Reference no: EM133190667

Assignment -

Part A -

Q1) In 10-20 words, use your knowledge of Chapter 5 to describe one of the high risks associated with "project crashing." A correct answer uses information from Chapter 5.

Q2) Suppose a goal for your primary care clinic is to "decrease the proportion of our patients age 18 to 64 with pre-diabetes who are diagnosed with diabetes by age 65."

Describe the challenges (i.e., the "art") of setting a specific target amount that you want to decrease this proportion by.  For example, you could target to reduce the proportion by X%, where X could be between 0 and 100. You do not have to pick a specific target (i.e., a specific value of X).

A correct answer will describe challenges that are given in Chapter 4, in the specific clinical context that is given here, in about 30 words.

Q3) Read about the project described in Exhibit 5.6 on pages 106-7, especially the bullets under "Functional Organizations and Their Participation" and "Organizational, Environmental,...".

Suppose you direct the VVH Finance department that oversees all negotiations with health plans. You estimate a total cost of about $20,000 to pay your staff to ensure that all major health plans for VVH will fund the project.

Do you think enough functional organizations are included in the charter?  If not, which would you add? Who would need to approve this addition? 

Q4) Suppose your hospital CEO asks you to manage a project to reduce nurse turnover. You interview many stakeholders for the project, and everyone agrees that nurse turnover levels are higher than they should be, but no one knows the right set of answers that will solve the problem.

Is Agile Project Management a good method for this project? Why or why not?  A correct answer should have about 20 words.

Part B -

Q1) Read about the Work Breakdown Structure in Chapter 5 (pg. 109) and about the project manager's role in Exhibit 5.18 (pg. 127).

Now, suppose you sponsor a project that has the overall goal of reducing all-cause hospital readmissions by 10% after 2 years across 6 hospitals. During a project meeting, you realize that the project manager is personally completing routine data analysis of 3 hospitals' admission rates.

According to the readings above, what is a key issue or problem with what you observe?  A correct answer concisely describes the issue using knowledge gained from the textbook in about 20 words.

Q2) The exhibits on pages 78, 79, and 82 depict measures of performance from three perspectives of the Balanced Scorecard.

Suppose a strategic goal of a for-profit surgery center is to "have the most profitable orthopedic surgery practice in our city." 

Name and describe 3 measures, one from each exhibit, that will be very helpful for monitoring whether this goal is likely to be achieved.

Q3) Read about the project described in Exhibit 5.6 on pages 106-7, especially the bullets under "Functional Organizations and Their Participation" and "Organizational, Environmental,...".

Suppose you direct the VVH Finance department that oversees all negotiations with health plans. You estimate a total cost of about $20,000 to pay your staff to ensure that all major health plans for VVH will fund the project.

Do you think enough functional organizations are included in the charter?  If not, which would you add? Who would need to approve this addition? 

Q4) Suppose a goal for your primary care clinic is to "decrease the proportion of our patients age 18 to 64 with pre-diabetes who are diagnosed with diabetes by age 65."

Describe the challenges (i.e., the "art") of setting a specific target amount that you want to decrease this proportion by.  For example, you could target to reduce the proportion by X%, where X could be between 0 and 100. You do not have to pick a specific target (i.e., a specific value of X).

A correct answer will describe challenges that are given in Chapter 4, in the specific clinical context that is given here, in about 30 words.

Q5) Suppose you are a project manager that is managing the development of a new template for an electronic medical record, and suppose the project is due to finish by the end of the month. Suppose a project stakeholder asks you to also finish, by the end of the month, a "pop-up" that warns the template's users when a portion of the template is not completed correctly. Suppose this pop-up will require substantial time to develop and was not included in the signed scope of work for the project.

Summarize the key dilemma in this scenario by (1) naming the dilemma using the generic, 2-word terminology for such a dilemma that is found in Chapter 5 and (2) describing briefly why it is a dilemma.

You will receive 1 point for a correct answer that gives 2 words for the name and 8-20 words for the description. Note: there are actually two correct names given for this on separate pages of Chapter 5. Both will be accepted.

Part C -

Q1) Suppose you observe a situation where, after a project begins, the project manager lacks authority to make decisions.  What does Chapter 5 say about addressing this issue?

Q2) Suppose you are a project manager that is managing the development of a new template for an electronic medical record, and suppose the project is due to finish by the end of the month. Suppose a project stakeholder asks you to also finish, by the end of the month, a "pop-up" that warns the template's users when a portion of the template is not completed correctly. Suppose this pop-up will require substantial time to develop and was not included in the signed scope of work for the project.

Summarize the key dilemma in this scenario by (1) naming the dilemma using the generic, 2-word terminology for such a dilemma that is found in Chapter 5 and (2) describing briefly why it is a dilemma.

You will receive 1 point for a correct answer that gives 2 words for the name and 8-20 words for the description. Note: there are actually two correct names given for this on separate pages of Chapter 5. Both will be accepted.

Q3) Suppose your health system includes the following measure on its Balanced Scorecard:  "minutes patients spend waiting until they are first seen by a physician in the Emergency Department."

Name what type of indicator this is (hint: it is 1 of 2 types, see the middle of Chapter 4), and describe why it is that type.

Q4) The exhibits on pages 78, 79, and 82 depict measures of performance from three perspectives of the Balanced Scorecard.

Suppose a strategic goal of a for-profit surgery center is to "have the most profitable orthopedic surgery practice in our city." 

Name and describe 3 measures, one from each exhibit, that will be very helpful for monitoring whether this goal is likely to be achieved.