{"id":968,"date":"2025-01-02T02:36:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-02T02:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=968"},"modified":"2025-01-18T21:49:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-18T21:49:30","slug":"7-9-exercises","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/chapter\/7-9-exercises\/","title":{"rendered":"7.9 Exercises"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<h2 class=\"textbox__title\" style=\"color: white\">Exercise 1: Estimating Activity Durations for the City Park Revitalization Project<\/h2>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n\r\nThe fictional GreenCity is undertaking a project to revitalize its main public park. The project involves updating playground equipment, installing new walking paths, adding a central fountain, and implementing a modern irrigation system for sustainable landscaping. The project must be completed in 8 months to align with the city's annual tourism festival. The activities and scope have been defined, and the project team now needs to estimate activity durations using different estimation techniques.\r\n\r\nThe following activities have been identified for the project:\r\n<table>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Activity<\/th>\r\n<th>Description<\/th>\r\n<th>Dependencies<\/th>\r\n<th>Resources Required<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>A<\/td>\r\n<td>Remove old playground equipment<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<td>2 workers, excavator<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>B<\/td>\r\n<td>Install new playground equipment<\/td>\r\n<td>A<\/td>\r\n<td>3 workers<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>C<\/td>\r\n<td>Lay walking paths<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<td>4 workers, materials<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>D<\/td>\r\n<td>Construct central fountain<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<td>Specialized contractor<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>E<\/td>\r\n<td>Implement irrigation system<\/td>\r\n<td>C<\/td>\r\n<td>3 workers<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>F<\/td>\r\n<td>Landscape and plant greenery<\/td>\r\n<td>C, E<\/td>\r\n<td>6 workers, equipment<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<h3><strong>Tasks and Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong>Expert Judgment<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Consult the following expert data for similar projects:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Removing old equipment<\/strong> takes 3-5 days, depending on the complexity of the site.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Installing new playground equipment<\/strong> takes approximately 6 days.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\"><strong>Laying walking paths<\/strong> takes 5 days for every 10,000 square feet of area, and the park area is 30,000 square feet.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Use this information to estimate the durations for activities A, B, and C.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What are the potential limitations of relying solely on expert judgment?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Analogous Estimating<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The team recently completed a similar park project. The following data is available:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Central Fountain Construction<\/strong>: 15 days in a project of comparable scope.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Irrigation System Installation<\/strong>: 10 days for a 5-acre area; the current project covers 7.5 acres.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Use analogous estimating to determine the durations of activities D and E.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What assumptions did you make, and how might they impact accuracy?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Parametric Estimating<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>For landscaping (Activity F), the following data is available:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Workers can landscape 5,000 square feet per day. The park has 25,000 square feet of landscaping area.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Use parametric estimating to calculate the duration for Activity F.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How does this method improve accuracy compared to other techniques?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Three-Point Estimates<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>For Activity C (Lay walking paths), we collected the following estimates from the team:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Optimistic: 10 days<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Most Likely: 12 days<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Pessimistic: 16 days<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Calculate the expected duration using both triangular and beta distribution methods.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Which method provides a more realistic estimate, and why?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Bottom-Up Estimating<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Break down Activity E (Irrigation System Installation) into the following smaller tasks that follow one another sequentially:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Dig trenches: 3 days<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Lay irrigation pipes: 4 days<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Install sprinkler heads: 2 days<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Combine the estimates to calculate the total duration for Activity E.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Discuss how bottom-up estimating compares to other techniques in terms of detail and accuracy.