...1. How effectively do you think Rachel spent her day? Honestly, I feel that Rachel could have been more productive. Even though this may be a typical day in the office, she spent too much time socializing and not enough time fixing issues and solving problems. Understandably e-mails, phone calls, messages and meetings are all part of the daily office life. But to spend over 1/5 of your day chatting and having miscellaneous downtown seems to be a bit much for me, especially coming from a project manager for a large IS assignment. Below is a breakdown of my figures for her 9 hour day… Socializing – about 1 hour E-mails, phone calls, messages – about 1 hour Work – about 3.5 hours Meetings – about 2.5 hours Misc. downtime – about 1 hour 2. What does the case tell you about what is it like to be a project manager? Being someone that currently works in the office environment, working with project managers, this seems to be pretty typical. As a project manager, you must be able to multi-task and communicate well with your peers. Although the communication and sincerity aspect may have been present, I believe there was a lack of anticipation, organization and overall leadership. It seems as if Rachel allowed others to direct her and her day, instead of taking charge and making things happen. She often spent much of her time gossiping and in personal downtime. This time could have been used more wisely for proper organization and motivating techniques to be applied...
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...How effectively do you think Rachel spent her day? In my opinion, how she spent her day is quite effectively. Because she has a mixture of relax and hard-work modes. She can also manage her project on schedule and has a very good social relation by help other project that is behind schedule to be back on track. She has very good planning both in the morning and evening. However, if the communication breakdown was not occurring and no weekly status meeting, she will use only 20 minute to listen to their team members in one day. I think this is less than it should be. Actually, the discussion between manager and group member is significant in order to keep project on track and build up their relationship. When the communication breakdown occurred, Rachel was not fear to face with the problem but on the other hand she shows her investigation skill by she immediate indentify the root causes of the problem by discuss with another department where the problem occurred. Also, after finish defining root cause she shows her good coordination skill by directly report to her boss and give her team know what is happening and reviewing the impact that could have on this project. Nevertheless, her project can follow schedule when she only met team member 20 minutes a day. This is maybe because of her ability to control / manage people. What does the case tell you about what it is like to be a project manager? Project manager is not like other managers because they have to deal with...
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... Q: How effectively do you think Rachel spent her day? A. Rachel spent her day very adequately. Scheduling the work properly makes her day more comfortable to her. She got a coalescence of both relaxation and work in her busy schedule which makes her day most effective. Additionally she managed her project on schedule and has a top-notch association by availing other project which is lacking behind schedule to be back on the path. On the other hand, if the correspondence breakdown was not happening and no week by week status reaching, she will utilize just 20 moment to listen to their team in one day. I think this is short of what it ought to be. Really, the conversation in the middle of manager and team member is huge with a specific end goal to keep extend on track and develop their relationship. At the point when the correspondence breakdown happened, Rachel was not apprehensive to face with the issue however then again she demonstrates her examination expertise by she quick identify the underlying drivers of the issue by talk about with an alternate division where the issue happened. Likewise, after get done with characterizing main driver she demonstrates her great coordination expertise by straightforwardly show up for her manager and provide for her group realize what is going on and evaluating the effect that could have on this task. She make her day professional planed. All things considered, her anticipate can take...
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...Rachel’s get her job done by approving express delivery if requires. To some extent to keep the project scope as promised, she had a heated conversation with marketing manager. So, she needs good human skills to work with, communicate, motivate and interact to be a successful team manager. How effectively do you think Rachel spent her day? As a project manager of a large information system project Rachel usually has an early morning. Her day starts in the office by socializing with other colleagues. After settling down she generally checks her voice mail and messages to keep herself updated. She has a planned way of her work and keeps a routine schedule. After the office finds its pace she spends 25 min for review project reports and prepares herself for weekly meetings. And later spend more 20 min with her manager discussing project issues. Then she usually attends project review meetings for 45 min. During her working time she not only does her own work but also spends about 10 min for socializing and exchange personal news. Following up the project review meeting she interacts with the mangers of the respectable client’s. During that conversation she tries to settle down some absurd demand from the client’s representative. For perusing the client she connects herself with her counterpart in the client’s office. Discussing the company’s internal politics is a part and parcel of her office time. After lunch she tries to work out the undone task before it. Putting “Do not disturb”...
