Creating a Project Schedule
MGT 3302, Introduction to Project Management 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit V Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Describe the components of a basic project schedule. 1.1 Illustrate components of a project schedule, including a Gantt chart and network activity
diagram.
Course/Unit Learning Outcomes
Learning Activity
1.1 Unit Lesson Chapter 6, pp. 214–232 Unit V Course Project
Required Unit Resources Chapter 6: Resource Utilization, pp. 214–232
Unit Lesson In this unit, we are discussing resource planning and resource utilization, which goes hand-in-hand with creating and managing a Gantt chart. In order to efficiently manage our resources and make full use of our Gantt chart, we need to have finalized our estimated durations and our predecessors. In this unit’s assignment, you will create a finalized list of activities with durations and predecessors, a network activity diagram based on that finalized list, and a Gantt chart. As a reminder, for our fair project, the predecessors and durations are shown below.
Activity # Description Predecessors Estimated Duration (days)
A Determine some potential dates for the fair. None 5
B Research potential available locations for a tent and space for 300 employees.
A 3
C Discuss potential locations and cost. B 2
D Decide on a location. C 1
E Reserve the location. D 4
F Research companies that have fun day activities, such as dunking booths.
A 1
G Discuss potential activities and cost. F 1
H Reserve the activities. G 2
I Gather a list of all other items needed (e.g., tables, chairs, garbage cans).
E, N, H 7
J Research potential companies that will provide food, including lunch and fun fair food.
A 1
K Discuss food options and cost. J 2
L Determine a potential menu. K 1
M Determine a company to hire. L 1
N Order food. M 1
O Communicate fun day to all employees. I 1
UNIT V STUDY GUIDE
Resource Utilization
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Our simplified activity network sequence, based on those predecessors, looks like the graphic below.
But, what if we had other constraints to consider? What if there were only two people in our organization that could perform activities B, F, and J? This would mean that we have additional constraints on our resources that we must plan for and manage. Resource Planning In resource planning, there are many approaches to establishing a sequence for your activities. For example, a technically constrained activity sequence is a sequence of activities that takes technical constraints into consideration. For example, you cannot design a new software application until you have the requirements. You cannot write the code until you have the technical specs from the designer. So, one activity needs to be complete before another activity begins. This is the general basis of the current activity network sequencing for our fair project. There is also a resource-constrained activity sequence. This means that the sequence of activities must take resource constraints into consideration. As a reminder, resources for the purposes of activity networks generally refers to people who perform tasks. For example, let’s assume that you have three activities that can be performed concurrently or all at the same time. This is great and certainly a timesaver, except for the possibility that you only have two people who can perform those tasks. What do you do then? The project manager (PM) can only schedule two people at one time, so the activity sequence is constrained, and the third activity will have to occur after the first or second activity is complete. If this is the case, our activity network might change to accommodate the fact that of the three starting activities (i.e., B, F, and J), only two can occur at the same time. Then, our new activity network sequence might look something like the one shown below.
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Did you notice how we changed two of the three paths? Would this change affect our critical path or expected end date for this project? Let’s calculate and see.
Path one: A to B to C to D to E to I to O
Path two: A to B to F to G to H to I to O
Path three: A to J to K to L to M to N to I to O To calculate the critical path, see the calculations below.
Path one: A to B to C to D to E to I to O = 1+5+3+2+1+2+1 = 15 days
Path two: A to B to F to G to H to I to O = 1+4+1+1+2+1 = 15 days
Path three: A to J to K to L to M to N to I to O = 1+7+1+2+1+1+2+1 = 16 days No, in this case, the critical path, which is path three, was not changed. Had we chosen to rearrange our paths differently though, we may have affected our critical path and our estimated end date. Resource Leveling As already mentioned, the PM has to enter all of the pertinent information into a Gantt chart. Once the PM has done that, then adjustments may be made throughout the life cycle of a project. But, how do we know how the changes affect the end date of our project? The main tool for understanding the end date of the project is resource leveling. If the PM makes a change to a predecessor, for example, then the PM can re- level the resources and see how the change affects the end date. As a reminder, below is a random example of a Gantt chart.
