University of the Cumberlands The Martian Project Management Concepts Paper

Project Management Concepts (250 Pt)

The movie “The Martian” can be viewed through the framework of project management. There are two different but simultaneous projects going on in The Martian. One is the survival project of Mark Watney and the other is the project aiming to save him. Watney has the right skills for his survival project: he’s a botanist, he knows how to repair a broken Pathfinder and the most important thing is he doesn’t panic even on his first day alone on Mars.

On the other hand, he is not alone in this project. The members of the ‘remote’ team helping him are trying their best to achieve their goal. This is a good example for the importance of the communication between the team even if they are far away!

QUESTIONS

Question #1 (1 full page) (44 pt)

The definition of a project: A project is a unique venture with a beginning and end, conducted by people to meet established goals within parameters of cost, schedule, and quality. A project can be considered to have any series of activities and tasks that:

• Have a specific objective to be completed within certain specifications
• Have defined start and end dates
• Have funding limits, if applicable
• Consume human and nonhuman resources, such as money, people, equipment
• Are multifunctional (i.e., cut across several functional lines)

How does this definition fit the movie personalities and events versus just operations management?

Question #2 (~3 pages or 1 page for each process) (132Pt)

Select 3 of the project management processes below. For each of the 3 you must

• Provide a brief description of each process,
• Describe how Mark Watney or one of the project teams manages this process, and
• Provide a specific example of the management of this process from the movie and why this is a good example.

• Stakeholder management
• Scope planning
• Schedule planning
• Resource planning
• Quality planning
• Communication planning
• Risk management planning
• Procurement management

Question #3 (1/2 to 1 full page) (44 Pt)

Do you think Mark Watney is a champion? Why or why not?

Requirements:

• Your paper should be Times New Roman, 12pt font and double spaced.
• Margins of the paper should be 1”. Do not allow your margins to be reduced by utilizing bullet point margins. This will lead to point deductions. Only your Watts textbook needs to be cited; do not worry about citing the movie.