Product Development Considerations: The Simplified Set Of Ac

Product Development Consider The Simplified Set Of Activities In The

Analyze and diagram a project network for developing a consumer product based on a simplified set of activities from initiation to market testing. The activities include investigation of demand, developing pricing strategies, designing the product, cost analyses, manufacturing prototypes, market testing, and final pricing. The task involves drawing the Activity on Arrow (AOA) network diagram, calculating total slack and free slack for each activity, identifying the critical path, and constructing a Gantt chart with latest start times for all activities.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

Effective project management in product development requires meticulous planning, scheduling, and analysis to ensure timely delivery of the product to market. The process involves multiple interconnected activities that need to be optimally coordinated. This paper outlines the steps to analyze a simplified product development process, including drawing an AOA network diagram, identifying critical activities, calculating slacks, and developing a Gantt chart with the latest start times. These methods enable project managers to identify bottlenecks, allocate resources efficiently, and mitigate delays.

Project Activities and Immediate Predecessors

The project involves the following activities with their estimated durations:

• Investigate demand (A) - 3 weeks
• Develop pricing strategy (B) - 1 week, after A
• Design product (C) - 5 weeks
• Conduct promotional cost analysis (D) - 1 week, after A
• Manufacture prototype models (E) - 6 weeks, after C
• Perform product cost analysis (F) - 1 week, after E
• Perform final pricing analysis (G) - 2 weeks, after B, D, and F
• Conduct market test (H) - 8 weeks, after G

AOA Network Diagram

Constructing the Activity on Arrow network diagram involves representing activities as arrows with nodes indicating events. Based on the dependencies:

• Start node (Event 1)
• A: from Event 1 to Event 2 (duration 3)
• B: from Event 2 to Event 3 (duration 1)
• C: from Event 1 to Event 4 (duration 5)
• D: from Event 2 to Event 5 (duration 1)
• E: from Event 4 to Event 6 (duration 6)
• F: from Event 6 to Event 7 (duration 1)
• G: from Events 3, 5, 7 to Event 8 (duration 2)
• H: from Event 8 to Event 9 (duration 8)

Graphically, this network can be drawn with nodes connected by arrows representing the activities, with the latest event being the completion of the market test phase.

Calculating Total Slack and Free Slack

To determine slack times, first compute the earliest and latest start and finish times for each activity using forward and backward pass methods.

- Forward pass: Calculate earliest start (ES) and earliest finish (EF).

- Backward pass: Calculate latest finish (LF) and latest start (LS).

- Total slack (TS): TS = LS - ES or LF - EF.

- Free slack (FS): Time an activity can be delayed without delaying the start of successor activities.

For example:

- Activity A (demand investigation): ES=0, EF=3.

- Activity B (pricing): ES=3, EF=4.

- Activity D (promotional analysis): ES=3, EF=4.

- Activity C (product design): ES=0, EF=5.

- Activity E (prototype manufacturing): ES=5, EF=11.

- Activity F (cost analysis): ES=11, EF=12.

- Activity G (final pricing): ES=max(EF of B, D, F)=max(4,4,12), but since F finishes at 12, G can start at time 12, EF=14.

- Activity H (market test): ES=14, EF=22.

Calculations would reveal which activities have zero slack and are critical.

Critical Path Analysis

The critical path is the sequence of activities with zero slack that determines the minimum project duration. From the calculations:

- The critical path appears to be: A → C → E → F → G → H, with total duration 3 + 5 + 6 + 1 + 2 + 8 = 25 weeks.

This path indicates the sequence of activities that directly impact the project's completion date. Delays in any of these critical activities would delay the entire project.

Gantt Chart Construction and Latest Start Times

Using the earliest start and finish times, a Gantt chart is plotted with activity bars aligned along a timeline. Markings indicate the latest start times derived from the backward pass calculations, showing the permissible delay for each activity without affecting the project completion.

For example:

- Activity A can start at week 0 and must finish by week 3.

- Activity B can start at week 3 and start latest at week 3 (no slack).

- Activity H can start at week 14 and finish by week 22, aligning with total project duration.

This visual helps project managers in resource planning and schedule adjustments.

Conclusion

Effective project scheduling in product development involves constructing the correct network diagrams, calculating slacks, identifying critical paths, and establishing realistic timelines through tools like Gantt charts. The analysis confirms that activities on the critical path—such as demand investigation, design, prototype manufacturing, and final testing—must be closely monitored to ensure timely product launch. Proper scheduling not only minimizes delays but also optimizes resource allocation, ultimately leading to successful product commercialization.

References

1. Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
2. Schwalbe, K. (2018). Information Technology Project Management. Cengage Learning.