Managing Hard Rock's Rockfest

Question 1. Network diagram and critical path

The longest path i.e the critical path is ABDEFGO
The duration of the project is 34 weeks
 Ques 2) Which activities have a slack time of 8 weeks or more ?

Predecess Time Slack Time

Activity Description EF LF
or(s) (weeks) (LF-EF)

Finalize state and building

A - 7 7 7 0
contracts
B Select local promoter A 3 10 10 0
C Hire production manager A 3 10 21 11
Design promotional
D B 5 15 15 0
website
E Set TV deal D 6 21 21 0
F Hire director E 4 25 25 0
Plan for TV camera
G F 2 27 27 0
placement
Target headline
H B 4 14 20 6
entertainers
I Target support entertainers H 4 18 24 6
Travel accommodations for
J I 10 28 34 6
talent
K Set venue capacity C 2 12 23 11
L Ticketmaster contract D,K 3 18 26 8
M On-site ticketing L 8 26 34 8

N Sound and staging C 6 16 34 18

 Passes and stage
O G,R 7 34 34 0
credentials
Travel accommodations for
P B 20 30 34 4
staff
Q Hire sponsor coordinator B 4 14 23 9
R Finalize sponsors Q 4 18 27 9
Define/Place signage for
S R,X 3 28 34 6
sponsors
T Hire operations manager A 4 11 17 6
U Develop site plan T 6 17 23 6
V Hire security director T 7 18 30 12
W Set police/fire security plan V 4 22 34 12
Power, plumbing, AC, toilet
X U 8 25 31 6
services
Y Secure merchandise deals B 6 16 28 12
Z Online merchandise sales Y 6 22 34 12

➤ Activities having a slack time of eight weeks or more are :-

C (11), K (11), L (8), M (8), N (18), Q (9), R (9), V (12), W (12), Y (12), Z (12)
Question 3. Identify five major challenges that a project manager faces in events such
as this one?

Answer

The five major challenges that a project manager faces are:

· Typically the portion of time spend on developing the work breakdown structure greatly
exceeds the time spent on actually developing a project schedule

· Completion of project within the given budget

· When the project is large, a very large number of activities are involved. Hence
identifying all necessary activities is a big challenge

· Making sure that the project meets all its quality goals on time

· Developing a good work breakdown structure can require substantial time and efforts
due to uncertainties involved and/or large size of the project
Qs. 4) Why is work breakdown structure useful in a project such as this? Take the 26
activities and break them into what you think should be level-2, level-3, and level-4
tasks.

Large projects involve a large number of activities, therefore, planners need a framework
of the activities that needs to be done to realistically estimate how long it will take to complete
the various elements of the project and how much it will cost. This is accomplished by
developing a work breakdown structure (WBS), which is a hierarchical listing of what must be
done during the project. This methodology establishes a logical framework for identifying the
required activities for the project. The first step in developing the work breakdown structure is
to identify the major elements of the project. These are the Level 2. The next step is to identify
the major supporting activities for each of the major elements—the Level 3 boxes. Then, each
major supporting activity is broken down into a list of the activities that will be needed to
accomplish it—the Level 4 boxes. Usually there are many activities in the Level 4 lists. Large
projects involve additional levels.Developing a good work breakdown structure can require
substantial time and effort due to the uncertainties associated with a project and/or the size of
the project. Typically the portion of time spent on developing the work breakdown structure
greatly exceeds the time spent on actually developing a project schedule.
The importance of a work breakdown structure is underscored by the fact that the
activity list that results serves as the focal point for planning and doing the project. Moreover,
the work breakdown structure is the basis for developing time and cost estimates.

The levels of the event are-

Level – 1 Activity:
Rockfest Concert

Level – 2 Activities:
A – Finalize site and building contracts C – Hire production manager D – Design promotional
website F – Hire director H – Target headline entertainers J – Travel accommodations for
talent L – Ticketmaster contract Q – Hire sponsor coordinator T – Hire operations manager
V – Hire security director

A->C->D->F->H->J->-L->Q->T->V
Level – 3 Activities:
B – Select local promoter E – Set TV deal I – Target support entertainers K – Set venue
capacity M – On-site ticketing N – Sound and staging O – Passes and stage credentials P
– Travel accommodation for staff R – Finalize sponsors U – Develop site plan W – Set
police/fire security plan

B->E->I->K->M->N->O->P->R->U->W

Level – 4 Activities:
G – Plan for TV camera placement S – Define/place signage for sponsors X – Power,
plumbing, AC, toilet services Z – Online merchandise sales

G->S->X->Z