CASE STUDY Dotcom.com, a software engineering and systems development consulting firm, sells a wide assortment of Internet and computer-based solutions for resource planning, administrative, and accounting networks to organizations in health care delivery, financial services, and hotel management. Typically, a service provider approaches Dotcom.com with a list of problems it has and some targets for organizational improvement. Because most of Dotcom’s clients are not themselves computer savvy, they tend to rely heavily on Dotcom to correctly diagnose their difficulties, propose solutions to correct these problems, and implement the new technologies. The industry in which Dotcom operates is extremely competitive, forcing successful organizations to make low bids to win consulting contracts. In this environment, project management is vital for Dotcom’s success because poorly managed projects quickly “eat up” the profit margin for any job. Unfortunately, Dotcom’s senior management team has noticed a recent upsurge in project operating costs and a related drop-off in profitability. In particular, Dotcom’s executives are concerned because the last seven consulting contracts have resulted in almost no