Homework #1

Case Study: Kombs Engineering, PMCS, pgs. 31, 32

 Write a brief synopsis.

The kombs enter into a five-year deal with DOE in 2008. The combs concentrated on

technical work and therefore their success was also strong and DOE was also satisfied

with their technical performance. In the proposal, DOE included a separate section on

how Kombs would handle the $10 million / year project as well as a complete overview

of how the project management system at Kombs worked. After September 2013, Kombs

needed a consultant, DOE presented the list of questions and Kombs answered 95 percent

of the question, but Kombs' project management was still not effective because their

output was not competent.

 What was the reason for the loss of the contract?

The main reason for contract failure is that it doesn't concentrate on establishing proper

project management program. Because of this, Kombs needed a consultant after

September 2013, DOE provided the list of questions and Kombs answered 95 percent of

the question, but the project management of Kombs was still not successful because their

performance was not professional. The other main reason for the contract loss was that all

the projects at Kombs were accomplished through traditional structure management but

subsequently, traditional structure was replaced by project management and then the

projects were not accomplished by kombs.

 Could it have been averted?

Technical efficiency and project management will be the priority of the combines. The

organization should be able to operate a good project management program such that the

tasks that can be done are productive and reliable. The business would contact the third
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party for project management procedures, rather than hiring the contractor to train the

company's staff. Upon contracting, the company should also carry out its projects through

project management rather than traditional structure management, since the traditional

structure can not respond quickly to changes in the environment

 Does it seem realistic that proposal evaluation committees could consider project
management expertise to be as important as technical ability?

Sure, it seems likely that proposal review committees should discuss project management

because DOE included a separate section in the proposal on how the $10 million / year

project would be handled by Kombs as well as how the project management program at

Kombs was working. Project management was also important because project

management continued to function as planning, managing, organizing and directing so

that without project management any of these roles was not fulfilled.
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“Louder than Words”, Ross Foti, PM Network, Dec 2002, pp 22-27

 Write a brief synopsis.

The article clearly illustrates weak leadership and a strategic strategy that failed. The

London to Glasgow rail line was to be upgraded, and its contract was awarded to the

strategic Rail Authority of the United Kingdom. But the pursued project was postponed

past defined limits and the master plan used for this project was reconsidered and re-

examined as it included many aws. The project was to be completed by May 2006, as

promised by SRA, which was 2 years early compared to the initial time mentioned in the

quotation. That increased the budget from 2.1 million pounds to 10 billion pounds. This

article also discusses and reviews the importance of the executives at ground level and

the sponsors of projects.

 Why was the United Kingdom’s Strategic Rail Authority project derailed?

The project of the strategic rail authority was derailed because they did not pursue any

form of project management to handle the project properly and the project leaders did not

foresee the project's end results in advance. Hence, the strategy they used for the project

failed.

 Who does the project manager depend on? To do what?

The project manager is the mediator between the project sponsors, the internal

departments and a company's customers. He's the project 's principal support. He is

dependent on project sponsors to create values, transparency, good thinking, efficiency

and client confidence for the success of the project

 What are 4 of the Do’s and Don’ts of a Project Sponsor that you value?

Do's:

o To ensure that the project managers have access to all tools to do the job.

o Creating good bonding and confidence among project team members and project

manager.

o To listen properly to the opinions of members of the project team.

o To nd and explore all possible alternatives available for solving issues related to

the project.

Don'ts:

o The value of proper process planning is not recognized.

o Start a project without the adequate budget and resources.

o Refusing to bring into action terms.

o Poor communication with members of the project team.

 Any other Lessons Learned from this article?

Project sponsors should allow project managers the right to make their own choices when

a tough situation occurs when working on a project. And the authority should be shared

with the project managers to take decisions.

“Viewpoints: Listen and Learn”, Alfonso Bucero, PMP, PM Network, Jul 2006, p 20, 22

 What is the difference between hearing and listening?

Hearing is a passive activity because we don't really know what we think about in this

situation so we don't store it in our minds. Whereas listening is entirely the opposite of

hearing. When listening, we examine the words we listen to, understand them and store

them as a valuable piece of knowledge in our minds.

 What are the six listening behaviors and provide an example when appropriate/not
appropriate to use?

Hearing: Exercising while we are at a business meeting is not necessary.

Gathering information: When we are at a business conference or strategic conference, it's

necessary to practice.

Cynical listening: When we are expected to give a speaker a constructive response, it is

not necessary to practice. In this case the person is present only physically, but

somewhere else mentally.

Offensive listening: Trying to interrupt or talk in between when a speaker is speaking is

not always appropriate. It is as if the speaker and his thoughts were exhibiting disrespect.

Polite listening: It's a successful listening process, where we listen to the speaker and his

thoughts without disrespecting him. Here we gather the information, render it, and we

analyze the ideas.

Active listening: It is the most desired type of listening where the listener is fully

involved in the discussion, and the speaker receives positive listener response.
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