Faculty of Business and Law
Level: 3 | Module: SIM335 Managing Projects |
Assignment Code: SIM335 | Module Leader: Michael Cassop-Thompson |
Issue date: Friday 13th May 2011 | Return date: Monday 11th July 2011 |
Contribution to module assessment: 100% | |
This is an individual assignment - complete both tasks 1 and 2
Background: The assignment is intended to bring out the benefits and limitations of different approaches to project planning and control by relating these to the circumstances in the cases outlined. It is also intended to allow students to demonstrate their learning and competence in respect of the management of resources generally, but in particular elements of scope, schedule, quality, and cost.
Case 1: Jackman Ltd is an organisation which provides saleable products to the educational sector. Schools, universities and commercial training organisations are regular customers. These products include: stationary, office furniture, and business attire. As part of your job as the Jackman Ltd special projects manager, you have produced a list of activities that need to be addressed to source a new range of soap dispensers for supply to the sector. The details are shown in the table provided. Please note: You must use the methodology detailed above table 1 headed “essential methodology”.
Task 1 (40% marks)
1) Draw the network diagram (use activity on the node). (8 marks)
2) Explain how you determined the timing of activities and the total float. (6 marks)
3) Explain how you determined the project duration and the critical path. (6 marks)
4) If the project starts on the Monday 5 September 2011 , what is the earliest date it can be completed using a 5 day working week? Assume no other holidays (explain how you calculated the figure). (4 marks)
5) If the following happened what would be the effect on the duration of the whole project? Explain the reasons. (6 marks)
a) Activity B is delayed 1 day.
b) Activity P is delayed 1 day.
c) Activity O is delayed 3 days.
6) Explain and discuss the purpose of Network diagrams. (10 marks)
SAMPLE DRAFT ANSWERS
4) If the project starts on the Monday 5 September 2011, what is the earliest date it can be completed using a 5 day working week? Assume no other holidays (explain how you calculated the figure).
Total project duration will require 62 days to complete. If the project starts in the Monday 5th September 2011 and there is only 5 working days per week, after excluding weekends of each month, the earliest date of completion will be on 29th November 2011.
Months | Working days available |
September | 20 |
October | 21 |
November | 21 |
Total | 62 |
5) If the following happened what would be the effect on the duration of the whole project? Explain the reasons.
a) Activity B is delayed 1 day.
One days delay during activity B will decreases only its slack time and does not affect the slack time of any other activity since activity B is not on the critical path. Hence, the delay will not affect or delay the completion date of the whole project. Unlike those activities which fall on critical path, one day delay in any of the activity on critical path will result in one day delay on the following activity and eventually, affecting the completion date of the whole project to be one day delayed.TBC>....
