Reference no: EM13135398

This assessment item is to be completed individually.
The case study simulates a project management scenario where the student takes on the role of project manager. The case information is not complete so where necessary students will have to make assumptions and argue the pros and cons for any recommendations they make. 

If necessary, students are expected to find relevant information in the academic literature to justify their answers. 
To assist students in their assessment solution development the following information is provided: 
• Product development case description 
• Specific assessment questions that must be answered 
• Information regarding the submission of the assessment 
• Marking guide 
Product Development Case Description 
Background 
CQControllers is a medium sized company that develops and manufactures industrial controllers. You are an employee of CQControllers and work as project manager in the product development department. The people involved in this case are: 

• You are Mr. Project, the project manager. 
• Mr. Product is the Director of Product Development. 
• Ms. Marketing is the Director of Marketing and Portfolio Management. 
• Ms. Resource is the Human Resource Manager. 
• Functional line managers in the research and development department. 
• Engineers and members of your project team. 
You have been leading a small team of experienced engineers conducting a technical feasibility study to investigate if it is possible to modify one of the company's standard products to create a product variant to satisfy the needs of the automotive industry. The M1 Milestone Concept Review will be held on Friday 2nd May 2014. The project management milestone concept review checklist is provided below. 

The Project Management Milestone Checklist for M1 
1. Are the marketing requirements agreed? 
2. Are project targets agreed (e.g. schedule, features and quality)? 
3. Has a feasibility study been successfully completed? 
4. Is the product concept selected and well understood? 
5. Are user product mock-ups circulated and reviewed with marketing? 
6. Are the product and production technologies selected? 
7. Have key components and suppliers been identified? 
8. Has the supply chain impact of a new product been reviewed? 
9. Is the project organisation agreed? 
10. Is the project team established and operational? 
11. Is any project teambuilding and leadership development required? 
12. Is any technical training of project members required? 
13. Is the project plan document reviewed within the project? 
14. Is the MS project schedule reviewed? 
15. Is the project budget established and approved? 
16. Have the project risks been assessed, mitigated and reviewed? 
17. What are the key risks and how are they mitigated? 
18. Are the appropriate resources identified and allocated to the project? 
19. Are key stakeholders identified? 
20. What are the quality assurance activities employed? 
21. What are the quality metrics you propose to monitor and what are the control methods you plan to use in your project? 
The concept review is one of the milestones in the company's product development process. 

The need for the new product has been identified by the marketing department lead by Ms. Marketing, Director of Marketing and Portfolio Management. Ms. Marketing provided your small project team with a product brief, outlining the special end user, sales and service requirements to supplement the requirements already established for the standard product. She also developed the business case for the product. 

Your team have come up with a unique and novel product concept. The concept satisfies the new requirements perfectly. The feasibility work carried out showed that the user requirements were sound and that the technical complexity of the development was low. 

Your team also estimates that there is a reduction in the Bill Of Materials (BOM) for the new product although you have not assessed this at this stage. 

You and your team believe that you can develop the product with limited resources and within the timeframe requested by Ms. Marketing. The sales launch deadline is to be advised (TBA). 
Milestones 
The milestones your team will use are: 
A. M1 Concept review complete (At this point the system architecture and feasibility study will be complete. A go/no-go decision for detailed design will be made at this milestone). 
B. M2 Design review complete(At this point the overall design will be complete. A go/no-go decision for procurement will be made at this milestone). 
C. P1 proto build start (An internal project review confirming that the product prototype is able to be manufactured with the quality level expected.). 
D. P2 proto build start (An internal project review confirming that the product prototype is able to be manufactured with the quality level expected). 
E. M3 Final Design review complete (At this point the product quality is verified based on the product validation testing carried out on the last prototype. A go/no-go decision for production ramp-up is made). 
F. M4 Launch review (A go/no-go decision depending if all business areas are ready for market launch and 100 controllers are in stock) This is to be the end of the project schedule, i.e. when the 100 controllers are in stock. 
The system architecture of the product has been used as the basis for the project organisation and the work breakdown structure. As the project manager you have accepted the tasks of creating the compiled project schedule and allocating resources. 

