Business Enivronemnts - Essay Example

?Business and Law Task 1) Network Diagram - Activity on node. the introduction of a dummy activity R with duration of zero to represent the end of the project. 2) Determination of Timing of Activities and Total Float: “Let Ei represent the earliest start time for activity i such that all its preceding activities have been finished. We calculate the values of the Ei (i=A, B... I) by going forward, from left to right, in the network diagram. To ease the notation let Ti be the activity completion time associated with activity i (e.g. TB = 5). Then the Ei are given by” (Beasley n.d.). EA = 0 (assuming we start at time zero)  EB = EA + TA = 0 + 4 = 4 EC = EA + TA = 0 + 4 = 4 ED = EA + TA = 0 + 4 = 4 EE = EA + TA = 0 + 4 = 4 EF = EA + TA = 0 + 4 = 4 EG = max [EB + TB, EC + TC, ED + TD, EE + TE, EF + TF] = max [9,8,12,10,13] = 13 EH = EG + TG =26 EI = EH+ TH =34 EJ = EH+ TH =34 EK= max [EI + TI, EJ+ TJ] = max [41,40] =41 EL= EK+ TK =49 EM= EL+ TL =62 EN= EM+ TM =71 EO= EN+ TN =75 EP= EO+ TO =79 EQ= EP+ TP =88 ER= EQ+ TQ =93 Hence, the minimum possible completion time for the entire project is 93days, i.e. 93 days are the minimum time needed to complete all the activities. We now need to calculate the latest times for each activity. Let Li represent the latest start time; we can start activity i and still complete the project in the minimum overall completion time. (Beasley n.d.). We calculate the values of the Li (i=A,B,...,I) by going backward, from right to left, in the network diagram. Hence: LR = 93 LQ = LR – TQ = 93- 5 = 88 LP = LQ – TP = 88-9 = 79 LO = LP – TO = 75 LN = LO – TN = 71 LM = LN – TM = 62 LL = LM – TL = 49 LK = LL – TK = 41 LJ = LK – TJ = 35 LI = LJ – TI = 34 LH = min [LI – TH, LJ – TH] = min [26,27] = 26 LG = LH – TG = 13 LF = LH – TF = 4 LE= LH – TE = 7 LD = LH – TD = 5 LC = LH – TC = 9 LB = LH – TB = 8 LA= min [LB – TA, LC – TA, LC – TA, LD – TA, LE – TA, LF – TA] = min [4,5,1,3,0] = 0 Note that all latest times are >=0, at least one activity has a latest start time value of zero. As we know, the earliest start time Ei, and latest start time Li, for each activity i it is clear that the amount of slack or float time Fi available is given by Fi = Li - Ei which is the amount by which we can increase the time taken to complete activity i without changing (increasing) the overall project completion time. Hence, we can form the table below: Activity Li Ei Float Fi A 0 0 0 B 8 4 4 C 9 4 5 D 5 4 1 E 7 4 3 F 4 4 0 G 13 13 0 H 26 26 0 I 34 34 0 J 35 34 1 K 41 41 0 L 49 49 0 M 62 62 0 N 71 71 0 O 75 75 0 P 79 79 0 Q 88 88 0 R 93 93 0 Total Float = 14 (Beasley n.d.). 3) Critical Path and Project Duration: Any activity with a float of zero is critical. Note here that, as a check, all float values should be >= 0. (Beasley n.d.). Hence, the critical path is A-F-G-H-I-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q Total project duration is = 93 days 4) If the project starts on 16/January/2012 with 5 working days in a week and assume that there is no holidays, Total duration of project is 93 days, So we need to calculate the date after 93 working days Assume that 5 working days in a week and there are no holidays. 21/May/2012 will be the date for completion of the project. 5) a) Activity B is delayed 2 days. The delay will have no impact on scheduled path. Activity has float of 4 days and can be delayed for as much as 4 days before any impact can be made on the completion date for the project. b) Activity P is delayed 2 days. Activity is on the critical path with zero float. A late start of 2 days resulting in an increase in overall project from 93 days to95 days a) Activity 0 is delayed 1 day Delays succeeding activities by 1 day; overall project extended by 1 day as a result 6) Limitations of Network Diagram: “Cannot handle all specific problems that arise in each step of the project. Different graphical representations can be made easier in other types of control processes. The activity time estimation is somewhat subjective to judgment. In case of little experience the number may be only a guess. There is chance for discrepancy in the assumed numbers from the real distribution. The critical path method consistently underestimates the project completion time” (Pert 2002). Task 2, a report that is produced for task two (2000 words), is completed as an individual task. It is the duty of the project manger to set up the various activities of the development process to deal with the team in an appropriate way. Here Jimaga Ltd is a SME company specializing in the design and supply of promotional brochures. As part of its expansion, Jimaga Ltd has employed me as a consultant to supervise one of their special projects. “This project is concerned with the opening of a building which they recently acquired (35,000 square metres). This new building will permit the company to target and respond to large global organizations” (Project Management 2011) demands for service. Primarily, the staffing arrangement at the new building will reflect the existing structure at the existing site. The project will become a success only if it meets every condition and terms which are laid out in the prescribed form. This report includes the various activities required to successfully organize the opening up of a new building with the time and budget limit. For every organization, there will be a set of team responsible for particular project activities within the organization. Responsibility of the project manager: A project manager is an expert in the area of project management. The responsibility of the project managers includes the planning, carrying out and finishing of any project, normally relating to telecommunications, manufacture business, computer networking, architecture, Aerospace and Defence or software development. “A project manager is the person who has the overall responsibility for the successful planning and execution of a project. He or she must have a combination of skills including an ability to ask penetrating questions, detect unstated assumptions and resolve conflicts, as well as more general management skills” (Role of the Project Manager 2000). The project manager is responsible