University of The Cumberlands Susans Consulting Company Case Study

Susans Consulting Company (SCC) – Problem Overview

Susans  Consulting Company (SCC) has been in business for ten years and has  experienced a significant turnover in the project management group,  which has prompted senior leadership to investigate. 

A  preliminary review by senior leadership has determined that Project  Managers are frustrated with the amount of required project management  documentation, which has impacted their ability to manage projects  successfully. 

A  recent review of the project management process has determined that SCC  has spent between 30-40% of its total project budget on projects’  overhead costs to include project management costs. A review of industry  standards is between 5-15% higher than most companies. In addition,  senior leaders found that projects are being delivered between 25% and  50% over budget and late 95% of the time.

Note:  Project Management overhead includes the PM’s time managing the  project, attending meetings, and developing the required documentation.    

SCC Request: SCC  has reached out to your team because you are experts in defining  project management processes and delivering projects on time. The SCC  request includes the following:

The development of a new project management process which at a minimum should include the following:

The ability to track issues, risks, changes

The  ability to view project activities consists of a view of what has been  completed and what activities the team is working on over the next  reporting period

• The  company must have a view into total life cycle project costs to include  what has been spent to date, baseline budget, any changes to the  budget, remaining budget, and cost of the project at completion

In  addition, to the new process request, SCC has a new project they need  to complete by the end of the year with a limited budget and no project  management staff.  

Assignment

• Identify  a project manager – this individual is responsible for the team  assignment ensuring that team members are completing their assigned work  on time.
• I will act as the sponsor both for the project and for the methodology build-out.  Any questions should be directed to me.
• The group assignment has two parts
• Part 1: Build a Methodology

Identify and descript the methodology to be used by the company.  Both a narrative and pictorial representation is required.

Identify and describe the deliverables which must be completed for each project by the project team.

Identify  and describe the process the Project Management Office should use when  reviewing changes to the methodology, this should include cadence for  the process reviews.

• Identify  the prioritization technique the project manager will use to prioritize  work delivered in the process.  Look at options like PV, IRR, NPV, Pay  Back Period
• Identify and describe any risks you see with the new process and mitigation strategies.

Identify and describe the optimum organizational structure for your methodology. 

Identify and describe the life cycle costing model for your methodology

Part 2: Project Description

In addition to building a methodology, SCC has hired you to complete a high-profile project using your new methodology. 

Project Description:  Develop algorithm(s) to monitor user activity on the internet, the  algorithms should work on the following applications used by the  business today.         

Application A

Application B

• Application C
• Application X
• Application Y
• Application Z
• Project Costs:
• Given  the critical nature of the project, the company has provided the  following information in terms of cost for each application. 
• Year  0 is the projected cost the company has estimated for the build of the  component.  This includes a 15% overhead cost for project management  work

Year 1-Year 5 is the amount of revenue the company has estimated for the product

The Acceptable Rate of Return for all projects with the company is 10%

Part 2A: Project Requirements

Your paper should include the following information:  

Project scope statement

Using the methodology outlined above, describe each phase of the project and its deliverables

• Using your defined project management process outlined above, describe the life cycle model for this project

Create  a WBS for the project.  Remember your WBS is a deliverable base, so  there should be a section of your WBS which outlines our project  management deliverables

Using your defined prioritization process, prioritize each application.

• Using  the defined organizational structure, create a pictorial and narrative  description of the organizational structure for the project.
• Identify at least ten potential stakeholders for your project. 
• Identify  at least five risks to include both threats and opportunities  associated with the project.  For each risk, please include the  following information:     
• Category
• Impact
• Probability
• Description of the risk

Mitigation Strategy