Reference no: EM131175560

Assessment Task-

Part A: Developing the schedule

For part A of the assessment you must complete the following tasks and questions. Read all the questions before you commence the tasks. The schedule is to be developed in an appropriately named Microsoft Project 2013 file (see the name specified below) and the questions are to be answered in a Word document. As stated above, any assumptions must also be listed at the beginning of the Word document (after the coversheet).

1) Use Microsoft Project 2013 to develop the project schedule. Note that Ms Ellin Jannali has also asked you to include the following in your schedule:

a) The project title as the overall project summary (as task 0 and WBS number 0). All other tasks should be "indented" according to the WBS structure described in the case study.

b) The project name and start date be noted in the Project Information section in Microsoft Project.

c) The Microsoft Project workbook columns are set up as shown below:

d) The task names are to include the WBS identifiers prior to the name in the 'Task Name' column (1.2 Project kick off meeting) and the milestones are to be placed throughout the schedule, with the milestone identifier included at the start of the milestone name in the 'Task Name' column (M1. Initiation Gate: Charter approved). All milestones are to be highlighted yellow.

e) Resource allocation details are included.

f) Holidays are entered.

g) The critical path(s) automatically displayed in red on the bars of the Gantt chart view of your schedule

At this point there may be resource over allocation issues. Do not attempt to resolve these before answering question 2.  Save this version of your schedule asAuminthina_A1.mpp. You will be required to submit this file as part of your assignment submission.

2) At this point ignore any resource over allocations. For the purposes of this question only you can assume that there would be no resource constraints so do not attempt to resolve any resource over allocation (if any exists). Based on your Auminthina_A1.mpp schedule:

a) Use the "view tab" filter to display only the critical tasks. Provide a screenshot showing the task names and the Gantt chart of all the tasks on the critical path(s).

b) Did the annual holidays make any difference to the end date of your project? If so note the previous and changed end date. Explain why/why not there was/was not a change in end date.

c) If you were asked to complete the project 10 days earlier by reducing the duration of some of the tasks in the project. Fill in the table below stating what tasks you will reduce the duration of, by how much and how you will reduce the duration of each task.

d) Create a new version of the schedule with the changes you outlined in part (c) highlighted blue using the "background colour" icon on the task ribbon. Make sure that your changes have reduced the project duration by 10 days. Call this file Auminthina_A2.mpp. You will be required to submit this file as part of your assignment submission. This file is not to be modified/developed further.

3) Create another copy of your original question 1, Auminthina_A1.mpp in another file called AuminthinaA3.mpp. In this question, unlike question 2, assume that you will not have any additional resources assigned to the project even if there are resource over allocation issues. If your schedule had any resource over-allocation issues resolve these in thePartAQ3_resources.mpp file without adding any additional resources. For this assignment, do not "split tasks". Save this "modified" version of Auminthina_A3.mpp file. You will be required to submit the Auminthina_A3.mpp fileas part of your assignment submission.

a) Describe how you used (or how you would have used Microsoft Project) to resolve any resource over-allocation issues.

b) Does the fact that you cannot have any additional resources for this project have any impact on your project duration and end date? Explain.

4) Continue working with Auminthina_A3.mpp. In this file, include two additional milestone "markers" to show the following notifications:

a) The Architectural Reference Group needs notification and papers to be sent out five business days prior to being able to approve the detailed design (M3). Continue working with Auminthina_A3.mpp. In this file, include an additional milestone "marker" called 'N1 ARG Design Gate Notification' to highlight the latest date that the project manager should contact the Architectural Reference Group to provide notification and papers. The papers will consider of the Prototype detailed design documents that are created in task 3.5 Prototype detailed design.

i) According to Auminthina_A3.mppwhat is the latest date that notification and papers can be sent to the Architectural Reference Group?

ii) Is there an issue between the dates for notification and finalising the Prototype Detailed Design (3.5).

b) The Project Board needs notification and papers to be sent out ten business days prior to being able to approve GoLive (M6). Continue working with Auminthina_A3.mpp. In this file, include an additional milestone "marker" named 'N2 Project Board GoLive Gate Notification' to highlight the latest date that the project manager should contact the Project Board to provide notification and papers.

i) According to Auminthina_A3.mppwhat is the latest date that notification and papers can be sent to the Project Board?

