Project Schedule and Written Response

Content Type

User Generated

User

gnoolobbybire

Subject

Business Finance

Description

Greendale Project ReDux

Due Week 8

This assignment consists of two (2) parts: a project schedule, and a written response. You must submit both parts as separate files for the completion of this assignment. Label each file name according to the part of the assignment it is written for.

Part A: Project Schedule
(Submit as one [1] Microsoft Project file)

Create a multi-level work breakdown structure (WBS) and detailed project schedule, using the information from the “Greendale Stadium Case” located at the end of Chapter 6, and incorporating the following constraints.
Note: When you create your MS Project schedule, you will need to update your project per the following constraints:
- The project must consist of at least twenty (20) tasks.
- Each task must have a start and finish date that matches the duration noted in the assignment.
- Each task must be assigned to a resource (e.g., Demolishing Crew; Construction Crew; Landscaping Crew).
- Assume that the crew works during normal weekdays (no weekend work) under normal conditions (8 hours per day).
- In terms of holidays, you can assume no work will be done the following days: New Year’s Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Good Monday, Friday before Memorial Day, Memorial Day, the business day before Independence Day, Independence Day, the Friday before Labor Day, Labor Day, the day before Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving), the business day before Christmas, Christmas Day, the business day after Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve.

Part B: Written Response
(Submit as a Microsoft Word file)

Respond to the following questions in a one to two (1-2) page paper based on your project schedule.
- When will the project be completed?
- What is the critical path for the project?
- How much slack / float is in your project? What activities have the greatest slack / float?
- Identify the top three (3) activities that you believe could impact the project completion date.
- What additional activities you would add to this project to make it more complete, from a project management viewpoint?
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
- Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
- Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.

