Week 4 - Tree Trimming Project

Week 4 – Tree Trimming Project Analysis

Thomas Johnson is a timber and Christmas tree farmer who attended a project management class last year during his off-season. When the subject of earned value (EV) came up in class, Thomas wondered if he was utilizing the concept properly. 

In mid-October, Thomas hires and trains crews who work to shear fields of Christmas trees for the upcoming holiday season. In this practice, each worker uses a large machete to shear the branches of the tree into a cone shape tree, which is the desire of most customers. Thomas operates his business per the following:

· He counts the number of Christmas trees in the field, which is approximately 24,000.

· He agrees with customer Tom Jones to a $30,000 lump sum contract for shearing all trees in the field.

· He receives a partial payment about 5 days after starting the project. He then estimates the actual number of sheared trees to be approximately 6,000. The actual number of trees is taken as a percent of the total to be sheared, multiplied by the percent completed by total contract amount for the partial payment [(6,000/24,000 total trees = 25% of trees trimmed), (.25 * $30,000 total payment = 5 days payment of $7,500)].

Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper that thoroughly answers the following questions based on the case study:

· Is Thomas over, on, or below schedule? Explain.

He would be on schedule if sheared 6,000 trees every five days, which would take him 20 days to shear 24,000 trees. If he goes beyond the 20 days then he would off schedule.

· Is Thomas using earned value as he was taught in his project management course? Explain.

Yes, EV = (Activity Total Budget) x (actual % of completion) = (.25 x $30,000 = $7,500)

Earned value (EV)—Sometimes referred to as budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP), earned value is the amount of actual work completed versus the budgeted cost of the same work over a specified time frame. (Wilson, 2014)

· What can Thomas do to set up a schedule and cost variance?

· If adjustments influence the budget, the updated forecast is derived from the variation of actual costs compared to the baseline called cost variance (CV), which can be calculated and communicated in the estimate to completion (ETC). (Wilson, 2014)

· What method do you suggest for Thomas to use for any changes in project scope, such as the shape of the tree that Tom wants?

· Clearly understand the change

· Determine how the change will impact your project

· Change It Out

· Just Say No

· Use a Formal Process

· Change Control - is of particular importance when the project is part of a larger program or portfolio because the consequential effects of unmanaged change may be far-reaching within the planned change environment and to business-as-usual activities.

https://www.apm.org.uk/resources/what-is-project-management/what-is-change -control/#:~:text=Change%20control%20is%20the%20process,then%20approved%2C%20rejected%20or%20deferred.

· It appears Thomas is using the traditional method of project management. How can he accelerate the completion of this project that he has contracted for using the Agile methodology?

· Agile is a process by which a team can manage a project by breaking it up into several stages and involving constant collaboration with stakeholders and continuous improvement and iteration at every stage. The Agile methodology begins with clients describing how the end product will be used and what problem it will solve. This clarifies the customer's expectations to the project team. Once the work begins, teams cycle through a process of planning, executing, and evaluating — which might just change the final deliverable to fit the customer's needs better. Continuous collaboration is key, both among team members and with project stakeholders, to make fully-informed decisions.

https://www.wrike.com/project-management-guide/faq/what-is-agile-methodology-in-project-management/

· Analyze Thomas's project performance on this project, assuming the original quote given to the customer was an estimate.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.