ASSIGNMENT: From Chapter 2, page 59; answer Jobs vs. Cook case.
1. What role should the CEO take during the strategic planning process? Identify other key players and their roles.
2. How often should the vision/mission statement be updated or revised?
3. Discuss how you would gather data about an organization’s internal processes and operations. Identify specific tools or techniques you might apply to gain useful insights.
4. Identify the five fundamental forces that determine an industry’s level of competition and long-term profitability. Give an example of how each factor can affect profitability.
5. How would you distinguish between an organizational weakness and a threat to the organization? How would you distinguish between a strength and an opportunity?
6. What would it mean if an organization could not identify any opportunities? What if it could not identify any threats?
7. What is the difference between an objective and a goal? Give an example of each.
8. Would you recommend that an organization set BHAGs? Why or why not?
9. Define the term strategy and discuss how a strategy is related to objectives and goals. Provide an example of an organizational strategy.
10. Briefly describe the market options matrix and identify the four basic options it suggests.
11. Briefly describe the growth-share matrix and discuss how an organization might use it to allocate resources.
12. Define the term measure and discuss how a measure is related to an objective and a goal.
13. Discuss what it means to deploy an organization’s OGSM. What should the deployment accomplish?
14. Give an example of an IT-related project that an IT organization might use in an attempt to achieve its own OGSM. Give an example of an IT project that might help another department achieve its OGSM.
15. In comparing two potential growth projects, should the project with the better rate of return always be chosen? Discuss your answer fully.
16. Give an example of project results that might prompt an organization to reconsider one or more of its goals, strategies, or measures. Give an example of project results that might prompt an organization to cancel an active project.
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ASSIGNMENT: From Chapter 3, page 89, WEB-BASED CASE. Read the following case and answer all questions.
1. Why do you think that the success rate of IT projects is so low?
2. What is meant by the scope of a project? How can the scope of a project be defined?
3. Can the scope of a project be changed without affecting cost or schedule? Explain fully.
4. Do you think that organizations should try to develop and use a system of internal cross charging?Why or why not?
5. What is the difference between quality assurance and quality control?
6. Describe the ideal project champion and project sponsor.
7. Is there a difference between project time management and personal time management? Can someone be “good” at one but not the other? Explain your answer.
8. Discuss the “team dynamics” for a highly effective (or ineffective) team of which you were a member. Can you explain why the team performed so well (or poorly) using the forming storming-norming-performing model?
9. What sort of behaviors would indicate that the sponsoring team is not fully engaged in a project and instead is looking to the project team to make the project a success? What is the danger with this attitude?
10. Identify some of the challenges of performing project integration management on a project in which team members are distributed globally and cannot physically meet in one location. How might these challenges be overcome?
11. Imagine that you are hiring a firm to complete a large but undetermined amount of project work for your firm. Which form of contract would you prefer and why?
12. How would you respond to a project team member who feels that risk management is a waste of time because the future cannot be predicted? Instead, this person prefers to react to problems as they occur.
