MBA 6951, Managing Complex Projects 1 Course Learning Outcomes for Unit II Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to: 1. Examine the roles and responsibilities of a project manager. 1.1 Explain a project proposal that includes the project scope, schedule, and ultimate deliverables that will be executed by a project manager. 2. Analyze the elements of measures of performance in the context of the triple constraints. 2.1 Explain a project proposal that includes risks in the context of the triple constraints. 2.2 Explain a project proposal that includes deliverables through measures of performance. 3. Determine the scope of a project. 3.1 Determine a project proposal that provides an overview of the scope of a project. Course/Unit Learning Outcomes Learning Activity 1.1 Unit Lesson Chapter 5: Management Functions, pp. 145-170 Chapter 7: Conflicts, pp. 237-246 Unit II Assignment 2.1 Unit Lesson Chapter 5: Management Functions, pp. 145-170 Chapter 7: Conflicts, pp. 237-246 Unit II Assignment 2.2 Unit Lesson Chapter 5: Management Functions, pp. 145-170 Chapter 7: Conflicts, pp. 237-246 Unit II Assignment 3.1 Unit Lesson Chapter 5: Management Functions, pp. 145-170 Unit II Assignment Reading Assignment Chapter 5: Management Functions, pp. 145–170 Chapter 7: Conflicts, pp. 237–246 Unit Lesson Management responsibilities involve the planning, organizing, staffing, controlling, and directing of people and activities that will ultimately achieve the objectives parlayed within the organizational goals. Controlling is actually a measurement function, which allows for evaluation and ultimate corrections that lead to ongoing improvement and innovation within the organization. Directing suggests that the leader is actually implementing the plans and involves several steps. The interactive slide below explains the different steps in directing by the leader: Click here to access the interactive slide. Click here to access the interactive slide transcript. UNIT II STUDY GUIDE Managing Projects https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-77177349_1 https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-77175396_1 MBA 6951, Managing Complex Projects 2 UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title Once this structure has been established, managers must journey through the concepts of power, authority, and responsibility. The ideal situation is that a project manager would have both the responsibility and authority to complete the task, but many times, they have the authority but not necessarily the formal power. This creates a void in their effectiveness unless they can utilize other influences such as those indicated in the interactive slide below. The interactive slide below explains the different types of rewards and examples. Click here to access the interactive slide. Click here to access the interactive slide transcript. Another important ar.

1. MBA 6951, Managing Complex Projects 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit II
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Examine the roles and responsibilities of a project manager.
1.1 Explain a project proposal that includes the project scope,
schedule, and ultimate deliverables
that will be executed by a project manager.
2. Analyze the elements of measures of performance in the
context of the triple constraints.
2.1 Explain a project proposal that includes risks in the context
of the triple constraints.
2.2 Explain a project proposal that includes deliverables
through measures of performance.
3. Determine the scope of a project.
3.1 Determine a project proposal that provides an overview of
the scope of a project.
Course/Unit
Learning Outcomes

2. Learning Activity
1.1
Unit Lesson
Chapter 5: Management Functions, pp. 145-170
Chapter 7: Conflicts, pp. 237-246
Unit II Assignment
2.1
Unit Lesson
Chapter 5: Management Functions, pp. 145-170
Chapter 7: Conflicts, pp. 237-246
Unit II Assignment
2.2
Unit Lesson
Chapter 5: Management Functions, pp. 145-170
Chapter 7: Conflicts, pp. 237-246
Unit II Assignment
3.1
Unit Lesson
Chapter 5: Management Functions, pp. 145-170
Unit II Assignment
Reading Assignment
Chapter 5: Management Functions, pp. 145–170
Chapter 7: Conflicts, pp. 237–246

