Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Activity Your organisation is a leading television broadcaster. Your viewing ratings have been static for a number of years and this has impacted the amount of marketing spent with your network. You want to create a new television programme that is going to engage audiences. The project sponsor has commissioning a new family TV show that is to be shown in prime time Saturday evening slot. It will start broadcasting in 6 months time . You are members of the project team for this project. It is your role to enable this project to be planned out within the time frame requested. Your activity today is to create an effective WBS outlining the structure, activities, order and resources of the work. Having viewed the resources concerning MS Project and project planning, this is an exercise to help get you familiar with the basics of using MS Project. Part of the assignment report when you are creating your Project Initiation Document (PID) is that it should contain a work breakdown structure (WBS) and a ‘project schedule’ using a Gantt chart. This exercise will give you experience of inputting a WBS into MS Project and to create a simple Gantt chart. The tasks will require that you do the following: 1. Create a new blank project in MS Project. 2. Create a correctly ordered WBS and input this into the task pane within MS Project. To limit the time this will take, please copy and paste the list of tasks on page 2 of this document and insert them into MS Project. 3. Add accurate durations (in days) for each activity. Please just use your best estimate. 4. Link and indent activities based on their relationships to each other. 5. Add milestones for each phase of the project. 6. Create yourself as a resource and attach yourself to any work that you will do within the project. 7. Change the schedule if required so that you are not working weekends. By default MS Project does this automatically but you may be required to change this if you are using non-standard settings in your copy of MS Project. 8. Set as a baseline to schedule against. Note: Refer to the WBS diagram supplied in page 3. There are a variety of ways to perform these tasks in MS Project depending on user preference. Please use the walk through guide (MS Project Activity Companion found in Moodle), which will guide you step by step for how to complete this exercise. Please try using this before watching the solution video. (Please copy and paste below from ‘1.1 Select Topic’ to ‘1.4.4.2 Analyse’ and insert into MS Project Task Pane) 1.1 Select Topic 1.1.1 Define Problem 1.1.2 Contextualise 1.1.3 Develop Aims 1.1.4 Agree with Supervisor 1.2 Plan Research 1.2.1 Plans 1.2.1.1 Schedule 1.2.1.2 Budget 1.2.1.3 Risks 1.2.1.4 Assumptions & Constraints 1.2.2 Aims 1.2.2.1 Objectives 1.2.2.2 Deliverables 1.2.3 Initial Literature Review 1.2.3.1 Propositions 1.2.4 Initial Methodology 1.2.4.1 Tools 1.2.4.2 Data Collection 1.2.4.3 Sample 1.3 Literatu.

1. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Activity
Your organisation is a leading television broadcaster. Your
viewing ratings have been static for a number of years and this
has impacted the amount of marketing spent with your network.
You want to create a new television programme that is going to
engage audiences.
The project sponsor has commissioning a new family TV show
that is to be shown in prime time Saturday evening slot. It will
start broadcasting in 6 months time .
You are members of the project team for this project. It is your
role to enable this project to be planned out within the time
frame requested. Your activity today is to create an effective
WBS outlining the structure, activities, order and resources of
the work.
Having viewed the resources concerning MS Project and project
planning, this is an exercise to help get you familiar with the
basics of using MS Project.
Part of the assignment report when you are creating your

2. Project Initiation Document (PID) is that it should contain a
work breakdown structure (WBS) and a ‘project schedule’ using
a Gantt chart.
This exercise will give you experience of inputting a WBS into
MS Project and to create a simple Gantt chart.
The tasks will require that you do the following:
1. Create a new blank project in MS Project.
2. Create a correctly ordered WBS and input this into the task
pane within MS Project. To limit the time this will take, please
copy and paste the list of tasks on page 2 of this document and
insert them into MS Project.
3. Add accurate durations (in days) for each activity. Please just
use your best estimate.
4. Link and indent activities based on their relationships to each
other.
5. Add milestones for each phase of the project.
6. Create yourself as a resource and attach yourself to any work
that you will do within the project.
7. Change the schedule if required so that you are not working
weekends. By default MS Project does this automatically but
you may be required to change this if you are using non-
standard settings in your copy of MS Project.
8. Set as a baseline to schedule against.
Note: Refer to the WBS diagram supplied in page 3.
There are a variety of ways to perform these tasks in MS Project
depending on user preference. Please use the walk through
guide (MS Project Activity Companion found in Moodle), which
will guide you step by step for how to complete this exercise.
Please try using this before watching the solution video.
(Please copy and paste below from ‘1.1 Select Topic’ to ‘1.4.4.2

