Project Plan for Elaine's Catering
Elaine’s Catering kitchen renovation project will be carried out in three phases and several other sub-phases under the main phases. The division of the project in phases is to ensure that everything is done in the order in which it is supposed to be done and that there is no wastage of resources.
Planning and Designing
The first phase of this project will involve planning and design of the kitchen. It is in this phase that the materials that are required for the project will be identified. Any changes in the design of the kitchen will also be made in this phase so that the materials that will be required to effect the changes can be identified. Once the designing has been done, and the materials have been identified, the planning process will then be commenced in which the order of the activities that will take place will be established. The success of the renovation project heavily relies on the planning phase. It is in this phase that the planning will allocate the appropriate duration for each activity. The planning process may take long depending on the number of people that will need to be consulted and the inquiries that will be made.
Ordering Materials
Once designing and planning phase has been accomplished, the next phase of the project will involve ordering for the various materials that will be needed to carry out the project. It may be necessary that the materials arrive at different times when the project implementers are ready to use them. The ordering of materials may also require certain considerations like the quantities to be ordered and the suppliers to order from depending on the prices that they will be offering.
Construction
The third major phase of the project is the construction phase where the work on renovating the kitchen is commenced. This phase has several activities that will be taking place at different times. Some of the activities can be carried out concurrently to save time and finish the project early. It is important to note that time management and prudent resource allocation is paramount for the prompt completion of the project.
Part B.
For the project's prompt completion using the minimum possible resources both in monetary terms and time. The precedence figure above, therefore, illustrates the order in which different activities in the project should be carried out.
A1
It represents the planning and designing activity in the project. The activity must take a duration of 15 days, and it cannot be crushed, i.e. reduce the duration of the project by applying more resources.
A2
It represents the ordering of materials phase of the project; this phase is expected to take 5 days, and it can only be done after the planning phase is complete. Therefore, it has to start after the 15th day of the project. This phase can also not be crushed to reduce its duration and has to go through all the 5 days.
A3
It is the phase of the project where the construction of the kitchen cupboards and bench tops is done. It is scheduled to take 8 days and can only commence once phase A2 has been completed. This phase cannot also be crushed to reduce its duration, and it has to be carried out in 8 days after the 20th day of the project.
B1
This activity involves the removal of the existing kitchen structure, oven and cook top, dishwasher and sink. The activity would take 2 days and has to be preceded by A3 and therefore, can only commence after the 28th day of the project. It cannot be crushed.
B2
In this activity, the implementation team oversees the removal of the A/C unit and the laying of bricks on the wall of the kitchen. The activity takes a day to complete, and it can begin at any time during the project but not later than after the 30.5th day of the project. The activity can also not be completed later than the 31.5th day of the project. It cannot be crushed to reduce its duration.
B3
It is during this activity that can begin any time after the 1st day of the project and be finished by the 32nd day of the project that the laying of the in-floor power to centre workbench and relocate power points is done. The activity has to take 0.5 days to be completed once it has been commenced.
B4
In this activity, installation of the wall oven tower is done including the installation of peripheral cupboards, benches and splash back. The activity takes only 1 day and can only begin after the 30th day and be finished by the 31stday. It has to be preceded by activities A3 and B1.
B5
The activity involves the removal of linoleum from the floor and preparing the new flooring. It takes only a day and can only begin after the 31st day and be finished by the 32nd day. It cannot be crushed. It cannot be done before B4 is done.
B6
It involves laying the new floor. It takes 1 day to complete and can only begin after the 32nd day. Its latest completion time is the 33rd day and hence, cannot be delayed or crushed.
C1
It is the first activity in the installation phase of the project. It involves installing the centre work bench, pantry oven, and cook top. This activity takes 2 days and can only begin after the 33rd day and be finished by the 35th day. It is preceded by activity B6 and has no slack time, i.e. it cannot be delayed.
C2
It is an activity that is preceded by C1 and involves connection of power to all points in the kitchen. The activity takes 0.5 days and can only begin by the 35th day and be finished half a day later by the 35.5th day.
C3
During this activity, plumbing is adapted to the repositioned sink and dishwasher. The activity takes 0.5 days to complete and can be done after activity B4 has been done. It can happen, therefore, between the 31st day and the 36th day. This means that it can be delayed by 5 days and has to be complete by the 36.5th day.
C4
It is preceded by C2 and involves the testing of all connections that have been made in the kitchen. It can start not earlier or later than the 35.5th day and be finished by the 36.5th day. Its duration is 1 day.
C5
C1 precedes it and takes 1 day to complete.
C6
C5 precedes it and takes 0.5 days to complete.
The critical activities of the project are A1, A2, A3, B1, B4, B5, B6, C1, C2, C4, C5, and C6.
