Response to Article on Project Management Order Instructions: The writer will have to read each of this articles and react to them by commenting, analyzing and supporting with relevant articles. The writer will have to read carefully before giving constructive comments on the article. The writer should write a one page paper responding to each article making it 2 pages for the two articles with intext citations.
Response to Article on Project Management
APA and in text citation must be use as each respond to the two articles must have in text citations. The writer will have to use an article to supports his comments in each of the article. Address the content of each article below in a one page each, analysis and evaluation of the topic, as well as the integration of relevant resources.
The writer will respond by addressing one or more of the following summative considerations that pertain specifically to this papers topics:
• In what ways do the readings provided below and those identified by you and this articles answer important “ so what?” questions in the field of project management?
o How are these readings potentially valuable for research in the field?
• Are there any important gaps (i.e., contradictions, arguments, disagreements, or areas of divergence) within this set of readings that point to potential topics for future research?
o How would you follow up to extend or explore these gaps?
It is important that the writer respond to both articles in two separate pages with pear review articles as stated above.
Response to Article on Project Management Sample Answer
Article 1.
Excellent study! Organization project management (OPM), is a platform that defines the company portfolios, programs and projects. OPM is the primary factor that ensures that projects align with the company’s long term strategic plan and that the projects undertaken by the firm are supervised and managed as a single entity and does not interfere with each other.
Project management is one of the factors that leads to an organization growth and development. To have a successful project, the firm must integrate its culture, innovation, organization structure, strategic plans and the portfolio management. In addition, the shareholders must be the ones spearheading the projects process by overseeing the top management responsibilities and how they are able to communicate the process or the development of the project within the company, (Kerzner, pg.87, 2013).
For the project to be successful, the company must come up with a good budget that aims to finance the project to completion.This goes hand in hand with the shareholders defining on how the project is to be financed and the project proposed must be congruent with the company’s vision and its long term strategic objectives and goals.
Project managers should seek consensus on the selection of the projects, discussion from the company ideas through the innovative processes to the completion of the project. This do include the pre development of the project, development activities and commercialization activities of an individual project.
Companies must create an innovative environment within the organization. This helps the employees to be part of new implementation of the company process and it also encourages new ways of thinking and hence new skills are innovated. Without this platform, any implementation of company changes may lead to the failure of the company’s projects since the employees have not brought up to speed with the processes.
Article 2.
All projects that are launched by companies do not meet all the necessary success criteria. Most of them are affected by the customers’ taste and preferences and if it fails to align with their needs, the project may fail. It is argued that having chaotic requirements and constructions reworks in between the project life cycle, the project definitely fails.
Company projects that have a good starting point, well organized and planned stages, and a forecasted end point are believed to be successful. When the firm has a credible project that is well organized and planned and there is the stakeholders’ intervention from the start point to end point, the project is forecasted to be successful.
To ensure this, the top management must take into consideration the project schedule, project scope, support from the top managers, support of the customers, tasks that are technical, acceptance by the clients, monitoring and feedback, communication and trouble shooting. For this to happen, the company should consider the hand off process that ensure the project transition from the inception-to-order, (ITO). In addition, integration of all the aspects of project management should be exercised in order to guarantee a successful project.
The company top management needs to implement flexible and durable changes that aims to meet the company long term objectives and goals. The company will have to implement changes like stage gate model that will help the project manager to be able to scope the project, build the business case for the product, design the project, testing and validating the product and finally taking the product to the operation phase.
Response to Article on Project Management References
Kerzner, H. R. (2013). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Survey and Project Management Institute Project Management Institute (PMI) is focused on providing plenty of details on various aspects of project management globally.
Survey and Project Management Institute
Research the wealth of
information presented through the PMI web site www.pmi.org such as templates, industry forecasts and survey results. Especially look at the 7 “project-
intensive” industries listed in the report “Project Management 2010 + 2020” and briefly write (about 200 words) about the possible projects in these 7
industries. Then take one of these industries and focus further to obtain a more detailed analysis of the nature of the projects and how it enhances your
understanding of project management. Base your references that are related to this chosen industry only.
For writing this report you should check both print and online resources. You may use any information from newspapers, only to the extent that you can
corroborate them from other reliable sources. Follow the guidelines in the syllabus for preparing the report. The report should be submitted by midnight on
the due date to the SafeAssignment link on Blackboard. Several minutes after submission you should be able to see the originality Report in Blackboard under
the column “Matching” for your submission. Include 5 to 10 references and list the reference details such as author(s), volume, page numbers, year of
publication or web link, as the case may be. Do not collaborate with any other student in class in writing this report. I am looking for your analysis of the
information that you present and so any item quoted should be brief. If the originality report shows a match of more than 15% then I will consider the report to be not your work and deduct points accordingly. If the originality report shows a match of 50% or more then I will consider the report to be plagiarized
and will take appropriate actions, including assigning an F grade for the course and/or reporting the matter to the appropriate authorities at TSU as
mentioned in the syllabus.
Project management; problems,formulas and calculations
Project management; problems,formulas and calculations
Order Instructions:
All formulas and calculations must be shown
Problem 1.
Arsenal Electronics is going to construct a new $1.2 billion semiconductor plant and has selected four towns in the Midwest as potential sites. The important location factors and ratings for each town are as follows:
Scores (0 to 100)
Location Factor Weight Abbeton Bayside Cane Creek Dunnville
Work ethics 0.18 80 90 70 75
Quality of life 0.16 75 85 95 90
Labor laws/unionization 0.12 90 60 60 70
Infrastructure 0.10 60 50 60 70
Education 0.08 80 90 85 95
Labor skill and education 0.07 75 65 70 80
Cost of living 0.06 70 80 85 75
Taxes 0.05 65 70 55 60
Incentive package 0.05 90 95 70 80
Government regulations 0.03 40 50 65 55
Environmental regulations 0.03 65 60 70 80
Transportation 0.03 90 80 95 80
Space for expansion 0.02 90 95 90 90
Urban proximity 0.02 60 90 70 80
Recommend a site based on these location factors and ratings.
Answer 1:
Problem 2.
Sawyer Furniture is one of the few remaining domestic manufacturers of wood furniture. In the current competitive environment, cost containment is the key to its continued survival. Demand for furniture follows a seasonal demand pattern with increased sales in the summer and fall months, culminating with peak demand in November.
The cost of production is $16 per unit for regular production, $24 for overtime, and $33 for subcontracting. Hiring and firing costs are $500 per worker. Inventory holding costs are $20 per unit per month. There is no beginning inventory. Ten workers are currently employed. Each worker can produce 50 pieces of furniture per month. Overtime cannot exceed regular production. Given the following demand data, use Excel Solver to design an aggregate production plan for Sawyer Furniture that will meet demand at the lowest possible cost.
Input: Beg. Wkrs 10 Regular $16 Hiring $500
Units/wkr 50 Overtime $24 Firing $500
Beg. Inv. 0 Subk $33 Inventory $20
Month Demand Reg OT Subk Inv #Wkrs #Hired #Fired
Jan 500 500 0 0 0 10 0 0
Feb 500 500 0 0 0 10 0 0
Mar 1000 1,000 0 0 0 20 10 0
Apr 1200 1,000 200 0 0 20 0 0
May 2000 1,000 1,000 0 0 20 0 0
Jun 400 400 0 0 0 8 0 12
Jul 400 400 0 0 0 8 0 0
Aug 1000 1,000 0 0 0 20 12 0
Sep 1000 1,000 0 0 0 20 0 0
Oct 1500 1,500 0 0 0 30 10 0
Nov 7000 3,500 3,500 0 0 70 40 0
Dec 500 500 0 0 0 10 0 60
Total 17,000 12,300 4,700 0 0 246 72 72
Answer 2:
Problem 3.
Complete the following MRP matrix for Item X. Determine when orders should be released and the size of those orders.
Item: X LLC: 0 Period
Lot Size: Min 50 LT: 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Gross Requirements 25 30 56 25 100 40 30 20
Scheduled Receipts 50
Projected on Hand 30
Net Requirements
Planned Order Receipts
Planned Order Releases
Release orders in periods 1 through 5 for quantities of 50, 50, 56, 50, and 50 respectively.
Answer 3:
Problem 4.
Fibrous Incorporated makes products from rough tree fibers. Its product line consists of five items processed through one of five machines. The machines are not identical, and some products are better suited to some machines. Given the following production time in minutes per unit, determine an optimal assignment of product to machine:
Machine
Product A B C D E
1 17 10 15 16 20
2 12 ?9 16 ?9 14
3 11 16 14 15 12
4 14 10 10 18 17
5 13 12 ?9 15 11
Answer 4:
Problem 5.
