Assignment 4 – WBS and Gantt Chart

Assignment 4 – WBS and Gantt Chart

Assignment 4 – WBS and Gantt Chart

Overview

It is now time to prepare a work breakdown structure (WBS)–creating a task hierarchy describing all work necessary for carrying out and completing project work.

Timing: This assignment spans Weeks 5 and 6
Submittal: Assignment 4 – WBS document and Gantt Chart due at the end of Week 6
Total Points: 70 points – see rubric for specific details

For Assignment 4, you are the project manager with the contracted company selected by the City of Metropolis to work with the City’s project team to carry out the work on the Geodatabase Design and Development Project. Your company responded to the City’s RFP and was selected to perform the work. The contracted work for which you are responsible is summarized in section 1.2 of the RFP with more detailed explanation in subsequent RFP sections. This purpose of this Assignment is to:

• lay out the tasks and subtasks and their timing (the Work Breakdown Structure or “WBS”), and
• present the results in the form of a Gantt Chart.

The work breakdown structure (WBS) you create should include a hierarchical organization of tasks (top-level tasks and subtasks), with planned start and end dates, that take into account estimated durations of time to complete the work with whatever timing constraints may influence the starting and completion of tasks. Please note that the RFP describes the overall scope and deliverables but does not provide a specific set of tasks or approach to accomplish the work. That is your job as the contracted project manager—to prepare a plan that, based on your experience in similar projects, will provide an organized and efficient way to get the work done and which includes necessary project monitoring, status reporting, communications, quality control, and other necessary project activities. Before jumping into this assignment, take another look at the Metropolis RFP–particularly Table 2 summarizing the Main and Supporting deliverables.  Then review again the “Work Breakdown Structure” page of this Lesson to make sure you understand the concept behind the WBS–with the Summary Tasks establishing organized “headings” for the work and the “Work Tasks” (the lowest level in the task hierarchy) defining how the works gets done.

Your Submittal for Assignment 4

Create a  work plan (a WBS) task hierarchy and timing (start and end dates for each task)  for the City of Metropolis project. You are contracted project manager tasked by the City to prepare this work plan–that includes tasks for all project work carried out by your contracted team AND support work done by the City’s project team members (e.g., formal deliverable quality review and comment).

In this assignment, use the concepts of task relationships with lags and leads to control task timing. In general, your WBS should be broken down into 3-levels (main summary task, subtask, sub-subtask) although for some main summary tasks, 2 or 4 subtask levels may be appropriate. Your WBS should include tasks necessary to complete all main deliverables (MD) and supporting deliverables (SD) summarized in Table 2 of the RFP.  As identified in the RFP (see SD1), the City is requiring you to design and carry out a pilot project to test, confirm, and refine the database development work. For the field data collection and quality control work for this type of project, it is typical for contractors to organize work into specific geographic zones or sectors that correspond to data deliverables (MD2) that are submitted to the City. This work plan should cover all work carried out by the contractor AND the City’s project team.  For example, in addition to covering contractor field data collection and quality control, it should show the quality assurance review work that the City team performs after deliverable submittal by the contractor (with formal acceptance or possible rejection of that deliverable). The WBS should also include tasks for project management and control (monitoring and reporting on status, project communications, formal project closure, etc.).

In addition to the WBS task hierarchy, create a Gantt Chart showing bars for task timing. The Gantt Chart should show important information about the tasks (task number, task name, start and finish dates) along with Gantt bars graphically showing the timing of each task and the interconnectedness of tasks based on dependencies. We strongly recommend that you use project management software (e.g., Microsoft Project) to do this assignment since Gantt chart generation is automatic (although you can apply various controls for its format).

The City would like the project completed within about 10 months from project initiation project initiation. Again, while not mandatory, it is strongly suggested that you use a project management software package like Microsoft Project. Project management software automates many manual steps in project planning, Gantt chart generation, etc. If you don’t have previous experience with project management software, this is an opportunity to get some experience and begin to acquire a skill that will be useful in your future project planning and management work.  If you use Microsoft Project, your submittal for the project may be the software’s file format (.mpp) only . Be sure to set the proper level for the WBS task hierarchy and make appropriate links (Predecessors) among tasks. A 60-day evaluation copy is available from Microsoft’s Office Evaluations website (Links to an external site.)(link is external). There are also quite a few third-party software vendors that offer MS Project licenses at discounted costs (particularly for older versions of the software). MS Project version 2019 is the most current software but past versions (v2010, v2013, or v2016) will also work for this course. Useful online tutorials for MS Project are:

• Frequently Asked Questions (Links to an external site.)(link is external) – Course/Program-related
• Library Resources – click on ‘Library Resources’ in the navigation bar for Geography related library resources.
• PSU.Lynda.com tutorials for Using MS Project (Links to an external site.)(link is external) (free for PSU students with login)
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUqbhkJWt_4 (Links to an external site.)(link is external) (link is external)
• www.simonsezit.com/learn-microsoft-project-training-tutorials (Links to an external site.)(link is external). 

