In: Operations Management
Congratulations! You have just been hired as a senior IT
portfolio and project manager at a traditional large finance
company. The company is looking to invest in new financial products
and services. You are now in charge of all new strategic IT
projects to enable and support these new products and services. In
your team, you have many subject matter experts, analysts, product
and project managers, either directly or indirectly working for you
.
(a) Describe all areas of the company that you believe to be
relevant and pertinent to your new role, using a holistic view and
organizational perspectives. Also, describe how these areas would
provide very valuable and actionable information for you and your
team.
(b) Explain why these areas would have an impact(s), positive or
negative, on your ability to do your job efficiently and
effectively, to help achieve the company’s short and long term
project/portfolio goals.
(2) All organizations have to operate under limitations and your
company is not an exception. Even though many groups in your
company are exited about their potential new projects, with limited
resources, your company can only take on projects that are most
appropriate and beneficial.
(a) What approaches and/or methods would you use to decide on which
projects to select so that the selection process is strategic,
structural and data-driven?
(b) There are 3 projects that are very similar in nature except
some financial considerations. Which one of the projects would
bring the best financial values and why? (The company uses the
discount rate of 7%.)
- Project A: Initial cost $1 Million with the projected cash flows
of Year1: $500,000, Year2: $1 Million, Year3: $1.5 Million -
Project B: Initial cost $250,000 with the projected cash flows of
Year1: $200,000, Year2: $800,000, Year3: $1.25 Million - Project C:
Initial cost $500,000 with the projected cash flows of Year1: $1.5
Million, Year2: $750,000, Year3: $250,000
(3) You have decided to personally project manage one of the most
important projects. It's a very large and complex project that
deals with the alternate asset investments including
cryptocurrencies. You will have a team of 20 people. This is first
time ever that the company is taking on the alternative investments
project and the risks are very high.
(a) What would you do to comprehensively prepare for starting this
project so that you do not miss any important areas and all
relevant processes.
(b) What Best Practices, Standards, and/or Methodologies would you
use for this project and why?
(c) Describe, in details, about the methodology that you have
chosen and how do you make sure it works effectively from beginning
to the end of the project?
(d) What would you do to make sure that the areas of project
Integration, Scope and Time are well planned, executed, and
controlled & monitored?
(e) What would you do to make sure that the project is on track
while dealing with a pandemic outbreak?
1)Investment area
This is also known as Capital Budgeting Decisions. It relates to the careful selection of assets in which funds will be invested by the firms. The firm puts its funds in procuring fixed assets.
Financing area
Financial decision is decisions about when, where and how should a business acquire fund. Consequently, this the composition of various securities in the capital structure of the company.
Dividend area
Dividends area relate to the distribution of profits earned by the organization. The major decision are whether to retain the earnings profit or to distribute to the shareholders.
2)Net Present Value (NPV) method
It is the present value of the future net cash flows from an investment project. NPV is one of the main ways to evaluate an investment. Net present value can be explained quite simply, though the process of applying NPV may be considerably more difficult. Net present value analysis consider time element in comparing alternative investments. So NPV method usually provides better decisions it is the more popular evaluation method of capital budgeting projects.
The main merit of NPV method shows whether an investment will create value for the company or the investor, and how much in terms of dollars. The NPV method takes into consideration the cost of capital. Net present value analysis consider time element in comparing alternative investments. NPV method usually provides better decisions.
discount rate |
0.07 |
||||||||||
prjct A |
prjct b |
prjct c |
|||||||||
outflow(cost) |
-1000000 |
discount rate |
-250000 |
discount rate |
-500000 |
discount rate |
|||||
year 1 |
500000 |
0.935 |
467500 |
200000 |
0.94 |
187000 |
1500000 |
0.935 |
1402500 |
||
year 2 |
1000000 |
0.873 |
873000 |
800000 |
0.87 |
698400 |
750000 |
0.873 |
654750 |
||
year 3 |
1500000 |
0.816 |
1224000 |
1250000 |
0.82 |
1020000 |
250000 |
0.816 |
204000 |
||
Present value of cash inflows |
2564500 |
1905400 |
2261250 |
||||||||
NPV |
1564500 |
1655400 |
1761250 |
||||||||
Form this understood that project C is more profitable. The amount of NPV is higher $1761250 that other projects.