Question: 1 (Chapter 8, Exercise-2, Page no: 330)
Create a Pareto diagram based on the information in the table below. First, create a
spreadsheet in Excel, using the data in the table below. First, create a spreadsheet in
Excel, using the data in the table below. List the most frequent customer problem
first. Add a column called “Cumulative%.” Then enter formulas to calculate those
items. Next, use the excel chart wizard to create a Pareto diagram based on the data.
Use the line- Column on 2 Axis custom type chart so your resulting chart looks
similar to the one in figure 8-1.
Customer Complaints
Frequency / Week
Service rep cannot answer customer's questions
120
Customer is on hold too long
90
Service rep does not follow through as promised
40
Customer gets transferred to wrong area or cut off
20
Answer:
Pareto analysis identifies the vital few contributors that account for quality problems
in a system, which is referred as 80-20 rule. It indicates that 80% of the problems are
always due to 20% of the causes.
This rule has always been of interest, whether working in code or doing analysis such
as, in the customer services field there is some individuals with unique circumstances
who bring complexity and challenge to the business rules and code. This Project
Management Exercise nicely demonstrates this rule.
Customer
Complaints
Frequency /
Service rep cannot answer customer's questions
Customer is on hold too long
Prince Sharif
1
Week
% of Total Complaints
Cumulative %
120
44%
44%
90
33%
78%
11384184
Service rep does not follow through as promised
40
15%
93%
20
7%
100%
270
100%
Customer gets transferred to wrong area or cut
off
Total
Customer Complaints Histogram
% of total complaints
Customer Complaints
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
120%
100%
80%
60%
Series2
Series1
40%
20%
0%
1
2
3
4
Cumulative%
Question: 2 (Chapter 9, Exercise-1, Page no: 380)
Your company is planning to launch an important new project starting January 1,
which will last one year. You estimate that you will need one full-time project
manager, two full-time business analysts for the first six months, two full-time senior
programmers for the whole year, four full time junior programmers for the months of
July, August, and September, and one full-time technical writer for the last three
months. Use Microsoft Excel to create a stacked column chart showing a resource
histogram for this project, similar to the one shown in Figure 9-6. Be sure to include a
legend to label the types of resources needed. Use appropriate titles and axis labels.
Answer: See Attachment chapter 9, exercise 1
Or
Prince Sharif
2
11384184
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
4
4
4
1
1
1
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Project Manager
Business Analyst
Junior Programmers
Technical Writer
Senior Programmers
Question: 3 (Chapter 10, Exercise-1, Page no: 419)
Create a stakeholder analysis for project communications. Assume your organization
has a project to determine employees’ training needs and then provide in house and
external sources for courses in developing communications skills for employees.
Stakeholders could be various levels and types of employees, suppliers, the human
resources department in charge of the project, and so on. Determine specific
stakeholders for the project. List at least one type of project communication for each
stakeholders and the format for disseminating information to each. Use table 10-1 as
an example.
Prince Sharif
3
Dec
1
Histogram
Number of People
Types of
resources
Project
Manager
Business
Analyst
Senior
Programmers
Junior
Programmers
Technical
Writer
11384184
Answer:
By using example 10-1 table provides stakeholders basic communication analysis,
where shows which stakeholders should get which written communications. Generally
it contains the information such as the contact person, when the information is due
and what is the particular format for the information needed. Below it has been shown
basic stakeholder analysis is based on the selected project for training needs.
Stakeholders
Document Name
Document Format
Contact Person
Due
General Manager
Basic user manual
Hard copy
Project manager
30 October, 2007
IT Manager
IT setup manual
Hard copy and soft copy
Project manager
30 October, 2007
IT Manager
Software manual
Hard copy and soft copy
System Manager
1st November, 2007
Prince Sharif
4
11384184
Project manager
Mail server setup manual
Hard copy and soft copy
Project manager
1st November, 2007
Other stakeholders
Basic user manual
Hard copy
Project manager
3rd November, 2007
The above analysis is based on the following points:
 The systems administrator is the project manager.
