Write an answer to the following posts:

topic: Project management

1.

The introduction to project management video was interesting. It explained the history of project management, its framework, and why it is important. I agree with the speaker that it is a discipline and a skill set. Managing a small, personal project may be an easy task for an individual but that is not the case for a business or an organization. They must reach their objectives within given constraints (time, budget, and scope).

I didn’t know there were certifications for project management but I can understand why. Companies want to examine how well an individual can manage a project before they assign them to a team.

2.

The information in the video was interesting. The roots of our modern-day project planning coming from WWI were a fun fact. The guy in the video explained it well, even though the information was dense. The example of scale he used about managing a personal project rather than one with multiple people made me quickly understand the need to study project management.

Something interesting is that project management is more of a skill than a title. Something I didn’t know is you can be certified in project management. I assumed it was a job position you’d be given rather than be certified for.

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I’m unsure if I should just read through the website or sign up for the program attached to it.

topic: database management systems

1.

A spreadsheet cannot perform an essential database function compared to a database is the ability to “add to, update, and delete data from the file” (Coronel, C., & Morris, S., 2018). A spreadsheet will allow a user to display, input, and even compute data in a format that is pleasing to the eye, but it cannot update itself like a database; furthermore, spreadsheets lack “enforcement of data types or domains to ensure consistency of data within a column, defined relationships among tables, or constraints to ensure consistency of data across related tables” (Coronel, C., & Morris, S., 2018). An example of this would be if I wanted to create a spreadsheet of my current inventory of radio equipment I had in a warehouse. I can make a spreadsheet of the items I have on hand. Still, a database of all the radio equipment I have would be more accurate because if someone is scanning bar codes of equipment being shipped out, I will have a more accurate representation of what inventory I have on hand and what type of radio equipment is being shipped which location, how it has taken to arrive at the location, and how long did it sit on the shelf before being shipped out. In other words, with a database, I can create specific rules and parameters to meet the full functionality of my company instead of a singular view of a spreadsheet a single user created.

Some common problems that can and do occur with a collection of spreadsheets created by end users are that data can be overlapped with no means of having a structured format to present it. Another problem would be the file naming system; if someone creates a spreadsheet and then another employee updates it without a formal way of naming files, no one knows which is the updated or old version. Another common problem is that spreadsheets have created a barrier between the data process specialist and the end user. DP specialists viewed that “the computer files within the file system were created to be similar to the manual files. Data management programs were created to add to, update, and delete data from the file” (Coronel, C., & Morris, S., 2018). The end user viewed the database management systems as separating them from the data. As the business environment became driven by split decisions, using spreadsheets as a substitute for databases became a common mistake (Coronel, C., & Morris, S., 2018).

2.

Describe the essential database functions a spreadsheet cannot perform and give at least one real-world example.

spreadsheets do not and will not support basic functionality such as: support for self-documentation through metadata. enforcement of data types or domains to ensure consistency of data within a column, define relationships among tables, or contraints to ensure consistency of data across related tables.

For example, for the army we can not properly keep account of jumps/airborne operations properly on a spreadsheet and that is why we use our own form called a da form 1307.

What common problems do a collection of spreadsheets created by end-users share with the typical file system?