Sodor Oil Terminal Project Management

Sodor Oil Terminal Project Management The initiation phase of the Sodor project involved the formation of the project team and the nomination of the project manager. Group 12 is made up of 4 Nigerians and 1 Vietnamese which reflects a multicultural team with each nationality possessing peculiar personality traits. The objective of the first meeting was to nominate a Project Manager and to define and agree on ground rules for project team meetings. To ensure equal participation of all team members, it was agreed that the rotational project manager system will be adopted whereby each individual in the group would serve as the project manager for 1 week each throughout the 5 week duration of the Sodor project. It was agreed that meetings will be scheduled 3 times a week by the project manager lasting no more than 2 hours each. At each meeting, specific tasks is assigned to each team member to be submitted at the next meeting day. CONTRACTOR SELECTION CRITERIA The contractor selection criteria adopted by the team is the Trade-off technique. This technique uses a scoring system to quantify specific attributes of the various contractors and provides a numerical output, the highest of which represents the best contractor choice. The use of this technique provided the best possible contractors to manage the various stages of this project. CONSTRUCTION AND CLOSE OUT The close out process involved a review of the final Sodor terminal project plan to confirm scope, cost and schedule deadlines have been met. The lesson learned document was then prepared which showed the various conflicts that occurred throughout the project and how they where managed by the team in order to provide lessons for the future. The final project plan was then presented to the project sponsor and the Group 12 team was deformed by the project manager. We were able to arrive at a final project cost of  £7,356,123 and at a time of completion of 90.93 weeks. This can be mainly attributed to the fact that we used the TRADE OFF technique for contractor selection. The trade off technique provided an objective way of selecting contractors using a set of rank scores. INTRODUCTION Teamwork has been found to be an essential ingredient responsible for the success or failure of projects. The effective use and management of teams for projects has been noted to be a key determinant for how successful a project will be; however, the effectiveness of a team depends on the ability of the team members to interact appropriately with one another to produce a common output. DEFINITION Hoegl (2004) defined teams as a social interaction between two or more people within an organization who share a common task. Teams have also been described as a group of people who hold themselves mutually accountable to each other and who work together to achieve a common purpose(Scholtes et al,2003). The above definitions take into account the fact that for a team to exist, certain basic ingredients need to be in place which include; mutual accountability, constancy of purpose, and a shared responsibility for success or failure. The benefits of teamwork in project management cannot be overemphasized. Teams help in the mobilization of diverse resources to a project as compared to that achieved by a single individual. Church(1998) also noted that teams provide the flexibility to use the mobilized resources thus helping to continue with the project in the event of a particular individual being indisposed. Perhaps the greatest value of teams in managing projects rests with the ability of teams to provide a synergy of the efforts of the individual team members whereby the results achieved is greater than the arithmetic sum of the contributions of the individual members to the team. FACTORS THAT AFFECTED TEAM EFFECTIVENESS OF SODOR OIL TERMINAL PROJECT PLANNING AND DESIGN The need to have a plan for the management of the Sodor oil terminal cannot be overemphasized. Grachev et al(2006) using 3M corporation as a case study proposed that a key benefit of planning upfront for a project is the creation of well defined project goals. The goals help to give direction to a teams project. Other benefits of planning include; it helps the team members in the coordination of individual tasks by providing clearly stated assignments. Furthermore, the project plan also enables the team to have an overview of the project schedule, costs and constraints which the team can then use as a baseline to measure actual project progress. The planning and design of the Sodor oil terminal started with the identification of the Cost, Schedule and Scope goals from the data derived from the Project Sponsor. These goals where then integrated into a sequential structure by the use of the MS Project ® to produce the Sodor oil terminal preliminary Gantt chart. The final Sodor oil terminal plan is a comprehensive document showing the actual budget, time of completion, scope of the project, and the approved contractors selected for the project. Christina(2009) proposed that key factors that affect team success at the planning and design phase include; A. Well-Defined Goals: The definition of clear project deliverables has been shown to improve the success rate of project teams. Pinto and Slevin(1988) proposed that clearly defined and structured goals is a significant factor that determines the effectiveness of teams and hence the success rate of projects. Zander(1980) postulated that teams with clear and measurable goals perform better than teams with fuzzy goals. This is as a result of the use of clear goals by teams as a baseline through which team results can be measured. Furthermore, the use of clear and concise goals also helps the team in planning for what they can achieve within a particular timeframe.The goals of the Group 12 team where clearly stated and well defined at the onset of the project which was to deliver a project plan within 98 weeks at no more