Running Head; EFFECTIVE PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN THE FACE OF RISKS 1 EFFECTIVE PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN THE FACE OF RISKS 2 Effective Project management in the Face of Risks Name Institution The Gantt Chart and the Critical Path In this week’s Learning Activity, you will be creating and expanding on the work breakdown structure (WBS) in ProjectLibre. You will also be adding/updating the Gantt Chart with predecessors, resources, and costs.  Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) This week we are continuing in the planning stage of the project and will be working on tools project managers use to help not only plan the project, but to execute, control, and close out the project during the rest of the project lifecycle. The work breakdown structure (WBS) takes the project and breaks it down into smaller, more manageable pieces (Brenner, 2009). The end-product will be an organized, visual display of the main pieces of your project. The tasks and subtask in the WBS must stand on their own and be clear to anyone who picks up the document. Project documents are often forwarded to others who are not intimately familiar with the project and they need to be able to understand the tasks.  There are no hard rules on how wide or deep your WBS structure should be. However, the subtasks, need to be small enough to maintain control and visibility and at the same time avoid excess bureaucracy. A WBS of a project to paint a few rooms in a home is provided in Figure 1 below. Note the tasks for this project are logically grouped into several sections. Figure 1: Work Breakdown Structure to Paint a Room Gantt Chart The Gantt chart is a set of horizontal lines that provide a visual view of the tasks scheduled over time. The Gantt chart is always paired with the work break down structure (WBS) so the team can see the tasks that go with the timeline. The Gantt chart is also very helpful in seeing the project’s critical path and creating a timeline. Visuals from the Gantt chart helps the team members identify which tasks must be done in sequence (for example, buy the paint first before painting the wall) and which tasks might be done at the same time (for example, remove the wallpaper and cover the electrical outlets). Knowing which tasks can be done simultaneously will allow the team members to better plan and coordinate resources for the project. During this week, you will be adding predecessors to your WBS and determining when different tasks and subtasks in your project should begin. This information will be reflected in your Gantt chart. You are encouraged to play around with duration and predecessors to see the impact on Gantt chart, critical path, and the overall visual. Figure 2 (below) shows the WBS with the Gantt chart (see blue horizontal lines) for the painting project. This is a good example of what a Gantt chart should look like. Figure 2: Gantt chart example with key notes  Project Resourc.

1. Running Head; EFFECTIVE PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN
THE FACE OF RISKS 1
EFFECTIVE PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN THE FACE OF
RISKS 2
Effective Project management in the Face of Risks
Name
Institution
The Gantt Chart and the Critical Path
In this week’s Learning Activity, you will be creating and
expanding on the work breakdown structure (WBS) in
ProjectLibre. You will also be adding/updating the Gantt Chart
with predecessors, resources, and costs.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
This week we are continuing in the planning stage of the project
and will be working on tools project managers use to help not
only
plan the project, but to execute, control, and close out the
project
during the rest of the project lifecycle.
The work breakdown structure (WBS) takes the project and
breaks it down into smaller, more manageable pieces (Brenner,

2. 2009). The end-product will be an organized, visual display of
the
main pieces of your project.
The tasks and subtask in the WBS must stand on their own and
be clear to anyone who picks up the document. Project
documents are often forwarded to others who are not intimately
familiar with the project and they need to be able to understand
the tasks.
There are no hard rules on how wide or deep your WBS
structure
should be. However, the subtasks, need to be small enough to
maintain control and visibility and at the same time avoid
excess
bureaucracy.
A WBS of a project to paint a few rooms in a home is provided
in
Figure 1 below. Note the tasks for this project are logically
grouped into several sections.
Figure 1: Work Breakdown Structure to Paint a Room
Gantt Chart
The Gantt chart is a set of horizontal lines that provide a visual
view of the tasks scheduled over time. The Gantt chart is always
paired with the work break down structure (WBS) so the team
can
see the tasks that go with the timeline.
The Gantt chart is also very helpful in seeing the project’s
critical
path and creating a timeline. Visuals from the Gantt chart helps
the team members identify which tasks must be done in
sequence

