case study
Project Management
Assignment 2
1- Objective
The main purpose of this task is to reinforce the learning process by bringing in most of the main topics. The emphasis is not on number crunching. The emphasis is on the methods and not the actual figures. For your duration figures and costs, you may make some logical assumptions. So, as long as there is consistency in the use of the chosen figures, they will be acceptable. For instance, it is acceptable to choose two weeks for designing a website at the cost of (2×40×$80). Choosing three, four or even five weeks at an hourly rate of $60, $70 or $90 is acceptable too. These are just some reasonable examples. So, simply make some reasonable assumptions.
2- The Project Management case study
A Queensland Book Company would like to introduce an Internet based ordering system for their customers. You have been asked to lead the project management team for this project. The project will aim to add the new methods to their existing procedures for placing orders. The Company is located in Brisbane and they are hoping that they will be able to sell their books to other states and possibly overseas markets too.
Your objectives are to:
1. Manually, produce a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). You should end up with 8 to 10 work packages (activities). Your work packages should contain information on duration, dependencies and costs.
2. Using Microsoft Project (manually if you use the Project Planner iPad/iPhone app), generate the Network Diagram; determine the project completion time and the Critical Path; identify the Earliest and Latest Start and Finish Times.
3. Using Microsoft Project or the Project Planner iPad/iPhone app, plot a Gantt chart for the Network, On you Gantt chart, for each activity you may depict the allocated cost and accumulate them to obtain the total project cost and place it at the end of the project on the Chart. Remember that the Critical Path is the usually the longest path through the project because we cannot complete the project before all the activities on this path are complete.
4. Plot (manually) your planned costs against time; you (normally) end up with an “S-shaped” curve with an upward trend. It means that the rate of change for costs at the beginning and the end are lower, but the rate of increase for costs in the middle is higher. This curve is really the Project Lifecycle. Remember that in a real-life situation, one can compare the actual costs with the planned costs for any given point and calculate a performance. See the following figure for an example of the costs curve during the main phases (Concept, Definition, Planning, Execution-and-Control and Closeout-and-Audit).
5. Using Microsoft Project or the Project Planner iPad/iPhone app, recommend a simple but effective method for collecting, storing and processing data, which is capable of producing reports to be communicated to relevant people (The Company employees, Customers and Stakeholders). Remember, communication in any Supply Chain Management activity such as Project management is extremely important. We are not only limited to the flow of materials up and down the stream for completion of the project. We also have the important and intangible entity of information which is transferred to and from various sections amongst the project team members and the stakeholders. You should be familiar with the significance of effective communication and the role of the stakeholders in a project.
Finally, present the above tasks in a formal report of 2000–3000 words which consists of:
• ● Title Page (Your details and the Assignment title)
• ● Executive Summary (This summarises everything into a concise format – A limit of 300-500 words would be sufficient).
• ● Introduction (This section sets the scene up for the reader so that they know what will follow – 500 words should be sufficient).
• ● Discussion (This is the main section. Everything important happens here. Your WBS, network, Gantt chart, cost based performance and the communication aspects, all appear here – 1500 words should be sufficient).
• ● Conclusions (This is the section which summarises all the main findings based on your Discussion – 200-300 would be sufficient).
• ● Recommendations (this section is really based on conclusions and there must a good match between them. In other words, your recommend based on your main findings. For instance, you might recommend that in order to cut costs and the project complexities, the company should really focus on ebooks. As a result, the physical storage and distribution will not be a lager problem and the project can be managed more efficiently. Alternatively, you may recommend that a project of this nature, requires a significant of amount of time to be initiated , planned and executed. You might even consider, recommendation of slicing the project into two or more sub-projects. You may also realise that a larger proportion of the project has a great deal to do with systems development and place an emphasis on that aspect as a recommendation. Remember that Recommendations are based on the main finding as in your Conclusions which come from the Discussion’s section. – 200-300 words would be sufficient).
• ● References (As in any form of publication, you need references if you use other people’s ideas, concepts and saying). In a professional report, you are bound to rely on previously published materials – Please do not feel restricted in terms of what references you want to use. If you must have a reference then include it within reason). According to the most up-to-date instructions, you may utilize five to ten outside sources. They may include both academic and professional documents available in print and electronic formats (the Internet). Follow Harvard style.
• To conclude all the explanations and their interpretations, in a nutshell:
• You would choose a task (any task within reason) with which you are familiar and demonstrate how you would go about managing it like a project. Remember that almost everything in life can be managed as a project. Please note that it is acceptable to do the entire exercise manually as per the Coffee Making example in the tool. Hence, in this case it is recommended that you follow an approach similar to the this example in presenting your charts, tables and diagrams. You can draw everything manually (you may ultilise the drawing features of MS Word or other editors). In other words you do not have to use a computer software.
• If you decide not to use a PM software, remember to understand what the PM software programs can do so that you can talk about their use in documenting and communicating information to stakeholders.
You may include other sections as instructed in report writing and communication instruction books and manuals. You will be assessed on the content and presentation of the recommended sections. Hence, they must be presented in your report even if you have other sections. It is recommended to address points 1 to 5 as the analysis in the main part of the report (Discussion). You may sub-divide the section into those five sections. In your Conclusions, you must summarise, only, the main findings. The Recommendations section should be based on the main findings as in the Conclusions. Hence, treat this report as a “project” which has a beginning, an end and the interrelated middle parts. Remember that you must formally reference all the sources which you rely on. You should all know about that aspect. So, even if you use someone else’s ideas which you may have read somewhere or heard on the radio, television or telephone, you must acknowledge and reference them properly.
Make any reasonable assumptions that you may consider necessary and state them in your report.
You may consider creation of an online catalogue, payment and verification system, supplier and courier notification systems. Don’t forget eBook downloading facilities. You may take a look at the Amazon website at amazon.com.au to get some ideas.
Remember that a realistic and practical Project Manager must not allow the planning process to become a project.
Please read this question very carefully. All the necessary instructions are provided. For instance, you may wonder if you need to include a letter of transmittal. The answer to this question is given. Alternatively you may wonder how to construct a network without actual data (duration and costs). The answer to this question is also provided. It has to be reiterated that the main focus of this assignment is on the methods, concepts, theory and practice of Project Management based on what you have read and learnt;and not on number-crunching
Assignment 2 – Marking guide
Criteria Marks
Relevance and Logical Flow of the Presented Information Not Adequate Reasonably Adequate Adequate and Professional 10
Technical Accuracy and Analysis Not very Well Analysed Reasonably Well Analysed Well Analysed and Justified 10
Layout, Structure and Presentation Not Adequate Reasonably Adequate Adequate and Professional 7
Referencing Not Adequate Reasonably Adequate Adequate and Professional 3
Total Marks Available: 30
Marks allocated:
General comments
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