than the stated project budget provided by the project sponsor. B. Management Support: Pinto and Slevin(1988) suggested that the support upper management gives a team helps in facilitating team success. This occurs by facilitating the release of resources to the project team hence ensuring their efficiency and helping to remove administrative bottle necks. Group 12 received the support of the project sponsor in the designing of the sodor plan especially with respect to weekly review meetings to assess the current status of the project plan and proffer ways to bring the plan back on track. C. Cross-Cultural teams: The importance of having multiple individuals from differentcultures in a team has been proposed to impact positively on team results(Earley and Mosakowski,2000). Ochieng and Price(2009) also suggested that the effective use of proper communication techniques to handle cultural differences in a team helps in promoting project success. Multiple cultures in a team brings together people with different skills, competencies, and personal attributes dedicated to a common purpose. The multicultural environment of Group 12 provided a pool of diverse ideas derived via brainstorming from which the best possible solution was agreed on and translated into the Sodor project plan. D. Team experience and continuity: Pinto and Slevin(1988) suggested that the inclusion of individuals with specific project experience into a team helps in promoting its success. This is because this individuals already have a knowledge of the critical factors needed to ensure the success of the particular project from the lessons learned from past projects managed by them. Scott-Young(2009) suggested that the stability of a team throughout the project lifecycle helps in ensuring team success. Stable teams have been shown to maintain the consistency of ideas generation and are not susceptible to the distraction that tends to occur from a team member joining or leaving the team(Akgun and Lynn,2000). The use of team members with a wide range of experience managing projects like healthcare, education, and engineering played a key role in the results of Group 12. This is due to the diverse nature of the knowledge pool available for planning the project. The stability of the Group 12 team throughout the project lifecycle also played a key role in the design of the sodor project plan. CONSTRUCTION AND CLOSEOUT A. Handling Conflicts: The absence of conflicts in a team has been proposed to be a pointer to the failure of the team(Saj-Nicole and Damon,2009). The presence of conflicts and how the conflicts are managed indicates how successful the project team will be. The nature of the conflicts i.e. conflicts relevant to the project scope, serves to provoke a generation of ideas from the project team on the best way to manage the crises. Several conflicts arose during the management of Group 12; an example will be the, Who to choose as the project manager? The way it was managed was to have a face to face meeting with the project team, everybody laying their individual ideas on the table, then arriving at a decision mutually beneficial to everyone which is to have a rotational project manager system with each member of the project team having a taste of the pie of being the project manager for 1 week each. This solution helped during the construction phase of the plan because all the team memb ers felt a sense of belonging and making a positive contribution to the team. B. Leadership Continuity: The proposal by Akgun and Lynn(2000) on the positive benefits of leadership continuity to the project team success is largely not applicable to the Group 12 project team. This is because the use of a single leader throughout the project lifecycle will have led to the presence of domineering tendencies being shown by the individual chosen which may affect certain decisions made during the formulation of the construction plan. It will also have led to project team members being made to feel they are not a part of the team. Hence in a bid to avoid this scenario, the rotational project manager system was proposed and adopted. C. Resource availability: The availability of resources plays a major role in the ability of a team to produce results. Peters and OConnors(1980) postulated that the availability of specific resources can either promote or interfere with a team effectiveness. The resources needed by a team to be effective varies depending on the project scope. It may include financial, Human, and Environmental resources. D. Reward and Recognition: The relationship between appropriate reward structures and team effectiveness cannot be overemphasized(Bullock and Lawler,1984). Developing a reward system that focuses on the entire team rather than individuals help in improving team motivation and hence its effectiveness. It is a fact that people are motivated to achieve results if they feel that the results provide value to the organization and this value is acknowledged by the organization. E. Lessons-learned documentation: The preparation of the lessons learned document is an essential part of the project team closure phase(PMI,2008). The lessons learned document captures the lessons learned at various milestones in the planning of the project. The final meeting of the Group 12 team was a brainstorming session to identify various challenges we had during the creation of the Sodor project plan and how the challenges where managed. CONCLUSION This paper details how the Group 12 team managed the Sodor project from design to the closeout phase. It explains in detail the various factors responsible for the success of the team in arriving at the final project plan; and also the various challenges Group 12 team had and how those challenges where managed to produce positive results. The paper sheds light on the key factors that affected various stages of the project and how they where harnessed and utilized positively by the Group 12 team.

