You work for Microsoft in their global cell phone group. You have been made project manager for the design of a new cell phone. Your supervisors have already scoped the project so you have a list showing the work breakdown structure and this includes major project activities. You must plan the project schedule and calculate project duration. Your boss wants the schedule on his desk tomorrow morning! You have been given the information in Exhibit 5.13. It includes all the activities required in the project and the duration of each activity. Also, dependencies between the activities have been identified. Remember that the preceding activity must be fully completed before work on the following activity can be started. Your project is divided into five major subprojects. Subproject P involves developing specifications for the new cell phone. Here decisions related to such things as battery life, size of the phone, and features need to be made. These details are based on how a customer uses the cell phone. These user specifications are redefined in terms that have meaning to the subcontractors that will actually make the new cell phone in subproject S supplier specifications. These involve engineering details for how the product will perform. The individual components that make up the product are the focus of subproject D. Subproject I brings all the components together, and a working prototype is built and tested. Finally in subproject V, suppliers are selected and contracts are negotiated.

Exhibit 5.13: Work Breakdown Structure and Activities for the Cell Phone Design Project

a. Calculate the start and finish times for each activity. (Leave no cells blank - be certain to enter "0" wherever required.)

b. Determine the minimum number of weeks for completing the project.

Minimum number of weeks

c. Find the activities that are on the critical path for completing the project in the shortest time.

Finally in subproject "V," suppliers are selected and contracts are negotiated. Exhibit 5.13: Work Breakdown Structure and Activities for the Cell Phone Design Project ACTIVITY IDENTIFICATION DEPENDENCY DURATION (WEEKS) P1 4 P2 P3 P4 P1 P2 P3 6 4 4 S1 S2 P4 P4 4. 4 MAJOR SUBPROJECTS/ACTIVITIES Product Specifications (P) Market research Overall product specifications Hardware Software Supplier specifications (s) Hardware Software Product design (D) Battery Display Camera Outer cover Product integration (I) Hardware User interface Software coding Prototype testing Subcontracting (V) Suppliers selection Contract negotiation D1 D2 D3 D4 S1 S1 S1 D1, D2, D3 NN 6 5 11 12 13 14 D4 D2 I2 11, 13 O O O 6 6 V1 V2 S1,S2 14, V1 11 4 a. Calculate the start and finish times for each activity. (Leave no cells blank - be certain to enter "O" wherever required.) Earliest Start Time Earliest Finish Time Latest Start Time Latest Finish Time Activity P1 P2 P3 P4 S1 S2 D1 D2 D3 D4 11 12 ces 14 V1 V2 b. Determine the minimum number of weeks for completing the project. Minimum number of weeks c. Find the activities that are on the critical path for completing the project in the shortest time. P1-P2-P3-P4-S2-V1-V2 P1-P2-P3-P4-S1-D2-12-13-14-V2 P1-P2-P3-P4-S1-D3-D4-11-14-V2 P1-P2-P3-P4-S1-D1-D4-11-14-V2 Prey 1 of 11 Next > *+17