EPM7e Case Study Exercises

Effective Project Management:
Traditional, Agile, Extreme

Managing Complexity in
the Face of Uncertainty
Individual, class, and team exercises

Presented by
(facilitator name)
Introduction
Note to the Instructor
There are more than 30 exercises in this file. I have

collected these exercises together in one place for
your use. They are a mixture of individual, team and
class exercises. Most are team exercises because that
is the format I use for all of my teaching and training
courses. I have used these exercises for several years
with great success. Feel free to modify them and
integrate them into your slide presentations for use in
class. Many of them draw upon the PDQ Case Study
and tend to be the more difficult exercises.
They are numbered consecutively for easy reference.
Introduction
Individual Exercise #1
Create the Hot Topics List

Here is your opportunity to contribute any topics or
issues you have that you would like discussed.
Well list your contributions and integrate them into the
course as appropriate. As part of our course wrap-up,
we will return to the list to make sure all items have
been addressed to your satisfaction.
Introduction
Class Exercise #2
Read the Case Study and Form Teams

Pizza Delivered Quickly (PDQ) has fallen on hard times
and needs your help to survive. Read the case study in
your book and be prepared to ask questions for
clarification.
Once the case study has been clarified, teams will be
chosen. Teams will work on the same case study but
independently of each other. Team size should be
between 4-6.
Team Exercise #3
Is Everything a Project?
Some organizations are projectized. That is every
business activity is defined as a project. Suppose your
organization were to consider being projectized. What
obstacles and issues would you see having to be
resolved? How might they be resolved? Identify
advantages and disadvantages to this form versus the
traditional functional or matrix organization.
Team Exercise #4
Define the Quality Metrics for Your Project
Define the specific quality metrics you will use for PDQ.
What values will you set as trigger values? Give
examples of trigger values and how you would react to
them, i.e., what corrective measures might you take?
You have 60 minutes for this exercise. Appoint a
spokesperson to present the metrics to the class.
Team Exercise #5
Create the Outline of an RFP
Your company is seeking a vendor to design, develop,
and implement a comprehensive Project Support Office
(PSO). This will include three major goals:
Establish the mission, objectives, functions, roles, responsibilities,

and organizational structure of the PSO and implement it
Design and implement a project management methodology
Design, develop, and offer a project management training
curriculum including a train the trainer component
Develop an RFP outline for one of the goals. You have

30 minutes for this exercise. Appoint a spokesperson to
report your teams findings.
Team Exercise #6
Choose the Contract Type for Your Project

The purpose of this exercise is to decide which type of
contract is best for PDQ. Compare and contrast the
advantages and disadvantages of each and choose the
one you will use. What type of payment schedule will you
use? Should there be any incentives? If so, define them.
You will have 60 minutes for this exercise. Appoint a
spokesperson to report your teams decisions.
Team Exercise #7
Involving the Vendor in Planning
Make a list of all the planning activities that the vendor
should be involved in and specify a strategy for getting
that involvement. You have 30 minutes for this exercise.
Appoint a spokesperson to report your teams findings.
Team Exercise #8
Identify the Risks
Using Figures 3-1 and 3-2 identify the top ten
risks in your project. Prioritize them from A to J.
You will have 30 minutes for this exercise.
Appoint a spokesperson to present your list to the
class.
Team Exercise #9
Quantify the Risks
Using a Risk Assessment Worksheet like the example
shown on the following slide, assess the current risks in
your project. Use your own process steps to define the
rows of the matrix. The columns identify your prioritized
risk events (A through J). Establish your own metric for
risk assessment. The example uses 1 (low) to 3 (high).
You will have 60 minutes for this exercise. Appoint a
spokesperson to present this information to the class.
Team Exercise #9 Risk Assessment Worksheet
Team Exercise #10

Building Risk Mitigation Plans
Using the risks previously identified, select 2 showstoppers and develop complete mitigation plans. Include
the strategy and implications of resources, costs,
schedule, and any risk that this mitigation measure will
generate.
Deliverables: Detailed Plan, Assumptions and Risks,
Cost and Schedule Estimates
You will have 60 minutes. Choose a spokesperson to
present your mitigation plan to the class.
Team Exercise #11

Create the RBS
Generate the RBS for the PDQ project. You have 60
minutes.
Appoint a spokesperson to report your RBS.
Team Exercise #12

Write the POS for the Case Study
Each team will complete a POS for the PDQ project.

