Faculty of Engineering & Information Sciences (EIS)
School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic & Biomedical
Engineering (MMMB)
ENGG951 Engineering Project Management
ASSIGNMENT 1 - Individual Assignment - 20%
Use of MS Project 2016 (or equivalent).
You are presented with the following problem∗ that involves the design of a Conveyor Belt Project:
Project Description: You’ve been assigned to manage a project to design and install a new computer controlled conveyor belt
that moves and positions items within the manufacturing process within <1 millimetre. This project will produce a new system
that can be used for future installations, and for replacing those in the field, at a low cost. The new system is also easier to update
with future technologies. So it delivers advantages of both cost reduction and scalability.
ID Task Name Duration
(days)
Precedence Resources
1 Architectural decisions 25 - Design
2 Hardware specifications 50 1 Development, Design
3 Kernel specifications 20 1 Design
4 Utilities specifications 15 1 Development, Design
5 Hardware design 70 2 Design, Development
6 Disk drives 100 3 Assembly, Development
7 Memory management 90 3 Development
8 Operating system documentation 25 3 Design, Documentation
9 Routine utilities 60 4 Development
10 Complex utilities 80 4 Development
11 Utilities documentation 20 4 Documentation, Design
12 Hardware documentation 30 5 Documentation, Design
13 Integration first phase 50 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Assembly, Development
14 Prototypes 80 13 Assembly, Development
15 Serial I/O drivers XXXXXXXXXXDevelopment
16 System hard/software test 25 14,15 Assembly
17 Order circuit boards 5 16 Purchasing
18 Network interface 90 16 Development
19 Shell 60 16 Development
20 Project documentation 50 16 Documentation, Development
21 Assemble preproduction models 30 17F-S, lag 50 days Assembly, Development
22 Integrated acceptance testing 60 18, 19, 20, 21 Assembly, Development
Resource A
eviation Availability Rate
Design staff Des 2 $100/hour
Development staff Dev 2 $70/hour
Documentation staff Doc 1 $60/hour
Assembly/test staff A&T 1 $70/hour
Purchasing staff Purch 1 $40/hour
Site Shed SS 1 $500/month
Hire print copier Printer 1 $20/day
∗ Based on Project Management, the Managerial Process, Larson & Gray, 6th Edition
Section A – MS Project Tasks and Interpretation of Results:
1. Create a new file and enter name and title. Ensure the author's name and student number is entered in the appropriate field to
e displayed in all print-outs and reports.
2. Fix the start of the project to 1st October this year.
3. Produce a Gantt Chart to include in your report.
4. Generate a Resource Graph, and investigate any overloads. Explore three resource demand management options, for example,
considering time-constrained, resource-constrained and cost-constrained scenarios. Show their effects on the project duration
and cost? Produce Gantt Charts before and after levelling and include in your report.
5. Produce a Cost Report for this project, showing the cost of each task and of each resource.
Section B - Assignment Report:
You are required to submit a hard copy of your report. The report format should comply with, that of a typical technical report
(using a structured layout with appropriate headings).
1. How To Guidelines: Imagine that you are training a junior assistant to become a future project manager. You need to
explain to them how to schedule this project using MS project. Write a step by step description of how you accomplished
the requirements of Section A.
2. Assumptions: As for any technical report, it is important to state any assumptions made in setting out your solution
approach, as well as in relation to the analysis and/or interpretation of results. Ensure that this is included in an
appropriately labelled section within the body of your report.
3. Results: A results section containing all of the elements identified in section A. Each appropriately labelled and
eferenced.
4. Discussion and Conclusions: The focus of your report shall be the issues involved, solutions proposed and lessons learnt
in completing the exercise, and must demonstrate an understanding of the use of MS Project as well as its limitations. A
ief comparison of these limitations with other available project management software packages is encouraged.
Note: The report must include:
1. A well structured Gantt Chart highlighting the Critical Path.
2. Resource histograms showing pre levelling and post levelling outcomes for each of the levelling options you have considered
an a final recommendation regarding the optimal resource allocation and schedule.
3. Cost Reports showing the
eakdown by task and by resource and showing the cost of your recommended solution.
4. A determination of when is the project estimated to be completed? How many working days will it take?
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
FORMAT:
• All print-outs (Gantt Charts, Histograms and Cost Reports) must be scaled to fit on one A4 page each
• All Charts must have a title block which clearly identifies what is being presented and the author’s name and student
number
• The report and all MS Project files must include your name and student ID in the file name,
SUBMISSION:
• A hard copy of your report must be submitted, with a cover sheet, to EIS central.
• The completed report must be submitted via Turnitin. This must be submitted as a TURNITIN readable format.
• MS Project file(s), saved in appropriate format, must be submitted via Moodle.
DUE DATE: all required items must be submitted by 4:00 pm Friday, 7 Sept.
Marking Criteria
Please see marking guidelines Assessment 1 provided on Moodle.
ENGG951 Engineering Project Management