PJM 380 Portfolio Week 4 Option #2
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Colorado State University, Global Campus *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
380
Subject
Industrial Engineering
Date
May 24, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
7
Uploaded by MasterGrouseMaster935
1
Portfolio Project Simulation Scenario A
Colorado State University Global
PJM380-1: Project Management Tools
Dr. Mike Laverty
02/11/2024
2
Project Management Simulation
The writer of the paper is a senior project manager at Delphi Printers & Peripherals. A competitor is launching a printer with similar features and capabilities in six months. The company needs to develop one that can compete effectively. The project manager ran through the simulation multiple times to improve the score. The writer found the rating to be about what would be expected in the real world. If you can get a better product out, that increases the bonus points. The writer was able to achieve a high score of 795/1000.
Options
This challenge allows the project manager to control several options. These options can be amended each week, the team size and skill level of everyone on the team. Everyone has the same skill level; this can’t be set individually. The highest score was achieved when the project started with 5 team members at the basic skill level. The number of team members dropped through the progress of the project. Outsourcing for tasks was set to extensive. The project manager set a target date of 17 weeks but the final project was completed in 18 weeks. Eighteen weeks met the management goal. A Level 4 printer, which required 200 tasks, was completed in this project. Prototype printers were built during this project. Building a prototype slows down progress on tasks. It does help with finding any problem. The one-on-one meetings take two hours; stand-ups take fifteen minutes, and status reviews take two hours. They are set each week.
These controls in a project life represent the decisions a project manager would need to make in real life.
Analysis and recommendations
3
The project's scope played a major role in the score received in the simulation. Aiming for the hardest printer of level 4 received higher scores than any time the project manager aimed for the management goal of level 2 or even the level 3 printer. The level 4 printer has only 30 more tasks than a level 2 printer, so the additional tasks benefit the company. The number and skill level of the team members also played a factor in the overall score. When the team had more experienced members, the number of errors was not as high, and the cost for them to do the work was higher. Most of the simulations ran through had 3 team members consistently throughout the project. Then the project manager thought, lets get a good start with more members at the start and reduce the members a momentum is achieved by the team. The team started with five members, dropped to four at week eight, then three at week 14, then one for the final week. This was a way to get good progress on the project and try to control
the project's cost. Similar results were had when the team started with four medium-high skill levels, which dropped to three at week three. The biggest difference between these two is that the
higher score of 795 ended below the budget and on time, while the lower score of 793 was above the budget and ahead of schedule. Ending the project on schedule always produced higher
scores than any simulation run beyond 18 weeks. Changing the frequency and type of meeting during the project changed the results. The time taken up in meetings reduces the number of tasks a team can complete in a week. Having the meetings is important to make sure that the team's overall morale stays high and that the goals of the project are met. Starting with more one-on-one meetings and then changing over to stand-up meetings or progress report meetings generated better results. The team did not need as
much guidance later on in the project but needed more progress reports as the project moved closer to completion, which became evident as the simulations were run through. Removing the
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
4
long meetings altogether made the members confused and frustrated. Stand-up meetings with some regularity helped keep the team on the same page. Having the correct type and frequency of meetings is good for progress and morale.
Conclusion
The simulation gave a good impression of how a project could run depending on criteria. Making adjustments throughout the project are important. Keeping the focus on the scope, cost, and schedule of the project is important. Understanding the company’s main focus is critical in successfully managing a project. If the company is more concerned about budget the project managers focus should be more to the budget. The focus on this simulation seemed to be more focused on the time. Keeping the project team in good spirits helps keep the project moving successfully with fewer errors. This was a fun way to get a feel for what is all balanced in the project manager’s role. I final tope score of 795/100 I think is a good score. See Figure 1: Total score for the result.
5
References
Austin, R. D. (2022). Project management simulation: Scope, resources, schedule V3. Harvard Business Publishing Simulation. https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/7701-HTM-ENG
Martinelli, R. J., & Milosevic, D. Z. (2016). Project management toolbox: Tools and techniques for the practicing project manager. John Wiley & Sons.
Project Management Institute. (2021). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® guide) – and the standard for project management (ENGLISH) (7th ed.).
6
Figure 1: Total Score
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
7