PROJ 410 Contracts and Procurements

Week 6

Week 6 DQ 1    Contract Dispute Resolution (Graded)

Conflict resolution and conflict management is a common day-to-day activity in most projects and office environments.  As a group, let’s identify the top five sources of conflict in a BPO agreement for project management services.  Let’s identify one source at a time and discuss whether or not each of you feels it ranks in the top five sources of conflict.  As I read your exchanges, I will make a determination as to whether or not enough evidence has been provided to justify its inclusion into our top five list.

Week 6 DQ 2    Benchmarking (Graded)

There are several ways to benchmark.  The two most common benchmarking tools are “performance benchmarking” and “best practice benchmarking.”  Consider a nationwide bank that has contracted with a seller to assess its current staffing and facility locations.  The goal of the contract is for the seller to produce a strategic plan that creates cost efficiencies for the bank by recommending (and implementing) areas to consolidate among staff and facilities.  (One recommendation may be to close down a bank branch that is located within three miles of another bank branch.)  This is a long-term contract stretched out over five years.  If you were the Project Manager in the bank, what benchmarks would you compare your seller to?  Are they performance benchmarks or best practices benchmarks?