Week 3 Case Study Essay Questions
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Week 3: Case Study Essay Questions
Klanton Bower Data Center: Case Study
The Klanton Bower Data Center is a commercial data center specializing in small business IT services such as mass memory storage, email and enterprise systems servers, and website services. The data center, which has been in business for eight years, was started by the current owner, Klanton Bower, Ph.D., a data system specialist and research scientist. The data center also has four senior managers and several technicians and support staff who manage all the equipment and IT services infrastructure. Dr. Bower and the senior management have been researching next-generation equipment for a possible expansion of their services to meet current market demands and to prepare for future next-generation requirements of large enterprise software platforms.
As Dr. Bower and senior management review the capability of current infrastructure equipment and what is required to upgrade and expand to meet future demands, this is considered a large-
scale expansion of their current operation and is viewed as a special project. Dr. Bower has asked senior management to outline what equipment would be needed, provide estimated delivery dates of equipment, and create an outline of the events required to accomplish this expansion project.
Senior management understand the importance of purchasing the correct equipment and, from a project standpoint, correctly managing installation and testing as well as the go-live to have as little impact on the data center operations as possible and have a seamless crossover so that current customers will not be affected. In the initial outlay of logistics, it has been determined that one piece of critical server equipment has a lead time twice as long as several of the other pieces of equipment, and that may pose a challenge in the installation and testing of all the equipment. Fortunately, this piece of equipment can be installed at a later date and be integrated and tested at that time. The second challenge is clearing enough space in the current data center for installation of the entire expansion infrastructure.
The primary components of this project include finalizing research and the equipment list; procuring all equipment and establishing delivery schedules; organizing and clearing the data center floor for the expansion of equipment; and sequencing all activities required for the installation, testing, verification, and go live cross-over to implement the new equipment.
Based on your previous readings and this week’s assigned readings, apply the concepts and
principles to address the items below in respect to the case study (see the rubric below):
1.
Explain why it would be important that the project manager and project staff have detailed information on each work activity.
2.
What is the general purpose in defining responsibilities of those affiliated with the project?
Week 3: Case Study Essay Questions
3.
Why would you use a responsibility assignment matrix?
4.
Explain why authority on a project has to be defined and communicated with the project stakeholders and project staff.
5.
What is the value of Activity Definition?
6.
What is the value of Activity Sequencing?
7.
What is the value of Resource Estimating?
8.
What is the value of Activity Duration Estimating?
9.
What is the value of developing a Project Schedule?
10.
How would you use a Work Breakdown Structure in this case?
1.
It’s important to have detailed information on each work activity because it allows the project manager to have an understanding of the resources needed and the constraints he will be dealing with so he can more effectively make decisions to ensure the job is complete on time and within the financial limitations placed on the project. It also allows him to ensure the project is being set up and performed correctly and provides him with the knowledge necessary to make on-the-spot decisions if the need arises.
2.
Everyone needs to know what their responsibility is in regards to the project as a whole. This can be done through the aid of a resource assessment during the life of the project so
those assigned roles can be put to use during the proper time over the course of the project.
3.
The matrix helps to assign proper timing and tasking to a project in relation to its employee’s skillsets. It’s a tool for helping everyone stay on the same page in knowing what the tasks are for each individual and if there is a need for teamwork and collaboration during some portions of the project.
4.
You have to clearly define the authority levels on a project because you don’t want, as I’ve heard it before, too many chiefs and not enough Indians. You also want those assigned with authority to know what is within their level of authority. A tool that can be
Week 3: Case Study Essay Questions
used is the responsibility, accountability, consultative, and informative matrix, which provides letters to designate various roles and responsibilities, and helps to make sure everyone stays in their own lane.
5.
Activity Definition is critical to the life cycle of a project. It gives further explanation to the details of project deliverables and defines the structure of the work activities needed to meet the target of the project (Wilson, 2014).
In this case study, the activity definition consists of finalizing the research, acquiring all necessary equipment, establishing delivery schedules, ensuring the data center is properly
organized and oriented with a clear space for the new equipment, and putting all of these steps in the proper order.
6.
Activity sequencing ensures that the results of the project are correctly produced. It’s very important to the scheduling and project activity control and the Work Breakdown Structure should be implemented to ensure the proper steps are performed at the proper time.
The case study uses activity sequencing in the installation, testing, verification, and implementation phases.
7.
Resource estimating ensures there are enough resources on hand to complete the job without unnecessary delays, and to ensure these resources are on site at the appropriate time while staying within the budget constraints.
Dr. Bower is waiting on information from senior leadership, therefore this process isn’t complete.
8.
This process gathers the key details about a specific work activity, including what resources are needed and how long they will take to complete. This one is the greatest challenge for a project manager do to the innumerous variables that can come into play before and during the project.
Dr. Bower is still gathering information, therefore this process has not been completed.
9.
A project schedule can’t have a value placed on it because it is, arguably, the most important piece of information that a project manager can create. It has the most important details of a project within its details, to include the scope, schedule, customer expectations, work activities, and all costs associated with the project (Wilson, 2014). It is a formal explanation to stakeholders that paints a picture of the process and outcome as
a whole.
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Week 3: Case Study Essay Questions
10. The Work Breakdown Structure is information key to the senior management of a project
to help them know what equipment is required, estimated delivery dates of that equipment, all associated cost estimates, and the sequence of events for the entire expansion project.
Reference
Wilson, R. (2014).
A Comprehensive Guide to Project Management Schedule and Cost Control
. Pearson Education. Retrieved from https://learning-oreilly-com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/library/view/a-comprehensive-guide/
9780133573138/ch01.html#ch01lev1sec1.