Project Management Report: Critical Path, Portfolio, and Analysis

This report delves into various aspects of project management, beginning with a detailed critical path analysis to determine project duration and cost. The analysis includes calculating different paths, identifying the critical path, and determining the total project duration. The report further explores the project portfolio process, emphasizing its benefits in resource allocation, prioritization, and communication. It also addresses key project management principles, such as the importance of clear goals, resource planning, and project visibility. The report identifies and discusses common reasons for project failure, including lack of resources, unclear objectives, and misalignment within the company. Finally, the report provides references to support the analysis and findings, offering a comprehensive overview of project management concepts and practices.

Project management

Table of Contents
Question 1........................................................................................................................................3
(a) Calculation of critical path, duration and total cost of the project.........................................3
(b).................................................................................................................................................4
(c).................................................................................................................................................5
Question 3........................................................................................................................................6
Project Portfolio process..............................................................................................................6
Benefits of performing the project portfolio process...................................................................6
Question 4........................................................................................................................................7

Question 1
(a) Calculation of critical path, duration and total cost of the project
Critical Path calculation:
Path 1: 1 + 4 + 8
Duration: 5 weeks + 4 weeks + 6 weeks
15 week
Path 2: 1 + 5 + 8
Duration: 5 weeks + 3 weeks + 6 weeks
14 weeks
Path 3: 1 + 4 + 9
Duration: 5 weeks + 4 weeks + 2 weeks
11 weeks
Path 4: 1 + 5 + 9
Duration: 5 weeks + 3 weeks + 2 weeks
10 weeks
Path 5: 1 + 6 + 8

Duration: 5 weeks + 2 weeks + 6 weeks
13 weeks
Path 6: 1 + 6 + 9
Duration: 5 weeks + 2 weeks + 2 weeks
9 weeks
Path 7: 1 + 2 + 7 + 10
Duration: 5 weeks + 3 weeks + 3 weeks + 3 weeks
14 weeks
Path 8: 3 + 7 + 10
Duration: 3 weeks + 3 weeks + 3 weeks
= 9 weeks
Hence, on the basis of above calculations, it has been analysed that the critical path is Path 1. It is
because in the project management the longest path is consider as critical path.
Critical path:
Task A + Task D + Task H
Path 1: 1 + 4 + 8
Duration: 5 weeks + 4 weeks + 6 weeks
15 week
The total duration of Critical Path is 15 weeks
Total Cost = All task cost + (weekly administration and overhead cost * 15 weeks)
= £19000 + (£500 * 15)
= £19000 + £7500
= £26500
(b)
Task Duration (Weeks) Earliest Start
times
Earliest Finish

A 5 - 0 5
B 3 - 5 8
C 3 - 8 11
D 4 A 5 9
E 3 A,B 8 11
F 2 A 5 7
G 3 B,C 11 14
H 6 D,E 11 17
I 2 D,F 7 9
J 3 G 14 17
Basically, in order to complete the whole project, the total duration required is 34 weeks.
As it is given in the question that to complete each task total one team is required and the project
is estimated to be complete in 34 weeks. On the basis of above chart, it is analysed that the
earliest start time of Task A is zero which means no team is required for the first task. Hence, it
can be said that by assuming all the tasks are to be take place at their earliest start times, the total
of 3 teams is required for the project. It means 1 team for each task from task B to task J.
It is as follow: Task A = 1 team, Task D = 1 team and Task H = 1 teams which means total of 3
teams is required to complete the whole project in 15 weeks.
(c)
Task Duration (Weeks) Earliest Start
times
Earliest Finish
A 5 - 0 5
B 3 - 5 8
C 3 - 8 11
D 4 A 5 9
E 3 A,B 8 11
F 2 A 5 7
G 3 B,C 11 14
H 6 D,E 11 17

I 2 D,F 7 9
J 3 G 14 17
i)
Critical path duration calculation:
1 + 4 + 8
Task A + Task D + Task H
Duration: 5 weeks + 4 weeks + 6 weeks = 15 weeks
Yes, it is possible to change the start and finish times of the project as to reduce the number of
teams required without making the project any longer (Baqeri, Mohammadi and Gilani, 2019).
For example, in the above case, by changing the start time and finish time the critical path
duration is come 15 weeks. Also, the duration of the week’s changes which indicate that with the
change in the start and finish times, the project duration will not change and increase with the
previous duration.
ii)
On the basis of above calculation, it is identified that it is also possible for the project to
change start and finish time without increasing the length of each tasks by more than six weeks.
It is because from the above calculation of start and finish time, it is identified that length of
project has not increase by 6 weeks in any of the task (Baqeri, Mohammadi and Gilani, 2019).
Question 3
Project Portfolio process
Project Portfolio process refers to the method that can help in maximizing the output of
the projects that is undertaken by the company within the limited resources the organization
have. Ii the important for the success of the project that is undertaken. With this process it helps
in easy allocation of the resources , employee productivity and the required technology that
should be used in order to carry out the project effectively. Selection or rejection is one of the
major challenges that is faced by the company which can result into achieving the competitive

advantage. With the various changes in the business environment it is very crucial stage for
selecting the effective tools and techniques(Ershadi, and et.al., 2020). It should be noted that in
the selection process various things have to be considered which can yield effective results for
the organization. The selection of right project portfolio process should align with the corporate
strategy and also maximize the value and with the limited resources the purpose of the company
is to achieve the ,maximum values of the project portfolio.
Benefits of performing the project portfolio process
Benefits of using this process are:
 Prioritizing the work: With the help of the portfolio process helps in easily allocation of
the resources which also includes the time , money and employees productivity. It guides
the project manager regarding the technology to be used in order to effectively carry out
the project(Baqeri, Mohammadi, and Gilani, 2019). It helps in prioritize the items that
are considered important which helps in successfully accomplishing the project.
 Communication:It helps in easy flow of communication and also improved the
alignment between the various departments. Furthermore, it also helps in maintaining the
balance between the selecting and prioritizing the work which helps in easy flow of
information at all the departments.
Question 4
Project management refers to the process of leading the work in a team in order to
achieve the goals and also helps in overcoming the challenges by effectively allocating the
resources. In order to successfully accomplish the project its is necessary to follow the various
principles of the project management. The principles are that there should be clear goals and
objectives for which the project is being undertaken by the company. It helps in providing the
structure to the project. The major reasons for the failure of the project are:
Lack of resource planning: One of the major reasons for the failure id the lack of proper
resources or over or underutilization of the required resources. For example project undertaken

lack the financial resources in order to carry out the project effectively as financial resources is
considered important .
Lack of project visibility: It Is seen that lack visibility can lead to failure of the project or not
accomplishing the work in the given time period(Kerzner, 2019). Furthermore, there should be
transparency between the project manager and the team members which include the clear
communication and understanding the roles and responsibilities effectively.
Unclear goals and objectives: For beginning the project it is necessary to have clear goals about
the work that is to be undertaken by the company. Having ambiguous goals can lead to failure of
the project. In order to avoid this it is necessary to set the SMART goals which helps in
determining the priorities and proper allocation of the resources.
Misalignment in the company: Project alignment is the process by which all the activities that
is undertaken by the project manager matches with the achievement of the project(Sundqvist,
2019). For example ,misalignment can be in the form of ineffective communication or allocation
of the resources is not done effectively which led to failure of the project.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Baqeri, K., Mohammadi, E. and Gilani, M., 2019. Multi objective project portfolio
selection. Journal of Project Management. 4(4). pp.249-256.
Ershadi, and et.al., 2020. Towards successful establishment of a project portfolio management
system: business process management approach. The Journal of Modern Project
Management. 8(1).
Kerzner, H., 2019. Using the project management maturity model: strategic planning for project
management. John Wiley & Sons.
Sundqvist, E., 2019. The role of project managers as improvement agents in project-based
organizations. Project management journal. 50(3). pp.376-390.