3. Unit Lesson
Management responsibilities involve the planning, organizing,
staffing, controlling, and directing of people and
activities that will ultimately achieve the objectives parlayed
within the organizational goals. Controlling is
actually a measurement function, which allows for evaluation
and ultimate corrections that lead to ongoing
improvement and innovation within the organization. Directing
suggests that the leader is actually
implementing the plans and involves several steps.
The interactive slide below explains the different steps in
directing by the leader:
Click here to access the interactive slide.
Click here to access the interactive slide transcript.
UNIT II STUDY GUIDE
Managing Projects
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-
77177349_1
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-
77175396_1
MBA 6951, Managing Complex Projects 2
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

4. Title
Once this structure has been established, managers must journey
through the concepts of power, authority,
and responsibility. The ideal situation is that a project manager
would have both the responsibility and
authority to complete the task, but many times, they have the
authority but not necessarily the formal power.
This creates a void in their effectiveness unless they can utilize
other influences such as those indicated in
the interactive slide below.
The interactive slide below explains the different types of
rewards and examples.
Click here to access the interactive slide.
Click here to access the interactive slide transcript.
Another important area involved with the management of
projects is that of conflict management. It is
important to understand that as long as we are dealing with
human beings with differing personalities, values,
and objectives, conflict will occur. As a manager, understanding
conflict and managing it toward an
acceptable resolution with all parties involved is crucial. More
often than not, conflicts arise because of a lack
of resources whether it be staffing, equipment, capital
expenditures, and/or equipment. The second most
common theme is differences in priorities through scheduling.
Finally, simple personality differences can
create conflict. A variety of different resolution processes tend
to be used beginning with a company-wide
policy on how these resolutions will be solved or what
processes will be developed specifically for this project.

5. In addition, elevation of the conflict within the hierarchical
chain is another method of resolution. At the end of
the day, conflict resolution is established through collaboration,
compromise, and accommodation.
Collaboration is accomplished through the communication and
discussion amongst team members,
compromise is where all members of the team contribute and
give up something, and, finally, accommodation
is where the emotions in the situation are smoothed over.
Encouraging team members to focus on the end goal and final
objective, which is the completion of the project, is a key factor
in
successfully managing through conflict.
One of the first steps in the project management process is the
development of the project proposal that is created by a
contractor
for the client (company). This unit’s assignment will provide
you with
the opportunity to complete a project proposal for a fictional
project.
A proposal can be defined as a document that outlines how the
team will approach the project including a schedule,
deliverables,
and budget. From the perspective of the company (client)
reviewing
the proposal, the proposal should accomplish the objectives
listed
below.
erstanding of exactly what the company is
looking for.

6. will provide the greatest value to the
company.
identified by the company and accomplish this
within the timeframe and budget.
Contractors look to understand these objectives as they compile
project proposals for their prospective
clients. Project proposals take a great deal of thought and detail,
some of which includes identification of the
problem, vision, benefits of the project, deliverables, and
success criteria. Look at the following video, which
provides an overview on how to write a project proposal. Click
the link below to view the video.
Project Management Videos. (2014, May 19). Project proposal
writing: How to write a winning project
proposal [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsGBuu88WE0
Click here to access the transcript of the video above.
As a contractor compiles this project proposal, the first step
consists of the statement of the customer’s
needs. The contractor needs to understand fully the customer’s
problem and needs to communicate that
understanding to the client. This can be accomplished through a
discussion of what is currently going on
within the client’s business, industry, and competition.
Utilization of flowcharts or other visuals demonstrating
the problem/bottleneck within the organization is a good
strategy. Researching and presenting competitor

7. Woman in a business setting
(Wilson, 2010)
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-
77177353_1
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-
77175399_1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsGBuu88WE0
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-
77175523_1
MBA 6951, Managing Complex Projects 3
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
strategies as well as an industry analysis are other strategic
tactics. Assumptions need to be addressed
through a brief explanation in an assumptions section. This
section reflects all assumptions within the
parameters of the project. This can include economic
assumptions, budgetary considerations, and
scheduling. This is important as it establishes client
expectations and is critical when conducting
measurement and evaluations later in the project.
The project scope section is a detailed explanation of how the
project will be conducted and the proposed

