Contemporary Project Management 4th Edition Kloppenborg Solutions Manual

Contemporary Project Management 4th
Edition Kloppenborg Solutions Manual

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CHAPTER 8
Scheduling Projects
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This chapter demonstrates how to construct project schedules. After completing this chapter,
each student should be able to perform the following:
Core Objectives:
• Describe five ways in which a project’s schedule is limited and how to deal with each.
• Use the activity on node (AON) method to develop a project schedule.
• Identify the critical path using both the two-pass and enumeration methods, and identify
all float.
• Depict a project schedule on a Gantt chart by hand, showing the critical path and all
float.
Technical Objectives:
• Describe how to adjust a project’s sequence logic using leads, lags, and alternative
dependencies.
• Build and display the logical network diagram showing critical path and all float with MS
Project 2016.
• Depict a project schedule on a Gantt chart using MS Project 2016.
Behavioral Objectives:
• Describe potential problems estimating time accurately and how to overcome them.
• Resolve potential scheduling conflicts.
TEACHING STRATEGIES
• This is a critical chapter that has many opportunities for “hands-on” work. After a short
introduction, much of this chapter can be well-covered by demonstration and practice.
Be sure to include in your opening remarks the five ways in which project schedules are
limited and that they will be covered collectively in this and the next two chapters. For
each breakout, we first demonstrate using the examples from the book.
• A nice breakout to start can be defining activities. This can be accomplished by using a
WBS (or partial WBS) and asking the students to define activities required to create all of
the deliverables on the WBS. Be sure to emphasize that some work packages may
require one activity while others may require multiple activities. Alternatively, you can
just give a little scenario – such as you want to build a garage next to your house. Ask
the students to define the required activities. This works best with at least around 12
activities so that students can see the power of using a network for schedules (below) and
not more than about 20 activities (since it will take more time with more activities). For
another alternative, you can have the students use the WBS from their example projects
to practice defining activities in the first scheduling breakout session. The emphasis here
is to have the students start with the deliverables (things, worded as nouns with
adjectives) and ask the question “what work activities will we need to perform to create
Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 1
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole
or in part.
each of these deliverables?” the activities should be stated in verb-noun format with
adjectives to describe and clarify as needed. There may be one or several activities for
any given deliverable.
• You can use the activities identified above to have the students practice sequencing the
activities in a network. Alternatively, you can use the example Wolf Creek Farms case
that follows these teaching strategies. Have them write one activity per Post-it® Note and
then have them arrange the notes in what they believe to be a logical order. Have them
draw arrows connecting predecessors with successors. Encourage the students to have
someone on their team play “Devil’s Advocate” both in challenging the order and in
ensuring that no activities are “dead-ends” with no successors. Tell the students if they
have more than one starting activity to make up another Post-it® and call it “start.” This
can serve as the predecessor to as many activities as necessary. If they have more than
one ending activity, make up another Post-it® and call it “end,” making it the successor to
as many activities as necessary. When the network is complete, there should be one start
and one end. All intermediate activities need to have at least one in arrow and at least
one out arrow.
• Another breakout you might use is to have the students estimate the duration for each
activity. This could be combined with either the previous or the next breakout.
• The next breakout is to develop the project schedule. We first model this, then have
students do this using the two-pass method. Be sure to have them identify the critical
path(s) and to calculate the amount of slack for every non-critical activity. Again, the
Wolf Creek Farms case or a project of your choice work well for this.
• We like to show the students how to find the critical path using the enumeration method
also so that they will be able to crash the schedule (next chapter). It also helps for them
to compare the two-pass and enumeration method results.
• Once the students have identified the critical path, ask them how easy it is to read the
schedule. Of course, it is often quite difficult, so this paves the way to introduce Gantt
charts. Ask the students to show their schedule on a Gantt chart. Also ask them to
identify the critical path and the slack.
• When presenting MS Project, we like to furnish the students with Power Point files and
encourage them to use them for taking notes. While we often present a few of the Power
Point slides, we generally try to use a small project such as the one shown below to
demonstrate using MS Project. We pass out a hard copy for the students, then
demonstrate with a couple examples of how to perform each portion of the technique.
Wolf Creek Farms Case
You have inherited a century old farm house and acreage in Montana. You have visited the site and made
an inspection. The house needs a great deal of repair work to get it marginally livable. You have
itemized the most important things that need to be done and estimated the time required as shown below.
The total estimated time is 160 work hours.
You and your spouse want to use this house for vacations and as a rental property. However, just
buying the supplies to fix it up will max out your budget. Therefore, if it is to be fixed up, the two of you

