Name?

PM3110
Mr. ?

[UNIT 1 ASSIGNMENT 1: THE

NEED FOR PROJECT
MANAGEMENT]

Name?
PM3110
15 Dec 2013

Unit 1 Assignment 1:
The Need for Project Management
As times have changed so have business practices, whether it is producing new software,
some form of construction, or scientific discovery or even planning a World Wide Event Project
Management has become the tool most utilized. It is used in both the private and public sectors
to help improve internal operations, respond rapidly to external opportunities, achieve
technological breakthroughs, streamline new product development, and more robustly manage
the challenges arising from their business environment (Pinto, Project Management Achieving
Competitive Advantage, 2010). The primary reason that project management is such a challenge
for most organizations is because the organization must overcome using practices that are fixed,
rigid, and operate under one standard method of execution. The reason that it is difficult for
organizations to change over to a project management style is because they must cross functional
and organizational boundaries while trying to meet time, budget, functionality, and customer
satisfaction constraints (Pinto, 2010).
The best example of an unsuccessful project that I could think of is the Harmon Hotel
Project and for the successful example, the Hoover Dam Bypass Project. What really
distinguishes these two projects is the fact that only one of them was successful and was done
correctly from the beginning. The Harmon Hotel was one of many projects taken on by the
Perini Building Company for the CityCenter area of Las Vegas at the same time; they seemed to
overload their plate with projects and could not manage them all which caused them to take
short-cuts. The outcome of this ultimately resulted in delays that lead to the final cancellation of
the project all together. This showed lack of planning, and communication between all of the
contractors that worked on the project (Way, MySmartPlans: White Paper 2011, 2011) (Way,

Name?
PM3110
15 Dec 2013
Deconstructing a $1 Billion Disaster, 2011). The Hoover Dam Bypass Project was a completely
different story, this project identified as a needed necessary in the 1960s and the Project
Management Team had been formed since the 1980s and every aspect of the project was
meticulously weighted. This project actually was completed on schedule and within budget; the
estimate was for $240 million and started in 2001 and was completed and opened as expected in
the Fall of 2010. This project had something that the other project didnt, communication
between all the stakeholders, which lead to a successful result of the project (CFLHD & HDR,
Inc., 2012) .
It is because of the strong
cooperation among our stakeholders
that we can now begin this landmark
portion of the project constructing
the Colorado River Bridge and
completing the final link in the
Hoover Dam Bypass Project.
Dave Zanetell, Project Manager
Federal Highway Administration

(Zanetell, 2004)

Image of Failure
(Harmon Hotel Tower)

Name?
PM3110
15 Dec 2013

Picture of Success
(Hoover Dam Bypass)
References
Works Cited
CFLHD & HDR, Inc. (2012, May 14). The Hoover Dam
Bypass Project. Retrieved Dec 15, 2013, from Hoover Dam Bypass.org:
http://www.hooverdambypass.org/
Pinto, J. K. (2010). Project Management Achieving Competitive Advantage (Second
Edition ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc. Retrieved Dec 15,
2013
Pinto, J. K. (2010). Project Management Achieving Competitve Advantage (Second
Edition ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc. Retrieved Dec 15,
2013
Way, A. (2011, Jun 01). Deconstructing a $1 Billion Disaster. Retrieved Dec 15, 2013,
from Project Perfect.com: http://www.projectperfect.com.au/white-paperdeconstructing-a-one-billion-disaster.php
Way, A. (2011, Apr 13). MySmartPlans: White Paper 2011. Retrieved Dec 15, 2013,
from My Smart Plans Web Site:

Name?
PM3110
15 Dec 2013
http://mysmartplans.com/images/stories/Deconstruction_a_Billion_Dollar_Disa
ster_-_Case_Study_1.pdf
Zanetell, D. (2004, Jun 12). Hoover Dam Bypass Update. Retrieved Dec 15, 2013,
from Hoover Dam Bypass.org:
http://www.hooverdambypass.org/News_Letters/june04_12.pdf