8. solution. For instance, if research will be conducted, a
contractor would describe the collection, evaluation,
and analysis process. If analysis of solutions is necessary, a
description of how the contractor would analyze
and compare the different solutions toward recommendation.
Through this explanation, it is important to
rationalize the method(s) being used in order to communicate to
the client that this process is in his or her
best interest. At the end of the day, this section describes how
you will accomplish the project and why your
solution is the best for the client.
The deliverables section explains the major tasks as well as an
analysis of the measures of performance.
Clients are looking for an organized, realistic approach to their
project completion. Details and explanations
are important within this section.
The resources section should identify all resources necessary to
complete the project. This includes both
those provided by the contractor as well as those provided by
the client. In some cases, specific equipment
might be necessary in order to complete the project. The
contractor needs to communicate to the client that
they have acquired access to the equipment necessary to
complete the project.
The schedule provides the client with an understanding of
exactly when the different components of the
project will be completed. In many cases, these are negotiated
dates. Quite frequently, a Gantt chart is used
as a visual tool to communicate dates and the scheduled flow of
the process (see suggested readings).
The price section provides a detailed itemization of the costs
associated with the project. The objective of this

9. section is to convince the client that the contractor’s prices are
realistic, reasonable, and reflect the best value
for their dollar. Items that should be included are labor,
materials, equipment, facilities,
subcontractors/consultants, travel, overhead, escalation for
projects taking several years, and the fees to be
taken by the contractor.
The risks section identifies the risks associated with the
completion of the project. For instance, the contractor
might have concerns about certain risks that could affect the
project and/or client’s company. This section
should include an explanation of these risks and the rationale
for continuing with this project in spite of these
risks. An analysis of the measures of performance through a
look at the context of triple constraint should also
be included in this section. While this section may cause
concern to the client, it projects an image that the
contractor understands the business, industry, and the project
and would like to avoid surprises.
The final section is the expected benefits section that describes
the benefits that the client will receive as this
project is completed. In a sense, this section serves the purpose
of convincing the client that this project
should be completed and this particular contractor is the best
one for the job. Additionally, measures of
performance should be included, which will provide additional
reassurance to the client, as they understand
the level of performance to be expected. This section should
conclude on a positive note with a marketing
tone throughout.
The client’s request for proposal (RFP) will typically include
dates on when the proposals should be submitted
and the contact information to be included. Once the client has

10. received all of the proposals, the evaluation
process is varied. Some clients do an initial evaluation based on
prices while others use a scorecard type of
system to evaluate. Sometimes, the client will come back with a
request for the best and final offer (BAFO),
which usually means that the contractor is one of the top ones
considered and the client is asking for any
potential price breaks that might be offered. Once the client has
selected a contractor, a contract is compiled.
This represents an agreement between the contract and client
communicating the deliverables, schedule, and
pricing. While the process seems arduous, it is a systematic and
industry-accepted approach to
communicating how complicated projects will be completed.
Reference
MBA 6951, Managing Complex Projects 4
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Wilson, S. (2010). Business woman [Image]. Retrieved from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/14387367072
Suggested Reading

11. Although not required, this textbook reading below covers the
role of communication within leadership and
problem-solving. Techniques such as active listening are
covered.
Chapter 6: Communications Management
Reading the textbook chapter below will give you insight on
unique topics such as partnerships, rewards, and
virtual teams.
Chapter 8: Special topics
In order to access the following resources, click the links
below:
The video below includes step-by-step procedures for creating a
Gantt chart.
Doug H. (2011). Create a basic Gantt Chart in Excel [Video
file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjxL_hQn5w0
Click here to access the transcript of the video above.
The resource below shows steps toward building a Gantt chart
within Excel. Gantt charts will be covered in
more detail within Unit III.
Esposito, E. (2013, July 8). How to create a Gantt chart in Excel
[Blog post]. Retrieved from
https://www.smartsheet.com/blog/gantt-chart-excel

12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjxL_hQn5w0
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-
77175507_1
https://www.smartsheet.com/blog/gantt-chart-excel