Appoint a spokesperson to present the POS to the class.
The class will critique the POS paying particular
attention to the language used.
1. Could anyone in your company understand it?
2. Is it too technical?
3. Will it convince Dee that your idea is worthy of support to
the next level?
Team Exercise #13

Build a Complete WBS for the PDQ Project
Using the RBS as input build as much of the WBS as
you can. You may use either the indented outline or
graphical format.
Appoint a spokesperson to present your WBS to the
class.
Team Exercise #14

Build the Dependency Diagram for the PDQ Project
Create the network dependency diagram for your
project.
Once the dependency diagram is complete, load the

predecessor and successor relationships into MS
Project.
Team Exercise #15

Estimate Task Duration
You may use any method available to you for this

exercise. Do not spend a lot of time on any one
estimate. Remember, we just want to get it roughly right.
Later in the project these estimates may be updated with
new information.
Individual Exercise #16

Project Manager Skills Assessment
Complete the PMSA in your book. How do your

team members skills align with the needs of the
project?
Appoint a spokesperson to present your analysis
to the class.
Team Exercise #17

Prepare the Project Impact Statement
Dee has just discovered a third carryout restaurant that has gone out
of business. She would not have been interested in it at this stage of
the project except that it was in an excellent location to serve the
outer fringes of the PDQ market in a section of town where middle
class homes were being constructed. Design has been completed
on all sub-projects and coding is nearly complete. A Scope Change
Request Form has been completed by Dee and will be distributed to
your team.
Complete the Project Impact Statement. You have 60 minutes to
complete this exercise. Appoint a spokesperson from your team to
report your results to the class.
Team Exercise #18

Building Your Effective IT Project Team
Your team is now together for the first time. Begin with
the Assessment Stage and discuss the inventory of skills
on your team from the PMSA you conducted in Exercise
#16. Identify the major tasks that your team will have to
execute and build the RASCI Matrix for your team.
Team Exercise #19

Getting Clients Meaningfully Involved
Make a list of all those initiatives you have taken to get
your clients meaningfully involved.
Which ones have been successful?

Which havent?
How would you approach them now?
You have 60 minutes. Appoint a spokesperson to

present your teams initiatives.
Class Exercise #20

Client Scenarios
Respond to the issues shown on the following slides.
For each issue, identify what you could do to prevent
the issue from arising and what you would do if it has
already occurred.
Class Exercise #20

Note to Instructor
The following slides should be shown to the students
one at a time. First, you display the slide that shows
only the issue. Have the students suggest possible
preventative measures. Then, show the slide with your
preventative measures and discuss. Next, have the
students suggest prescriptive measures. Then, show
your slide with your prescriptive measures and
discuss.
Feel free to substitute any of your own measures.
Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

ISSUE #1
The client changes requirements frequently.

ACTION
Preventative measures:
Prescriptive measures:

ISSUE #1

ACTION
1. Become more proactive at beginning of the project.
2. Negotiate requirements.
3. Base requirements on business rules and processes.
4. Keep the client meaningfully involved in the project.
5. Establish a change request bank and make a deposit.

ISSUE #1

ACTION
1. Become more proactive at beginning of the project.
2. Negotiate requirements.
3. Base requirements on business rules and processes.
4. Keep the client meaningfully involved in the project.
5. Establish a change request bank and make a deposit.
1. What was the cause of the change request?
2. What if the change is not accommodated?
3. What is the impact of the change on the project?
4. Is there an alternative to the change?

ISSUE #2
The client does not provide good people for the

project.
ACTION

ISSUE #2

project.
ACTION
1. Ask for a junior member from the client
organization.

ISSUE #2

project.
ACTION
1. Ask for a junior member from the client
organization.
1. Meet with the client manager and state your
minimum requirements.

