Respond to the following questions and provide at least two feedback to other students: 

1st discussion:

1. Describe a possible imbalance between a project manager’s authority and responsibility. What impact might it have on a project?

2. Describe, in your own words, what you believe are the four most important characteristics of high-performing project teams. Tell why you believe each is so critical, explain how they are related to each other, and give at least two specific suggestions for each.

3. Give an example of a time you have used push, pull, and interactive communication methods. Why did you choose the method you did based on the circumstances?

2 discussion:

1. You are the project manager in charge of expanding a popular restaurant. How could you use voice of the customer (VOC) techniques to gain insight into your stakeholders?

2. You are the project manager assigned to build and decorate a model home. What might be an example of a lead you encounter when scheduling work activities? A lag?

3rd discussion:

1. Describe a potential timing issue that can occur early in a project and a potential timing issue that can occur at the end of a project. How would you address each of these issues in your project?

2. Describe a few normal causes and special causes of variation on a project you have worked on. How did you address these variations?

4th discussion:

1. Describe trade-offs that may need to be made among project stakeholders’ priorities. How would you address these trade-offs as a project manager?

2. List and describe at least three common quantitative risk analysis techniques. Under what circumstances would you find each one useful?

5th discussion:

1. Describe the process of achieving stakeholder satisfaction. How would you address a situation in which two stakeholders have mutually exclusive goals for the project?

2. Discuss the costs of conformance versus nonconformance and how they both factor into the overall cost of quality. What percent of your budget would you put toward conformance-related tasks compared to nonconformance-related tasks? Why?

6th discussion:

1. Your company is hoping to outsource some of its work constructing a new development of condominiums. What would you use as selection criteria to narrow down your list of potential sellers?

2. You are the project manager in charge of renovating a large apartment building, and your team has decided to outsource the installation of a new septic system. Do you put out an RFQ or RFP to interested contractors? Why?

7th discussion:

1. In your opinion, under what conditions should the sponsor approve a project change, and when is it okay for the project manager to authorize a change? Give an example of each?

2. A project manager is in the finishing stage of her project. It is apparent that one of the project’s deliverables will not be completed before the project is wrapped up. What options does the project manager have for this uncompleted deliverable?