Jacksons Disagreement :: essays research papers

Materialism is the belief that all things can be explained in physical terms or by science. Frank Jackson argues against this belief. Jackson’s philosophy is that not only are materialism false, but he also claims that consciousness is a subjective experience that can not be defined by any physical term or by science. The nonphysical experience known as qualia is Jackson’s explanation of consciousness. Qualia is the nonphysical feeling that can not be explained in physical terms or by science. Humans can not understand the feeling of qualia without experiencing it themselves. Materialism suggests that everything that occurs have some type of scientific relationship or physical term. Jackson goes through his argument looking for proof until he gets one idea. Jackson performs an experiment that demonstrates that consciousness is a qualia feeling and that one can not understand or learn the feeling with out experiencing it. The subject he uses is Mary. Mary is an extremely bright scientist and since she could remember she was placed in a room with nothing but black and white. With limiting her sight to only this black and white gray-scale, she is unaware of what true color looks like. All her life she is educated through newspapers, television and teachers giving lectures. Near the end of the experiment she has mastered every aspect of the physical terms and science explaining the process of viewing color. One example was that she knew that an apple was red, but she cannot grasp the concept if she has never seen it. The final part of the experiment is to pre sent to her real color. They use a red apple to demonstrate this. The hypothesis for the experiment follows the laws of materialism. They hypothesized that Mary would not have a shocking reaction to the apple. They believed that she would know that the apple carried those characteristics. In the conclusion of the experiment they find out that their hypothesis was wrong and that Mary was shocked to find out what red really looked like. For the first time in her life she noticed that there was more to the red apple than the physical description. She felt qualia, the feeling of actually seeing the color. This proves that materialism cannot fully explain the world.

My Teaching Philosophy and Goals Essay example -- Education Teaching E

My Teaching Philosophy and Goals My philosophical point of view is Essentialism. Although I agree with Benjamin Bloom’s Theory on â€Å"School Learning†(1976). In his theory Bloom states; that children bring to class a range of â€Å"entry characteristics†. He divides these characteristics into affective and cognitive behaviors. Affective behavior includes the student’s motivation to learn and cognitive behavior includes the student’s prior knowledge. According to Bloom the context of the learning environment and the quality of instruction will determine the learning outcomes. Parents play an important role in their children’s desire and motivation to learn. Parents instill values of the importance of education and provide learning to take place not only in school but also in their home. My grandchildren have provided me with this knowledge. The grandchild that has parents that encouraged the importance of education does excel over the grandchild that did not receive the same encouragement. The nature of knowledge in my opinion is relative. It is constructed and dependent upon per...