The following probabilistic activity time estimates are for a CPM/PERT network.
Time Estimates (days) Time Estimates (days)
Activity a m b Activity a m b
1 1 2 ?6 ?7 1 1.5 2
2 1 3 ?5 ?8 1 3 5
3 3 5 10 ?9 1 1 5
4 3 6 14 10 2 4 9
5 2 4 ?9 11 1 2 3
6 2 3 ?7 12 1 1 1
Determine the following:
a. Expected activity times
b. Earliest start and finish times
c. Latest start and finish times
d. Activity Slack
e. Critical Path
Expected Project duration and standard deviation.
Answer 5:
SAMPLE ANSWER
Problem 1 Answer
To determine appropriate location
Based of the above calculations the appropriate site location is Bayside
Problem 2 Answer
Problem 3 Answer
Release orders in periods 1 through 5 for quantities of 50, 50, 56, 50, and 50 respectively.
Problem 4 Answer
A table showing time taken to produce the products by each machine
Product
Machine
Totals
A
B
C
D
E
1
17
10
15
16
20
78
2
12
9
16
9
14
60
3
11
16
14
15
12
68
4
14
10
10
18
17
69
5
13
12
9
15
11
60
Totals
67
57
64
70
74
335
To get the optimal assignment of product for machine the percentage of total time taken by each machine to produce the five products with regards to the total time to produce all products by all machines is calculated as follows:
Machine B is the most optimal since it utilizes the least percentage of time (i.e. 17%) to produce all the products.
Problem 5 Answer
The formulas:
Where;
Activity
t
ES
EF
LS
LF
S
1
8
0.44
0
8
1
9
1
2
6
1.00
0
6
0
6
0
3
3
0.44
0
3
2
5
2
4
5
2.78
8
13
16
21
8
5
3
0.11
6
9
6
9
0
6
4
0.11
3
7
5
9
2
7
2
0.00
3
5
14
16
11
8
7
1.78
9
16
9
16
0
9
4
0.44
9
13
12
16
3
10
4
0.44
13
17
21
16
8
11
9
1.00
16
25
16
25
0
12
4
4.00
15
27
15
25
2
Where;
Expected activity times (ES); Earliest start and finish times (EF); Latest start and finish times (LS); Activity Slack (LF); and Critical Path (S)
However, the expected project duration and standard deviation are:
Project duration = sum of each activity time (durations) = 59 days
Standard Deviation = sum of all standard deviations = 12.54 days
Directions
For CP3 you will set your CP2 project and document deliverable aside and start fresh. Your task is to use this document and the data provided to create a project file using Microsoft Project. The data below will establish a project budget and schedule baseline with Budget = $4,449,920.00 and a highly desired completion date of 12/17/08.
We are trying to create a scenario for a time that is ‘out in the future’ here. We are fast forwarding the project and loading some fictional information to create a scenario for you to analyze using Earned Value and then provide course corrections to the project.
The project at this future date shows that our project is not performing very well. However, you are given the opportunity to make some changes to the project to still complete it on the desired date of 12/19/08.
These directions help you set the Gantt to represent the anticipated 50% completion ‘date’ of 10/1/08. This is the date where the project ‘should be’ 50% complete. You do NOT set the project to 50% complete, you set it to 40%. These are two different things and these 2 parameters set up the scenario for you to generate EV data and tell me about how the project is doing.
% Complete (The Reality)
The 40% should be set by you by setting the top level task (project name) to 40%. This is how ‘done’ we are saying we actually are with the project at this point in time.
% Scheduled (The Plan)
The date (i.e. point in time) provided for the review fast forwards the project to the ‘anticipated’ 50% project scheduled date. This is the date on the calendar when we ‘wanted’ to be 50% complete.
After opening MS Project, there is one system setting that needs to be changed in MS Project 2010 and MS Project 2013. At the bottom left of the screen notice that New Tasks are set to Manually Scheduled. Select this bar and change the setting so that all new tasks are set to Auto Schedule. This can also be accomplished in the ribbon on the Task Tab and Tasks group.
First, change the project start date to Mon 4/14/08.
Use the following data to setup your baseline project file. Adjust indenting to match WBS coding provided. In MSP right mouse click the header row and insert a WBS Column as shown. Do not add durations or dates for the Summary Tasks because these will populate for you when you enter the lower task information.
WBS Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessors
1 Theme Park Project 178 days 4/14/08 12/17/08
1.1 Site Layout & Site Grading 10 days 4/14/08 4/25/08
1.2 Footings & Foundations 55 days 4/28/08 7/11/08 2
1.3 Masonry 60 days 5/19/08 8/8/08 3SS+15 days
1.4 Frames, Columns and Beams 40 days 7/7/08 8/29/08 4SS+35 days
1.5 Joists & Roof Deck 30 days 9/1/08 10/10/08 5
1.6 Slab on Grade 35 days 7/14/08 8/29/08 3
1.7 Rough Carpentry 35 days 9/1/08 10/17/08 7
1.8 Interior Studs 20 days 9/1/08 9/26/08 7
1.9 Interior Drywall 30 days 10/13/08 11/21/08 9,6
1.10 Painting 35 days 10/27/08 12/12/08 10FS-20 days
1.11 Elevator 30 days 9/1/08 10/10/08 7
1.12 Doors 5 days 10/20/08 10/24/08 8
1.13 Custom Theme Painting 15 days 11/3/08 11/21/08 11SS+5 days
1.14 Flooring 15 days 11/17/08 12/5/08 10FS-5 days
1.15 Finish Carpentry 15 days 11/17/08 12/5/08 10FS-5 days
1.16 Bathroom Compartments/Accessories 3 days 12/8/08 Wed 12/10/08 16
1.17 Plumbing 85 days 7/28/08 11/21/08
1.17.1 Hangers & Supports 40 days 7/28/08 9/19/08 3FS+10 days
1.17.2 Pipes & Fittings 40 days 9/22/08 11/14/08 19
1.17.3 Test 5 days 11/17/08 11/21/08 20
1.18 HVAC 95 days 7/28/08 12/5/08
1.18.1 Stacks & Vents 30 days 7/28/08 9/5/08 3FS+10 days
1.18.2 Hangers & Supports 30 days 9/8/08 10/17/08 23
1.18.3 Ductwork & Piping 30 days 10/20/08 11/28/08 24
1.18.4 Test 5 days 12/1/08 12/5/08 25
1.19 Electrical 95 days 7/28/08 12/5/08
1.19.1 Boxes 25 days 7/28/08 8/29/08 3FS+10 days
1.19.2 Conduit 25 days 9/1/08 10/3/08 28
1.19.3 Wiring Devices/Switches/Receptacles 20 days 10/6/08 10/31/08 29
1.19.4 Light Fixtures 20 days 11/3/08 11/28/08 30
1.19.5 Test 5 days 12/1/08 12/5/08 31
1.20 Mechanicals Complete 1 day 12/8/08 12/8/08 21,26,32
1.21 Attraction Install and Training 146 days 4/14/08 11/3/08
1.21.1 Ferris Wheel 137 days 4/14/08 10/21/08
1.21.1.1 Ferris Wheel to ship 3 days 4/14/08 4/16/08
1.21.1.2 Ferris Wheel Legs & fan install 6 days 9/1/08 9/8/08 36,7
1.21.1.3 Ferris Wheel gondola install 6 days 9/9/08 9/16/08 37
1.21.1.4 Ferris Wheel MEP install 6 days 9/17/08 9/24/08 38
1.21.1.5 Ferris wheel platform design 2 days 9/25/08 9/26/08 39
1.21.1.6 Ferris Wheel Platform 6 days 9/29/08 10/6/08 40
1.21.1.7 Ferris Wheel Railing 6 days 10/7/08 10/14/08 41
1.21.1.8 Ferris wheel turnstile 3 days 10/15/08 10/17/08 42
1.21.1.9 Ferris wheel Training 1 day 10/20/08 10/20/08 43
1.21.1.10 Ferris Wheel Certification 1 day 10/21/08 10/21/08 44
1.21.2 Ropes course install & Training 30 days 9/1/08 10/10/08 7
1.21.3 Climbing wall install & Training 10 days 9/1/08 9/12/08 7
1.21.4 Carousel install & Training 13 days 9/1/08 9/17/08 7
1.21.5 Bowling install & Training 40 days 9/1/08 10/24/08 7
1.21.6 Go Cart install & Training 45 days 9/1/08 10/31/08 7
1.21.7 Mini Golf install & Training 15 days 9/1/08 9/19/08 7
1.21.8 Attraction install and training complete 1 day 11/3/08 11/03/08 45,46,47,48,49,50,51
1.22 Furniture Installation 5 days 12/9/08 12/15/08 33
1.23 System and Security Training 3 days 11/4/08 11/6/08 52
1.24 Final Walkthrough 1 day 12/16/08 12/16/08 12,14,15,16,17,52,53,54
1.25 Grand Opening 1 day 12/17/2008 12/17/2008 55
Next enter the Working Resource data below into the project Resource Sheet [View \ Resource Sheet].
Resource Name Type Initials Max Units Std. Rate Accrue At
Customer Work C 400% $0.00/hr Prorated
Architect Work A 300% $125.00/hr Prorated
Engineer Work E 500% $125.00/hr Prorated
Electrician Work E 200% $80.00/hr Prorated
Electrician 2 Work E 100% $300.00/hr Prorated
Builder Work B 600% $65.00/hr Prorated
Landscaper Work L 100% $50.00/hr Prorated
Builder 1 Work B 100% $85.00/hr Prorated
Builder 2 Work B 100% $85.00/hr Prorated
Builder 3 Work B 100% $85.00/hr Prorated
Builder 4 Work B 100% $85.00/hr Prorated
Painter Work P 300% $200.00/hr Prorated
Plumber Work P 100% $150.00/hr Prorated
Plumber 2 Work P 100% $225.00/hr Prorated
Steamfitter Work S 100% $125.00/hr Prorated
Steamfitter 2 Work S 100% $200.00/hr Prorated
FW Supplier Work F 100% $100.00/hr Prorated
Ride Supplier Work R 600% $100.00/hr Prorated
Now assign the resources to the project tasks as described below.
WBS Task Name Resources
1 Theme Park Project
1.1 Site Layout & Site Grading Architect
1.2 Footings & Foundations Builder
1.3 Masonry Builder
1.4 Frames, Columns and Beams Builder
1.5 Joists & Roof Deck Builder
1.6 Slab on Grade Builder
1.7 Rough Carpentry Builder
1.8 Interior Studs Builder
1.9 Interior Drywall Builder
1.10 Painting Painter
1.11 Elevator Builder
1.12 Doors Builder
1.13 Theme Painting Painter
1.14 Flooring Builder 1
1.15 Finish Carpentry Builder 2
1.16 Bathroom Compartments/Accessories Builder
1.17 Plumbing
1.17.1 Hangers & Supports Plumber
1.17.2 Pipes & Fittings Plumber
1.17.3 Test Plumber
1.18 HVAC
1.18.1 Stacks & Vents Steamfitter
1.18.2 Hangers & Supports Steamfitter
1.18.3 Ductwork & Piping Steamfitter
1.18.4 Test Steamfitter
1.19 Electrical
1.19.1 Boxes Electrician
1.19.2 Conduit Electrician
1.19.3 Wiring Devices/Switches/Receptacles Electrician
1.19.4 Light Fixtures Electrician
1.19.5 Test Electrician
1.20 Mechanicals Complete
1.21 Attraction Install and Training
1.21.1 Ferris Wheel
1.21.1.1 Ferris Wheel to ship FW Supplier
1.21.1.2 Ferris Wheel Legs & fan install FW Supplier
1.21.1.3 Ferris Wheel gondola install FW Supplier
1.21.1.4 Ferris Wheel MEP install FW Supplier
1.21.1.5 Ferris wheel platform design FW Supplier
1.21.1.6 Ferris Wheel Platform FW Supplier
1.21.1.7 Ferris Wheel Railing FW Supplier
1.21.1.8 Ferris wheel turnstyle FW Supplier
1.21.1.9 Ferris wheel Training FW Supplier
1.21.1.10 Ferris Wheel Certification FW Supplier
1.21.2 Ropes course install & Training Ride Supplier
1.21.3 Climbing wall install & Training Ride Supplier
1.21.4 Carousel install & Training Ride Supplier
1.21.5 Bowling install & Training Ride Supplier
1.21.6 Go Cart install & Training Ride Supplier
1.21.7 Mini Golf install & Training Ride Supplier
1.21.8 Attraction install and training complete
1.22 Furniture Installation Builder 3
1.23 System and Security Training Builder 4
1.24 Final Walkthrough Builder,Customer
1.25 Grand Opening Customer
Now we have to add the material costs for each task. In MSP we do this by adding a Prorated Fixed Cost in the Detail Gantt View, Table/Cost View.
WBS Task Name Fixed Cost
1 Theme Park Project $0.00
1.1 Site Layout & Site Grading $10,000.00
1.2 Footings & Foundations $30,000.00
1.3 Masonry $150,000.00
1.4 Frames, Columns and Beams $85,000.00
1.5 Joists & Roof Deck $200,000.00
1.6 Slab on Grade $250,000.00
1.7 Rough Carpentry $175,000.00
1.8 Interior Studs $20,000.00
1.9 Interior Drywall $30,000.00
1.10 Painting $45,000.00
1.11 Elevator $80,000.00
1.12 Doors $25,000.00
1.13 Theme Painting $30,000.00
1.14 Flooring $150,000.00
1.15 Finish Carpentry $125,000.00
1.16 Bathroom Compartments/Accessories $15,000.00
1.17 Plumbing $0.00
1.17.1 Hangers & Supports $30,000.00
1.17.2 Pipes & Fittings $40,000.00
1.17.3 Test $2,000.00
1.18 HVAC $0.00
1.18.1 Stacks & Vents $25,000.00
1.18.2 Hangers & Supports $10,000.00
1.18.3 Ductwork & Piping $40,000.00
1.18.4 Test $5,000.00
1.19 Electrical $0.00
1.19.1 Boxes $35,000.00
1.19.2 Conduit $15,000.00
1.19.3 Wiring Devices/Switches/Receptacles $20,000.00
1.19.4 Light Fixtures $40,000.00
1.19.5 Test $10,000.00
1.20 Mechanicals Complete $0.00
1.21 Attraction Install and Training $0.00
1.21.1 Ferris Wheel $0.00
1.21.1.1 Ferris Wheel to ship $250,000.00
1.21.1.2 Ferris Wheel Legs & fan install $4,000.00
1.21.1.3 Ferris Wheel gond
SAMPLE ANSWER
Executive Summary
The project entails the construction of an ultra modern theme park that’s scheduled to take 178days for all the construction work. The commencement date for the Theme Park Construction was scheduled to take place on 14/7/2008. The cost of the project has been estimated to cost $4,449,920 as per the baseline while its completion data is desired to be December 17 2008. The projects milestone are; Site Layout & Site Grading which is scheduled to take 10 days, Footings & Foundations 55 days, Masonry 60 days, Frames, Columns and Beams 40 days, Joists & Roof Deck 30 days, Slab on Grade 35 days, Rough Carpentry 35 days, Interior Studs 20 days, Interior Drywall 30 days, Painting 30 days, Elevators 30 days, Doors 5 days, Custom theme painting 15 days, Flooring 15 days, Finish carpentry 15 days, Bathroom compartments 3 days, Plumbing 85 days, HVAC 95 days, Ferries wheels 137 days, System and Security Training 3 days, Final Walk through 1 day and the Final Opening 1 day.
Earned Value
Earned Value or EV is a management technique that measures the performance of the project objectively. EV =Current/Start ∑ PV (Completed). The EV curve, mostly in green is utilized to indicate the technical performance or the progress of the report. Without the Earned Value it would be difficult to track the progress of a project. The EV compliments the critical path analysis in pert diagrams (Ireland, 2006).
In October 1 2008, the project is scheduled to have surpassed or at half its completion stage. The earned value for quarter Q2 is $2,073,040 while the planned value was 2,073,040. The actual cost incurred is $52,440 the same as the baseline cost. Total costs incurred on the project as at the end of the Q2 totaled to 52,440 (Cleland & Gareis, 2006).
The earned value for the Q3 was 13,832,862 while the planned value was 15,609,960. The actual cost for the project amounted to 195,286 while the baseline costs amounted to $337,760. In quarter Q4 the earned value was 247726 while the planned value had been budgeted at 397,800. The actual cost was the same as the baseline costs that was budgeted (Phillips, 2003).
2008 Earned Value Planned Value AC Actual Cost Actual Work Baseline Cost Baseline Work Cost Cumulative Cost
Q2 2073040 2073040 2073040 52440 720 52440 720 415031 52440
Q3 13832862 15609960 13832862 195286 2202 337760 3728 2153980 390200
Q4 247726 397800 247726 0 0 316720 2848 1880909 706920
Total 16153628 18080800 16153628 247726 2922 706920 7296 4449920 706920
The budgeted cost of work (BCWS) amounted to 2628906 as at the beginning of october 2008. It was also the planned value. The earned value according to the work performed amounted to $1,1616,178.90 while the actual cost of work performed (ACWP) aounted to $1,620,698.46. The Schedule Variance amouned to $1,113,728.66.
