Page 131 - DMGT302_FUNDAMENTALS_OF_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Fundamentals of Project Management

Notes

Case Study Practicing Project Management: A Case Study, 2005
BWF-HHMI Course in Scientific Management

he ability to allocate resources to achieve a goal is the hallmark of project
management. This case study is designed to help you practice the allocation of
Tresources in project management and identify the effects of resource allocation on
achieving specific goals. Read through and complete this case study, and examine the
final outcome to understand the potential problems and pitfalls that can occur in projects.
Through these types of exercises and personal experience you will build an experience
base of skills that will help you better manage your own research laboratory.
Statement of Work
Background: You are an Assistant Professor at Enormous State University (ESU) and perform
research on Yersinia pestis (plague) and pulmonary cell interactions. Recently you have
found a very interesting proton pump in Y. Pestis that when blocked by a drug inhibitor
in vitro, kills the bacteria but not human cells in culture (you have a paper submitted on
this work). You have been wondering if this drug could be an antidote for a plague
infection? The NIH has just released an RFA for “Saving our soldiers from dangerous
pathogens” that is due in 13 weeks. This grant could fully fund your lab for five years.
Your goal is to prepare yourself for a successful RFA proposal.
Case study: You need to define the scope of the work you would like to achieve to reach
your goal. Yet you are constrained by the available research funds and can only choose
two of the following for your scope of work.
Scope of Work
1. Propose a clinical trial for the existing drug inhibitor to demonstrate its efficacy in
stopping Y. Pestis.
2. Create additional candidate drugs with similar structure to your inhibitor that have
high potential to kill Y. Pestis.
3. Make an antibody to pump that will help in pump characterization.
4. Identify gene homolog and physiologic pathways of current pump identified.

5. Define role of immune system and its potential to improve cell killing with respect to
pump inhibition.
Allocation of Resources: Assignment of Personnel

You have sufficient personnel in your laboratory to attempt the scope of work. Allocate
your personnel according to the following rules:
1. Choose only two scope projects.

2. You must do the ongoing lab work.
3. Each person can only do one scope project/ongoing lab work.
4. You need at least one person per scope project.
5. You can have up to two people per project.

6. You must have people covering the ongoing lab work (one for each column).
Contd...

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