ISSUE #3
The client group cannot agree among themselves.

ACTION

ISSUE #3

ACTION
1. Meet with the client groups to identify potential
problems.
2. Seek agreement on solutions in advance.
3. Show how your approach meets the needs of each
group.

ISSUE #3

ACTION
1. Meet with the client groups to identify potential
problems.
2. Seek agreement on solutions in advance.
3. Show how your approach meets the needs of each
group.
1. Meet with each client group independently to get
opinions.
2. Formulate a solution all will accept.
3. Follow up with sales efforts.

ISSUE #4
Client managers and staff lack technical knowledge.

ACTION

ISSUE #4

ACTION
1. Present technology as it impacts the clients
business process.

ISSUE #4

ACTION
1. Present technology as it impacts the clients
business process.
1. Explain use and benefits of the technology.

ISSUE #5
Client management is replaced.

ACTION

ISSUE #5

ACTION
1. Anticipate change.
2. Introduce project to as wide a group as possible.

ISSUE #5

ACTION
1. Anticipate change.
2. Introduce project to as wide a group as possible.
1. Be proactive.
2. Introduce new managers to benefits of project.
3. Involve new managers in the issues.

ISSUE #6
The client has no interest in the project.

ACTION

ISSUE #6

ACTION
1. Point out benefits early in the project.
2. Seek to establish support from top management.

ISSUE #6

ACTION
1. Point out benefits early in the project.
2. Seek to establish support from top management.
1. Involve client groups that will benefit.
2. You may want to change the project.

ISSUE #7
Team members resist project management.

ACTION

ISSUE #7

ACTION
1. Discuss how the project will be managed.
2. Lay out the role of each team member early in
planning stage.

ISSUE #7

ACTION
1. Discuss how the project will be managed.
2. Lay out the role of each team member early in
planning stage.
1. Talk one on one about past projects.
2. Show how your approach is different.
3. Reinforce methods described earlier.

ISSUE #8
Team members are over-committed to projects.

ACTION

ISSUE #8

ACTION
1. Be informed of all team members commitments.
2. Identify realistic minimum expectations.
3. Monitor how their time is spent.

ISSUE #8

ACTION
1. Be informed of all team members commitments.
2. Identify realistic minimum expectations.
3. Monitor how their time is spent.
1. Approach the individual and review their
commitments.
2. Work out a compromise with other managers.

ISSUE #9
There are missing skills on your team.

ACTION

ISSUE #9

ACTION
1. Assess skill levels of the team.
2. Identify outside contractors.

ISSUE #9

ACTION
1. Assess skill levels of the team.
2. Identify outside contractors.
1. Involve the team in solution identification.
2. Look for outside help.
3. Plan ahead for bringing new people on the project.

ISSUE #10
A team member leaves and produces a gap.

ACTION

ISSUE #10

ACTION
1. As a risk mitigation strategy, consider back up for
critical skills.
2. Use cross training whenever possible.

ISSUE #10

ACTION
1. As a risk mitigation strategy, consider back up for
critical skills.
2. Use cross training whenever possible.
1. View vacancy as an opportunity and consult with
your team.
2. Reformulate and reassign work until the vacancy is
filled.
Team Exercise #21

Conduct Stakeholder Analysis
Each team will identify their stakeholder groups and

conduct a stakeholder analysis using the form on the
following slide. You will have 30 minutes for this
exercise.
Appoint a spokesperson from each group to report
your experiences throughout the exercise.
Team Exercise #21 The Communications Interfaces

FROM WHOM:
Project Manager
TO WHOM
Client
Sponsor
Functional manager
Team members
Outside contractors
The public
WHAT
WHEN
HOW
Team Exercise #22

Build a Communications Management Plan
A communications management plan should be part

of the WBS.
Use the stakeholder analysis generated in the previous
module as input to this exercise and create your
communications management plan.
spokesperson to report your plan to the class.
Team Exercise #23

Create a Project Status Report
Create a status report for your project. Appoint one or
more spokespersons from your team to present your
project status report to the class.
Class Exercise #24
Compare and Contrast Each Model