or in part.
will need to do the work. The two of you can arrange to take a two-week vacation. You have each
committed to working 80 hours (160 hours total) over your vacation to fix up the house.
This is a multi-part exercise. For the first part, sequence the activities by developing an
AON network with Post it Notes. Each activity is to be done by one person. Start with the
activity(ies) that can begin immediately and continue to ask “when this is done or when these 2
or 3 activities are done, what can we do now?” For this step, you are only considering the logical
order. In later steps, you will consider who will perform each step. It is expected that you will
have some “burst activities” after which there are multiple things that can start. It is also
expected that you will have some “merge activities” that can only start once multiple other
activities are complete.
Est.
WBS Summaries and Activities Hours
1 Purchasing
1.1Purchase supplies 2
1.2Purchase curtains 2
2 Shutters and porch
2.1 Repair shutters 12
2.2 Paint shutters 12
2.3 Rehang shutters 4
2.4 Repair porch 16
3 Floor
3.1 Repair floor 8
3.2 Sand floor 10
3.3 Refinish floor 24
4 Paint
4.1 Paint ceilings 10
4.2 Paint wood trim 22
4.3 Paint walls 20
5 Windows
5.1 Wash exterior windows 8
5.2 Wash interior windows 8
5.3 Hang curtains 2
Answers will vary for this case, but one possible schedule is shown below.
For the schedule shown in the network diagram and Gantt chart below, the enumeration method
yields the following paths and times.
Time Path
30 1.1 2.1 2.2 2.3

or in part.
18 1.1 2.4
44 1.1 3.1 3.2 3.3
72 1.1 3.1 3.2 4.2 4.3 5.2 5.3
64 1.1 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.2 5.3
10 1.1 5.1
4 1.2 5.2
Wolf Creek Farm Case Network

or in part.
Wolf Creek Farm Case Gantt Chart
The students must first create the network diagram so they understand the logical order, can
determine the critical path, and understand how much float each non-critical activity has. Point
out it is typical to identify the critical path in bright red. Once the network is complete, the
schedule can be transferred to a Gantt chart. It is typical to show the critical path in red and non-
critical activities in blue. It is also typical to show the amount of float in a muted color and/or
narrow lines. It is helpful to write on the Gantt chart the start and finish times of each activity.
Sometimes a student team will attempt to put all activities into two lines since they know there
will be only two workers. This defeats the purpose of project scheduling. Remind them that of
the five things that can delay a project schedule, the number of resources (people) is only one.
They must first understand the logical order, the critical path, and the float. We also remind
them that this is a tiny project with two workers and 15 activities. Ask them if they were
scheduling a project with 200 workers and 1500 activities would they still insist on drawing 200
rows. Of course not! We are teaching them a process that is scalable to any size of project.
They would use software on a big project, but it drives home the point.
It will be purely by chance if a student team has their schedule take exactly the 80 hours
available (2 workers are available 80 hours each for a total of 160 hours). If their first attempt
took more than 80 hours, they will need to evaluate their logic. This is a good opportunity to
introduce alternative dependencies and lead and lag times. If their first attempt took less than 80
hours, they will have some periods when more than two activities are scheduled at once. This
leads into resource leveling in chapter 8. We ask the students to bring their schedules back to
class when we cover resource overloads so they can practice on their projects.
If you are using Microsoft Project in your class, you can also ask the students to bring
their Wolf Creek Farms project schedule to the computer lab and recreate their schedule using
the software. Ask them to inspect it very carefully. If there are any inconsistencies, they
probably either had an error inputting, or an error in their by-hand calculations.
In Chapter 8 we will learn how to identify resource overloads. A fourth step in this case
is to identify any overloads and adjust your schedule accordingly by delaying non-critical
activities.
Another example project, the eBay Project has a schedule shown below.

