Objectives:
1. To gain in-depth knowledge and skills in project management by applying the theories,
methods and techniques learned in classroom;
2. To apply the skills in using project management software tools to enhance project
performance; and
3. To advance learning experience through teamwork.
Requirements:
You are asked to form groups of 5, and choose a topic of an applied nature for simulating
project management.
You may choose a topic from a wide variety, for instance, information systems/technology,
construction, office relocation, organization of a promotion event, and so on. Needless to
say, every team begins by searching relevant background information about the selected topic
from the library or trade publications. For instance, if your topic is about office relocation, or
information system development, you need to acquire a basic understanding of the
requirements, methods, and processes in conducting such kinds of business activities.
Be focused and limit your project scope to a manageable size. For instance, if you are so
fortunate to have the access to information about a large-scaled project in a company, which
includes many related sub-projects of considerable size, just focus on one of the sub-projects.
It is advisable (but optional) to write a one-page proposal and discuss it with the instructor to
determine if the chosen topic is appropriate and feasible. I found over the years that students
of project management, in various institutions, who came to discuss their ideas with me in my
office would be more likely to have a smooth start of, and more interesting experience from
the project.
Based on the information collected, you have to write up the scenario that clearly describes
the nature, scope, objectives, and constraints of the projects. Other information you need to
provide in your final report include resources information such as human resources, financial
resources, project team members and their roles, etc. These descriptions will form parts of
your final report.
The requirements that your final report must fulfill are as follows:
1. Define a work breakdown structure (WBS) for your project activities using a project
management software. (Include output to your final report. See requirement 8).
2. Create a Gantt Chart with time durations entered into the project file.
3. Establish the dependencies/relationships of the project tasks. (Include output 0f
requirements 2 & 3 in your final report. See requirement 8).
4. Enter the human resources information into the project file for each of the project tasks.
If the software chosen does not support such a functionality, please prepare the
information in a Microsoft Word or Excel file.
5. Identify the milestones and critical path of the project tasks. What should you do to make
sure any of these tasks on the critical path won’t hold up the progress of the project?
(You should first identify the critical paths by conducting a critical path analysis. Address
any problems, and explain how you accomplish it. If you have more than one critical path,
list all of them.)
6. Assume that you lost 40% of the human resources for a critical role of your project due to
staff turnover. What is the impact on project completion of this reduction in resource
level? Demonstrate how you would resolve this problem and explain.
7. If your client has a very tight schedule, how can you expedite your project? Please explain
in your report and provide appropriate information to support your discussion. (Note the
potential costs and benefits of your decision.)
8. Include in your final report print-outs/output of your initial Gantt Chart, Gantt Charts after
any change in resources allocation, and results of your critical path analysis. You should
also include print-outs/output of the WBS showing duration of each project tasks, and the
human resources allocated to the activities. Explain all of these components in your final
report.
9. Please also accompany the final report with your Openproj project file. (You may forward
the Openproj project file to [email protected], but remember to submit your final
report by uploading it to Blackboard.)
10. You may use any project management software products other than Openproj. But you
need to export all the project files and output files to Openproj or Microsoft-compatible
format, or other open standards so that your submission can be reviewed and verified. If
you choose to use a different software product for this assignment, you need to accept the
moral obligations of conducting a brief demo and sharing your experience in class.
11. Other requirements:
You are required to follow the APA format for the report, especially for in-text
citations and references. Relevant information about the APA format can be
found from the following websites: