The topic is : Atlanta Government and disbursement of funds

Every beat story submitted should include the following: 

• New and updated information from the interest area. Do not write about something that happened a year ago- that’s no longer news. You are expected to write NEWS from that interest area- things that are currently happening, that affect the people who are part of that area, that others may/may not already have reported thoroughly. 
• A properly written headline and byline
• At least three sources with varying degrees of authority and perspective (experts, authoritative figures and general population) and a variety of points-of-view (old, young, black, white, women, men, etc.) 
• Citation of at least one secondary source (such as an archived article or a study)
• A photograph or video to accompany the story. The photo/video should be shot by the story author and should have a properly-written cutline. It should show understanding of photojournalism and should be related to the story.

Due Monday 4/10/23 by 12 noon

• Group 1 – Last names beginning with A – F: What are some of the features of project and portfolio management (PPM) software? What are some of the popular and recommended tools on the market?\

Things to reply to

Project and portfolio management (PPM) software is essential for managing projects, programs, and portfolios effectively. The software has various features that help project managers to streamline project planning, execution, and monitoring, enabling them to make informed decisions founded on real-time information. In this post, we will explore some of the features of PPM software and popular tools in the market.

Features of PPM Software

Project Planning

PPM software enables project managers to easily create and manage project plans. The software allows users to define project scope, schedule tasks, allocate resources, and establish timelines (Kerzner, 2017). With the help of PPM software, project managers can create Gantt charts, work breakdown structures, and other visual tools that help to plan and track project progress.

Resource Management

 PPM software provides project managers with an overview of available resources, including personnel, equipment, and materials. The software helps to assign tasks to available resources and track their progress. Additionally, PPM software can help in capacity planning, ensuring project teams have the necessary resources to complete projects successfully.

Time and Expense Management

PPM software enables project managers to track time and expenses associated with project tasks. This feature helps project managers monitor project costs and identify areas to optimize spending. Furthermore, PPM software can help with invoicing and billing, ensuring project expenses are accurately tracked and billed.

Risk Management

PPM software provides project managers with tools to identify and manage project risks. The software helps create risk profiles, identify potential risks, and monitor risk levels throughout the project lifecycle (Wideman, 2022). Additionally, PPM software can help in creating contingency plans to mitigate project risks.

Collaboration

 PPM software enables project teams to collaborate effectively by providing a centralized platform for sharing information, communicating, and coordinating project activities. The software helps create a shared understanding of project goals, objectives, and timelines, enhancing teamwork and improving project outcomes.

Popular and Recommended PPM Tools in the Market

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project is a popular PPM software tool that offers features for project planning, resource management, expense and time tracking, and risk management (Ferreira et al., 2018). The software also provides collaboration tools, including team communication and document sharing.

Wrike

Wrike is a cloud-based project management tool that offers resource management, project planning, as well as collaboration features (Özkan & Mishra, 2019). The software provides time and expense tracking tools, risk management, and team communication, making it a comprehensive PPM solution.

Jira

 Jira is a popular software development tool that offers project planning, issue tracking, and collaboration features. The software provides advanced features for agile project management, making it an ideal tool for software development teams.

In conclusion, PPM software is essential for managing projects, programs, and portfolios effectively. The software provides features for project planning, resource management, time and expense tracking, risk management, and collaboration, enabling project managers to make informed decisions based on real-time data. Some of the popular and recommended PPM tools in the market include Microsoft Project, Asana, Trello, Wrike, and Jira.

reply 2

What are some of the features of project and portfolio management (PPM) software? What are some of the popular and recommended tools on the market? 

A project is an endeavor that has a defined purpose and expected deliverable. The end goal is known and may be a product, service, or result. A portfolio is a collection of projects, programs, and processes that are managed together and optimized as a group to achieve a strategic objective.  A strategic planning commitment requires continuous optimization of the processes. The allocation, prioritization, and scheduling of resources needs to be continually evaluated and adjusted across all the projects.  

“Project portfolio management is the analysis and optimization of the costs, resources, technologies and processes for all the projects and programs within a portfolio.” (2023, Projectmanager.com) The main goal of PPM is to make sure that the outcomes of all the projects support the business objectives and strategic goals of the organization. 

PPM software is designed to assist in managing projects. The software is a tool that is used to make project management tasks and communications easier and more efficient. These tools can be used to centralize the management and maintenance of a project or portfolio. These tools can help create a project roadmap, allocate resources, determine timelines, and keep track of progress. This is done while minimizing risk and managing expectations for each step. Most PPM software has the ability to produce Gantt charts and network diagrams. They assist in the business analysis, reviewing of budgets, analyzing progress, status reporting, and other tasks.  

There are many options for PPM software. They range from free online sites to smart phone applications to high-cost enterprise-wide applications. Many people continue to use Microsoft Word and Excel in project management as they are tools that most users already have and are familiar with. The most used PPM software is Microsoft Project. This is most likely because people are familiar with Microsoft products, and it integrates with applications that they already use. The highest rated and most recommended PPM software of 2023 are monday.com, Smartsheet, and Wrike. 

Select one of the following case studies (located in your textbook):

• Case 1-1: Ba-Zynga! Zynga Faces Trouble in Farmville.

Then complete the following:

• Add your opinion about the choices and decisions being made—if this was your company, would you make this choice?
• What would you do differently?

apa format

1-2 paragraphs

references

Case 1-1 Ba-Zynga! Zynga Faces Trouble in FarmVille

In late 2011, Zynga’s employees were showing serious frustration with long hours, high-stress deadlines, and especially the leadership of the company. Responses to a quarterly staff satisfaction survey provided lots of criticism of both the company culture and of Mr. Mark Pincus—the CEO. One individual was so disenchanted that he openly expressed his intent to “cash out” and leave after the company’s initial public offering (IPO) in December 2011.

Zynga was one of the fastest growing web-based companies at that point in time. It operated with an almost military command-and-control structure, with autonomous units in charge of each game (most of you will recognize the games FarmVille and CityVille). At times, it was “a messy and ruthless war.”89 Employees worked long hours while “managers relentlessly track[ed] progress, and the weak links [were] demoted or let go.”90 The entire environment could be described as intense.

There were serious concerns about the long-term viability of this culture, though. “While some staff members thrive in this environment, others find it crushing. Several former employees describe emotionally charged encounters, including loud outbursts from Mr. Pincus, threats from senior leaders, and moments when colleagues broke down [in] tears.”91 A number of former employees spoke about how the high-pressure culture might become a major liability as the company continued to grow. The consensus of these former workers appeared to be that the company might not continue to be able to attract and retain the top engineering and programming talent that they would need going forward.

“While from the outside Zynga may have the fun and whimsy of the Willy Wonka chocolate factory, the organization thrives on numbers, relentlessly aggregating performance data, from the upper ranks to the cafeteria staff.”92 Everything was measured and mapped, and results were used to identify the top performers along with the “not-so-top” performers and their groups. (Top teams had been known to be rewarded with vacations for the entire team, with spending money provided by the company!) Mr. Pincus personally tracked large amounts of data showing performance levels for the 3,000 employees and their work teams.

It wasn’t that Zynga was failing, or even that there was an open fear of failure. Zynga was one of the rare Internet start-ups that were actually making money. Zynga had garnered $828.9 million in revenue in the first nine months of 2011 and had earned $121 million since the start of 2010. However, the company culture was purely performance driven. The best employees were rewarded very well, while people who couldn’t “hit the numbers” were likely to disappear.

Other local companies and their human resources managers were looking on in anticipation. They also had talent acquisition problems, but many had a much more collaborative culture than Zynga did, and they thought they would be able to use these cultural attributes to steal talent from Zynga after the IPO concluded. They knew that most of Zynga’s early employees who had some type of stock or options in the company would not be likely to leave until the IPO was finalized, but that many would be looking around soon after.

Questions

Imagine you are the new HR director at Zynga. What do you think you might do in this situation to limit the potential loss of a large number of very talented employees?

Are there any benefits or incentives that you can think of that might make more people want to stay on at Zynga after the IPO is complete and they can “get their money”?

HR managers frequently have to teach other senior managers how to deal with their employees better. What do you think you can do about Mr. Pincus? Is there anything you can do? Can you coach him concerning his management style? Do you think this will be effective?

Do you think that big cash and stock rewards for top performers and “the boot” for poor performers is the appropriate way to manage talent in this type of high-tech business? Why or why not?

Case written by Herbert Sherman, Long Island University

scholarly book review evaluating the content and merit of Mills’ classic scholarly piece concerning the power and influence of America’s elite. Does it add value to your understanding of power and influence in American politics? If so, explain how? Is Mills’ work still relevant today? What are the shortcomings of this classic work?

1500

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://ia800102.us.archive.org/17/items/c_wright_mills_the_power_elite/C.%20Wright%20Mills%2C%20Alan%20Wolfe-The%20Power%20Elite-Oxford%20University%20Press%2C%20USA%20%282000%29.pdf

 https://youtu.be/UcCxsLDma2o 

1. What impact did the Jim Crow era have on African Americans achieving equal opportunities in the American society?

2. How has it affected the socioeconomic status and the ability to build wealth of African Americans?

3. How did the Jim Crow era impact the debate over affirmative action?

4. What affect did Affirmative Action have on the status of minorities and women to obtain a significant share of leadership roles in American business and the workplace in general?

5. Does the federal government still need to insure an equal playing field in today’s society?