SIM335 Managing Projects
This is an individual assignment – complete both tasks 1 and 2
Background: The assignment is intended to bring out the benefits and limitations of the four
stages of Project life cycle with different approaches to project planning and control by relating
these to the circumstances in the cases outlined. It is also intended to allow students to
demonstrate their learning and competence in respect of the management of resources generally
but in particular elements of scope, schedule, quality, and cost.
Task 1 (40% marks) 600 words (+/- 10%)
Q1. What are the core principles/characteristics of any project and why are they important?
(8 marks).
Q2. How would you have defined the scope of the project in Task 2; case study (Concrete
Masonry Corporation) (6 marks).
Q3. Using the information below, plot out a full project Network diagram and identify the
critical path? (2 marks)
How many days does it take to complete the project? (2 marks)
What are the benefits of using a Gantt chart? (2 marks). (Total 2×3=6 marks)
Q4. Define one of the following cost appraisal methods; NPV, Payback or IRR. What are the
benefits of your chosen method? (4 marks).
Q5. How would you have assessed and managed the risks on the project in Task 2; case study
(Concrete Masonry Corporation) (6 marks).
Q6 Outline and explain the purpose of Quality audits. Identify the reasons why such methods
(Project evaluation, Monitoring and Control) would you introduce to ensure this Task 2;
project (Concrete Masonry Corporation) is completed successfully (10 marks).
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Tasks Precedence Time
a – 3 days
b a 6 days
c b 3 days
d b 4 days
e c 5 days
f c 4 days
g d 6 days
h f 3 days
j h 4 days
Task 2: (60% marks)
The Concrete Masonry Corporation designs and manufactures pre-stressed concrete for the
building Industry for years; the company enjoyed a stable marketplace and a relatively
predictable business environment. Although there had been a boom in residential construction in
recent years, commercial work was on the decline. As a result, all the pre-stressed concrete
manufacturers were going further afield to big jobs. In order to survive, Concrete Masonry
Corporation was forced to bid on jobs previously thought to be out of their geographical area.
Survival depended upon staying competitive. However with the declining conditions of the
market and the evolution that had drastically changed the character of the market place, the
Concrete Masonry Corporation previously successful approach was now in question.
With the removal of trade barriers and other Globalized international trade agreements, the
Concrete Masonry Corporation found itself competing with other pre-stressed manufacturers
headquartered in countries around the world. A decision was then made to transfer several
manufacturing machines to a new site in Eastern Europe to allow more agility and efficiency
within their manufacturing supply.
The Project
The project was to include the transfer of 8 pre-stressed concrete assembly machines, along with
ancillary equipment into Eastern Europe. Scheduling the project had to take 6 months from
September before production must start to supply potential customers. A site had been selected
although the appointed Project Manager and potential team members had not visited the area,
nor did they understand the weather conditions of wind, rain and snow that prevailed in this area.
The assembly machines were to be transported by sea and then road haulage before arriving at
the new site. Road infrastructure was again an area that required attention.
Kevin Lewis
Kevin Lewis has been appointed as the Project manager for this installation transfer. He is a
29-year-old graduate of a well known University in the UK with a B.S.degree in Mechanical
Engineering. After graduation, he worked for five years in Engineering Design Industries. Although
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he took a significant pay cut, he jumped at the opportunity to return to his home location with
Concrete Masonry Corporation. His job in Engineering Industries had been very demanding. The
long hours and extensive travelling had created tension in his marriage. He was looking forward to
a normal job with reasonable hours, or so he thought. While working in Engineering Design
Industries, Lewis worked on projects and installed new Engineering designs. He was confident that
he had the requisite technical expertise to excel at his new job with the Concrete Masonry
Corporation.
The Team
Lewis had a part-time team of five assistants on placement from the departments within Concrete
Masonry Corporation. At first, he was not sure how freely he could delegate work to the assistants
bearing in mind they also reported to other managers within the organisation. He quickly realised
that they were all very bright, competent workers who were anxious to leverage this project
experience into a lucrative career.
The project transfer has an investment of £900,000 pounds and is scheduled to take 6 months to
complete; taking into account, the project would be completed during the winter which would be
difficult. Lewis and his team would first need to visit the new location and start to consider the
project activities.
You are required to prepare a report concerning the main issues to be addressed by Kevin Lewis
from a project management perspective (2,500 words +/- 10%).
From a project management perspective base on Project life cycle outline the activities required
to be completed by Kevin Lewis to successfully implement this new initiative, e.g. Project Scope
Statement, Project Priorities (with a balanced trade-off and justification), Work Breakdown
Structure (with brief details of work packages) and Cost Estimation (with time-phased budget)
ensuring that it can operate on-time, and within budget. Kevin Lewis is only Project Managing the
transfer of equipment and not the actual facility building project. (Assume the building has
already been completed.)
Your report should be based on the four stages of Project life cycle and include examples of the
concerns, Project Life cycle stages, associated with managing the lifecycle of this major project.
Don’t forget to provide Network diagram, Gantt chart, cost appraisal methods and any other
relevant table or information as an Appendix; also any practical examples in relation to relevant
theories in Task 2 should be derived from the case study.
Assignment presentation and assessment
The answers to both tasks are independent and should be addressed separately.
Task 1 answers to six questions – (600 words) – completed as an individual task
Task 2 a report that is produced for Task two (2500 words) – completed as an individual task
For your convenience, both tasks should be submitted as one document, which contains both
individual tasks.
The criteria for assessing the task two report will be:
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Report presentation (20%) (12 marks)
The extent to which the assignment represents a valid report. This will be judged on:
Appearance: Is a word count included at the end of the report? Is it within the specified amount?
Is the text double spaced?
Structure: Does the report follow the conventions of the format? Does it have a clear
introduction, explaining how it answers the questions? Do the sections of the report develop
ideas in a logical sequence? Are diagrams or other subsidiary information shown in appendices?
Spelling and grammar: Are all words spelt correctly and is the meaning of sentences clear?
Referencing: Have appropriate references been included in the report. Has a recognised
referencing system been used for notation? (see the relevant section in the Guide to Basic Study
Skills)
Use of relevant theory (40%)(24 marks)
Has the right theoretical content been chosen as the basis for answering the questions? Is there
evidence of the use of course notes and books? Is the theory that is selected significant to the
questions?
Analysis (40%) (24 marks)
This measures the extent to which students develop a structured argument for the points they
make by combining relevant theory with the information provided in the questions.
Any work submitted is subject to the University's rules and procedures governing infringement
of assessment regulations.
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