The Apply Your Knowledge section contains four mini-cases. Each case describes a situati...

The Apply Your Knowledge section contains four mini-cases. Each case describes a situation, explains your role in the case, and asks you to respond to questions. You can answer the questions by applying knowledge you learned in the chapter.

Riverside Financial At Riverside Financial, where you work as a project manager, you have been asked to conduct user training sessions during the implementation phase for a new information system. You must develop a specific schedule for the tasks (the estimated task duration for each is shown in parentheses):

• First, you need to send an e-mail message to all department managers announcing the training sessions (1 day).

• After the e-mail message goes out, two tasks can begin at the same time: You can develop the training material (4 days) and confirm arrangements for the training facility you plan to use (11 days).

• As soon as the training material is complete, you can work on two tasks at once: Arrange to have copies of handout material printed (3 days) and develop a set of PowerPoint slides (4 days).

• When the PowerPoint slides are ready, you conduct a practice training session with the instructor who will assist you (1 day).

• Finally, when the practice session is over, the handout material is ready, and the training facility is confirmed, you conduct the user training sessions (3 days).

1. Prepare a list showing all tasks and their durations.

2. Analyze the fact situation carefully to determine which tasks are concurrent and which ones are dependant on other tasks.

3. Using PERT/CPM techniques, develop a chart that shows the project. Use a format similar to Figure 3-27 on page 117. If project management software is available, use it to develop the chart.

4. What is the critical path for this project? How do you know?

Figure 3-27