or in part.
Source: Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.

or in part.
LECTURE AND WORKSHOP OUTLINE
8.1 Plan Schedule management
PMI has identified the following seven time management processes:
Plan schedule management
Define activities
Sequence activities
Estimate activity resources
Estimate activity durations
Develop schedule
Control schedule
8.2 Purposes of a project schedule
In addition to the primary question of when will the project be complete, many
other questions can be answered with a schedule.
8.3 Historical development of project scheduling
PERT and CPM were developed in the 1950s. The AOA and AON methods were
used through the years, but AON is the primary method today. The basic logic
remains, but many advancements have been incorporated into software scheduling
systems.
8.4 How project schedules are limited and created
Project schedules are limited by the logical order of activities, the duration of each
activity, availability of key resources, imposed dates, and cash flow. Schedules
are often developed by considering each of these five limits in order – that is, first
consider logical order, then activity duration, etc.
8.5 Define activities
The activities are outgrowths of the work packages (lowest level) of the WBS.
On small projects, they are frequently defined concurrently with constructing the
WBS. Focus on developing a complete list of activities and make sure they have
action words (verbs).
8.6 Sequence activities
This is often done by Post-it® Notes with each note representing one activity.
Leads and lags
While basic logic says when the predecessor is complete, the successor can start,
if the successor can start before the predecessor ends, there is an overlap or a
“lead” and if the successor must be delayed before it can start, there is a gap or
“lag.”
Alternative dependencies
Finish-to-Finish, Start-to-Start, and Start-to-Finish Relationships are three types
of alternative relationships, which used in software scheduling systems. They
allow more realism to be shown in predecessor–successor relationships.
8.7 Estimate activity duration
Estimate using normal circumstances first and only then ask what is unique that
may allow quicker or cause slower performance.
Problems and remedies in duration estimating
Potential Activity Duration Estimating
Problem Remedy

or in part.
Omissions Refine scope and WBS
Checklists, templates, Devil's Advocate
Lessons learned
General uncertainty in estimate Rolling wave planning
Reverse phase schedule
Learning curve
Identify and reduce sources of uncertainty
Manage schedule aggressively
Special cause variation Risk analysis
Resolve risk events
Common cause variation PERT
Monte Carlo
Project buffer
Merging (multiple predecessors) Milestones
Feeding buffer
Manage float
Queuing Staggered project start dates
Resource leveling
Resource buffer
Multitasking Prioritizing projects
Carefully authorize start of non-critical
activities
Student Syndrome (starting late) Float
Critical path meetings
Not reporting early completion of
rework Project culture
Project communications
Contract incentives
Progress reporting
Learning Curves
Take into account when estimating that the more times a person performs an
activity, the faster they tend to get.
8.8 Develop project schedules
After completing the scheduling processes discussed to this point, it is time to
identify the critical path. This can be done by using software such as MS Project
or by using the two-pass or enumeration method by hand.
Two-pass method
You make two logical passes through the network.
First or forward pass
This is to calculate the early start (ES) and early finish (EF) for each activity.
Second or backward pass
This is to calculate the late start (LS) and late finish (LF) for each activity.
Float and the critical path
Activities on the critical path have zero float. More than one path can be critical,
and if the project is behind schedule, critical path activities can have negative
float.

