Part A
Junee Auto Parts (JAP) are planning to expand their factory to cope with the additional demand for their products and have requested your help as an external consultant. IAP wants to determine what is involved in the project and how soon it can be completed. They have asked for a plan in the form of a Gantt Chart and Critical Path Network with relevant activity times, project duration and identification of the critical path. In the initial planning stages, you have decided that there are three major components (or sub-projects) in this expansion project - building, processing equipment and material handling system. After spending a few weeks in scoping the work, you have established a list of activities according to the three major components. Details of these are as follows:
BUILDING
A1 Design Building
A2 Ordering of Materials
A3 Construction of Building
PROCESS EQUIPMENT
B1 In house Design of Equipment
B2 Detailed Design by Consultant
B3 Tender Exercise for Equipment
B4 Installation and Commissioning of Equipment
MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM
C1 Study of Processing Equipment by Consultant
C2 Design of Material handling Equipment
C3 Purchase of Equipment
C4 Installation and Commissioning
Discussions with contractors and the client have helped you to draw up a table of estimated durations for the activities and the relationships among them as indicated below.
Write a report on the project plan to senior management of JAP, offering sufficient information for senior management to review and understand the implications of embarking on such a project.
|
Activity
|
Preceding Activity
|
Duration
(in weeks)
|
|
A1
|
None
|
6
|
|
A2
|
A1
|
5
|
|
A3
|
A2
|
1
|
|
B1
|
A1
|
2
|
|
B2
|
B1
|
8
|
|
B3
|
B2
|
4
|
|
B4
|
B3
|
4
|
|
C1
|
B2
|
2
|
|
C2
|
C1
|
4
|
|
C3
|
C2
|
4
|
|
C4
|
C3
|
4
|
Part B
You realise that the information that JAP has requested is inadequate and suitable for only basic planning purposes. In a second section of the report, present your recommendations on what other information is relevant and what techniques and systems should be used to plan, monitor and control the project.