“Module 2
When your Course Developer was a boy, his mother had a canned response to his various ridiculous requests (e.g., a pony,
when we were living in an apartment). She would smile brightly and say,
Well, well think about it. It took him years to discover that this
actually meant, Well think about it for ten seconds whenever you mention it,
but it is NOT going to happen.
This is a small instance of a larger
truth. Although a good plan is essential to a good project, planning can
be an attractive alternative to actually doing something. In Washington,
as in industry, its common to study a problem to death.

Can you describe an instance from your own
experience? Did planning take the place of doing something, did good planning
result in doing something successfully, or did inadequate planning result in a
disaster? Explain.
Module 3
The word
report has six letters, yet for many managers, it falls into the category of
four letter words epithets uttered in anger, derision, or disgust. A
common sentiment concerning reports is, Do you want me to actually DO my job,
or spend my time WRITING about it? Just go away!
In many
instances, such as the corporate annual report to stockholders or the military
efficiency report, writing the report is a required exercise.
Everyone knows how the game is played; whats to be taken seriously, and whats
mere boilerplate. But project reports are a bit different. In most
cases, theyre optional which makes them an even greater nuisance, when
theyre seen to be performing no useful function. Please see Widemans
article, Is it time to scrap project status reports? listed on the Background
Info page (Wideman, 2014).
Please reflect upon your own experience as a producer of
reports. It would be a project report, an efficiency report, or something
as mundane as writing report cards for a class of schoolchildren. Does
Widemans (2014) critique resonate with your experience? Why or why
not?
Module 4
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An important take
away of the project closure process are the lessons learned. What should
have been done differently? What should be done differently, in the
future?
Reflect on a major
project youve been involved in. It could be something personal, like
building a house, or job-related, such as creating a new product, preparing for
an acquisition, a divestiture, or (in the case of a military organization) a major
inspection. Was there an after-action process to capture the lessons
learned? Were those lessons useful? Did they actually have an
effect on future projects and operations? Describe and explain.

Module 2When your Course Developer was a boy, his
mother had a canned response to his various ridiculous requests (e.g., a pony,
when we were living in an apartment). She would smile brightly and say,
Well, well think about it. It took him years to discover that this
actually meant, Well think about it for ten seconds whenever you mention it,
but it is NOT going to happen.This is a small instance of a larger
truth. Although a good plan is essential to a good project, planning can
be an attractive alternative to actually doing something. In Washington,
as in industry, its common to study a problem to death.Can you describe an instance from your own
experience? Did planning take the place of doing something, did good planning
result in doing something successfully, or did inadequate planning result in a
disaster? Explain.Module 3The word
report has six letters, yet for many managers, it falls into the category of
four letter words epithets uttered in anger, derision, or disgust. A
common sentiment concerning reports is, Do you want me to actually DO my job,
or spend my time WRITING about it? Just go away!In many
instances, such as the corporate annual report to stockholders or the military
efficiency report, writing the report is a required exercise.
Everyone knows how the game is played; whats to be taken seriously, and whats
mere boilerplate. But project reports are a bit different. In most
cases, theyre optional which makes them an even greater nuisance, when
theyre seen to be performing no useful function. Please see Widemans
article, Is it time to scrap project status reports? listed on the Background
Info page (Wideman, 2014).Please reflect upon your own experience as a producer of
reports. It would be a project report, an efficiency report, or something
as mundane as writing report cards for a class of schoolchildren. Does
Widemans (2014) critique resonate with your experience? Why or why
not?Module 4.gif”” alt=””https://tlc.trident.edu/d2l/img/lp/pixel.gif””>SubscribeAn important take
away of the project closure process are the lessons learned. What should
have been done differently? What should be done differently, in the
future?Reflect on a major
project youve been involved in. It could be something personal, like
building a house, or job-related, such as creating a new product, preparing for
an acquisition, a divestiture, or (in the case of a military organization) a major
inspection. Was there an after-action process to capture the lessons
learned? Were those lessons useful? Did they actually have an
effect on future projects and operations? Describe and explain.”