Unformatted Attachment Preview

Running head: MS PROJECT FAMILIARIZATION MS Project Familiarization Tabatha Hall-Politte Institutional Affiliation 1 MS PROJECT FAMILIARIZATION 2 MS Project Familiarization Microsoft Project is an application designed by Microsoft used in project administration. Ms. Project Software has a number of inbuilt features that assist the program custodians in the process of developing project plans, such as work break down structures, tracking program progress, assigning resources to respective tasks, among other activities (Microsoft, 2018). This makes the application by Microsoft effective in monitoring and controlling a project throughout the implementation process and one of the most used projects administration program by project managers internationally. Opinion on why it is Easy to Use Ms. Project In my opinion, Ms. Project application user-friendly interface makes the software easy to use in the process of managing a project. This is because the interface allows a user to key in vital project activities at ease, as well as interrelate different tasks using predecessors function. Notably, the predecessors define the flow of project activities, depicting the tasks that must be completed prior to commencing other tasks. For instance, in a construction project, laying the pouring the lower concourse comes after completing the building foundation. Similarly, the Ms. Project is easy to apply a project's durations in terms of start and the end dates, making it easier to monitor the project implementation process. Besides, the application heightens the process of assigning resources and developing resource allocation reports useful in evaluating project resources over-allocated in different tasks. Unlike, Ms. Word or Excel that is difficult to create workflow charts, Ms. Project creates the chart automatically as the user feeds in the essential information regarding a project, for instance, tasks, predecessors and the number of hours or days a task requires for a complete implementation process. MS PROJECT FAMILIARIZATION 3 Another aspect that makes Ms. Project easy to use is the labeling of different task on the software's taskbar, such as the function for creating a project plan in a hierarchical manner as well as adding work packages. Report tab on the application's taskbar is another feature that makes the usability of Ms. Project easy compared with Ms. Excel or Word. The report tab enhances the ability to create various project reports used in monitoring the project in terms of duration as well as set budget boosting an efficient project implementation. For instance, a user is in a position to identify the cost overruns as well as determine the earned value reports that enhance the capability of the user to streamline a project's implementation process. Thus, from a user experience standpoint, Ms. Project is easy to use in the process of managing projects irrespective of the program’s size. Foreseen Challenges of Using Ms. Project in this Course The inability to monitor a project performance based on the program plans is one of the challenges I foresee using Ms. Project in this course. Although current versions of the application calculates the schedule performance index (SPI) and cost performance index (CPI) some of the pivotal tool of monitoring the performance of a project, it difficult to accurately estimate the work completed especially within a task under implementation. Another setback in using Ms. Project in the course is the inability of the software to proactively identify and solve arising project issues. The application is designed to execute processes based on the information the user key in and produce the results based on that information. It requires the user to have adequate knowledge of the project to be in a position to identify incorrect information used in the process of planning a project. Besides, instead of Ms. Project using the status dates in the action of calculating and re-calculating various project’s elements, the application uses the project start MS PROJECT FAMILIARIZATION 4 date. This results in an out-of-sequence issue that users are not able to identify making it difficult to maintain a program quality control. Importance of using Ms. Project instead of Tools like Ms. Excel or Word There are a number of benefits of using Ms. Project instead of other tools, such as ms excel or word. Firstly, unlike Ms. word or excel that posits difficult in scheduling project tasks, Ms. project automatically schedules project activities with respect to the discharging plan. Secondly, Ms. Project provided a better control of a project planning as well as execution process. This is because the Ms. Project stores all the required information in one document unlike Ms. Excel or Word that needs multiple storages of documents. The third importance of using Ms. Project compared to using the traditional methods is the ability to track employees working on a specific task in a venture. Besides, the project manager is in a position of tracking the resource usage enhancing the ability to realize a project within the budget as well as completion schedule. Moreover, Ms. Project fosters the ability to minimize instances of over committing project resources, an aspect that one may not easily identify in the process of scheduling a venture implementation using other tools, such as Ms. Excel or Word. In brief, learning Ms. Project in the course will intensify my ability to adequately familiarize with the application as well as enhance my skills in project administration despite the foreseen possible challenges. MS PROJECT FAMILIARIZATION 5 Reference List Microsoft. (2018). Delivering winning projects. Retrieved from https://products.office.com/en/project/project-and-portfolio-managementsoftware?tab=tabs-1 Running head: PROJECT PROPOSAL 1 Project Proposal Tabatha Hall-Politte Professor Kevin McKenzie Project Management May 8, 2018 PROJECT PROPOSAL 2 Project Proposal The project chosen is a construction exercise with real estate. In this project, the construction process includes a contractor who is the project manager and goes ahead to finish a stipulated number of house units within an agreed period. In this project, the construction of 15 units of bungalow-style house units is required within a six month period. The materials are acquired and managed by the project manager who is the contractor and the project is to be delivered to the federal government (client) as a housing project for federal employees in the state. The product of this project is the finished houses together with the lawns and roads serving the estate. The project should be managed such that the contractor minimizes costs while achieving the goals and objectives set in conjunction with the client and also complete the project on time. The goals and objectives of this project have been set by the client and discussed with the project manager. The first goal is to provide sufficient housing for the federal staff working in the area according to the standards of the federal housing conventions. Secondly, the project also aims to manage resources effectively to achieve the best utilization to come up with quality houses within the available budget for the project. Another goal of the project is to effectively manage time to deliver all requirements within time. A more specific approach to the project is the stipulation of project objectives. The first objective is to acquire the building materials at the lowest market prices for the best quality available. Secondly, the project manager aims to complete the first five units of houses in the estate within the first two months after beginning work. Finally, another objective is to finish at least 12 units by the fourth month to provide time for the remaining units and the lawns. PROJECT PROPOSAL 3 Several parties are involved with this project. Primarily, the customers for this project are the federal employees. Therefore, the project is meant to satisfy the living statuses and standards of this group of employees. Essentially, when constructing the houses, the plan will be based on the client’s assessment of the customers’ needs. The other party is the federal government which is the client for this project. Several milestones can be identified in this project. The first milestone that will mark the beginning of the project will be the acquisition of materials required for the particular project. The second milestone is the recruition of workers who will be on the ground performing the work. These include technicians, bricks men, grounds men, and even engineers for the design and quality management. The third milestone is the completion of the 15 units of houses for the project. Away from the milestones, it is necessary to present an overview of the project schedule and the tasks required. The project runs for a relatively short period and thus there is the need to maintain a strict schedule. The first task is the acquisition of construction materials and these will be acquired within the first week of the project. In the second week, recruitment and project commencement will be going on. By the third week, the project should be fully staffed and materials available for the construction. Depending on the number of workers on the site, construction will be carried out concurrently for the different houses. The project manager is mandated with ensuring that the project remains on time. Another crucial issue is the resources that go into the project. According to the client’s estimates which were reached in agreement with the project manager, each unit will cost around $300,000 to complete. An additional $1 million for the construction of the connecting pavements and the lawns is also slotted for the project. The total cost, therefore, is $4.5 million. Other resources include an engineer, who will be produced by the contractor, and also the works men PROJECT PROPOSAL 4 who will be recruited in the second week of the project. Delivery services will be done by the companies from whom the materials such as steel and cement will be purchased. Finally, the project, despite being well-planned, presents the challenge of time and schedule to be adopted. The deadline provided is relatively short for the construction of houses the size that the client requires. This challenge requires perfect workmanship and project management. Using MS project and different methodologies that allow effective management of resources in different projects, this challenge will be faced. Therefore, the success of the project highly relies on the project manager’s management skills.
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Tags: management BUS375