The actual cost of the actual work done is very low compared to the Earned Value and the Planned value (Cattani, Ferriani, Frederiksen and Florian, 2011). The cost of the work performed is higher than the actual costs incurred (Harrison & Lock, 2004). The contractor must have done more work than what has actually what he has been paid. It means that the contractor must be due for payments (Lock, 2007).
The total work that must have been completed as at the beginning of October 2008 are
The following are the completed tasks as at the beginning of october 2008
Task allocations and Schedules.
Task Hrs % Days Start Finish
Site Layout & Site Grading 80 hrs 100% 10 days 4/15/2008 4/16/2008 Architect
Footings & Foundations 440 hrs 100% 55 days 4/16/2008 4/17/2008 Builder
Masonry 60 days 480 hrs 100% 60 days 4/17/2008 4/18/2008 Builder
Frames, Columns and Beams 320 hrs 100% 40 days 4/18/2008 4/19/2008 Builder
Slab on Grade 280 hrs 100% 35 days 4/20/2008 4/21/2008 Builder
Stacks & Vents 240 hrs 100% 30 days 5/6/2008 5/7/2008 Steamfitter
Boxes 200 hrs 100% 25 days 5/11/2008 5/12/2008 Electrician
Ferris Wheel to ship 24 hrs 100% 3 days 5/19/2008 5/20/2008 FW Supplier
Ferris Wheel Legs & fan install 48 hrs 100% 6 days 5/20/2008 5/21/2008 FW Supplier
Hangers & Supports 320 hrs 78% 40 days 5/2/2008 5/3/2008 Plumber
Climbing wall install & Training 80 hrs 62% 10 days 5/30/2008 5/31/2008 Ride Supplier
Carousel install & Training 104 hrs 48% 13 days 5/31/2008 6/1/2008 Ride Supplier
Mini Golf install & Training 120 hrs 42% 15 days 6/3/2008 6/4/2008 Ride Supplier
Theme Park Project 7,296 hrs 40% 178 days 4/14/2008 4/15/2008
Plumbing 680 hrs 37% 85 days 5/1/2008 5/2/2008
HVAC 760 hrs 33% 95 days 5/5/2008 5/6/2008
Electrical 760 hrs 33% 95 days 5/10/2008 5/11/2008
Interior Studs 160 hrs 31% 20 days 4/22/2008 4/23/2008 Builder
Conduit 200 hrs 25% 25 days 5/12/2008 5/13/2008 Electrician
Attraction Install and Training 1,544 hrs 24% 146 days 5/17/2008 5/18/2008
Ferris Wheel 320 hrs 23% 137 days 5/18/2008 5/19/2008
Joists & Roof Deck 240 hrs 21% 30 days 4/19/2008 4/20/2008 Builder
Elevator 240 hrs 21% 30 days 4/25/2008 4/26/2008 Builder
Ropes course install & Training 240 hrs 21% 30 days 5/29/2008 5/30/2008 Ride Supplier
Rough Carpentry 280 hrs 18% 35 days 4/21/2008 4/22/2008 Builder
Bowling install & Training 320 hrs 16% 40 days 6/1/2008 6/2/2008 Ride Supplier
Go Cart install & Training 360 hrs 14% 45 days 6/2/2008 6/3/2008 Ride Supplier
Hangers & Supports 240 hrs 4% 30 days 5/7/2008 5/8/2008 Steamfitter
Ferris Wheel gondola install 48 hrs 4% 6 days 5/21/2008 5/22/2008 FW Supplier
Interior Drywall 240 hrs 0% 30 days 4/23/2008 4/24/2008 Builder
Painting 280 hrs 0% 35 days 4/24/2008 4/25/2008 Painter
Doors 40 hrs 0% 5 days 4/26/2008 4/27/2008 Builder
Custom Theme Painting 120 hrs 0% 15 days 4/27/2008 4/28/2008 Painter
Flooring 120 hrs 0% 15 days 4/28/2008 4/29/2008 Builder 1
Finish Carpentry 120 hrs 0% 15 days 4/29/2008 4/30/2008 Builder 2
Bathroom Compartments / Acc 24 hrs 0% 3 days 4/30/2008 5/1/2008 Builder
Pipes & Fittings 320 hrs 0% 40 days 5/3/2008 5/4/2008 Plumber
Test 40 hrs 0% 5 days 5/4/2008 5/5/2008 Plumber
Ductwork & Piping 240 hrs 0% 30 days 5/8/2008 5/9/2008 Steamfitter
Test 40 hrs 0% 5 days 5/9/2008 5/10/2008 Steamfitter
Wiring Devices/Switches/Reception 160 hrs 0% 20 days 5/13/2008 5/14/2008 Electrician
Light Fixtures 160 hrs 0% 20 days 5/14/2008 5/15/2008 Electrician
Test 5days 40 hrs 0% 5 days 5/15/2008 5/16/2008 Electrician
Mechanicals Complete 0 hrs 0% 1 day 5/16/2008 5/17/2008
Ferris Wheel MEP install 48 hrs 0% 6 days 5/22/2008 5/23/2008 FW Supplier
Ferris wheel platform design 16 hrs 0% 2 days 5/23/2008 5/24/2008 FW Supplier
Ferris Wheel Platform 48 hrs 0% 6 days 5/24/2008 5/25/2008 FW Supplier
Ferris Wheel Railing 48 hrs 0% 6 days 5/25/2008 5/26/2008 FW Supplier
Ferris wheel turnstile 24 hrs 0% 3 days 5/26/2008 5/27/2008 FW Supplier
Ferris wheel Training 8 hrs 0% 1 day 5/27/2008 5/28/2008 FW Supplier
Ferris Wheel Certification 8 hrs 0% 1 day 5/28/2008 5/29/2008 FW Supplier
Attraction install & training comp 0 hrs 0% 1 day 6/4/2008 6/5/2008
Furniture Installation 40 hrs 0% 5 days 6/5/2008 6/6/2008 Builder 3
System and Security Training 24 hrs 0% 3 days 6/6/2008 6/7/2008 Builder 4
Final Walkthrough 16 hrs 0% 1 day 6/7/2008 6/8/2008 Builder, Custo
Grand Opening 8 hrs 0% 1 day 6/8/2008 6/9/2008 Customer
The following were the critical tasks and which were scheduled to end on the desired date of 17/12/2008.
The following were the critical costs that are expected to be incurred on the critical costs.
The following is a summary of the actual total costs at the expected 50% completion rate when the actual completion rate is 40%.
To summarize, as at the beginning of October when the project was scheduled to be 50% complete only 40% of the work had been completed. The total costs that had been incurred amounted to $1,520,596.45 while the balance amounted to $2,929,323.55 while the total baseline budget was 4,449,920.The total actual hours worked were 2921.62 and the remaining hours were 4374.38 hours. The total hours as per the baseline were 7296 hrs. The total days spent were 71.2 days while the remaining days were 106.8.
Impact of Progress in Renewable Energy Technology Order Instructions: 2,000 words (with 10% plus or minus leeway)
Impact of Progress in Renewable Energy Technology
This assignment is worth 50% of the total marks for the
module
Assignment Task
The current trend in the United Kingdom energy policy suggests an
evolutionary direction from a high fossil fuel driven economy, to an
environmentally friendly energy policy, mainly due to the evidence of climate
change and global warming.
Using the Strength-Weakness-Opportunity-Threat (SWOT) analytical tool,
critically discuss the impact of advancements in renewable energy
technologies in the direction of the energy policy of the United Kingdom.
Total marks for assignment: 100
A clear demonstration of rigorous
research from recognized
authoritative sources. Audience
focus.
50%
Rigorous use of the Harvard
Methodology for citation and
referencing; page numbering; correct
display of direct quotations.
10 %
Demonstration of a clear
understanding of the issues. Use of
academic models.
40%
Impact of Progress in Renewable Energy Technology Sample Answer
Abstract
Changes in technology in the United Kingdom has played an important role in climate change since these functions contribute to the reduction of technological costs, a factor that leads to the increase in market penetration of emission-reducing initiatives (Cahoy, pp. 24-28, 2012). This paper seeks to provide a conceptual framework that highlights the necessity of the need for renewable energy technologies in the direction of energy policies in the United Kingdom.
