Task Case Study Nick Carson recently became project manager of a critical biotech enterprise at his Parkville Victoria company. The project involved creating the hardware and software for a DNA-sequencing instrument used in assembling and analysing the human genome. The biotech project was the company's largest endeavour, and it had tremendous potential for future growth and revenues. Unfortunately, there were problems managing this large project. It had been underway for three years and had already gone through three different project managers. Nick had been the lead software developer on the project before top management made him the project manager. The CEO told him to do whatever it took to deliver the first version of the software for the DNA-sequencing instrument in four months and a production version in nine months. Negotiations for a potential corporate takeover by a larger company influenced top management's sense of urgency to complete the project. Highly energetic and intelligent, Nick had the technical background to make the project a success. He delved into the technical problems and found some critical flaws that kept the DNA-sequencer from working. Nevertheless, he was having difficulty in his new role as project manager. Although Nick and his team got the product out on time, top management was upset because Nick did not focus on managing all aspects of the project. He never provided them with accurate schedules or accurate plans of what was happening on the project. Instead of performing the work of project manager, Nick had taken on the role of software integrator and trouble shooter. Nick did not understand top managements problem- he delivered the project didn't he? Didn't they realize how valuable he was? Task Based on the case study above, answer the following questions concisely (maximum 1,000 words): 1. What do you think the real problem was in this case? 2. Apart from delivering on time, explain the other important aspects of a successful project. 3. Was Nick Carson a good project manager? Give reasons for your view. 4. What could Nick have done better? 5. What should top management have done to help Nick? What is their role in the project? 6. What special project management skills do you envisage Nick required in addition to his technical skills? Your answers to these questions must be justified and supported. All assumptions must be clearly stated. All material sourced and used in answering these questions must be fully referenced in accordance with Faculty guidelines. Rationale This assessment has been designed to allow you to demonstrate your ability to: Identify the responsibilities of a project manager when participating in a real world project; Define the role of management in projects, particularly from the view point of the practitioner as a member of the project team; Apply project management skills, methods, techniques and tools to a real world problem typical of a project manager; Explain areas of knowledge relevant to project management; and Discuss the many problems facing the project manager and to note the "best practices" being utilised in order to produce effective, efficient and quality projects on time and within budget. Marking criteria Marks given will be dependent on the quality of the answers. You may consider including some of the following areas while answering questions given in the task and in the marking rubric: research with references, role of the project charter, stakeholder analysis, organizational culture, integration management, managing change, scope management, communication planning and the impact of these issues on product delivery. Along with these points overall quality of the report and proper use of references according to APA 6th edition will also be considered while assessing this assignment. Task HD (100% – 85%) DI (84% – 75%) CR (74% – 65%) PS (64% – 50%) FL (49% – 0) Identification of real problem (10 Marks) Completely identified the real problem in the case study and justified it with proper reasons. Completely identified the real problem in the case study and justified it with partial reasons. Completely identified the real problem in the case study. Partially identified the real problem in the case study. No adequate answer to the question. Reasoning on realistic scenario (10 Marks) Comprehensive reasoning of problem being realistic or not. Highly detailed reasoning of problem being realistic or not. Detailed reasoning of problem being realistic or not. Adequate reasoning of problem being realistic or not. No reasoning to the question. Analysis of Nick's management skills (10 Marks) Comprehensive analysis of Nick's project management skills. Highly detailed analysis of Nick's project management skills. Detailed analysis of Nick's project management skills. Adequate analysis of Nick's project management skills. No analysis of Nick's project management skills. Improvement / suggestions (10 Marks) Comprehensive suggestions on project management skills. Highly detailed suggestions on project management skills. Detailed suggestions on project management skills. Adequate suggestions on project management skills. No suggestions at all. Role of top management (10 Marks) Comprehensive analysis and suggestions to top management. Highly detailed analysis and suggestions to top management. Detailed analysis and suggestions to top management. Adequate analysis and some suggestions to top management. No adequate answer to the question. Recommending special project management skills (10 Marks) Comprehensive recommendations on project management skills. Highly detailed recommendations on project management skills. Detailed recommendations on project management skills. Few recommendations on project management skills. No adequate answer to the question. Requirements All referencing in the essay must be in accordance with the APA style guide. A guide to the APA style of referencing (the style now used by the Faculty of Business) is available at: http://www.csu.edu.au/division/studserv/learning/pdfs/apa.pdf