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Course Project: Week 3
Deliverables | Step 1: Update MS Project with Resource Information | Step 2: Allocate Resources | Step 3: Answer the Following Essay Question
Deliverables |
Congratulations! You have just completed the project charter, scope statement, and WBS. Now that you know what needs to be done, as the Project Manager, you are now ready to begin planning your project.
This week, you will have two deliverables to complete for the project.
Please provide these two deliverables (MS Project file and MS Word document) to the Week 3 Dropbox. Please refer to the course Syllabus for your due date.
To help guide you through these deliverables, please follow the three step process below.
Step 1: Update MS Project with Resource Information |
Project Schedule Instructions
The following steps should be followed when setting up your Course Project with Microsoft Project 2010:
1. Set the basic project information
Once you have set the defaults, we are ready to move on. If you have not done so already, you need to create the project’s work packages and activities from the Project’s WBS. Once this is done, insert your project name, deliverables, work packages, and activities in the column Task Name in MS Project.
Analyze your Schedule and Network Diagram
To see the network diagram, click on View, then select Network Diagram. Activities on the Critical Path are outlined in red, while non-critical path activities are outlined in blue. You will need this information to answer the essay question in Step 3.
Step 2: Allocate Resources |
Resource Allocation and Assignment Instructions
Once you have the WBS created in MS Projects, you need to assign resources to each activity. Remember only assign resources to activities, not other items on the WBS. Before you can do this, you need to create a resources sheet in MS Projects. To create a Resource sheet, click on View, Resource Sheet. Enter the Resource name, whether it is a human resource, a cost, or a material. Once this is finished, one can tied these resources to individual activities. Don’t worry about costs, as that is next week’s work.
To assign your resources to the aligned tasks in MS Project, follow the steps below:
Assign Hourly Resources and costs to the tasks that you have already entered.
Analyze your Resource Allocation and Assignments
There are several methods to check for over-allocated resources:
You will need this information to answer the essay question in Step 3.
Step 3: Answer the Following Essay Questions |
Answer the Following Essay Questions
Now that your project schedule has been created and your resources have been allocated, please analyze your results and answer the following essay questions. In your analysis, be sure to identify the critical path and relate any time reduction opportunities to specific activities in the WBS.
Essay Question #1: Now that you have created a WBS and resource loaded schedule in MS Projects, what is your critical path? Does this critical path make sense? Do your predecessors make sense? How accurate are your durations? What could be done to improve the accuracy of your durations?
Essay Question #2: Are there any resources over-allocated? If yes, during which month(s) and what are some ways this might be addressed? Do not simply lower the percentage allocated to an over-allocated activity.
Using your own words, I am looking for a two to three page essay report that addresses the essay questions above. Remember, the report must be to a level of clarity and depth that would be readily understood by the executive management; in other words do not repeat the questions, avoid a simple Yes or No answer. Do support your analysis with both in-text citation and references from the textbook, PMBOK® Guide or other juried sources. Include a cover sheet and a reference page. Use APA style format, double-space, one inch margins, Times New Roman, and 12 point font size.