SNHU QSO340 FULL COURSE ( DISCUSSIONS+HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS+MIDTERM+FINAL)

1-1 DISCUSSIONProject management has been gaining popularity in recent years. It can be found in many different industries, from manufacturing to services. Can you provide examples of two projects (personal or professional) that you have been involved with recently?How did you select that particular project?Can you explain how the project manager and project team members were selected? What criteria were used?What was the outcome of the project, and were there any lessons learned upon closing or termination of this project?Please make sure that you provide your initial response to this forum as well as respond to two posts during the week.Your discussion responses should follow APA Publication Manual guidelines.2-1 DISCUSSIONProject selection methods and the project portfolio play an important role for corporate sustainability and strategic planning. It is important to distinguish between financial and non-financial models for project selection, since each can yield different results. Please search the internet for project selection methods (financial or non-financial) or software applications. Summarize your findings and explain some of the benefits and/or shortcomings of the particular method.If you were an executive in a Fortune 100 medical device company, what criteria would you choose for project selection methods? Explain your choices!Please make sure that you provide your initial response to this forum as well as respond to two posts during the week. Your discussion responses should follow APA Publication Manual guidelines.3-1 DISCUSSIONThe project scope is probably the most overlooked deliverable in modern project management practice. The project scope is the roadmap to project completion, yet many projects, especially in large companies (e.g., Fortune 500), do not have a project scope. There is a direct link between the success/failure of the project and the existence of a project scope.Explain why it is important to deliver a comprehensive scope statement at the beginning of the project. Are there any instances where the scope statement can or should be omitted?Please make sure that you provide your initial response to this forum as well as respond to two posts during the week. Your discussion responses should follow the APA Publication Manual guidelines.3-2 DISCUSSIONThe success or failure of any project depends on the project manager’s ability to control the triple constraint. Cost, schedule, and scope are directly related, thus an inability to control and monitor each one of these constraints will result in total failure. Describe some of the techniques that project managers can employ to control the triple constraint.Please make sure that you provide your initial response to this forum as well as respond to two posts during the week. Your discussion responses should follow APA Publication Manual guidelines.4-1 DISCUSSIONConflicts are an inherent part of the project management process. To manage and mitigate conflicts on a project, the project manager (PM) must become a skilled negotiator. Conflicts arise for different reasons; therefore, the PM should be able to negotiate conflict resolution in almost any situation.Provide some examples of conflict resolution on a project that you were involved in. Include details on the conflict and how it was resolved. What did you learn from this conflict and its resolution?Please make sure that you provide your initial response to this forum as well as respond to two posts during the week. Your discussion responses should follow APA Publication Manual guidelines.4-2 DISCUSSIONProject risks have been linked to the majority of failures; thus, the ability to identify, assess, and mitigate risks is a very desirable trait of a good project manager.Research the types of risks that could impact a project. What are some of the mitigation techniques that a project manager can use to mitigate the project risks?Please make sure that you provide your initial response to this forum as well as respond to two posts during the week. Your discussion responses should follow APA Publication Manual guidelines.5-1 DISCUSSIONThis week we will be learning about budgeting techniques as well as how to correctly estimate project costs. Using the internet, research some budgeting, forecasting, and cost estimating techniques. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of at least two of these techniques. Which technique would you prefer to use as a project manager? Please explain your reasoning.Please make sure that you provide your initial response to this forum as well as respond to two posts during the week. Your discussion responses should follow APA Publication Manual guidelines.6-1 DISCUSSIONResource allocation and utilization has a direct impact on the project schedule and progress. In the current global economy, companies are trying to maximize the use of available resources; therefore, project managers will find themselves constantly competing for resources. On the other hand, resources are being assigned to multiple projects, making it harder for project managers to maximize resource utilizations. Over-extended resources will quickly experience burnout, causing the project deliverables and schedule to slip.As a project manager, how would you ensure that you have the resources needed for your project? How would you approach a functional manager to recruit the best resources for your project?Please make sure that you provide your initial response to this forum, as well as respond to two posts during the week. Your discussion responses should follow APA Publication Manual guidelines.7-1 DISCUSSIONProject monitoring and control is an important part of the project execution process. The project manager should monitor project progress and report project performance to the stakeholders in a timely fashion. Any issues and variances should be reviewed, and if the variance has the potential to cause a severe negative impact on the project schedule, budget, or resources, it should be addressed immediately. Using the internet, research