3. Analyse’ and insert into MS Project Task Pane)
1.1 Select Topic
1.1.1 Define Problem
1.1.2 Contextualise
1.1.3 Develop Aims
1.1.4 Agree with Supervisor
1.2 Plan Research
1.2.1 Plans
1.2.1.1 Schedule
1.2.1.2 Budget
1.2.1.3 Risks
1.2.1.4 Assumptions & Constraints
1.2.2 Aims
1.2.2.1 Objectives
1.2.2.2 Deliverables
1.2.3 Initial Literature Review
1.2.3.1 Propositions
1.2.4 Initial Methodology
1.2.4.1 Tools
1.2.4.2 Data Collection
1.2.4.3 Sample
1.3 Literature Review
1.3.1 Identify Themes
1.3.1.1 Key Word
1.3.1.2 Literature Review
1.3.2 Write Findings
1.3.2.1 Review Propositions
1.3.2.2 Supervisor Feedback
1.3.3. Identify Conceptual Models
1.4 Methodology
1.4.1 Strategy
1.4.1.1 Philosophical Approach
1.4.1.2 Design
1.4.1.3 Evaluate Methods
1.4.1.3.1 Select Methods
1.4.2 Data Collection

4. 1.4.2.1 Evaluate Tools
1.4.2.1.1 Select Tools
1.4.3 Sample
1.4.3.1 Identify Pop
1.4.3.2 Sampling Strategy
1.4.3.2.1 Criteria
1.4.3.3 Development Contingency
1.4.4 Analysis
1.4.4.1 Sort Data
1.4.4.2 Analyse

5. 1
Having been given an overview and introduced to the functions
of MS Project.
Your first assignment is to put together a plan within MS
Project for the process
of creating a dissertation. The tasks will require that you do the
following:

6. 1. Create a new project in MS Project.
2. Create a correctly ordered WBS and input this into the task
pane within
MS Project. For time purposes during this session you may copy
and paste
the list of tasks on the following page.
3. Add accurate durations (in hours) for each activity.
4. Link and indent activities based on their relationships to each
other.
5. Add milestones for each phase of the project.
6. Create yourself as a resource and attach yourself to any work
that you
will do within the project. Add additional resources in required
tasks.
7. Change the schedule if required so that you are not working
weekends.
8. Set as a baseline to schedule against.
Walk through steps to follow (in this order to avoid over
scheduling yourself):
1. Create a new project. To open up a new blank project file. Go
to the File
tab and then select the open ‘New’.

7. A selection of options will be presented. Click the ‘Blank
Project’ option and a
new blank project will be created for you.
2. Change to Automatic Scheduling. On the bottom left hand
corner of your
screen it will show you your current scheduling mode
(Automatic or
Manual).
For the purposes of this exercise we require it to be switched to
‘Automatic’ if not already at this setting. To do this, go again to
the File
Tab, Select ‘Options’, it will bring up a pop like the one
illustrated below.
Go down a click the ‘Schedule’ on the left hand side menu and
towards
the bottom of the options there is a choice to change the ‘New
Tasks
Created’ to be either ‘Manually Scheduled’ or ‘Auto
Scheduled’. Change it
so that it is now set to ‘Auto Scheduled’ then click ‘OK’.

8. 3. Import the data. To have a WBS to work from copy and paste
into your
Gantt chart the numbered dissertation task list as found in the
assignment
brief. This will then populate the task pane with the required
tasks. If you
didn’t have any data to import you would have to enter each
task
individually by hand. Make sure you paste into the ‘Task Name’
column
only.
Select the WBS and select ‘Copy’.
‘Paste’ into the ‘Task Name’ column.
4. Review / change working hours. The work days should
automatically
be set to have Saturday and Sunday off so you shouldn’t be
default need to
change anything for the working schedule on this calendar. To
review go

9. to the ‘Project’ tab and then click the icon named ‘Change
Working Time’
Review the Calendar and select ‘Options’ to make
further changes.
5. Change the duration values. Go ahead and start changing the
values of
each task away from the default value of 1 day. There are no
right/wrong
values it is just an exercise to get you familiar with changing
them
manually but think about how realistic your durations may be.
Remember the short cuts you can use, typing 1h will change the
task
duration to 1 hour. 1d will change to 1 day and 1w will change
it to 1
week etc.
As you change the durations you should see the difference
reflected in the Gantt.
6. Set your milestones. Think where your milestones will go in
relation to
the WBS. Review the hand out diagram and place the milestones
according to how each group is ID numbered. To enter a
milestone you

10. need to select a task one space below where you want to place
your
milestone, as it will be inserted above the highlighted area. A
milestone is
characterised by the diamond on the Gantt and always has a
value of zero.
If you change the value away from zero it then becomes
something other
than a milestone. Make sure that you name the milestone you
have
created.
Highlight below where you want to insert the milestone and in
the ‘Task’ tab
click the insert ‘Milestone’ icon to add it to your Gantt.
Give your milestone a name and it should have 0 days as the
Duration. It should
be represented in the Gantt as a black diamond with a date
attached if inserted
correctly.
7. Highlight all the tasks and link together. The relationships
that tasks
have with each other are an important feature of your Gantt. To
link them
together you do this by highlighting all the tasks required (in
this scenario
them all) and then pressing the link icon from the menu (looks
like a little