Thinking and Decision Making Essay -- Critical Thinking

Thinking and Decision Making When it comes to the reasoning and problem solving of any issue there are various ways to come to a decision; thinking is the mental process that allows the people in the world to deal with it effectively, according to set goals, plans, ideas, and desires. Thinking involves the gathering of information that forms concepts and engages in problem solving, reasoning, and making precise decisions for the benefit of whom is concerned. Thinking according to Kirby and Goodpaster (2007),"is an internal mental process that uses information as input, integrates that information into previous learned material and the result may be knowledge or may be nothing". Creative thinking, logical thinking, and persuasive thinking are three types of thinking. Each of these types of thinking affects the critical thinking process in various ways. The three thinking types will be compared and contrasted, as well as applied to affects they have in the critical thinking process. Every person has a primary style of thinking that is used most to help in his or her decisions. Finally, critical thinking will be applied to the decision making process by using workplace examples. Creative Thinking This is one of the types of thinking styles. Creative thinking involves creating something new or original. It involves the skills of flexibility, originality, fluency, elaboration, brainstorming, modification, imagery, associative thinking, attribute listing, metaphorical thinking, and forced relationships. The aim of creative thinking is to stimulate curiosity and promote divergence. When an individual learns to expand their way of thinking to incorporate metaphorical ideas, they will spark the creative thinking process... ... way. The important thing is that we become more aware of which learning style and thinking style works best for us. Once we know our own style, we can then analyse the others. This will help us understand other people better. It will make us more flexible. And perhaps we can all pick up tips from each other on how to be more effective. References Kirby, G.R. & Goodpaster, J.R. (2007) Creative Thinking. Fourth Edition Thinking. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Albrecht, K. (1984) Brain Building: Easy Games to develop your problem solving skills. Prentice Hall. Audiblox. (n.d.). Logical thinking: Helping children to become smarter. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. http://www.audiblox.com/logical_thinking.htm Schafersman, S. D. (1991). Critical thinking: Introduction to Critical Thinking. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. http://www.freeinquiry.com/critical-thinking.html

community responsibilities :: essays research papers

Do you believe that our community should have leaders, or do you believe that everybody should be truly equal in our environment? The United States is living in an environment where there is a small group of leaders that make decisions for everyone else. When you hear somebody say they are going to make decisions for you, you might be thinking you would have to tale that decision no matter what. Well, that’s wrong, there is still an opportunity on weather you have to take the decision or not. There are votes, when you vote you either agree of disagree with any decisions. If there were more people that disagree than there were people that agree, then you were left with what you wanted. You still had the opportunity to choose what you wanted. Being with a group of leaders to make decisions for a society doesn’t necessarily mean that you would have to take the decision. No matter what you still have the chance to decide. A group of people needs to be over others to help g uide and make decisions because with no leader everything would be out of control, everybody’s decisions would not be heard, and a group with no leader would never be efficient. A group of people needs a leader because without a leader everybody would be out of control and nobody would be able to deal with them. Without a leader not everything would be controlled. Anybody in a society with no leader would not know what he or she is doing. They won’t know what doing because there is not one decision maker that has good reasons for those decisions. Groups of people would gather around making chaos about everything. Some people make chaos and act wild because they don’t have a leader to till them what is right and wrong. People would be wild because they wouldn’t be controlled and it is impossible to get a big group of people together at the same time to be dealed with. Being out of control is not the only problem with being equal, but everybody’s decisions would not be heard. Without having a leader not everybody’s decisions or opinions would be heard. A group of people or society always needs a leader so everybody’s decisions would be heard. Without a leader there would not be much communication. If a person comes up with a good decision or idea that person would not be able to let the whole society know about his or her ideas. community responsibilities :: essays research papers Do you believe that our community should have leaders, or do you believe that everybody should be truly equal in our environment? The United States is living in an environment where there is a small group of leaders that make decisions for everyone else. When you hear somebody say they are going to make decisions for you, you might be thinking you would have to tale that decision no matter what. Well, that’s wrong, there is still an opportunity on weather you have to take the decision or not. There are votes, when you vote you either agree of disagree with any decisions. If there were more people that disagree than there were people that agree, then you were left with what you wanted. You still had the opportunity to choose what you wanted. Being with a group of leaders to make decisions for a society doesn’t necessarily mean that you would have to take the decision. No matter what you still have the chance to decide. A group of people needs to be over others to help g uide and make decisions because with no leader everything would be out of control, everybody’s decisions would not be heard, and a group with no leader would never be efficient. A group of people needs a leader because without a leader everybody would be out of control and nobody would be able to deal with them. Without a leader not everything would be controlled. Anybody in a society with no leader would not know what he or she is doing. They won’t know what doing because there is not one decision maker that has good reasons for those decisions. Groups of people would gather around making chaos about everything. Some people make chaos and act wild because they don’t have a leader to till them what is right and wrong. People would be wild because they wouldn’t be controlled and it is impossible to get a big group of people together at the same time to be dealed with. Being out of control is not the only problem with being equal, but everybody’s decisions would not be heard. Without having a leader not everybody’s decisions or opinions would be heard. A group of people or society always needs a leader so everybody’s decisions would be heard. Without a leader there would not be much communication. If a person comes up with a good decision or idea that person would not be able to let the whole society know about his or her ideas.

