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Individual Assignment: Project Planning Tools

In this Individual Activity, you will continue to explore project planning tools, focusing on the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Gantt chart.

The first tool you will use is the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). A WBS is a chart that breaks a project down into smaller components. It also highlights project tasks and illustrates how those tasks relate to each other, and to the project as a whole. A WBS can help a project manager predict situations and outcomes, provide a clear hierarchy of the work that needs to be accomplished, identify milestones, simplify cost estimation and allow better decision making. To create a WBS, a project manager analyses the project objectives, and then creates the tasks required to meet each objective. Tasks can be broken down into subtasks, or even broken down further until a specific resource can be identified.

The second project planning tool you will use is the Gantt chart. The Gantt chart is a bar chart that is named after its creator, Henry Gantt. Gantt focuses on the schedule of a project. It includes start and estimated finish dates, and can follow a monthly, weekly or even daily timeline. A Gantt chart is beneficial in applying a schedule to smaller projects, but can often become cumbersome with larger projects that have numerous activities. In order to create a Gantt chart, a WBS must be created first so that activities can be clearly defined.

To prepare for this Assignment:

- Reflect on your readings for this unit and familiarise yourself with the project planning tools explored.

- Pay specific attention to the Work Breakdown Structure and Gantt chart from your Resources.

- Review your scenario. Begin to conceptualise which project planning tools you would use for your scenario.

To complete this Individual Assignment:

- Identify and briefly describe the project planning tools you would use for your scenario, explaining why you would use each one. Be specific and use examples to support your answer.

- Perform a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Gantt analysis for the project in your scenario.

- Create two Microsoft PowerPoint slides, one titled, ‘Work Breakdown Structure', and the other titled, ‘Gantt Analysis', and include information from the WBS and Gantt analysis you performed.

Scenario: Launching a New Product Line

You work for a firm that manufactures and distributes haircare products.

To this point, your sales have primarily been to retail outlets. The firm has decided to launch a new product line of bulk-packaged hair care products to be sold and distributed to organisations such as hospitals, gyms, schools and universities with residences for students, and similar customers. You are in charge of the team who must present a project plan for the production, sales, and distribution of the new product line to potential investors in order to secure funding to bring the new product to market.