CMGT/410 WEEK 1

All Assignments listed here for Week 1 are included in purchase!

Apply: Signature Assignment: Choosing a Methodology

Assignment Content
A project plan is a document created at the beginning of the project lifecyde that gives stakeholders and everyone else involved a clear idea of what the project will email in terms of effort, time, cost, and anticipated results.

The methodology or approach the project manager plans to use to manage the project must be identified before the projea plan can be created. Choosing a methodology is important because a methodology provides the framework that is, an overall process and suggested documents and deliverables that will guide project development from beginning to end. Some project methodologies are more appropriate for some types of projects than for others.

Over the next few weeks you will develop pieces of a project plan. This week you will determine your methodotogy based on project requirements and the components needed in your plan.

Read the Manage Your Health Inc Case Studv and complete the assignment below.
Consider the differences between Agile and waterfall.
Select 1 methodology to use for a project plan for this initiative.

Create a simplified project plan such as the examples listed in the "Tips section below. Include, at least, the following criteria:

• Name of task
• Duration
• Predecessors
• Notes

After compieting your simplified project plan, write a 175-word paragraph and complete the following:

• Define which methodology, Agile or waterfall, is most appropriate for this project. Why? Cite at least 2 sources to support your rationale.
• Describe the following roles for this project: project manager, project sponsor, business analyst, and scrum master or program manager.

You may create your simplified project plan using Microsoft Excel or another software application of your choice.

Tips:

• Research additional project plan examples online.
• Consider the application characteristics and requirements when building your project plan. For example, the app will require a search feature so employees can search for available programs, will require security to protect personal information, etc., which will help with the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Note: This information will be helpful in the Wk 2 - Apply: Work Breakdown Structure assignment.
• Read the 2 linked examples of project plans implemented as Microsoft© Excel© spreadsheets: Example Plan A and Example Plan B. Use these as guides in creating your own draft project plan. Notice the differences between these 2 examples in terms of length (overall and task length), structure of the work breakdown (iterative vs. non-iterative), and methodology.

Submit your assignment - both your completed methodology questions and your project plan.

PM Landscape Quiz

1. A(n) _________ is a series of actions directed toward a particular result.

2. ________ is an organization's acquisition of goods and services from an outside source.

3. The organization recognizes that a new project exists and completes a project charter during which processes for a new project?

4. Which perspective of an organization focuses on different groups' roles and responsibilities in order to meet the goals and policies set by top management?

5. A major element of good practice concerns __ , which addresses the authority and control for key IT activities In organizations, including IT infrastructure, IT use, and project management.

6. Which systems development life cycle model assumes that requirements will remain stable after they are defined?

7. Which project management knowledge area is an overarching function that affects and is affected by the different knowledge areas?

8. Project __ management includes estimating how long it will take to complete the work, developing an acceptable project schedule, and ensuring timely completion of a project.

9. Which of the following best describes a kill point in the project life cycle?

10. An example of pull communication is __ .

11. Reporting performance, where project stakeholders can identify any necessary changes that may be required to keep the project on track, is a common part of which process?

12. The project schedule management knowledge area maps to which process group through the activity of schedule control?

13. An example of push communication is __ .

14. __ include people, hardware, software, or other assets.

15. The project scope management knowledge area maps to which process group through the activities of scope validation and scope control?

16. ___ are sets of interacting components working within an environment to fulfill some purpose.

17. In which development life cycle do stakeholders define and approve the detailed scope before the start on an iteration?

18. The question, "What unique product, service, or result does the customer or sponsor expect from the project?" is an example of a(n) __ constraint.

19. Which observation Is true of the agile approach to software development?

20. The ___ frame of the organization is the one that is usually depicted in an organizational chart.

21. Which framework is an iterative software development process that focuses on team productivity and delivers software best practices to all team members?

22. Which planning process is within the Project Scope Management knowledge area?

23. The __ model uses an approach in which developers work with an evolving prototype, using tools such as compu:er-aided software engineering, joint requirements planning, and joint application design to facilitate rapid prototyping and code generation.

24. The role of a __ is to provide direction and funding for a project

25. Which characteristic highlights a difference between projects and operations?

Week 1 Discussion Questions and Answers Included in Tutorial

NOTE: Discussion questions may be different, depending on who your class Instructor is.