Genetic Engineering on Humans Essay

Visualize a world where anyone can do anything, regardless of age or physical conditions. Nobody would age nor develop any illnesses or disorders. Essentially, this would be a society in which everyone is perfect. Such a thought would be the result of genetic engineering, which is the modification of an organism’s genome using biotechnology. Scientists alter the genetic makeup of an organism by using techniques that remove inherited material or inject DNA from outside the organism either directly into the host or into a cell that is then crossbred with the host (Clapper, 2013). The goal of genetically modifying organisms is to fix imperfections and improve their capabilities. In humans, genes that cause diseases and disorders can be identified and defenses can be put up to fight them. After hours of research and weeks of studying on the topic, I have reached a conclusion that humans should be able to be genetically engineered, but there needs to be a limit to how much they are modified. Some benefits of this include the absence of diseases, the ability for parents to choose the physical traits for their child, and increased human capabilities. One major benefit of the genetic engineering of humans is the termination of physical disorders. Life without diseases would mean that everyone, no matter the age, would be healthy and capable of doing whatever they please. The Human Genome Project is currently working on identifying all the genes in the human body and their purposes (Hanna, 2006). They will then be able to work on preventing diseases by removing or replacing the defective gene in a process known as gene therapy. In the movie GATTACA, Vincent, who was born without the aid of genetic selection, was tested to show that he had a high probability of developing mental disorders as well as a heart defect (GATTACA, 1997). However, the second son Anton, who was genetically modified, is perfectly healthy and is predicted to live forever. This shows that genetic engineering can indeed alter or even fully eliminate disorders or negative conditions. For example, scientists using gene therapy  were able to cure twenty two children with severe combined immunodeficiency, providing the first strong piece of evidence that this process was effective (Campbell, Reece, and Simon, 2007). In addition, another way in which genetic engineering could be a benefit is that parents would be able to choose how they want their child to turn out. According to the article Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering in Humans, parents could alter their baby’s appearance however they want to (Bird, 2011). Genetic engineering can also be used to eliminate superficial traits parents may perceive as flaws, such as oversized ears for example. In GATTACA, the parents chose to use genetic selection to conceive their second child Anton (GATTACA, 1997). Julian Savulescu, a philosopher and bioethicist, believes that genetically engineering will soon have developed to affect an individual’s personality instead of just their physical appearance (Alleyn e, 2012). He argues that, â€Å"rational design would help lead to a better, more intelligent and less violent society in the future.† This means that future genetically modified children could not only be physically attractive but also better people in general, capable of making smarter decisions. Last but not least, genetic engineering could provide us with better capabilities. Humans could be modified to have superhuman strength and immeasurable intellect. Animals can be modified have human traits, so humans should theoretically also be able to be engineered with physical characteristics from different species. A National Human Genome Research Institute team reported a mutation in a gene that codes for a muscle protein known as myostatin which can increase muscle mass and enhance racing performance in a breed of dogs (Sato, 2009). Scientists wonder if human athletes could benefit from having a gene or two artificially mutated to give them a little extra strength and speed. GATTACA also shows how genetic engineering affected the bodies of the main characters. Anton was genetically altered to be far superior physically and mentally compared to his older brother Vincent (GATTACA, 1997). Based on the fact that the Department of Science and Technology states that crops will be able to grow on unfertile land and for newer functions, it is suggested that humans too can be genetically modified to perform higher level tasks (Haut, 2014). In every argument, there exists cons to balance out with the pros. People argue that having genetically engineered humans would decrease diversity. The world revolves around the differences between individuals and  their evolutionary process that occurs at some point. As mentioned early on, there should be limits placed on the modification. The physical traits of a person should be enhanced so that he/she can take upon newer and better functions, but the emotional character within them should be left untouched. Because each individual would still have their own personal thoughts, feelings, and opinions, genetic diversity would remain unchanged. In addition, genetically engineering humans would not necessarily be changing the process of evolution. Simply put, the progression would essentially be sped up to a point where it is easier for a species to develop their skills and abilities if they have been established early in their lives. Although there are some downsides to genetic engineering on humans, I believe that it is a necessary step that should be taken in the future. If our theories prove to be successful in experiments, we will be able to cure and possibly eradicate diseases. Parents would be satisfied with their child, knowing that they turned out exactly as pictured. And finally, people would have enhanced capabilities, allowing them to do much more with their physical fitness and knowledge. With proper research and experiments, we will be able to develop a stronger and highly-advanced species with limitless power and endless possibilities. Works Cited Hanna, K. (2006). Genetic Enhancement. Retrieved from http://www.genome.gov/10004767 Campbell, N., J. Reece, and E. Simon (2007). Treating Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. In Essentials of Biology with Physiology, 2nd ed., pp. 235. San Francisco. Pearson Benjamin Cummings. Bird, M. (2011). Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering in Humans. Retrieved from http://www.sciences360.com/index.php/pros-and-cons-of-genetic-engineering-in-humans-6890/ Sato, R. (2009). Are We Close to Creating Super-humans? Retrieved from http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/01/are-we-close-to.html Haut, J. (2014). Biotechnology: Genetic Modification of Crops Handout. Clapper, R. (2013). Human Genetic Engineering: A Very Brief Intro. Retrieved from http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112819269/human-genetic-engineering-a-very-brief-introduction/ Alleyne, R. (2012). Genetically Engineering â€Å"Ethical†

