Based on literature analyzing the case study such as Kerzner (2009), Shaverin (2012) and Calleam Consulting Ltd.

(2008) it would be possible to establish a pertinent assumption as a background from where I, acting as project manager at Boeing Airport Equipment Automated Systems, Inc. (BAE) responsible for the installation of the baggage handling system (BHS) at the Denver International Airport (DIA), would produce recommendations to BAE management about handling the change requests made by the airlines. Having said that, the assumptions would be that I was not involved in the scoping and planning processes where BAE had made it a condition that no changes would be mad e, and committed to deliver the complete system under a fixed scope, schedule and bud get arrangement (Calleam Consulting Ltd., 2008) ; and that I was brought as project manager after the airlines started making requests for changes. Having the above-mentioned in mind, these are my recommendations as per PMIs PMBOK Guide on how to intervene and manage change requests for the case study: Outline of a four-step process intervention management strategy (Wysocki, 2009) recommended to be implemented in order to manage change requests 1. Analyze current situation a. Identify and document all relevant project stakeholders (including those that were left outside of the process), and establish a solid communications management plan. 2. Revise desired goal a. Arrange for structured, strategy-oriented meetings between all the project stakeholders and the BAE management in order to collect change requests. 3. Evaluate options a. Establish a formal change control board, involving all the project stakeholders, the project management team and even experts to process and evaluate all change requests through an integrated change control system. 4. Generate revised plan a. For those changes that have been approved, manage the integrity of the project baseline (cost, schedule and scope) and control the impact of the changes across the project. Analyze current situation Recommendation In order to ensure timely and appropriate generation, collection, distribution, storage, retrieval, and ultimate disposition of project information (PMBOK, 2008, p.414), the processes of the project communications management must be enforced across the project. As per the case study and relevant literature, the process of identifying all project stakeholders left outside the airlines, although they were key stakeholders in the system. Expected results The goal is to effectively manage stakeholders expectations, by way of communicating, reporting and working together to address their needs (not wants) in view of the current state of their requests. Similar to what was proven successful for the Alcan Alma Plant case study, in order to improve communication and strengthen cooperation between stakeholders, the project team could prepare a three dimensional model of the completed project for reference by the designers, contractors and other stakeholders; (in order to) help everyone involved in the project understand how each activity would contribute to the final product (Anon, n.d.). Revise desired goal Recommendation It is key that the integration management processes be implemented throughout the project; therefore, given that change requests would happen inevitably in such complex project, it should be established an integrated change control system in the form of a Perform Integrated Change Control process, which is a high-level process performed by executing more specific processes, such as cost control, schedule control, and scope control (Sanghera, 2010, p.305). Expected results It is important to note that although BAE had made it a condition that no changes would be made, the project team must acknowledge the weight of such important stakeholders and revise that decision. By way of identifying and classifying the change requests, it should be possible to evaluate whether these could be

