MGT 3302, Introduction to Project Management 1 Cou.docx

MGT 3302, Introduction to Project Management 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
4. Develop a project plan.
4.1 Express project components of a simple project plan,
including responsibility assignment matrix
(RAM), project charter, and quality plan.
6. Summarize project management techniques.
6.1 Express management techniques by using tools such as a
work breakdown structure (WBS)
and responsibility assignment matrix (RAM).
Course/Unit
Learning Outcomes
Learning Activity
4.1
Unit Lesson
Chapter 5, pp. 146–191

Unit IV Course Project
6.1
Unit Lesson
Unit IV Course Project
Required Unit Resources
Chapter 5: Developing the Schedule, pp. 146–191
Unit Lesson
In the previous unit lesson, we discussed the statement of work
(SOW), the work breakdown structure (WBS),
and a responsibility assignment matrix (RAM). You also learned
about determining the predecessors for
activities in your project. In this unit, you will learn more about
creating a network diagram using our fair
project activity list.
As a reminder, this is the table we created for our activities. In
this example, we are indicating that Activity B
cannot occur until Activity A has been completed. Activity I
cannot start until Activities E, N, and H are
complete.
Activity Description Predecessors
A Determine some potential dates for the fair. None
B Research potential available locations for a tent and space

for 300 employees.
A
C Discuss potential locations and cost. B
D Decide on a location. C
E Reserve the location. D
F Research companies that have fun day activities, such as
dunking booths.
A
G Discuss potential activities and cost. F
H Reserve the activities. G
I Gather a list of all other items needed (e.g., tables, chairs,
garbage cans).
E, N, H
UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE
Creating a Project Schedule
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title
J Research potential companies that will provide food,
including lunch and fun fair food.
A
K Discuss food options and cost. J
L Determine a potential menu. K
M Determine a company to hire. L
N Order food. M
O Communicate fun day to all employees. I
To create an activity network, we need to add nodes first. A
node is simply an activity with other information
inside it or around it.
Activity Name
Activity # Person Responsible Estimated Duration
Below is an example of what one of our activity nodes might
look like for Activity B.
Research potential

available locations
B James 5 days
To fill in this information, we need to know how long each
activity will last or the estimated duration. How does
the project manager (PM) come up with estimated duration? The
method can vary by PM and by
organization. In some cases, it is a guess by someone who is
knowledgeable. For example, an information
technology (IT) software manager may know that a specific
form could take approximately 2 weeks to build
and test. In some cases, the PM will calculate the average
between the minimum estimated duration and the
maximum estimated duration. Also, the PM has to consider how
many resources are available to work on the
activities.
For our fair project example, we will just assign estimated
durations.
Activity # Description Predecessors Estimated
Duration (days)
A Determine some potential dates for the fair. None 5
B Research potential available locations for a
tent and space for 300 employees.
A 3
C Discuss potential locations and cost. B 2
D Decide on a location. C 1

E Reserve the location. D 4
F Research companies that have fun day
activities, such as dunking booths.
A 1
G Discuss potential activities and cost. F 1
H Reserve the activities. G 2
I Gather a list of all other items needed (e.g.,
tables, chairs, garbage cans).
E, N, H 7
J Research potential companies that will
provide food, including lunch and fun fair
food.
A 1
K Discuss food options and cost. J 2
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title

L Determine a potential menu. K 1
M Determine a company to hire. L 1
N Order food. M 1
O Communicate fun day to all employees. I 1
As Gido, Clements, and Baker (2018) note, to build an activity
network, we use the activity number and draw
the paths. There should always be a single starting point and a
single ending point. So, based on the
predecessors for our fair project, our activity network would
look something like the one shown below.
In the interest of limited space, we added only the activity
number and estimated duration into our simplified
nodes. Why is it important to know the activity durations in our
network diagram? It is important because the
PM needs to determine the critical path. The critical path is the
minimum time needed to complete a project
by the due date.
In our example, we have three paths in our network activity
diagram.

