PJM380 (MOD3 Critical Thinking 4-5 page APA essay and cited references)
Module 3: Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking Assignment (130 Points)RequiredChapters 4, 5, 6, & 7 in Project Management Toolbox, focusing on those sections that correspond with topics discussed in this interactive lecturePart 2, Section 3 in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), 6th edition RecommendedFister Gale, S. (2016). Making the case: business-case
templates give project teams the direction they need to deliver the
right project, right on time. PM Network, 30(6), 62–71. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/making-case-business-templates-planning-10113 Orlando, D. (2013). Scope and stakeholder management: pain points,
perils, and prosperity. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress
2013—North America, New Orleans, LA. Newtown Square, PA: Project
Management Institute. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/stakeholder-management-pain-points-perils-prosperity-5955 Van Gemert, D. (2013). Systems engineering the project. Paper
presented at PMI® Global Congress 2013—North America, New Orleans, LA.
Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/systems-engineering-project-5857Important! Read FirstChoose one of the following two assignments to complete this week. Do
not do both assignments. Identify your assignment choice in the title
of your submission.Option #1: Gantt and AON Diagram (Figure 6.4 in Project Management Toolbox)
Network diagramming is a logical, sequential process that requires
you to consider the order in which activities should occur to schedule
projects as efficiently as possible. Remember that all projects have
predecessors, or activities, that must/should occur before the next step
within a project plan can take place.Using a project scheduling application, complete the following:Construct a linked bar-chart and an AON diagram for the schedule
shown in Figure 6.4 of the textbook. Your schedule must include activity
relationships, too. Please note that a Gantt chart that shows activity
relationships is called a linked bar-chart.Then, insert your network diagrams as appendices in a one- to
two-page paper, in the main body of which you identify the steps you
took in creating the linked bar-chart and AON diagram.Document your lessons learned.In your narrative, also explain why the project calendar may impact the project end date.Instruction for Use of Project Scheduling ApplicationsTo complete this assignment, feel free to use any project
scheduling software to which you have access. The Program does not
mandate the use of a particular software application; therefore, you can
use any application that has proper functionalities, including
Microsoft Office products such as Excel. Here are some project
scheduling software options:1- Microsoft Project (Links to an external site.):
If you choose this option, you need to purchase the application. Trial
versions may be available for a limited time (less than 30 days) or
might be not available at all. Lynda.com (Links to an external site.) includes many educational videos on Microsoft Project.2- Primavera P6 (Links to an external site.): A trial or educational versions might be available. Please note, however, that the process of installing P6 is time consuming.3- You also have the option to use ProjectLibre (Links to an external site.)as
an open-source project scheduling application (preferred) or any of the
open-source applications recommended at the following link: Top Five Desk Top Open Source Project Management Tools. (Links to an external site.)4- To draw a precedence diagram only, you can use https://www.draw.io/ (Links to an external site.) (look for PERT under the Business category of charts)Irrespective of the computer program you choose, instead
of submitting the native files, you need to insert a snapshot of your
work into your submission or convert what you’ve developed using the
computer program to a PDF file, and incorporate that as an appendix to
your submission.Additional InstructionsBe sure to organize your writing properly and include the following:Cover pageIntroductionBody of your work with headings and subheadingsAnalysis and recommendationsConclusionList of references.Consult the Sample Paper template (Links to an external site.) for more information on how to organize the paper.Support your assignment with a minimum of three scholarly references.
The CSU-Global library is a good place to locate these sources. The
written section should follow the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA (Links to an external site.)Option #2: Gantt and AON Diagram (Figure 6.1 in Project Management Toolbox)
Network diagramming is a logical, sequential
process that requires you to consider the order in which activities
should occur to schedule projects as efficiently as possible. Remember
that all projects have predecessors, or activities, that must/should
occur before the next step within a project plan can take place.Using a project scheduling application, complete the following:Construct a linked bar-chart and an AON diagram for the schedule
shown in Figure 6.1 of the textbook. Your schedule must include activity
relationships, too. Please note that a Gantt chart that shows activity
relationships is called a linked bar-chart.Then, insert your network diagrams as appendices in a one- to
two-page paper, in the main body of which you identify the steps you
took in creating the linked bar-chart and AON diagram.Document your lessons learned.In your narrative, also explain why the project calendar may impact the project end date.Instruction for Use of Project Scheduling ApplicationsTo complete this assignment, feel free to use any project
scheduling software to which you have access. The Program does not
mandate the use of a particular software application; therefore, you can
use any application that has proper functionalities, including
Microsoft Office products such as Excel. Here are some project
scheduling software options:1- Microsoft Project (Links to an external site.):
If you choose this option, you need to purchase the application. Trial
versions may be available for a limited time (less than 30 days) or
might be not available at all. Lynda.com (Links to an external site.) includes many educational videos on Microsoft Project.2- Primavera P6 (Links to an external site.): A trial or educational versions might be available. Please note, however, that the process of installing P6 is time consuming.3- You also have the option to use ProjectLibre (Links to an external site.)as
an open-source project scheduling application (preferred) or any of the
open-source applications recommended at the following link: Top Five Desk Top Open Source Project Management Tools. (Links to an external site.)4- To draw a precedence diagram only, you can use https://www.draw.io/ (Links to an external site.) (look for PERT under the Business category of charts)Irrespective of the computer program you choose, instead
of submitting the native files, you need to insert a snapshot of your
work into your submission or convert what you’ve developed using the
computer program to a PDF file, and incorporate that as an appendix to
your submission.Additional InstructionsBe sure to organize your writing properly and include the following:Cover pageIntroductionBody of your work with headings and subheadingsAnalysis and recommendationsConclusionList of references.Consult the Sample Paper template (Links to an external site.) for more information on how to organize the paper.Support your assignment with a minimum of three scholarly references.
The CSU-Global library is a good place to locate these sources. The
written section should follow the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA (Links to an external site.).