TTP-3 - Project Schedule with Dependency Links
TTP-3 Project Schedule with Task Dependency Links (Team project)
Please be sure to read the Team Contribution Assessment and Grading of Team Assignments and the Project Documentation Requirements sections of the ITP Master Document.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. To be successful at this assignment (as well as later assignments) you will need to rely on the Week 2 Lecture, How to Build Work Breakdown Structures
2. Review the Case Scenario and TTP-2 - Project Charter (including the instructions); these sections will provide valuable information
3. Make sure you have configured MS-Project exactly as specified in the ITP-1 Assignment; this will be part of your TTP-3 grade
4. Finish objective #2 (Enter the WBS into MS-Project) as soon as possible; in other words, in the first half of week 4 (DON'T WAIT UNTIL SATURDAY NIGHT!), ideally by Tuesday night
5. As soon as objective #2 is accomplished (and before establishing durations or identifying predecessors - successors), post the team's MS-Project schedule to the "Shared Learning - WBS with Dependencies" discussion area
6. Notify me immediately once you have uploaded the team's MS-Project schedule; I will review it and provide important feedback, possibly even asking you to revise the WBS
Assignment for the TTP-3 Project Deliverables
The objectives of this assignment are for each team to:
1. Compile the "best of the best" ideas from your team's individual ITP-1 assignments into the final project WBS
2. Enter the WBS into MS-Project
3. List all deliverable end items under their appropriate WBS element
4. Define and list sub-tasks under each lowest-level WBS element (i.e., the work package); establish task durations
5. Identify predecessor - successor relationships between sub-tasks
6. Iterate steps 4 and 5 as necessary to achieve a workable schedule
This assignment has two parts.
Part 1. Create the Work Breakdown Structure in Microsoft Project
The team will determine the appropriate method for consolidating the individual Work Breakdown Structures into a single WBS. For instance, after review of all team members' Work Breakdown Structures:
• The best WBS could be adopted
• Portions of different team members' Work Breakdown Structures could be used
• The best features of different team members' Work Breakdown Structures could be used
• It could all be scrapped and collaboratively re-built from scratch
• Any number of other methods could be used
Once I have reviewed your team WBS (in MS-Project), begin loading task durations. IMPORTANT: Only change durations for tasks. You do not adjust durations for Summary Tasks because MS Project's scheduling engine will roll-up the task durations to Summary Tasks, and automatically calculate the overall durations.
Then, the team members will add predecessor-successor links between all sub-tasks in the consolidated team WBS. This represents the ORDER in which work will be performed. Every task (not WBS element) should have a dependency relationship (predecessor - successor) to another task. The default in MS- Project is a "finish-to-start" relationship (task A must be completed before task B can start). Each member of the team should go through the WBS as a whole to flesh out areas that may not be addressed with sub-tasks.
As a team, look at the NETWORK View in MS-Project. All sub-tasks (not WBS elements) should be linked to other sub-tasks (EXCEPT for Start Project and Complete Project). There should be no stand-alone sub- tasks, i.e., without predecessors or successors. There may be multiple paths and the paths should flow generally from left to right. The first task should be Project Start and it must have no predeccessors. The final task should be Complete Project and it must have no successors.
1. Do NOT hard-code task start and finish dates. Just enter task durations and let MS-Project calculate the dates. If your "I" column has a little calendar - you have not done this correctly.
2. Do not use "manually scheduled" sub-tasks. Rather, use "automatically scheduled" sub-tasks. When manually scheduled, the dates are essentially hard-coded and not allowed to automatically adjust should task durations and critical paths change.
3. WBS elements are roll-ups and should never have any work assigned. Do not enter a duration for WBS elements. Their durations will be automatically calculated by MS-Project using the associated work package durations.
4. The Gantt Chart View and the Network View should not look like waterfalls, wherein each task has only one predecessor and only one successor. That is not only unrealistic, but is problematic for most projects. There should be some degree of parallelism. This means that sub-tasks may have multiple successors and/or predecessors.
5. Check the Project Fields to Include in ITP Deliverables document in the assignment area to ensure that your MS-Project (.mpp) file includes the needed fields (columns) visible in the left- hand table portion of the Gantt chart view.
The magnitude and scope of the project must be such (this is important) that it will require the work of 3 to 6 people who will constitute the project management team. Even though your own team might be smaller, you MUST include roles for 3 to 6 people. These additional "virtual" people will be responsible for accomplishing the work or tasks to complete the project. Also, the project should be scoped so that it will take 3 to 6 months to complete. If it is less than this, then you have scoped it too small; if it is more than that, then you have scoped it too large.
When done, save a baselined project schedule and submit the Microsoft Project (.mpp) file with your Team name includedin the file name.
Part 2. Answers to Questions in Microsoft Word
In a Word document, include a cover sheet that includes contributors, the executive summary, and text that describes your team efforts and decisions made. Answer the following questions in a text document. As a 400-level class, writing should be of a style appropriate for a senior level college class. “Yes” or “No” answers with no explanations or discussions are not appropriate answers.
1. Did your team discuss and/or divide up the major tasks before completing the INDIVIDUAL WBS?
2. How did your team “merge” the WBS of individual teammates?
3. Were some teammates’ WBS more thorough or complete than others?
4. What was the most difficult part of this assignment?
5. Did every teammate contribute to this WBS effort?
6. Is your team still following the day-to-day schedule provided in the TPP-1?
Approximate breakdown by areas include:
o General: Structure, Format, Mechanics, Style (~4%)
o Schedule WBS (~10%)
o Schedule linkages (~60%)
o Network view (~26%)
Rubrics and Grading for the ITP -3 Project Deliverable
To earn 90-100% of the points available for this assignment -
The start of the project is a milestone with zero duration, no sub-task(s), no predecessors, and no
resources. The end of the project is a milestone with zero duration, no sub-task(s), no succecessors, and
no resources. The TEAM WBS should have predecessors for all sub-tasks (except project start), and
should have successors for all sub-tasks (except project end). Several tasks are types of predecessors
different from the finish-to-start default. Durations have been assigned to ALL of the tasks, Notes is used
to address extra information that will be used by the team during the project, and at least two other
features of Microsoft Project have been used and discussed in the text document. There are no hard-
coded or manually-scheduled dates. Summary tasks should have no predecessors or successors, no
hard-coded durations, and no resources; all summary task durations should be calculated by MS Project.
More than 5 milestones/decision points are included and at least 3 recurring tasks are included. No
unusual date constraints or linkage types are used.
The NETWORK VIEW should show tasks in multiple paths (meaning tasks are not limited to being done
sequentially), and all of the paths should flow from left to right with all paths ending at or leading to the
final task, which is on the far right of the Network View. Most of the paths are blue (non-critical); one
or more paths from start to finish are red (critical paths). No tasks stand alone in the Network View.
The textbook and at least 2 additional (credible) sources are used to help develop the project,
references are from academically credible; a Reference Page and discussion of how the sources and/or
were used to add to the textbook and WBS are included as a Reference Page with the cover page.
To earn 80-89% of the points available for this assignment -
The start of the project is a milestone with zero duration, no sub-task(s), no predecessors, and no
resources. The end of the project is a milestone with zero duration, no sub-task(s), no succecessors, and
no resources. The TEAM WBS should have predecessors for all sub-tasks (except project start), and
should have successors for all sub-tasks (except project end). Durations have been assigned to ALL tasks,
Notes is used to address extra information that will be used by the team during the project, and at least
one other feature of Microsoft Project has been used and discussed in the text document. There are no
more than 3 hard-coded or manually-scheduled dates. Summary tasks should have predecessors or
successors and no hard-coded durations; all summary task durations should be calculated by MS Project.
More than 2 two milestones/decision points are included and at least 2 recurring tasks are included. No
more than 3 unusual date constraints or linkage types are used.
The NETWORK VIEW should show tasks in multiple paths (meaning tasks are not limited to being done
sequentially), and all of the paths should flow from left to right with all paths ending at or leading to the
final task, which is on the far right of the Network View. Most of the paths are blue (non-critical); one
or more paths from start to finish are red (critical paths). No more than 3 tasks stand alone or lack
predecessors or successors in the Network View.
In addition, at least two sources are used (the textbook and 1 credible source) to help develop the
project. References are from academically credible sources and/or the textbook and include text,
explaining how the textbook was used, with a Reference Page and the cover page.
To earn 70-79% of the points available for this assignment -
The start of the project is a milestone with zero duration, no sub-task(s), no predecessors, and no
resources. The end of the project is a milestone with zero duration, no sub-task(s), no succecessors, and
no resources. The TEAM WBS should have predecessors for most sub-tasks (except project start) and
successors for most sub-tasks (except project end). A minimal number of sub-tasks have no relationships
or have hard-coded or manually-scheduled dates. Summary tasks should have no predecessors or
successors and no hard-coded durations; all summary task durations should be calculated by MS Project.
At least 1 milestone (milestone/decision point) is included and at least 1 recurring task is included. No
more than 7 unusual date constraints or linkage types are used.
The NETWORK VIEW should show tasks in multiple paths (meaning tasks are not limited to being done
sequentially), and all but a single or almost single horizontal path flowing from left to right is acceptable.
The paths should flow from left to right with all paths ending at or leading to the final task, which is on
the far right of the Network View. Most of the paths are blue (non-critical); at least one path is red
(critical paths). No tasks stand alone in the Network View. No more than 7 tasks stand alone or lack
predecessors or successors in the Network View. The textbook is used and cited.
To earn 60-69% of the points available for this assignment -
The TEAM WBS should have predecessors (except project start) and successors (except project end) for
sub-tasks. In the Network View, the paths flow toward the final task which is at the far right of the
Network View. Most paths are blue. No major tasks stand alone and no more than 10 sub-tasks stand
alone.
Less than 60% -
Team efforts that do not meet the requirements will earn a zero. Team efforts that are not original
work will earn a zero. Team efforts that do not have proper APA references and citations to any
included or quoted work will earn at most 50%.
Please notice that there is a STRONG incentive for ALL team members to carefully proofread team
documents before submitting. This incentive will continue through the semester.