From discussions with Mr. Software, Mr. Mechanics, Mr. Electronics, Mr. Production and Mr. 
Validation, very experienced managers and engineers, you have obtained the following information: 

1. A work break down structure (WBS), resource estimates and some dependencies provided in Table 1 below. 

2. In addition, Mr. Production provided you with the Activity-In-the-Box (AIB) network diagrams in Figure 1. 

Note that the following abbreviations are used in the table: 
• Electronic Engineer (EE) 
• Software Engineer (SW) 
• Mechanical Engineer (ME) 
• Test Engineer (TE) 
• Production Engineer (PE) 
• Printed Wire Board (circuit board) (PWB) 
• Electromagnetic Compliance (EMC) 

Table 1- Work Breakdown Structure 
Activity Description Predecessor(s) Relationships Person days/weeks of effort 1(and type of resource required.) To be completed at the following milestone 
1 Product development 
1. 1 Electronics 
1. 1.1 PWB outline modifications PWB outline modifications M1, Must be started with 1.2.1. 
1 person-week of EE. M2 
1.1.2 Component selection Selection of electronic components. 1.1.1, 2 person-weeks of EE. M2 
1.1.3 P1 circuit design and PWB layout Creation of circuit diagram and PWB layout. Breadboard solution created. 1.1.1, Must be started together with 1.1.2. 2 person-weeks of EE. M2 
1.1.4 P1 electronics verification tests Electronic verification tests with the use of the P1 prototypes. 1.1.3, P1 build complete 2 person-weeks of EE. P2 
1.1.5 P2 circuit design improvements Electronic improvements to circuit diagram, component selection and layout. 1.1.4 1 person-week of EE. 
1.1.6 P2 electronics verification tests Electronic verification tests with the use of the P2 prototypes. 1.1.5, P2 build complete 2 person-weeks of one EE. M3 
1.1.7 Thermal verification tests Verification that electronic heat generation and heat transmission through covers is acceptable. 1.1.5 , P2 build complete 2 days of EE. 
1.1.8 EMC verification tests Verification of compliance with electromagnetic compliance regulations. 1.1.7 2 days of EE. M3 
1.2. Software 
1.2.1 Software specifications and design Specification of the software functionality based on user requirements. M1 3 person-weeks of SE. M2 
1.2.2 User interface additions Software additions due to modified menus and functional keys. 1.2.1 1 person-week of SE. 
1. 2.3 Data storage additions Software additions for data storage. 1.2.1 1 person-week of SE. 
1. 2.4 Device to PC protocol additions Software additions to the communication protocol between the device and the PC. 1.2.1 1 person-week of SE. 
1. 2.5 PC software additions Software 
additions/modifications to the PC software 
functionality to support the new device functionality. 1.2.3 1 person-week of SE. 
1. 2.6 R1 release creation Creation of the R1 software release used for the P1 prototype build. 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 
1.2.4, 1.2.5 2 days of SE. 
1. 2.7 R1 release tests Testing of the R1 release and identification of errors. 1.2.6 1 person-week of SE. 
1.2.8 R1 error correction and user interface improvements Creation of the R1 software release used for the P1 prototype build. 1.2.7 1 person-week of SE. P1 
1. 2.9 R2 release creation Creation of the R2 software release used for the P2 prototype build. 1.2.8 2 days of SE. 
1.2.10 R2 release tests Testing of the R2 release and identification of errors. 1.2.9, P1 build complete 1 person-week of SE. 
1.2.11 R2 error corrections Correction of errors 1.2.10 1 person-week of SE. 
1.2.12 R2 interoperability tests Testing of interoperability with 3rd party accessory devices. 1.2.11 1 person-week of SE. P2 
1.2.13 R2 interoperability error correction Correction of errors 1.2.12 1 person-week of SE. 
1.2.14 R3 release creation Creation of the R3 software release. 1.2.13 2 days of SE. 
1.2.15 R3 tests Testing of the R3 release 1.2.14 1 person-week of SE. 
1.2.16 R4 sales release creation Creation of the software sales release 1.2.15 2 days of SE. M3 
1.3. Mechanics 
1.3.1 Industrial design Design of the industrial design for the device. M1, Must be started in parallel with 
1.1.1 and 
1.2.1 2 weeks of a ME/industrial designer. 
1.3.2 PWB outline modifications Modifications of the PWB 
to fit the industrial design, new components and usability requirements. 1.3.1 1 person-week of ME. 
1.3.3 P1 mechanical CAD design CAD design of mechanical plastic parts and metal parts for the device. 1.3.2 2 person-weeks of ME. 
1.3.4 Tolerance stack analysis Analysis of the mechanical tolerance stacks compared to part tooling and moulding capabilities. 1.3.3 1 person-week of ME. M2 
1. 3.5 P1 mechanical part analysis Physical analysis of moulded plastic parts and sheet metal parts. P1 build complete 1 person-week of ME. 
1.3.6 P2 mechanical part modifications Modification of moulding and sheet metal tools used for P2 parts. 1.3.5 2 person-weeks of ME. P2 
1.3.7 Mechanical tool approval Evaluation of P2 mechanical parts and approval of moulding and sheet metal tools used in part manufacture. P2 build complete 3 weeks of ME. M3 
1. 4. Verification 
1.4.1 Test plan creation Creation of a plan documenting what is to be tested. M1 1 person-week of TE. M2 
1.4.2 Component tests Test of key component reliability to various standard tests like drop and humidity. 
After delivery of 
components 
(for P1)- i.e. 
1.5.1 ,1.4.1 1 person-week of TE P1 
1.4.3 Module tests Test of module functionality after assembly. P1 build complete, 
1.4.2 1 person-week of TE. 
1.4.4 System integration tests Test of integration of modules. 1.4.3 1 person-week of TE. P2 
1.4.5 Product validation tests Test of product against reliability to various standard tests like drop and humidity and end user requirements. 1.4.4, P2 build complete 1 person-week of TE 
1. 4.6 Technical Construction File compilation Creation of documentation for regulatory approvals. 1.4.5 1 person-week of TE. 
1.4.7 Type approval and regulatory approval tests Approvals from regulatory authorities. 1.4.6 3 weeks by regulatory authorities. M3 

