PPMP2000 7 Take Home Paper t2 21 PDF

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Ter m 22021:Asses smentI t em 4:St andar d“ Takehomet est / exam” PPMP20007Pr oj ec tManagementConcept s

Term 2 2021 Final Take-home Test Project Management Concepts – PPMP20007 Instructions and Guidelines 1. This test will be made available on Friday 15th October 2021 at 9:00am AEST through the Assessment menu at the top of the Moodle unit website. 2. The take-home test should take you about 3 hours to complete. However, you will be given a 24-hour timeframe, during which time you will need to download the exam from the PPMP20007 Moodle website, complete the paper in the answer template provided and upload your completed answer template in the submission area in Moodle. You should

commence work on the assessment item as soon as it is available. 3. The unit coordinator will be accessible for any exam-related queries for a period of five hours after the release of the exam. The unit coordinator can be reached at that time via email ([email protected]) and also through a zoom link (details are in the take-home test tile on the unit website). 4. Check your email during the day of the exam and before you submit the paper in

case there is any additional information. 5. Your typed answer script in Microsoft Word file format (in the template provided)

must be uploaded with your answers by Saturday 16th October 2021 AT 9:00am AEST. The submission link will become unavailable after this time. Any submission after the deadline may not be accepted. 6. Any draft files will be automatically submitted by the system when the deadline for the submission is reached. Note: Do not rely on this. Make sure you press the submit button when you are ready to submit your work. 7. Please ensure that you submit the correct file. Anyone submitting the “wrong file” can contact the unit coordinator with a copy of the correct file in an email. That file must be sent before the submission deadline. 8. All submissions will be processed via Turnitin®. 9. You are required to do your own work and to maintain academic integrity. If the marker suspects a breach of academic integrity, you may be requested to attend a real-time interview via Zoom to confirm your understanding of your submission. Inability to explain or justify given solutions may result in allegations of academic misconduct. 10. Read the questions thoroughly and answer the question being asked as completely

and as clearly as possible. 11. Provide answers in your own words. Answers must not be in note form.

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Ter m 22021:Ass essmentI t em 4:St andar d“ Tak ehomet es t / exam” PPMP20007Pr oj ec tManagementConcept s 12. DO NOT copy/paste any part of your answers from the internet, your text book,

lecture slides, tutorials or any other source. 13. Do not use any paraphrasing/spin bot/re-writing tools. You will be awarded 0 marks

if you use such tools. 14. There is NO need to provide in-text citations or references for your answers. 15. For any technology-related issues, please contact the

Assistance

Centre

(TASAC)

via

the

details

Technology and Services provided through this link

(https://www.cqu.edu.au/about-us/structure/directorates/information-and-technology) 16. If you are unable to take the test on the specified date due to illness or some other exceptional circumstances, you need to apply for a Deferred Assessment via the Assessment Extension Request Link on the Moodle unit page and supply the necessary documentation. Be aware that Deferred Assessment applications will be refused if there are not sufficient grounds and/or supporting documentation. Note also that a Deferred Assessment is NOT a normal extension. Should your application be accepted, you will be required to take a different assessment at a specified time up to several weeks after the Term 1 grades are certified. This will mean you will not receive a Term 1 grade at the normal certification time. For further details. please refer to the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework), which can be accessed through this link (https://www.cqu.edu.au/policy) 17. The marks for your assessed answer script will be made available on Certification of Grades day. Like a regular exam, the assessed answer script will not be returned to you, unless you apply to see it as part of the first step of the review of grade process, which is an informal consultation.

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Ter m 22021:Ass essmentI t em 4:St andar d“ Tak ehomet es t / exam” PPMP20007Pr oj ec tManagementConcept s INSTRUCTION SHEET

1.

Write all answers in the Word document answer template that is to be downloaded from the submission area for this assessment item.

2.

You should attempt all ten questions.

3.

Total marks for this assessment item is 50 marks.