for guaranteeing that everybody on the team recognizes his or her position, experiences empowered, performs properly and well and maintained in the position, recognize the position of the other members of the team and acts upon the faith that those positions will be carried out. The exact responsibilities of the Project Manager of the organization are numerous and it may differ depending on the business, size of the company, maturity of the company, and culture of the company. On the other hand, there are some responsibilities that are general to every Project Managers, those are: Building up of the project plan Organizing the stakeholders of the project. Organizing the project team Organizing the various risk associated with the project. Organizing the schedule of the project. Organizing the budget of the project. Organizing the conflicts associated with project. Various Risks Likely to Affect the Execution of the Project: The project of opening of a building of design and supply of promotional brochures was a turnkey one. On the path of completion of the project, there were numerous constraints. The execution the project management included co-coordinating the various activities of the project from the time of planning to the final stage of successful achievement of the project. “Risk is a combination of the probability of a negative event and its consequences. If an event is inevitable but inconsequential, it does not represent a risk, because it has no impact.  Alternatively, an improbable event with significant consequences may not be a high risk. These two factors are combined in what we experience as the possibility of loss, failure, danger, or peril. ” (Chapman 1997). The constraints were of many types like: Financial Constraints: During the execution of the project, we faced many constraints; the most significant was the constraints related to financial matters or the funding. Even though all the banks were ready to finance for the project, due to various kinds of reasons loans were not easily available. Similarly, the increase in the price of materials also affected badly the budget that was prepared for opening of new building of Jimaga Ltd Company. Availability of Materials: The materials required for opening up of new building like concrete, steel frames, iron bars, cement, bricks etc soon turned out to be inadequate. At the beginning of the project itself an appropriate material requirement plan was drawn with the intention of guarantee the availability of materials through the current supply chain. But the unexpected problems in the supply chain formed a lot of constraints in the project due to the unavailability of materials at the right time and at the right place. Less Availability of Internal Resources (Particularly Technical Staff): The irregular availability of the various categories of the internal resources like technical employees and plant and machinery formed a lot of constraints in the implementation of the project. The technical staffs of the organizations were irregular at their jobs and did not focus to work appropriately. This resulted in stoppage and delay of the work at individual stages and in the implementation of the project. Another internal resource constraint was the unexpected breakdown of the plant and machinery. Climatic and Site Constraints: Climatic and Site constraints like making available of the materials in the rainy and winter season created a lot of constraints in the implementation of the project. If the location was a little interior and so the transportation of materials to the particular locations became a problem. Local Constraints: A local constraint was chiefly the competitive factor. There were any similar type of business existing in the particular area tried to generate troubles in the implementation of the project like trying to canvas our special manpower like the technical employees and the local laborers which resulted in lack of manpower for our project. Then the locals formed a problem in the implementation of the project by blocking the water supply in the location Activity List (Briefly Discuss Each Project Activity): “Project management” (What is needs careful planning and arranging all the efforts with the intention of accomplish the specific objective of constructing to opening of a building which they recently acquired of 35,000 square meters. The first activity that employed with this is to appoint a planning committee. The second job that as a consultant to manage the project is to organize a project plan in which I calculated the funds and budget needed for the project, the resources required for the execution of the project, and various the risks related with the project etc. The next job was the assessment of the project at the location and the planning committee arranged the materials’ requirement plan. The next stage was to separate the project into various phases and for each phase of the project a precise project team was created. Bank loans were arranged and the financial support process was made smooth. The next phase was detailed with staffing which incorporated the finalization and procurement of employees and technical employees. Our team appointed a project manager and also managers at each phase. At last, building materials were acquired and the building project commenced. The team members reported to the project managers on the subject of the completion of the work at every phase and offered an accurate and timely report. The other activities integrated the fighting of the constraints when they rise and trying to discover alternative solutions so that the project is executed in the stipulated time and cost. The project manager dealt with several issues and organized the whole team. Triple Constraint of Project Management: Project Management is the act of managing various resources such as cost, scope and time to carry regarding a desired outcome. “All projects operate under constraints. In fact, the art of managing projects is usually focused on balancing these constraints and still achieving the project's objectives. It is common to refer to three major categories of constraints as the project management triple constraints. The