So, to calculate the critical path, see the calculations below.
15 days
days
1+7+1+2+1+1+2+1 = 16 days
Therefore, our critical path is path three, and we need 16 days
to complete our fair project. This means that
path three has no slack time. Slack time is the amount of time a
project can be delayed without risking not
completing on time.
There are more items that we need to add to our nodes and our
activity network. We have to determine where
there slack time is. To do this, we have to calculate the earliest
start, earliest finish, latest start, and latest
finish. With this information, our new node will look like the
one below.
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title
Research potential
available locations
B James 5 days
Please review the Unit IV Project Scheduling Presentation for
more information about the process of
calculating the earliest start, earliest finish, latest start, latest
finish, and slack time.
Project Control
A part of developing a project scope includes the creation of a
baseline so that it is known when the project
will be completed and how many resources will be needed. The
PM will need to evaluate the plan to make
sure that it is on track to finish on time. Thus, the project
control process involves collecting data at different
intervals as a performance measure and comparing planned to
actual performance. If actual performance is
less than planned, then we are behind schedule. Conversely, if
actual is more than planned, we are ahead of
schedule.

Generally speaking, if we are behind schedule, then we need to
make some adjustments to catch up. There
may be many reasons why we are behind schedule though. It
may be that a supplier or vendor was late with
the delivery of materials. It may be that a material cost more
than expected. It may be that we have scope
creep. Scope creep usually involves adding additional
requirements to the project. For example, in an IT
project, it is not uncommon for users to ask to add functionality
into the systems they are requesting.
Obviously, scope creep has to be managed; otherwise, your
project could spin out of control.
A part of project control will be to update the Gantt chart found
in Microsoft Project. Below is a random Gantt
chart example.
As you can see, the PM has a task ID, a task name, the duration,
and the predecessor. The next step would
be to enter in the name of the person responsible for each task.
Under project control, the PM would
periodically ask the person responsible for each task how much
of his or her task had been completed. At this
Slack Time
Earliest Start
Earliest Finish
Latest Finish Latest Start
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-
117323001_1

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
time, the PM might also learn of any delays. This information is
entered into the Gantt chart. Then, the PM will
click on “Resource Leveling” to see if there is any impact to the
schedule and to the end date of the project.
In our next unit, we will cover more about resource utilization.
Reference
Gido, J., Clements, J. P., & Baker, R. (2018). Successful project
management (7th ed.). Boston, MA:
Cengage Learning.
Suggested Unit Resources
In order to access the following resources, click the links
below.
The following video walks you through the creation of a Gantt

chart.
Doug H. (2011, September 14). Create a basic Gantt chart
[Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjxL_hQn5w0
Transcript for Create a Basic Gantt Chart video
The following article provides details about staffing and project
scheduling through resource analysis.
Maenhout, B., & Vanhoucke, M. (2017). A resource type
analysis of the integrated project scheduling and
personnel staffing problem. Annals of Operations Research,
252(2), 407–433. Retrieved from
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://s
earch.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=bsu&AN=122783079&site=ehost-live&scope=site
The following video shows how to utilize Microsoft Project to
create a Gantt chart.
Porterfield, T. (2016, September 22). MS Project 2013 basic
Gantt chart [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4KalzZtE1c
Transcript for MS Project 2013 Basic Gantt Chart video
Learning Activities (Nongraded)

Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in
their course of study. You do not have to submit
them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further
guidance and information.
In each chapter, there are questions to “Reinforce Your
Learning” found in the left margin on some of the
pages. For example, in Chapter 5, questions are found on pp.
149, 150, 151, 153, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159,
160, 161, 164, 166, 168, 170, 171, 172, and 173. Answer the
questions to check your knowledge. The
answers may be found starting on page 487.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjxL_hQn5w0
117322399_1
earch.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=1227
83079&site=ehost-live&scope=site
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4KalzZtE1c
117322400_1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit III

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
2. Discuss project management as a series of activities and
tasks.
2.1 Discuss the activities and tasks for a project.
4. Develop a project plan.
4.1 Express project components, including the work breakdown
structure (WBS), task descriptions,
and organizational breakdown structure (OBS).
Course/Unit
Learning Outcomes
Learning Activity
2.1
Unit Lesson
Unit III Course Project
4.1
Unit Lesson
Video: Project Quality Management
Video: How to Meet Your Quality Targets – Project
Management
Unit III Course Project
Required Unit Resources