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...A Day in the Life 1. How effectively do you think Rachel spent her day? The case study we have read mainly illustrates the project manager style that designates her time to spend one day in her life. By this we can get a brief note of how to be a project manager. It also explains us that project manager should be more technical rather than being social. In some places we can say that Rachel can improve her effectiveness. On the other side Rachel did many things appropriately in some places. Considering my opinion in this case, Rachel had spent her day effectively. She has a pack of hard-work and relaxes fashion. She used to manage her project which was given in time in a quite effective manner and she maintains a good social rapport to help other projects which are back of given schedule to keep them on mark. She has a very good planning for the whole day which we can take into consideration. Her system must be improved while checking her emails. She had caught with many breaks which were unplanned and she must improve the way to manage her interrupts and meetings about status of the project. She did not have a healthy communication between marketing and project management team. She took responsibility of Victoria’s project and wasted her time. Besides all these negatives she had a very good communication with her superior. Yet there was a break in communication and weekly status meeting she interacts only 20minutes with her team members in a day. In my opinion this is very...
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...Chapter 1 Modern Project Management 19 Note: If you have any difficulty accessing any of the Web addresses listed here or elsewhere in the text, you can find up-to-date addresses on the home page of Dr. Erik Larson, coauthor of this text: http://www.bus.oregonstate.edu/faculty/bio .htm?UserName=Larson References Ball Parks of Baseball, “Cisco Field,” http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/future/ CiscoField.htm (accessed June 2, 2009). Benko, C., and F. W. McFarlan, Connecting the Dots (Boston: HBS Press, 2003). Cohen, D. J., and R. J. Graham, The Project Manager’s MBA (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001). Faylor, C., “Next Generation Wii Is Rumored to Hit the Market in 2011,” Shacknews.com (Oct. 1, 2008). Kay, J., “US Box Office Spellbound by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” www.guardian.uk.co.filmblog (accessed July 15, 2009). Krisher, T., “GM Product Chief Says New Vehicles Must be Hits,” www. businessweek.com (accessed July 20, 2009). Larkowski, K., “Standish Group Report Shows Project Success Improves 50 Percent,” www.standishgroup.com, 2004, Third Quarter. Lunar Energy, “British Firm Announces World’s Largest Tidal Power Development,” Lunarenergy.co.uk (March 11, 2008). Peters, T., PM Network, January 2004, Vol. 18, No. 1, p. 19. Project Management Institute, Leadership in Project Management Annual (Newton Square, PA: PMI Publishing, 2006). Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), (Newton Square, PA: PMI...
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...MGT 501 Homework 1 Wanli Huang 9777 1. Define a project. What are five characteristics that help differentiate projects from other functions carried out in the daily operations of the organization? A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Projects have a defined objective, A defined life span with a beginning and an end, the involvement of several departments and professionals, doing something that has never been done before, Specific time, cost, and performance requirements. 2. What are some of the key environmental forces that have changed the way projects are managed? What has been the effect of these forces on the management of projects? One of the most significant driving forces behind the demand for project management is the shortening of the product life cycle. The growth in new knowledge has increased the complexity of projects because projects encompass the latest advances. The threat of global warming has brought sustainable business practices to the forefront. The last decade has seen a dramatic restructuring of organizational life. Downsizing and sticking to core competencies have become necessary for survival for many firms. Increased competition has placed a premium on customer satisfaction. 3. Why is the implementation of projects important to strategic planning and the project manager? Projects are the modus operandi, strategic alignment of projects is of major importance to conserving and effective...
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...Rachel C. Ancheta BS IT 2C Headgear Speech of Entertain Headgear may be the most important article in the army's uniform. You wear headgear to protect yourself from the rain and hot rays of sunshine, as well as for others to admire your military status. Military designers are tempted again and again to make headgear exclusive, namely, more stylish, trendy, and fashionable. My old patrol cap, the one I am holding in my hand, is my friend's present. It has neither double thick bill nor internal pocket, neither chinstraps nor breathtaking camouflage color by which any desert sniper would figure me out in no time. Well, how comfortable it feels - even with that strong smell of military service! What a feeling! In the army, the patrol cap is one of the three headgear options, together with the beret and the military visor dress hat. When I tried to find secrets of a new ACU patrol cap, it occurred to me that the military value moisture-wicking boots more than headgear. A new patrol cap is described as "an upgraded soft cap with double thick bill, no earflaps and a lower profile." Well, my old patrol cap is soft, too. No wonders, it has known so many laundries. It has no earflaps, either. What about a lower profile or a higher profile? No sweat, if I change it like this and like that . Where's the rub? You may ask me why I argue against a new patrol cap. Because I care for its history and I hate being cheated. My patrol...