following diagram shows the relationship among these triple constraints of time, resources (e.g. people, money), and scope (e.g. size, requirements, objectives, quality). ” (Lesson: Introduction to Project Management n.d.). Triple constraint is employed to measure whether the objectives of the projects are being met. During the process of planning the project, team of the project organization describe the project cost, scope, quality and time of a project. The Work Break Structure (WBS) of the New Warehouse of the Jimaga Ltd: “A complex project is made manageable by first breaking it down into individual components in a hierarchical structure, known as the work breakdown structure, or the WBS. Such a structure defines tasks that can be completed independently of other tasks, facilitating resource allocation, assignment of responsibilities, and measurement and control of the project” (Work Breakdown Structure 2002). Every company uses its own terms for categorizing components of WBS according to their intensity in the hierarchy. The WBS is the basis of every project planning. It is expanded previous to dependencies and durations of the activity are estimated. The WBS can be employed to recognize the tasks in the Critical Path Method and PERT planning method of project. The WBS offers a common structure for the natural growth of the overall development and control of an agreement and is the basis for isolating work into definable growths from which the report of work can be developed and schedule as well as labor hour, technical, and cost reporting can be established. The reasons that organization undertakes projects are Change in: The external environment Markets and customer needs Technology Products and services Processes Globalization Impatient customers Increasing demand for unique and customized solutions Change within organizations initiated by senior managers Paired ex – list examples for each point above – own org. or alternative. These are the factors that forcing the organization to undertake the project The Lifecycle of the Project: Each of the projects has a lifecycle to go through. Once the feasibility study is undertaken, it has to be submitted to the management and then identified an area in which a program of change or one or more project should be authorized, we enter the realm of the project itself. The following figure has been based on Weiss & Wysocki. The figure shows the five stages of the project management lifecycle. “There is much discussion about whether there is only one true model of a project lifecycle or many and whether any of these are reasonably accurate descriptions about what happens in real life. Some writers include the feasibility study as part of the project life cycle. Other believes the project’s proper only begins once the feasibility study is completed and the proposal accepted or only when cost heading for the project are defined” (Field & Keller 1998, p. 61). Let us go through the each stage of the project lifecycle by step by step. The stages start from Define and the next steps are plan, organize, control (execute), and finally close out. Define: Defining of the project is the first stage in the project planning lifecycle. In this step it includes the requirement analysis, feasibility study of the project in which the convenience of doing the project is taken into consideration. This step also includes the functional specifications like the production, human resource, accounting etc. Setting the objective of the project plan is the most important part of this very first stage of the project lifecycle. Comparing the alternatives which are possible and the cost-benefit analysis also should taken place here. Plan: This is the second stage in project planning life cycle. Identifying the task of the project and identifying the critical activities are done here. The task is equally divided to the appropriate authorities and the recruitment of staffs needed more effort. Estimating the time and cost for the entire project, determining the staff, value planning are also very important in this stage. Organize: Organize is the third stage of this project planning lifecycle. The team for each department should be properly organized in this stage of lifecycle. The proper organization of team in each department will help in maintaining an uninterrupted flow of the project. The establishment of control tools is done in this stage. Control: This is the fourth stage of the lifecycle and this is the execution stage of the project. Only proper control over all the area will make the project effective. Proper review on project, issuing of orders, report on project, and the proper budget are the concerned areas in this stage. Close Out: This stage includes the steps after completion of project. Obtain the client acceptance, completion of documentation, conduct post implementation audit; sign off the contract, value assessment are the duties of the organization in this final stage. The most important thing in this stage is the maintenance of the project they have finished. Reference List Beasley, JE n.d. OR-Notes. Available at [Accessed on 11 January, 2012]. Chapman, JR 1997. Project Risk Management. Available at [Accessed on 11 January, 2012]. Field, M & Keller, L 1998. Project Management. Thompson: The Open University. Available at < http://books.google.co.in/books?id=X3LFlP9kCOcC&pg=PA61&lpg=PA61&dq=Project+Life+Cycle+Weiss+and+Wysocki&source=bl&ots=h0r6QfhEVE&sig=7iRbLFGZ28cltfyHyEXji4Zor5Q&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9HUMT7arDa2RiQeJ8OT7BQ&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Project%20Life%20Cycle%20Weiss%20and%20Wysocki&f=false> [Accessed on 11 January, 2012]. Lesson: Introduction to Project Management. n.d. [Online] Available at [Accessed on 11 January, 2012]. Pert. 2002. NetMBA.com. [Online] Available at [Accessed on 11 January, 2012]. Project Management. 2011. Essays. Topics. Samples. [Online] Available at [Accessed on 11 January, 2012]. Role of the Project Manager. 2000. Project Smart Co. Uk. [Online] Available at [Accessed on 11 January, 2012]. Work Breakdown Structure. 2002. NetMBA.com. [Online] Available at [Accessed on 11 January, 2012]. Read More