MECH 3170 Assignment #5 ANSWER KEY

Instructions:

Please answer all questions.

You are encouraged to work with and share ideas fellow students on the assignment, however,
each student is required to submit their own, original, hard copy assignment for grading.
Please refer to the Universitys policy on Academic Integrity at
http://umanitoba.ca/student/resource/student_advocacy/academicintegrity/students/
If you work with others, please list their names on your assignment.
Assignment #5 is worth 1% of your final grade in the course.
Assignment #5 is due by Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016 at 9:30am (in class).

Questions:

1) For each of the 12 risk response strategies listed below, please identify if the respective
strategy is a response to a threat or an opportunity, and what response strategy is being
employed (i.e. avoid, mitigate, transfer, exploit, enhance, share, or accept).

Opportunity or Name of Risk

Description of Strategy
Threat? Response Strategy

1 Remove a work package or activity from the project.

Assign a team member to visit the sellers manufacturing

2 facilities frequently to learn about a problem with delivery as
early as possible.
Move a work package to a date when a more experienced
3
resource is available to be assigned to the project.

Begin negotiation for the equipment earlier than planned so as

4
to secure a lower price.

5 Outsource a work package so as to gain an opportunity.

Notify management that there could be a cost increase if a risk

6
occurs because no action is being taken to prevent the risk.

7 Remove a troublesome resource from the project

Provide a team member who has limited experience with

8
additional training.

9 Train the team on conflict resolution strategies.

10 Outsource difficult work to a more experienced company.

11 Ask the client to handle some of the work.

12 Prototype a risky piece of equipment

Question attribution: Rita Mulcahys PMP Exam Prep, 8th Edition

3 Marks total

1) Threat / Avoid
2) Threat / Mitigate
3) Opportunity / Exploit
4) Opportunity / Enhance
5) Opporutnity / Share
6) Threat / Accept
7) Threat / Avoid
8) Threat / Mitigate
9) Threat / Mitigate
10) Threat / Transfer
11) Threat / Transfer
12) Threat / Mitigate

2) You need to fly from one city to another for an important meeting. You can take airline
A or B. Airline A has a fare of $900 and is on time 90% of the time. If the flight is late,
you will miss the important meeting and have determined the cost of this to be $4000.
Airline B has a seat sale right now and the fare is $300. However, Airline B has a
reputation for being late 30% of the time. Again, if the flight is late and you miss the
meeting it will cost you $4000.
a) Draw a decision tree.
b) Calculate the Expected Monetary Value for each option.
c) What option should you choose?

3 Marks total

a) Decision Tree
On Time
Airline A 90%
Fare $900

Late $4000

On Time
70%
Airline B
Fare $300
Late $4000

b) EMV Airline A = (10% * $4000) + (90% * $0) + $900 = $1300

EMV Airline B = (30% * $4000) + (70% * $0) + $300 = $1500
 c) We should choose the airline with the lower EMV, therefore, Airline A.

3) Read the case entitled The Poor Worker (taken from: Project Management Case
Studies, 4th Edition, by Harold Kerzner, pg. 376-377) attached to this assignment and
answer all 4 questions that follow. (4 Marks)

1) What options are available to Paula?

Do nothing
Talk to Frank more directly about the issues (confronting conflict resolution)
Talk to the line manager and ask for involvement in dealing with the issue
Involve HR
Remove herself from the project

2) If Paula tries to handle the situation first by herself rather than approach the line
manager, what should Paula do and in what order?
Be prepared for the discussion with Frank and have examples of poor
performance identified to discuss
Let Frank know in advance of the meeting to discuss performance
Potentially ask for advice on dealing with the situation from HR
Meet with Frank
Follow up with actions/game plan

3) If all of Paulas attempts fail to change the workers attitude and the line manager
refuses to remove the worker, what options are available to Paula?

Do nothing
Assign the worker less important tasks
Talk to the sponsor
Remove herself from the project

4) What rights, if any, does Paula have with regard to wage and salary administration
regarding this employee?

Likely none as she is working in a functional project management environment.

4) Read the case entitled Office Communications (taken from: Successful Project
Management, 6th Edition, Jack Gido and James P. Clements) attached to this assignment
and answer the 4 case questions that follow. (4 Marks)

1) What are some of the communication problems presented in this case?

 Joe doesnt notice Cathy is busy and keeps talking to her about non-work related things.
Cathy isnt paying attention to Joe either (which is also not respectful). She should have told Joe
right away that she busy and that he would have to come back later
Joe interrupts Cathy and its not even related to work (its about the weather)
Joe is obviously not following up on or even looking at his emails (he didnt know about the report
due to the customer)
Joe is also not reading the meeting agendas as he didnt know that he had to make a presentation
at the meeting the next day (Good point Cathy distributed the agenda prior to the meeting)
Perhaps Cathy needs to rethink how she communicates with Joe email may not be the best
medium for him
Cathy doesnt call Joe out for his statements about nobody caring about the meetings and using
slides from six months ago
Joe was impolite using Cathys phone to talk to his assistant coach
Joe was also rude about his comments about being a typist and implying that Cathy overedits his
work

2) What should Cathy do? What do you think Joe will do?

Be more forceful with Joe. Pay attention to what his is saying and if it gets off work topics redirect him
and let him know that she is serious. Shes giving him the impression that shell do the work for him and
he is taking advantage of her.

If Cathy becomes more assertive, Joe might balk (push back) at first, but will likely soon realize that
Cathy is serious and that he needs to take his work more seriously as well.

Cathy also needs to consider other, more effective, ways of communicating with Joe. Email and meeting
agendas dont seem to be working (he is not paying attention to them). Perhaps face to face discussions
where Cathy initiates the conversation.

3) How could Cathy and Joe have handled this situation better?
Active listening to each other
Focus on the work, then the small talk
More respect

4) What could have been done to prevent the communication problem between Cathy and Joe?

Perhaps a clearly defined communication policy in the Communication Management Plan something
that outlines ground rules for reading emails/agendas etc. Cathy could have followed up on the request
for the design team input. If it was due last Friday, why hadnt she already followed up with Joe (and
even once or twice more leading up to the due date). She should be requesting feedback and followup
in her emails/agendas to ensure that people have read them.