Chapter 4: Defining Scope, Quality, Responsibility, and
Activity Sequence, pp. 103–133
In order to access the following resources, click the links
below.
Lanceta, A. (2016, July 21). Project quality management [Video
file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ0GvN2DsFo
Transcript for Project Quality Management video
Project Management Videos. (2012, January 13). How to meet
your quality targets – Project management
[Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDj0RBjYAdk
Transcript for How to Meet Your Quality Targets – Project
Management video
Unit Lesson
In this unit, we discuss the importance of defining a project
scope, ensuring project quality, determining
activities, and assigning responsibilities. In your assignment for
Unit II, you were starting the creation of a
simple project plan to include the project overview. The project
overview includes the basics for a project,
including the purpose, scope, and objectives. We discussed the
creation of a project proposal, which contains
many of the elements that might go into a project scope.

Project Quality
It is important in any project to plan for project quality. In
many cases, project quality is not a part of the
project plan because it is assumed that all of the deliverables
will meet acceptance criteria. This may be true,
but we do not want to wait until we are delivering the product to
find out that something was missed. There
UNIT III STUDY GUIDE
Expanding the Project Scope
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ0GvN2DsFo
117322398_1
117783755_1
117783755_1
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
should be quality checks throughout the process. Thus, the

project manager (PM) should create a project
quality plan with built-in checks to make sure that quality
standards are being met. For example, in
information technology (IT), there are always compliance
concerns. When creating a system for retail, there is
Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance. The PCI Data
Security Standard (DSS) is a set of rules to handle
credit card transactions in a secure manner. In health care, we
have to consider Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability (HIPPA) standards. In construction, we have
to consider building codes. Imagine
completely building a house and realizing you did not check to
make sure the plumbing is up to code!
The project quality plan will be different for every project.
However, there is some basic information that
should be included.
Quality assurance: The first item in the project quality plan is
written procedures for assuring quality. In a
construction project, this might be accomplished by creating a
list of inspections and instructions. In an IT
project, this may involve a compliance checklist or a software
testing strategy. The plan should include what
tools, methods, and techniques will be involved. For complex
projects, there may even be a quality inspector.
Quality control: The second item in a project quality plan
involves monitoring the quality of the project. How
often do we need to check quality? The PM will need to develop
a schedule for quality checks. Also, by what
standards are we comparing? Do we have a baseline? Do we
have industry best practices to which to
compare?
Project Scope

As Gido, Clements, and Baker (2018) note, the project scope
simply describes what needs to be done in the
project. What activities need to be completed? In what sequence
do those activities need to occur? Who
needs to be responsible for those activities? What deliverables
do we need to create? With whom do we need
to communicate? What is the criteria by which we will measure
customer satisfaction?
The project scope should contain, at a minimum, the following
elements:
k breakdown structure (WBS).
The SOW includes all of the major tasks or activities to be
performed for the project to be a success. We
cannot produce our deliverables without having a list of major
activities, can we?
Let’s say, for example, that we want to plan an Employee
Appreciation Day Fair for our 300 employees. What
are the tasks that need to be involved to do this? Consider the
following as starting activities:

ate,
This list sounds incredibly simplified, and it is. There are many
decisions to be made and many moving parts
to this type of event. For example, will we allow family
members to come? If family members attend, we will
have to have a lot more in the way of drinks and food. This
means our budget will increase greatly. Will we
have a theme? What are some options for location? How we
plan this event will vary greatly if we decide to
have the event on our property under a tent versus renting an
amusement park, right? What kinds of activities
and games will we have? Do we need to rent fun items like a
dunking booth?
In project planning, the PM has to be able to reduce the major
tasks into simple activities. Then, the PM will
have to determine who will be responsible for each task or
activity. For example, based on our activity list, we
need to discuss potential locations and then decide on a
location. Will someone need to do some research to