Wk 1 Discussion - Agile vs. Waterfall

The waterfall project management model is often used for non-IT projects, while the Agile project management model is often used for IT projects.

• What differences between IT and non-IT projects make each more appropriate for a different project management model? Are there exceptions?
• What are 2 drawbacks that might occur from using the waterfall model for an IT project and the Agile approach for a non-IT project?

Discussion Question - Bonus Questions & Answers

a)   What is the definition of a project?
b)   What is project management?  
c)   What are the advantages of following a methodology when developing an information system?
d)   What is the purpose of a project charter?
e)   Describe how the project’s MOV supports the development of the project’s scope, schedule, and budget.
f)    Why should a project be divided into phases?

Discussion Question  - Bonus Questions and Answers

a)  What is a scope statement?  What purpose does it serve?
b)  Why is it important to define the project's scope accurately and completely?
c)  Briefly describe scope creep.
d)  What is a statement of work? What purpose does it serve?
e)  What is a deliverable? What is the relationship between phases and deliverables?
f)   What is project kick-off meeting? What purpose does it serve?

CMGT/410 WEEK 2

All Assignments listed here for Week 2 are included in purchase!

Learning Team – Apply: Creating a Scoping Document

Assignment Content
A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is based on a project's scope statement. This statement lists all the work that goes into creating the products of the project. It includes the charter, requirements document, processes, and is managed by the project manager. In this week's Team assignment, your team will review the scenario and develop a project scope statement based on the provided information. You may use the template provided or develop your own.
Read the Global Tre12s Scenario and complete the assignment below.
Develop a first version of a project scope statement for the project.

Use the Scope Statement template and the example in Chapter 5 as guides. Be as specific as possible in describing product characteristics and requirements, as well as all of the project's deliverables. Include the following:

• Global Treps website

•Shark-tank like events

• A business plan

• Outsourced items(laptops, donation acceptance, video creation, etc.) as part of the project scope.

Submit your project scope statement.

Assignment Content
A project's Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Gantt chart provide structure for a project. In this week's assignment you develop both the WBS and Gantt chart for a fictitious organization. The Manage Your Health, Inc (MYH) scenario will be used in the weekly assignments for the rest of the course.
Review the Manage Your Health Scenario and follow the directions below for completing a WBS and Gantt chart.
Develop a work breakdown structure (WBS) for the project. Break down the work to Level 3 or Level 4. as appropriate. Use the Work Breakdown Structure TemRlate and Work Breakdown Structure examRle in this text as guides. Upload the WBS in list form. The WBS should be based on the information that would be in a project scope of this scenario. You can review your project plan from Wk 1.
Create a Gantt chart using the WBS you developed with Microsoft Excel or another software of your choice and approved by your instructor. Do not enter any durations or dependencies.
Submit 2 deliverables: the WBS and Gantt Chart.

CMGT/410 Week 2 Practice: Beginning a Project

Includes both Quiz#1 and Quiz#2

QUIZ #1

1. Which statement describes a resource estimate?

2. Which of the following is an expectation that relates to the overall impact the project deliverables will have once the project is implemented?

3. Which of the following characteristics did project manager Angela demonstrate when she scheduled several meetings during the planning of a project, notified each team member, and sent reminders

    prior to meeting times?

4. Which of the following should a project manager do to prepare for the scope approval process?

5. Which of the following is NOT true regarding the role of a project manager?

6. If a marketing department will create an advertising campaign for cereal in an effort to increase sales by 12% by the end of the second quarter, which component of SMART below does the phrase

    “increase sales by 12%” represent?

7. Which of the following is an example of a process project?

8. Which of the following stakeholders is responsible for defining project outcomes?

9. If the project sponsor never gives the project manager authority to make decisions and the project fails, which reason for failure below does this illustrate?

10. In which of the following ways does a project manager obtain quantitative data to review stakeholder expectations?

11. Which of the following correctly describes the documentation of project risks?

12. Which of the following is derived from the business case?

13. Which of the following was an intangible benefit when a large corporation implemented a company wellness plan to encourage and support healthy employees' lifestyles?