3. (for example, buy the paint first before painting the wall) and
which tasks might be done at the same time (for example,
remove
the wallpaper and cover the electrical outlets).
Knowing which tasks can be done simultaneously will allow the
team members to better plan and coordinate resources for the
project.
During this week, you will be adding predecessors to your WBS
and determining when different tasks and subtasks in your
project
should begin. This information will be reflected in your Gantt
chart. You are encouraged to play around with duration and
predecessors to see the impact on Gantt chart, critical path, and
the overall visual.
Figure 2 (below) shows the WBS with the Gantt chart (see blue
horizontal lines) for the painting project. This is a good
example of
what a Gantt chart should look like.
Figure 2: Gantt chart example with key notes
Project Resource
Figure 2 (above) also shows project resources, which you will
be
adding in this week’s learning activity.
In project management, resources are the component needed to
complete a project. Project resources can be people, equipment,
location, funding, and any other necessary asset that is required
to complete a project. Therefore, a lack of resource can be a
constraint to complete a project task.
Project resources should be identified, assessed, and allocated
before a project starts. Resource are added to help ensure
resources are properly scheduled and that no resources are being
double booked or overwhelmed. Poor resource planning can

4. have
a significant negative consequence on a project, including
delayed delivery, cost overrun, and/or inferior project
deliverable.
See Figure 3 below for a visual of where to add resources in
ProjectLibre.
Figure 3: Adding resources to ProjectLibre
In this week’s learning activity, you will be adding resources
and
costs to your project. See below for where and how to add costs
for the various resources that have been assigned to the project.
Adding costs to resources is a step in figuring out the total costs
of a project.
Many organizations consider internal employee time when
calculating the cost to a project. This is particularly true in
cross-
functional teams (common in projects) where labor resources
come from different departments.
Figure 4: Adding costs to ProjectLibre
Let’s Talk Turkey – Why the Critical Path is so Important
The textbook and your course goes over the critical path, so we
are not going to cover it in detail here, however, the discussion
below will help you bolster your understanding of the critical
path
and what it means to your project and how it will influence
what
you do in the Learning Activity.
Think about Thanksgiving dinner and everything that is cooked
on
that day for the entire family: Turkey, ham, baked potatoes,
sweet

5. potato, stuffing, greens, rolls, corn bread, gravy, salads, pies
and
more.
Planning a Thanksgiving dinner takes a great deal of
consideration and organization. Project management is no
different!
On Thanksgiving Day, it is NOT feasible to start cooking
everything at the same time nor it is practical to wait till one
dish is
finished before starting the preparation for the next dish.
Logistically, it is also challenging to ensure that every dish is
cooked at the exact the same time (instead you may end up
making the salads and desserts early and reheat other things
before they go on the table).
Applying project management principles to our analogy of
cooking
Thanksgiving meal would include tasks like: write down and
group
the tasks that need to be done (this is your work breakdown
structure), estimating the time to complete each task (task
duration), resources required to complete each task (Joe,
Grandma, the stove, etc.,), and which task(s) must be completed
before starting another task(s) (predecessor).
For Thanksgiving dinner, there are few tasks that will take a
long
time (cooking and thawing the turkey for example), but there
are
plenty of other things that can be done while the bird is thawing
and cooking. Tasks that can be done at the same time are called
parallel tasks.
Figuring out the critical path is the key. The critical path will
tell us
how much time the project will take, when you need to start

6. thawing and cooking the bird, and what time the dinner will
start.
The following video (Silverman, 2013) provides a good
introduction to the critical path. While the user interface in
ProjectLibre may look different, the concept remains the same.
Silverman, P. (November 28, 2013). Microsoft Project Tutorial
–
Understanding the Critical Path
(Links to an external site.)
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/n-
Mw3l42sgw
Paul Silverman
202 subscribers
Microsoft Project Tutorial - Understanding the Critical Path
Watch later
https://www.youtube.com/n-Mw3l42sgw
https://www.youtube.com/n-Mw3l42sgw
https://www.youtube.com/n-Mw3l42sgw
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk2A_C750isUuagwvvNf9
HA?feature=embeds_subscribe_title
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Mw3l42sgw
Share
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The reason for such a high emphasis on critical path is if any of