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<h2 class=\"textbox__title\" style=\"color: white\">Exercise 2: Creating and Analyzing an Activity Network Diagram<\/h2>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n\r\nYou are managing a project to develop a new product prototype. The activities and their dependencies are listed below:\r\n<table>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Activity<\/th>\r\n<th>Duration (days)<\/th>\r\n<th>Predecessors<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>A<\/td>\r\n<td>4<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>B<\/td>\r\n<td>3<\/td>\r\n<td>A<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>C<\/td>\r\n<td>5<\/td>\r\n<td>A<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>D<\/td>\r\n<td>6<\/td>\r\n<td>B, C<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>E<\/td>\r\n<td>4<\/td>\r\n<td>B<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>F<\/td>\r\n<td>2<\/td>\r\n<td>D, E<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<h3><strong>Tasks and Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong>Create the Activity Network Diagram<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Draw an <strong>Activity-on-Node (AON)<\/strong> diagram for the project, showing the relationships between activities.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>For each activity, label the Duration, Early Start (ES), Early Finish (EF), Late Start (LS), Late Finish (LF), and Slack (Float).<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Identify the Critical Path<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Determine the critical path for the project.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Calculate the overall project duration based on the critical path.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Analyze Changes in Activity Durations<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>If only the duration of <strong>Activity D<\/strong> increases from 6 to 8 days:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>How does this impact the overall project duration?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Does the critical path change?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Recalculate the slack for all non-critical activities.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Explore Alternative Scenarios<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>If only the duration of <strong>Activity E<\/strong> decreases from 4 to 2 days:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>How does this impact the overall project duration?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Does the critical path change?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Recalculate the slack for all non-critical activities.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Optimization Discussion<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Based on the changes above, suggest one strategy to optimize the project schedule while minimizing delays.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How could you use float (slack) to reallocate resources or adjust dependencies to improve efficiency?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<h2 class=\"textbox__title\" style=\"color: white\">Exercise 3: Schedule Management on Microsoft Project and Visio<\/h2>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n\r\nThe table below illustrates the activities of a project.\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Activity<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td><strong>Duration (week)<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td><strong>Dependencies<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td><strong>Lag<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td><strong>Predecessors<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>A<\/td>\r\n<td>3<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>B<\/td>\r\n<td>4<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>C<\/td>\r\n<td>2<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>D<\/td>\r\n<td><\/td>\r\n<td><\/td>\r\n<td><\/td>\r\n<td><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>D1<\/td>\r\n<td>2<\/td>\r\n<td>F-S<\/td>\r\n<td>0<\/td>\r\n<td>A, B, C<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>D2<\/td>\r\n<td>5<\/td>\r\n<td>F-S<\/td>\r\n<td>2 weeks for D1<\/td>\r\n<td>C, D1<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>E<\/td>\r\n<td><\/td>\r\n<td><\/td>\r\n<td><\/td>\r\n<td><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>E1<\/td>\r\n<td>2<\/td>\r\n<td>F-S<\/td>\r\n<td>2 weeks for B\r\n\r\n-1 week for C<\/td>\r\n<td>B, C<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>E2<\/td>\r\n<td>3<\/td>\r\n<td>S-F<\/td>\r\n<td>0<\/td>\r\n<td>E1<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>F<\/td>\r\n<td>2<\/td>\r\n<td>S-S<\/td>\r\n<td>-1 week<\/td>\r\n<td>D2<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>G<\/td>\r\n<td>4<\/td>\r\n<td>F-S<\/td>\r\n<td>0<\/td>\r\n<td>E2<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>H<\/td>\r\n<td>2<\/td>\r\n<td>S-S<\/td>\r\n<td>1 week<\/td>\r\n<td>E2<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>I<\/td>\r\n<td>4<\/td>\r\n<td>F-S<\/td>\r\n<td>0<\/td>\r\n<td>F<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>J<\/td>\r\n<td>1<\/td>\r\n<td>F-F for G\r\n\r\nF-S for H<\/td>\r\n<td>0<\/td>\r\n<td>G, H<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>K<\/td>\r\n<td><\/td>\r\n<td><\/td>\r\n<td><\/td>\r\n<td><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>K1<\/td>\r\n<td>3<\/td>\r\n<td>F-S<\/td>\r\n<td>0<\/td>\r\n<td>I, J<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>K2<\/td>\r\n<td>2<\/td>\r\n<td>F-S<\/td>\r\n<td>0<\/td>\r\n<td>K1<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>K3<\/td>\r\n<td>1<\/td>\r\n<td>F-S<\/td>\r\n<td>0<\/td>\r\n<td>K2<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<h3>Questions<\/h3>\r\n<strong>PART 1: Creating the WBS and Gantt Chart<\/strong>\r\n\r\nOpen a new Microsoft Project blank file and follow the steps below.