. Generate three
10 Give an example of an organization with an ineffective or cumbersome structure. Explain the problems with the current structure and how these problems could be solved.
9 List two activities that you have recently performed with two or more other people. Ex plain the role of each participant using an OBS, a WBS, and an LRC.
8 You are the president of a startup company that specializes in computer peripherals such as optical backup units, tape drives, signature verifications systems, and data transfer devices.Construct
7 Develop an LRC for a project done for a client who has a functional organization by a contractor who has a customer-oriented organization.a. Describe the project and its WBS.b. Describe the OBS of
6 Suggest three approaches (OBS-WBS combinations) for the development of a new un dergraduate program in electrical engineering.
5 Consider the development of a new electric car by an auto manufacturer and a manufac turer of high-capacity batteries.a. Develop an appropriate four-level WBS.b. Develop the OBS.c. Define several
4 Develop a WBS for a construction project.
3 Develop an OBS for an emergency health care unit in a hospital. How should this unit be related to the other departments in the hospital?
2 You are in charge of designing and building a new solar heater. Develop the OBS and the WBS. Explain the relationship between the two.
1 Develop an organizational structure for a project performed in your school (e.g., the de velopment of a new degree program). Explain your assumptions and objectives.
13. Of the types of leadership discussed, which is most appropriate for a high-risk project?
12. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the four types of contracts discussed in this chapter.
11. Discuss the applicability of the nominal group technique, the Delphi method, and brainstorming to the process of scheduling and budgeting a project.
10. Describe the “team building” inherent in the development of an LRC. How is team building accomplished on large projects? How does this relate to development of the LRC?
9. What are the activities and steps involved in developing an LRC?
8. Which kind of OBS is used in the company or organization to which you now or used to belong? What are the limitations that you have perceived?
7. Develop a list of advantages and disadvantages of the following structures:a. Product organizationb. Customer organizationc. Territorial organization
6. Under what conditions can a functional manager act as a project manager?
5. How does the WBS affect the selection of the OBS of a project?
4. Write a job description for a project manager in a matrix organization. Assume that only the project manager is employed full time by the project.
3. In the matrix management structure, the functional expert on a project has two bosses.What considerations in a well-run organization reduce the potential for conflict?
2. Explain how a matrix organization can perform a project for a functional organization.What are the difficulties, contact points, and communication channels?
1. Describe the organizational structure of your school or company.What difficulties have you encountered working within this structure?
11 An aspiration level for a criterion or attribute is a level at which the decision maker is sat isfied. For example, we all would like our investment portfolio to provide an annual rate of return
10a. Use the three weighting techniques in Section 5.3 to make a selection of one of the three used automobiles for which some data are given in Table 6. State your assumptions regarding miles driven
9 The six major objectives listed below are used by the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority to evaluate new projects. Use this list to construct an objectives hierarchy by providing
8 Starting with the environmental scoring model in Table 5.3, construct an objectives hierarchy that can be used to evaluate capital development and expansion projects being considered by an electric
7 Louise Ciccone, head of industrial engineering for a medium-sized metalworking shop, wants to move the CNC machines from their present location to a new area. Three distinct alternatives are under
6 Use the criteria below to construct a two-level objective hierarchy (major criteria with one set of subcriteria under each) to help evaluate political candidates. Consider as alternatives the major
5 Referring to Exercise 4, combine the two hierarchies into one so that there are no more than eight subobjectives at the bottom level. Define either a quantitative or a qualitative scale for each of
4 You are the vice president of planning for Zingtronics, a small-scale manufacturer of IBMcompatible personal computers and peripherals based in Silicon Valley. Business is growing, and the company
3 Using MAUT and the AHP, perform an analysis to select a graduate program. Explain your assumptions, and indicate which technique you believe is most appropriate for this application.
2 Develop a flow chart detailing input, output, and processes for a software package that supportsa. MAUT applicationsb. AHP applications
1 Assume that you work for a company that designs and fabricates VLSI chips. You have been given the job of selecting a new computer-aided design software package for the engineering group.a. Develop
15. For which type of projects or problems might MAUT be more amenable than the AHP?Similarly, when is the AHP more appropriate than MAUT?
14. In conducting a group study using a multiple-criteria method, you reach a point at which two of the participants cannot agree on a particular response.What course of action would you take to
13. Both the AHP and MAUT are value models that facilitate making tradeoffs between incommensurable criteria. Come up with your own value model or procedure for doing this.
12. Are the axioms underlying the AHP reasonable and unambiguous? In which circumstances do you think one or more of them could be relaxed?
11. From a practical point of view, how would you verify the independence assumptions associated with MAUT?
10. You just inherited a large sum of money and would like to develop a strategy to invest it.Use the AHP to fashion such a strategy. Construct an objective hierarchy listing all criteria and
9. Are benefit-cost analysis and multiple-criteria analysis mutually exclusive techniques? In which circumstances is either most appropriate?
