Case Study: Aviation Fuel Tank Repair with Overlapping Task Strategy

This case study examines the urgent situation of repairing aviation fuel tanks to receive 4 million liters of fuel within three weeks, preventing significant revenue and financial losses. The solution proposes two approaches: changing the work schedule to prioritize the largest, most accessible tank (Tank 3) or continuing work on Tank 1 while adopting elements of agile project management by overlapping tasks. Both approaches emphasize task compression through fast tracking and resource allocation without substantial additional costs. The analysis details the timelines for each tank repair, highlighting the benefits of overlapping tasks to ensure quality and timely completion. Ultimately, the case study provides a practical scenario in project management, offering insights into efficient resource allocation and task prioritization under tight deadlines, with the student concluding that the company has the skills, experience, and resources to complete the repair projects before three weeks.

Okay Kim,
I understand the urgency of the situation, having to receive 4 million liters of Aviation fuel within
three weeks potential massive losses in revenue, as well as potential financial losses of up to $ 3
million monthly if you are not able to deliver the fuel to the customer. Although we are already
behind schedule in getting the tans repaired, we are able, based on our experience and technical
resources and knowhow to have the tank ready to receive the fuel in three weeks time. There are
two ways we can go about this, the first being to change the work schedule and task execution style
and the second method is to work faster and reassign staff and time resources to complete the repair
tasks faster and without any significant requirements for additional funding/ finances. Changing the
work schedule will involve getting tank 3 repaired and ready, although this will take slightly more
time than the other tanks because tank 3 is the largest. The reason we will start with tank 3 is
because it is the most easily accessible wand will not require cranes to get the work done:
accessibility issues with the other tanks will slow us down further. Starting with tank 3 will ensure
all the delivered fuel can be stored as it is the largest of the three tanks. We can have tank 3 ready by
overlapping tasks so that other tasks start while others are being undertaken. Repair on tank 3 will
be started on Friday 13th and the team will work partially on Saturday (half day), while regular work
days will see us working an additional two hours (over time). We will allocate more resources
(time and manpower) to the task of repairing tank 3 so that more is done in a shorter time period
based on a project management principle we call task compression which is achieved through fast
tracking activities and crashing through allocation of more resources without adding to the costs.
Putting the 6 steel patch in place will be complete by Tuesday 17th and the task of putting the four
steel anchor on top of the tank will be started on Monday the 16th when placing the 6 steel patch is
about to be complete. As such, the 4 steel anchor on top of the tank will be complete on Friday 20th;
the replacement for the water supply system to tank 3 will commence on Wednesday 18th and will
be done at the same time as the 4 steel patch on the tank top is being put in place and will be
completed on Saturday 21st. Cleaning will also be overlapped to start on Wednesday 18th and will be
completed by Saturday 21st. On the prior day of Friday 20th, we will commence the repainting
process and have it completed by Tuesday 24th of April. This approach will ensure the allocated
number of days are taken to complete the tasks in order to guarantee quality; however, the tasks will
be overlapped and done at the same time rather than starting a task at the end of another one. We
will work on Saturdays as well to ensure the tank is ready in three weeks. The other method is to
continue work on the tank 1, but still using the same approach of overlapping and completing tanks
concurrently because the dependencies on most of the tasks are not absolute as the project schedule
depicts. The reason they were planned to be done sequentially was because of the adopted waterfall
project execution style; we will change the style to have some elements of agile, where the time

taken to complete a task is the same, but tasks that can be done at the same time undertaken.
Overlapping the tasks will ensure continuity and enable sufficient time for each task to be done
professionally to guarantee the highest quality. In both approaches, additional costs will be minimal
and are covered by our remuneration policies for paying for overtime work. Commencing work on
Friday 143 th as per the schedule and completing tasks simultaneously, the repair for tank 1 will be
complete by Friday 20th. Tank 3 is less accessible and risky, and so will need cranes and specialized
staff to complete. However, be assured that we have the skills, experience, and resources
(equipment and staff) to complete the repair projects before three weeks. Working on tank 3 by
compressing and overlapping tasks will take 8 days, while tank 3 will take 12 days. Select the
approach you feel is the best and lets get to work and have the tank ready before three weeks.