| Course | MGT 474 Project Management |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Project management concepts paper |
| Length | About 1,050 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MGT 474 Module 1
The Lion Exhibit Ran Late; the Otter Exhibit Will Not: Projects, Life Cycles and Success Factors at a Regional Zoo
Student Name
Business Administration Program, Aspen University
MGT 474: Project Management
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
The Lion Exhibit Ran Late; the Otter Exhibit Will Not: Projects, Life Cycles and Success Factors at a Regional Zoo
Meadowlark Zoo, a composite nonprofit zoo in Wichita, Kansas, welcomes about 520,000 visitors a year and cares for about 900 animals. Most of its work is operations: feeding and caring for animals, running admissions and concessions, maintaining grounds. Every few years, it also builds something new. Its last major project, a lion exhibit, was budgeted at $1.86 million and scheduled to open in 2019. It opened in 2020 at a cost of $2.6 million, after design changes requested by animal care staff, a dispute with the contractor and a late discovery that the site needed new drainage. The zoo now plans a river otter exhibit with an underwater viewing window, funded largely by a $1.2 million donor gift that requires the exhibit to open by Memorial Day 2026. The board has asked how the zoo will avoid repeating the lion exhibit's problems.
What Makes This a Project
The PMBOK Guide describes a project as a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result (Project Management Institute, 2021). The otter exhibit has a beginning and an end, will be built once and differs from the daily work of animal care, which repeats. The seventh edition frames project management around principles, such as being a diligent steward, focusing on value, recognizing complexity and tailoring the approach to the project, rather than a fixed set of processes. It also describes development life cycles, the series of phases a project passes through from start to finish.
Projects Inside an Operating Zoo
The otter exhibit must be built while the zoo stays open and its animals stay calm. Construction noise near the existing beaver pond, deliveries through visitor paths and the need for keepers to train otters in a holding area before opening all tie the project to daily operations. Many of the people the project depends on, from keepers to the maintenance crew, have full-time operational jobs. This overlap is one reason the PMBOK Guide stresses that projects create value only when they connect to the organization's ongoing work: an exhibit that keepers cannot service safely would fail however well it was built.
What Went Wrong Last Time
Pinto and Slevin (1987) asked project managers which factors contributed most to successful implementation and identified ten: a clear project mission, top management support, a detailed schedule and plan, consultation with the client, recruitment and training of the right personnel, adequate technical tasks, client acceptance, monitoring and feedback, communication and troubleshooting. Measured against these factors, the lion exhibit fell short in several places. Its mission shifted when animal care staff, who were consulted only after design began, asked for larger holding areas. No one monitored costs monthly against a baseline. Troubleshooting was slow, because no one had authority to resolve the contractor dispute quickly.
An Iron Law
Flyvbjerg (2014), studying large infrastructure projects, described what he called the iron law of megaprojects: over budget, over time, under benefits, over and over again. He attributed overruns to optimism bias in early estimates, underestimation of complexity and, in some cases, strategic misrepresentation by people seeking approval. The otter exhibit is far smaller than the projects he studied, but the same forces operate: the lion exhibit's budget was set by what the board hoped to spend, before drainage was investigated.
The Otter Exhibit's Life Cycle
| Phase | Key deliverables | Decision gate |
|---|---|---|
| Initiation | Business case; project charter; sponsor named | Board approves charter |
| Planning | Scope statement; work breakdown; schedule; budget; risk register | Board approves baseline before design contract |
| Design | Concept and final design with animal care sign-off; site survey | Final design and cost estimate approved |
| Construction | Exhibit built; life support systems tested; animals introduced | Animal care certifies exhibit ready |
| Closing | Opening; final accounts; lessons learned report | Sponsor accepts project close |
Lessons the Zoo Will Apply
Five practices follow from the lion exhibit and the research. The project will have one sponsor, the deputy director, with authority to resolve disputes within two days. Animal care staff will be part of the team from initiation, not consulted after design, so the client is consulted early, as Pinto and Slevin advise. A site survey, including drainage and soil, will be completed before the budget is approved. Costs and schedule will be reviewed monthly against a baseline. And the budget will include a contingency set by evidence rather than hope.
The Project Manager's Role
The lion exhibit was managed by the director in spare moments. The otter exhibit will have a named project manager, the facilities manager, who will spend half her time on the project during design and most of it during construction, with the authority set in the charter.
Tailoring the Approach
The PMBOK Guide encourages tailoring methods to the project. The otter exhibit is a construction project with fixed requirements for animal welfare and a fixed donor deadline, which suits a predictive life cycle with clear phases. Exhibit graphics and interactive displays, however, can be developed in short cycles with visitor testing, an adaptive approach within the larger plan.
