OPTION 1

You are the Project Manager for the refurbishment of an 8-storey tower block of offices at an educational institution (see photo of external elevation). The project scope comprises three major components:
A. Section A: Upgrading (i.e. replacement) of the two lifts.

B. Section B: Refurbishment of staff offices to the existing floors (new decoration, lighting, ventilation systems, fixtures and fittings, furniture).
C. Section C: Replacement of all the windows with double glazing system.

Each floor comprises 15 offices for academic and administrative staff (see floor plan). Typically staff currently have their own office (i.e. 1 member of staff to each office). The floor plan for each floor is similar.

Work is to be scheduled so as to minimise disruption to staff working in the offices as far as possible. The scope of the works includes decanting of staff from their offices into refurbished offices as the works progress. Alternative space in limited. Staff can share an office if necessary (2 staff to an office) during the refurbishment works.

Figure 2: Typical Floor Plan

Section B works may overlap with Section A, but completion of Section B is not necessary until approximately 3 months after Section A. Section C may be undertaken concurrently with Sections A and B as appropriate.

Ignore the ground floor / entrance area (assume these areas have previously been refurbished). Access can be gained via the rear of the building.

The budget is $10m (split between the 3 Parts).

Required:-

1. Create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for the project. As a guide the WBS should contain between 60 and 75 activities. Do not exceed 80 task-level activities. Present the WBS in a hierarchical structure diagram.

2. Create a schedule for the project. Determine the overall duration and when activities and events are planned to happen. The schedule is to include activities and their logical dependencies, with estimations of activity durations. Use the summary tasks, tasks and sub-tasks from the WBS for your schedule activities. Use Critical Path Scheduling techniques for the preparation of your project schedule. The start date for the project is the first working Monday after your Birthday this year. Adopt NZ industry standard holidays (Christmas, Easter, ANZAC day etc). Present your schedule as a Gantt Chart, using suitable scales. Use MS Project planning software and upload a soft copy of your MS Project file onto Canvas. Clearly identify the critical path(s).

3. When construction of Part A is 50% complete according to the original time line (i.e. half the original time estimated for completion), unexpected design errors result in the need for strengthening of the existing structure. The cost of the re-work is estimated to be $1.5m and the associated delay to completion of Part A is estimated at 6 weeks. In addition, progress on site has been slow, and you are running 2 weeks behind on your planned programme. As a result the client has asked you, (the Project Manager), to attend a crisis meeting. Using the elements from 1-2 above, along with any other project control measures you are familiar with, develop a progress report for the client. Indicate the likely delays and revised finish date for the project, based on critical path analysis.

Develop your recommendations for:

a. Options on how to achieve the original planned completion dates for all 3 Parts. Clearly indicate the implications for accelerating the works.

b. Options on how to achieve the original project budget. Clearly indicate the implications upon scope and upon planned completion dates.

The client is open to suggestions on changes of scope, time and cost, but not prepared to relax the quality aspects of the project. Note that you should use MS Project to help answer this part of the assignment and use the outputs from the software to demonstrate implications and options, however a soft copy of your MS Project file is NOT required.

4. Comment on the benefits and limitations of critical path scheduling techniques. Identify and describe an alternative scheduling technique for management of time that might address some of the limitations of the critical path approach. Guide 1000-1500 words.

OPTION 2

Identify a major project of your own choice. This may be from any engineering or business disciple. Prepare a project scenario of your own type of project (e.g. software development, capital equipment development, etc), which your are sufficiently comfortable with. Once again, you are the Project Manager for the identified project scenario. Identify three major components for the project scope (similar to the split between Part A, B and C for Option 1).

Required:-

1. Create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for the project. As a guide the WBS should contain between 60 and 75 activities. Do not exceed 80 task-level activities.

2. Create a schedule for the project. Determine the overall duration and when activities and events are planned to happen. The schedule is to include activities and their logical dependencies, with estimations of activity durations. Use the summary tasks, tasks and sub-tasks from the WBS for your schedule activities. Use Critical Path Scheduling techniques for the preparation of your project schedule. The start date for the project is the first working Monday after your Birthday this year. Adopt NZ industry standard holidays (Christmas, Easter, ANZAC day etc). Present your schedule as a Gantt Chart, using suitable scales. Use MS Project planning software and upload a soft copy of your MS Project file onto Canvas. Clearly identify the critical path(s). (20 marks)

3. When implementation is 50% complete according to the original time line (i.e. half the original time estimated for completion), unexpected risks result in the need for re-work to one of the major components of the project. The cost of the re-work is estimated to be 10% of the total project budget and the associated delay to the project completion date is estimated at 10% of the project duration. In addition, progress on the project has been slow, and you are running behind on your planned programme. As a result the client has asked you, (the Project Manager), to attend a crisis meeting. Using the elements from 1- 2 above, along with any other project control measures you are familiar with, develop a progress report the client. Indicate the likely delays and revised finish date for the project based on critical path analysis. Develop your recommendations for:

a. Options on how to achieve the original planned completion dates for all 3 Parts. Clearly indicate the implications for accelerating parts of the works with associated "crash costs".

b. Options on how to achieve the original total budget. Clearly indicate the implications upon scope and upon planned completion dates.

The client is open to suggestions on changes of scope, time and cost, but not prepared to relax the quality aspects of the project. Note that you should use MS Project to help answer this part of the assignment and use the outputs from the software to demonstrate implications and options, however a soft copy of your MS Project file is NOT required. (10 marks)

4. Comment on the benefits and limitations of critical path scheduling techniques. Identify and describe an alternative scheduling technique for management of time that might address some of the limitations of the critical path approach. Guide 1000-1500 words.