8. What experiences have you had with group decision making? What difficulties do you see arising when trying to perform a multiple-criteria analysis with many interested parties involved?How might
7. When performing an evaluation using any multiple criteria method, from whose perspective should the analysis be undertaken? Would the answer differ if it were a public rather than a private
6. How would you go about constructing an objective hierarchy? Who should be consulted?Identify a project from your personal experience or observations, and construct such a hierarchy.
5. What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of the AHP and MAUT?
4. You have just completed an MAUT evaluation of a number of data communications systems under consideration by your company. How would you present the results to upper management? Assuming that they
3. What type of technical background, if any, do you think is needed to understand MAUT?The AHP?
2. Identify an advanced technology project that you believe should be undertaken, such as bio-electronic computing or coal gasification.Who should be responsible for funding the project? The
1. How might you measure the benefits associated with space exploration or a superconducting supercollider for investigating subatomic particles? Can you put a dollar value on these benefits? What
23 A trucking company has decided to replace its existing truck fleet. Supplier A will provide the needed trucks at a cost of $700,000. Supplier B will charge $500,000, but its vehicles may require
22 A decision is to be made as to whether to perform a complete audit of an accounts receivable file. Substantial errors in the file can result in a loss of revenue to the company. However,
21 Pipeline Construction Model. The following exercise is a variation of the classical “machine setup” problem. The installation of an oil pipeline that runs from an oil field to a refinery
20 Referring to Exercise 19, determine the optimal fleet-expansion strategy if projected annual profits are discounted at the rate of 12%.
19 The management of Dream Cruises, Ltd., operating in the Caribbean, has established the need for expanding its fleet capacity and is considering what the best plan for the next 8-year planning
18 Allen Konigsberg is an expert in decision support systems and has been hired by a small software engineering firm to help plan their R&D strategy for the next 6 to 12 months.The company wishes to
17 Refer to Exercise 16. The management of Zingtronics is planning to hire Dr. Lalith deSilva, an economist and head of a local consulting firm, to prepare an economic forecast for the computer
16 Zingtronics Corp. has completed the design of a new graphic-display unit for computer sys- tems and is about to decide on whether it should produce one of the major components in- ternally or
15 In Exercise 14, suppose that the owner wishes to consider her decision problem over a 2- day period. Her alternatives for the second day are determined as follows. If the demand in day 1 is equal
14 The daily demand for a particular type of printed circuit board in an assembly shop can as- sume one of the following values: 100, 120 or 130 with probabilities 0.2, 0.3 and 0.5. The manager of
13 As chief industrial engineer in a manufacturing facility, you are contemplating the replace- ment of the spreadsheet procedures that you are now using for production scheduling and inventory
12 Epidemiological data indicate that only a handful of patients have contracted the AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) virus from health care workers. Many, though, have called for the
11 Determine whether the full-capacity tunnel or the half-capacity tunnel should be constructed now. Solve the problem by B/C ratio analysis using a 5% interest rate and a 50-year analysis
10 A 50-meter tunnel must be constructed as part of a new aqueduct system for a city.Two alternatives are being considered. One is to build a full-capacity tunnel now for $500,000.The other
9 An existing two-lane highway between two cities is to be converted to a four-lane divided freeway.The distance between them is 10 miles.The average daily traffic on the new freeway is forecast to
8 The state is considering the elimination of a railroad grade crossing by building an overpass.The new structure, together with the needed land, would cost $1,800,000.The analysis period is assumed
7 The federal government proposes to construct a multipurpose water project. This project will provide water for irrigation and for municipal uses. In addition, there will be flood control benefits
6 Suppose that the products from Exercise 5 have been rated further as shown in Table 15.TABLE 15 Product A B C Probability of technical success 0.9 0.8 0.7 Probability of commercial success 0.6 0.8
5 Three new-product ideas have been suggested. These ideas have been rated as shown in Table 14.TABLE 14 Product Criteria A B C Weight (%)Development cost P F VG 10 Sales prospects VG E G 15
4 You have just received a job offer in a city 1,000 miles away and must relocate. List all possible ways of moving your household. Use two different analytic techniques for selecting the best
3 Assume that you have just entered the university and wish to select an area of study.a. Using B/C analysis only, what would your decision be?b. How would your decision change if you used C-E
2 Use a checklist and a scoring model to select the best car for a married graduate student with one child. State your assumptions clearly.
1 Consider an important decision with which you will be faced in the near future.Construct a scoring model detailing your major criteria, and assign weights to each. Indicate which data are known for
13. In which type of projects does risk play a predominant role? What can be done to mitigate the attendant risks? Pick a specific project and discuss.
12. Why has the U.S. Department of Defense been the major exponent of C-E analysis? Give your interpretation of what is meant by “diminishing returns,” and indicate how it might affect a decision

Showing 200 - 300 of 615