\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Under the \u201cFile\u201d tab, select \u201cOptions\u201d. Change \u201cDuration is entered in\u201d as weeks.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>All the durations must be in weeks.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Select \u201cProject Summary Task.\u201d\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Its WBS number will be ZERO, automatically assigned by Microsoft Project.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Check \u201cCritical Tasks\u201d and \u201cSlack.\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Add a WBS column to the left of the Tasks column. Do not type numbers yourself in the WBS column.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Type all the activities as shown in the table.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Make the indentations for D1, D2, E1, E2, K1, K2, and K3.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Type duration of all activities.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Wrong durations will cause many errors.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Select predecessors.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Start the first activity on Monday, April 1, 2024.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>You should move the project under the Project tab on the ribbon.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Change the dependencies if they are not Finish-to-Start (F-S).<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Type the lags (positive number) and leads (negative number) as shown in the table above. All of them are in weeks, NOT days.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Use \u201cRespect Links\u201d to resolve the scheduling issues.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Click \u201cRespect Links\u201d until you don\u2019t see any blue-highlighted cells.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>If you do not implement respect links, you will have errors in overall duration and Gantt Chart.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Insert a \u201cFree Slack\u201d column to the left of \u201cPredecessors.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<strong>Part 2: Creating a Network Diagram on Microsoft Visio<\/strong>\r\n\r\nFor this question, you must use the table below. All the dependencies are F-S.\r\n<div align=\"center\">\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Activity<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td><strong>Duration (week)<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td><strong>Predecessors<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>A<\/td>\r\n<td>3<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>B<\/td>\r\n<td>2<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>C<\/td>\r\n<td>4<\/td>\r\n<td>-<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>D<\/td>\r\n<td>4<\/td>\r\n<td>A<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>E<\/td>\r\n<td>3<\/td>\r\n<td>B, C<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>F<\/td>\r\n<td>2<\/td>\r\n<td>D<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>G<\/td>\r\n<td>2<\/td>\r\n<td>E<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>H<\/td>\r\n<td>1<\/td>\r\n<td>E<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>I<\/td>\r\n<td>3<\/td>\r\n<td>F<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>J<\/td>\r\n<td>6<\/td>\r\n<td>G, H<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>K<\/td>\r\n<td>4<\/td>\r\n<td>I, J<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Create an activity network diagram on Microsoft Visio (.vsdx).<\/li>\r\n \t<li>On each activity node, you should indicate early start, late start, early finish, and late finish times, as well as the duration and slack for each activity, as shown below.<a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.8.jpg\"><img src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.8.jpg\" alt=\"The image represents an activity node commonly used in an Activity Network Diagram for project management. It includes the following components: Top row displays the time-related parameters, which are: Early Start: The earliest time the activity can begin. Duration: The estimated time to complete the activity. Early Finish: The earliest time the activity can finish. Middle row contains the Task Name, identifying the specific activity. Bottom row displays additional time-related parameters, which are: Late Start: The latest time the activity can start without delaying the project. Slack: The amount of time the activity can be delayed without affecting the project's timeline. Late Finish: The latest time the activity can finish without delaying the project. This structured node is used in critical path analysis to evaluate and optimize project schedules.\" width=\"380\" height=\"180\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-194 size-full\" \/><\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li>In Visio, click \u201cNew\u201d and search \u201cPERT Chart.\u201d Select \u201cPERT Chart\u201d. Drag the PERT 1 shape (node) from PERT Chart Shapes to the blank page. Choose the black color to fill. Copy this shape and paste it 10 times, as there are 11 activities in total. Use a line connector to connect the nodes.<a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.9.jpg\"><img src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.9.jpg\" alt=\"The image shows two activity nodes connected by an arrow, illustrating a sequence in an Activity Network Diagram used for project scheduling and critical path analysis.\" width=\"738\" height=\"149\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-195 size-full\" \/><\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li>When you finish all the activities and numbers, create a textbox on that page below the activity network diagram, and type the activity names on the critical path in an order (e.g., A-B-C-D-E). On the same textbox, indicate the total duration of this project (e.g.,10 days).