Critical path
Critical path description
Critical path in project management are the project activities that takes the longest time and are in sequence. The project team has to give a lot of consideration to these activities such that the completion date of the project is not affected.
The critical path of the system that is to be developed will follow the following stages:
- Document the system requirements of the system
- Gather the user requirements
- Gather current RPS system flow
- Review the database
- Project plan approval
- Consolidate inputs
- Analysis stage is completed
- Design RPS, Database and report
- Approve the design
- Design complete
- Write code
- Create test plan
- System testing and installation
- Project complete
The phase with the highest time duration is the design of the system. This will take 14 days. This will determine the duration that the entire project will take in the process.
There are factors that can affect the design and the implementation process of the overall system. One factor that can affect the working of the system is the requirements gathering stage. This factor will affect the overall critical path because if the requirements differ between the project sponsor and the developers, this will mean that the whole process will be delayed as the two groups will try to reconcile. It is an important stage in the design of the system (Dobson, 2010).
Another factor that can change the whole system flow is testing the system. The system could have faults which might require a complete overhaul of the system. This will mean that the system be redesigned from scratch again. This will affect the overall time that the system will take to complete. The mentioned factor will affect that critical path and might change the time it will take (Cleland, & Ireland, 2006).
One result of deviating from the critical path is that the duration of the whole project will be affected. There will be a change in the calendar of the project. The time that the project will take to complete will be affected. If the new project duration will take more than initially planned, it will mean that the cost of the project will also change. The budget of the project will change.
Triple constraints of a project
Triple constraints of a project are the three challenges of scope, cost and time management that the mangers of projects face while undertaking projects. These constrains depend on each other which means that the increase in one constraint will affect the other constraint. For successful projects, there is a balance between these project constraints and there are measures that are put in place to ensure that the project meets the stipulated requirements for the project. The scope is what the project intends to cover and any change in this aspect will change the time that the project will complete and will also change the scope of the project. The other aspect is time where if there is change in time of a given task, it will affect the scope and the cost of the overall project. Cost is the budget that has been planned for the project to complete. The changes in scope and time will mean that there are changes in the cost.
References
Cleland, D., I & Ireland, L, R. (2006). Project Management: Strategic Design And Implementation. McGraw-Hill Prof Med/Tech.
Dobson, S. M. (2010). The Triple Constraints in Project Management. Management Concepts.
Mclean, E., Turban, E., & Wetherbe, J. (2011). Information Technology for Management: Improving Strategic and Operational Performance (8 ed.). New York, NY: Wiley.
