Project Management Case Application Paper Write a paper and apply what have learned (Project management, Project selection, defining the project, Estimatin

Project Management Case Application Paper Write a paper and apply what have learned (Project management, Project selection, defining the project, Estimating project times and costs, developing a project plan, managing risks and scheduling resources, and reducing project duration) to the Following Discussion to “A Day in the Life.” Answer 1 and 2 in attached file. 12 times Roman, not to exceed 3 pages, double spaced, APA format. not too professional, simple words and sentences structure. A Day in the Life
Rachel, the project manager of a large information systems project, arrives at her office
early to get caught up with work before her co-workers and project team arrive. However, as
she enters the office she meets Neil, one of her fellow project managers, who also wants to
get an early start on the day. Neil has just completed a project overseas. They spend 10
minutes socializing and catching up on personal news.
It takes Rachel 10 minutes to get to her office and settle in. She then checks her voice
mail and turns on her computer. She was at her client’s site the day before until 7:30 p.m. and
has not checked her e-mail or voice mail since 3:30 p.m. the previous day. There are 7 phone
messages, 16 e-mails, and 4 notes left on her desk. She spends 15 minutes reviewing her
schedule and “to do” lists for the day before responding to messages that require immediate
attention.
Rachel spends the next 25 minutes going over project reports and preparing for the
weekly status meeting. Her boss, who just arrived at the office, interrupts her. They spend 20
minutes discussing the project. He shares a rumor that a team member is using stimulants on
the job. She tells him that she has not seen anything suspicious but will keep an eye on the
team member.
The 9:00 a.m. project status meeting starts 15 minutes late because two of the team
members have to finish a job for a client. Several people go to the cafeteria to get coffee and
doughnuts while others discuss last night’s baseball game. The team members arrive, and the
remaining 45 minutes of the progress review meeting surface project issues that have to be
addressed and assigned for action.
After the meeting Rachel goes down the hallway to meet with Victoria, another IS project
manager. They spend 30 minutes reviewing project assignments since the two of them share
personnel. Victoria’s project is behind schedule and in need of help. They broker a deal that
should get Victoria’s project back on track.
She returns to her office and makes several phone calls and returns several e-mails
before walking downstairs to visit with members of her project team. Her intent is to follow
up on an issue that had surfaced in the status report meeting. However, her simple, “Hi guys,
how are things going?” elicits a stream of disgruntled responses from the “troops.” After
listening patiently for over 20 minutes, she realizes that among other things several of the
client’s managers are beginning to request features that were not in the original project scope
statement. She tells her people that she will get on this right away.
Returning to her office she tries to call her counterpart John at the client firm but is told
that he is not expected back from lunch for another hour. At this time, Eddie drops by and
says, “How about lunch?” Eddie works in the finance office and they spend the next half hour
in the company cafeteria gossiping about internal politics. She is surprised to hear that Jonah
Johnson, the director of systems projects, may join another firm. Jonah has always been a
powerful ally.
She returns to her office, answers a few more e-mails, and finally gets through to John.
They spend 30 minutes going over the problem. The conversation ends with John promising
to do some investigating and to get back to her as soon as possible.
Rachel puts a “Do not disturb” sign on her door, and lies down in her office. She listens
to the third and fourth movement of Ravel’s string quartet in F on headphones. Rachel then
takes the elevator down to the third floor and talks to the purchasing agent assigned to her
project. They spend the next 30 minutes exploring ways of getting necessary equipment to
the project site earlier than planned. She finally authorizes express delivery.
When she returns to her office, her calendar reminds her that she is scheduled to
participate in a conference call at 2:30. It takes 15 minutes for everyone to get online. During
this time, Rachel catches up on some e-mail. The next hour is spent exchanging information
about the technical requirements associated with a new version of a software package they
are using on systems projects like hers.
Rachel decides to stretch her legs and goes on a walk down the hallway where she
engages in brief conversations with various co-workers. She goes out of her way to thank
Chandra for his thoughtful analysis at the status report meeting. She returns to find that John
has left a message for her to call him back ASAP. She contacts John, who informs her that,
according to his people, her firm’s marketing rep had made certain promises about specific
features her system would provide. He doesn’t know how this communication breakdown
occurred, but his people are pretty upset over the situation. Rachel thanks John for the
information and immediately takes the stairs to where the marketing group resides.
She asks to see Mary, a senior marketing manager. She waits 10 minutes before being
invited into her office. After a heated discussion, she leaves 40 minutes later with Mary
agreeing to talk to her people about what was promised and what was not promised.
She goes downstairs to her people to give them an update on what is happening. They
spend 30 minutes reviewing the impact the client’s requests could have on the project
schedule. She also shares with them the schedule changes she and Victoria had agreed to.
After she says good night to her team, she heads upstairs to her boss’s office and spends 20
minutes updating him on key events of the day. She returns to her office and spends 30
minutes reviewing e-mails and project documents. She logs on to the MS project schedule
of her project and spends the next 30 minutes working with “what-if” scenarios. She reviews
tomorrow’s schedule and writes some personal reminders before starting off on her 30minute commute home.
Question:
1. How effectively do you think Rachel spent her day?
2. What does the case tell you about what it is like to be a project manager?

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