Part 1: Selecting and setting baselines for diagnostic metrics are extremely important for effective control during project execution. Answer the following questions:
Q1. What is the general process for selecting and setting baselines?
Q2. What are diagnostic metrics? Provide three examples, explaining what they would measure.
Q3. What guidelines does Kendrick give for collecting inputs?
Q4. What should you do with variances that you find?
Q5. Review the "Miracles Happened on Tuesdays" vignette that begins on page 170. What does this demonstrate about the power of status collection?
Q6. What are the pros and cons of using EVM as a metric?
Q7. Describe the alternative to EVM explained by Kendrick, telling why a manager might use it and the differences between what it shows and what EVM shows.
Part 2:
Section 1: Answer the following questions:
Q1. Suggest two ways in which the concept of MBWA might result in positive outcomes. Then suggest two ways that this method of managing could backfire, if it were handled clumsily.
Q2. Which of the principles for maintaining relationships (see Kendrick, p. 193) do you think are especially valuable during the execution of a project? Explain your choices.
Section 2: Imagine that you are in charge of a home-building project.
Q1. Three activities are going on at the moment: laying the roof, heating, and plumbing. Completing the roof is a critical activity: any delay in laying the roof jeopardizes the completion date of the house. The other two activities are non-critical and, what is more, are basically on schedule. What actions might you take to ensure that roofing is completed on time?
Q2. The overall cost of completing the house appears to be headed toward a cost overrun. The house is about half done and well over half of the budget has been consumed. What are some actions you might take to reduce costs to minimize an overall cost overrun?
Q3. Certain activities have been outsourced to subcontractors. Suppose the subcontractor who is performing the wiring is not performing up to your specifications in terms of the quality of material and the quality of installation work. At this point, what actions can you take to assure quality work?
Q4. Risk monitoring is a never-ending task. One risk is, of course, is poor performance as described above with the electrical subcontractor. What actions could have been taken before the electrical subcontractor was selected that would have reduced the risk of poor performance? What actions can be taken during his or her performance to identify the risk at an early stage to mitigate the extent of any loss?
Part 3: Answer the Following Questions
Section 1:
In Chapter 8 Kendrick talks about various types of formal communication, including status reports. Create a status report on a project—work-related, home improvement, or other personal project—that you are currently working on. If you are not currently working on anything suitable, choose a point in a project you have completed and create a status report for that point in time. Refer to the "Contents of a Typical Status Report" in Kendrick's text.
Section 2:
The aspects of project closure discussed by Kendrick, listed below, fall into two general categories. Some look backward, and fix a documented end to the project. Others look forward, and may be of aid in future projects. In which category would you put each of the following, and why? Are there some that you think accomplish both? Explain.
? Delivering your results and getting sign-off
? Employing retrospective project metrics
? Administrative closure
? Celebration and team rewards
? Capturing lessons learned