integrated to the project management plan, what would be the impact on the triple constraint of scope, time and budget, and what would be the best way to accommodate these changes with the work already completed. A list of change requests and their classification and analysis would be the goal of this step. Evaluate options Recommendation It is clear that the scoping process of the project failed to ensure that the required work (and only the required work) is performed to complete the project successfully (Sanghera, 2010, p.79). Through the established change control board (CCB), change requested should be analyzed and their impact on the project scope thoroughly discussed, even more considering that s ome of the changes made required significant redesign of portions of work already completed (Calleam Consulting Ltd., 2008). The decision to accept or reject these changes should be based on the integrity of the project objectives, on the availability of the contingency reserve allocated in terms of budget, resources and schedule, and finally on the pre-existing contracts with third-party providers. Expected results In the context of an already troubled project, accepting these changes raises new challenges. The CCB would have to tightly analyze and negotiate with the stakeholders every change request against the existing project management plan baseline. Once there is an agreed list of possible changes that the project could accommodate, the stakeholders and the project team would have to prioritize these changes based on their business value, then conduct a SWOT analysis on these prioritized changes, and finally define whether the PMLC in place would be appropriate for the new requirements of the project (Wysocki, 2009). A list of approved change requests would be the goal of this step. Generate revised plan Recommendation Once change requests have been processed through the integrated change control system, those that have been approved would have to be incorporated to the baseline of the project management plan. To successfully do so, a project integration management processes would have to unify, consolidate, articulate, and integrate actions that are crucial to project completion, successfully managing stakeholder expectations, and meeting requirements (PMBOK, 2008, p.411). Additionally, the new objectives would bring unforeseen risk to the project management plan, therefore a new planning session and strategy would have to take place. For such complex project, similar to what was implemented in the Bogue Generation Expansion Project case study where milestones were developed at the outset using Primavera software, in addition to over 600 scheduled activities and a 3-week look-ahead technique (Anon, n.d.), it is clear that the project team should heavily rely on a project management software. Expected results The sequencing of activities, followed by estimates in resources and schedule would have to be introduced to the new project management plan baseline; which before being implemented, would have to get management acceptance and the project management teams sk ills and competencies are correctly aligned with the revised project plan (Wysocki, 2009, p.650). If done correctly, the goal of this phase would be to have a project management plan in place that describes how would the stakeholders expectations be mana ged, and that tightly manages the integrity of the scope, schedule and costs baselines.

Though fortunately I have not had to manage a project through such dramatic changes, I usually had to handle clients change requests after the planning phase was completed. In the outsourcing industry, a service provider company such as mine has to be able to adapt and at the same time generate trust on the client that those changes would be thoroughly analyzed and would make to the project. More often than not, these change requests and the change control processes would last a few hours. For example, when starting up a 200-seats contact center campaign for a mobile telecommunications company, and once the project was moving forward according to the baseline, the client decided to change the scope of the project by bringing new markets to the campaign, therefore an additional 60 employees would have to be hired. Moreover, the whole campaign would have a definite start date, because of a contract being cancelled with a different service provider. This was a great business opportunity for our company, however, it implied that the current project management plan baseline would have to be revised completely given that all of the three constraint would be affected. To avoid having to do that, our project team developed a sub-project to handle the additional scope, which included an

aggressive schedule compression plan to meet the agreed launch date. By establishing an aggressive integration management team, we were able to manage and control both projects while at the same time meeting the clients expectations of a flawless transition of their business.

Reference List Anon (n.d.) BPR-Bechtel plans and constructs a potlining center on time and under budget [Online] Project Management Institute, Inc. Available from: http://www.pmi.org/~/media/PDF/Case%20Study/Alma%20Potlining%20Center%20Project%20ESB.ashx (Accessed: 21 September 2012). Anon (n.d.) Bogue generation expansion project: project management helps overcome challenges to provide a reliable power source [Online] Project Management Institute, Inc. Available from: http://www.pmi.org/~/media/PDF/Case%20Study/Bogue%20Generation%20Expansion%20Project%20ESB.ash x (Accessed: 21 September 2012). Calleam Consulting Ltd. (2008) Case Study Denver International Airport Baggage Handling System An illustration of ineffectual decision making [Online] Available from: http://calleam.com/WTPF/wpcontent/uploads/articles/DIABaggage.pdf (Accessed: 21 September 2012). Kerzner, H. (2009). Project Management Case Studies. 3rd ed. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing. Project Management Institute Inc. (2008) A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK th Guide). 4 ed. Pennsylvania: Project Management Institute Inc. Sanghera, P. (2010) PMP Exam In Depth, Second Edition: Project Management Professional Study Guide for the PMP Exam. 2nd ed. Boston: Course Technology/Cengage Learning. Shaverin, M. (2012) Case Study - Background Information, Week 3 Forum, Execution and Control with Risk.20120906.202 [Online] 18 September 2012. Available from: https://elearning.uol.ohecampus.com (Accessed: 21 September 2012) Wysocki, R.K. (2009) Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme. 5th ed. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing.