Case Responses
Problem 1 Answers:
a) Draw a network diagram for the project. See diagram on second page (go to view network diagram)
b) Mark the critical path and state its length. The critical path is in red color (go to view tracking Gantt). The length of the critical path is 18 days of duration.
c) If the Maser has to be completed 2 days earlier, would it help to: i. Buy preassembled transmissions and drive trains? Yes, however is dependent of supplier inventory
ii. Install robots to halve engine-building time? Yes, however it is dependant of the existing technology from the manufacturer, a cpst analysis would be necessary to take the decision.
iii. Speed delivery of special accessories by 3 days? Yes, if the company is willing to pay the expedite charges; the lead time could be reduce considerably.
d) How might resources be borrowed from activities on the non-critical path to speed activities on the critical path? With the proper resource leveling additional team members could be allocated to help on the critical path. The intent is not to over allocate resources.
Problem 2 Answers:
1. Identify the critical path and its activities for Rockfest. How long does the project take? With the information provided, the project will take 34 weeks to complete. The critical path is in red color.
2. Which activities have a slack time of 8 weeks or more?
With the information provided and the dependencies that I created based on my assumptions, these are the tasks that have more than 8wk slack time:
Task P (finalize sponsors).
Since there are a lot of activities that are not linked (successors), it is somewhat difficult to predict additional activities with > 8wk slack time.
3. Identify five major challenges a project manager faces in events such as this one. i. Rain delays in the construction. ii. Government agency permits for construction delays. iii. Telecommuting with
a) Draw a network diagram for the project. See diagram on second page (go to view network diagram)
b) Mark the critical path and state its length. The critical path is in red color (go to view tracking Gantt). The length of the critical path is 18 days of duration.
c) If the Maser has to be completed 2 days earlier, would it help to: i. Buy preassembled transmissions and drive trains? Yes, however is dependent of supplier inventory
ii. Install robots to halve engine-building time? Yes, however it is dependant of the existing technology from the manufacturer, a cpst analysis would be necessary to take the decision.
iii. Speed delivery of special accessories by 3 days? Yes, if the company is willing to pay the expedite charges; the lead time could be reduce considerably.
d) How might resources be borrowed from activities on the non-critical path to speed activities on the critical path? With the proper resource leveling additional team members could be allocated to help on the critical path. The intent is not to over allocate resources.
Problem 2 Answers:
1. Identify the critical path and its activities for Rockfest. How long does the project take? With the information provided, the project will take 34 weeks to complete. The critical path is in red color.
2. Which activities have a slack time of 8 weeks or more?
With the information provided and the dependencies that I created based on my assumptions, these are the tasks that have more than 8wk slack time:
Task P (finalize sponsors).
Since there are a lot of activities that are not linked (successors), it is somewhat difficult to predict additional activities with > 8wk slack time.
3. Identify five major challenges a project manager faces in events such as this one. i. Rain delays in the construction. ii. Government agency permits for construction delays. iii. Telecommuting with