Overview
Individual Assignment 3 (Lab 2) is a continuation of Lab 1, where you began developing your project baseline. In this lab, you will further refine your project management skills by creating a detailed project schedule using Microsoft Project or ProjectLibre. The assignment involves switching all project activities to Auto Schedule, estimating and entering activity durations, adding task notes to document estimating techniques, and incorporating milestones. You will also define task relationships, including start-to-start and finish-to-finish dependencies, and incorporate lead and lag times. Additionally, you will add constraints and deadline reminders, display the critical path, and save your project in a Network Diagram view. This comprehensive exercise aims to enhance your proficiency in project scheduling and prepares you for developing a complete Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB) in Lab 3.
1. Implement all revisions suggested from the review of your previous lab submission. Resubmitting a file with the same mistakes will affect your score. (2 points)
2. Switch to Auto Schedule:
Ensure all your project activities are set to Auto Schedule. No tasks should be manually scheduled. (2 points)
3. Estimate and Enter Durations:
Estimate and enter durations for all your project activities. Consider the skill level required to perform the task and resource availability when estimating activity durations. (3 points)
4. Add Task Notes:
Add task notes to at least two of your project activities to document your estimating techniques. Specify if you used PERT estimates, learning curves, expert judgment, or historical data, and explain why. (Hint: You can enter and review task notes on the Notes tab in the Task Information dialog box). (4 points)
5. Add Milestones:
Add at least three milestones to your project where they are most appropriate. (Hint: A milestone is an activity with zero cost and zero duration used in the schedule to indicate significant events within the plan, such as design completion or permit receipt). (5 points)
6. Add Task Relationships:
Add task relationships to all your project activities and milestones. Ensure that all activities have a predecessor, except the first one, and a successor, except the last one. Do not link summary tasks or work packages—only activities and milestones. If a work package has not been broken down into activities, it should have a predecessor and a successor. (5 points)
7. Add Start-to-Start and Finish-to-Finish Relationships:
Add a start-to-start relationship between two pairs of project activities that should be planned in parallel. Add a task note explaining why these activities should be done in parallel instead of in sequence. Additionally, add a finish-to-finish relationship to two project activities and include a task note explaining why these activities should be planned this way. (3 points)
8. Add Lead Time:
Add lead time to at least one task relationship. (Hint: In MS Project, lead time is entered as a negative lag). (2 points)
9. Add Lag Time:
Add lag time to at least one task relationship. (2 points)
10. Add Constraints:
Add a constraint to one activity. For any task that has been constrained, add a comment explaining why it is constrained. (2 points)
11. Add a Deadline Reminder:
Add a deadline reminder to at least one task or milestone. (2 points)
12. Display the Critical Path:
Display the critical path of your project schedule and ensure that some activities have slack time. Not all activities should be on the critical path. (5 points)
13. Save as Network Diagram View:
Display your project in a Network Diagram view and save it so that it automatically opens in that view. (3 points)
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Your project file should include at least 50 lines of deliverables, work packages, and activities.
Remember that planning is an iterative process. You can revise your plan as more information becomes available.
Your project activities must be original. Do not copy information from other sources. Assignments that are not original will receive a zero score.
Review the attached file to understand how to structure your deliverables, work packages, and activities.
This assignment tests your understanding of the difference between project deliverables and activities. Do not enter any information other than what is required for the assignment (e.g., do not enter activity duration or resources). The schedule and budget for your project will be completed progressively.
Microsoft Project Training Resources are available in Canvas > Modules > Microsoft Project Resources.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Watch the provided video before submitting Lab Assignment 2 to ensure you understand all requirements and how to use Microsoft Project effectively.
Requirements: as stated
