Project Schedule Due Week 6 And Worth 150 Points

Project Schedule Due Week 6 and worth 150 points This assignment

This assignment consists of two (2) parts: a project schedule, and a written response. You must submit both parts as separate files for the completion of this assignment. Label each file name according to the part of the assignment it is written for.

Part A: Project Schedule (Submit as one [1] Microsoft Project file)

Using the information from your project proposal, create a multi-level work breakdown structure (WBS) and detailed project schedule. Your project must include the following criteria:

• The project must consist of at least twenty-five (25) tasks.
• Each task must contain a start date, a finish date, and have main staffing and non-staffing resources assigned.
• Assume that your work activities are completed during normal weekdays (no weekend work) under normal conditions (8 hours per day).
• Holidays to consider include New Year’s Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Good Monday, the Friday before Memorial Day, Memorial Day, the business day before Independence Day, Independence Day, the Friday before Labor Day, Labor Day, the day before Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, the business day before Christmas, Christmas Day, the day after Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve. No work is done on these days.

Part B: Written Response (Submit as a Microsoft Word file)

Write a one to two (1-2) page response analyzing your project in terms of project completion, critical path, and slack / float. Address the following:

• When will the project be completed?
• What is the critical path for the project?
• How much slack / float is in your project?
• What activities have the greatest slack / float?

Summarize recommendations or improvements for your project schedule. Specifically, answer:

• Identify the top three (3) activities that could impact the project completion date.
• Describe additional activities you would add to make the project plan more comprehensive from a project management perspective.

Format your assignment according to the following requirements: double-spaced, Times New Roman font size 12, with one-inch margins on all sides. Include a cover page with the title of the assignment, student’s name, professor’s name, course title, and date. The cover page does not count toward the page length.

Paper For Above instruction

The successful management of a project hinges on detailed planning, where establishing an accurate schedule is paramount. This assignment’s first part requires constructing a comprehensive project schedule using Microsoft Project, which integrates a work breakdown structure (WBS) with detailed task scheduling, resources, and constraints including holidays and working days. This process facilitates defining the critical path, slack or float, and understanding task dependencies that influence the project completion date.

Beginning with the creation of the WBS, the project manager identifies at least 25 tasks, each with specific start and finish dates, and assigns primary staffing and non-staffing resources. Tasks are scheduled considering work hours (8 hours per day, Monday through Friday) and holidays that are observed during the project timeline. Optimization involves sequencing tasks efficiently, ensuring dependencies are respected, and resource allocations prevent bottlenecks. The schedule must reflect realistic constraints, including non-working days, which impact task durations and project milestones.

Once the schedule is established, analysis of the critical path becomes essential. The critical path is the sequence of tasks that directly determines the project’s minimum duration. Delays in any activity on this path will extend the overall project completion deadline. Identifying these tasks allows project managers to prioritize resource allocation and monitor progress effectively. Additionally, slack or float calculations reveal the amount of flexibility for non-critical activities, indicating which tasks can be delayed without affecting the overall timeline.

From the constructed schedule, the project’s estimated completion date can be determined by observing the finish date of the last task along the critical path. Typically, the critical path encompasses tasks with zero slack, meaning any delay on these activities inevitably impacts the end date of the project. Activities with considerable slack offer opportunities for resource adjustments or contingency planning, thus providing buffers against unforeseen delays.

In analyzing the schedule, particular attention should be given to activities with the greatest slack or float, as they represent potential areas for schedule compression or re-prioritization. These activities might be less critical but could impact resource planning if their delays accumulate or if resource availability changes unexpectedly. Effective management of these slack periods ensures the project remains on schedule.

Proactive recommendations for schedule improvement include focusing on the top three activities identified as potential schedule risks. These may be tasks that are lengthy, resource-intensive, or heavily dependent on external factors. For these activities, suggested improvements could include resource reallocation, parallel task execution (where possible), or contingency planning.

Furthermore, to enhance the project schedule’s robustness, additional activities could be added, such as risk management and contingency planning tasks, regular status checkpoints, and stakeholder updates. These activities increase visibility and allow timely adjustments, helping prevent delay propagation. Incorporating buffer periods for critical tasks and establishing clear communication channels are also recommended, promoting proactive responses to emerging risks and ensuring smoother project execution.

References

• Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. Wiley.
• PMI. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). 6th Edition. Project Management Institute.
• Heldman, K. (2018). Project Management JumpStart. Wiley.
• Schwalbe, K. (2018). Information Technology Project Management. Cengage Learning.
• Meredith, J. R., & Mantel, S. J. (2014). Project Management: A Managerial Approach. Wiley.
• Leach, L. P. (1999). Critical Chain Project Management. Artech House.
• Wysocki, R. K. (2014). Effective Project Management. Wiley.
• Schwalbe, K. (2021). Managing the Projects. Cengage Learning.
• Larson, E., & Gray, C. (2018). Project Management: The Managerial Process. McGraw-Hill Education.
• wideman, R. M. (2011). The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management. Wiley.