Question 141
As the project approaches the end of stage 2, the Project Manager has requested a Product Status Account to ensure that all products are at their expected point of development. Although the list of customers has been quality reviewed, it has not been baselined because the Marketing department have not provided all of the prospective customers' details. What initial action should the Project Manager take?
Question 142
Project Scenario
Calendar Project (Note: The companies and people within the scenario are fictional.)
There has been a reduction in fie number of orders at the MNO Manufacturing Company due in part to the increased marketing activities of its competitors. To help counter this, the company has decided to create a promotional calendar for next year for all its current and prospective customers. The end product of this project will be a prepared calendar pack, ready for printing. The design of the calendar will be similar to one sent out previously, and must reflect the company image as described in the existing corporate branding standards. Another project is currently producing a new company logo when is to be printed on each page of the promotional calendar. The prepared calendar pack will consist of:
Design for each month - correctly showing at public holidays and new company logo Selected photographs- 12 professionally-produced photographs, showing different
-- members of staff
--
-
Selected paper and selected envelope - for printing and mailing the calendar Chosen label design - a competition to design a label will be held as part of this project List of customers - names and addresses of customers to whom the calendar will be sent.
-
The project is currently in initiation and will have two further stages:
Stage 2 will include tie activities to: Create the customer fast using information from the Accounts and Marketing departments
----
Confirm compliance with the Data Protection Legislation Create a design for each month - this will be done by the internal creative team Select and appoint a professional photographer Gather photograph design ideas from previous project and agree photographic session schedule
--
Prepare a production cost forecast Select paper and envelope.
Stage 3 will include the activities to:
---
Produce and select tie professionally-taken photographs Hold the label design competition and choose the label design Assemble the prepared calendar pack.
A production cost forecast, based on the options and costs for the paper, envelope, printing and marketing of the calendar is to be produced in stage 2. However, the actual production and distribution of the calendars is not within the scope of the project. The product cost forecast will be reviewed by the Project Board to determine whether tie project should continue.
It is now 05 October and the prepared calendar pack must be delivered to the print company by 30 November, to enable printing and distribution of the calendar in time for Christmas. The cost of the activities to develop the specialist products and the cost of the project management activities are estimated to be (GBP)20,000. There is a project time tolerance of +1 week /-2 weeks and a project cost tolerance of +(GBP)6,000 / -(GBP)6,000. A change budget of (GBP)500 has been allocated but there is no risk budget.
Whilst identifying the mailing costs for the calendars the Project Manager was surprised to find the costs could vary considerably depending on the size of the package and the delivery service used. For the purpose of this project, the Project Manager has selected an appropriate service but feels that a corporate standard for postage would have reduced the time and effort invested. It could reduce the company's overheads by up to (GBP)20k per year. How should the Project Manager record this observation within the project?
Calendar Project (Note: The companies and people within the scenario are fictional.)
There has been a reduction in fie number of orders at the MNO Manufacturing Company due in part to the increased marketing activities of its competitors. To help counter this, the company has decided to create a promotional calendar for next year for all its current and prospective customers. The end product of this project will be a prepared calendar pack, ready for printing. The design of the calendar will be similar to one sent out previously, and must reflect the company image as described in the existing corporate branding standards. Another project is currently producing a new company logo when is to be printed on each page of the promotional calendar. The prepared calendar pack will consist of:
Design for each month - correctly showing at public holidays and new company logo Selected photographs- 12 professionally-produced photographs, showing different
-- members of staff
--
-
Selected paper and selected envelope - for printing and mailing the calendar Chosen label design - a competition to design a label will be held as part of this project List of customers - names and addresses of customers to whom the calendar will be sent.
-
The project is currently in initiation and will have two further stages:
Stage 2 will include tie activities to: Create the customer fast using information from the Accounts and Marketing departments
----
Confirm compliance with the Data Protection Legislation Create a design for each month - this will be done by the internal creative team Select and appoint a professional photographer Gather photograph design ideas from previous project and agree photographic session schedule
--
Prepare a production cost forecast Select paper and envelope.
Stage 3 will include the activities to:
---
Produce and select tie professionally-taken photographs Hold the label design competition and choose the label design Assemble the prepared calendar pack.
A production cost forecast, based on the options and costs for the paper, envelope, printing and marketing of the calendar is to be produced in stage 2. However, the actual production and distribution of the calendars is not within the scope of the project. The product cost forecast will be reviewed by the Project Board to determine whether tie project should continue.
It is now 05 October and the prepared calendar pack must be delivered to the print company by 30 November, to enable printing and distribution of the calendar in time for Christmas. The cost of the activities to develop the specialist products and the cost of the project management activities are estimated to be (GBP)20,000. There is a project time tolerance of +1 week /-2 weeks and a project cost tolerance of +(GBP)6,000 / -(GBP)6,000. A change budget of (GBP)500 has been allocated but there is no risk budget.
