Project Management Assignment - Accurate Estimates, WBS, Gantt Chart

This project management assignment covers topics like accurate estimates, bottom-up and top-down estimating approaches, types of costs, white elephant, WBS, project networks, slack, lags, hammock activity, and an implementation plan with WBS and Gantt chart.

Running head: PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT
Project Management Assignment
Name of the Student:
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Author’s note:

1PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT
Section 1
1. Why are accurate estimates critical to effective project management?
Accurate estimation of the project management would be required for easing the
simplification of the activities. The project management deals with the analysis of the activities
for the project development and utilization of the functions supporting the implication of the
functions. The project management would deal with the implication of the factors aligning with
the development of the factors. The utilization of the critical estimation would be helpful for the
alignment of the factors depicting the faster and effective project management. The critical
estimation is deployed for listing the alignment of the functions of the project development
model.
2. What are the differences between bottom-up and top-down estimating approaches?
Under what conditions would you prefer one over the other?
The bottom up and top down is an effective estimation techniques implied for the
development of the improved analysis and methodology. The estimation of the budget, schedule,
and duration of activities is based on the alignment of the specific formation of the factors so that
the project is completed in effective time duration. The defining of the operations of Advantage
Energy Technology Data Center Migration is based on the implication of the effective project
activities so that the deployment can be formed with the implication of the factors. The major
difference between the top down and bottom up estimation is based on the impact on the project
budget estimation. The bottom up is dependent on the activities aligned for the project while the
top down estimation is based on the resource implied for the project development methods.

2PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT
3. What are the major types of costs? Which costs are controllable by the project
manager?
The major types of costs included in the project of Advantage Energy Technology Data
Center Migration can be classified into human labour costs and material costs. The employment
of the various human resources like project manager, network administrator, database developer,
and other workers would require a specific amount of salary or wage as the cost. The materials
like modems, routers, hardware, software, and other materials would be aligned for exhausting a
specific amount of cost for the project.
The project manager can manage the costs of materials for ensuring that the project can
be completed in the estimated time duration. The material costs are unavoidable costs that cannot
be managed.
4. Define what a “white elephant” is in project management? Provide a real-life example.
White Elephant is a term used for the representation of the cost factor aligning with the
implication of the improved operations for the project. The white elephant would be developed
for aligning with the improved activities that can result in forming the loss to the organization.
For example- the deployment of the application can result in loss for small scale industries as
most of the people would not be using the application for local services.
5. How are WBS and project networks linked?
The WBS is the representation of the project activities in a specific work packages
grouped together for easing the understanding of the operations depicting the significant analysis
of the operations. The deployment would be helpful for easing the process of the network

3PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT
diagram development. The analysis would be helpful for easing the flow of activities and
realizing the formation of the work network. The WBS network development would be eased
with the utilization of the clear project plan development.
6. Why bother creating a WBS? Why not go straight to a project network and forget the
WBS?
The work packages can be easily developed into the project network depicting the
simplification of the operations. The implying of the smart activities would be supportive for the
deployment of the operations aligning with the utilization of the factors depicting the analysis of
the successive network diagram. The network diagram can be easily drawn with the help of the
work package developed while developing the WBS. The work breakdown structure is helpful
for easing the implication of the factors developing the utilization of the smart development
factors.
7. Why is slack important to the project manager?
Slack is the extra time that allows the implication of the operations even for extended
period of time. The non critical activities have some extra time that they can be shifted within for
ensuring that the critical tasks are intact and no change in duration of the project. The slack
allows the utilization of the appropriate extra time for managing the project activities over the
critical time period.
8. What is the difference between free slack and total slack?
The free slack is the excess time for which the project activities can be shifted without
causing any major problem for the project implication development. The total slack is the time

4PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT
required for the alignment of the factors using the implication of the operations. The comparison
of the two slacks is based on the implication of the activities for forming the implication of the
effective utilization of the operations. The difference in the two slacks is the reason of their
occurrence like free slack does not have any specific influence and the utilization of the specific
functional analysis.
9. Why are lags used in developing project networks?
Lags are helpful for calculating the change in duration among the project activities and it
would support the alignment of the project activities. It would support the implementation of the
activities using the implication of the improved activities.
10. What is a hammock activity, and when is it used?
The hammock activity is aligned for the utilization of the activities forming the analysis
of the dates and the tasks associated with the project. The formative alliance of the activities can
support the execution of the activities.
Section 2
Implementation Plan
The project of Advantage Energy Technology Data Center Migration is implied for the
analysis of the operations so that improved communication operations can be installed in the
organization. The following project plan is aligned for the implication of the integration of the
activities supporting the development of the effective data center migration,

5PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT
WBS Task Name Duratio
n Start Finish
0 Advantage Energy Technology Data Center
Migration 77 days Mon 8/6/18 Tue 11/20/18
1 Initialization 9 days Mon 8/6/18 Thu 8/16/18
1.1 Analysis 2 days Mon 8/6/18 Tue 8/7/18
1.2 Resource Accumulation 3 days Wed 8/8/18 Fri 8/10/18
1.3 Hiring Brian 1 day Mon 8/13/18 Mon 8/13/18
1.4 Ordering new racks and cables 1 day Tue 8/14/18 Tue 8/14/18
1.5 Delivery of racks 2 days Wed 8/15/18 Thu 8/16/18
2 Planning 13 days Fri 8/17/18 Tue 9/4/18
2.1 Board Meetings 1 day Fri 8/17/18 Fri 8/17/18
2.2 Activity Planning 3 days Mon 8/20/18 Wed 8/22/18
2.3 Schedule development 4 days Thu 8/23/18 Tue 8/28/18
2.4 Team Recruitment 3 days Wed 8/29/18 Fri 8/31/18
2.5 Plan Approval 2 days Mon 9/3/18 Tue 9/4/18
3 Construction Phase 42 days Wed 9/5/18 Thu 11/1/18
3.1 Site renovation 10 days Wed 9/5/18 Tue 9/18/18
3.2 Floor Construction 6 days Wed 9/19/18 Wed 9/26/18
3.3 Power Supply Development 8 days Thu 9/27/18 Mon 10/8/18
3.4 Cables are laid 5 days Tue 10/9/18 Mon
10/15/18
3.5 Switchover approved 1 day Tue 10/16/18 Tue 10/16/18
3.6 Development Phase 3 days Wed
10/17/18 Fri 10/19/18
3.7 Network Designing 3 days Mon
10/22/18
Wed
10/24/18

6PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT
3.8 Ventilation System developed 4 days Thu 10/25/18 Tue 10/30/18
3.9 Replacing old supplies 2 days Wed
10/31/18 Thu 11/1/18
4 Closure 13 days Fri 11/2/18 Tue 11/20/18
4.1 Testing of network 5 days Fri 11/2/18 Thu 11/8/18
4.2 Sign off documents 2 days Fri 11/9/18 Mon
11/12/18
4.3 Network transfer 4 days Tue 11/13/18 Fri 11/16/18
4.4 Battery Change 2 days Mon
11/19/18 Tue 11/20/18
4.5 Closed 0 days Tue 11/20/18 Tue 11/20/18
Work Breakdown Structure
Advantage Energy
Technology Data Center
Migration
Initialization
Analysis
Resource
Accumulation
Hiring Brian
Ordering new racks
and cables
Delivery of racks
Planning
Board Meetings
Activity Planning
Schedule
development
Team Recruitment
Plan Approval
Construction Phase
Site renovation
Floor Construction
Power Supply
Development
Cables are laid
Switchover
approved
Development Phase
Network Designing
Ventilation System
developed
Replacing old
supplies
Closure
Testing of network
Sign off documents
Network transfer
Battery Change
Closed

7PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT
Gantt Chart
ID Task
Mode
WBS Task Name Duration Start Finish
0 0 Advantage Energy
Technology Data Center
Migration
77 days Mon 8/6/18 Tue
11/20/18
1 1 Initialization 9 days Mon 8/6/18 Thu 8/16/18
2 1.1 Analysis 2 days Mon 8/6/18 Tue 8/7/18
3 1.2 Resource Accumulation 3 days Wed 8/8/18 Fri 8/10/18
4 1.3 Hiring Brian 1 day Mon 8/13/18 Mon 8/13/18
5 1.4 Ordering new racks and cables1 day Tue 8/14/18 Tue 8/14/18
6 1.5 Delivery of racks 2 days Wed 8/15/18 Thu 8/16/18
7 2 Planning 13 days Fri 8/17/18 Tue 9/4/18
8 2.1 Board Meetings 1 day Fri 8/17/18 Fri 8/17/18
9 2.2 Activity Planning 3 days Mon 8/20/18 Wed 8/22/18
10 2.3 Schedule development 4 days Thu 8/23/18 Tue 8/28/18
11 2.4 Team Recruitment 3 days Wed 8/29/18 Fri 8/31/18
12 2.5 Plan Approval 2 days Mon 9/3/18 Tue 9/4/18
13 3 Construction Phase 42 days Wed 9/5/18 Thu 11/1/18
14 3.1 Site renovation 10 days Wed 9/5/18 Tue 9/18/18
15 3.2 Floor Construction 6 days Wed 9/19/18 Wed 9/26/18
16 3.3 Power Supply Development8 days Thu 9/27/18 Mon 10/8/18
17 3.4 Cables are laid 5 days Tue 10/9/18 Mon 10/15/18
18 3.5 Switchover approved 1 day Tue 10/16/18 Tue 10/16/18
19 3.6 Development Phase 3 days Wed 10/17/18 Fri 10/19/18
20 3.7 Network Designing 3 days Mon 10/22/18 Wed 10/24/18
21 3.8 Ventilation System developed4 days Thu 10/25/18 Tue 10/30/18
22 3.9 Replacing old supplies 2 days Wed 10/31/18 Thu 11/1/18
23 4 Closure 13 days Fri 11/2/18 Tue 11/20/18
24 4.1 Testing of network 5 days Fri 11/2/18 Thu 11/8/18
25 4.2 Sign off documents 2 days Fri 11/9/18 Mon 11/12/18
26 4.3 Network transfer 4 days Tue 11/13/18 Fri 11/16/18
27 4.4 Battery Change 2 days Mon 11/19/18 Tue 11/20/18
28 4.5 Closed 0 days Tue 11/20/18 Tue 11/20/18
Client
Project Manager
Racks[1],Cables[1]
Facility
Project Manager
Project Manager
Project Manager
Project Manager
Telecommunicator
System Developer
Vendor
System Developer
System Developer
Contractor,Building Materials[1]
City Inspector
System Developer
Telecommunicator
Operator
Operator
Operator
Operator
11/20
S T M F T S W S T M F T S W S
Jul 29, '18 Aug 26, '18 Sep 23, '18 Oct 21, '18 Nov 18, '18 Dec 16, '18

8PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT
Resource Plan
Resource Name Work
Project Manager 104 hrs
Facility 16 hrs
Operator 104 hrs
System Developer 128 hrs
Contractor 24 hrs
Vendor 64 hrs
City Inspector 24 hrs
Racks 1
Cables 1
Building Materials 1
Client 24 hrs
Telecommunicator 96 hrs
Details
Work
Work
Work
Work
Work
Work
Work
Work
Work
Work
Work
Work
T M S S F T W T M S S
Jul 1, '18 Jul 29, '18 Aug 26, '18 Sep 23, '18 Oct 21, '18 Nov 18, '18
8h 80h 16h
16h
8h 80h 16h
48h 8h 40h 32h
24h
64h
8h 16h
1
1
1
24h
56h 24h 16h
Project Budget
Resource Name Work Standard Rate Cost
Project Manager 104 hrs $100.00/hr $10,400.00
Facility 16 hrs $60.00/hr $960.00
Operator 104 hrs $80.00/hr $8,320.00
System Developer 128 hrs $95.00/hr $12,160.00
Contractor 24 hrs $90.00/hr $2,160.00
Vendor 64 hrs $75.00/hr $4,800.00
City Inspector 24 hrs $50.00/hr $1,200.00
Racks 1 $1,680.00 $1,680.00
Cables 1 $2,500.00 $2,500.00
Building Materials 1 $3,060.00 $3,060.00
Client 24 hrs $0.00/hr $0.00
Telecommunicator 96 hrs $80.00/hr $7,680.00
Total Budget $54,920.00

9PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT
Time Phase Budget
August 2018 September 2018 October 2018 November 2018
$0.00
$2,000.00
$4,000.00
$6,000.00
$8,000.00
$10,000.00
$12,000.00
$14,000.00
$16,000.00
$18,000.00
$20,000.00
$13,940.00 $13,760.00
$18,260.00
$8,960.00
Cost

10PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT
Bibliography
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Schwalbe, K., (2015). Information technology project management. Cengage Learning.
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success and on the execution of business strategies. International Journal of Project
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Snyder, C.S., (2014). A guide to the project management body of knowledge: PMBOK (®)
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