Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, Tenth Edition

APPENDIX A

Solutions to the Project Management Conflict Exercise

Part One: Facing the Conflict

After reading the answers that follow, record your score on line 1 of the worksheet on page 314.

1. Although many project managers and functional managers negotiate by “returning” favors, this custom is not highly recommended. The department manager might feel some degree of indebtedness at first, but will surely become defensive in follow-on projects in which you are involved, and might even get the idea that this will be the only way that he will be able to deal with you in the future. If this was your choice, allow one point on line 1.
2. Threats can only lead to disaster. This is a surefire way of ending a potentially good arrangement before it starts. Allow no points if you selected this as your solution.
3. If you say nothing, then you accept full responsibility and accountability for the schedule delay and increased costs. You have done nothing to open communications with the department manager. This could lead into additional conflicts on future projects. Enter two points on line 1 if this was your choice.
4. Requesting upper-level management to step in at this point can only complicate the situation. Executives prefer to step in only as a last resort. Upper-level management will probably ask to talk to the department manager first. Allow two points on line 1 if this was your choice.
5. Although he might become defensive upon receiving your memo, it will become difficult for him to avoid ...