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...standstill as he remarked her wide, dark eyes and elegantly curled brown hair. At first he didn’t recognize her. She was breathtakingly beautiful, her movements sure and graceful. Yet there was something about her face and figure that reminded him of the girl he’d fallen in love with long ago. They’d gone their separate ways, and he had always mourned her, his angel, his muse, his beloved Beatrice. Without her, his life had been lonely and small. Now his blessedness appeared. As she approached him with her companions, he bowed his head and body in a chivalrous salute. He had no expectation that his presence would be acknowledged. She was both perfect and untouchable, a browneyed angel dressed in resplendent white, while he was older, world-weary and wanting. She had almost passed him when his downcast eyes caught sight of one of her slippers — a slipper that hesitated just in front of him. His heart beat a furious tattoo as he waited, breathless. A soft and gentle voice broke into his remembrances as she spoke to him kindly. His startled eyes flew to hers. For years and years he’d longed for this moment, dreamed of it even, but never had he imagined encountering her in such a serendipitous fashion. And never had he dared hope he would be greeted so sweetly. Caught off balance, he mumbled his pleasantries and allowed himself the indulgence of a smile — a smile that was returned to him tenfold by his muse. His heart swelled within him as the love he held for her multiplied and burned...
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...Dan Brown Deception Point Deception Point by Dan Brown Acknowledgments With warm thanks to Jason Kaufman for his superb guidance and insightful editorial skills; Blythe Brown for her tireless research and creative input; my good friend Jake Elwell at Wieser & Wieser; the National Security Archive; the NASA Public Affairs Office; Stan Planton, who continues to be a source for information on all things; the National Security Agency; glaciologist Martin O. Jeffries; and the superb minds of Brett Trotter, Thomas D. Nadeau, and Jim Barrington. Thanks also to Connie and Dick Brown, the U.S. Intelligence Policy Documentation Project, Suzanne O’Neill, Margie Wachtel, Morey Stettner, Owen King, Alison McKinnell, Mary and Stephen Gorman, Dr. Karl Singer, Dr. Michael I. Latz of Scripps Institute of Oceanography, April at Micron Electronics, Esther Sung, the National Air and Space Museum, Dr. Gene Allmendinger, the incomparable Heide Lange at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, and John Pike at the Federation of American Scientists. Author’s Note The Delta Force, the National Reconnaissance Office, and the Space Frontier Foundation are real organizations. All technologies described in this novel exist. “If this discovery is confirmed, it will surely be one of the most stunning insights into our universe that science has ever uncovered. Its implications are as far-reaching and awe-inspiring as can be imagined. Even as it promises answers to some of our oldest questions, it poses still...
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...Acknowledgments With warm thanks to Jason Kaufman for his superb guidance and insightful editorial skills; Blythe Brown for her tireless research and creative input; my good friend Jake Elwell at Wieser & Wieser; the National Security Archive; the NASA Public Affairs Office; Stan Planton, who continues to be a source for information on all things; the National Security Agency; glaciologist Martin O. Jeffries; and the superb minds of Brett Trotter, Thomas D. Nadeau, and Jim Barrington. Thanks also to Connie and Dick Brown, the U.S. Intelligence Policy Documentation Project, Suzanne O'Neill, Margie Wachtel, Morey Stettner, Owen King, Alison McKinnell, Mary and Stephen Gorman, Dr. Karl Singer, Dr. Michael I. Latz of Scripps Institute of Oceanography, April at Micron Electronics, Esther Sung, the National Air and Space Museum, Dr. Gene Allmendinger, the incomparable Heide Lange at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, and John Pike at the Federation of American Scientists. Author's Note The Delta Force, the National Reconnaissance Office, and the Space Frontier Foundation are real organizations. All technologies described in this novel exist. If this discovery is confirmed, it will surely be one of the most stunning insights into our universe that science has ever uncovered. Its implications are as far-reaching and awe-inspiring as can be imagined. Even as it promises answers to some of our oldest questions, it poses still others even more fundamental...
