NR631 Week 6: Planning and Scheduling
NR631 Week 6: Planning. Assume you were appointed as project manager to lead a dozen of your classmates to write up an end-of-course summary guide that would be used to update all areas of the course (i.e., discussion questions, lectures, assignments, quizzes, and exams). You get to meet face to face periodically, but the majority of the work is done via conference call and e-mail. You plan to form sub-teams to work on each of these elements, each headed by a sub-team leader.
How would you set up your WBS? What are some of the considerations you made when you decided on this structure? Read a number of your classmates’ ideas and look for similarities and differences. Ask questions about why a person set up his or her plan as he or she did. Would you change anything about your plan after networking with others?
NR631 Week 6: Planning Answer
NR631 Week 6: Collaborative Project Management
As the appointed project manager tasked with leading classmates in creating an end-of-course summary guide, effective planning and collaboration are paramount. To structure the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), a careful approach is essential.NR631 Week 6: Planning
Setting up the WBS:
- Identification of Key Components: Begin by breaking down the project into its key components – discussion questions, lectures, assignments, quizzes, and exams.
- Sub-team Formation: Form sub-teams with each dedicated to one project component. Appoint sub-team leaders to oversee each subgroup.
- Task Decomposition: Under each project component, further decompose tasks. For instance, the “assignments” component could involve breaking down tasks into literature review, writing, editing, and formatting.
- Technology Integration: Considering the remote nature of collaboration, leverage technology for communication, utilizing conference calls and e-mails.
- Regular Check-ins: Schedule periodic face-to-face meetings to ensure effective communication and address any challenges.
Considerations in the Structure:
- Task Interdependencies: Identify dependencies between tasks and components to ensure a logical flow of work.
- Skill Sets: Assign tasks based on individuals’ strengths and expertise.
- Timeline: Establish realistic timelines for each task, considering the overall project deadline.
- Resource Allocation: Ensure equitable distribution of workload among sub-teams.
- Flexibility: Design the WBS to allow for adaptability to changes or unforeseen challenges.
Networking with Classmates:
Engaging with classmates allows for a collaborative exchange of ideas. Understand others’ approaches, inquire about their rationale, and identify potential enhancements or modifications.NR631 Week 6: Planning
Plan Refinement:
Based on insights from networking, be open to refining the plan. Adjustments may be necessary to optimize collaboration and project efficiency.
References: Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. Wiley. Schwalbe, K. (2018). Information Technology Project Management. Cengage Learning.