Who Has a Stake
The lion exhibit showed how many groups a zoo project touches. Animal care staff and the veterinarian decide whether an exhibit is safe for animals. The donor expects recognition and an opening by the agreed date. The board approves money and holds the director accountable. Education staff design what visitors learn. The city owns the land and issues permits. Contractors build and warranty the work. Visitors, finally, judge the result. Pinto and Slevin's factors of client consultation and client acceptance apply to several of these groups at once, which is why the project will begin by listing them and deciding how each will be involved.
Measures of Success
Success will be measured by opening on time, finishing within budget, meeting animal welfare standards and, after a year, reaching visitor and donor goals, the benefits the project is meant to deliver.
Conclusion
The otter exhibit is a project in the PMBOK Guide's sense, with a life cycle that gives each phase a deliverable and a decision. Pinto and Slevin's success factors and Flyvbjerg's iron law explain why the lion exhibit failed and show what must change. Following the exhibit through this course will test whether those lessons hold.
References
Flyvbjerg, B. (2014). What you should know about megaprojects and why: An overview. Project Management Journal, 45(2), 6-19. https://doi.org/10.1002/pmj.21409
Pinto, J. K., & Slevin, D. P. (1987). Critical factors in successful project implementation. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, EM-34(1), 22-27. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.1987.6498856
Project Management Institute. (2021). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (7th ed.).
Reading the MGT 474 Module 1 assignment instructions
Aspen's catalog lists planning, scheduling, budgeting, control and closing as the substance of MGT 474. Module 1 lays the ground for all of them: what separates a project from routine work, how a project passes through phases and what makes one succeed. Follow your classroom's Module 1 prompt for exact requirements; one zoo's project is introduced here. Define a project and how it differs from ongoing operations, with examples from the organization. Describe a project life cycle with phases and decision points. Explain factors research links to project success. Discuss why projects often overrun. Apply these ideas to a real or composite project, including lessons from past projects and the stakeholders involved. Close with what the organization will do differently.
How the MGT 474 Module 1 example is put together
The paper opens with Meadowlark Zoo, whose lion exhibit, finished in 2020, cost $2.6 million against a $1.86 million budget. Its next project is a river otter exhibit with underwater viewing, funded by a $1.2 million donor gift that requires opening by Memorial Day 2026. The PMBOK Guide's seventh edition describes projects, principles such as stewardship and tailoring, and development life cycles. Pinto and Slevin's IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management article lists ten critical factors, including project mission, top management support, client consultation and monitoring. Flyvbjerg's Project Management Journal article states the iron law that large projects run over budget and over time, over and over again. A table lists five phases, from initiation to closing, with deliverables and gates. Lessons include defining scope before design and consulting animal care staff early.
Where the marks sit in the MGT 474 Module 1 rubric
Introductory project papers earn credit for accurate definitions, a clear life cycle and the use of research on success and failure to shape a real project. This example contrasts the zoo's projects with its daily operations, which makes the definition concrete. The life cycle table gives each phase a deliverable and a decision gate. Pinto and Slevin's factors and Flyvbjerg's iron law are used to diagnose the lion exhibit, so the research explains a real failure. The lessons follow directly from that diagnosis, name the people responsible and will shape later modules.
MGT 474 Module 1 help: mistakes that cost marks
Opening project papers often define a project and list the phases of a life cycle without connecting either to a real project. Choose a specific project and follow it. Another weakness is presenting success as finishing on time and budget only; consider whether the project delivers its intended benefits. Use research on success factors and overruns to examine a past project honestly. Give each life cycle phase a deliverable and a decision point, and say who makes each decision. Note how the life cycle may be tailored to the project. Finally, turn lessons into specific practices the next project will follow. Identify the stakeholders early.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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MGT 474 Module 1 questions, answered
What does MGT 474 Module 1 usually ask for?
Aspen's MGT 474 opens with projects and the project life cycle, so a paper defining projects, explaining life cycles and applying success factors to an organization is typical. Read your classroom prompt.
What is a project?
A temporary effort undertaken to create a unique product, service or result, unlike ongoing operations that repeat.
What are critical success factors for projects?
Pinto and Slevin identified ten, including a clear project mission, top management support, a detailed schedule, client consultation, the right personnel, monitoring and feedback, communication and troubleshooting.
Where can I find a free MGT 474 Module 1 sample paper?
The example above introduces a zoo's river otter exhibit as a project, with a life cycle table and lessons from a past exhibit that ran over budget.
Why do large projects run over budget?
Flyvbjerg describes an iron law of overruns driven by optimism, underestimated complexity and, sometimes, strategic misrepresentation in early estimates.