11. chain).
Select and highlight required tasks to link together then click
the Link icon.
If done correctly it should show that the start/finish dates have
been altered so
that they are not running on the same date anymore. There
should be a
populated list of numbers within the predecessors column and
the time line
should have tasks linked together with arrowed lines to reflect
their current
relationship.
8. Add resources. Now having scheduled activities which have a
relationship to each other we are in the position to add
resources to these
tasks. From the ‘Gantt Chart’ button select ‘Resource View’
then pick
the ‘Resource Sheet’. On the resource sheet add a resource
(yourself)
and set the pay amounts for standard and overtime rates (again
no
correct amount put what you determine is realistic).
Gantt Chart Icon – Click the

12. bottom right hand corner of
it to have this menu expand
and then click the ‘Resource
Sheet’ option.
Like an Excel spreadsheet, manually enter in any applicable
resources (people,
equipment etc) ensuring that you have identified the type of
work and given a
rate of pay for that resource. Click the Gantt Chart button to
return to the Gantt
view.
9. Assign resources. Having created a bank of resources to
select from we
now need to attach them to the correct points in our WBS.
Because it is
only you who are doing the dissertation we only need to add
ourselves.
To do this we can highlight all the tasks again and then press
the ‘Assign
Resource’ button. From the pop up box that appears press your
name
and click the assign button. Your name should now appear
beside all the
tasks you are engaged in throughout the project.
Highlight the ‘Task Name’ column to ‘Select All’ the tasks. Go
to the ‘Resource
Tab’ and then click ‘Assign Resources’.

13. A popup menu should appear. Select the resource you want,
highlight them and
then click ‘Assign’. This should attach the resource to the
highlighted tasks and
should show up with the resource name in the Gantt.
10. Set summary tasks. These are linked to your WBS and is a
good house
keeping exercise to group all those tasks in the same level
together. Select
all the tasks that are related (remember to include the
milestones) and
then click the summary button and above the highlighted tasks a
new
summary of those tasks will have been created and the tasks
grouped
together.
Select the phase of the WBS you want to group together by
highlighting them. Go
to the ‘Task’ tab and the click the ‘Summary’ icon. You will be
asked to give a
name of the Summary, rename it and repeat for the other phases.

14. By doing this
you can hide sections of the WBS and see information at both a
top level or click
through to view at a more detailed level.
Level 1 (Project)
Level 2 (Work packages)
Level 3 (Tasks)
11. Review statistics. Should you want to provide a breakdown
of data for a
meeting or to have a summary of statistics this can be done by
generating
a report. Within the ‘Project’ tab go to the ‘Reports’ icon and
look
through the selected reports to see how differently the
information from
your project can be displayed and analysed.

15. 12. Set a baseline and get to work. With your project schedule
complete
you can now go to the ‘Project’ tab and select the ‘Set Baseline’
button to
create a snap shot of your expected project schedule. As you go
ahead
with your project, you will see a visual indicator for how far
ahead/behind you are to your original baseline as you update the
schedule.
Workbook for creating dependencies in MS Project
Example 1
Construct a WBS diagram in MS Project using the following
information
Work out the duration of the project.
ID
Task Name
Predecessors
Duration
1
A
2 days
2
B
1
4 days
3
C
1
7 days
4
D

16. 2
6 days
5
E
4
8 days
6
F
5
7 days
7
G
3
5 days
8
H
7,6
3 days
Example 2
Construct a network diagram using the following data
Work out the duration of the project using forward and
backward pass and work out the critical path
ID
Task Name
Predecessors
Duration
1
A
5
2
B
4
3
C

17. A
3
4
D
A
4
5
E
A
6
6
F
B,C
4
7
G
D
5
8
H
D,E
6
8
I
F
6
8
J
G,H
4
And now for a more challenging one
The following activities were listed during a brainstorming

18. session on product development. Find the appropriate
predecessor-successor relationships and then construct a
network diagram using the activity durations. Find the critical
path and any slack time for the activities.
1. Organise the sales office: Hire sales manager (6
weeks)
2. Hire sales personnel: The sales manager will recruit
and hire the salespeople (4 weeks)
3. Train sales personnel: Train sales people hire to sell the
product to distributors (7 weeks)
4. Select advertising agency: Sales manager will select
agency (2 weeks)
5. Plan advertising campaign: Sales and advertising office
will jointly plan the campaign (4
weeks)
6. Conduct advertising campaign: Advertising agency will a
“watch for” campaign for potential
customers (10 weeks)
7. Design package: Have packaging designed and
engineered (2 weeks)
8. Set up packaging facility: Prepare to package good
received from distributor (10
weeks)
9. Package initial stocks: Package stocks from
manufacturer (6 weeks)
10. Order and receive stock Order stock from
manufacturer. Includes delivery
time (13 weeks)
11. Select distributors Sales manager will select,
sales people will contact to make
sales (9 weeks)
12. Sell to distributors Take orders, assign stock on
a quota basis (6 weeks)
13. Ship stock Ship orders (6 weeks)