End of the Project scenario.
Additional Information:
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) founded the company five years ago. Under her
leadership, ABC Company has grown quickly into a successful training company. It delivers
a range of accredited professional training.
The Finance Director is also a founder member of ABC Company and is responsible for
authorizing budgets for the Operations and Development Teams. She authorizes all large
contracts personally.
The Purchasing Manager reports to the Finance Director and is responsible for managing and
monitoring supplier contracts.
The Operations Director is responsible for the delivery off all training and for the training
development budget. His department organizes courses, venues and trainers. They work with
the Product and the Sales teams to provide a comprehensive training schedule. ABC
Company’s IT manager reports to the Operations Director.
The Business Development Director has recently been appointed to identify new training
needs and propose new products. She will work with the Operations. Director to ensure a
cost-conscious approach and that appropriate development technologies are used for the
health and safety course.
The Training Development Manager reports to the Business Development Director and is
responsible for developing training materials and gaining accreditation, in accordance with
the standard course development model. Course developers in his team have skills in a range
of development technologies and are allocated to projects as needed.
The Training Delivery Manager, who reports to the Operations Director, is responsible for
ensuring that internal and external trainers deliver ABC Company training courses to the
required standard. He also checks course materials to ensure they are fit for purpose and of
the required quality.
The Central Services Director has responsibility for corporate communications, facilities
management and configuration management. He recently led a project to consolidate all
company quality systems into one quality management system and set up a corporate quality
department, now managed by the Corporate Quality Manager.
The Corporate Document Manager reports to the Central Services Director. She helped
establish the company’s document management system and now operates it across the
business. She manages a team of administrators and contracts staff when workload is high.
The Sales Director joined ABC Company two months ago and is keen to establish himself by
suggesting new markets for the courses and material. All account managers and the
marketing team report to him. They promote existing training courses to other training
companies and existing customers.
End of the additional information.
Based on lessons from previous projects that used the ABC Company standard development
model, the project board has set low cost and time tolerances for stage 2. As a result, the
project manager plans to set very low tolerances for time and cost for all work packages to be
carried out during stage 2.
Is this an appropriate application of the ‘manage by exception’ principle, and why?
End of the Project scenario.
Additional Information:
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) founded the company five years ago. Under her
leadership, ABC Company has grown quickly into a successful training company. It delivers
a range of accredited professional training.
The Finance Director is also a founder member of ABC Company and is responsible for
authorizing budgets for the Operations and Development Teams. She authorizes all large
contracts personally.
The Purchasing Manager reports to the Finance Director and is responsible for managing and
monitoring supplier contracts.
The Operations Director is responsible for the delivery off all training and for the training
development budget. His department organizes courses, venues and trainers. They work with
the Product and the Sales teams to provide a comprehensive training schedule. ABC
Company’s IT manager reports to the Operations Director.
The Business Development Director has recently been appointed to identify new training
needs and propose new products. She will work with the Operations. Director to ensure a
cost-conscious approach and that appropriate development technologies are used for the
health and safety course.
The Training Development Manager reports to the Business Development Director and is
responsible for developing training materials and gaining accreditation, in accordance with
the standard course development model. Course developers in his team have skills in a range
of development technologies and are allocated to projects as needed.
The Training Delivery Manager, who reports to the Operations Director, is responsible for
ensuring that internal and external trainers deliver ABC Company training courses to the
required standard. He also checks course materials to ensure they are fit for purpose and of
the required quality.
The Central Services Director has responsibility for corporate communications, facilities
management and configuration management. He recently led a project to consolidate all
company quality systems into one quality management system and set up a corporate quality
department, now managed by the Corporate Quality Manager.
The Corporate Document Manager reports to the Central Services Director. She helped
establish the company’s document management system and now operates it across the
business. She manages a team of administrators and contracts staff when workload is high.
The Sales Director joined ABC Company two months ago and is keen to establish himself by
suggesting new markets for the courses and material. All account managers and the
marketing team report to him. They promote existing training courses to other training
companies and existing customers.
End of the additional information.
The executive has set the following tolerances for stage 2:
Time (+/- 1 week)
Cost (+/- £20,000)
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?
End of the Project scenario.
Additional Information:
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) founded the company five years ago. Under her
leadership, ABC Company has grown quickly into a successful training company. It delivers
a range of accredited professional training.
The Finance Director is also a founder member of ABC Company and is responsible for
authorizing budgets for the Operations and Development Teams. She authorizes all large
contracts personally.
The Purchasing Manager reports to the Finance Director and is responsible for managing and
monitoring supplier contracts.
The Operations Director is responsible for the delivery off all training and for the training
development budget. His department organizes courses, venues and trainers. They work with
the Product and the Sales teams to provide a comprehensive training schedule. ABC
Company’s IT manager reports to the Operations Director.
The Business Development Director has recently been appointed to identify new training
needs and propose new products. She will work with the Operations. Director to ensure a
cost-conscious approach and that appropriate development technologies are used for the
health and safety course.
The Training Development Manager reports to the Business Development Director and is
responsible for developing training materials and gaining accreditation, in accordance with
the standard course development model. Course developers in his team have skills in a range
of development technologies and are allocated to projects as needed.
The Training Delivery Manager, who reports to the Operations Director, is responsible for
ensuring that internal and external trainers deliver ABC Company training courses to the
required standard. He also checks course materials to ensure they are fit for purpose and of
the required quality.
