ABC Company - Training Program

ABC Company has 50,000 employees in its headquarters. The company wants to increase employee productivity by setting up an internal software applications training program for its employees. The training program will teach employees how to use business software programs such as Microsoft Office 2000, and Microsoft Project 2000. Courses will be offered in the evening and on Saturdays, and will be taught by qualified volunteer employees. The instructors will be paid $40.00 per hour. In the past, various departments have sent employees to courses offered by local vendors during company time. In contrast to local vendors' programs, this internal training program should save money on training as well as make people more productive.

The company has decided to use off-the-shelf training materials, but is not sure which vendors' materials to use. They also need to set up a training classroom, survey employees on what courses they are interested in, find qualified volunteer instructors, and start offering courses. The company wants to offer the first courses within six months.

You have 4 people from various departments available to support the full-time HR person, who will act a project manager. The manager's hourly rate is $40.00. Two people from the IT department will each spend up to 25% of their time supporting the project, their hourly rate is $50.00. One person is available from the marketing department only 25% of the time at $40.00 per hour, and one person from Corporate is available 30% of the time at $35.00 per hour. The cost to build the classroom is $100,000.

The project will have to conform to the following constraints:

1. The following holidays are observed: Memorial Day (the last Monday in May), July 4th, Labor Day (the first Monday in September), Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November), and December 25th and 26th.

2. If a holiday falls on a Saturday, then Friday will be given as an extra day off; if it falls on a Sunday, then Monday will be given as a day off.

3. The project team works Monday through Friday

4. Lags do not contain any additional costs.

5. You can only spend up to $100,000 to reduce project activities; lags do not contain any additional costs.

Some of the WBS Tasks might include:

Review off-the-shelf training materials from three vendors

Determine which materials to use

Negotiate a contract with the selected vendor

Develop communications information about the training program.

Create a survey to determine the number and type of courses needed.

Solicit qualified volunteers to teach courses

Coordinate with facilities department to build two classrooms with 20 workstations, a teacher workstation, and overhead projection system.

Develop a course evaluation form.