Assessment - Practical Case Study
Assessment Tasks
This assessment item has been partitioned into weekly sub-deliverables, including the Microsoft Project practicals which are designed to teach you the software tools required for the tasks in this case study.
Part A: Developing the Schedule
For Part A of the case study you must develop the project schedule in the stages described below and complete the Part A questions. The schedule is to be developed incrementally as part of the weekly workshops.
The schedule is to be developed in appropriately named Microsoft Project 2016 files (see the names specified below).
Part A
Question 1
At this point in the schedule development we are not adding resources (that will be in a later week).
This week you must:
- Start a new blank project
- Enter the start date in in the "project information" (accessed through the project ribbon). The start date is Monday 04/06/2018.
- Enter the project title (GreatToys SmartBear) and author in the "project Information", advanced properties area. (Access this through the File tab).
- Set the default so that all tasks entered will be automatically scheduled.
- Enter the following holiday/non-working times:
- 6th August 2018 (public holiday 1)
- 25th December 2018 (Xmas)
- 26th December 2018 (Boxing day)
- 1st January 2019 (New Year)
- 28th January 2019 (public holiday 2)
- Enter all the tasks with correct indentation to achieve the WBS shown in table 2 and Figure 1.
- Add a WBS column before your task so that you can check the WBS numbering is correct before proceeding further. (Add the WBS column by selecting it from the "add New columns" column and then move it to the correct location.). It should appear similar to the following:
- Make sure that the project title (Great Toys Smart Bear) appears as the overall project summary at the top of your "WBS" in the mpp file. It must appear as task 0 with WBS number 0. (To achieve this go to the Format ribbon and select the project summary task check box.)
- Enter all the milestones at the end of the task list. (Note that this is not always a requirement in a project schedule. Milestones can be embedded in the schedule or listed at the start. In this assessment item you are required to add them at the end). The milestones were described earlier.
Enter the following milestones (under a level 7 Milestones summary task). They are:
- M1 Concept review
- M2 Design review
- P1 proto build start
- M3 Final Design review
- M4 Launch review
- Mr. Neilson has also asked you to use a "customised WBS code" for the milestones. For example, if you double click on the first milestone, you can change the WBS code to M1 as illustrated in the screenshot below.
Add customised WBS codes for all your milestones now (i.e. M1, M2, P1, M3, M4).
- Enter task durations assuming that only one of each type of required resource would be allocated the task. For example, task 2.4 Software Design should be given a duration of 6 weeks and task
Module tests should be given a duration of 2 weeks. Remember that milestones have a duration of 0. Take care: some durations are shown in weeks and others are shown in days.
- Save this version of your schedule in PartAQ1.mpp. This must be submitted as directed by your tutor.
Question 2
This should be completed after you have completed Microsoft Project practical 3 which was scheduled as part of the week 6 workshop.
- Add a "WBS Predecessors" column after the "Task Name". You should use this column to check that you have added the correct tasks in the predecessor's column. After you have added your predecessors, it should appear similar to the following:
- Enter all the predecessor information for the tasks and milestones.
Note: the last column of the "Work Breakdown Structure" table indicates where milestones have particular tasks as their predecessors. Figure 1 also has predecessor information for milestone P1. To simplify the addition of predecessor information for milestones, the information has been extracted from the table and their predecessors are summarised below:
Milestone Predecessors
M1 None (start of project)
M2 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 3.4, 4.1
P1 2.12, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4
M3 1.6, 4.7
M4 6
- Check all the predecessors have been entered correctly. Compare the WBS predecessor column with table 1 (the work breakdown structure).
- Other than the first and last milestones, check that all tasks have predecessors and successors in the Gantt chart. If not, you have missed something.
- Adjust the settings so that the critical path(s) is/are automatically displayed in red on the bars of the Gantt chart view of your schedule. (Go to the Format ribbon and check the critical tasks checkbox.)
- Add the resource details to the resource sheet.
- Allocate the required resources to each task in the schedule. For this assessment item you must initially allocate only one of each required resource to a task. To clarify, some examples of what is meant by this are given below.
Based on the information in table 2 and the requirement that you must initially allocate one of each resource to a task, you should initially allocate:
o One Software Engineer to work on task "2.4 Software Design" for 6 weeks.
o One Mechanical Engineer should be allocated to work on task 3.1 for 2 weeks
o Task 4.3 "Module Tests" should be assigned 1 Technical Engineer and 1 Software Engineer to work on this task for 2 weeks. Check that Microsoft Project does not adjust the duration of this task (or any other task) when you allocate resources. If necessary adjust task 4.3's duration so that it takes 2 weeks with 1 TE and I SE working on the task.
- At this point there may be resource over allocation issues. Do not attempt to resolve resource over- allocation issues at this time (see future questions).
- Save this version of your schedule in PartAQ2.mpp. Your individual attempt must be submitted in week 7 of the assessment block as directed by your tutor.