or in part.
Enumeration method
This method, by which you list or enumerate all of the paths through the network,
provides necessary information for crashing the schedule (a topic in the following
chapter).
8.9 Uncertainty in project schedules
If it is difficult to estimate activity durations with confidence, the following may
be used to deal with the uncertainty.
Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
The estimated time for each activity is calculated by the formula optimistic plus 4
times the most likely plus pessimistic divided by 6.
Monte Carlo Simulation
This flexible technique allows multiple duration estimates for any of the project
activities.
8.10 Show the project schedule on a Gantt chart
The network analysis described above is needed to calculate the schedule, but a
simple bar (Gantt) chart is far better for communicating the schedule.
8.11 Using MS Project for Critical Path Schedules
This powerful tool can be used to automate many of the schedule, budget, and
resource calculations on projects and for communicating effectively.
Set up the project schedule
Set (or update) the project start date
Define your organization’s holidays
Build the logical Network Diagram
1. Enter tasks and milestones
2. Edit the timescale
3. Understand and define task dependencies,
4. Assign task duration estimates
5. Identify the critical path
6. Understand the network diagram view
Display and print schedules
Since many people do not have personal copies of MS Project, emailing schedules
is often not an option. Therefore, it is imperative to be able to print easy to read
schedules.
CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS – SUGGESTED ANSWERS
1. When can the first draft of a project schedule be constructed? (objective #1, p.246)
• After the WBS is completed
2. What is the difference between an activity and a work package? (objective #2, p.246)
A work package is a deliverable and may require more than one activity to produce it.
3. What is another name for activity on node diagramming? (objective #2, p.248)
Precedence diagramming method (PDM)

or in part.
4. What purpose do project milestones serve? (objective #2, pp. 250-251)
Serve as project checkpoints
5. Describe the relationship between a predecessor activity and a successor activity. (objective
#5, pp. 253-254)
The initial activity is the predecessor activity, which is “an activity that logically comes
before a dependent activity in a schedule.” The following activity is the successor activity,
which is “a dependent activity that logically comes after another activity in a schedule.”
(Quotations from PMBOK)
6. Describe the four most common types of logical dependency. (objective #4, p. 255)
1. Finish-to-start (FS) is “a logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start

until a predecessor
activity has finished.”
2. Finish-to-finish (FF) is “a logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot
finish until a predecessor activity has finished.” For example, perhaps the graphics
could be designed while the marketing campaign is being designed, but could not be
completed until the marketing campaign is completed.
3. Start-to-start (SS) is “a logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start
until a predecessor activity has started.” For example, perhaps the graphics design
could not start until the design marketing campaign started
4. Start-to-finish (SF) is “a logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot
finish until a predecessor activity has started.” This is the least used relationship.
An example is for a project to replace an old system where the new capability must
be started before the old one is completely discontinued.
(Quotations from PMBOK)
7. One potential problem that can occur with activity duration estimating is having omissions.
What are three potential remedies for this problem? (objective #8, p.250)
1. Refining the WBS
2. Making checklists
3. Having someone play the Devil’s Advocate
8. What two methods can be used to determine the critical path of a schedule? (objective #3,
p.259)
1. Two-Pass Method and
2. Enumeration Method
9. If an activity on the critical path falls behind schedule, what effect will this have on the
entire project? (objective #5, p.259)
• The end-date for the project will change. Its completion will occur at a later date.

or in part.
10. If a painted wall must dry for four hours before work can continue, the result is a delay in
the successor activity. The wait for the paint to dry is an example of a(n) ___________.
(objective #5, p.254)
• lag.
11. A professor cannot grade his students’ exams until the students have completed taking the
test. This is an example of a __________________ relationship. (objective #2, p.255)
• finish-to-start
12. What is one advantage and one disadvantage of Monte Carlo analysis for predicting a
project schedule? (objective #8, pp. 266-267)
One advantage of Monte Carlo analysis is the flexibility it provides. This allows more
realistic estimates. Another advantage is the extent of information it can provide regarding
individual activities, the overall project, and different paths through the project that
may become critical.
A disadvantage of Monte Carlo is the amount of time necessary to estimate not just a
most likely duration for each activity, but an entire range of possible outcomes. Another
disadvantage is that special software and skill are necessary to effectively use Monte
Carlo.
13. How can a Gantt Chart be helpful in project planning? (objective #4, p. 268)
A Gantt chart can easily show which activities will be done when, how long they will last,
and which activities are critical.
14. A lead is a change in the logical relationship that results in the ____________________ of
the successor activity. (objective #5, p.254)
• acceleration
15. How do you calculate float? What is the difference between free float and total float?
(objective #3, pp. 262-263)
• Float is calculated by the equation Float = Late start – Early start (Float = LS – ES).
• Total float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the overall
project, whereas free float refers to the amount of time an activity can be delayed
without delaying its successor activity(ies).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS – SUGGESTED ANSWERS