Figure 1 - Activity in Box Network Diagrams for Production 

General Information 
In addition to the work breakdown structure and AIB network diagram you have collected the following information. 
• Assume that at the M1 concept review approval will be given to start the project and that the start date of the project schedule will be 5/5/14. (M1 milestone can be 5/5/14.) 
• The project booking of the proto builds (task 1.5.5 and 1.6.5) will have to be done at the latest three (3) weeks in advance of the build. This is the lead time required to include builds in the manufacturing's master production schedule. There is no need to include the booking on your schedule. 
• The initial lead time for the display component is four (4) weeks and therefore longer than for the rest of the components. Although 1.5.1 above has 3 weeks lead time, your schedule will have to use 4 weeks lead time to allow for this component. (This is only required for 1.5.1, not the second prototype build.) 
• The company has a general holiday period between 26/12/14 to 2/1/15. For the purposes of the assignment, assume that there are no other holidays. 
• The booking of the Type Approval (TA) test house (task 1.4.7) has to be done 12 weeks prior to type approval. There is no need to include the booking on your schedule initially. 
• Production ramp up to manufacture 100 controllers is estimated to take three (3) weeks after the M3 milestone. Include this task on your schedule. It should be the predecessor for M4. 
Available Resources 
The maximum full time resources available for your project are: 

Resource $/hour Number Available 
Electronics Engineer $100.00 1 
Software Engineer $95.00 2 
Mechanical Engineer $95.00 2 
Test Engineer $100.00 1 
Production Engineer $100.00 1 

The engineers work a 40 hour week from Monday to Friday (i.e. a 5 day week with 8 hour days). The functional managers have assured you that the engineers are able to do all the tasks within their engineering field (i.e. there are no differences in the abilities of the 2 software engineers compared to one another and similarly no difference between the abilities of the 2 mechanical engineers). 

