Write a short report illustrating an example of a project undertaken by a company, municipality, or non-profit organization demonstrating how this project links to the organization’s mission, vision, and values. If possible, show the numerical rationale (NPV, IRR, Payback Period) used as a rationale.
NOTE 1: I have attached an article from PM Journal, which is case study of a project to harmonize practices for the use of IV pumps at a Canadian healthcare center. Although not in the format of Assignment 1, it does contain an example of a project charter, which may be valuable as guidance for your project, and it does show how the project connects with the overarching mission of the healthcare center.
(Aubry, M., Boulay-Bolduc, M., Richer, M.-C., & Lavoie-Tremblay, M. (2018). Dealing with Uncertainty and Ambiguity in a Complex Project: The Case of Intravenous (IV) Pumps inHealthcare Center. Project Management Journal, 49(1), 110–121. )
How this will be graded:Structure, Organization, Ease of reading, Grammar: 1 Point
- Did you write this to be easy to read? For example, have you avoided huge blocks of text with no headers? Did you use (sparingly but where needed) highlighting (bold, underline, italic text)?
- Did you follow the structure of the sample Assignment 1?
- Did you follow the advice given in the lectures and From Your Instructor about the format?
- Did you follow rules of English grammar, spelling, and syntax? Did you fix errors pointed out via Word’s editing capabilities (e.g. squiggly blue or red underlined text)?
Content: 6 Points
- Did you find an interesting project? Did it come across that you yourself seemed interested in the project?
- Did you inform the reader about the project so that you could discuss it intelligently with someone else?
- Did you link the project to the organization’s mission, vision, and values?
- Did you make assertions, such as “this project was a success”, or “this project is used as an example a to how NOT to run a project”.
- Did you provide numbers – percentages, monetary amounts, resources used, etc., to make their point? In particular, did you tie into the course content regarding NPV, IRR, Payback Period as suggested?
References and resources: 1 Point
- Did you provide at least 2 references to a business journal or scholarly source to make a connection to the principles of mission, vision, values, benefits realization, charter creation, or other project, program, or portfolio concept?
Other things to consider:
- Did you add value from your own professional and/or personal experience
- Did you make appropriate use of figures and tables in an appendix? Don’t substitute quantity for quality here – one good, relevant, and meaningful small table is worth 100 randomly inserted graphs and charts.
Examples: attached files
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example1DBOWIE.pdf
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example2.pdf
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example3.pdf
Assignment 1 D. Bowie
1
Assignment 1: Developing a Cislunar Space Economy
Boston University
MET AD 642 Project Management
D. Bowie
(2018 Summer Term 1)
Assignment 1 D. Bowie
2
Abstract
On October 19th, 2018 , United Launch Alliance referred to as “ULA”, announced
their partnership with Bigelow Aerospace to launch B330, a space habitat that will
reside in the lower orbit. This paper will explain the details of the project and ULA’s
involvement. We will evaluate how the company’s overarching core values align
with the mission of this project, while simultaneously assessing the Cislunar
economy business development opportunity. The results of my research will deem
this project a good fit for the company and my recommendation will be to continue
to pursue it. However, this paper will also point out the shortcomings of human
spaceflight in history, noting key lessons learned the company must be mindful of in
order to be successful in their future endeavor.
Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2 B330 Project: Scope, Schedule, and Cost…………….………………………………………………………. 3 Mission, Vision, and Values: ULA v. B330…………………………………………………………………… 3 Cislunar Economy’s Impact and Justification………………………………………………………………. 5 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5 References:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6
Assignment 1 D. Bowie
3
B330 Project: Scope, Schedule, and Cost
As recently announced, ULA has joined forces with Bigelow Aerospace to develop a
commercial cislunar habitat that will operate as a depot in lower lunar orbit. The
project includes developing a payload with the following scope:
– Two docking systems ( aft and forward)
– Power generating capabilities
– EVA port for astronaut activity outside the spacecraft
– Deployable soft goods
The projected dimensions of the payload will be 6.7M (width) by 16.8M (length)
weighing 50,000 pounds with the ability to host 6 occupants. ULA will be
responsible for manufacturing the rocket in which B330 will be deployed on, the
services of successfully getting B330 to orbit, and ensuring the crew makes it to the
final destination safely. The project has been kicked off and the scheduled
completion date is projected to be in 2022, (Staff Writers, 2017).Because both
companies are privately held, no cost/ budget for this project was released. This
initiative will allow humans to explore space like never before, discovering the
benefits of human spaceflight, space resources, and space-based power
(Utrilla,2017).