In a brief overview, the paper will determine the induced innovative hypothesis by clearly showing interventions that have been an essential tool in advancing the course of renewable energy technologies in the United Kingdom (Cahoy, pp. 24-28, 2012). Different literature will be incorporated to show different views on the need for renewable policies with the aim of overcoming the concomitant barriers and failures of its success. Through the incorporation of situational analysis, the paper will critically detail the impacts and advancements that can be achieved in initiating renewable energy technologies in line with the energy policies of the United Kingdom.
Impact of Progress in Renewable Energy Technology
It is important to note that the many challenges that have been experienced worldwide are due to climate changes that result from carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that are released in the environment massively (Daugherty, & Carter, pp. 24-28. 2010). It is out of these measures that a substantial effort is required in order to reduce the concentrations of CO2 at levels that mitigates the increments in subsequent temperature rates, a factor that would cause effects on the economic performance, ecosystems, and welfare.
Increased cases of diffusion and adaptation of renewable energy technologies play a significant role in contemporary society today. Several appeals have been made to enlighten people on the potential of relying on renewable energies with some bearing no fruits (Daugherty, & Carter, pp. 24-28. 2010). Renewable energy has the benefit of generating local environmental and health benefits to the environment and the locals as well as approaches of facilitating energy access that can positively impact competitiveness, employment, and a sustainable green growth system.
It is against this background that technology and its advances included the changes play a significant role in helping lower the costs which in turn enables the United Kingdom to increase its market penetration on the renewable energy technologies (Daugherty, & Carter, pp. 24-28. 2010). Technological developments of this nation need to be therefore accelerated with the aim of reducing the elements of low carbon by making the renewable energy technologies (RET) is cheaper and more efficient for the adaptation of large scale consumption in the country.
It is crucial to regard that the selection and dissemination of the renewable energy technologies have been strongly hampered by several obstacles that need to be addressed. The numerous failures in implementing these initiatives in the United Kingdom can be attributed to the high costs and risks associated with the implementation f this programs, unfavorable pricing structures, the limited access to these modes of diffusion including the non-consideration of the benefits of this concomitant (Ewalk, Elzarka, Hellwig, & Stein, pp. 91-119, 2014).
Literature Review on Factors that Affect these Processes
In identifying the major factors that have hampered the implementation of the renewable
The identified project for PROJMANICS LTD is the development of new, innovative dishwashers. This project helps the business strategically by generating profit for PROJMANICS LTD. The leadership style during the project is democratic. The Project Manager for this project, Joey Brooks, will have the role of planning, implementing and closing the project. The project risks include scope creep/change in scope, insufficient funds, lack of skilled personnel, and some personnel leaving before completion of the project. The project is budgeted to cost £5 million and it would be carried out in a period of 1 year and 6 months.
Project management
Introduction
PROJMANICS LTD is involved in the manufacturing and retailing of innovative electronic products. The project that has been chosen that would generate profit for the organization is the development of a new and innovative product: dishwasher. This novel product is attractively designed, quiet and very energy efficient. This report provides a detailed Project Management plan that details the proposed idea.
Project organizational structure
Company CEO
Matrix organization structure: this organization structure draws employees from dissimilar functional disciplines for assignment to a team without having to remove them from their respective positions. In this organizational management, individuals who possess similar skills are pooled for work task (Perrin, 2009).
Project coordination
Staff
Green boxes represent personnel who are involved in project activities.
Belbin roles: Belbin pointed out that by understanding one’s role in a given team, one can be able to develop his/her strengths and manage his/her weakness as a team member and therefore improve how he or she contributes to the team (Schmidt, 2009). The Belbin model is used in this project in order to create teams that are more balanced. The team roles defined by Belbin are based upon observed behaviour as well as interpersonal styles.
Role
Explanation
Action-oriented roles
Shaper
Leader who is pushy shapes efforts of the team into a cohesive whole
Implementer
This individual translates ideas into concrete tasks and carries them out. The individual makes objectives clear, defines roles and tasks
Completer-Finisher
Persistently makes the team achieve in time. Injects urgency and raises standards. The individual is compulsive about deadlines (Morris, 2013).
People-oriented roles
Coordinator
Observes team processes, is detached. Absorbs every alternative and takes the decision of the team. Soothes conflict, encourages.
Team worker
Dampens arguments, promotes group harmony. Arrives at logical conclusions by means of analysis. The individual checks feasibility and practicality.
Resource investigator
The individual communicates to and from the outside world. He knows a lot of people. He sells ideas to others (Morris, 2013).
Thought-oriented roles
Plant
The individual is the source of original proposals and ideas. He looks for dissimilar approaches. Has an independent outlook and is concerned with major issues.
Monitor-evaluator
The individual is a dispassionate analyst. He or she arrives at logical conclusions through analysis. He or she checks feasibility and practicality.
Specialist
Provides unique skills to the project. Has specialist knowledge necessary to implement the project effectively (Morris, 2013).
Democratic Leadership style: for this project, the style of leadership that would be adopted during the project life cycle is democratic leadership style. The project manager will invite ideas from the team members during the process of decision-making and then goes with the majority. This style of leadership is also referred to as participative or consultative (Perrin, 2009). Generally, project managers who do not guide or lead at all do not fall under democratic management leadership style. Due to the democracy atmosphere, every member of the project team is allowed input, although this may lengthen the project’s time. Nonetheless, an upside to the democratic management leadership style is employee morale.
Project charter
The project entails new product development for the company; developing dishwashers. Development of a new product is a crucial activity for an organization given that it provides the company with future business opportunity. This project is required since it would enable the company to diversify its product range, increase sales, and improve the company’s profitability. It helps the business strategically by generating profit for PROJMANICS LTD.
With regard to the expectations of the client, PROJMANICS LTD expects a product that is innovative and captivating that would be able to generate profit. The identified product, dishwasher, is innovative and captivating in that it would feature the following characteristics: very attractive design; automated and equipped with an LCD screen highlighting the product’s minimalist style; compact, portable or built-in; various colours, including black, blue, white, and red; made of stainless steel; and two independent drawers. Moreover, the product features spaces designed specifically for small plates and for pans and pot. The product also has an adjustable rack which could be modified to suit the needs of the user.
The project manager in this project, Joey Brooks, cultivates the people skills required for developing communication and trust amongst all the stakeholders of the project: the sponsors of the project, individuals who would utilize the results of the project – dishwasher buyers –, project team members, and individuals who command the required resources. The project manager will have the role of planning, implementing and closing the project; he is responsible for realizing the defined objectives and goals of the project (Stoshikj, Kryvinska & Strauss, 2014).
Critical success factors (CSF): also referred to as Key Results Areas, CSFs are the crucial areas of activity which have to be carried out well if the goals and objectives of the project are to be achieved. Critical success factors help everybody in the project team know precisely what is most significant and this helps people in carrying out their own work within the right context and so pull together toward the same overall goals/objectives (Morris, 2010). For this project, the critical success factors are as follows: (i) agree on goals of the project – it is important to ensure there is an agreement with the senior executives of PROJMANICS LTD, sponsors of the project, in addition to other stakeholders on the project’s goals and purpose. In essence, understandable measurable goals would help in defining the scope of the project. (ii) Develop clearly delineated plans with assigned accountabilities and responsibilities. Every deliverable has to be delineated together with the essential tasks for producing them and possible risks. Responsibilities have to be assigned to the tasks and deliverables with apt due dates and accountabilities (Perrin, 2009). In addition, the process of planning has to include risk management activities as well as communication requirements. It is worth mentioning that developing the schedule of the project is just a part of the planning process. (iii) Cultivate continuous effective communications: the necessary channels of communication required to inform the pertinent stakeholders of the project’s progress should be determined. Project sponsors and PROJMANICS LTD’s management might want regular status reports or they may want only the exceptions and the highlights. The client might also want statements of work as well as progress assessments. Furthermore, members of the project team would need task assignments and frequent updates. The types and frequency of communication for every channel has to be described and managed. This communication plan would have to be included in the project plan and communication should be done regularly (Perrin, 2009). If there is poor communication, the project may fail.
(iv) Manage the scope of the project effectively: the scope is defined during the goal setting and planning phases of the project. In general, it would be fine if the scope of the project does not change, but the scope may actually change. It would be very important for the project manager to constantly be watchful and aware for alterations to the project scope and manage those changes well. (v) Ensure there is support from the senior management: the management of PROJMANICS LTD has to agree that the project is significant and that it would add value to the company. If PROJMANICS LTD’s management sees no value of the project, then they are likely to be unwilling to support it. Without management support, funding resources and human resources for the project may be unavailable.