1. Describe the five factors that may limit how fast a project can be completed. Give an
example of each. (objective #1, Applying, pp. 248-249)
The logical order of the activities, the duration of each activity, the number of key
resources available when needed, any imposed dates, and cash flow (students should
supplement with examples of each)

or in part.
2. Think of one thing you have to do this week. Does it meet all five parts of the definition of
an activity? (objective #2, Evaluating, p.250)
Answers should be based upon the following five criteria:

• Clear starting and ending points
• Tangible output that can be verified
• Scope small enough to understand and control without micromanaging
• Labor, other costs, and schedule that can be estimated and controlled
• A single person who can be held accountable for each activity
3. Discuss at least four potential problems in creating accurate duration estimates for activities
and two methods for dealing with each potential problem. (objective #8, Understanding,
p.257)
Answers vary, but look for:
Omissions Refine scope and WBS
Checklists, templates, Devil's
Advocate
Lessons learned
General uncertainty in
estimate Rolling wave planning
Learning curve
Identify and reduce sources of
uncertainty
Manage schedule aggressively
Special cause variation Risk analysis
Resolve risk events
Common cause variation PERT
Monte Carlo
Project buffer
Merging (multiple
predecessors) Milestones
Feeding buffer
Manage float
Queuing Staggered project start dates
Resource leveling
Resource buffer
Multitasking Prioritizing projects
Carefully authorize start of
noncritical activities
Student syndrome
(starting late) Float
Critical path meetings
Not reporting early
completion of rework Project culture
Project communications
Contract incentives

or in part.
Project leadership
Progress reporting
4. Describe how a WBS and a schedule work together. (objective #1, Analyzing, pp. 246-247)
• Answers vary, but look for:
- The last row of WBS represents work packages.
- Each work package is composed of one or more activities.
- To generate a schedule from a list of activities
o Sequence activities
o Assign resource(s) to each activity
o Estimate duration of each activity
o Generate draft project schedule
o Apply schedule compression methodologies to optimize project schedule
5. You are the project manager assigned to build and decorate a model home. What might be
an example of a lead you encounter when scheduling work activities? A lag? (objective #5,
Evaluating, p. 254)
Answers will vary. Examples: lead—begin painting before laying carpet; lag—waiting for
foundation to dry
6. Describe the process used to calculate float. Describe how you can tell if it is total float or
free float. (objective #3, Applying, pp. 262-263)
Float = Late start – Early start
If the float only affects its successor activity, it is free float. If it could impact the overall
project’s end date, it is total float.
EXERCISES – SOLUTIONS
1. Label the box below to create a two-pass schedule legend.
ES EF
Activity Name
Slack
Duration
LS LF

or in part.
2. If the learning rate is 60 percent and the first time the activity was performed took 200
minutes, the second time performing the activity should take __________minutes and the
fourth time should take ________ minutes.
120, 72
3. In the example below, label which activities are predecessors and which activities are
successors.
• A and B are predecessors while C is a successor
4. Create a logical network using the activities listed below.

Planting a Flower Bed
• Purchase flowers, potting soil, and tools
• Water flowers
• Prepare soiling by weeding and adding fertilizer
• Plant flowers
• Dig hole
Answer:
Purchase Prepare Dig hole Plant Water
flowers, soil flowers flowers
etc.

or in part.
5. Calculate early start, early finish, late start, late finish, and slack for each of the activities in
the network below. The duration of each activity is given.
B
4 C
A 1
E
12 3
D
7
A B C D E
early start 0 12 16 12 19
early finish 12 16 17 19 22
late start 0 14 18 12 19
late finish 12 18 19 19 22
float 0 2 2 0 0
6. Identify the critical path for the network in Exercise 5. How long should the project take?
• A – D – E; 22

or in part.
7. Display the schedule from Exercise 5 on a Gantt chart showing the critical activities,
noncritical activities, and float.
8. Given the information below, create the project schedule network. Then, using the two-pass
method, calculate and show the early and late starts and float for each activity and the
critical path. Show the schedule on a Gantt chart showing critical and noncritical activities
and float.
Immediate
Activity Days Predecessor ES LS EF LF Slack CP?

