The Managerial Process With MS Project, Coursework Example

Modesto Nuts Customer database project network plan is in a tight schedule and timeline and further possesses some exceptional features making it challenging. Utilizing the data provided and by means of the backward-pass method, forward-pass method, and the critical path, an understanding of the involved timelines and their sensitivity can be provided (Larson & Gray, 2013). This offers a chance to determine any existing slack in the completion of the project.

Project Duration

With the outlined task durations, the project ought to take nine days for its completion based on the forward-pass calculation method.  On the other hand, utilizing the backward-pass method and subtracting the duration from the starting duration of nine, we get the same early and late finish figures as it is in the forward-pass method.  This provides an understanding that we have no free or slack days. It is clear that if we delay any step in the project by a single day, then the project will fall behind.

Determine which tasks are on the critical path. How long will it take to complete the project?

All activities that need to be considered are on a critical path, and thus adding any figure to the activity will lead to the delay of the project (Larson & Gray, 2013).  For instance, adding seven on the Activity Subsystem A Design, the Total Duration will take eight days, thus making the critical path to change accordingly.  With all the three paths being identical, that is, with no slack days present, activities have to be done as scheduled, or else the project was delayed.

A task that is on the critical path for this project has increased by 7 days. Will the project end date be delayed? If so, by how much?

It does not matter in which step is the project is delayed as if the Subsystem A Design was delayed for seven days, then even if Subsystem Design B and Subsystem Design C were completed in time still the project will be delayed. This is because the Integration step is dependent on all three subsystems. The below diagram indicates the effect delay has on other activities.  The duration of completing the project increase to sixteen days instead of the original nine days hence creating a slack within Subsystem B and C as well.

Chapter 6: Exercise 18

The project schedule based on the information provided is as depicted below. It is undoubted that the project will be completed within the first 45 days.  Assuming the project was started from the 13th of April of 2020 and all the activities from the first one to the twenty-second one well-factored, it would end by the 11th of June, which is within the 45 days’ threshold. The screenshots obtained from the MS Project on how to undergo the activities are as detailed below.

References

Larson, E., & Gray, C. (2013). Project management: The managerial process with MS project. McGraw-Hill Education.