The high level project scope basing upon business and compliance requirement is as follows: The project’s purpose is to develop a new product for PROJMANICS LTD Company. The deliverable of the project would be new, innovative dishwashers. There is demand in the marketplace for innovative, novel and ground-breaking dishwashers that are attractively designed, quiet, and energy efficient. The project is therefore intended to meet a market demand. The high-level risks for the project include project not being delivered within the defined time frame, the funds budgeted for the project being inadequate, lack of enough skilled personnel to complete the project, and client changing the requirements. Success would be determined by the Sponsor as soon as the new, innovative product is developed and launched into the marketplace and meets the project objectives without discrepancies.
SMART Objectives: The objectives are Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic and Time-bound. The objectives of this project are:
To develop novel, innovative dishwasher products by December 2016 to generate 25% increase in PROJMANICS LTD Company’s revenue.
To increase profit by 20% by December 2016 through selling 1,300 units of new dishwashers.
High level risks: high-level risks are identified and they would be utilized as the starting point for a more comprehensive analysis of the risks that face the project. The high-level risks for this project include the following: (i) resource risk – the funds set aside for the project, £5 million, may not be adequate to deliver the project. There may also be a scarcity of skills for the project (Carvalho & Rabechini, 2015). (ii) Strategic risk – the money set for the project may be used up in an inappropriate way and impede the ability of PROJMANICS LTD Company to deliver other corporate goals. (iii) Schedule risk – this level of risk may affect the duration of the project. For instance, there could be delays in obtaining the parts for developing the dishwashers. There could also be decision delay for instance decisions pertaining to the specifications and features of the product. Other high-level risks include client insisting on new requirements; client insisting on technical decisions which extend the schedule; important personnel leaving prior to the completion of the project; development of product that does not meet user requirements resulting in redesign and implementation; requirements are not well known at project commencement; and the total product features specified could be beyond what the new product development team are able to deliver within the available time (Carvalho & Rabechini, 2015).
Stakeholders specific to the project: stakeholders are understood as organizations or persons who participate in the project actively, or whose interests might be affected due to implementation of the project or completion of the project (Kerzner & Saladis, 2009). For this project, the stakeholders include PROJMANICS LTD Company, which is the client organization including its senior executives and management; the project team members involved in the execution of the project; and members of the public since they are the end-customers of the new, innovative dishwashers being developed in this project. Other stakeholders include the government since the new, innovative dishwashers must be developed in compliance with the government standards and requirements; suppliers as they would supply the parts used to develop the product; and business analyst.
Project milestones:
Task
Date
1
X1 Feasibility study
July 1, 2015
2
X2 Concept testing
November 17, 2015
3
X3 Detailed design
February 27, 2016
4
X4 Develop and test prototype
May 22, 2016
4
X5 Test product
July 15, 2016
5
X6 Finalize design
September 28, 2016
6
Y1 Set up production (Procure manufacturing capability and start up production)
November 12, 2016
7
Y2 Product launch
December 3, 2016
The new product development project is expected to cost £5 million.
Issues and approach: the main issues that may be encountered during new product development are uncertainties. These would be managed by having a decision gate or check point/stage-gate – at the ending of major stages. It is notable that the stage-gate methodology fits very well with the typical techniques of project management for instance Gantt chart, wherein the gates would correspond to milestones. In general, the stage-gate approach applies simultaneous engineering and defines obligatory activities for different phases such as develop stage, test stage, and launch stage (Schmidt, 2009).
Project Charter Template
Project Name: New Product Development – Dishwashers
Authorizing the project formally: This Charter formally authorizes the New Product Development Project to design and develop new products for PROJMANICS LTD Company. The new products are dishwashers. A project plan would be formulated and submitted to the Sponsor for her to approve. The project plan would include statement of scope; schedule of the project; cost estimate of the project; budget of the project; as well as provisions for schedule, procurement, resource, scope, risk, stakeholder management, quality, and project control. Every resource would be assigned by the Sponsor of the project, Dora Hitchcock.
Project Scope: The project’s purpose is to develop a new product for PROJMANICS LTD Company. The deliverable of the project would be novel, captivating dishwashers. There is demand in the marketplace for innovative, novel and ground-breaking dishwashers that are attractively designed, quiet, and energy efficient. The project is thus intended to meet a market demand. The high-level risks for the project include project not being delivered within the defined time frame, the funds budgeted for the project being inadequate, lack of enough skilled personnel to complete the project, and client changing the requirements. Success would be determined if the project meets the project objectives without discrepancies.
Project Manager: The Project Manager, Joey Brooks, is authorized to interface with the management of PROJMANICS LTD as required, assign roles within the project’s framework, negotiate for resources, and to communicate the company’s management and contractors, as required, in order to ensure that the project is actually finished timely and successfully. It is the Project Manager’s responsibility to create the project plan, monitor the schedule, scope and cost of the project during execution. He is also to keep control over the project by measuring performance as well as undertaking any relevant remedial action.
Summary of milestone schedule: The plan of the project would be submitted and approved according to the milestone schedule shown below. After the plan of the project is approved, resources would be assigned to the project and then work would begin within 4 business days. The following is the high level schedule:
Date
Task
1
July 1, 2015
Project plan complete and approved
2
November 17, 2015
Concept testing completed
3
February 27, 2016
Prototype testing completed
4
May 22, 2016
Pre-test market completed
5
July 15, 2016
Test market completed
6
September 28, 2016
Finalize design
7
November 12, 2016
Set up production
8
December 3, 2016
Launch
Project Budget
The budget for the new product development is £5 million. This amount is to be funded by PROJMANICS LTD’s finance department.
Project Charter template
Work breakdown structure (WBS)
The project has a number of phases such as design of the dishwasher product, testing of the product, production, as well as arranging for marketing of the product. This listing formed the starting point of the high-level WBS.
Table 1: work breakdown structure for dishwasher development
Life cycle of new product development (dishwashers)
X1 Idea generation
Identify needs and requirements of the customer
Assess quality of the existing products
Describe the objectives of the new product for instance cost, quality, aesthetic, functional
X2 Concept design
Creative generation of idea
Refining the concepts
Retrieving previous design intent
X3 Feasibility study
Ensure strategic feasibility such as SWOT
Ensure there is technology capability
Ensure resources are available
Ensure schedule feasibility
Ensure fiscal feasibility
Ensure there is market
Decide whether to proceed or not to proceed
X4 Detailed design
Define the specifications
Design the main features
Make drawings
Make prototype
X5 Test product
Test for user satisfaction
Test main characteristic such as engineering
X6 Finalize design
Evaluate the product design
Seek approval from the board
Rework product design
Freeze the design
Y1 Set up production
Acquire the necessary manufacturing capability
Design the tooling
Make the tools
Modify the building
Get the equipment
Find the manufacturing personnel capability
Start up production of the dishwashers
Obtain first parts from production
Test the parts
Confirm quality tolerances
Manufacture in volume
Y2 Arrange marketing
Identify the main benefits of the product
Identify the likely users
Plan the strategy for marketing
Produce advertisements and catalogues
Produce rainforest campaign
Y3 Arrange distribution of the new products
Create sales chain
Get local representatives
Develop business procedures for ordering, transportation, accounting, as well as repair
Establish technical support capability
Create user manual
Create service manual
Make a decision on conditions of warranty
Get personnel capability
Make lifetime spares requirement
Decommission production
Archive documentation
Closure of project
Project plan and responsibility matrix
Figure 1: Gantt chart showing project plan
Task Name
Jul 2015
Aug
‘15
Oct
‘15
Nov
17th
‘15
Nov
19th
‘15
Dec
‘15
Jan
2016
Feb
27th
‘16
Mar
‘16
Apr
‘16
May
22nd
16
Jun
16
Jul
15th
16
Aug
‘16
Sep
28th
‘16
Oct
‘16
Nov
12th
‘16
Dec
3rd
‘16
Idea Generation
Concept design
Feasibility study
Detailed design
Test product
Finalize design
Set up production
Launch (arrange marketing and distribution of the new products)
Task responsibility matrix
The RACI model is used to develop the task responsibility matrix. RACI means Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed (Haughey, 2015). Responsible: this individual is the one who carries out the work in order to accomplish the task. In essence, they are responsible for getting the decision made or work performed. Generally, this is one individual, for instance, a business analyst. He/she owns the work. Accountable: this individual is accountable for thorough and proper completion of the task. Haughey (2015) reported that this has to be one individual and is usually the Project Sponsor or the Project Executive. This is basically the role that responsible is accountable to and endorses their tasks or work. Consulted: this is the individual that provides information for the project and with whom there is 2-way communication. The Consulted are often several persons, in most cases they are subject matter experts (Haughey, 2015). He or she delivers the information needed to carry out the work. Informed: these are the individuals that are kept informed regarding progress and with whom there is 1-way communication. The outcome of the tasks affects them so they must be kept up-to-date (Haughey, 2015).
