Construction of a highway starts February 19, 2015  & completed by year end. Delay fine of $10,000 for every week of delay pass date December 31, 2015.  So 315 days (45 weeks) for the highway project  with a seven-day work schedule.

The activities for the Highway project is as follows:

Project begins by clearing the site,  takes 8 weeks. When the site is cleared, lay subsurface drainage takes 8 weeks, followed by filling of the earth that takes 14 weeks. After these steps are completed, the installation of an artificial turf on the side of the highway begins - this activity is 12 weeks long. Simultaneously, the work on the highway can begin once the work site is cleared.

Work on the highway begins  first by excavating followed by pouring sand on the highway path. Each of these tasks takes 4 weeks each to complete. Following is the construction of layer2  (12 weeks), followed by layer3 (13 weeks). Layer4 are then completed (5 weeks) followed by layer5  (4 weeks). However, layer5 cannot be started until street lights are completed (4 weeks). The street lights cannot be started until the  electrical lines are ran underground (8 weeks), which needs an additional task of getting city of Seattle permits before it can be started. The city permit takes 4 weeks to obtain. Assume that you would start on the permits after the excavation activity for the highway begins.

Once layer3 of the highway is completed, work can start simultaneously on the street lighting (5 weeks), and on highway signage and road drawings (4 weeks). Assume you start the project on Feb 19, 2015 and  follow a seven days week  schedule where each week of an activity's duration takes 7 days.

Using the information above, use Microsoft project or excel (include the workbook with answer):

• A. When do you complete the highway project?
• B. How much delay $ fine would you be charged based on the estimated completion time?
• C. Analyze each of the following proposals independently of the other proposals and comment on which proposal you adopt for expediting the project?
  • Proposal 1: Expedite layer2 construction activity - this would cost $20000 and would reduce the activity by six weeks
  • Proposal 2: The same as the above proposal but in addition, use a double shift on filling the earth. This would cost $10,000 and would reduce the filling activity by 5 weeks.
  • Proposal 3: Construction layer3 is important. You could use additional labor resource for $9,000 and cut six weeks off the original duration of the activity.
• D. How would your analysis on the above change if the company factors in the possibility of a worker strike in the month of December?