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THE UNIVERSITY

OF THE WEST INDIES

EXAMINATIONS

OF APRILIMA Y 2012 Paper:

Code and Name of Course: PRMG6002: Project Management Information Systems 1l . A Date and Time: N.Q......E:l(.fi..e.....s (dI.Oj
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02-

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Duration: 2 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES:

This paper has 3 pages and 4 questions.

Answer ALL Questions

The University of the West Indies

Course Code PRMG6002

APRILIMAY 2012

Page 2

Questiori # 1 \. "There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain to success than to take a lead in the introduction of a new order of things, because the innovation has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. (Machiaevelli in The Prince). a. List and describe five (5) .business drivers which contribute to the changing business Environment.
[10 Marks]

b. Project Management is one of the many tools that organizations use to respond to the changing business environment.

i. Name and describe one type of information system used at each organizational level.

[8 Marks]

ii. Describe seven (7) characteristics of information which makes it valuable for decision making in organizations. [7 Marks] Question #2 In considering the development and implementation of a Project Management Information System, one must take into consideration the type (size) of the project, available technologies, information needs and the project management process.'
I

a: Describe the traditional project life cycle (PLC), while specifying the informational outputs at each phase of the PLC. [8 Marks] b. Differentiate between the three (3) types of projects, their informational needs and the requirements which each may need from project management software. [6 Marks]
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c. Microsoft Project is one of many specialized Project Management Software available to the project manager. Explain why it is possible to use this software for the three (3) types of projects. [6 Marks]
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d. Describe a type of software which can be used to support brainstorming meetings of project teams, while giving seamless integration with Microsoft Project. [5 Marks]

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nfthe West Indies

CourseCode PRMG6002

APRlLIMAY

2012

Page 3

Question #3 The PMIS-2012 Company has offices in Guyana, Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica. The Company has just received a project for the development of a poverty reduction program for the entire Caribbean "region. Given the scope of the project, the executives of PMIS-2012 have decided that they need to utilize resources from all their offices. As part of this project, you have been hired --as a Project Officer and assigned to this project. To minimize tlie overheads associated with this-project, PMIS2012 has decided to establish virtual teams, but they are a bit concerned.
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a. Write to the Executive Manager ofPMIS-2012, explaining the concept of a virtual team, giving the _ advantages and disadvantages, while advising on the way forward. [10 Marks]
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b.

Describe two (2) types of technologies which can be utilized by the virtual teams for (i) developing documents and (ii) communicating with each other and stakeholders. Give advantages and disadvantages of each. [10 Marks]

b. Describe how Microsoft Project can be used by PMIS-2012 to ensure that the organizational resources are properly utilized during the execution of this project. [5 marks]

Question #4 In 1983 the D.S. Army described communication as the exchange and flow of information and ideas from one person to another; it involves a sender transmitting an idea, information, or feeling to a receiver. In 2008 Mistry, Jaggers et. al. stated that effective communication. occurs only if the receiver understands the exact information or idea that the sender intended to transmit. Many of the problems that occur in an organization are either the direct result of people failing to communicate and/or processes, which leads to confusion and can cause good plans to fail. a.
b.

Describe the Communication Process, identifying and describing each of the elements. List and describe five (5) barriers of communication.

[5 marks] [5 Marks]

c.

When new team members are recruited, integrating them and communicating with them may be a problem, why is this? [5 Marks] . How can Microsoft Project be used to ensure that team meetings are focused only on the items which are important to the team? [5 Marks] Describe how you would use a Gantt Chart to give visual indications of team responsibilities when communicating a project plan in Microsoft Project. [5 Marks]

d.

e.

END OF PAPER
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of

the West Indies

Course Code PRMG6002

APRILIMA Y 2012