Mission, Vision, and Values: ULA v. B330
Assignment 1 D. Bowie
4
United Launch Alliance’s mission statement states, ” Save lives. Explore the universe.
Connect the world” (ULA, 2018). Whether it’s a GPS satellite providing direction to
our armed forces actively protecting us, or a weather satellite informing
meteorologists of the next natural disaster — the world benefits from ULA’s
products and services. As a former ULA employee, I can attest to the company’s
dedication to innovation and this mission. They are visionary, aiming to “harness
the potential of space for humanity “(ULA, 2018). Although often in the shadows of
their competitor, SpaceX, ULA has numerous projects in progress that are
revolutionizing the industry. ULA Cislunar 1000, is a separate initiative to support
1000 people living and working in space is among one of the examples (Utrilla,
2017). They are also in the critical design phase for their Vulcan rocket, part of their
“ Next Generation Launch System” that will be used to launch the B330 project.
George Sowers, the former Chief Scientist and VP of Advance Programs at ULA, was
deemed the industry expert on the CisLunar economy. He envisioned a propulsion
system based on materials in which can be derived from ice mined at the polar
regions of the Moon for sustainability. Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage (ACES)
and the XEUS lander, are the deliverables of that initiative (Sowers, 2016). As you
can see, ULA has been aligning their projects to support establishing a CisLunar
economy for quite some time now. B330 is one project in a series of projects in the
program designed to develop and sustain life in space. Due to this synergy, this
project is a good project for ULA to take on. In addition, with years of 100% mission
success, ULA provides the reliability a project of this magnitude needs.
Assignment 1 D. Bowie
5
Cislunar Economy’s Impact and Justification
Although the benefits of a CisLunar economy are full of uncertainty, researchers
have reason to believe resources of interest in space are water for propellant and
consumables, metals, and platinum-group metals ( Utrilla,2017). The economy
growth is projected to be mainly through metal mining and on-orbit manufacturing.
Commercial tourism will also arise creating a whole new demand for space travel.
Furthermore, the increased interest in the CisLunar economy will increase demand
for rocket launches. In turn, the increased demand, allows ULA the opportunity to
increase their economies of scale to reduce the launch price. ULA has looked into
ride sharing that allows various stakeholders buy into a single launch, minimizing
the customer’s cost.
Conclusion
The research above concludes that the objective of this project strategically aligns
with United Launch Alliance’s mantra. After carefully evaluating the scope and
deliverables of the project I have concluded it is in ULA’s best interest to pursue this
project. It is crucial, however, to learn from mistakes of the past when it comes to
space travel. In 1986, NASA’s Challenger shuttle exploded within minutes of takeoff
due to a poor seal design, killing all seven crewmembers on board. Later in 2003,
the NASA’s Columbia shuttle exploded, resulting in another seven American
casualties. Both events were design flaws that the programs were aware of well
before each catastrophe (Mahler, 2010). The failure to learn led the teams to
Assignment 1 D. Bowie
6
continue to operate a launch under unresolved engineering issues. It is important
the project managers and program managers at both ULA and Bigelow Aerospace
consider the quadruple constraint that poses this project, and weigh quality above
all else.
References
Mahler, J. (2010). Organizational Learning at NASA: The Challenger and Columbia
Accidents.Georgetown University Press,41(1), 119-121.
doi:10.1177/13505076100410010806
Staff Writers (2017). Bigelow and ULA team up to propose a B330 Habitat in Low Lunar
Orbit. UPI Space Daily
Sowers, G. F. (2016). A cislunar transportation system fueled by lunar resources.Space
Policy,37, 103-109. doi:10.1016/j.spacepol.2016.07.004
Utrilla, C. M. (2017). Establishing a framework for studying the emerging cislunar
economy.Acta Astronautica,141, 209-218. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2017.10.005
,
ASSIGNMENT 1 Davidsen
Boston University
MET AD 642 Project Management
(Year and Term)
Assignment 1
Rationale for Little Rock, Arkansas’ new Dog Park
Leif Davidsen
ASSIGNMENT 1 Davidsen
Executive Summary
The Executive Summary is a brief paragraph to summarize the report. Imagine you’re
your reader is a busy executive who wants the ‘elevator speech’ the main idea in short form. The
idea is not to tease them into reading the paper by saying what you will provide. That’s an
abstract. We do NOT want an abstract. Think of your audience. She or he wants the bottom
line exposed right here, not a promise, that “in this paper, I will describe….” NO! They want to
know (in this specific case) a little about the project you have selected and the connection of that
project to the mission/vision/values of the organization. The length should be about the same as
this paragraph.
Contents Executive Summary ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
Description of the Little Rock XYZ Dog Park Project …………………………………………………………. 3
City of Little Rock – Mission, Vision, Values, and its connection to the Dog Park …………………. 4
Financial and Other Justification ………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
References: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
ASSIGNMENT 1 Davidsen Description of the Little Rock XYZ Dog Park Project
You would use this area to describe the project you have selected. How big was it, how
much money, time, are involved, what is the scope of the project, who are the key stakeholders
(people who CARE about the project while it is under ‘construction’ and when it’s done and
providing its benefits). This will likely be about one page of text. Below is some filler text, in a
weird form of Latin, I suppose, just to show that length. Don’t forget to use references to show
where you found the information.
Justo erant quidam ei ius, nostrud dissentiunt accommodare no duo, pri prima deserunt consequat
ex. Ex vim reque graeci delenit, cum te paulo aliquam interpretaris. Cu ius hinc simul eligendi,
eu vim tale falli nostro. His quod eirmod in. Eum meis docendi et. Mea ut ridens electram, mea
accusata consectetuer ei.
Sale atqui intellegam sea eu. Nec cu essent apeirian, summo persius offendit ex est, nec sonet
exerci epicuri id. Torquatos percipitur ex eum. Duo iusto zril cetero in. Augue postea pertinax te
mel, ei sea ponderum maiestatis.
Nominati dissentiunt in cum. Cu tale simul antiopam pro, hinc nihil duo at, copiosae euripidis
vituperata eam ex. Qui alii molestiae elaboraret ex, iudico doctus elaboraret est eu, singulis
conceptam ad pri. Dolor accusam ne eum, illud essent audire id mea. Errem choro
comprehensam vim ex. Ea nonumy intellegam eam, magna illud discere sea eu.
ASSIGNMENT 1 Davidsen Ea eam suas diam disputando, dicant quodsi id mea. Commune imperdiet quo cu, pro ei graeco
habemus alienum. Nec no quaeque mandamus similique, nam essent urbanitas temporibus ut, et
usu justo malorum adipiscing. In vis facete facilisi assueverit. Esse justo ex has.
Duo illum similique id. Eu epicurei luptatum pro. Ei velit eirmod debitis has, ut vitae mentitum
vim. Te suscipit abhorreant has, omnis praesent intellegat ut quo. Purto voluptaria id qui, sit iusto
tractatos definitiones no.
City of Little Rock – Mission, Vision, Values, and its connection to the Dog Park
Little Rock city mission
It is our mission to ensure our City is a safe, secure, and prospering place for all to live,
work, and play. (Little Rock City website).
You may elaborate a bit more here, perhaps adding one or two more paragraphs expanding on
the mission, and/or adding values and vision statements. Again, phony Latin text illustrates the
approximate length.
Sale atqui intellegam sea eu. Nec cu essent apeirian, summo persius offendit ex est, nec sonet
exerci epicuri id. Torquatos percipitur ex eum. Duo iusto zril cetero in. Augue postea pertinax te
mel, ei sea ponderum maiestatis. Sale atqui intellegam sea eu. Nec cu essent apeirian, summo
persius offendit ex est, nec sonet exerci epicuri id. Torquatos percipitur ex eum. Duo iusto zril
cetero in. Augue postea pertinax te mel, ei sea ponderum maiestatis.
ASSIGNMENT 1 Davidsen
The connection to this project
This section IS IMPORTANT. Here you would show how the project FITS INTO the mission,
vision, and values of the organization. If the organization is focused on saving lives of dogs in
kill shelters, a space-shuttle launch would not be a very-well-connected project. A project,
however, to build a website for that dog-saving effort, would be a good fit. Similarly, the
development of a new type of rocket fuel by NASA may fit well into a space-shuttle launch, but
a new website for a dog-saving organization would not. This can be short but it should be very
powerful in terms of making that connection crystal clear. Some more phony text below
illustrates an expected length for this section.
In the case of the Little Rock Dog Park, you could explain that the establishment of the dog
park would fit neatly into the “play” part of “a safe, secure, and prospering place for all to live,
work, and play”.
The length
Duo illum similique id. Eu epicurei luptatum pro. Ei velit eirmod debitis has, ut vitae mentitum
vim. Te suscipit abhorreant has, omnis praesent intellegat ut quo. Purto voluptaria id qui, sit iusto
tractatos definitiones no. (Petropoulos 2016).
Nec no quaeque mandamus similique, nam essent urbanitas temporibus ut, et usu justo malorum
adipiscing. In vis facete facilisi assueverit. Esse justo ex has.
(Moon 2017).