<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<h2 class=\"textbox__title\" style=\"color: white\">Exercise 1: Estimating Activity Durations for the City Park Revitalization Project<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p>The fictional GreenCity is undertaking a project to revitalize its main public park. The project involves updating playground equipment, installing new walking paths, adding a central fountain, and implementing a modern irrigation system for sustainable landscaping. The project must be completed in 8 months to align with the city&#8217;s annual tourism festival. The activities and scope have been defined, and the project team now needs to estimate activity durations using different estimation techniques.<\/p>\n<p>The following activities have been identified for the project:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Activity<\/th>\n<th>Description<\/th>\n<th>Dependencies<\/th>\n<th>Resources Required<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>A<\/td>\n<td>Remove old playground equipment<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<td>2 workers, excavator<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>B<\/td>\n<td>Install new playground equipment<\/td>\n<td>A<\/td>\n<td>3 workers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>C<\/td>\n<td>Lay walking paths<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<td>4 workers, materials<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>D<\/td>\n<td>Construct central fountain<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<td>Specialized contractor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>E<\/td>\n<td>Implement irrigation system<\/td>\n<td>C<\/td>\n<td>3 workers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>F<\/td>\n<td>Landscape and plant greenery<\/td>\n<td>C, E<\/td>\n<td>6 workers, equipment<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3><strong>Tasks and Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Expert Judgment<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Consult the following expert data for similar projects:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Removing old equipment<\/strong> takes 3-5 days, depending on the complexity of the site.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Installing new playground equipment<\/strong> takes approximately 6 days.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\"><strong>Laying walking paths<\/strong> takes 5 days for every 10,000 square feet of area, and the park area is 30,000 square feet.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Use this information to estimate the durations for activities A, B, and C.<\/li>\n<li>What are the potential limitations of relying solely on expert judgment?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Analogous Estimating<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The team recently completed a similar park project. The following data is available:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Central Fountain Construction<\/strong>: 15 days in a project of comparable scope.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Irrigation System Installation<\/strong>: 10 days for a 5-acre area; the current project covers 7.5 acres.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Use analogous estimating to determine the durations of activities D and E.<\/li>\n<li>What assumptions did you make, and how might they impact accuracy?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Parametric Estimating<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>For landscaping (Activity F), the following data is available:\n<ul>\n<li>Workers can landscape 5,000 square feet per day. The park has 25,000 square feet of landscaping area.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Use parametric estimating to calculate the duration for Activity F.<\/li>\n<li>How does this method improve accuracy compared to other techniques?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Three-Point Estimates<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>For Activity C (Lay walking paths), we collected the following estimates from the team:\n<ul>\n<li>Optimistic: 10 days<\/li>\n<li>Most Likely: 12 days<\/li>\n<li>Pessimistic: 16 days<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Calculate the expected duration using both triangular and beta distribution methods.<\/li>\n<li>Which method provides a more realistic estimate, and why?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bottom-Up Estimating<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Break down Activity E (Irrigation System Installation) into the following smaller tasks that follow one another sequentially:\n<ul>\n<li>Dig trenches: 3 days<\/li>\n<li>Lay irrigation pipes: 4 days<\/li>\n<li>Install sprinkler heads: 2 days<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Combine the estimates to calculate the total duration for Activity E.<\/li>\n<li>Discuss how bottom-up estimating compares to other techniques in terms of detail and accuracy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<h2 class=\"textbox__title\" style=\"color: white\">Exercise 2: Creating and Analyzing an Activity Network Diagram<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p>You are managing a project to develop a new product prototype. The activities and their dependencies are listed below:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Activity<\/th>\n<th>Duration (days)<\/th>\n<th>Predecessors<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>A<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>B<\/td>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>C<\/td>\n<td>5<\/td>\n<td>A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>D<\/td>\n<td>6<\/td>\n<td>B, C<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>E<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>B<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>F<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>D, E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3><strong>Tasks and Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Create the Activity Network Diagram<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Draw an <strong>Activity-on-Node (AON)<\/strong> diagram for the project, showing the relationships between activities.