Aug 1997 PM217: Project Management (Question 2) Suggested Solutions

2.	(a) Describe two problems associated with methods and procedures used in managing complexity.		[4]
	One mark is available for each correctly named problem, and a further mark is available for each satisfactory elaboration (up to a maximum of four marks). Examples include the following:
		They add to bureaucracy and stifle creativity: the rules for checking project actions hamper progress, rather than help it.
		They interrupt the flow of creative ideas and reflect an accumulation of past experience which may no longer be relevant.

	(b) How can the phenomenon of 'simplicity through increased complexity' occur?		[2]
	One of the paradoxes of complexity is that it often the case that the price that we pay to make something look simple is increased complexity - this is commonly seen in software applications.		[1]
	If a routine is to be included in a user-friendly application that any computer-illiterate person might employ, it may be the case that hundreds or perhaps thousands of lines of code will have to be written to create features such as pull-down menus, data entry forms, help functions, mouse capabilities, etc.		[1]

	(c) How can complexity be related to change?		[4]
	The rapid change we face in today's world contributes measurably to complexity.		[1]
	One mark should be awarded for each specific point listed below. Change contributes to complexity by:
		creating moving targets: This is seen clearly in attempts to define needs and requirements; even as we think we finally understand the customer's needs, they are still changing.
		leading to an increase in the volume of information that must be dealt with.
		leading the options which we faced with.

	(d) Describe five sources of change in project management.		[10]
	One mark should be awarded for each correctly named source, and a further mark should be awarded for each satisfactory elaboration (up to a maximum of ten marks). Examples include the following:
		Changing players: Companies and government agencies are constantly adjusting their organization charts in an attempt to develop a formula that will enable them to function effectively. A significant problem with this juggling of players is the shifting of priorities that in engenders.
		Budgetary instability: Increases in global competition put enormous pressure on companies to watch their spending. Consequently, project workers in private companies often find that the budgets they were promised have been cut back.
		Changing technology: In an era when the life expectancy of new technology is extremely short, any project that has a time span of greater than six months must grapple with changing technology.
		Changing competitive environment: In a competitive world, the actions of competitors can have a large impact on how a company works. For example, resources which were previously dedicated to long-term goals may be used for short-term responses to actions of a competitor.
		People changing their minds: As a project evolves, customers, managers and technical staff will all alter their views of what they need and want. At the earliest stages of a project, their vision of the deliverable becomes more tangible and people see what they are likely to get, they tend to ask for change.
		Changing macroeconomic forces: Changing macroeconomic forces create enormous pressure for change on projects. For example, a sudden surge of inflation can invalidate cost estimates for projects.