Now that you have been exposed to all of the models, it is
worth the time to reflect back on what we have done and
identify where these models might have application in
your organization. Identify any obstacles you envision and
how you might mitigate them. Propose an implementation
plan.
Team Exercise #25

Using TPM for the PDQ Project
The PDQ Project has six subsystems to be developed.
Which, if any, would lend themselves to a TPM
approach. Defend your choices.
Team Exercise #26

APF Implementation Challenges
Your have assembled a team of the only three senior
project managers who have experience using APF but
not in your organization. They have the respect and
credibility of the other TPM project managers. You have
been asked by the PMO Director to develop an
implementation plan for APF. To begin that planning
activity, identify three major obstacles you might face
and define your strategy for overcoming them. You have
45 minutes to complete the exercise.
Appoint a spokesperson to report your findings.
Team Exercise #27

Using xPM for the PDQ Project
If you had to pick a sub-system in the PDQ Project that
was best suited for an Extreme PMLC Model, which subsystem would you pick and why? How might you
execute such a project?
Team Exercise #28

PSO Maturity
Describe how you would implement a PSO at PDQ.
What programs would you implement to move the
organization from Level 2 to eventually Level 4?
Team Exercise #29

PDQ Project Portfolio Management Process
The PDQ team and its contractors do not have enough
resources to complete the project as quickly as it could
have been done. Establish a temporary portfolio
management process for the PDQ project.
Team Exercise #30

PDQ Process Improvement Program
Once the PDQ Project is complete and all six
subsystems are working, there will be problems in the
level of performance that actually occurs. Construct a
PQM for PDQ. In other words what are the rows and
columns of the PDQ PQM. Also determine the
correlations (recall that these are the little squares). Be
very specific. You do not have to define the process
maturity level column.
You have 90 minutes to complete this exercise. Appoint
a spokesperson to present your PQM to the class.
Team Exercise #31
Root Cause Analysis

You have two development projects that have become
distressed projects:
Project Alpha: Under budget and behind schedule
Project Beta: Over budget and behind schedule
Create a root cause analysis template for each project.

spokesperson to present your teams templates.
Team Exercise #32

PDQ Project Team Organization
Suppose that PDQ were a project whose team consisted
of six independent teams one for each subsystem.
Which team structure would you use and why? Given
that team structure, how would you organize the project?
Appoint a spokesperson to present your teams analysis.

EPM7e Case Study Exercises

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EPM7e Case Study Exercises

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Effective Project Management:

Traditional, Agile, Extreme

Individual, class, and team exercises

There are more than 30 exercises in this file. I have

Create the Hot Topics List

Read the Case Study and Form Teams

Establish the mission, objectives, functions, roles, responsibilities,

Develop an RFP outline for one of the goals. You have

Choose the Contract Type for Your Project

Team Exercise #9 Risk Assessment Worksheet

Team Exercise #10

Team Exercise #11

Appoint a spokesperson to report your RBS.

Team Exercise #12

Each team will complete a POS for the PDQ project.

Team Exercise #13

Team Exercise #14

Once the dependency diagram is complete, load the

Team Exercise #15

You may use any method available to you for this

Individual Exercise #16

Complete the PMSA in your book. How do your

Team Exercise #17

Team Exercise #18

Team Exercise #19

Which ones have been successful?

You have 60 minutes. Appoint a spokesperson to

Class Exercise #20

Class Exercise #20

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

The client changes requirements frequently.

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

The client changes requirements frequently.

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

The client changes requirements frequently.

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

The client does not provide good people for the

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

The client does not provide good people for the

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

The client does not provide good people for the

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

The client group cannot agree among themselves.

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

The client group cannot agree among themselves.

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

The client group cannot agree among themselves.

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

Client managers and staff lack technical knowledge.

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

Client managers and staff lack technical knowledge.

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

Client managers and staff lack technical knowledge.

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

Client management is replaced.

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

Client management is replaced.

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

Client management is replaced.

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

The client has no interest in the project.

Importance of Meaningful Client Involvement

The client has no interest in the project.