<\/li>\n<li>For each activity, label the Duration, Early Start (ES), Early Finish (EF), Late Start (LS), Late Finish (LF), and Slack (Float).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Identify the Critical Path<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Determine the critical path for the project.<\/li>\n<li>Calculate the overall project duration based on the critical path.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Analyze Changes in Activity Durations<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>If only the duration of <strong>Activity D<\/strong> increases from 6 to 8 days:\n<ul>\n<li>How does this impact the overall project duration?<\/li>\n<li>Does the critical path change?<\/li>\n<li>Recalculate the slack for all non-critical activities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Explore Alternative Scenarios<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>If only the duration of <strong>Activity E<\/strong> decreases from 4 to 2 days:\n<ul>\n<li>How does this impact the overall project duration?<\/li>\n<li>Does the critical path change?<\/li>\n<li>Recalculate the slack for all non-critical activities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Optimization Discussion<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Based on the changes above, suggest one strategy to optimize the project schedule while minimizing delays.<\/li>\n<li>How could you use float (slack) to reallocate resources or adjust dependencies to improve efficiency?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<h2 class=\"textbox__title\" style=\"color: white\">Exercise 3: Schedule Management on Microsoft Project and Visio<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p>The table below illustrates the activities of a project.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Activity<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Duration (week)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Dependencies<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Lag<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Predecessors<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>A<\/td>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>B<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>C<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>D<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>D1<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>F-S<\/td>\n<td>0<\/td>\n<td>A, B, C<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>D2<\/td>\n<td>5<\/td>\n<td>F-S<\/td>\n<td>2 weeks for D1<\/td>\n<td>C, D1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>E<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>E1<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>F-S<\/td>\n<td>2 weeks for B<\/p>\n<p>-1 week for C<\/td>\n<td>B, C<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>E2<\/td>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>S-F<\/td>\n<td>0<\/td>\n<td>E1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>F<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>S-S<\/td>\n<td>-1 week<\/td>\n<td>D2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>G<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>F-S<\/td>\n<td>0<\/td>\n<td>E2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>H<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>S-S<\/td>\n<td>1 week<\/td>\n<td>E2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>I<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>F-S<\/td>\n<td>0<\/td>\n<td>F<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>J<\/td>\n<td>1<\/td>\n<td>F-F for G<\/p>\n<p>F-S for H<\/td>\n<td>0<\/td>\n<td>G, H<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>K<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>K1<\/td>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>F-S<\/td>\n<td>0<\/td>\n<td>I, J<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>K2<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>F-S<\/td>\n<td>0<\/td>\n<td>K1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>K3<\/td>\n<td>1<\/td>\n<td>F-S<\/td>\n<td>0<\/td>\n<td>K2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3>Questions<\/h3>\n<p><strong>PART 1: Creating the WBS and Gantt Chart<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Open a new Microsoft Project blank file and follow the steps below.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Under the \u201cFile\u201d tab, select \u201cOptions\u201d. Change \u201cDuration is entered in\u201d as weeks.\n<ul>\n<li>All the durations must be in weeks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Select \u201cProject Summary Task.\u201d\n<ul>\n<li>Its WBS number will be ZERO, automatically assigned by Microsoft Project.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Check \u201cCritical Tasks\u201d and \u201cSlack.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Add a WBS column to the left of the Tasks column. Do not type numbers yourself in the WBS column.<\/li>\n<li>Type all the activities as shown in the table.\n<ul>\n<li>Make the indentations for D1, D2, E1, E2, K1, K2, and K3.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Type duration of all activities.\n<ul>\n<li>Wrong durations will cause many errors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Select predecessors.<\/li>\n<li>Start the first activity on Monday, April 1, 2024.