MSE 402
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California State University, Northridge *
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402
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Industrial Engineering
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Jan 9, 2024
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MSE 402 - ENGINEERING PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
NAME
:
Vishwas S Patel
PROFESSOR:
Khashayar Behdinan
DATE:
SEP 12, 2023
QUESTIONS
1.
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?
2.
The technical and sociocultural dimensions of project management are two
sides to the same coin. Explain.
3.
Explain the role projects play in the strategic management process.
4.
Why does the priority system described in this chapter require that it be
open and published? Does the process encourage bottom-up initiation of
projects? Does it discourage some projects? Why?
5.
Discuss the pros and cons of the checklist versus the weighted factor
methods of selecting projects.
Q.1 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?
Ans. 1. Social and demographic changes
Effect: Project team dynamics, diversity, and composition are affected by shifting
social expectations, workforce dynamics, and demography.
Impact: Project managers need to support diversity, deal with generational
differences, and take care of the requirements of a changing workforce.
2. Environmental Issues
Effect: As environmental awareness has grown, laws have become more stringent,
sustainability issues have become important, and eco-friendly project management
techniques are now required.
Impact: Projects must now take into account environmental effects, including
resource usage and carbon emissions, and include sustainability goals into project
objectives.
3. Technological Developments
Effect: The use of modern project management technologies, real-time data analysi
s, and remote collaboration has transformed project management.
Impact: By enhancing decisionmaking, communication, and automation, projects c
an be handled more successfully.
4. Fast-Paced Change
Effect: Markets and industries are evolving faster, necessitating swift project
adaptation to new technology, fashion trends, and consumer needs.
Impact: Agile project management approaches are becoming more common since
they allow for flexibility and a quicker reaction to changing project needs.
5.
Information and abilities
Effect: Depending on the type of project, there is an increasing need for project
managers with particular abilities, such as data analytics, cybersecurity, and AI.
Impact: To keep up with the changing needs of their projects and industries, project
managers must regularly refresh their skills and expertise.
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Q.2 The technical and sociocultural dimensions of project management are
two sides to the same coin. Explain.
Ans.
The sociocultural and technical aspects of project management work together
like two sides of the same coin to ensure that a project is finished effectively and
achieves its goals.
1. Technical
Planning and Execution: The methodical planning, organization, and execution of
the tasks and activities necessary to accomplish the project's objectives make up
the bulk of the technical aspect of project management. This include establishing
objectives, deadlines, resource allocations, and task breakdown structures.
Risk Management: This dimension's key components include identifying,
evaluating, and reducing technological risks such technical limitations, equipment
breakdowns, and software bugs.
Quality Control: A technical dimension issue is ensuring that the project's outputs
match the required technical standards and quality expectations. This dimension
includes testing, validation, and quality control procedures.
2. Sociocultural
Teamwork: The sociocultural factor of project management focuses on the
interpersonal elements of management. It entails creating and leading a productive
project team, resolving problems, and maintaining a teamwork-friendly workplace.
Stakeholder Engagement: One of the responsibilities of the sociocultural
component is managing interactions with diverse stakeholders, such as clients,
team members, and outside partners. The success of a project depends on effective
stakeholder participation and communication.
Project managers must inspire their teams with leadership and inspiration to
achieve common objectives by keeping everyone on the team engaged, fired up,
and motivated.
WHY
Finding the proper balance between these aspects is essential to effective
project management. A project manager must pay attention to team
dynamics, communication, and stakeholder relationships in addition to
technical aspects. If this equilibrium is not kept, a project may suffer
considerable difficulties.
Adaptation: Project managers must adjust to shifting conditions in dynamic
project settings. This can entail revising technical plans to account for
unanticipated problems or dealing with sociocultural difficulties that develop
during the course of the project. An effective project manager is prepared to
handle both situations.
Q.3 Explain the role projects play in the strategic management process.
Ans.
Projects are essential to an organization's strategic management approach.
The process of developing and putting into action plans for an organization's long-
term goals and objectives is known as strategic management.
1.
Project Assessment
Performance measurement: Based on pre-established KPIs and
standards, projects are reviewed to determine how well they
contribute to the strategic objectives.
Assessment of Alignment: To make sure that projects are moving
forward, the alignment of project outputs with the overall strategic
direction is routinely assessed.
2.
Strategy Modification
Input Loop: Project assessment data offers the strategic management
process insightful input. The overarching strategy plan could need to
be adjusted if initiatives aren't succeeding or if the environment
changes.
Adaptation: Projects may be altered, expanded, or terminated as
necessary to more closely match shifting strategic goals.
3.