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Ter m 22021:Ass essmentI t em 4:St andar d“ Tak ehomet es t / exam” PPMP20007Pr oj ec tManagementConcept s TOTAL

50 MARKS Students MUST attempt all TEN questions.

Write ALL answers in the in the Word document answer template provided

Question 1

6 Marks

Compare and contrast the traditional and agile project management approaches to time, cost and scope management.

(6 marks)

Question 2 (a)

7 Marks

You are the manager of a small resort in Central Queensland. The owners want to change the focus of the resort from a family destination to an eco-tourism resort. The following projects have been identified for the resort. Classify each one as compliance, strategic or operational and give your reason for each classification. 

Test and revise cyclone response plan.



Introduce wireless Internet service in café and lounge areas.



Redecorate and update the cabins.



Change all the resort brochures to reflect the eco-tourism image. (2 marks)

(b)

“Trust can actually encourage disagreement and conflict among team members.” Explain why this could be the case.

(c)

(2 marks)

What differences would you expect to see between the types of influence currencies that a “project manager” in a weak matrix structure would use and the types of influence currencies a project manager of a dedicated team would use? Explain your answer. (Note that the types of influence currencies include: task-related, position-related, inspiration-related, relationship-related and personal-related).

(3 marks)

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Ter m 22021:Ass essmentI t em 4:St andar d“ Tak ehomet es t / exam” PPMP20007Pr oj ec tManagementConcept s Question 3

3 Marks

(a)

Why is it important to have a communication plan for your project?

(1 mark)

(b)

What is meant by stakeholder analysis and why is it important to perform stakeholder analysis? How does it inform your communication plan? (2 marks)

Question 4

4 Marks

You have been asked to manage a project that has been approved based on topdown estimates from senior management. You felt uncomfortable with the estimated costs and time for the project, so the first thing you did was to meet with the stakeholders, create the WBS and obtain more detailed cost and time estimates from staff who would either be doing the work and/or were the most knowledgeable and experienced with this type of project. As a result, you have found that there is a significant difference between the topdown estimates from senior management and your more detailed bottom-up estimates. a)

What would you do at this point if you were the project manager? Explain your reasons.

b)

(2 marks)

Assuming that your bottom-up estimates are realistic, what are some of the options/outcomes you might consider for this project? Discuss at least two options.

Question 5 (a)

(2 marks)

4 Marks

What are the likely outcomes if a change control process is not used to manage changes to scope in a project? Why?

(2 marks)

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Ter m 22021:Ass essmentI t em 4:St andar d“ Tak ehomet es t / exam” PPMP20007Pr oj ec tManagementConcept s (b)

Select between “can” and “can not” in the following statement to show what you believe would be a correct statement about project risk. “Project risks can/can not be eliminated if the project is carefully planned.” Explain your choice.

(2 marks)

Question 6

4 Marks

You have added the resource requirements to your project schedule and have decided that you should try resource levelling/smoothing. (a) Does resource levelling/smoothing (levelling within available slack) impact on the duration of the project? Explain why/why not.

(1 mark)

(b) Under what circumstances might you want to perform resource levelling/smoothing?

(1 mark)

(c) What are the impacts of resource levelling/smoothing? Discuss both the advantages and disadvantages.

Question 7

(2 marks)

5 Marks

(a) Use an example to explain what is meant by the term “man-month” or “person-

month”.

(1 mark)

(b) Brook’s Law states “adding manpower to a late software project makes it later”.

Why can this be the case? Is this always true? Explain your answer. (2 marks)

(c) You are required to find ways to reduce the overall costs for your project.

i.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of at least one method for achieving cost savings in your project.

ii.

(1 mark)

Are there any characteristics of an activity that would make it more likely to be an activity that you would target for cost reduction?

(1 mark)

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Ter m 22021:Ass essmentI t em 4:St andar d“ Tak ehomet es t / exam” PPMP20007Pr oj ec tManagementConcept s Question 8

4 Marks

Advocates of the retrospective methodology claim there are distinguishing characteristics that increase its value over past lessons learned methods. Discuss at least 4 of these characteristics and explain how they increase the value to projects compared to past methods for capturing lessons learned.

(4 marks)

Question 9

6 Marks

This question relates to the project described in the network diagram below.

