SOLUTION MANUAL
Project Management: The Managerial Process,
8th Edition By Erik Larson and Clifford Gray
Verified Chapters 1 - 16, Complete
Project Management: The Managerial Process,
, TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ch. 1 Modern Project Management
Ch. 2 Organization Strategy and Project Selection
Ch. 3 Organization: Structure and Culture
Ch. 4 Defining the Project
Ch. 5 Estimating Project Times and Costs
Ch. 6 Developing a Project Schedule
Ch. 7 Managing Risk
Ch. 8 Scheduling Resources and Costs
Ch. 9 Reducing Project Duration
Ch. 10 Being an Effective Project Manager
Ch. 11 Managing Project Teams
Ch. 12 Outsourcing: Managing Interorganizational Relations
Ch. 13 Progress and Performance Measurement and Evaluation
Ch. 14 Project Closure
Ch. 15 Agile Project Management
Ch. 16 International Projects
Project Management: The Managerial Process,
, Chapter 1
Modern Project Management
Chapter Outline
1. What Is a Project?
A. What a Project Is Not
B. Program versus Project
C. The Project Life Cycle
D. The Project Manager
E. Being Part of a Project Team
2. Agile Project Management
3. Current Drivers of Project Management
A. Compression of the Product Life Cycle
B. Knowledge Explosion
C. Triple Bottom Line (Planet, People, Profit)
D. Increased Customer Focus
E. Small Projects Represent Big Problems
4. Project Management Today: A Socio-Technical Approach
5. Summary
6. Text Overview
7. Key Terms
8. Review Questions
9. Snapshot from Practice: Discussion Questions
10. Exercises
11. Case 1.1: A Day in the Life—2019
12. Case 1.2: The Hokies Lunch Group
Project Management: The Managerial Process,
,Chapter Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter you should be able to:
LO 1-1 Understand why project management is crucial in today’s world.
LO 1-2 Distinguish a project from routine operations.
LO 1-3 Identify the different stages of a project life cycle.
LO 1-4 Describe how Agile PM is different from traditional PM.
LO 1-5 Understand that managing projects involves balancing the technical
andsociocultural dimensions of the project.
Review Questions
1. Define a project. What are five characteristics which help differentiate projects
from other functions carried out in the daily operations of the organization?
A project is a complex, non-routine, one-time effort limited by time, budget,
resource,and specifications. Differentiating characteristics of projects from routine,
repetitive daily work are below:
a. A defined lifespan
b. A well-defined objective
c. Typically involves people from several disciplines
d. A project life cycle
e. Specific time, cost, and performance requirements.
2. 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?
Some environmental forces that have changed the way we manage projects are
the product life cycle, knowledge growth, global competition, organization
downsizing,technology changes, time-to-market. The impact of these forces is
more projects perorganization, project teams responsible for implementing
projects, accountability, changing organization structures, need for rapid
completion of projects, linking projects to organization strategy and customers,
prioritizing projects to conserve organization resources, alliances with external
organizations, and so on.
3. Describe the four phases of the traditional project life cycle. Which phase do you
think would be most the difficult one to complete?
Project Management: The Managerial Process,
, 1. Defining: Project specifications objectives are defined, and teams are formed
withmajor responsibilities assigned. Much of this is referred to as defining the
Scope of a project.
2. Planning: The creation of a comprehensive plan that includes schedules,
budgets,staffing and risk assessment.
3. Executing: Work begins, deliverables are produced, and progress is monitored.
4. Closing: Putting the project to bed includes customer delivery, post project
reviewor audit, and redeployment of project team.
problematic. Disagreements at the customer acceptance can lead to rework,
tension and in many cases litigation. Veteran project managers answer to this
question wouldbe ―It all depends‖.
4. What kinds of projects is Agile PM best suited for and why?
R&D work, technological breakthroughs, and creative endeavors.
5. The technical and sociocultural dimensions of project management are two sidesto
the same coin. Explain.
The technical and sociocultural dimensions of project management are two sides
of the same coin because successful project managers are skillful in both areas.
The point is successful project managers need to be very comfortable and skillful in
bothareas.
Snapshot from Practice: Discussion Questions
1.1 The Project Management Institute
1. If you were a student interested in pursuing a career in project management
howimportant do you think being CAPM would be?
There is no data available on the value of the CAPM in the job market. Experts suggest
ata minimum it demonstrates a strong interest in project management and a good
understanding of the project management processes. Given the growing demand for
people to work on projects, the CAPM may just separate you from other applicants.
2. How valuable do you think being a certified PMP is?
Reliable data is hard to find. PMI reported that the median salary for a PMP is
$108,200.Non-certified project managers, on the other hand, showed a median
income of $91,000.According to a different survey, eighty percent of high-performing
projects used PMP certified project managers.
Project Management: The Managerial Process,
,1.3 London Calling: Seattle Seahawks versus Oakland Raiders
Project Management: The Managerial Process,
,1. Why was it important to give players and staff a chance to explore London
oneevening?
This will be a tough question for those not familiar with intense team sports. They will
not be aware of the importance coaches devote to eliminating distractions that can
disruptteam concentration and focus. Coach Carroll reportedly said, ―There was no
avoiding the fact that we were in a foreign country. Players and staff were curious and
excited, so we decided instead of denying it we would let them explore London‖.
2. What are one or two lessons you learned from this Snapshot?
Several lessons can be gleaned from this Snapshot:
High performance projects need to devote significant attention to
providing awork environment that supports high performance.
