Solar Panel Installation - King Lake Primary School - Case Study Example

ASSIGNMENT 2. Part B. SOLAR PANEL INSTALLATION PROJECT SCOPE REPORT NAME INSTITUTION DATE Introduction: This scope report defines the preliminary project of installing solar panels to an existing school building at the King Lake primary school. Definition of the scope of the project: The project aims at ensuring that the school is in a position of generating its own power through the installation of the solar panels. The projected serving time of the panels is around 30years. As this is a long time, the following will have to be done: Removing the entire roof of the building and putting into place a stronger roof that will hold the panels for the projected period of time. Wiring all the rooms that will be served with the solar panels using the recommended solar power cables to ensure that all the safety measures are adhered to. Purchasing solar panels and other appliances that are needed to complete the project. Other appliances include solar bulbs and water heaters. Stake holders Project sponsor -National Solar Schools Program Project owner—king Lake primary school Project manager- principal, king lake primary school Team members- lake contractors and clear solar company Issues/Constraints for the project The major issue in the project concerns the relocation of the learners occupying the building to be re-roofed. They have to be given alternative rooms to use as classrooms until the completion of the program. Assumptions of the project The installed panels will be able to provide enough electrical energy to power up the whole school and satisfy its energy needs. The school will be able to cut down its power bills through the production of its own power. Some money will also be generated through the sale of electricity to the national grid during the school holidays since the generated power will not be in use then. Initial timelines The projected timeline for the entire processes is 2 months. The approximated time for the roofing of the building and internal wiring process is 1 ½ months. There after the installation of the panels is projected to take 2weeks. Task allocations The roof of the building will be rebuilt first. Lake building contractors have been awarded a contract of redoing it. Wiring of the building and installation of the panels and other electrical appliances that will rely on the solar power will be done by Clear Solar Company. Relationship of the project to other projects and to the organization The project is in line with the vision of the organization of turning all schools into solar driven schools by 2010. The organization is sponsoring other projects with an aim of ensuring that clean energy is acquired especially during this time of climate change. Estimation and explanation of costs and resources requirements Project budget $50,000 Solar panels $25000 Purchase of panels with a projected power output of over 2kw wiring $2000 Upgrading the wiring system to fit the solar system appliances $10000 Purchase of water heaters, bulbs and air conditioners roofing $7000 Re-building the whole roof to hold the panels for a period of 30years Paying workers $5000 Payment for the contractors and installation of the panels maintenance $1000 Projected annual maintenance fee for the whole solar system Conclusions and recommendations On completion of the project, the school will be in a position of generating its own energy. However, with more funding, the school will be in a good position of generating enough power that can also be sold back to the national grid to generate income for the school which can be used in developing the learning institution further . Assignment one: part one: Question 1: A project is a coordinated activity that is well planned and organized. It is carried out by a given individual or association in order to accomplish a given objective. A project does have different features that ensure it is completed successfully. It must have a timeline, budget, sponsor and task allocations among others. For example in a project of installing solar panels to a school building, the project manager must estimate the time required and the budget estimates for buying the panels and installing them, which will be reviewed by the project sponsors i.e. national solar schools program( Lester 2007,p1) Question 2: In project planning, the project team comes up with a design that is to be followed in order to achieve the set objectives of the project. The design gives an explanation on expenditure and timeline of the project. In project control, the project team keeps track of all the activities taking place in relation to the project in order to make sure that it is completed on time and within the allocated budget. There also are various different tools that assist in the planning and control of activities within a project. For example in a project whereby solar panels are being installed to a school building, the project manager can use some of these tools: work-break down structure which will help the manger in defining all the processes involved to have the solar panels successfully installed, Gant chart which will enable him to keep track of the activities going on from the purchasing of the panels to their installation and the project information which enables the project sponsors and other stakeholders to be in touch with the progress of the project. Question 3: Stages of a project: i) Definition stage whereby the objectives are set, the scope of the project, budget and timeline are also set. ii) Planning stage-the roles of all individuals participating in the project are defined. The procedures to be followed are also set before commencing on the project. iii) Implementation/Execution stage whereby work on the project practically begins. iv) Control stage- at this stage, reporting of issues and progress on the work must be done to ensure that the objectives set are met in the set timeline. v) Closure stage- at the end of the project, an official sign off between all parties is important to show that the project was successfully completed. Question 4 Since the project team leader has to be appointed from within the organizations employees, a recommendation to select a person who has 10years experience will not be automatically accepted due to the following reasons: i) Restricting the recruitment to 10years of experience can easily lock out viable candidates within the organization for the position who may even do a better job than the person with 10 years of experience. There may be candidates with better leadership skills but with lesser years of experience. ii) A team leader should be able to resolve conflicts that come up between the team members. There could be a person in the organization who demonstrated strong conflict resolving skills previously but has lesser years of experience. Such a person can make a good project team leader regardless of the number of years of experience. iii) Within the organization, there are employees who have demonstrated an ability to meet strict deadlines, they will be recommended regardless of the number of years of experience that they posses. iv) Any person with strong capabilities in leading a production team within the organization will most definitely be considered for the job regardless of the years of experience. v) A person with 10years experience will not be automatically recommended, instead an employee who has proven to have good presentation and persuasive skills, is goal oriented and result driven will automatically be recommended for the position. Part 2 question 1. Activities of the Critical path: A 5m B4m D 4m F 2m H 4m I A=1month The duration of the critical path chart is 20months activity Duration months J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A A $20,000 1 $20,000 B $45000 5 $9 $9 $9 $9 $9 C $30000 2 $15 $15 D $52000 4 $13 $13 $13 $13 E $40000 2 $20 $20 F $56000 4 $14 $14 $14 $14 G $36000 3 $12 $12 $12 H $30000 2 $30 $30 I $60000 4 $15 $15 $15 $15 Montly cost $20 $24 $24 $29 $29 $9 $13 $13 $13 $13 $26 $26 $26 $14 $30 $30 $15 $15 $15 $15 Cumulative cost 20 44 68 97 126 135 148 161 174 187 213 239 265 279 309 339 324 339 354 369 The cumulative cash flow needed to complete the project =$369,000 References Lester Albert, 2007, Project management, planning and control .Butterworth-Heinemann. Kerzner Harold, 2009, Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling .John Wiley and Sons. Kerzner Harold, 2010, Project Management: Best Practices: Achieving Global Excellence. John Wiley and Sons Read More