Make sure that these new milestones have the appropriate predecessor relationships so that the dates will be automatically adjusted if there is any change to the schedule. On your schedule, highlight the rows that include these milestones in blue. This change is to be saved in your Auminthina_A3.mpp file.

5) Write a memo to the CEO, Ms Ellin Jannali, providing your project proposal and include following information:

a) an explanation of the project need and what it is trying to achieve.

b) the expected completion date of the project, assuming it commences on 1/10/16;

c) the total duration of the project;

d) an explanation of the main factors that cause the project to require that length of time and any recommendations that you might make if time was a priority for the project;

e) the estimated labourcosts for each of the resource types working on the project. Present the costs in a table similar to the following:

Table 5 - Labour Costs

Resource Name	Cost ($)
Business Analyst
Software Engineer
Test Engineer
Project Manager
Marketing Manager
Project Officer
Total labour costs:

Assume that you will send the project schedule (Auminthina_A3.mpp) as an attachment to the memo.  The information in the memo should correspond to the attached schedule. Some notes regarding memos can be found on the course website in the same area as this specification.

Part B: Modifying the schedule

Ms Ellin Jannali reviews your project proposal including the attached schedule and advices you you're your project has been chosen however requires some changes.

• She states only one Software Engineer will be available for the project.
• The task '3.1 Prototype basic design' needs to be reduced to 30 days.
• The task '10.2 Close procurement' needs to be reduced to 1 day.

Based on the information given above complete the following tasks:

1. Copy your AuminthinaA3.mpp file into a file called Auminthina_B.mpp file. Amend the project schedule in your new Auminthina_B.mpp file incorporating the change requests from Ms Ellin Jannali. If this has created any resource over allocation issues resolve these before progressing to the next question. Save the changes. The Auminthina_B.mppfile is also to be included as part of your final assignment submission.

Have the changes impacted on the duration or costs of your project and if so in what way? Be very precise in your answering of questions 2 and 3 below. If the project is longer or shorter state the previous finish date the new end date and by how much the project has been shortened or lengthened. If the changes had an impact on the cost, mention what the previous cost was and what the cost was after the change and explain why there was or was not an impact.

2. Describe the impact of each of these changes on the project duration in a table similar to the following:

Table 6 - Impacts of Changes to Project Duration

Change	Impact on project duration (longer, shorter or no impact)	By how much	Explanation
Reduction to one Software Engineer
Change to the duration of '3.1 Prototype basic design'
Change to the duration of '10.2 Close procurement'

Note that if a combination of the changes have had an additional impact that would not have occurred if the change was made in isolation clarify this in your explanation.

3. Describe the impact of each of these changes on the labour costs  for the projectin a table similar to the following:

Table 6 - Impacts of Changes to Labour Costs

Change	Impact on labour costs (more, less or no impact)	By how much	Explanation
Reduction to one Software Engineer
Change to the duration of '3.1 Prototype basic design'
Change to the duration of '10.2 Close procurement'

Part C: Tracking Progress

In this part of the assignment you are to imagine that your project is underway and that it is time to produce one of a project performance report.

1. Copy Auminthina_B.mpp to Auminthina_C.mpp. Save the baseline for this version of your project.

2. You are back at work after the Christmas and New Years holidays. You are writing the project performance report for the period from the start of the project to the end of December 2016. You review the information provided to you by your project staff on the progress of the project and need to update your schedule accordingly. In your Auminthina_C.mpp file

a. Set the current date to 3January 2017, the status date to 31December 2016and include a solid, purple status date gridline in your project to ensure the status date is clearly visible in your Gantt Charts.

3. Most of the tasks up to the 31 December 2017, were completed as per the schedule. However the following data represents information on tasks where the performance was different to what was planned.

Attachment:- Assignment.rar