The importance of interjecting fun on intense projects.
The impact time zone changes can have on individual performance.
The attention to detail exhibited in the project.
The importance of managing the rhythm and pace of a group to
accomplishproject objectives.
Sports fans will draw attention to coach Carroll driving the players to the stadium the
daybefore the game. This eliminated the distraction of not knowing what the field or
locker room would be like. It answered the question of what kind of shoes the players
would be wearing. Players like quarterback Russell Wilson like to form vivid, mental
images of bigplays the night before a big game.
1.4 Ron Parker
1. Do you agree with Ron Parker’s statement: ―To be successful, you must also be willing
to run at problems/opportunities when everyone else is running away from them‖?
This is somewhat of a philosophical question. While not the only way to become
successful this is one path to success especially when other opportunities or
advantages are not available. Tackling tough projects is a great way to gain visibility
and establish areputation. The flip side is that these projects are risky, and failure
may damage one’s reputation. Organizations that excel at project management
recognize that these projectsoften fail despite superior effort. They value experience
and devote significant attentionto improving future project performance by
articulating lessons learned from current projects.
Project Management: The Managerial Process,
,Exercises
1. Review the front page of your local newspaper and try to identify all the projects
contained in the articles. How many were you able to find?
It is nearly impossible to open a newspaper and not find articles relating to
projects.Sunday editions are especially good for this exercise. Even experienced
project managers find the number of projects far greater than they would have
predicted.
Each one is managed by a project manager! This is a good illustration of the
important role projects play in our daily lives.
2. Individually identify what you consider to be the greatest achievements
accomplished by mankind in the last five decades. Now share your list with threeto
five other students in the class and come up with an expanded list. Review these
accomplishments in terms of the definition of a project. What does your review
suggest about the importance of project management?
Typical responses center on technology, medical advances, space exploration—
e.g., computer advances, laser operations and new drugs, building the space
station. Oftenyou have to point out that many of these projects are really
programs.
We usually select two or three student suggestions of projects (there will be
plenty!) and ask the students to identify the kinds of problems the project
manager of the project may have had to deal with. Again, once the students get
into the exercise, theproblems they can envision are many. These problems are
placed on the board. Afterthe board is nearly filled and most students have
participated, we try to show or classify on the board the problems by the content
of the text chapters. The intent is todemonstrate to the class the course and text
will address many of the problems suggested by the students.
3. Individually identify projects assigned in previous terms. Were both
sociocultural and technical elements factors in the success or difficulties in the
projects?
Students will naturally focus on sociocultural aspects in part because they are
more familiar with concepts such as leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork
than scope, WBS, and baseline budgets. Furthermore, interpersonal friction is
often a source of consternation on student projects. The instructor may have to
point out thatinterpersonal conflicts often arise from ill-defined scopes, uneven
work schedules, and poor planning.
Project Management: The Managerial Process,
,4. Check out the Project Management Institute‘s home page at www.pmi.org.
a. Review general information about PMI as well as membership information.
Answers will vary. The PMI website undergoes periodic updates.
b. See if there is a PMI chapter in your state. If not, where is the closest one?
Answers will vary depending on your location.
c. Use the search function at the PMI home page to find information on Project
Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). What are the major knowledge
areas of PMBOK?
This search turns up a very wide variety of information including books the
student can purchase, how-to articles, and tools and templates. It will take
somesearching, but the student can find that the ten knowledge areas are as
follows:
1. Project Integration Management
2. Project Scope Management
3. Project Time Management
4. Project Cost Management
5. Project Quality Management
6. Project Human Resource Management
7. Project Communications Management
8. Project Risk Management
9. Project Procurement Management
10. Project Stakeholder Management
d. Explore other links that PMI provides. What do these links tell you about the
nature and future of project management?
Answers will vary, but most will tout the significance of project management
aswell as different aspects of a career in Project Management.
Project Management: The Managerial Process,
, Case 1.1
A Day in the Life—2019
Troi, the project manager of a large information systems project, arrives at her office
early to get caught up with work before her co-workers and project team arrive.
However, as she enters the office, she meets Neil, one of her fellow project managers,
who also wants to get an early start on the day. Neil has just completed a project
overseas. They spend 10 minutes socializing and catching up on personal news.
(Rest of case not shown due to length.)
This case shows a glimpse of what it is like to be a project manager. It also
underscoresthat being a project manager is more social than technical and that
project managers spend the majority of their time interacting with various people
who impact a project.
Note: This case can either be used up front in the course or towards the end when the
sociocultural aspects of project management have been covered.
1. How effectively do you think Troi spent her day?
Students will be divided in their evaluation of Troi. Some will argue that she is
inefficientand does not have control over her time. Others will argue that this is the
nature of the joband is to be expected. They will point out that she is appropriately
spending her time managing relations and keeping on top of things that affect the
project. We tend to observe that students with little work experience are much more
critical than those with work experience.
2. What does the case tell you about what it is like to be a project manager?
Troi’s day underscores three key functions project managers spend their time
performing:
a. Building and sustaining interpersonal relations. Project managers have to
networkand develop good working relations with team members and other
project stakeholders.
b. Information gathering and dissemination. Project managers are the
information hub for their projects. They are in constant communication with
various stakeholders, collecting information from various sources, and sending
it to thosewho have a need to know.
c. Decision-making. Project managers consult with various people to make
decisionsnecessary to complete the project.
Project Management: The Managerial Process,