Financial and Other Justification
ASSIGNMENT 1 Davidsen We learn about Net Present Value and Return on Investment and other financial means to justify
(to provide a rationale for) a project. It is in this section that – if you can find it – you would put
a summary of that rationale. You don’t need to include all of the math (the calculations), but if
you find, for example, that the project was determined to have a NPV of $140,300, you can place
that info here. Include, if available, some of the basic figures and calculations. If you have lots
of tables and figures (don’t overdo it, just a few, if you want), include them in an Appendix. The
teaching team understands that not all projects have financial measures, so if you don’t have it,
just expand a bit on the meaningfulness/importance of this project to the mission/vision/values of
the organization.
Conclusion
Use this section to briefly wrap things up and tie together your thoughts. Just one
paragraph is sufficient.
NOTE TO STUDENTS: We do not expect you to have 30+ references as you see below,
only a few are required. However, this happens to be a reasonable list of potential sources
for the actual Assignment and also shows the scholarly nature of the sources that we prefer.
References:
1. Baker NR: R&D project selection models: an assessment. R&D Manag 2012,5(1):105– 111.
2. Brenner M: Practical R&D project prioritization. Res Technol Manag 1994,37(5):38– 42.
3. Bstieler L: The moderating effects of environmental uncertainty on new product development and time efficiency. J Prod Innov Manag 2005,23(3):267–284.
ASSIGNMENT 1 Davidsen
4. Cicmil S, Williams T, Thomas J, Hodgson D: Rethinking project management: researching the actuality of projects. Int J Proj Manag 2006,24(8):675–686.
10.1016/j.ijproman.2006.08.006
5. Cook WD, Green RH: Project prioritization: a resource-constrained data envelopment analysis approach. Socioecon Plann Sci 2000,34(2):85–99.
10.1016/S0038-0121(99)00020-8
6. Danneels E, Kleinschmidt EJ: Product innovativeness from the firm’s perspective. J Prod Innov Manag 2001,18(6):357–374. 10.1016/S0737-6782(01)00109-6
Appendix A: Tables and Figures
NPV of Dog Park, including intangibles quantified using formula XYZ
Project: Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Totals
Education
Required rate of return 0.15
Outflows -50,000.00 -6,966.48 -6,966.48 -6,966.48 -6,966.48 -6,966.48 -6,966.48 -6,966.48 -6,966.48 -6,966.48 -6,389.31 -69,087.63
Inflows 72,000.00 82,800.00 86,940.00 91,287.00 95,851.35 100,643.92 105,676.11 110,959.92 116,507.91 122,333.31 128,449.98 1,041,449.50
Net inflows 72,000.00 82,800.00 86,940.00 91,287.00 95,851.35 100,643.92 105,676.11 110,959.92 116,507.91 122,333.31 128,449.98 1,041,449.50
NPV 145,854.28 972,361.87
,
Boston University
MET AD642 A1 Project Management
Spring 2019
Assignment 1
Rationale for Boston University’s Data Science Center
Chevy Chance
ASSIGNMENT 1 Chance
2
Executive Summary
Boston University plans to construct a 17 story Data Science Center that will encompass
mathematics, statistics and computer sciences under one roof. This project aligns with the
university’s mission of “generating new knowledge”, “educating students to be reflective,
resourceful individuals”, and by promoting “research conducted in the service of the wider
community”. The overall goal is to increase awareness and align the university as a leading
interdisciplinary research institution for the country. This organization has a positive operating
budget suggesting it is a healthy university that can construct a new building while also
maintaining its day to day operational activities.
Contents
Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………..….. 2
Description of the BU Data Science Center Project……………………………………………… 3
Boston University’s Mission and its Connection to the Data Science Center…………………… 4
Financial and Other Justification………………………………………………………………… 5
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
References………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
ASSIGNMENT 1 Chance
3
Description of the BU Data Science Center Project
As seen in the BU Today article, “BU Proposes to Build Data Sciences Center, Aiming to
Become Leader in Booming Field”, Boston University has decided to build a 17 floor story Data
Science building to unite the mathematics, statistics and computer science departments under one
roof. The goal of combining these departments is to become the one of the “country’s leading
urban interdisciplinary research institutions.” (Most, D) As data scientist is the most attractive
occupation in the United States, Boston University wants to remain competitive in the data
research space. Almost all fields are reliant on data today and it is important to link BU’s
successful math, stats and computer science areas of study together in one building to produce
more reliant data and research.
This project will take between 24 to 28 months says the KPMB Architects who are
working on the development. One of the founding partners, Marian McKenna said the university
was looking for something “iconic” (Most, D) Boston President Robert Brown told BU Today,
“We wanted architecture that would signal to everyone that this was a special place, that this was
a special place, the center of campus…We wanted a building that in 2100 would stand up and
mark the dynamic change in the University and talk about the century we’re in.” Of the 17
floors, 1-2 will be for administrative offices, 3-5 will be home to the mathematics and statistics
department, 6-10 will be filled with the computer sciences department and the interdisciplinary
Hariri Institute will be in the top six floors.
The design focus will be on collaboration between the different disciplines of study
intended for small-group interactions in the entire building. For example, the fifth floor will
house small study rooms for students, faculty and staff as well as whiteboard walls on the entire
4
ASSIGNMENT 1 Chance wall to encourage scribbling. These whiteboard walls will turn hallway conversations into fully formed ideas.
Boston University’s Mission and its Connection to the Data Science Center
Boston University’s Mission
Boston University is an international, comprehensive, private research university,
committed to educating students to be reflective, resourceful individuals ready to live, adapt, and
lead in an interconnected world. This institution is committed to generating new knowledge to
benefit society. (Boston University’s Website)
The university remains dedicated to their founding principles:
1. Higher education should be accessible to all
2. Research, Scholarship, Artistic Creation, and Professional Practice should be
conducted in the service of the wider community – local & international.
Connection to the Data Science Center
In the case of creating a 17 floor data science building fits well into Boston University’s
mission by “generating new knowledge”, “educating students to be reflective, resourceful
individuals”, and by promoting “research conducted in the service of the wider community”.
By providing a space that incorporates 3 disciplines; mathematics, statistics and computer
science under one roof Boston University will be able to create new knowledge. This allows for
the disciplines to interact with one another and develop courses that incorporate all the
disciplines under one roof. For example, a College of Engineering professor of electrical and
computer engineering has won a 3-year $900,000 grant from the National Science Foundation
that connect the university and Boston Medical Center. The grant was awarded to the professor
5
ASSIGNMENT 1
Chance
to develop a machine that will learn algorithms and identify high risk patients of heart disease
or diabetes. (Most, D.)
Provost and chief academic officer, Jean Morrison has reported that computer science has
saw a 266% increase within at the university. (Most, D.) Also, this can be seen from non-majors
that want to include computer science on their resume as they can see the importance of
understanding the basics of computer science due to employability. The mission of Boston
University is to educate students to be “reflective, resourceful individuals to ready to live, adapt
and lead in an interconnected world” By providing courses that are interconnected under one
building in a discipline such as data analytics creates employable students. This project is
believed to be an essential driver of a changing workforce. Educating students to be a part of this
ever changing workforce is a key example of their mission.
Lastly, this project will provide research that helps the wider community. In the past two
years’ students have seen an increase in larger companies visiting the university like Facebook
and Google. (Most, D.) By creating this new building if will have larger exposer in the data
science space ensuring the university strives to uphold its mission by cultivating a data science
center creating new research that will help a larger community.
Financial and Other Justification
Boston University has seen a very large increase in Fiscal Year 2018. For example, as
seen from their 2018 financial statements they had over a $140 million net operating gain, $487
million in research awards, and the endowment came in over $2 billion which was the first time
in the university’s history. (Howard, M. J.) From Appendix A you can see their total operating
revenues came in at $2 billion whereas total operating expenses were $1.9 billion. This
6
ASSIGNMENT 1 Chance organization has a positive $100,000 in their total operating budget suggesting they are a healthy
organization that will have the ability to construct a 17 story building while maintaining their
daily operations. This project will not have a negative impact on the organization’s ability to
continue to providing a successful education to students. This project will have several positives
to the university such as leading research in the data science space, increased awareness in the
country as a leader of data science and the ability to cultivate a collaborative space for students,
faculty and staff.
Conclusion
Creating the data sciences center is a positive strategic move for Boston University.
Allowing students to gain experience in 3 distinct fields under one roof aligns with the
organizations mission of educating resourceful individuals. The students are going to be highly
employable students at many high level companies such as Wayfair, General Electric, Amazon,
Fidelity and others. (Most. D) Lastly, a strong plus for Boston University is the exposure they
will gain from adding a large 17 story building that will soon become the center of the university.
ASSIGNMENT 1 Chance
7
References
1. Most, D. (2018, October 1). BU to Build Data Sciences Center. Retrieved February 9,
2019, from http://www.bu.edu/today/2018/data-sciences-center/
2. Mission Statement » News and Information. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2019, from
http://www.bu.edu/info/about/mission-statement/
3. Howard, M. J. (n.d.). Boston University Consolidated Financial Statements. Retrieved
February 9, 2019, from http://www.bu.edu/ar/2018/img/financial-statement.pdf
ASSIGNMENT 1 Chance
8
Appendix
Appendix A
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