Everyone has been involved in projects. What is the largest project you have been involved
in? (You do not have to have been the project manager, but could have played another
role.) a. Write one sentence that describes the objective of the project. b. Describe
specifically how this project meets the definition of a project used in this textbook. (How is
it unique? What were the time constraints? If it is over, how did you know it was over? If it
is ongoing, how will you know when it is over? c. What was your role? Were you the
project manager, a volunteer, some other role? If you were not the project manager, who
was? d. Was the project part of a larger portfolio or program of projects? e. Who else was
involved? f. What was the budget? g. Did you anticipate any risks at the outset? Did the
project experience any outside forces that caused a change in either the objectives or the
approach to achieving those objectives?
1 (a). The objective of the project was to design a drilling optimization package that decreased
the amount of time required to drill an oil well.
(b). The project possessed every aspect of what the textbook defines as a project. The project
came to fruition due to the potential loss of multimillion dollar future contracts. The project was
extremely unique, because at the time, our company had not encountered the problem we were
faced with, and we did not have any means to solve the problem. Essentially, the optimization
package was brand new. The client gave us 60 days total to find a solution. 30 of the 60 days
were deemed the “drawing board” phase, and we utilized this time for project initiation and
planning. The following 30 days involved actually utilizing the optimization package for its
intended purpose. Meeting or exceeding the expectations of stakeholders can easily be measured,
as well as whether or not the project’s goals were achieved. The project has since been
completed, successfully, as we finished the project with 11 days to spare.
(c). For this project, I was one of two field engineers who pioneered the tools designed and
programmed to perform with the optimization package. I played a vital role in the design,
implementation, and utilization of the optimization package. The project manager for this
particular project was our Operations Manager. He spearheaded the collaboration between all
integral parts of the project, while assuring that we stayed on schedule due to the tight time
constraints.
(d). Initially, the project was designed to satisfy one customer, and because the optimization
package was brand new, it was only utilized on this project. Although we had many similar
ongoing projects at the time, none of them utilized the unique aspects of this particular one. After
its extreme success, it was utilized company wide and became a part of each and every project.
Overall, the project evolved into a company standard.
(e). The project involved an extremely large team, as it was deemed an extreme priority company
wide. The beginning stages involved the Operations Manager, sales team, and engineers to
gather information to formulate a plan to solve the problem. Once the information was acquired,
the IT department, coupled with the engineers, began designing the software to meet the needs of
the client. While the software was being designed, the manufacturing department began tweaking
the hardware in order for it to mesh with the new software. Throughout the entirety of the
project, the sales team negotiated the stipulations and costs of the project. Also, the Operations
Manager oversaw each aspect of the project, constantly keeping everyone on the same page, and
assuring that all deadlines were met. The Operations Manager also provided the client with
details of the project’s progress.
(f). Since I was mostly a part of the engineering and design, I was not privy to much information
regarding the budget. The number that was continuously thrown around was roughly $1.5
million. To my knowledge, we remained right at, or maybe a touch below the budget, and
generated a profit that was nearly four times that amount on this project alone. Also, we were
rewarded with an additional five contracts that generated substantial revenue.
(g). During our “drawing board” phase, we tossed around countless risks associated with this
project. The biggest risk was the obvious loss of a substantial client and many millions of dollars
in revenue. In the beginning, the timeline seemed a bit short, but with the client remaining
persistent, we were forced to endure the 60-day time frame. Although we had formulated a plan
on paper, we were unsure if this plan would operate in the manner that we intended. Before
actually utilizing the optimization package in the field, we went through many rigorous
simulations, while also testing it out on smaller jobs where time was not an extremely delicate
factor. This allowed us to work out some of the kinks. Aside from the outside pressure from the
client, many top officials within the company were bearing down on the team to confirm our
progress and time constraints. On two occasions, other members of the company were tasked to