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...communication? Which barriers are easiest to surmount? Why? 2. Why is nonverbal communication so important? How can you tell when nonverbal communication is effective? 3. Why is active, effective listening difficult for many people? What are 5 strategies for improving listening skills within the American culture? 4. What factors should you consider when you choose a communication channel for your messages? Should you always use the richest channel? Why or why not? 5. When you develop messages, what factors should you consider as you choose your words? Which considerations do you think are most important? Why? 6. How should the needs and expectations of your reader affect the structure of your writing? Why does it matter? 7. What steps can you take to create a smooth, conversational tone for your writing? 8. Why do so many people ignore or delete email messages? How can you boost the chances that your target audience will read your message? 9. What are your options for creating an effective opening “hook” for a verbal presentation? Why is humor not always the best approach? 10. How can you mitigate speech anxiety? Application Questions 1. Imagine that you’re...
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...gra25154_ch01_002-019.qxd 3/8/07 3:17 PM Page 2 Estimate 5 Project networks 6 Scheduling resources/costs 8 Define project 4 Reducing project duration 9 Introduction 1 Organization 3 Managing risk 7 Monitoring progress 13 Audit and closure 14 Oversight 16 Strategy 2 Leadership 10 Teams 11 Outsourcing 12 International projects 15 Modern Project Management What Is a Project? The Importance of Project Management Project Management Today—An Integrative Approach Summary gra25154_ch01_002-019.qxd 3/8/07 3:17 PM Page 3 C H A P T E R O N E Modern Project Management All of mankind’s greatest accomplishments—from building the great pyramids to discovering a cure for polio to putting a man on the moon—began as a project. This is a good time to be reading a book about project management. Business leaders and experts have proclaimed that project management is a strategic imperative. Project management provides people with a powerful set of tools that improves their ability to plan, implement, and manage activities to accomplish specific organizational objectives. But project management is more than just a set of tools; it is a results-oriented management style that places a premium on building collaborative relationships among a diverse cast of characters. Exciting opportunities await people skilled in project management. The project approach has long been the style of doing business in the construction industry...
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...HW Solution Chapter 1: Case (One day in the life) This case shows a glimpse of what it is like to be a project manager. It also underscores that being a project manager is more social than technical and that project managers spend the majority of their time interacting with various people who impact a project. 1. How effectively do you think Rachel spent her day? You may argue that she is inefficient and does not have control over her time. You may also argue that this is the nature of the job as expected, and that she is appropriately spending her time managing relations and keeping on top of things that affect the project. Students with little work experience are often much more critical than those with work experience. 2. What does the case tell you about what it is like to be a project manager? Rachel’s day underscores three key functions project managers spend their time performing: a. Building and sustaining interpersonal relations. Project managers have to network and develop good working relations with team members and other project stakeholders. b. Information gathering and dissemination. Project managers are the information hub for their projects. They are in constant communication with various stakeholders, collecting information from various sources, and sending it to those who have a need to know. c. Decision-making. Project managers consult with various people to make decisions necessary to complete the...
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...Lar03342_ch01_002-021.indd Page 2 C H A P T E R 1/27/10 2:04:01 PM f-500 /Users/f-500/Desktop/28-12-09/MHBR120:ARENS:PRINTER CRX O N E Modern Project Management Estimate 5 Schedule resources & costs 8 Project networks 6 l iona rnat Inte ojects pr 15 Reducing duration 9 Define project 4 ht Oversig Introduction 1 Strategy 2 Managing risk 7 Organization 3 Leadership 10 Teams 11 Monitoring progress 13 Project closure 14 Outsourcing 12 Modern Project Management What Is a Project? The Importance of Project Management Project Management Today—An Integrative Approach Summary Text Overview 2 16 17 Agile PM 18 Career p aths Lar03342_ch01_002-021.indd Page 3 1/27/10 2:04:02 PM f-500 /Users/f-500/Desktop/28-12-09/MHBR120:ARENS:PRINTER CRX All of mankind’s greatest accomplishments—from building the great pyramids to discovering a cure for polio to putting a man on the moon—began as a project. This is a good time to be reading a book about project management. Business leaders and experts have proclaimed that project management is a strategic imperative. Project management provides people with a powerful set of tools that improves their ability to plan, implement, and manage activities to accomplish specific organizational objectives. But project management is more than just a set of tools; it is a results-oriented management style that places a premium...
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