Emily Bronte’s poem “Spellbound”

Emily Bronte’s poem, â€Å"Spellbound,† is evocative and emotive. Its imagery, saturating nature with vivid emotions, is unforgettable. In dissecting the poem, truly examining it for its constituent parts, one is struck by the mastery with which Bronte is able to manipulate individual words and have them gush with emotions, conjuring up images in the reader’s head effortlessly. In the end, Bronte’s nature is painted as a canvass of entrapment, a majestic masterpiece of beauty that ensnares her imagination but paralyzes her body and soul. Bronte’s first stanza establishes this motif early.Nature’s prominence in the poem is unmistakable as she cites the power of the night as it envelopes her. Adding to this sense of encirclement is the â€Å"wild† character ascribed to the winds, blowing relentlessly. The combination of these two sentiments creates a strong sense of the uncontrollable character of nature; night darkens and cannot be stop ped, wild winds cannot be tamed. This sense is only heightened in the next line as Bronte ascribes a tyrannical composition to these forces, binding her—a clear link between the burden of uncontrollable nature and her own sense of paralysis.She explicitly describes this sense of immobility in the final line of the stanza saying, â€Å"I cannot, cannot go. † Thus, in the first stanza, Bronte is clearly fascinated by nature, but eventually overpowered and immobilized by its unyielding power. In the second stanza, Bronte elaborates on the force of nature, ascribing an empty, lifeless quality to it that simultaneously evokes a sense of momentous serenity. The â€Å"giant trees† continue the large scale already created by the night enveloping her and the untamed wind. Yet those trees, like Bronte are burdened, held down by snow—perhaps an allusion to her own feeling of sagging.The sense of an ominous future is heightened even further with her description of a storm â€Å"fast descending,† as she reaffirms her paralysis, again saying that she â€Å"cannot go. † In the third and final stanza, Bronte ties the first two stanzas together. In describing â€Å"clouds beyond clouds,† and â€Å"wastes beyond wastes,† she reaffirms the crushing endlessness of nature and ties it to her hopelessness. If the world is so large, she feels small; this sentiment perhaps the source of her unmotivated lethargy. Together, the stanzas add up to a message that underscores the power of nature while also highlighting the sagging weight of its enormity.