14. Which of the following elements of a project is a project manager NOT responsible for performing?

15. Which of the following pairs of items occur during Phase 1 of the project life cycle? 16. Which of the following scope elements answers a "What" question in developing the scope document?

17. Which of the following is a checkpoint where some aspect of the project work is approved in order to proceed?

18. Which of the following is an example of a change in scope for a project?

19. The phase-based methodology is similar to the iterative methodology in which of the following ways?

20. Mila managed a project to develop a website for a restaurant. Which description below is an assumption, as opposed to a requirement?

21. Which of the following provides an official acknowledgment of the authority of the project manager to begin the project?

22. Which of the following is an example of an operation?

23. Elizabeth is planning a high school reunion at the city park. When researching the weather, she found that there was a 15% chance that it would rain on the selected weekend. However, if it did rain, it

      would be a disaster -- they would have to rent a tent to cover the seating area, they wouldn't have any indoor space for the caterer, and their DJ wouldn't be able to perform. Which of the following lists

      the corresponding degree of probability and the level of impact that a rainy weekend would have?

QUIZ #2

1. Which of the following project scope components is Blake addressing when he asks what problems could occur that would negatively impact the housing project?

2. Which of the following is an example of an intangible benefit?

3. Which of the following is an example of an intangible benefit?

4. Which of the following is an example of a tangible benefit?

5. Which of the following activities is part of gathering stakeholder expectations?

6. Which of the following activities is part of gathering stakeholder expectations?

7. Which of the following would be considered a project benefit expectation?

8. Which of the following would be considered a project outcome expectation? 9. Which of the following would be considered a process expectation?

10. Mike was put in charge of planning the annual family reunion and made a list of project deliverables and project requirements that provide the memorabilia that everyone is expecting. Which of the following is a project deliverable?

11. Consider the following goal: Peterson Software wants to acquire four new clients within three months to expand its business and increase its revenue. Select the phrase below that, if added, would make it a SMART goal.

12. Consider the following goal: Horton Foods will replace all current plastic bags to support environmental improvement efforts at all 37 stores in Florida.

13. Select the phrase below that, if added, would make it a SMART goal.

14. Consider the following goal: In the next six months, Iowa school districts will reduce bullying incidents by providing techniques to identify and handle bullying. Select the phrase below that, if added, would make it a SMART goal.

15. Which of the following is considered a resource estimate?

16. The employees and management of the company producing the bags are currently at odds over labor issues. There is a 50:50 chance that the employees will strike and stop production work if their requests are not met. The strike would significantly delay production of the bags for Horton Foods, and the bags would not be delivered to stores in time for the program to begin. What is the probability of this risk occurring and what is the impact on the project?

17. The company logo on the first batch of purses produced was upside-down. A representative from the bag production company said they are confident they can supply a new set of bags with a correctly placed logo and are working extra hours to meet the deadline. What is the probability of this risk occurring and what is the impact on the project?

18. To obtain approval for the scope document, the project manager will do which of the following activities?

19. What does a project manager do to obtain approval for the scope document?

20. Which of the following activities will occur during the scope approval process?

Wk 2 Discussion - Existing vs. New Software

Includes 3 Full Answers!

Beginning an IT project includes a fundamental skill of making the best product decision for your organization. One decision to make at the beginning of your project plan is to consider options available for your deliverable. IT projects can be based on existing, off-the-shelf software that is customized to meet the needs of the project deliverables. In other cases. IT projects can be built from the ground up. in-house. Imagine you and your colleagues are consultants who have been asked to weigh in on the custom vs. off-the-shelf question at the beginning of an IT project at a Fortune 500 company.
Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• What are 2 benefits of choosing and customizing off-the-shelf software to meet your project's needs vs. building the entire project in-house?
• What are the drawbacks?
• Consider cost the impact on the in-house team's development staff, the software's ability to grow with future project requirements. and how the choice will affect project support and maintenance.

Discussion Question

a) What is a WBS? What purpose does the WBS serve?
b) What makes estimating an IT project challenging?
c) What can lead to inaccurate estimates? How can an organization improve the accuracy of estimating IT projects?
d) What is the impact of consistently estimating too low? Too high?
e) Why is counting lines of code (LOC) a popular method for estimating and tracking programmer productivity?  What are some problems associated with this method?

