blue zuma project

Muhammad Faisal Mahmod (P55760) BLUE ZUMA PROJECT

UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING & BUILD ENVIRONMENT

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL & MATERIAL ENGINEERING

ENGINEERING PROJECT MANAGEMENT

KKKJ 6063

MICROSOFT PROJECT

“BLUE ZUMA PROJECT (PART 1 - 3)”

LECTURER

PROF. IR. DR. HAJI YUSOFF ALI

PREPARED BY

MUHAMMAD FAISAL MAHMOD

P55760

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Blue Zuma Project

The ARC Company specializes in developing and selling a wide range of high-quality scooters.

Sales representatives report that there is a growing demand for racing scooters. ARC is a small

company and uses a strong matrix to optimally utilize limited manpower. The Project Priority Matrix

for the Blue Zuma Project is:

Time Scope Cost

Constrain x

Enhance

Accept x x

PART 1

The project team assigned to develop the new razor scooter code named “Blue Zuma”. For the

purpose of this case, the set up as following below:

1. The project begins January 1, 2010.

2. The following holidays are observed:

a. January 1 is Friday

b. Memorial Day (last Monday in May)-May 31

c. July 4th is Sunday. Hence, Monday on July 5th is day off

d. Labour Day (First Monday in September)-September 6

e. Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November)-November 25

f. December 25 and 26 is Saturday and Sunday. Hence, Friday and Monday on

December 24 and 27 is day off

3. If a holiday falls on a Saturday, then Friday will be given as an extra day off, and falls on a

Sunday, then Monday will be given as a day off.

4. The project team works 8 hour days. Monday through Friday.

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A network schedule for this project and a memo as following below:

1. When is the project estimated to be completed? How long will the project take?

The project would be estimate to start on Monday (January 3, 2011) and finished on

Thursday (December 16, 2011) as indicated in box at figure below. The total project

durations for Blue Zuma Project would be involved around 250 days. The estimated project

duration for each process as listed at figure below.

2. What is the critical path for the project?

The critical path for the Blue Zuma project shown as a red path which to represents

a critical task whereas, the blue path represent as uncritical path which shows at figure

below.

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Otherwise, the figure below indicated only a group of critical path. Thus, the critical

task of the project are involved the market analysis, product design, product design selection

and so on as indicated in the box at figure below.

3. Which activity has the greatest amount of slack?

In Figure below at the last column shows the total amount of slack for each task

project. Hence, the detailed marketing plans were the greatest amount of total slack which it

around 159 days as indicated in the box at figure below.

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4. How sensitive is this network?

Alternatively, the network diagram below could show the sensitivity of the network

other than critical path as shows at Gantt chart. Thus, the concept of this network is similar

to the Gantt chart which the red path is critical path but the red box indicated to the

sensitivity of the network.

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Milestone 2

Milestone 1


5. Identify two sensible milestones and explain your choices.

Framework of Blue Zuma project, a milestone is the stage to marks the completion

of work package and typically marked by a high level event. A milestone may also signify an

important decision or the derivation of a critical piece of information, which outlines or

affects the future of a project. It also should be easier to recognize for all person that

involved in the project. For this case, there is some external process to do as decided in

project plan but they are not included in project task. Thus, by created a milestone could be

represent the some external process has done in that period. For instant, the company to

produce the Blue Zuma scooter assigns another company or vendor to complete a certain

process or task before to continue the next procedure of project task. At the same time, the

next procedure could be not to continue until the vendor finished the task. Creating a

milestone that represents the critical points in completion of the contracted work and a

significant development, event or accomplishment in plan of attack. Also, the milestone to

achieve that help to verify the project is on track and on schedule as well as an essential

component of good project management. Hence, milestone was located before product

design task and another one before to order component as shown in the both box at figure

below.

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6. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of displaying the schedule as a network

versus a Gantt chart?

The advantages of the Gantt chart is all project tasks are listed in Gantt chart would

be indicated clearly. Moreover, the task path and duration column can shows the duration

period should be taking for completed the project. Also, it shows clearly the date and the

day to start and to end the project other than a column of predecessor. Whereas, it would

be difficult to follow the project schedule since that the interconnection from one task path

to another task path looks messy.

The advantages of the network diagram could make easier to understand the

sequences of the task from the beginning until to the end of the process task. But, it would

be difficult to predict the duration period for each process task.

Gantt chart

Network Diagram

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PART 2

PART A

Memo that address the as following below:

1. Which if any of the resources are over allocated?

In figure below, the resources would be appearing in red colour text to recognize

which resources are over allocated or by other step, insert the over allocated column. Thus,

resources are over allocated if in an over allocated column appearing “Yes” text. Hence, over

allocated for this project are marketing specialist, design engineer, industrial engineer and

purchasing agent.

2. Which activities involve over allocated resources?

Base on Gantt chart, some activities which supported by over allocated resource

may involve on this subject such as detailed marketing plans, detailed product design and

install product equipment.

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3. Assume that the project is time constrained and try to resolve any over allocation

problems by levelling within slack. What happens?

After completed the resources levelling, the over allocated would be decrease from

4 to 2 over allocated. Hence, the over allocated for this case are design engineer and

industrial engineer as showed in figure below. While, the greatest total slack for detailed

marketing plan was decrease from 159 days to 84 days as well as showed in the box at figure

below. Thus, some project task is changing in duration period to complete after resources

levelling.

Z

Resource sheet after resource levelling

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Gantt chart

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4. What is the impact of levelling within slack on the sensitivity of the network?

Otherwise, the sensitivity of the network also changing as refers to the network

diagram after resources levelling. Obviously, the different sequence of task project is

provided when referring to the network diagram before resources levelling and the network

diagram after resources levelling.

Network diagram before resources levelling

Netwo work diagram after resources levelling

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PART B


1. Assume that the project is resource constrained and no additional personnel are available.

How long will the project take given the resources assigned?

The project take given the resources assigned when all resources are not over

allocated after completed a resources levelling in twice. But for this case, the industrial

engineer is still over allocated which they are still not enough industrial engineer to running

this Blue Zuma project. Thus, the project manager supposes to plan something to ensure the

project could be running well. Might be the project manager plan to give overtime to the all

industrial engineer or plan to hire a new industrial engineer. Besides, the total duration to

complete the project was changing from 250 days to 290 days which would be start on

Monday, 03rd January 2011 and finish on Monday, 20th February 2012 as showed in red box

at figure below.

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2. How does the new duration compare with the estimated completion date generated from

Part 1? What does this tell you about the impact resources can have on a schedule?

In figure below shows the total duration to complete the project was changing from

250 days to 290 days after resources levelling. So, the duration date will increase to 40 days.

It means that project should be finished later than time estimation that has been set before.

So, it was clearly show that any adjustment on resources planning will also effect directly to

project duration time.

Project task before resources levelling

Project task after resources levelling

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PART 3

PART A


1. Which additional assignment would you choose to complete the project before the

February 1st deadlines? Explain your choices as well as the reasons for not choosing other

options.

Base on resource sheet, I would choose additional marketing specialist in this project

because it seem that marketing specialist is still over allocated but the other resources seem

to be allocated. Hence, cost is something can be accept, so in order to complete project

earlier, we could always hire more workers.

2. How have these changes affected the sensitivity of the network?

After hiring two marketing specialist in this project especially during market analysis,

the duration of the project changed from 290 days to 281.67 days, this is a big improvement

in reducing project time. Sensitivity of a network is by which a project’s critical path has

changed as showed at figure below.

Project task after hiring two marketing specialist

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Network diagram after hiring two marketing specialist

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blue zuma project

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