or in part.
A 5 0 0 5 5 0 yes
B 2 A 5 7 7 9 2 no
C 4 A 5 5 9 9 0 yes
D 7 A 5 16 12 23 3 no
E 3 B 7 12 10 15 5 no
F 6 B,C 9 9 15 15 0 yes
G 8 D,E,F 15 15 23 23 0 yes
9. Given the information below, create the project schedule network. Then, using the
enumeration method, calculate and show all of the paths through the network. Show how
long each path will take. Identify the critical path. Show the schedule on a Gantt chart
showing critical and noncritical activities and float. (See Gantt chart under exercise 13
below.)
• BACFHI 26 days Critical Path

• BADGI 23 days
• BEHI 20 days
10. Using the data below, schedule the problem in MS Project. Display and print the schedule
in a Gantt chart showing the critical path and the predecessors. (The screen capture from MS
Project is below.)
Source: Microsoft product screen shot reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.

or in part.
11. Using the data below, schedule the problem in MS Project. Display and print the schedule
in a Gantt chart showing the critical path and the predecessors. (The screen capture from MS
Project is below.)
12. Using the information for Exercise 8.8, input the data into MS Project. Display and print the
schedule in Gantt chart format as shown in Exhibit 8.19. (The screen capture from MS
Project is below.)
13. Using the information for Exercise 8.9, input the data into MS Project. Display and print the
schedule in Gantt chart format as shown in Exhibit 8.19. (The screen capture from MS
Project is below.)

or in part.
PMBOK® Guide Questions
1) The Midlands Company is eager to develop a project schedule. They have already completed
the scope statement, work breakdown structure and schedule management plan. What is the
next thing they should do in order to start creating a project schedule?
a) define activities
b) nothing; they are ready to proceed
c) sequence activities
d) estimate activity durations
Answer: a
Page 249 in textbook
Page 183 PMBOK 6th Edition
2) Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an activity?
a) It is a distinct, scheduled portion of work performed during a project

b) It has clear starting and ending points
c) It is defined using a verb / noun format
d) It is one of the deliverables at the lowest level of the WBS
Answer: d
3) Another term for “activity on node,” the most commonly used technique for constructing a schedule
model is:
a) precedence diagramming method (PDM)

b) arrow diagramming method (ADM)
c) activity on arrow (AOA)
d) activity attribute method (AAM)
Answer: a
4) You are planning the schedule and come to an activity you are unfamiliar with. Your SMEs give you
the following time estimates: most likely = 5 hours; optimistic = 2 hours; pessimistic = 14 hours.
Using PERT, which activity duration do you use in your plan?
a) 6 hours
b) 2 hours
c) 5 hours
d) 10 hours
Answer: a

or in part.
5) A critical path activity has ________ float during the planning process.
a) the most
b) zero
c) negative
d) positive
Answer: b
6) The Bluestar Creative Agency is developing a new marketing campaign for a client. They
have determined that the client’s marketing plan must be completed before the graphic design can
begin. This situation describes what type of dependency?
a) start-to-start (SS)
b) start-to-finish (SF)
c) finish-to-start (FS)
d) finish-to-finish (FF)
Answer: c
7) What is an advantage of using Monte Carlo analysis when estimating the duration for an activity?
a) It uses historical data from a similar activity or project to calculate the duration.
b) It uses brainstorming techniques to reach a team consensus for the duration.
c) It can provide a great deal of information about how activity times may vary.
d) It is less costly and time consuming than other estimating techniques
Answer: c
Page 213 PMBOK, 6th Edition
8) A Gantt chart represents project schedule information in an easy-to-read, graphical format.