Discussion Question

a) What are phase exits, stage gates, and kill points? What purpose do they serve?
b) What is a business case? Why should an organization develop a business case?
c) Describe technical feasibility.
d) Describe the criteria that should be used to make a project selection decision.
e) Describe the balanced scorecard approach.

CMGT/410 Week 3

All Assignments listed here for Week 3 are included in purchase!

Assignment Content
RACI charts can be used as a tool to manage the key roles and responsibilities of a project. Creating a RACI chart can be a challenge and takes practice. In this assignment, you will create and submit a RACI chart. As the project manager, you have been tasked with determining the roles of team members. There are no "right" or "wrong" answers, but several ways to interpret how the tasks and resources should be allocated.
Create a RACI chart for a website reveal based on the tasks listed below. You may use the provided RACI Excel temP-late.
Project: Launching new website at company picnic
Task: Taylor, the company's Senior Vice President (SVP), told you that you'll be surprising the 100+ employees of your company with the launch of the new website at the company picnic next month. She said she trusts your judgement but would like to run the final plan across A.J., the head of HR, who is in charge of the picnic. Everyone in the company has been working on some part of the website for over a year. You need to work the exciting reveal into the company picnic. Your committee - made up of project managers from across the company- needs to complete the following tasks:

• Create signage.
• Create a fun way to reveal the new website.
• Write up FAQs about the new website.
• Create a teaser to send out prior to the picnic.
• Schedule time to work together.
• Create a timeline for the reveal.

Committee Members: You, Zarina, Erika, Jonas, and Mike

Submit your RACI chart.

Apply: Signature Assignment: Cost Model - Project Cost Management
Open a new Microsoft Word document, Microsoft Excel documem, or use the provided template to complete che following tasks.
Tony Prince and his team are working on the Recreation and Wellness lmranec Project. They have been asked to refine the existing cost estimate for the project so they can evaluate supplier bids and have a solid cost baseline for evaluating project performance. Recall that your schedule and cost goals are to complete the project in 6 months for under S200,000.
Use the Cose Estimate template and Cose Baseline cemglate co assist with chis assignmenL
Tasks:

Prepare and upload a 1-page cost model for this project using spreadsheet software. Use the following work breakdown structure (WBS}, and document your assumptions in preparing the cost model. Assume a labor rate of $100 per hour for the project manager and S60 per hour for the project team members. Assume that none of the work is outsourced, labor costs for users are not included, and there are no additional hardware costs. The total estimate should be $200,000.

1. Project management
2. Requirements definition
3. Website design

    a. Registration for recreational programs
    b. Registration for classes and programs
    c. Tracking system
    d. lncentive system
4. Website development
    a. Registration for recreational programs
    b. Registration for classes and programs
    c. Tracking system
    d. Incentive system
5. Testing
6. Training, rolfout, and support
• Using the cost model you created in the first task. prepare a cost baseline by allocating the costs by WBS for each month of the project.
• Assume that you have compteted 3 months of the project. The BAC was $200.000 for the 6-month project. You can also make the following assumptions:
       • FV=S120,000
       • EV=Sl00,000
       • AC=$90,000

    a. What is the cost variance, schedule variance, cost performance index {CPI), and schedule performance index (SPI) for the project?
    b. Use the CPI to calculate the estimate at completion (EAC) for this project. Is the project performing better or worse than planned?
    c. Use the SPI to estimate how long it will take to finish this project.

After completing your charts, write a 150-word follow-up in which you-complete the following:

• Explain how the project is doing based on the CPI and SPl. ls it ahead of schedule or behind? Is it under budget or over?
• Describe the strategies or steps that should be taken for human resource management to avoid additional costs.
• Describe the strategies or steps that should be taken for resource activity management to avoid additional costs.
• Recommend 2 tools to support these strategies and explain why these tools would be beneficial.

Submit your cost model, course baseline, and follow-up.

Includes 3 Full Answers!

In a perfect world, every project would be characterized by clear project requirements that never changed; motivated and capable team members; proven technologies; more than adequate budgets in terms of time, money, and resources; responsible, knowledgeable stakeholders; and seamless, effective communication so when a problem arises it is communicated and dealt with quickly. However, we do not live in a perfect world!
In your opinion, which 3 of the 5 common project hazards described in the book have the potential to be the costliest? Explain your reasoning.

