PH4S015 Project Management And Techniques
Word Count : 2000
Weight : 40%
Assessment Description
Question 1
Susan is the Senior Research Manager at large research and testing company. The company just decided to take on the difficult project of changing the Test Results Database systems. The database handles both commercial test results performed for other organisations and the company’s own internal results as a result of research and development. Success in this project will require input and collaboration from testing, research, a project manager, and of course, IT.
Amy is the overall project manager for the new system. Amy doesn’t have decision-making power outside project activities and the running of her small project team – who work on the project part-time. Her responsibilities are tactical. Amy is the one who coordinates the work done by each team, makes sure the project is running on time and budget and ensures no detail slips through the cracks.
Susan, on the other hand, has decision-making power and directly reports to the
Company Board. She knows the big picture goals of her unit, any other projects going on, and how this project will affect them.
Susan decides which employees to assign to this project, how much of her budget to spend, and how to allocate priorities. She’s also responsible for her entire team’s productivity. Susan is the functional manager for the project. Susan will work closely with Amy and the other functional managers involved—testing, IT, etc. Together they will ensure the project launches successfully and achieves its goals.
PH4S015 Project Management And Techniques
a) Explain the concepts functional and project manager. How are they being applied in this scenario?
b) What other role is Susan providing for the project? Briefly explain this role.
c) Interpret how this company organised with respect to its structure. Evaluate the
difference the organisational structure makes when it comes to running projects?
Question 2
a) Appraise the term Net Present Value. How can this be used to decide a project’s
viability?
Using this concept work out the answers to parts b) and c)
A University has purchased a plot of land for £1.1million and plans to build research units available for joint venture commercial research on a phased basis. Once suitable partners are established the plan is to sell on the units. The University has sufficient funds to build two units in the first year and the revenue from the sale of these will allow the building of 4 more units in the following year. The cost of building each unit is estimated at £80,000. The first two units are expected to fetch £160,000 each upon resale.
The plan is to continue this progress year on year until the plot is full – which will take
5 years. (18 small units in total)
In considering the costings the following has been assumed
Unit prices will rise by 3% year on year
Building costs will increase by 2% year on year
Addition costs (sales, advertising, admin etc.) will be 5% of the selling price
b) The University hopes to gain a 7% return on investment over the 5 years- is this
feasible?
c) What is percentage figure at which the project would return a NPV of zero over the
5 years?
d) What is this figure called and how can it best be explained?
PH4S015 Project Management And Techniques
Questions 3
a) ‘Successful project management is highly dependent on proper risk management’. Explore this statement by critically examining the risk management undertaken
throughout a project.
b) As a student you will have undertaken research projects. Apart from health and
safety considerations you may not have considered the risks on your projects. With the benefit of new knowledge and hindsight, consider how you could have better applied risk management principles and what you might do differently in the future.
Questions 4
a) Explain the project management methodologies and techniques that would have
been undertaken in order to arrive at the information in the table below.
To Be Continuous…
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