Project Management for Building a Custom Sports Car: Network Diagram and Critical Path Analysis

PROBLEMA 1 The Maser is a new custom-designed sports car. An analysis of the task of building the Maser reveals the following list of relevant activities, their immediate predecessors, and their duration. Job LetterDescriptionImmediate Predecessor(s)Normal Time (days) AStart --- 0 BDesignA8 COrder special accessoriesB0. 1 DBuild frameB1 EBuild doorsB1 FAttach axles, wheels, gas tankD1 GBuild body shellB2 HBuild transmission and drivetrainB3 IFit doors to body shellG, E1 JBuild engine B4 KBench-test engineJ2 LAssemble chassisF, H, K1

MRoad-test chassisL0. 5 NPaint bodyI2 OInstall wiringN1 PInstall interiorN1. 5 QAccept delivery of special accessoriesC5 RMount body and accessories on chassisM, O, P, Q1 SRoad test carR0. 5 TAttach exterior trimS1 UFinishT0 a)Draw a network diagram for the project. b)Mark the critical path and state its length. c)If the Maser has to be completed 2 days earlier, would it help to i. Buy preassembled transmissions and drivetrains? ii. Install robots to halve engine-building time? iii. Speed delivery of special accessories by 3 days? )How might resources be borrowed from activities on the non-critical path to speed activities on the critical path? PROBLEMA 2 MANAGING HARD ROCK’S ROCKFEST At the Hard Rock Cafe, like many organizations, project management is a key planning tool. With Hard Rock’s constant growth in hotels and cafes, remodeling of existing cafes, scheduling for Hard Rock Live concert and event venues, and planning the annual Rockfest, managers rely on project management techniques and software to maintain schedule and budget performance. Without Microsoft Project” says Hard Rock Vice-President Chriss Tomasso, “there is no way to keep so many people on the same page. ” Tomasso is in charge of the Rockfest event, which is attended by well over 100,000 enthusiastic fans. The challenge is pulling it off within a tight 9-month planning horizon. As the event approaches, Tomasso devotes greater energy to its activities. For the first 3 months, Tomasso updates his MS Project charts monthly. Then at the 6-month mark, he updates his progress weekly. At the 9-month mark, he checks and corrects his schedule twice a week.

Early in the project management process, Tomasso identifies 10 major tasks (called 2 acti vities in a work breakdown structure, or WBS): talent booking, ticketing, marketing/PR, online promotion, television, show production, travel, sponsorships, operations, and merchandising. Using a WBS, each of these is further divided into a series of subtasks. Table 1 identifies 26 of the major activities and subactivities, their immediate predecessors, and time estimates. Tomasso enters all of these into the MS Project software. Tomasso alters the MS Project document and the time line as the project progresses. It’s okay to change it as long as you keep on track. ” he states. The day of the rock concert itself is not the end of the project planning. “It’s nothing but surprises. A band not being able to get to the venue because of traffic jams is a surprise, but an ‘anticipated’ surprise. We had an helicopter on stand-by ready to fly the band in,” says Tomasso. On completion of Rockfest in July, Tomasso and his team have a 3-month reprieve before starting the project planning process again. Discussion Questions: 1. Identify the critical path and its activities for Rockfest. How long does the project take? . Which activities have a slack time of 8 weeks or more? 3. Identify five major challenges a project manager faces in events such as this one. 4. Why is a work breakdown structure useful in a project such as this? Take the 26 activities and break them into what you think should be level 2, level 3 and level 4 tasks. TABLE 1 Some of the Major Activities and Subactivities in the Rockfest Plan. ActivityDescriptionImmediate Predecessor(s) Time (Weeks) AFinalize site and building contracts ---7 BSelect local promoterA3 CHire production managerA3 DDesign promotional Web siteB5 ESet TV dealD6

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FHire directorE4 GPlan for TV camera placementF2 HTarget headline entertainersB4 ITarget support entertainersH4 JTravel accomodations for talentI10 KSet venue cpacityC2 LTicketmaster contractD, K3 MOn-site ticketingL8 NSound and stagingC6 OPasses and stage credentialsG, R7 PTravel accomodations for staffB20 QHire sponsor coordinatorB4 RFinalize sponsorsQ4 SDefine/place signage for sponsorsR, X3 THire operations managerA4 UDevelop site planT6 VHire security directorT7 WSet police/fire security planV4 XPower, plumbing, AC, toilet servicesU8 YSecure merchandise dealsB6 ZOnline merchadise salesY6

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