Earned Value Analysis (EVA) and its uses. Review the impact of EVA on the project management process, and share your opinion with the class.Have you ever used EVA on any of your projects? Please share your experiences with the class.What have you learned from your research/use of the Earned Value Analysis in the project monitoring and control process?Please make sure that you provide your initial response to this forum as well as respond to two posts during the week. Your discussion responses should follow APA Publication Manual guidelines.8-1 DISCUSSIONProject close-out/termination is a complex process that requires detailed knowledge of the project, business strategy, and market conditions. There are many reasons for a project manager or executive management to consider cancelling or closing out projects. Some reasons are simply the completion of the project deliverables and customer’s acceptance; others may include project failures or repeated changes in the scope, priority, or schedule.Using the internet, research failed projects and assess the decision to terminate the project. Was the decision justified? How would you assess the merits of project termination/close out in this specific case?Please make sure that you provide your initial response to this forum as well as respond to two posts during the week. Your discussion responses should follow APA Publication Manual guidelines.1-4 HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTQSO 340 – Module One Homework AssignmentInstructions:Please answer the following questions. Your responses should be between 100 and 150 words, double-spaced, and follow the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual, 6th Edition.Questions:Define a project. Name some of the characteristics that differentiate projects from other routine tasks performed within an organization.Describe the link between the implementation of projects and strategic planning. What impact does the project manager (PM) have on the strategic direction of an organization?What are some of the issues that a PM may face while managing a virtual project team?What is the difference between leading a project and managing a project?Explain why trust is a function of both character and competence. How does trust impact a project manager’s ability to lead teams?Solutions:2-3 HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTQSO 340 – Module Two Homework AssignmentInstructions:Please answer the following questions. Your responses should be between 100 and 150 words, double-spaced, and follow the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual, 6th Edition.Questions:Discuss the pros and cons of the checklist versus the weighted factor method of selecting projects.Why should an organization not rely only on ROI to select projects?The portfolio of projects is typically represented by compliance, strategic, and operations projects. What impact can this classification have on project selection?How are projects linked to the strategic plan?Solutions:3-4 HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTQSO 340 – Module Three Homework AssignmentInstructions:Please answer the following questions. Your responses should be between 100 and 150 words, double-spaced, and follow the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual, 6th Edition.Questions:When would it be appropriate to create a responsibility matrix rather than a full-blown WBS?What kinds of information are included in a work package?Why is slack important to the project manager?What is the difference between free slack and total slack?Solutions:5-3 HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTQSO 340 – Module Five Homework AssignmentInstructions:Please answer the following questions. Your responses should be between 100 and 150 words, double-spaced, and follow the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual, 6th Edition.Questions:What is the difference between avoiding a risk and accepting a risk?What is the difference between mitigating a risk and contingency planning?Explain the difference between budget reserves and management reserves.What are the differences between bottom-up and top-down estimating approaches? Under what conditions would you prefer one over the other?What are the major types of costs? Which costs are controllable by the project manager?Solutions:6-3 HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTQSO 340 – Module Six Homework AssignmentInstructions:Please answer the following questions. Your responses should be between 100 and 150 words, double-spaced, and follow the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual, 6th Edition.Questions:1. List six reasons why scheduling resources is an important task.2. How can outsourcing project work alleviate the three most common problems associated with multipleproject resource scheduling?3. How does resource scheduling activity tieinto project priority?Solutions:7-3 HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTQSO 340 – Module Seven Homework AssignmentInstructions:Please answer the following questions. Your responses should be between 100 and 150 words, double-spaced, and follow the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual, 6th Edition.Questions:1. How does a Tracking Gantt chart help communicate project progress?2. How does earned value give a clearer picture of the project schedule and cost status than a simple plan versus actual system?3. Schedule variance (SV) is in dollars and does not directly represent time. Why is it still useful?4. How would a project manager use the CPI?5. What are the differences between BAC and EAC?QSO 340 – Midterm ExamInstructions:The Midterm Exam will cover all materials studied in Modules One through Three.Please answer the following questions. Your responses should be between 100 and 150 words, double-spaced, and follow the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual, 6th Edition.Questions:Question 1 (15 Points)What are some essential skills for an effective project manager? How can these skills be developed?Question 2 (15 Points)Selection of projects to fill a company’s portfolio includes many considerations. We