Discussion Question

Discussion Question

1. What is the difference between crashing and fast tracking a project’s schedule?

2. Why should the project manager ensure that the project resources are leveled?

3. Why should assumptions used in estimating be documented?

4. What is a baseline plan?

5. Define predecessor, successor and parallel activities.

Discussion Question

1. Why should a project manager be concerned with monitoring a project’s progress?

2. What is the purpose of a project communication plan? What kinds of things should this plan address?

3. What is quality?

4. What is the relationship between standards and metrics?

5. What is the purpose of change control?

6. How can a company protect data on corporate laptops? Why do more organizations choose not to protect such data? Do you expect this to become a legal requirement in the future? Explain why you think so.

CMGT/410 Week 4

All Assignments listed here for Week 4 are included in purchase!

Apply: Risk Register

Assignment Content
Tony and his project team identified some risks during the first month of the Recreation and Wellness Intranet Project. However, all they did was document the risks in a list. They never ranked the risks or developed any response strategies. Because the project has had several problems, such as key team members leaving the company, users being uncooperative, and team members not providing good status information, Tony decided to be more proactive in managing risks and want to address positive risks as well as negative risks.
Complete the following tasks:

1. Create a risk register for the project. Identify 6 potential risks, including risks related to the problems described in the previous paragraph. Include negative and positive risks.
2. Develop a 45- to 90-word response strategy for each risk. Enter the information in the risk register.
3. Write a separate 175-word paragraph describing what specific tasks would be required to implement the strategy. Include time and cost estimates for each strategy.

Submit your risk register with the response strategy and explanation.

Learning Team: Apply: Scrum Board

Assignment Content
Projects that conform to the Agile methodology often use something called a scrum board. You can think of a scrum board as a digital whiteboard containing yellow "stickies," each listing a task, posted beneath categories such as "to do," "in process," in testing," etc. Using a scrum board in this way allows all project members to see where important tasks are in the overall project process quickly and easily.
For this Learning Team assignment, you will collaborate with your team members to create an Agile scrum board based on the Global Treps project from the Wk 2 Team assignment (see below).
Note that in an industry situation, you would most likely use a specialized software tool to manage your scrum board such as Jira, Rally. Asana, or Basecamp. However, in this course, you will be using a tool that you may already be familiar with-Microsoft Excel-to create your scrum board and other deliverables. It is the organization and assignment of tasks that is important about a scrum board, not the specific software tool you use to create and manage it.
To complete this Learning Team assignment:
Reread the Global TreP-S Scenario that you read in the Wk 2 Team -Apply assignment.
Review the Learning Team Scrum Board Example spreadsheet. (Note:Click the Board tab that appears at the bottom of the spreadsheet to see the scrum board example.)
Create a scrum board in Microsoft Excel format similar to the linked example, to align with the project scoping document your team created in Wk 2. Ensure that your finished scrum board incorporates a project budget.
Submit the team assignment.

CMGT/410 WK4 Discussion - Scope Creep

Includes 3 Full Answers!

Scope creep refers to the tiny, incremental change or addition of requirements to an already-defined project so that, for example, a project that began by trying to produce a single ham sandwich ended up trying to produce a three-course meal for 20 people. 
Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Describe a time when scope creep happened on a project in which you were involved. The project you describe may be from work (such as being affected by an IT upgrade project), school (such as participating in a team assignment), or personal life (such as planning a wedding). 
• Who was responsible for adding requirements?
• Who was responsible for accepting them?
• Were the additional requirements introduced early in the project process, or late?
• What were the outcomes? That is, was the expanded scope implemented, or not?
• Did the project come in over budget? Was it delayed? Was it cancelled? 

Note: If you have never been involved in any type of project in which scope creep occurred, research specific causes of project scope creep and share at least two causes that are not listed in your textbook. Be sure to cite your sources in APA format.

Note: If you have never been involved in a type of project in which scope creep occurred, research specific causes of project scope creep and share at least 2 causes that are not listed in your textbook. Cite your sources in APA format.