Question 9 continued over next page

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Ter m 22021:Ass essmentI t em 4:St andar d“ Tak ehomet es t / exam” PPMP20007Pr oj ec tManagementConcept s Question 9 (continued) (a)

Given that the customer would like the project completed in 30 weeks, complete the table below listing the following values for each activity: earliest start time (ES), earliest finish time (EF), latest start time (LS), latest finish time (LF), total slack (TS), free slack (FS). Activity A B C D E F G H I J

ES

EF

(3 marks)

LS

LF

TS

FS

(b) Suppose that both activities B and C have resources with the skills needed to work on another activity on a critical path that is running late. Would you take the resources from activity B or from activity C to help get the task on the critical path “back on track? You must explain your choice.

(2 marks)

Question 9 continued over next page

Question 9 (continued)

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Ter m 22021:Ass essmentI t em 4:St andar d“ Tak ehomet es t / exam” PPMP20007Pr oj ec tManagementConcept s (c)

Only the activities in the following table can be shortened (crashed). They can all be crashed by up to 2 weeks. The costs to crash each activity are shown in the table. Activity B D E G H I J

Cost to shorten task by 1 week $400 $150 $100 $200 $400 $250 $800

Note that activities not listed in the table cannot be crashed. You are required to shorten the project in the network diagram by 1 week less than your earliest finish time and for the lowest possible cost. What activity or activities would you shorten/crash to achieve the reduction in the project duration of 1 week and why? Explain your choice(s).

(1 mark)

Question 10 over next page

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Ter m 22021:Ass essmentI t em 4:St andar d“ Tak ehomet es t / exam” PPMP20007Pr oj ec tManagementConcept s Question 10

7 Marks

The formulae required to answer this question are provided in the table below. Value EV CV SV CPI SPI EACf

Description Earned Value Cost variance Schedule Variance Cost performance index Schedule performance index Forecasted estimate of

Formula EV =% completed *original budget CV = EV-AC SV = EV-PV CPI =EV/AC SPI =EV/PV EACf = AC + [(BAC-EV)/CPI]

completion or forecasted cost at completion (if we continue

BAC is the total planned value of

at the same efficiency on the

the project

project) This question relates to the following network diagram and baseline budget table.

Question 10 continued over next page

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Ter m 22021:Ass essmentI t em 4:St andar d“ Tak ehomet es t / exam” PPMP20007Pr oj ec tManagementConcept s Question 10 (continued)

Task

TBC

Month 1 15

A B C D E F G H I Total

2 15

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

5

10

15

20

20

15

10

5

40

40

40

40

40

25

25

50

50

50

50

11

12

13

14

30

35

35

30

30

30

30

30

15

16

30

30

17

18

25

25

Table 1: Budget Table (values are in thousands of dollars)

Question 10 continued over next page Question 10 (continued) Complete the following table to provide a status report for the project at the end of month 9: Activity

Actual %

(3 marks) EV

20

50

50

50

Cumulative

(a)

19

End of Month 9 AC

PV

CV

SV

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Ter m 22021:Ass essmentI t em 4:St andar d“ Tak ehomet es t / exam” PPMP20007Pr oj ec tManagementConcept s complete

(Earned

(Actual

(Planned

(Cost

(Schedule

Value) Cost) Value) Variance) 100% 15 100% 50 100% 140 100% 30 70% 70 60% 80 100% 200 0% 0 0% 0 Cumulative totals Table 2: Status Report (Actual costs are in thousands of dollars)

Variance)

A B C D E F G H I

(b)

Based on the results in table 2 discuss the status of this project at the end of month 9. In particular, you must state if the project is ahead of schedule, on schedule or behind schedule and if the project is over cost, under cost or on cost. Be very precise. For example, if it is over or under budget specify the amount. Give the reasons for your assessment.

(c)

(2 marks)

If you were the project manager for this project, should you have any concerns about this data? If yes, then 

What are your concerns?



What might be the underlying causes for the results?



Are there any recommendations you would make?

else if no, then explain why not.

(2 marks)

END OF EXAM

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