discussed many of these in class and online. There are four goals that must be achieved when selecting projects in a portfolio. What are these goals? For each one, explain what the goal means and why it is important.Question 3 (15 Points)Define a work breakdown structure.Question 4 (45 Points)Discuss the stages of team development. Address the process, problems, and level of productivity of each.Question 5 (15 Points)What is the difference between a project and a program?Question 6 (15 Points)What is the bureaucratic bypass syndrome, and why is it to be avoided?Question 7 (15 Points)What is a major challenge project managers face when managing virtual teams?Question 8 (15 Points)What is “scope creep,” and why is it significant to project managers?QSO 340 – Final ExamInstructions:Please answer the following questions. Your responses should be between 100 and 150 words, double-spaced, and follow the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual, 6th Edition.Questions:Question 1 (30 Points)Describe resource leveling and resource-limited scheduling.Question 2 (40 Points)Read the scenario below and then prepare a work breakdown structure (WBS) listing for this project with activities corresponding to a two-level task and sub-task structure. Format the WBS listing with activity item indents and WBS codes (such as a numbering scheme) that clearly identify the level of each activity. Provide columns showing the WBS code, activity, and the WBS code of the immediate predecessor activities.Scenario:A warehouse is to be established in San Diego, CA, for distributing consumer products manufactured by your company at its main factory in the Portland, OR, area. As project manager to establish the facility, you will have to develop the overall distribution plans under which the facility will be established and operated in the San Diego region. This plan will include the estimated numbers of customers’ companies, the names and locations of potential customer facilities, and the estimated sales volume.While looking to secure a suitable, existing building to lease, you can concurrently prepare for the initial stocking of the warehouse with products from the factory in Portland.Securing a building will involve establishing facility requirements, searching for suitable building candidates, and negotiating a lease.After the lease is signed and you take possession of the building, you will need to establish the facility operations. Any modifications necessary for your company’s particular operational needs will have to be made. You will have to secure the items needed to make the building into an operational distribution center. Establishing facility operations will include securing and installing operating items that include fixtures (like shelving), materials handling equipment (like forklift trucks), and a telephone system. The computer system for ordering and inventory control is being handled by another project team.To prepare for stocking, you will first have to establish the regional product plan that includes specific product types and volumes for the region to be served from the warehouse (for both initial limited operation and future full-scale operation). Then, orders must be prepared and submitted to get the initial stocks of required products delivered from the Portland factory. After taking possession of a building and submitting the orders, over a period of time you will receive products from Portland that will comprise the initial stock for the warehouse. The products will have to be unloaded from trucks and placed in the appropriate location within the warehouse.With the warehouse stocked, you will operate it for a three-month period of time taking limited orders in a controlled systems test to check out operational procedures before turning over a fully operational facility to the company’s sales, marketing, and physical distribution group. Once the initial stock of product is in place, reorders and additions to products for the warehouse will be handled by standard company operational procedures already in place. Establishing transportation systems for the new distribution center is being handled by another project team.Question 3 (30 Points)The PMBoK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) describes project integration as a six-step process. List all six of the process steps and provide a brief description of the purpose of each step.Question 4 (40 Points)A senior executive in a fast-paced, high-technology company is faced with making a decision on whether to terminate a troubled product development project. He knows from information received through the company’s variance reporting procedure that the project is costing far more than expected, and the schedule has slipped so much that they may not meet a critical marketing time window. At the moment the development work is about half-complete, but the cost variance is -61 percent and the schedule variance is -42 percent. In addition, from summary reports he receives of design review meetings, he has the sense that there may be some difficult technical problems with the project.The project involves development of a next-generation model in a product line that provides a significant share of the company’s revenues and profits. Not only does the executive expect the model to capture new customers, but he also anticipates that many users of the current and older models will upgrade. Moreover, there is strong competition in the marketplace, and the company must protect its position.Should the senior executive terminate this project?Question 5 (20 Points)Define a work breakdown structure.Question 6 (30 Points)Discuss the stages of team development. Address the process, problems, and level of productivity of each.Question 7 (30 Points)What are some essential skills for an effective project manager? How can these skills be developed?Question 8 (30 Points)Define budget and management reserves. Outline the differences between the two reserves, and provide some examples of each reserve fund.Question 9 (20 Points)Identify the three major categories of project costs and provide an example of each cost category.