Whilst identifying the mailing costs for the calendars the Project Manager was surprised to find the costs could vary considerably depending on the size of the package and the delivery service used. For the purpose of this project, the Project Manager has selected an appropriate service but feels that a corporate standard for postage would have reduced the time and effort invested. It could reduce the company's overheads by up to (GBP)20k per year. How should the Project Manager record this observation within the project?
Question 143
A change authority has been appointed for the project. During the development of the 'classroom-based training material', a large number of changes were proposed to the design of the 'e-learning course'. Therefore, the change authority has decided to use the Moscow technique to prioritize changes based on the impact they will have on completing each stage on time.
Is this an appropriate application of the Moscow technique, and why?
Is this an appropriate application of the Moscow technique, and why?
Question 144
The executive has set the following tolerances for stage 2:
Time (+/- 1 week)
Cost (+/- E20,000)
Scope (using MoSCoW prioritization technique)
Risk (based on the risk appetite defined in the risk management approach) These tolerances have been recorded in the stage plan. The project manager will report progress regularly via highlight reports to the project board and use exception reports to raise exceptions. In addition, the project assurance role will monitor the stage to provide confidence to the project board that exceptions are being reported.
How well does this apply the 'manage by exception' principle, and why?
Time (+/- 1 week)
Cost (+/- E20,000)
Scope (using MoSCoW prioritization technique)
Risk (based on the risk appetite defined in the risk management approach) These tolerances have been recorded in the stage plan. The project manager will report progress regularly via highlight reports to the project board and use exception reports to raise exceptions. In addition, the project assurance role will monitor the stage to provide confidence to the project board that exceptions are being reported.
How well does this apply the 'manage by exception' principle, and why?
Question 145
Scenario
Additional Information
Product Description
Quality notes from the Daily Log
The Director of Information Technology Division (DIT) has been asked to ensure that any changes to the outsourced staff employment contracts adhere to employment law. The DIT will review future job descriptions of the transferred staff before the final contract is signed with the selected service provider.
The service level agreement between MFH and the selected service provider will specify the type and quality of service required. The selected service provider must follow the industry standards for providing outsourced services.
MFH has a quality management system which contains a document control procedure for all its documentation, however this does not include change management.
All project documents will be subject to a quality review. Nominated products will require a formal approval record signed-off by the quality review chair.
Extract from the draft Quality Management Strategy (may contain errors) Introduction
1. This document defines the approach to be taken to achieve the required quality levels during the project.
2. The Project Board will have overall responsibility for the Quality Management Strategy.
3. Project Assurance will provide assurance on the implementation of the Quality Management Strategy.
Quality management procedure - Quality standards
4. The selected service provider will operate to industry standards for providing outsourced services.
5. MFH document standards will be used.
Records
6. A Quality Register will be maintained to record the planned quality events and the actual results from the quality activities.
7. Configuration Item Records will be maintained for each product to describe its status, version and variant.
8. Approval records for products that require them will be stored in the quality database.
Roles and responsibilities
9. The DIT will check that the employment contracts for outsourced staff adhere to employment law.
10. Team Managers will provide details of quality checks that have been carried out.
11. Team Managers will ensure that the Quality Register is updated with the names of team members who are involved in the review process.
12. The Senior User will review the Product Descriptions of the products to be produced by the selected service provider to ensure that they can be achieved.
The service level agreement contains a number of technical terms that are missing from its glossary of terms.
Additional Information
Product Description
Quality notes from the Daily Log
The Director of Information Technology Division (DIT) has been asked to ensure that any changes to the outsourced staff employment contracts adhere to employment law. The DIT will review future job descriptions of the transferred staff before the final contract is signed with the selected service provider.
The service level agreement between MFH and the selected service provider will specify the type and quality of service required. The selected service provider must follow the industry standards for providing outsourced services.
MFH has a quality management system which contains a document control procedure for all its documentation, however this does not include change management.
All project documents will be subject to a quality review. Nominated products will require a formal approval record signed-off by the quality review chair.
Extract from the draft Quality Management Strategy (may contain errors) Introduction
1. This document defines the approach to be taken to achieve the required quality levels during the project.
2. The Project Board will have overall responsibility for the Quality Management Strategy.
3. Project Assurance will provide assurance on the implementation of the Quality Management Strategy.
Quality management procedure - Quality standards
4. The selected service provider will operate to industry standards for providing outsourced services.
5. MFH document standards will be used.
Records
6. A Quality Register will be maintained to record the planned quality events and the actual results from the quality activities.
7. Configuration Item Records will be maintained for each product to describe its status, version and variant.
8. Approval records for products that require them will be stored in the quality database.
Roles and responsibilities
9. The DIT will check that the employment contracts for outsourced staff adhere to employment law.
10. Team Managers will provide details of quality checks that have been carried out.
11. Team Managers will ensure that the Quality Register is updated with the names of team members who are involved in the review process.
12. The Senior User will review the Product Descriptions of the products to be produced by the selected service provider to ensure that they can be achieved.
The service level agreement contains a number of technical terms that are missing from its glossary of terms.