Project Scheduling under Limited Resources - Assignment Example

College: Project Management Question a. Activity data Activity ID Activity Predecessors Duration (weeks) A Outline and discussion - 2 B Requirements analysis - 1 C Demo A 2 D Discussions and implications C 2 E Elements & Quantification - F Risk Analysis E 1 G Implementation F 2 H Testing G 3 I Evaluation - 6 J Deployment G, H, I, 2 K Maintenance J N/A Network 1 Discussion Risk Analysis Demo Testing Deployment 0 4 5 6 7 Implementation Requirements 3 b. Gantt Chart c. From the Gantt chart and the activity data, there is a discrepancy between the periods over which the activities occur. This could be attributed to wrong estimations made during the project planning stage. Some new requirements also arise right from inception to the implementation of a project, hence necessitating the changes. Question 2 a. Gannt with shared resource Activities A, B and D share a resource; A shares with D from 4th of September to the 24th of September. On the other hand, B shares the resource with D between the 27th of September and 25th of November during which requirements analysis and discussions and implications are carried out. This puts a strain on the little human resource available as all the activities have to be attended to simultaneously. Resource Histogram The resource histogram shows the relationships of resource distribution between activities A, B, and D which use the same resource and overlap. Access levels are determined by the level of importance of the task. For instance, between the fourth and the twenty fourth days of September, task A will utilize eighty five percent of the human resource, while tasks B and D will use five percent and fifteen percent respectively. b. New Gantt chart and a leveled resource histogram   SEPTEMBER 2012 - MARCH 2013 Resources Activity ID Predecessors Duration Human A - 2 WEEKS 4th-24th Sept                   Human B - 1 WEEK   27th-25th Nov                 Skill C A 2 WEEKS     30thSept- 25th Nov               Human D C 2 WEEKS     26thNov-15th Dec             Experts E - 1 WEEKS         16th-31st Dec           Experts F E 2 WEEKS           1st-31st Jan         Users G F 3 WEEKS             1st-15th Feb       Users H G 6 WEEKS               16th-29th Feb     Users I - 2 WEEKS                 March Experts J G, H, I 2 WEEKS                 Experts K J                       The new gantt chart has reduced resource starvation by minimizing overlapping. Activities take place only when they have maximum access to resources. Levelled Resource Histogram The histogram indicates the order and times in which the tasks will be handled. Task A will take place between 4th and 24th September, task B between 27th and 30th November, and task D between 30th of November and the 15th day of December. c. The scheduling method used is resource-limited scheduling. In this case, there is a stain on the available resource which has to be shared between activities that run simultaneously. The method involved creating a balance such that no activity is starved of these crucial resources when it is being implemented (Hartmann 117). The resources are carefully distributed such that, at any one time, the task with the greatest demand for the resources gets them in earnest. Question 3 a. Accountants – ensures that S. Company keeps a good record of its financial records as well as paying taxes properly and on time. Auditors - Report to the project manager on how assets of the project are utilized, and then suggest alterations in operations and financial activities. Clerks - facilitates cooperation and dialogue among the team members of the project to ensure effective operation of the company in effective project management. Lawyers – advising the project team on their legal rights and duties, including their duties and responsibilities. Bankers - assessing the client’s financial standing and offering bank programs in accordance with that financial standing. The two most notable stakeholders of the project are the auditors and clerks. They represent the best interests of the project and provide the project team members the needed support throughout the life of the project. b. Stakeholder Their goals Past reactions What to expect Impact on stakeholder: negative/ positive Possible Future reactions Ideas to ensure support Clerks Facilitates cooperation and dialogue among the team members Not sure about problems that the new systems will bring Likely to receive cohesion among the team members Could be negative if things go wrong; should be very positive if things work well Willing to support other projects undertaken by the same team Involve them to ensure they participate in decision making Accountants Ensure proper financial records are maintained Similar projects have failed due to improper record keeping Probably will need to ensure the records are up to date Could be successful if the project remains within the budget Would make them lose their employment if the company loses money due to poor accounting Minimize on the cost and eliminate any unnecessary cost c. The clerk should ensure proper documentation of the project. They should effectively facilitate cooperation and dialogue among the team members of the project so that it eases the effective operation of the company. A good piece of advice that the accountants should take would be to ensure that the project operates within the budget and the allocated time slots. This would ensure effective operation and completion of the scheduled phases. Question 4 a. The organization was suitable for the project. The organization has been operational for a while, and it has established itself for quite a while in the industry. Since the system would be used by end users just like any other application, the organization was a good environment for the project. b. Kevin Murtuagh is one of the senior accountants in S. Company, and is a participant in the project to represent the interests of accountants in the organization as stakeholders in the project. Upon joining the project team, Kevin Murtuagh was highly motivated, and one could see the passion and zeal he showed as he circulated the project’s budgets on a weekly basis. He was also highly instrumental in chairing the Friday meetings where we discussed on how to procure the required assets for the project. Kevin Murtuagh’s motivation towards the project increased as it evolved and transformed from just being a design to an actual project. As such, hierarchy of needs as a model of human motivation best describes his motivation. His motivation towards the project was because the new pay roll system would not only ease the work in his department, but also ensure efficient human resource management, if not the entire organization. Finally, even as the project neared completion, Kevin Murtuagh was still very critical in ensuring that the budget is maintained, and the company’s resources well utilized. Question 5 a. Outline of Project The payroll project is meant to increase efficiency and service delivery in the company, while increasing revenue and reducing costs. It brings a wide range of stakeholders including junior staff like accountants and finance officers to regular employees and management together. The project involves the development of a new payroll system that will make it easy to settle employees’ salaries. As such, it incorporates everybody in the company. The project has taken off without any problems, except for the general shortage of human power to drive it through successfully. There are activities in the project that require that people engage each other in one on one discussions to find the best solutions to current problems. In addition, it is necessary to have people to test the system so that it can be rid of bugs at the earliest stages of development. It is in this light that I seek your support to help the team secure additional staff. If done, then the project will pull through and delays and errors or omissions that have characterized the current payroll system will be a thing of the past. b. Goals for the discussion: Win the manager’s support in getting more human resource Make the manager understand why we need the project to succeed Alternative solutions: Second us staff from other departments Give us permission to recruit new staff for the project Convincing the manager on the financial worthiness of the project would ultimately make him support the project. Works Cited Hartmann, Sönke. Project Scheduling under Limited Resources: Models, Methods, and Applications (Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems). 1st ed. New York, NY: Springer Publishers, 2000. Print. Read More