Questions 1: Draw A Project Network That Includes All The Ac

Questions1 Draw A Project Network That Includes All The Activities2

Questions 1. Draw a project network that includes all the activities. 2. Calculate the start and finish times for each activity and determine the minimum number of weeks for Page 167 completing the project. Find the activities that are on the critical path for completing the project in the shortest time. 3. Identify slack in the activities not on the project critical path 4. Your boss would like you to study the impact of making two changes to how the project is organized. The first change involves using dedicated teams that would work strictly in parallel on the activities in each subproject. For example, in subproject P (product specifications) the team would work on P1, P2, P3, and P4 all in parallel. In other words, there would be no precedence relationships within a subproject—all tasks within a subproject would be worked on at the same time and each would take the same amount of time as originally specified. With this new design, all the subprojects would be done sequentially with P done first, then S, D, I, and finally V. What would be the expected impact on how long it would take to complete the project if this change were made? 5. The second change your boss would like you to consider would be to select the suppliers during subproject P and have them work directly with the dedicated teams as described in step 4. This would involve adding an additional activity to subproject P called supplier selection and contract negotiation (P5) with a duration of 12 weeks. This new activity would be done in parallel with P1, P2, P3, and P4. Subprojects S and V would be eliminated from the project. What would be the expected impact on how long it would take to complete the project if this additional change were made? 6. Evaluate the impact of making these changes using criteria other than just the time to complete the project. Do you think it would be in Nokia’s best interest to try to make these changes in how it runs this and future cell phone design projects? Scanned by CamScanner

Paper For Above instruction

The project management process involves several critical steps, including designing comprehensive project networks, calculating activity timelines, identifying the critical path, and analyzing the impact of organizational changes on project duration and efficiency. This paper explores and addresses these core aspects through the lens of a specific project, emphasizing the importance of strategic planning for successful project completion.

Constructing the Project Network

To begin, drawing an accurate project network that encompasses all activities is essential. This network visually represents the sequence and interdependencies of tasks required to complete the project. For illustration purposes, suppose we have activities labeled P1 through P4 within subproject P, activities S1 through S4 in subproject S, and so forth, each with known durations. The network diagram would typically use nodes (circles or rectangles) for activities and arrows to denote precedence relationships. For instance, activities that depend on the completion of prior tasks will be connected sequentially, creating a logical flow from start to finish.

This process ensures that project managers can identify critical dependencies and plan accordingly to avoid delays, optimize resource allocation, and facilitate subsequent calculations of start and finish times.

Calculating Activity Times and Critical Path

Once the network is established, the next step involves calculating the earliest start (ES), earliest finish (EF), latest start (LS), and latest finish (LF) times for each activity. This is typically achieved through forward and backward pass calculations. The critical path, which is the longest pathway through the network with the least slack, determines the minimum project duration. Activities on this path must be carefully monitored since any delay directly impacts the overall project timeline.

For example, if activity P1 has a duration of 4 weeks, and it is followed by P2 with 3 weeks, the start and finish times are calculated based on dependencies. Summing durations along the longest path reveals the project’s minimum completion time, which might, for instance, be around 20 weeks based on the structure.

Identifying Slack and Non-Critical Activities

Activities not on the critical path have slack, which is the amount of time they can be delayed without affecting the overall project duration. Calculating slack involves subtracting the earliest start from the latest start or the earliest finish from the latest finish. Recognizing these activities allows project managers to reallocate resources efficiently and focus on critical tasks to prevent slips in the project schedule.

Impact of Organizational Changes on Project Duration

The first change involves restructuring the project into parallel subprojects with dedicated teams. Instead of sequential processing, all activities within a subproject would occur simultaneously, effectively eliminating internal precedence constraints within each subproject. Moreover, subprojects would be completed in sequence—P first, then S, D, I, and V.

This restructuring could significantly reduce the project duration since parallel execution accelerates completion. For example, if each subproject takes approximately 10 weeks, switching from a sequential to a parallel approach within subprojects might result in completing all subactivities in approximately 10 weeks, plus the sequence of subprojects, totaling around 50 weeks. However, actual savings vary depending on the activities' interdependencies and possible resource constraints.

Adding Supplier Selection Activities and Eliminating Subprojects

The second organizational change involves adding a new activity—supplier selection and contract negotiation (P5)—with a duration of 12 weeks, to be conducted in parallel with P1-P4. This additional activity might prolong the total project duration, especially if it overlaps with subproject P’s activities, but could also streamline the procurement process and ensure earlier supplier engagement.

Furthermore, eliminating subprojects S and V reduces complexity and potentially shortens the timeline, but it might impact the scope and quality of the project deliverables. The net effect on project duration depends on the timing of P5 relative to other activities and the coordination efficiency among teams and suppliers.

Evaluating Broader Impacts Beyond Time

While time reduction is a vital factor, organizational changes also influence overall project quality, risk management, resource utilization, and stakeholder satisfaction. Implementing dedicated teams working in parallel can improve focus and accountability, but may lead to resource conflicts or communication challenges. In contrast, sequential approaches might foster better cohesion but at the cost of extended timelines.

For a company like Nokia, which operates in a highly competitive and rapidly evolving industry, adopting parallel processing could lead to faster time-to-market, a critical competitive advantage. However, it might also increase costs and coordination complexity. Conversely, streamlining procurement through supplier integration could reduce delays but necessitates robust vendor management capabilities.

In conclusion, a comprehensive evaluation combining time, cost, quality, and risk considerations suggests that Nokia could benefit from strategic organizational restructuring, provided it manages the increased complexity effectively. Ultimately, aligning project management practices with the company's strategic goals and operational capacities will determine the success of these proposed changes.

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