Who
Activity
Project Sponsor
Project Manager
Business Analyst
Project team member, Nancy Frome
Project team member, Phil Davies
Stakeholder
X1 Idea generation
Identify needs of the customer
A
R
I
I
I
I
Evaluate the quality of the existing products
A
R
R
R
I
Describe the objectives of the new product for instance cost, quality, aesthetic, functional
A
E
C
I
I
I
X2 Concept design
Creative generation of idea
I
A
I
R
R
I
Refine the concepts
A
R
C
R
R
I
Retrieve previous design intent
I
A
R
R
I
X3 Feasibility study
Check strategic feasibility such as SWOT
I
A
I
R
R
I
Check technology capability
I
A
R
R
I
Check for resources available
I
A
R
R
I
Check schedule feasibility
1
A
R
R
I
Check fiscal feasibility
I
A
I
R
R
I
Check market
C
I
Make decision to proceed or not to proceed
C
A
C
R
R
I
X4 Detailed design
Define the specifications
C
A
R
R
I
Design the main characteristics
C
A
C
R
R
I
Make drawings
C
A
C
R
R
I
Make prototype
C
A
C
R
R
I
X5 Test product
Test for user satisfaction
C
A
R
R
I
Test main characteristic such as engineering
C
A
R
R
I
X6 Finalize design
Review the product design
I
A
R
R
R
I
Seek approval from the board
A
R
R
I
Revise product design
I
A
I
R
R
I
Freeze the design
C
A
C
R
R
I
Y1 Set up production
Acquire the necessary manufacturing capability
I
R
I
Design the tooling
C
A
C
R
R
I
Make the tools
I
R
C
I
Modify the building
C
A
R
R
I
Get the equipment
C
A
I
R
R
I
Find the manufacturing personnel capability
I
A
C
I
Start up production of the dishwashers
C
A
C
R
R
I
Obtain first parts from production
I
A
C
R
R
I
Test the parts
I
A
C
R
R
I
Confirm quality tolerances
I
A
R
I
Manufacture in volume
C
A
C
R
R
I
Product Launch
C
A
I
R
R
I
Project budget breakdown
Project Budget Breakdown
Item
Description
Amount
1
Research costs
Costs incurred in conducting research to determine the appropriate design and product specifications for the new product
£327,860
2
Labour cost
Payment of staff salaries. Staff members include the project team members. There would be 10 participants in the project each would be paid £100,000 for the 18 months of the project
£1,000,000
3
Equipment cost
Equipment for making the prototype, testing the prototype, and making the final product
£945,000
4
Material costs
Materials for manufacturing the new product – dishwashers. Some materials are imported from China and Europe since they are not available locally in the United Arab Emirates
£1,350,000
5
Facility costs
Costs – including utility costs – of using the facility to manufacture new, innovative dishwashers
£527,000
6
Overhead costs
These include office overheads and other costs that cannot be directly accountable to a cost object
£120,000
7
Allowances for contingencies
The project scope may change and this would mean an increase in costs
£400,000
8
Project consultant
Provide vital input as an expert
£180,000
9
Other costs
Other costs that are specific to the project
£150,140
Total
£5,000,000
To monitor and control the specified costs, the following methods would be used: frequently forecasting the project budget; forecasting usage of resources regularly; keeping the project team informed; and managing scope carefully considering that scope creep is a major cause of project overruns (Morris, 2009).
Project risk and analysis management/project health and safety policy
Risk item
Description
Action plan to minimize occurrence
1
Shortage of expertise
There could be a lack enough skilled personnel to implement the project
Hire enough individuals who are skilled enough
2
Customer relations
Managing the demand of the client, PROJMANICS LTD
Properly understand customer needs and requirements
3
Insufficient funds
The budget may not be enough to complete the project
Continually forecast the budget and forecast resource usage regularly
4
Change of requirements
The client may change the requirements of the project during project execution
Prepare for and anticipate scope creep
5
Final product not satisfy customer needs
The developed product my fail to meet user requirements resulting in redesign
Properly understand customer needs and requirements
6
Project not finished on time
Parts may delay
Procure all the necessary parts and components on time prior to project implementation
Risk Map
Impact/severity
High
Insufficient funds
Shortge of skilled expertise
Moderate
Change of requirements
Finished product not satisfy customer requirements
Project not finished on time
Low
Customer relations
Low
Moderate
High
Probability
Project Health and Safety problems and solutions
The common problems are illustrated in the table below:
Problem
Solution
1
Serious incidents that involve unguarded machines
Machine guarding throughout the premises
2
Poorly ventilated premises
Ensure the facility has adequate ventilation
3
Workers working without protective gear or appropriate attire
Protective gear and appropriate clothing availed to all personnel
4
Poorly lit workplaces
Ensure adequate lighting in the working areas
5
Workers overworked
Ensure there are enough workers and no worker works beyond the set time limits
Project Health and Safety Policy Statement: the highest safety and health standards would be maintained throughout the premises for a safe working environment for every employee working with PROJMANICS LTD.
References
Carvalho, M. D., & Rabechini, J, R. (2015). Impact of risk management on project performance: the importance of soft skills. International Journal Of Production Research, 53(2), 321-340. doi:10.1080/00207543.2014.919423
Kerzner, H., & Saladis, F. P. (2009). What Functional Managers Need to Know About Project Management. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.
Morris, P. (2013). Reconstructing Project Management Reprised: A Knowledge Perspective. Project Management Journal, 44(5), 6-23. doi:10.1002/pmj.21369
Perrin, R. (2009). Real World Project Management: Beyond Conventional Wisdom, Best Practices, and Project Methodologies. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.
Schmidt, T. (2009). Strategic Project Management Made Simple : Practical Tools for Leaders and Teams. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.
Stoshikj, M., Kryvinska, N., & Strauss, C. (2014). Efficient Managing of Complex Programs with Project Management Services. Global Journal Of Flexible Systems Management, 15(1), 25-38. doi:10.1007/s40171-013-0051-8
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Capstone Project
Professional Development Plan
Write a Professional Development Plan: You will want to refine your three year professional development plan based on insight from your new knowledge and your colleagues. Include the following areas:
1. career goals
2. involvement in professional organizations, and
3. continuing education (formal & informal).
SAMPLE ANSWER
Capstone Project
A professional development plan assists an employee in defining their career goals, educational goals, and objectives. It enables the employee to determine how far in his/her career he wants be in a certain period of time. Also, it enables him/her to have a direction in his /her career. For an employee to know develop a professional development plan one can decide to ask his/her fellow employee to asses them. After being assessed by a fellow employee then he can develop his own assessment. Then he/she can assess what the department and organization needs. Finally, he should record his progress after developing his professional development plan (Alsop, & Alsop, 2013).
Career goals
It is very important for every employee to set career goals. This is because they enable him/her how far he is with his career and know what to do incase he/she finds out that there is no career progress (Duke. 2015).
To increase my knowledge and skills in my profession by reading new journals concerning my field, interacting with other professionals in my field to know what is new so as to enable me grow as a professional.
To ask for a salary increase. Or look for a better job which will pay me a salary worth my job description.
To try and find a job which I feel satisfied in terms of salary, working environment/condition rewards etc.
To work in a stable company so that I don’t feel threatened about losing my job.
To work in an environment which promotes team work.
So that I can keep up with the competitive job environment I will join professional bodies in my field, go for as many workshops as possible so as to keep myself updated with everything that is happening in my field.
Also I will do most of my professional courses and join university for my post graduate degree program.
Professional development plan is very important because it enables one to be able to have a career direction.
References
Alsop, A., & Alsop, A. (2013). Continuing professional development in health and social care: Strategies for lifelong learning. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
Methods of Collecting Data Assessment Paper Order Instructions: It has been reported to me, as the Assessment Officer for your programme, that you are suspected of having breached the University’s Academic Integrity Policy in the preparation of assessment(s) for the above class.
The University’s procedures require me to investigate this matter and to make a report and recommendaton to the Board of Examiners on any penalty to be imposed. The procedures also state that you should have an opportunity to provide an explanation for the alleged incident, and I am inviting you to do so now.
You must provide me with any written explanation of the circumstances which have given rise to this allegation.
In writing your response, it would be helpful to bear in mind the following:
The Turnitin report is always analyzed by at least one member of the academic staff before an investigation for academic misconduct begins.
The precise value of the Turnitin similarity index is of no particular importance. The nature of the alleged offense is as important as the extent of it.
The sources identified by Turnitin are not necessarily the sources you used simply because the same material may appear in many different sources. What is important is not whether you used those particular sources, but rather whether you have properly cited and referenced the sources you did use.