- Once you have created (and submitted) your individual solution for PartAQ2.mpp, work with your group to resolve any differences and select one of your PartAQ2.mpp files to be the group solution. Save this file with the name PartAQ2_G.mpp to avoid confusion between your individual attempts and your final group solution. Check this file thoroughly and have ONE member of the group submit this file in the weekly workshop area (week 7). All group members are responsible for checking this answer and for making sure it is submitted by ONE member of the group as directed by your tutor.
- When you have submitted your group solution for Part A question 2 (PartAQ2_G.mpp), make sure that all members of your group have a copy of this group solution. All members of your group must use the same PartAQ2_G.mpp as their starting point for Part A, question 3 of this case study (scheduled in week 8).
Question 3
- Copy your group's PartAQ2.mpp schedule to PartAQ3.mpp: Ignore any resource over allocations in your mpp file until question 5.
- Mr Neilson asks you to allocate both software engineers to task "2.7 Software Development". Assume that with the additional resources the task still requires "12 person-weeks" (i.e. that there will be appropriate reduction in duration as the work can be divided equally among the three resources).
Make this change in your PartAQ3.mpp file
- Answer the following questions in the template provided.
a) What was the duration and end date of the project before you added the SE to 2.7?
b) What is the duration and end date of the project after the change?
c) Explain why there has / has not been a change to the overall duration as a result of allocating both software engineers to task 2.7. In your answer you must also discuss the impact of the change on the duration of task 2.7
d) Does adding resources to a task always reduce the duration of a task in this way? Explain your answer. (Hint: Does it depend on the nature of the task? What does the "mythical man month" suggest? )
- Save PartAQ3.mpp. Your individual attempt for PartAQ3.mpp and the template with Part A written answers must be submitted in week 8 of the assessment block as directed by your tutor. (Note your answers for Part A questions 3, 4 and 5 are to be submitted together when you complete question 5.)
Question 4
- Copy your PartAQ3.mpp schedule to PartAQ4.mpp.
- If your schedule has any resource over-allocation issues resolve these in the PartAQ4.mpp file without adding any additional resources. For this assignment, do not "split tasks" and do not allow levelling to "adjust individual assignments on a task".
- Save this "modified" version of the PartAQ4.mpp file. You will be required to submit this
PartAQ4.mpp.
- Answer the following questions.
a) Provide brief instructions to explain how you would access and use the Microsoft Project functions to resolve resource over-allocation.
b) Describe the circumstances under which you would be able to resolve resource over- allocation without adding additional resources or extending the duration and explain if this has any advantages/disadvantages?
c) Compare your overall project duration and end date in PartAQ4.mpp and PartAQ3.mp. Explain why there has/has not been a change.
- Save PartAQ4.mpp. Your individual attempt for PartAQ4.mpp and the template with Part A written answers must be submitted in week 8 of the assessment block as directed by your tutor. (Note your answers for Part A questions 3, 4 and 5 are to be submitted together when you complete question 5.)
Continue working with this version of the schedule (PartAQ4.mpp) when you are answering the remainder of the questions in Part A.
Question 5
In the template you have been completing with your written answers for Part A, write a memo to Mr. Neilson providing the following information:
- The current completion date for the project assuming that it commences with task 1.1 on Monday 04/06/2018.
- Suggestions about what you might do if you were required to reduce the project by 2 weeks. Be specific about any additional resources you might request and/or tasks you might target and how you might reduce their duration. You must justify your suggestions. Test your suggestions in your mpp file to check that they will actually reduce the overall project duration.
- The estimated direct labour costs for each of the resource types working on the project. Present the costs in a table similar to the following:
Resource Name Cost
Electronics Engineers
Software Engineers
Mechanical Engineers
Test Engineers
Production Engineers
Total direct labour costs:
- Assume that you will send the project schedule (PartAQ4.mpp) as an attachment to the memo. The information in the memo must correspond to the schedule.
Information about writing memos can be found on the unit website in the same area as this specification.
- Save your individual answers (PartAQ3.mpp, PartAQ4.mpp and PartA_Template.doc) in a zip file and submit your zip file in week 8 of the assessment block.
- Once you have submitted your individual solution for Part A questions 3, 4 and 5, work with your group to resolve any differences in your answers and finalise the following group files. Note that you must use the naming convention introduced earlier (i.e. add _G to the name to indicate that the file is a group solution):
o PartAQ3_G.mpp
o PartAQ4_G.mpp
o PartA_Template_G.doc
- Make sure that all your group files are consistent with one another (i.e. you will produce your PartAQ3_G.mpp from your PartAQ2_G.mpp by making the change specified in question 3, PartAQ4_G.mpp will be produced by resolving any resource over-allocation in your PartAQ3_G.mpp and the written answers correspond to the data in your mpp files).
- ONE member of the group must submit the zip file with the group files listed above in week 8 of the weekly workshop area All group members are responsible for checking the final goup files and for making sure the correct files are submitted by ONE member of the group as directed by your tutor.
- When you have created (and submitted) your group solution for Part A, make sure that all members of your group have a copy of the group solution (mpp files and answers). All members of your group must use the same PartAQ4_G.mpp as their starting point for Part B of this case study.
Attachment:- Assignment.rar