7. the tasks on the critical path are delayed, then it affects the
entire
timeline of the project.
The critical path for Thanksgiving dinner may be this:
1. Menu prep and shopping list
2. Buy the turkey
3. Thaw 20-pound turkey (using the quick method (10 to 12
hours)
4. Bake unstuffed turkey (4.2 to 5 hours)
5. Rest turkey and carve turkey (40 minutes)
6. Reheat food cooked early (20 minutes)
Nothing can start until the menu prep and the turkey has been
purchased /shopping is done. After that the other parts of the
meal can be done while the turkey is thawing, baking, or
resting.
For those of us with only one oven (limited resources) it is
important to include the oven in the list of resources and
schedule
what the oven is doing at any one time appropriately. Managing
the ovens time is key on Thanksgiving. Some dishes may need
to
be baked (like pies and breads) while the turkey is thawing. The
other things can be reallocated to the stove top or rotated in and
out of the oven while the turkey is cooking. For example,
potatoes
for mashed potatoes can be boiled instead of baked. Sweet
potatoes can often be placed in the oven with the turkey.
In this week’s assignment, you will set up your work breakdown
structure with deliverables, subtasks, and associated
dependencies which will allow you to identify your critical
path.
The following video (Bradley, 2015) provides an overview of
how
to set up and use ProjectLibre. This resource may assist you
with

8. understanding how you will be using ProjectLibre throughout
this
course and with your Time and Cost Estimation Exercise
Interactive learning activity this week.
Bradley, H (July 11, 2015). Learn the basics of ProjetLibre –
Your
quick start to project management with ProjectLibre
(Links to an external site.)
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/oiVnWX-J5Mo
Helen Bradley
45K subscribers
Learn the Basics of ProjectLibre - Your Quick Start to
Project Management with ProjectLibre
Watch later
Share
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disabled in your browser.</div></div>
Stand on its Own
Remember every time you write anything it must stand on its
own.
Meaning the documents must have the information and
background necessary for others to understand them. If others
have to guess what you mean or have to make jumps in logic,
then you have not accomplished your goal.
As a manager or project manager, a lot of your documents will

9. be
forwarded as is and even someone not familiar with the project
needs to be able to read and understand what your project is
from
the project name, to the project scope, what tasks they need to
do
(the work breakdown structure and WBS dictionary) and what is
https://youtu.be/oiVnWX-J5Mo
https://youtu.be/oiVnWX-J5Mo
https://youtu.be/oiVnWX-J5Mo
https://youtu.be/oiVnWX-J5Mo
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC31bW-
FYjdc5gsc_Zg77vkA?feature=embeds_subscribe_title
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiVnWX-J5Mo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiVnWX-J5Mo
going on in the project and what the project manager has done
about it (the milestones, issues, and overall status report).
Since we will be sharing your project and your work in the
classroom writing clearly is also key since the class needs to be
able to understand your project and the work breakdown
structure.
FSBT Project Management Club
Want to learn more about project management and connect with
others? The Forbes School of Business and Technology™
(FSBT) at Ashford University has a Project Management Club.
The FSBT Project Management Club is dedicated to the
personal
and professional growth of its members by sharing and
discussing
methodology, leadership, and career opportunities about project
management. The Project Management Club is open to Ashford
and FSBT students, faculty, staff, alumni, and anyone who has a
strong interest in the area of project management.

10. The direct URL to join the FSBT Project Management Group is:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13536418
(Links to an external site.)
References
Bradley, H. (2015, July 11). Learn the basics of ProjectLibre—
Your quick start to project management with ProjectLibre
(Links to an external site.)
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/oiVnWX-J5Mo
Silverman, Paul (November 28, 2013). Microsoft Project
Tutorial -
Understanding the Critical Path
(Links to an external site.)
[Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-
Mw3l42sgw
How to cite this lecture
Milligan, S., Parikh, R. & Ardolino, E.(2019). PRM300: Time
and
Cost Estimations to Project Management
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13536418
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13536418
https://youtu.be/oiVnWX-J5Mo
https://youtu.be/oiVnWX-J5Mo
https://youtu.be/oiVnWX-J5Mo
https://youtu.be/oiVnWX-J5Mo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Mw3l42sgw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Mw3l42sgw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Mw3l42sgw

11. Materials in this lecture are based on the Project Management
Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Project
Management Institute, Inc., 2017. Copyright and all rights
reserved. PMBOK® is a registered mark of the Project
Management Institute, Inc.