Project 1

Project
Project Description
Note: This exercise does not focus on RESULTS but STRATEGY!
You are hired by a company as a Project Manager. You were highly recommended for your ability to manage projects of all sizes with thoroughness and excellence!
Based on the company’s Mission Statement and general organizational structure, you will select an appropriate project that will result, if managed well, in an exponential increase in the company’s profitable revenue. You only have 6 months to accomplish this urgent assignment.
What project will you choose, how will you assign a Project Manager, how will you decide who will do what, what are the steps you will take to ensure success, what risks do you foresee, what resources are at your disposal and so forth.
You will turn in weekly reports showing that you fully understood and are able to incorporate each week’s topics into your assignment.
In week 4 you will write a two to four page report containing the learning you have acquired regarding project management and identify the qualities and management skills that an effective manager should have.
All assignments should be submitted as no later than Sunday of each week and be clearly labeled using the following format: Your Name, Report # (1, 2, or 3), Week # (1, 2, 3 or 4).
We will work this through as we go along and there will be ample opportunity for questions…
Relax! Be as creative as you can! Have fun! Do a great job! Keep in mind that this experience could play a big part in your real life employment!


Progress Tracking Schedule
Week 1
You will:
1. Select a company and name a project you would like to work on. (Sample projects are: planning a wedding, implementing a medical information system, modernizing a factory, hosting a conference, designing and producing a brochure, rebuilding houses after a natural disaster, consolidating two companies, or even building a tree house.)
2. Focus the project based on the company mission and anticipate the outcome.
3. Create and turn in three (3) major reports:
Report 1 – The Strategic Management Process Report (Sample in Figure 2.1, pg. 30)
Report 2 – The Project Proposal Form Report (Sample in Figure 2.4A, pg. 45)
Report 3 – The Risk Analysis Report (Sample in Figure 2.4B, pg. 45)
Week 2
You are required to identify the departments that are accountable for the project. Create and turn in three (3) major reports:
Report 1 – Create a dedicated project team organizational chart showing the major dedicated departments (divisions) or responsible titled personnel in the project (Sample in Fig.3.2, pg.72).
Report 2 – Establish (Estimate) a Project timeline and Cost breakdown sheet for your project (Sample in Fig.5.1, pg.138). Sample estimate of cost includes direct costs such as labor, materials, equipment, and other, project overhead costs, and general and administrative overhead costs (see chapter 5, pg. 144).
Report 3- Create an Activity-on-node (AON) network diagram. (See figures 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, and 6.8 on pages 171-175.)
Week 3
1. Report 1: Establish the types of resource constraints that exist for your project? State these facts in your report. (See Chapter 8, pages 255-256.)
2. Report 2: Using your original planned costs from Report 2 of Week 2 (estimate),
A. Create a time-phased budget baseline. (See figures 8.13 and 8.14, pg. 275-276.)
B. Recalculate the time-phased budget to include an extra seven (7) days of work due to a shortage in labor. Estimate your new labor rate to be 1.5% + original labor rate. Estimate material costs to include seven (7) additional days. For example, if you are renting a truck or construction equipment, you must include seven (7) additional days of rent. However, you may shift resources and keep the rental to be the same. You will have to make decisions to keep the project at budget or over. Complete and create a time-phased work package. (See figures 8.13 and 8.14, pg. 275-276.)
3. Report 3: What major hats do you see the project manager changing as the project develops?
Week 4
Using APA formatting for the paper and references, write a two to four page report containing the following information:
The learning you have acquired regarding project management.
Identify the qualities and management skills that an effective manager should have.
Submit this assignment as a single Word document.