Discussion Question

1.    What is the purpose of a contract?
2.    What is outsourcing? How does it relate to Project Procurement Management?
3.    What is offshoring or offshore outsourcing?
4.    Why is writing a good contract important for an outsourcing relationship?
5.    What are some hidden costs of outsourcing? Why is it important to consider these costs?

Discussion Question

1.    What qualities are required for a good project manager?
2.    Describe the five practices for exemplary leadership.
3.    What is emotional intelligence?
4.    What is the definition of ethics?
5.    Define culture.
6.    How can a project manager change, maintain or create culture?

CMGT/410 Week 5

All Assignments listed for Week 5 are included in purchase!

Apply: Signature Assignment: Measuring Progress and Requirements

Assignment Content
Measuring progress and requirements in a project can be completed through performance testing. As you review the results, it leads to ways to maintain the project progress. In this week's assignment you will develop requirements that need measurable results through performance testing. Review the scenario and complete the activity below.

The Recreation and Wellness Intranet Project team is working hard to ensure that the new system they develop meets expectations. The team has a detailed scope statement, but the project manager, Tony Prince, wants to make sure they're not forgetting requirements that might affect how people view the quality of the project. He knows that the project's sponsor and other senior managers are most concerned with getting people to use the system, improve their health, and reduce healthcare costs. Users want the system to be user-friendly, informative, fun to use. and fast.

Complete the following in a Microsoft Word document.

Develop a list of 6 quality standards or requirements related to meeting the stakeholder expectations described in the Running Case.

Write a 45- to 90-word brief description of each requirement. For example, a requirement might be that 90 percent of employees have logged into the system within 2 weeks after the system rolls out.

Write a 175-word explanation based on the list of standards and requirements on how you will measure progress on meeting the requirements. For example, you might have employees log into the system as part of the training program and track who attends the training. You could also build a feature into the system to track usage by username, department, and other criteria. Support your answer with 1 credible source outside of the course materials.

Submit your assignment.

There are several tools and techniques featured in the textbook that are used for quality control in IT projects. A Pareto chart is a type of histogram that can be used to define quality problems in a system. It allows you to see what areas need improvement.

Create a Pareto chart based on the information below. First create a spreadsheet in Excel using the data in the table or use the Pareto Chart temglate. List the most frequent customer problems first. Check your entries so your resulting chart looks like the one in Figure 8-7 in the textbook.

Customer Complaints; Frequency/Week

Customer is on hold too long; 90
Customer gets transferred to wrong area or cut off; 20
Service rep cannot answer customer's questions; 120
Service rep does not follow through as promised; 40
Submit your chart.

Wk 5 Discussion Question

Discussion Question - Feature Requests

All projects are perfect at the beginning—but few are perfect when they end. Sometimes, project managers gather descriptions of features that weren't included in the initial release of a product and slate them for inclusion into a "2.0" version of the deliverables. Imagine you have been asked to submit a feature request for the VitalSource application you use to read your textbook for this course.

• What feature would you request?

Be sure to describe it in sufficient detail so that the VitalSource programmers could understand and implement your request. 
Reply to at least 2 of your classmates, explaining whether the request is clear and complete enough for you to understand how to implement the request if you were a programmer at VitalSource.

• Has your colleague described the situation(s) in which the new feature should work?
• How the feature should work? What the program should do if the feature does not/cannot work in a given instance?

If your colleague's request is not clear or complete, explain what information is lacking. Be constructive and professional in your responses.

Discussion Questions

1. What leads to uncertainty in an IT project?

2. What is project risk management?

3. What are the seven IT project risk management processes?

4. What is risk monitoring and control?  

Discussion Questions

1. You are asked to make a copy of a magazine article and include it in new software you are writing.  You see that the article has a copyright notice.  What is the best thing to do?

2. Your company is in competition to win a major project for the government of country X.  You are told that you must make a large payment to the foreign minister in order to be considered for the project.  What is the best thing to do?

3. You provide a project estimate for the project to the project sponsor.  The project sponsor is unhappy with the estimate, because the project sponsor thinks the price should be lower.  The project sponsor asks you to cut 15% off the project estimate.  What should you do?

4. What is wrong with the idea of just expecting people to adapt to a new system by compliance?

5. What are some best practices for measuring project success?