Problem: The Chief Operating Officer of the Plymouth Zoo, Avery Mitchell, was put in charge after the CEO unexpect- edly died. Avery was named acting CEO and told by the zoo's Board of Directors that he would be considered for the position permanently if the next few months went smoothly. Avery was very nervous because he knew that the zoo was on the verge of financial troubles. He was not expecting to make the profits that had been pro- jected for the next few months. He knew that admissions were down as a result of recent unrest in the city and nationally.

The deceased CEO had hired a consulting group to help identify cost savings for the zoo. The firm hired was unfamiliar to Avery, and there were rumors around the zoo that the lead consultant was a friend of the now deceased CEO.

The consulting group had been interviewing staff at the zoo for the last two weeks in order to prepare a pro- posal for work re-design to cut costs. Avery met with the consultants, and they presented him with their proposal. The proposal outlined the cost of the consultants and the projected savings the zoo could expect after the consult- ants' work was finished. Avery was unclear about pre- cisely how the savings were determined and what would be the redesign project's specific deliverables.

Questions: What should Avery Mitchell do next? What information should he ask the consultants for before accepting their proposal? What project planning tools would you suggest Avery ask the consultants to use to outline the project more specifically and address his concerns?