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Chapter 1 Review Question 1. Define a project. What are five characteristics that help differentiate projects from other function carried out in the daily operations of the organization? A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Five characteristics: 1. An established objective. 2. A defined life span with a beginning and an end. 3. Usually, the involvement of several department and professionals. 4. Typically, doing something that has never been done before. 5.
Specific time, cost, performance requirements. 2. What are some of the key environment forces that have changed the way projects are managed? What has been the effect of these forces on the management of projects? Environment forces 1. Compression of the product life circle. 2. Knowledge explosion 3. Triple bottom line (plane, people, profit) 4. Corporate downsizing 5. Increased customer focus 6. Small project represent big problems Effect: Increased demand for good project management across all industry and sections. 3.
Why is the implementation of projects important to strategic planning and the project management? Sometimes the strategic plans are written by one group of manager and projects implemented by another. Theses independent decisions create a set of conditions leading to conflict, confusion. So the implementation of projects become part of a project portfolio that balances the total risk of organization. Management of the project portfolio ensures that only the most valuable projects are approved and managed across the entire organization. . The technical and sociocultural dimensions of project management are two sides of the same coin. Explain. Technical side of the management process consists of the formal, disciplined, purely logical parts of the process. Includes planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Sociocultural dimension of project management need managers to shape a project culture that stimulates teamwork and high level of personal motivation as well as a capacity to identify quickly and resolve problems.
This dimension also involves managing the interface between the project and external environment. 5. What is meant by an integrative approach to project management? Why is this approach important in today’s environment? It necessitates combining all of the major dimensions of project management under one umbrella. Each dimension is connected in one seamless, integrated domain. Integration enables management to have greater flexibility and better control of all project management activites.