\n<ul>\n<li>You should move the project under the Project tab on the ribbon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Change the dependencies if they are not Finish-to-Start (F-S).<\/li>\n<li>Type the lags (positive number) and leads (negative number) as shown in the table above. All of them are in weeks, NOT days.<\/li>\n<li>Use \u201cRespect Links\u201d to resolve the scheduling issues.\n<ul>\n<li>Click \u201cRespect Links\u201d until you don\u2019t see any blue-highlighted cells.<\/li>\n<li>If you do not implement respect links, you will have errors in overall duration and Gantt Chart.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Insert a \u201cFree Slack\u201d column to the left of \u201cPredecessors.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Part 2: Creating a Network Diagram on Microsoft Visio<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For this question, you must use the table below. All the dependencies are F-S.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin: auto;\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Activity<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Duration (week)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Predecessors<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>A<\/td>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>B<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>C<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>D<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>E<\/td>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>B, C<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>F<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>D<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>G<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>H<\/td>\n<td>1<\/td>\n<td>E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>I<\/td>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>F<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>J<\/td>\n<td>6<\/td>\n<td>G, H<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>K<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>I, J<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<ol>\n<li>Create an activity network diagram on Microsoft Visio (.vsdx).<\/li>\n<li>On each activity node, you should indicate early start, late start, early finish, and late finish times, as well as the duration and slack for each activity, as shown below.<a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.8.jpg\" alt=\"The image represents an activity node commonly used in an Activity Network Diagram for project management. It includes the following components: Top row displays the time-related parameters, which are: Early Start: The earliest time the activity can begin. Duration: The estimated time to complete the activity. Early Finish: The earliest time the activity can finish. Middle row contains the Task Name, identifying the specific activity. Bottom row displays additional time-related parameters, which are: Late Start: The latest time the activity can start without delaying the project. Slack: The amount of time the activity can be delayed without affecting the project's timeline. Late Finish: The latest time the activity can finish without delaying the project. This structured node is used in critical path analysis to evaluate and optimize project schedules.\" width=\"380\" height=\"180\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-194 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.8.jpg 380w, https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.8-300x142.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.8-65x31.jpg 65w, https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.8-225x107.jpg 225w, https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.8-350x166.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>In Visio, click \u201cNew\u201d and search \u201cPERT Chart.\u201d Select \u201cPERT Chart\u201d. Drag the PERT 1 shape (node) from PERT Chart Shapes to the blank page. Choose the black color to fill. Copy this shape and paste it 10 times, as there are 11 activities in total. Use a line connector to connect the nodes.<a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.9.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.9.jpg\" alt=\"The image shows two activity nodes connected by an arrow, illustrating a sequence in an Activity Network Diagram used for project scheduling and critical path analysis.\" width=\"738\" height=\"149\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-195 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.9.jpg 738w, https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.9-300x61.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.9-65x13.jpg 65w, https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.9-225x45.jpg 225w, https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/183\/2024\/07\/Figure-7.9-350x71.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 738px) 100vw, 738px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>When you finish all the activities and numbers, create a textbox on that page below the activity network diagram, and type the activity names on the critical path in an order (e.g., A-B-C-D-E). On the same textbox, indicate the total duration of this project (e.g.,10 days).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":256,"menu_order":10,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-968","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":175,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/256"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1206,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/968\/revisions\/1206"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/175"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/968\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=968"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=968"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/projectmanagement2ndedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}