Project Picking
Prioritization: After strategic initiatives have been identified,
companies must rank them according to their viability, resource
availability, and strategic goals alignment.
Organizations frequently manage a portfolio of projects, choosing and
ranking them according to their strategic significance and anticipated
effect. This guarantees that funds are given to the programs that are
most important.
4.
Project Management
Planning in detail: Each project must have a clear plan that includes
goals, deadlines, budgets, resources, and key performance indicators
(KPIs). This planning makes ensuring that initiatives are clear and can
be carried out successfully.
5.
Execution of the Project
Implementation: Projects are put into action to carry out the tasks
necessary to accomplish the strategic objectives. Within the
established scope, timetable, and budget, project teams strive to
achieve tasks, deliverables, and milestones.
Progress is tracked throughout the project execution phase, and
changes are made as necessary to make sure they are in line with the
overarching strategy goals.
6.
Project Assessment
Performance measurement: Based on pre-established KPIs and
standards, projects are reviewed to determine how well they
contribute to the strategic objectives.
Assessment of Alignment: To make sure that projects are moving
forward, the alignment of project outputs with the overall strategic
direction is routinely assessed.
Q.4 Why does the priority system described in this chapter require that it be
open and published? Does the process encourage bottom-up initiation of
projects? Does it discourage some projects? Why?
Ans. Problem 1
The implementation gap is biggest dead factor for any project. Strategy used by
engineers and top-level employees are sometimes non convincing which spoils the
time span and also the work of project.
Problem 2
Any person either on field or on site should be dedicated and responsible for their
own work but sometimes higher authority are involved in politics to gets things
done.
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Problem 3
Resources are natural and man-made also, not every time the inventory will be the
same and needs to be managed properly. Multi projects could be on same place or
different that requires multi-tasking and for that workforce needs to be trained.
Projects are chosen based on their value to the company thanks to an open,
publicized system of priorities. Squeaky wheels, powerful individuals, and
important departments will all have their projects chosen for the incorrect
reason if the priority system is closed. Bottom-up approaches are promoted
since each organization member has the ability to assess their own project
ideas against organizational goals. This strategy may seem daunting to some,
but it seldom is in reality. It does deter initiatives that are obviously not
going to contribute positively or significantly to the organization's mission.
Q.5
Discuss the pros and cons of the checklist versus the weighted factor
methods of selecting projects.
Ans.
Organizations must carefully consider their options when choosing projects,
and there are a number of approaches that may be used, including the checklist
technique and the weighted factor method. Based on the particular requirements
and objectives of the business, each solution should be evaluated in light of its
unique set of advantages and disadvantages.
Checklist Method:
Pros:
Simpleness: The checklist approach is uncomplicated and simple to comprehend.
Projects are judged according to whether or not they match a list of criteria or
parameters that have been created. It is approachable to a broad spectrum of
stakeholders due to its simplicity.
Decision-Making: The checklist technique enables speedy decision-making since it
is based on a predetermined set of criteria. Teams can evaluate a project's
compliance with the standards rapidly.
Transparency: Because the criteria are clearly defined, it promotes transparency in
the decision-making process and makes it simpler for stakeholders to comprehend
why a project was accepted or refused.
Cons:
Lack of Prioritization:
There is no way to prioritize tasks using the checklist approach.
The organization's strategic goals may not be in line with the way that
all criteria are considered equally.
It could result in choosing initiatives that don't have the most impact.
Subjectivity:
There may still be some subjectivity in the decision-making process, d
epending on the criteria used and their weighting.
Criteria may be interpreted and considered differently by several peop
le.
Weighted Factor Method:
Pros:
Prioritization: Using the weighted factor technique, companies may rank projects
by giving various criteria varying weights according to their significance. This
guarantees that initiatives are in line with the strategic aims and objectives of the
company.
Flexibility: This approach is capable of handling difficult decision-making
procedures. It may be tailored to different sectors and project types since it allows
for the addition of a wide variety of criteria, both quantitative and qualitative.
Customization: To represent their own needs and preferences, organizations can
alter the weights of the criteria, which might result in a more specialized selection
of projects.
Cons:
1. Complexity: When compared to the checklist technique, the weighted factor
method is more difficult to apply. It necessitates the definition, quantification, and
weighting of criteria, which can be time-consuming and call for decision analysis
skills.
2. Data Requirements: Organizations must have access to reliable and pertinent
data for each criterion in order to apply the weighted factor technique successfully.
In some instances, gathering this information might be difficult.
In conclusion, the option to use the checklist technique or the weighted
factor approach for project selection depends on the unique requirements,
available resources, and degree of decision-making complexity of the
organization.
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