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Projmgmt Chapter 6 Midterm

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24 views25 pages

Projmgmt Chapter 6 Midterm

Uploaded by

Tokyo Heartfilia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PROJMGMT

GANTT CHARTS
Chart Your Progress (1)

Gantt charts are derived from your work breakdown structure (WBS). A Gantt chart enables you to easily view
start and stop times for project tasks and subtasks. If you use an outline for your WBS, the Gantt depicts each of the
tasks and subtasks in chronological order. For tasks that begin at the same time and run concurrently, the Gantt chart
is a highly convenient tool. However, overlapping tasks and subtasks can easily be depicted on the Gantt chart, as
well.

A WBS that is created from tree diagrams also lends itself to depiction on a Gantt chart, though the process
is a bit tricky when it comes to determining overall project sequence as well as start and stop times.
Chart Your Progress (2)

A few basic forms of Gantt charts are depicted here:

1. The chart in Figure 1 uses bars extending from left to right along the horizontal axis to denote starting and ending
times for events or activities. Greater detail could be added if you wish to add subtasks. Color-coding allows you to
pinpoint which project workers are handling which tasks and subtasks. The chart offers a simple plan for depicting the
planned sequence of events, even though obviously not everything will go according to plan, versus the actual
(the shaded bars).
2. A Gantt chart with triangles, shown in Figure 2, is an alternative to the previous chart. Rather than using bars to
depict start and stop times, and shaded bars to depict actual performance versus planned performance, this chart
uses:
■■ Unshaded triangles pointing up to depict planned start time
■■ Unshaded triangles pointing down to depict planned end time
■■ Shaded triangles pointing up to depict actual start time
■■ Shaded triangles pointing down to depict actualcompletion time
Chart Your Progress (3)

3. A Gantt chart with triangles offers other advantages. Tasks and subtasks, as well as planned versus actual time
frames, can be depicted on a single line emanating from the left of the chart, extending out along the horizontal axis
to the right.

Figure 1. Gantt Chart with Bars Figure 2. Gantt Chart with Bars
Variations on a Theme

Each of the three Gantt charts depicted thus far represents ways of illustrating overall project status while including
the status of each task. Thus, they serve as valuable tools for keeping project team members as well as the
authorizing party, committees, top managers and executives, and other stakeholders abreast of activities.

The Gantt chart in Figure 3, for a construction project, depicts an eight-week period that includes four items; three
are actual tasks and one represents completion of the project. Each of the three tasks has between four and six
subtasks. Virtually all project activity is dependent on maintaining the sequence of events as depicted.

The coding at the bottom of the chart indicates critical and noncritical progress, plus critical events. Scheduled start
and stop times for the duration of tasks are earmarked by solid, downward-pointing triangles emanating from the
start and end of progress bars. Milestones are depicted by solid diamonds. More detail could be added in the form of
other kinds of lines and symbols. The project manager devising this chart probably found this level of coding to be
useful and convenient.
Variations on a Theme (2)

Figure 3. Gantt Chart with Sequential


Construction
Embellishments Offer Detail

The more tasks involved in your project and the more important the sequence between tasks, the greater your
propensity will be to embellish your Gantt chart. The chart in Figure 4 contains some added columns:
■■ Column 3, “duration,” lists how many days each task is scheduled to take.
■■ Column 4, “predecessors,” identifies what needs to be completed before this task can be initiated.
Often the previous task needs to be completed, but this isn’t necessarily the case:
■■ For Task 7, “purchasing,” both Tasks 5 and 6 need to be complete.
■■ For Tasks 8, 9, and 10, only Task 7 needs to be complete, as the other three tasks all start at the same time.
■■ For Task 12, “install software,” Task 10 needs to be complete, but Task 11, which is scheduled to start
after, does not.
Embellishments Offer Detail (2)

Figure 4. Gantt Chart with Multiple


Predecessors
Your Project, Back on Track
If you find yourself falling behind in one area, you have to make managerial decisions about keeping the overall
project on track. These decisions will involve shuffling of resources, altering the scope of selected tasks or subtasks, or
changing the sequence of tasks. Let’s visit each of these:
■■ Reallocating Resources—It happens to the best of project managers: You launch into a task, and soon find yourself
under-resourced. You didn’t know that a particular task or subtask would prove to be so challenging! If it’s critical to
the overall project, borrow resources from other task areas.
■■ Reducing the Level of Effort, or Scope, on Tasks or Subtasks—While some tasks require greater staff resources,
other tasks and subtasks might be completed with less effort than you originally budgeted. Perhaps some subtasks
can be combined, or even skipped. If you’re doing survey work, maybe you can still attain a quality result with, say,
eight questions instead of 10, or can reduce the total number of interviews by 10%.
■■ Altering the Task Sequence—When faced with roadblocks, can you change the sequence of tasks or subtasks? Can
you substitute easier tasks for more challenging ones until some of your other staff resources are free? Perhaps you
can devise a sequence that enables some of your more experienced staff members to manage multiple tasks for a
brief duration.

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