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
determine a list of potential locations along with cost? Let’s
assume that we want to have a location where we
can put up a tent and have picnic tables.
Consider the more refined list below:
300 employees;
on;
dunking booths;
garbage cans);

and fun fair food;
Is this better? Now, who will be in charge of each of these
tasks? Perhaps the procurement department will
be involved in researching the activities and games. Logistics
might be involved in finding space for the tent
and games. Human resources (HR) might be involved in
acquiring food. Facility services may handle
acquiring the other items such as tables and chairs.
The next step in the process is to create a WBS. This just means
that we are taking the activities and putting
them into logical work packages. Many times, this is achieved
based on department. For example, if you need
your IT department involved in a project, then all of the IT
tasks would likely be put into an IT work package.
Below is an example of some of our fair activities placed in a
project WBS.
Example Project WBS
Breakdown Description WBS Code
Employee Appreciation Day Fair 1.0

Deliverable 1 Report on potential
dates for Fair
1.1
Deliverable 2 Location Selection 1.2
WP1 Research potential
available locations
and cost
1.2.1
WP2 Discuss locations and
cost
1.2.2
WP3 Meet and make
decision
1.2.3
WP4 Reserve the location 1.2.4
Deliverable 3 Report on activity
list
1.3
WP1 Research companies
with activities and
games
1.3.1

WP2 Discuss potential list
and costs
1.3.2
WP3 Meet and make
decision
1.3.3
WP4 Reserve the activities
and games
1.3.4
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Once this report is complete, the PM can develop a
responsibility assignment matrix (RAM). The RAM is used
to provide a visual of who will be responsible for what work. As
you can see in the example below, there are
certain employees who are responsible for certain activities, but
you could also have employees who act as
support, who give approval, or who need to be notified.

Example RAM
Then, once the RAM is complete, the PM can determine the
activity predecessors. This step is especially
important because the rest of your project is based on these
predecessors. For example, the predecessors
need to be solidified in order to create an effective Gantt chart.
A Gantt chart is a visual depiction used to
track projects from start to finish by managing activities and
resources.
When determining predecessors for each activity, the PM has to
consider which activities have to finish
before another activity can start. Which activities can occur at
the same time? For example, in our fair project,
it is assumed that research in each area can occur at the same
time. However, we cannot communicate
about the fair until all decisions have been made and until we
have successfully made reservations for the
location, activities, and food.
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title

The predecessor information can be put into a table, such as the
one shown below.
Activity Description Predecessors
A Determine some potential dates for the fair. None
B Research potential available locations for a tent and space
for 300 employees.
A
C Discuss potential locations and cost. B
D Decide on a location. C
E Reserve the location. D
F Research companies that have fun day activities, such as
dunking booths.
A
G Discuss potential activities and cost. F
H Reserve the activities. G
I Gather a list of all other items needed (e.g., tables, chairs,
garbage cans).
E, N, H
J Research potential companies that will provide food,

including lunch and fun fair food.
A
K Discuss food options and cost. J
L Determine a potential menu. K
M Determine a company to hire. L
N Order food. M
O Communicate fun day to all employees. I
The PM will use this information to create an activity network
diagram. We will discuss an activity network
diagram in Unit IV.
Reference
Gido, J., Clements, J. P., & Baker, R. (2018). Successful project
management (7th ed.). Boston, MA:
Cengage Learning.
Suggested Unit Resources
In order to access the following resource, click the link below.
Steinman, J. (2017). Defining and measuring project quality.
Control Engineering, 64(5), 46–48. Retrieved

from
earch.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=bsu&AN=123237807&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Learning Activities (Nongraded)
Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in
their course of study. You do not have to submit
them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further
guidance and information.
In each chapter, there are questions to “Reinforce Your
Learning” found in the left margin on some of the
pages. For example, in Chapter 4, questions are found on pp.
105, 106, 110, 111, 112, 116, 118, 119, 122,
and 123. Answer the questions to check your knowledge. The
answers may be found starting on page 487.

MGT 3302, Introduction to Project Management 1 Cou.docx

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