If you do not use MS Project software, you should provide a file (in the software’s native file type) as well as a document showing tasks, task numbers and names, start and end dates for tasks, and the Gantt Chart.

In summary, Assignment 4 consists of:

• WBS showing task hierarchy (task number and name) and start and end dates for the City of Metropolis Geodatabase Development Project encompassing all project deliverable and project management activities
• Gantt chart presentation of the WBS

Note

There are multiple ways to organize the work into a WBS hierarchy of main tasks (“summary tasks”) and subtasks so there is not one “right response” to this assignment. It is your job to organize the task hierarchy and establish timing in a manner that efficiently accomplishes the necessary work. Think of the WBS hierarchy like a written report that has main sections and subsections. Start first with the top-level tasks and then add the detail of subtasks down to the recommended three levels. Start with a review of the RFP (particularly Sections 5 and 6). Make sure your work plan includes tasks necessary to produce all main and support deliverables as well as tasks for ongoing project management, monitoring, plan adjustment, and reporting of the work. It is also recommended to include a set of “start up” tasks that can include this work plan deliverable (SD1) and review by the City, a kick-off meeting, and perhaps other early activities to prepare for detailed project work.

Submitting the Assignment

View specific directions for submitting Assignment 4.

Grading

This assignment is worth 70 points. The grading approach is explained in the rubric table below.

The instructor may deduct points if the Assignment is turned in late, unless a late submittal has been approved by the Instructor prior to the Assignment submittal date.

Grading Category	Basis for Scoring	Total Possible Points	Point Award Explanation
A. Completeness and Organization of WBS Tasks	Task hierarchy includes tasks that cover all elements of work necessary to complete project work.Tasks include important project management activities (e.g., monitoring, status reporting, communications, closure, etc.).WBS hierarchy (arrangement of tasks, subtasks) shows complete and organized approach to the project work.WBS task hierarchy detail is appropriate and builds upon more general summary tasks identified in previous documents such as the RFP.	24	EXCEPTIONAL: 23 to 24 points for an extremely well-organized and comprehensive WBS hierarchy covering all project work and PM activities presented at an appropriate level of detail.INADEQUATE: 1 to 3 points if there are major deficiencies—significant parts of project work or PM activities are NOT included and/or there are significant problems with task sequence or organization.MINIMALLY ADEQUATE to VERY GOOD: 4 to 22 points if there are deficiencies that fall between the “Exceptional” and “Inadequate” categories above.
B. Clarity in Task Naming	Task/subtask names are explanatory and concisely worded.Task/subtask names are “verb-oriented” (use of verb or verb-derived noun) to convey the action occurring in the task.	12	EXCEPTIONAL: 11 to 12 if all task names are clear and verb-oriented.INADEQUATE: 1 to 2 points if there are major and frequent problems in task naming.MINIMALLY ADEQUATE to VERY GOOD: 3 to 10 points if there are deficiencies that fall between the “Exceptional” and “Inadequate” categories above.
C. Task Types Relationships and Timing	Proper use of task types (Summary Tasks, Work Tasks, Recurring Tasks).Effective use of task relationships (“predecessors” in MS Project software) to establish relative timing among tasks.Effective use of lags and leads in task timing.Durations of tasks and overall timing for project is realistic and efficient.	24	EXCEPTIONAL: 23 to 24 points if all task types are appropriate; effective task relationships with lags/leads occurs throughout WBS; and task/project timing is appropriate.INADEQUATE: 1 to 3 points with significant, frequent problems in introduction, word choice, sentence construction, grammar, and length.MINIMALLY ADEQUATE to VERY GOOD: 4 to 22 points for deficiencies in assignment of task types, relationships and timing that fall between the “Exceptional” and “Inadequate” categories described above.
D. Gantt Chart Formatting	Appropriate use of columns for task information and column width and height.Choice of fonts for tasks that effectively conveys task hierarchy (different font style or size for different task/subtask levels).Effective use of column headings for task information and time scale labeling for Gantt bars.Effective formatting of Gantt bars that differentiates task types and is visually attractive.	10	EXCEPTIONAL: 9 to 10 points for an extremely well-formatted Gantt Chart applying effective choice of columns, text fonts and headings, and visually appealing Gantt bar formatting.INADEQUATE: 1 to 2 points for major problems in column, font, or Gantt bar formatting that result in major difficulty in gleaning content and meaning.MINIMALLY ADEQUATE to VERY GOOD: 3 to 8 points for deficiencies in selection of format rules and their consistent application between the “Exceptional” and “Inadequate” categories described above.

Assignment 4 – WBS and Gantt Chart