1)Use Microsoft Project 2013 to develop the project schedule. Note that Ms Ellin Jannali has also asked you to include the following in your schedule:
a)The project title as the overall project summary (as task 0 and WBS number 0). All other tasks should be “indented” according to the WBS structure described in the case study.
b)The project name and start date be noted in the Project Information section in Microsoft Project.
c)The Microsoft Project workbook columns are set up as shown below:
d)The task names are to include the WBS identifiers prior to the name in the ‘Task Name’ column (1.2 Project kick off meeting) and the milestones are to be placed throughout the schedule, with the milestone identifier included at the start of the milestone name in the ‘Task Name’ column (M1. Initiation Gate: Charter approved). All milestones are to be highlighted yellow.
e)Resource allocation details are included.
f)Holidays are entered.
g)The critical path(s) automatically displayed in red on the bars of the Gantt chart view of your schedule
At this point there may be resource over allocation issues. Do not attempt to resolve these before answering question 2. Save this version of your schedule as Auminthina_A1.mpp. You will be required to submit this file as part of your assignment submission.
2)At this point ignore any resource over allocations. For the purposes of this question only you can assume that there would be no resource constraints so do not attempt to resolve any resource over allocation (if any exists). Based on your Auminthina_A1.mpp schedule:
a)Use the “view tab” filter to display only the critical tasks. Provide a screenshot showing the task names and the Gantt chart of all the tasks on the critical path(s).
b)Did the annual holidays make any difference to the end date of your project? If so note the previous and changed end date. Explain why/why not there was/was not a change in end date.
c)If you were asked to complete the project 10 days earlier by reducing the duration of some of the tasks in the project. Fill in the table below stating what tasks you will reduce the duration of, by how much and how you will reduce the duration of each task.
d)Create a new version of the schedule with the changes you outlined in part (c) highlighted blue using the “background colour” icon on the task ribbon. Make sure that your changes have reduced the project duration by 10 days. Call this file Auminthina_A2.mpp. You will be required to submit this file as part of your assignment submission. This file is not to be modified/developed further.
3)Create another copy of your original question 1, Auminthina_A1.mpp in another file called Auminthina A3.mpp. In this question, unlike question 2, assume that you will not have any additional resources assigned to the project even if there are resource over allocation issues. If your schedule had any resource over-allocation issues resolve these in the Auminthina_A3.mpp file without adding any additional resources. For this assignment, do not “split tasks”. Save this “modified” version of Auminthina_A3.mpp file.
a)Describe how you used (or how you would have used Microsoft Project) to resolve any resource over-allocation issues.
b)Does the fact that you cannot have any additional resources for this project have any impact on your project duration and end date? Explain.
4)Continue working with Auminthina_A3.mpp. In this file, include two additional milestone “markers” to show the following notifications:
a)The Architectural Reference Group needs notification and papers to be sent out five business days prior to being able to approve the detailed design (M3). Continue working with Auminthina_A3.mpp. In this file, include an additional milestone “marker” called ‘N1 ARG Design Gate Notification’ to highlight the latest date that the project manager should contact the Architectural Reference Group to provide notification and papers. The papers will consider of the Prototype detailed design documents that are created in task 3.5 Prototype detailed design.
a)According to Auminthina_A3.mpp what is the latest date that notification and papers can be sent to the Architectural Reference Group?
b)Is there an issue between the dates for notification and finalising the Prototype Detailed Design (3.5).
b)The Project Board needs notification and papers to be sent out ten business days prior to being able to approve GoLive (M6). Continue working with Auminthina_A3.mpp. In this file, include an additional milestone “marker” named ‘N2 Project Board GoLive Gate Notification’ to highlight the latest date that the project manager should contact the Project Board to provide notification and papers.
a)According to Auminthina_A3.mpp what is the latest date that notification and papers can be sent to the Project Board?
Make sure that these new milestones have the appropriate predecessor relationships so that the dates will be automatically adjusted if there is any change to the schedule. On your schedule, highlight the rows that include these milestones in blue. This change is to be saved in your Auminthina_A3.mpp file.
5)Write a memo to the CEO, Ms Ellin Jannali, providing your project proposal and include following information:
a)an explanation of the project need and what it is trying to achieve.
b)the expected completion date of the project, assuming it commences on 1/10/16;
c)the total duration of the project;
d)an explanation of the main factors that cause the project to require that length of time and any recommendations that you might make if time was a priority for the project;
e)the estimated labour costs for each of the resource types working on the project. Present the costs in a table similar to the following: