devry mgmt404 week 1 discussion and ilab

week 1
discussions

Case Study: The Keflavik Paper Company (graded)

Read the
case study 3.1 on pages 103–104 of the text.

The
Keflavik Paper Company is a case with the problem of determining a project
management process for new product development. Answer the following questions:

What does
this case demonstrate about the effect of poor project screening methods on a
firm’s ability to manage projects effectively?

How would
project portfolio management help to improve the situation at Keflavik?

If you think
about it, all business problems are case studies. To effectively evaluate the
situation, you must approach the problem in a methodological manner. A proven
technique to do this is to

1. list the facts;
2. identify the issues;
3. based on the facts of the
   case and your knowledge, analyze the issues of the case;
4. prepare recommended
   solutions and their possible outcomes;
5. implement the optimal
   solution (not always the one with the best outcome, since the cost or
   other things could be impractical); and
6. monitor the implementation
   and the outcomes.

So when
you read and prepare to respond to this case, please follow the above
guidelines. I don’t necessarily expect you to perform steps 4–6, but I do
expect your response to be based on the facts and your knowledge.

Remember—your
first impressions may not be correct!

Case Study: Widgets ‘R Us (graded)

Read the
case study 2.4 on pages 65–66 of the text.

The Widgets ‘R Us case study is a case with a problem of how the company is set
up and how the company will handle operations with its projected growth. Answer
the following questions:

You have been called in as a consultant to analyze the operations at WRU. Based
on the readings, what would you advise Widgets ‘R Us to do in order to sustain
the competitive advantage in the widget market?

What structural design changes might be undertaken to improve the operations at
the company?

i lab

Objectives
– MS Project 2010

q Use constraints to set date limitations

q Set a project schedule baseline

A task constraint is a restriction or limitation that you
or MS Project set on the start or finish date of a task. During the course of a
project, limitations may have to be placed upon a start or finish date of a
task. For example, while you can start doing your income taxes at any time, you
must complete them by April 15 (assuming you do not file for an extension). Do
not confuse task constraints with task dependencies. While you may
schedule two tasks to start at the same time (dependency), you may not specify
a certain starting date (constraint).

All tasks are assigned constraints. A constraint is either
flexible or inflexible. A flexible constraint is not tied to a specific date;
whereas an inflexible constraint is tied to a specific date.

Task constraints can help create a more accurate schedule by using detailed
information to control start and finish dates of important tasks. But they can
restrict your flexibility in scheduling. You should make sure that any
constraint for a task is necessary before assigning that constraint,
particularly if the task is part of the critical path.

For this lab, we will be using the MS Project Lab, MyLab5_XXX
(where XXX are your initials) from where we left off in Lab 5. You may use your
previous file or download MyLab5_XXX.mpp from Doc Sharing.

The following table lists the flexible constraints and when
they are flexible:

Constraint	Description	Flexible for…
As Soon As Possible (ASAP)	Starts the task as soon as possible based on other constraints and dependencies	All projects
As Late As Possible (ALAP)	Starts the task as late as possible based on other constraints and dependencies	All projects
Finish No Earlier Than (FNET)	Finishes the task on or after an entered date	Projects scheduled based on a start date
Start No Earlier Than (SNET)	Starts the task on or after an entered date	Projects scheduled based on a start date
Finish No Later Than (FNLT)	Finishes the task on or before an entered date	Projects scheduled based on a finish date
Start No Later Than (SNLT)	Starts the task on or before an entered date	Projects scheduled based on a finish date

The As Soon As Possible constraint is the default
constraint for projects that are scheduled from a start date.
Therefore, our project’s tasks all currently are assigned the ASAP constraint.
(If project is scheduled from a finish date, As Late As Possible is the default
constraint.)

1. Log onto Windows.

2. Open your completed file MyLab5_XXX.mpp. Check the addendum at the end of
this lesson to make sure your beginning file is correct.

3. Save asMyLab6_XXX.mpp, where XXX are your initials.

4. Make sure you are in Gantt chart view, with the Entry table appearing.

5. Click on task #6, Proposal To Accounting.

6. Double click to open the Task Information dialog box.

7. Be sure that the General tab is selected and view the
currently scheduled start and finish dates for this task. (The task is
scheduled to begin on Monday, October 21 and finish on Wednesday,
October 23).

8. Click the Advancedtab.

9. Click the Constraint type down arrow and select Finish
No Earlier Than.

10. Click the Constraint date down arrow and select Wednesday,
October 23, 2013. (See Figure 1).