The Central Services Director has responsibility for corporate communications, facilities
management and configuration management. He recently led a project to consolidate all
company quality systems into one quality management system and set up a corporate quality
department, now managed by the Corporate Quality Manager.
The Corporate Document Manager reports to the Central Services Director. She helped
establish the company’s document management system and now operates it across the
business. She manages a team of administrators and contracts staff when workload is high.
The Sales Director joined ABC Company two months ago and is keen to establish himself by
suggesting new markets for the courses and material. All account managers and the
marketing team report to him. They promote existing training courses to other training
companies and existing customers.
End of the additional information.
One of the senior managers of the company that is developing the ‘e-learning course’ has
worked with ABC Company before. The team manager for the delivery of the ‘e-learning
course’ has looked on ABC Company’s intranet, but cannot find any reference to this work.
The team manager has contacted the senior manager to discuss this project.
Is this an appropriate application of the ‘learn from experience’ principle, and why?
End of the Project scenario.
Additional Information:
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) founded the company five years ago. Under her
leadership, ABC Company has grown quickly into a successful training company. It delivers
a range of accredited professional training.
The Finance Director is also a founder member of ABC Company and is responsible for
authorizing budgets for the Operations and Development Teams. She authorizes all large
contracts personally.
The Purchasing Manager reports to the Finance Director and is responsible for managing and
monitoring supplier contracts.
The Operations Director is responsible for the delivery off all training and for the training
development budget. His department organizes courses, venues and trainers. They work with
the Product and the Sales teams to provide a comprehensive training schedule. ABC
Company’s IT manager reports to the Operations Director.
The Business Development Director has recently been appointed to identify new training
needs and propose new products. She will work with the Operations. Director to ensure a
cost-conscious approach and that appropriate development technologies are used for the
health and safety course.
The Training Development Manager reports to the Business Development Director and is
responsible for developing training materials and gaining accreditation, in accordance with
the standard course development model. Course developers in his team have skills in a range
of development technologies and are allocated to projects as needed.
The Training Delivery Manager, who reports to the Operations Director, is responsible for
ensuring that internal and external trainers deliver ABC Company training courses to the
required standard. He also checks course materials to ensure they are fit for purpose and of
the required quality.
The Central Services Director has responsibility for corporate communications, facilities
management and configuration management. He recently led a project to consolidate all
company quality systems into one quality management system and set up a corporate quality
department, now managed by the Corporate Quality Manager.
The Corporate Document Manager reports to the Central Services Director. She helped
establish the company’s document management system and now operates it across the
business. She manages a team of administrators and contracts staff when workload is high.
The Sales Director joined ABC Company two months ago and is keen to establish himself by
suggesting new markets for the courses and material. All account managers and the
marketing team report to him. They promote existing training courses to other training
companies and existing customers.
End of the additional information.
All the products that are due in stage 3 have been completed, apart from the ‘updated
corporate quality procedures’. The work has been completed but the product has not yet been
approved. The executive has been told that it will be signed off before the end of the project.
In response to an exception report, the executive has instructed the project manager to plan to
obtain approval of the product in stage 4.
Is this appropriate application of the report management stage end’ activity, and why?
End of the Project scenario.
Additional Information:
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) founded the company five years ago. Under her
leadership, ABC Company has grown quickly into a successful training company. It delivers
a range of accredited professional training.
The Finance Director is also a founder member of ABC Company and is responsible for
authorizing budgets for the Operations and Development Teams. She authorizes all large
contracts personally.
The Purchasing Manager reports to the Finance Director and is responsible for managing and
monitoring supplier contracts.
The Operations Director is responsible for the delivery off all training and for the training
development budget. His department organizes courses, venues and trainers. They work with
the Product and the Sales teams to provide a comprehensive training schedule. ABC
Company’s IT manager reports to the Operations Director.
The Business Development Director has recently been appointed to identify new training
needs and propose new products. She will work with the Operations. Director to ensure a
cost-conscious approach and that appropriate development technologies are used for the
health and safety course.
The Training Development Manager reports to the Business Development Director and is
responsible for developing training materials and gaining accreditation, in accordance with
the standard course development model. Course developers in his team have skills in a range
of development technologies and are allocated to projects as needed.
The Training Delivery Manager, who reports to the Operations Director, is responsible for
ensuring that internal and external trainers deliver ABC Company training courses to the
required standard. He also checks course materials to ensure they are fit for purpose and of
the required quality.
The Central Services Director has responsibility for corporate communications, facilities
management and configuration management. He recently led a project to consolidate all
company quality systems into one quality management system and set up a corporate quality
department, now managed by the Corporate Quality Manager.
The Corporate Document Manager reports to the Central Services Director. She helped
establish the company’s document management system and now operates it across the
business. She manages a team of administrators and contracts staff when workload is high.
The Sales Director joined ABC Company two months ago and is keen to establish himself by
suggesting new markets for the courses and material. All account managers and the
marketing team report to him. They promote existing training courses to other training
companies and existing customers.
End of the additional information.
During stage 4, a work package was authorized for the ‘delivered pilot courses’ to be
completed by the end of week 2. The ‘finalized materials’ work package will start in week 3.
Both work packages have zero tolerances, and finalizing the materials is dependent on
feedback from the pilot courses.
During week 1, there were some problems with the pilot courses, so at the start of week 2 the
team manager rescheduled the courses to week 3, and reported this in the weekly checkpoint
report as the end of week 2.
Should the team manager have reported this delay previously as an issue, and why?