As you can see from this random Gantt chart example, the resources have been leveled, and the project estimated end date is February 24. The blue lines show us whether activities are running concurrently or sequentially. They also show us what we need to complete before the next activity can start. If we had to make a change to the duration, a change to the resource who is performing a task, delete or add a task, or change the predecessors, then once we clicked to “Level Resources,” we would see a change in the blue lines. We may also potentially see a change to the estimated end date. As Gido, Clements, and Baker (2018) note, resource leveling also involves manipulating the start and finish dates so that the PM can balance the demand for resources. For example, in our fair project, we say that Activity J will take 7 days. Suppose the PM consults with the resource, who, after 3.5 days, tells us he or she is 75% done. At 3.5 days, the resource should only be 50% done. But, this is a positive thing, right? We are ahead of schedule! The PM will enter information into the Gantt chart indicating that the resource is 75% done. The PM then clicks to level resources, and we might see that our new project estimated end date is 2 days earlier. We use the term might because other constraints may be involved to prevent our project from completing 2 days earlier. As a matter of fact, we might have just added some slack time, and this change of 2 days does not affect our critical path at all. Conversely, if the resource should be 100% complete but is only 75% complete, then it is obviously taking the resource more
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time to do the work than was originally estimated. This may mean that the project will push out a couple of days longer than expected. Similarly, what if a resource approaches the PM and indicates that his or her original estimate of the duration of his or her activity was not correct? Then, the PM would need to adjust that duration and re-level the resources. In projects, the term schedule slippage refers to missing a project deadline. In larger projects, especially high- profile projects like those you might find in the government, schedule slippage could mean there are fees or penalties assessed to the project organization. Also, we should aim to use our resources and budget as efficiently as possible. So, if we do not accurately estimate our durations, then we might have to hire in consultants to help, which is a costly endeavor. What are some of the things that a PM can do if he or she realizes that re-leveling resources causes the end date to be moved out too far? As mentioned previously, we can hire some contractors or authorize some overtime for our resources. But, you can only expect a resource to work so much before he or she gets tired and quality is diminished. We can hire a new person, but there will likely be a learning curve, and the cost of hiring someone new is always high. If it is a technical resource, we can send someone for training, but again, that would take time and cost money. Is the cost or benefit higher than the cost of the delayed project? We can also reevaluate our predecessors and look for activities that can occur concurrently rather than sequentially. Final note: One important tool that a PM can use is a resource requirements plan (RRP). An RRP is simply a plan for the expected utilization of resources. The PM will take all constraints into consideration to create a baseline schedule. These constraints could include items like a limit to the total hours that a resource can devote to the project or limits regarding when a resource needs to complete the project. For example, one resource may need to finish his or her activities in the first half of the project. The RRP is simply a tool or plan to help the PM keep up with the resource constraints for a project.
Reference Gido, J., Clements, J. P., & Baker, R. (2018). Successful project management (7th ed.). Boston, MA:
Cengage Learning.
Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the following resources, click the links below. The following video provides an example of using resource capacity in Microsoft Project. Howard, B. (2018, February 6). Resource capacity vs work in MS Project [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVPJShkdJxE Transcript for Resource Capacity vs Work in MS Project video The video below discusses how to manage resource utilization. Springhouse Education & Consulting. (2014, June 24). Monitor effective resource usage in Microsoft Project
Professional 2013 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5sPDJ66oL8 Transcript for Monitor Effective Resource Usage in Microsoft Project Professional 2013 video
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Learning Activities (Nongraded) Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information. In each chapter, there are questions to “Reinforce Your Learning” found in the left margin on some of the pages. For example, in Chapter 6, questions are found on pp. 217, 218, 221, and 222. Answer the questions to check your knowledge. The answers may be found starting on page 487.