 A basic user manual contains new features, changes and instructions to use the
new installed IT system.
 An IT setup document contains all the information like setup, configurations,
software and so on about the new IT system.
 A software manual contains about the setup information of software.
Question: 4 (Chapter 10, Exercise-3, Page no: 420)
Question: How many different communications channels does a project team with six
people have? How many more communications channels would there be if the team
grew to ten people?
Prince Sharif
5
11384184
Answer:
According to the formula,
We know the number of communications channels = n (n-1)/2, [where n is the
number of people involved]. (Page: 398, Schwalbe 2004).
For six people in a project, there are 6* (6-1)/2 = 15 different communications
channels are available.
If the team grew to ten people, there are 10* (10-1)/2 = 45 different communications
channels are available.
That means (45-15) =30 more communications channels would be needed if the team
grew to ten people.
Reference:
Schwalbe, K 2004, Information technology project management, 4th Edition. (page
398 )
Question: 5 (Chapter 11, Exercise-4, Page no: 461)
Suppose your organization is deciding which of four projects to bid on. Information
on each is in the table below. Assume that all up-front investments are not recovered,
so they are shown as negative profits. Draw a diagram and calculate the EMV for
each project. Write a few paragraphs explaining which projects you would bid on. Be
sure to use the EMV information and your personal risk tolerance to justify your
answer.
PROJECT
CHANGE OF
ESTIMATED POINTS
OUTCOME
Project 1
Project 2
Prince Sharif
50 percent
$120,000
50 percent
-$50,000
30 percent
$100,000
40 percent
$50,000
6
11384184
Project 3
Project 4
30 percent
-$60,000
70 percent
$20,000
30 percent
-$5,000
30 percent
$40,000
30 percent
$30,000
20 percent
$20,000
20 percent
-$50,000
Answer:
Probability (P)*Outcome= EMV
Project 1
P=0.50*$120,000=$ 60,000
Decision
P=0.50*-$ 50,000=-$25,000
Project 2
P=0.30*$100,000=$30,000
P=0.40* $50,000=$20,000
Decision
P=0.30*-$60,000=-$18,000
Project 3
P=0.70*$20,000=$14,000
Decision
P=0.30*-$5,000=-$1500
Project 4
P=0.30 $40,000=$12,000
P=0.30 $30,000=$9,000
P=0.20 $20,000=$4,000
Decision
Prince Sharif
7
11384184
P=0.20 -$50,000=-$10,000
Project 1’s EMV=$ 60,000-$25,000=$35,000
Project 2’s EMV=$30,000+$20,000-$18,000=$32,000
Project 3’s EMV=$14,000-$1500=$12500
Project 4’s EMV=$12,000+$9,000+$4,000-$10,000=$15,000
Based on the above diagram, I think project 1 I would bid on, because the EMV
provides an estimate for the total dollar value of a decision, I want to have a positive
number,
the
higher
the
EMV,
the
better
project
should
be.
If I just looked at the potential outcome of the 4 projects, project 2 looks more
appealing. It could earn $150,000 in profits from project 2, but it can only earn
$120,000 for project 1. However, there is only a 50 percent chance of getting that
$120,000 on project 1, and there is a 70 percent chance of earning $150,000 on
project 2. Therefore, using this EMV diagram, it can clearly help account for all
possible outcomes and their probabilities of occurrence therefore reducing the
tendency to pursue overly aggressive or conservative risk strategies.
Prince Sharif
8
11384184
Read only conclusion if it doesn’t appear on blog site
Conclusion:
While websites are still a foundation of the Internet, it has never really enjoyed the
kind of popularity that blogs have recently gotten. Blogging makes me to become an
online publisher with its easy to use publishing platforms where there is no more
messing around with HTML coding, software problems or web design issues. It is
really easy to express myself and I also can connect myself with like-minded people.
In future it will be useful to use content management systems. I can easily establish
myself as an expert I my field of interest. Blogging also eventually lead to my blog
becoming an authority site, which will rank well in search engine. I can make
communities with this. It will expand my network of friends, business associates and
clients.
Prince Sharif
9
11384184