A very short explanation is just as likely to be effective as a very long explanation. There is no need to explain the matching text from each of the sources listed, whether Turnitin identifies only a few or an excessively long list of sources.
Yours sincerely
Methods of Collecting Data Assessment Paper Sample Answer
Methods of collecting data
The company utilized various methods of collecting data. They may have used either primary or secondary methods of collecting data. Some of the primary data include observation, questionnaires, interviews, hearing, and sampling. In addition, some of the secondary data used to collect data is skimming and scamming through journals, books, newspapers, and internet.
To come up with quality information, the research data must be analyzed. Coded and processed into quality and quantitative information. The processed data found out some issues;
Findings
From the above-collected data, it was analyzed that students have little time or inadequacy of time when they are doing their assessments. This makes them violate the law of the school policy. This becomes an intellectual property theft where the student will have to be punished. This little time makes the student copy paste the assessments order that they are assigned to them
Also, the students fail to comprehend or understand the questions they are asked and they always find an alternative of what they can do to complete the assessment assigned to them at the given specific time. The student will have to search the exact question from the internet and the information he or she receives will have to copy paste for the sake of satisfying the lecture or the teacher.
A student may be very ignorant to an extent that they fail to do the work or the assessment that they are given to them. They opt to do their assignment at the end last minutes remaining and from this point of view, they tend to copy paste the work done by other authors without citing them in their work. This leads to plagiarism and also violating the school policy.
Many students if not all are at times overloaded with the workforce. It becomes very coincidental that they are overloaded with the workforce and at the same time they have to complete the assessment assigned to them in time. This makes them go ahead and copy paste the work of another author without their permission and without paraphrasing and lastly without sighting the author. This makes the information copied to be personal but in a real sense, it’s not own assessments work done.
Methods of Collecting Data Assessment Paper Conclusion
It can be concluded that many students do copy paste the assessment given to them by their lectures. The reason behind this is that due to the above findings that were being analyzed from the other fellow class student.
Methods of Collecting Data Assessment Paper Recommendation
It can be recommended that students should take ample time when doing their assessment. This will reduce the rate of copy-pasting other peoples work without their permission or been able to cite the author of the original information or research. Also, lecturers or teachers should be able to explain vividly what they do expect from the student. By doing so, they will give the student to have an open mind and be able to think outside the box. This scenario of explaining to the student also reduces the rate of copy-pasting other people works. In addition, the student may research the information related to their assessments but they should be able to paraphrase and bring the same information and also be able to cite the original author of the information.
Methods of Collecting Data Assessment Paper References
PECORARI, D. (2013). Teaching to avoid plagiarism: how to promote good source use.
THORMANN, J., & ZIMMERMAN, I. K. (2012). The complete step-by-step guide to designing and teaching online courses. New York, NY, Teachers College Press.
Project management training – lifelong learning and continuous professional development.
Assignment details
The purpose of the assignment is to ensure that students have developed an understanding and some relevant knowledge of the literature related to their
dissertation topic, as well as assessing their ability to: conduct a literature search, summarise and critically assess journal papers and apply their
literature findings to their own specific project. There are 4 sections to the assignment plus references. Please note that marks will not be given for any
content on pages exceeding the maximum number of pages stipulated for each section.
1. A working title, synopsis (including beneficiaries) and aim & objectives (1 page maximum, 15 marks)
2. Search strategy (1 page maximum, 10 marks)
3. Brief Literature Review (3 pages maximum, 60 marks)
4. Conclusions from the literature review, implications for your own project and next steps (1 page maximum, 15 marks)
Topic Outline:The business culture and environment of the twenty-first century is dynamic and unrelenting in its demands on modern project managers – their education is never completed. Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a requirement of all professions, so that practitioners continue to keep abreast of technical, legal and managerial advances in their chosen fields – the project manager is no exception.
Training has become a managerial science, in which training needs must be analysed, courses sourced and assessed, and training plans implemented. Training is delivered in a variety of mediums in a digital age, and the optimum formats will vary between individuals. However, variety is probably the spice of training life – with a wide range of formats completing a satisfactory training schedule.
There is rarely a substitute for the live event, where experts in specialist fields are deployed to stimulate and educate professional audiences. Such events
also allow for interaction, questions and answers, and networking between delegates. However, live events are invariably expensive in terms of course fees and the attendance time of delegates – dictating the need for other delivery formats, such as videos; webinars; and other interactive web-based resources.
Key Word: Training; CPD; Lifelong learning
More information I will upload later.
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St. Dimas Assisted Living Facility will employ Results-based approaches (programs) that are defined using the fundamental concepts of the results chain – also known as the logical framework. In this framework, inputs are used in carrying out activities in order to produce outputs and thereby achieve outcomes. St. Dimas Assisted Living Facility Results-based approaches will bring together expenditures with a shared objective, the core of which is a common outcome which those expenditures are intended to achieve. Thus, for example, a preventive health program – internal to the facility, brings together a diverse range of outputs all of which aim at the outcome of the prevention of disease and injury. These outputs might include anti-diabetes television ads; antismoking pamphlets distributed in public health facilities.
St. Dimas Assisted Living Facility result based budget concepts are groups of outputs. This means grouping together all the activities that individually contribute to a particular intended common outcome. St. Dimas Assisted Living Facility could adopt a vocational educational program for some of the beneficiaries’ children that would offer a vehicle bringing together vocational educational benchmarks (public assistance for small businesses and formal training). It is hoped this will down the road bring will guarantee the facility quality labor for the economy (the by-product).
It is possible for result-based budgets to include outputs in addition to specific transfer payments that were incurred in pursuit of St. Dimas Assisted Living Facility objectives. The outcomes herded together under a particular umbrella have the desired outcome as a common characteristic in addition to the desired avenue or specific focus group. A result-based budget will thus define a group of unique St. Dimas Assisted Living Facility outcomes and or transfer payments that show a clear common preplanned and pursued outcome together. This is assumed to happen within the confines of a group exhibiting common characteristic like a single target client group.
Within the budgeting system of St. Dimas Assisted Living Facility, subprograms will also be result based. St. Dimas Assisted Living Facility subprograms will be those that represent increasingly growing disaggregated groupings of outcomes within the parameters. Within St. Dimas Assisted Living Facility a preventive health program would bring together a very diverse and wide variety of services and programs targeted at preventive health. As a result of this, subprograms will organize the services into a few specific types.
Why chose result-based budgeting as opposed to activity-based budgeting?
The choice between result-based budget and an activity-based budget is based on value attached to outcomes and processes. In this case, an outcome will include a service or good that is delivered by St. Dimas Assisted Living Facility to an external party, whereas an activity is a specific type of work process performed in the production of an outcome.
Getting classification becomes critical since great care must be employed to avoid incidences where activity-based programs could be mistaken with results-based programs. At St. Dimas Assisted Living Facility distinguishing between the outcomes and processes will be deemed achieved if the services offered between ministries – training human capital from a department, are seen as processes rather than outcomes. Within the confines of St. Dimas Assisted Living Facility, shared common services – support services, will be considered as outcomes since they also cater to internal rather that an external stakeholders.
The logic of insisting that support services are not outputs can be seen more clearly if we remind ourselves that an “output” is the equivalent of a private sector company’s “product.” In the private sector context, where products are sold to customers, the distinction between products and support services is very clear.
For St. Dimas Assisted Living Facility, the inclusion of a budget item will be a clear indication that the support program. A support program will cover all St. Dimas Assisted Living Facility support services. Despite championing for a result-based budget, the program structure does adopt an activity-based approach. Despite opposition, it is now the common practice world-over to treat support programs as significant when classifying the program with increasing support for the adoption of this strategy. This confirms that support programs are not components in a result-based budget. However, under GAPP, support programs are exempted thus they should be considered as result-based.
To keep these exceptions to the minimum, and to avoid unnecessary or even wholesale departures from the principle of results-based budgeting, it is crucial to explicitly recognize these distinctions and to be clear about why they are necessary. It is important to remember in result-based budgeting, Programs and subprograms should to the maximum possible extent be results-based, grouping together outputs with a common intended outcome. This principle should be departed from only in specific cases with clear justification.
References
Anderson, L. O., & Forest Products Laboratory (U.S.). (2002). Wood-frame house construction. New York ; Hong Kong: Books for Buisiness.
Heldman, K. (2011). Project management jumpstart. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Lu, W., Zhang, L & Pan, J (2014) Identification and Analyses of Hidden Transactions Costs in Project Dispute Resolutions, International Journal o f Project Management, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 25-52
Schwalbe, K. (2009). Introduction to project management. Boston, Mass: Course Technology.
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