If the project is resourced as requested your team is committed to producing only two prototype iterations to develop and validate the design 

You know that there are items you did not address at the project workshop and that you may need to make some assumptions to complete your schedule and budget. Make sure that you list any assumptions you make at the beginning of your assignment submission. 

Assessment Part A 
For part A of the assessment you must complete the following tasks and questions. Read all the questions before you commence the tasks. The schedule is to be developed in an appropriately named Microsoft Project 2010 file (see below) and the questions are to be answered in a Word document. As stated above, any assumptions must also be listed at the beginning of the Word document. 

1. Ms. Marketing has asked you to use Microsoft Project to develop the project schedule. Note that she has also asked you to include the milestones at the end of the task list in your schedule. 

Based on the information in the case study description above, use Microsoft Project 2010 to produce a "Part A" schedule. Make sure that you: 
a) Include the milestones at the end of the task list. 
b) Include the resource allocation details on the schedule. 
c) Have an appropriate project name as the top of the task list and have all other tasks indented below this heading. 
d) Make sure that the holidays described in the "general information" are not included in the available working days for your project. 
e) Use the Microsoft Project software to make sure that the critical path(s) are automatically highlighted in the Gantt chart view of you schedule. 

At this point there may be resource over allocation issues. Do not attempt to resolve these before answering question 2. Save this version of your schedule in 
CQControllersPartA1.mpp. You will be required to submit this file as part of your assignment submission. 

2. List the tasks that are on the critical path(s) of the project. 

3. Create a copy of CQControllersPartA1.mpp in another file called CQControllersPartA2.mpp. If there were any resource over-allocation issues resolve these in this new 
CQControllersPartA2.mpp. file. Note that you must resolve any resource over-allocation issues without the addition of any additional resources. Save the "modified" version of 
CQControllersPartA2.mpp. You will also be required to submit this file as part of your assignment submission. 
a) How did you/would you resolve any resource over-allocation issues without adding additional resources? 
b) In your Word document, list the tasks that are now displayed as "critical". 
c) What impact did the resource constraints have on your schedule? 

4. Include additional "milestones" (tasks with 0 duration) in your schedule to show the latest date when you need to contact: 
a) the production manager to ensure that the facilities are booked for the first prototype build. 
b) the type approval test house to ensure that the facilities are booked for the type approval. 
c) According to your schedule when is the latest date that you need to contact: 
? The production manager to book the facilities for the first prototype build? 
? The type approval house to book the facilities for the type approval? Note that these additional milestones should be listed at the end of the milestones list at the end of the project task list and should be highlighted in the task list in yellow using the "background colour" icon on the task ribbon. This is to allow your marker to locate them easily. 
5. Write a memo to the director of product development, Mr. Product outlining: 
a) the expected completion date of the project, assuming it commences at M1 (5/5/14); 
b) the total duration of the project; 
c) an explanation of the main factors that cause the project to require that length of time; 
d) the estimated labour cost of the project after the M1 concept review. Present the costs in a table showing the costs for the following: 

? Electronics 
? Software 
? Mechanics 
? Verification 
? Prototype 1 build 
? Prototype 2 build 
? Production ramp up to 100 in stock 
? Total for the Project 

Assume that you will send the project schedule as an attachment to the memo. 

6. Describe what the project manager needs to do to ensure that the project runs smoothly and completes on time. Give a detailed answer describing procedures, processes and anything else that you believe is important both in general terms and specifically for this project. 