Which of these is NOT a component of this type of Gantt chart?
a) activities
b) budget data
c) start and end dates
d) durations
Answer: b

or in part.
9) As a project manager, which of the following situations would concern you the most?
a) a three-day delay on an activity with five days total float

b) realizing that an activity on your critical path only took two days instead of the four you
assigned it using the PERT method
c) a one-day delay to an activity with 0 total float
d) a two-day delay to a noncritical path activity with two predecessor activities
Answer: c
Pages 262-263 in textbook
10) How do you calculate Late Start, using the two-pass method?
a) Late Finish-Duration
b) Duration-Early Start
c) Early Finish-Early Start
d) Late Finish-Early Finish
Answer: a
Pages 261=262 in textbook
SUBURBAN HOMES CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
As stated in Chapter 7 and 8, a project schedule is developed at the lowest level of the WBS
where activities or work packages are defined. This is where we explore predecessor and
successor relations, and those which can done in parallel. Students must be encouraged to
expand the WBS that was developed in Chapter 7 case study submission. It is a good idea to
set a minimum number of activities for the lowest level of the WBS and the consequent
project schedule. This minimum for this project could be 25. Students must be encouraged
to develop the schedule without the assistance of MS Project or any similar software.
Duration estimates can be determined by talking to a construction company or a contractor
in the area. If this is not possible, students may be encouraged to estimate the duration
based on optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely duration estimates for each work activity
or work package at the lowest level. Again, students must be encouraged to compute
forward pass and backward pass durations and determine the critical path manually,
without the assistance of any software.

or in part.
CASA DE PAZ DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
Planners need to use considerable judgment rather than technical detail to attempt to lessen the
chance of delays due to overwork. Team leaders should regularly engage in open discussions
about how things are going and upcoming plans. There should also be ongoing discussions
about who else can be brought on-board to help and when it makes sense. The board needs to
discuss when the finances will permit hiring a director and whether this will initially be a part-
time or full-time role. If it is a part-time role, how could it transition into full-time and would it
be the same person. Key stakeholders should be approached for informal conversations
regarding help – who they know and when they envision more help is needed. One more
continuing topic of conversation is the hoped for opening date as a more aggressive date would
likely lead to increased work overload. The purpose of the questions in this chapter on Casa de
Paz is to help students understand that sometimes judgment is more important than technique.
SEMESTER PROJECT
Take the WBS you have already developed. Define all of the activities that will be necessary to
create each deliverable in your WBS. Create a schedule for your sample project. First create the
schedule by hand using Post-it® Notes, and then put the information into MS Project. Create a
printed copy of the schedule on a Gantt chart with no more than 40 lines per page. Do not use
more pages than necessary. Sponsors do not like to flip pages. Be sure to include all of the
summary rows (including the first row for the project title) and any key milestones. Make sure
the critical path is easy to see.
Schedule Grading Suggestions

• The schedule should appear to be complete given the charter and WBS.
• The schedule should appear to be reasonable without requiring heroics to complete on time.
• Include WBS column to left of task name column.
• Include overall project name as top row.
• Have all summaries stated in noun only format (or adjective noun – but on present tense
verbs).
• Have all tasks (activities) stated in present tense verb-adjective-noun format.
• Have all milestones stated in noun and past tense verb format.
• All tasks should have dependencies shown – no loose ends.
• Display Gantt portion of schedule as large as possible.
• Show critical path in red (or distinctive hash marks if printer is only black).
• Show arrows with dependencies.
• Include no more than 40 lines per page – ensure it is large enough to read easily.
• Include no more pages than necessary so there is little need to align multiple pages for
reading unless it is a large schedule.

or in part.

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Contemporary Project Management 4th

Edition Kloppenborg Solutions Manual

Wolf Creek Farms Case

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 2

30 1.1 2.1 2.2 2.3

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 3

Wolf Creek Farm Case Network

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 4

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 5

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 6

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 7

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 8

CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS – SUGGESTED ANSWERS

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 9

1. Finish-to-start (FS) is “a logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 10

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS – SUGGESTED ANSWERS

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 11

Answers should be based upon the following five criteria:

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 12

1. Label the box below to create a two-pass schedule legend.

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 13

• A and B are predecessors while C is a successor

4. Create a logical network using the activities listed below.

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 14

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 15

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 16

• BACFHI 26 days Critical Path

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 17

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 18

2) Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an activity?

a) It is a distinct, scheduled portion of work performed during a project

a) precedence diagramming method (PDM)

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 19

8) A Gantt chart represents project schedule information in an easy-to-read, graphical format.

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 20

a) a three-day delay on an activity with five days total float

SUBURBAN HOMES CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 21

Schedule Grading Suggestions

Instructor’s Manual Chapter 8 22

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