Project Management Assignment: Cases, Quasi-Projects, and Analysis

This assignment analyzes project management concepts through case studies, focusing on the differences between project work and operational activities. The solution begins by identifying the project nature of the tasks described in the cases, highlighting key attributes such as long duration, the presence of a project manager and team, significant capital outlays, and defined goals. The assignment then compares the case studies to cereal production, drawing parallels in budgeting, human involvement, and goal setting. Finally, the document explains the concept of quasi-projects, using China's debt trap strategy in African and Latin American countries as an example, illustrating the lack of specific activities, budgets, and deadlines that characterize such projects. The assignment concludes with a list of references used in the analysis.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT 1
Project management
Name of student
Name of institution
Name of instructor
Date

PROJECT MANAGEMENT 2
Question 1
The cases describe project activities due to the nature of the tasks undertaken. The
various differences between projects and operational activities assist in determining the
project nature of the tasks. The following attributes identify the activities as projects:
 The activities require a long period of time to achieve, which stands out as a characteristic of
a project. The operational activities differ from projects due to the consumption of a short
period. For example, Handstar’s software could consume 1250 hours while the E-collar
project could consume up to 80 hours (Olsen, 2018).
 The case studies also involve the selection of a project manager and team. The manager and
team have the responsibility of ensuring the maintenance of the project scope. Additionally,
the persons ensure the successful implementation of the project tasks to ensure success. For
example, The Quantum bank identifies two final candidates to manage the project. The
persons include Bill Fence and Andy Dover. The bank also comes up with a group of persons
to work on the project effectively (Boyer, 2018).
 The case studies also involve huge capital outlays, which proves further that the activities
rank as projects (Boyer, 2018). Only projects undertake huge budgets from a company due to
the many activities involved. For example, the Handstar project could consume 52$ per hour
for 2500 hours for a period of three years.
 Additionally, the case studies identify goals that the activities should achieve. The goals show
align to products due to the long-term nature. The companies have to ensure the completion
of the activities to reap the expected benefits (Suzanne de Treville, 2018). For example,
Handstar Company expects to experience increased sales, Quantum bank intends to enhance
customer satisfaction while E-Collar wishes to increase the sales units.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT 3
Question 2
The case study activities compare with the production of cereals in various ways.
 The availability of a budget for the activities causes the similarity to the production of
cereals. The cereals also require a budget for the purchase of inputs, payment of wages and
repairs to the machinery (Juneja, 2018).
 Additionally, the activities in the case study and cereal production have the similarity of
involving people. The people take up various activities such as monitoring the success of
activities and providing the know-how. For example, in cereal production, human beings
provide labor and experience to ensure that the final products meet the customer quality
expectations. Furthermore, in the case studies, the activities also involve people in terms of
project managers and project team members (Rebecca Stekelorum, 2018).
 On the other hand, the activities in the case study have a similarity to cereal production due to
the setting of goals. Cereal producing companies usually set the goals of producing high-
quality products that meet customer expectations. The same happens with the projects such as
in the case study. The projects have set various goals in the market that includes increasing
sales and increasing customer satisfaction (Olsen, 2018).
The above similarities prove that the activities in the case study compare to cereal production.
Question 3
Quasi projects include activities with the following characteristics:
 Lack of a specific activity, which means that the projects do not identify specific tasks for the
team.
 Additionally, the projects lack a specific budget in terms of finances. Therefore, the activities
consume an amount of money that team members cannot predict. The planners do not prepare

PROJECT MANAGEMENT 4
a budget for the activities and just let activities continue without a pre-determined financial
allocation (Suzanne de Treville, 2018).
 The other characteristic includes lack of a specific deadline for the activities. The planners
fail to give the start time and end dates of the various activities undertaken in the project.
Additionally, the project team does not assign durations for the activities in the project
(Boyer, 2018).
An example of a Quasi-Project
The China debt trap strategy poses the best situation of quasi-projects. China lures most
African and Latin American countries to a sense of security to borrow loans for projects with
the belief of future ability to repay (Rowley, 2019). The countries tend to invest a lot of
borrowed money to develop infrastructures such as roads and ports. The borrowing countries
do not set a budget for the infrastructure due to the ability to borrow money in times of
shortages. Additionally, the projects lack a defined timeline. At last, China takes over the
projects when the countries can no longer repay the loans (Rowley, 2019).

PROJECT MANAGEMENT 5
References
Boyer, S. (2018). 8 Top Project Management Methods, Approaches, Techniques. Retrieved
May 25, 2018, from https://www.nutcache.com
Juneja, P. (2018). What is Project Risk? Retrieved May 26, 2018, from
https://www.managementstudyguide.com/project-schedule.
Olsen, E. (2018). Strategic Implementation. Retrieved from On Strategy Website:
https://www.onstrategyhq.com
Rebecca Stekelorum, I. L. (2018). Extending CSR in SME's Upstream Supply Chains: A
Dynamic Capabilities Perspective. Taylor and Francis Journal, 24(10). Retrieved
from http://www.tandfonline.com
Rowley, A. (2019, Jan 21). China's Belt and Road Initiative May Have its Flaws, But Some
Critics are Taking it Far. Retrieved from South China Morning Post:
https://www.scmp.com/business/money/article/2182789/chinas-belt-and-road-
initiative-may-have-its-flaws-some-critics-are
Suzanne de Treville, T. B. (2018). Journal of Operations Management. Elsevier, 61(1).
Retrieved from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/523929/
description#description