7. Is there any way that the overall duration of the project can be shortened without removing any tasks? (Justify your answer. Be specific and describe any tasks that you would target and what you might do that could reduce the length of the project.) 

8. What should the project manager do to ensure a quality product? 

9. Are there any other project related supporting activities, plans, events or tasks that you might have overlooked? If they were overlooked describe how this could impact on the project. (Aim to identify and discuss at least two.) 

Assessment Part B 

Mr. Production reviews your project schedule and requests that build participation of one engineer from each of the following functions is required at the P1 and P2 builds: production, electronics, software and mechanics. You will have to update your schedule as you agree with this proposal. 

You are now 1 week after the M1 milestone and the Chinese display supplier has been able to revise the delivery time. The delivery time is now reduced to 3 weeks which is corresponds to the time required for the other components (task 1.5.1). 

In addition the software engineer has completed the software specification. However, this has meant that the estimated time for the data storage additions and software modifications/additions have had to be revised. Both tasks are now estimated to require an extra week. 
Based on the additional information given above complete the following tasks: 

1. Create a copy of CQControllersPartA2.mpp in another file called CQControllersPartB.mpp. 
Amend the project schedule in CQControllersPartB.mpp incorporating the request from Mr. Production, the change to the delivery time for the display and the new estimated times for the software tasks. If necessary resolve any resource over-allocation issues without adding any resources. You will also be required to submit this file (CQControllersPartB.mpp ) as part of your assignment submission. 

2. What tasks are now "critical"? 

3. Describe the impact(s) of each the following on the project schedule: 
a. The additional resources required for the prototype builds. 
b. The change in duration of the delivery time for the display component. 
c. The change in time for the data storage additions and the software modifications. Explain your answers. 

4. Describe the impact(s) of each the following on the project budget: 
a. The additional resources required for the prototype builds. 
b. The change in duration of the delivery time for the display component. 
c. The change in time for the data storage additions and the software modifications. Explain your answers. 
Assumptions 
You are free to make any assumptions necessary to complete the assignment. However, each assumption must be justified and stated clearly in your assessment Word document. Marks will be deducted for any unreasonable assumption or for stating an assumption and then ignoring it in your assignment. 
Submission of Assessment 
The assignment is to be submitted as four separate files using the electronic assignment submission system that can be accessed from the assessment item 2 link on the course website. The four files to be submitted are: 

1. The Word document with the assumptions and solutions to the questions for Part A and Part B. 
2. The Microsoft project files created for Part A and Part B. Please ensure that the Microsoft Project files are named according to the instructions in the assignment specification 
(CQControllersPartA1.mpp, CQControllersPartA2.mpp and CQControllersPartB.mpp). 

Marking Guide for Assessment item 2 - Individual Case Study 
Assignment Question Criteria Marks 
available Marks awarded 
Part A 
Q1 The adequacy of the Project Schedule 
• Tasks; correct WBS; overall summary task; auto scheduling 
• Durations/effort 
• Resources allocated 
• Milestones 
• Predecessor relationships 
• Holidays 
(may have resource over allocation at this point) 7 
Q2 Critical path highlighted and tasks listed 1 
Q3 (a), (b),(c) - dealing with resource constraints 3 
Q4 Dates of bookings (+ milestones) 1 
Q5 Appropriateness of the Written Memo and all information included and correct according to the schedule 4 
Q6 Ensuring finished on time. 4 
Q7 Details on shortening the Project 3 
Q8 Quality 2 
Q9 Overlooked "activities" 
. 3 

Sub Total Part A 28 
Part B 
Q1 The adequacy of the amended Project Plan (+ ensure no resource over-allocation) 3 
Q2 What tasks are now critical? 1 
Q3 Discussion of the impact of each of the changes on schedule + explain 1.5 
Q4 Discussion of the impact of each of the changes on budget + explain 1.5