Project Feasibility Tools for Uncovering Points of Vulnerability

This book presents a set of tools that will aid in deciding whether a project should go ahead, be improved, or abandoned altogether by pinpointing its vulnerabilities. It offers a review of project feasibility analysis, and more critically, psychodynamic aspects that are often neglected, including how stakeholders interact. It provides a complement to the common techniques used for analyzing technical, financial, and marketing feasibility. The goal is to identify "hidden truths" and eliminate those gray areas that jeopardize the success of a given project. The focus is on uncovering points of vulnerabilities in four key aspects of a project: People, Power, Processes, and Plan.

Preface Biography Foreword CHAPTER 1: Introduction and the Notion of Points of Vulnerability 1.1 A brief history 1.2 Points of vulnerability- a preview 1.3 Overview 1.4 A few tips 1.5 Testimonial CHAPTER 2: Defining Project Feasibility vs. Vulnerability 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Definition of a project according to the PMBOK 2.3 Towards a more precise definition 2.4 Impacts 2.5 Documentation and information 2.6 Project as a whole 2.7 Where does the project come from? 2.8 Definition of Project Feasibility 2.9 Project as a system 2.10 Examples of consulting firms 2.11 Conclusion 2.12 Checklist 2.13 Testimonial CHAPTER 3: Defining Prefeasibility vs. Vulnerability 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Definition of prefeasibility 3.3 Components of a prefeasibility study 3.4 Notes 3.5 A few tips 3.6 Case of a motor oil-filtering vase 3.7 Three scenarios (system ORP) 3.8 The importance of measuring scales 3.9 Conclusion 3.10 Checklist 3.11 Testimonial CHAPTER 4: Cost, Calendar and Challenges (The 4 P’s) 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Types of feasibility 4.3 Main aspects of a feasibility study 4.4 Request for a feasibility study 4.5 Proposed structure of a feasibility study 4.6 Bermuda Triangle 4.7 Calendar 4.8 Links between stages/phases 4.9 Costs 4.10 Challenges 4.11 Summary of a partial OPT-ORP study 4.12 Bermuda Triangle revisited (summative) 4.13 Framing and comparing information 4.14 Conclusion 4.15 A few tips 4.16 Checklist 4.17 Testimonial CHAPTER 5: Modeling Vulnerability 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Psychodynamic modeling 5.3 Applied to processes 5.4 Observables 5.5 Bubbles and Arrows 5.6 Finding points of vulnerability 5.7 The mathematics of stakeholders’ interactions 5.7.1 R and T 5.8 Conclusion 5.9 A few tips 5.10 Checklist 5.11 Testimonial CHAPTER 6: People and Power 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Contemporary context of teams of project management 6.3 People 6.4 Functional groups 6.5 Dysfunctional groups (conflicts) 6.5.1 Interpersonal competencies 6.5.2 Project sequence with respect to interpersonal competencies 6.5.3 Trust 6.5.4 Cooperation 6.5.5 Observables 6.5.6 Model of interpersonal competencies 6.5.7 Conclusion 6.5.8 Checklist 6.5.9 Testimonial 6.6 Power 6.7 Measure of Power and chain of authority 6.7.1 Leadership 6.7.2 Organization and structure of authority 6.8 KSF and KFF 6.9 Conclusion 6.10 A few tips 6.11 Checklist 6.12 Testimonial CHAPTER 7: Processes and Plan 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Processes 7.3 Processes Analysis: dynamic systems, GANTT, PERT and CPM 7.4 Magic moments (critical) 7.4.1 Point of no-return 7.4.2 Point of autonomy 7.4.3 Final point of delivery 7.5 7.4.4 Bottlenecks 7.4.5 Costs vs. magic moments 7.6 Control processes 7.7 Points of vulnerability 7.8 Plan (goal) 7.8.1 Mission 7.9 Conclusion 7.10 A few tips 7.11 Checklist 7.12 Testimonial CHAPTER 8: Operating Margin and Decision-Making 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Complexity 8.3 Decision-making 8.3.1 Analysis by comparative tables 8.3.2 Analysis by product trees 8.3.3 Multicriteria analysis 8.3.4 Analysis by decision tree 8.3.5 Analysis of cause to effect 8.3.6 Sensibility analysis 8.3.7 Critical path analysis 8.3.8 Risk probability analysis 8.3.9 CAPM model applied to decision-making 8.3. 10 The neuroscience of decision-making 8.3.10 Simulation analysis 8.3.11 Optimal path analysis 8.3.12 Summary of types of analyses 8.4 Key performance indicators (KPI) 8.5 Conclusion 8.6 A few tips 8.7 Checklist 8.8 Testimonial CHAPTER 9: Measuring Value 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Notion of risk vs. points of vulnerability 9.3 Risk probability 9.4 Quality 9.5 Notion of value 9.6 Analysis of value 9.7 Success and failure 9.8 Revised definition of a project 9.9 Conclusion 9.10 A few tips 9.11 Checklist CHAPTER 10: General Conclusion Annex A Prefeasibility study Annex B Feasibility study Annex C Brief overview of scientific articles Annex D Table of conceptual modeling Annex E Examples of applied psychodynamic modeling to production processes Annex F Questionnaire on interpersonnel compétences Bibliography Glossary

Olivier Mesly teaches university courses in Project Feasibility in English, French and Spanish around the world. He is currently associated as a professor with two Canadian universities (one in Québec and the other one in Nova Scotia, Canada) where he teaches six to seven courses a year. Olivier completed a postdoctoral fellowship at HEC Montreal, has graduated as a doctor of business administration at the University of Sherbrooke, holds an MBA in international marketing from Guelph University and has a BA in Japanese studies from McGill University with honours as well as a diploma in Public relations from the same university. He has seven books, various case studies and more than thirty scientific articles to his credit. He serves as a consultant on project feasibility for various Canadian companies, small and large, as well as for government agencies.