Module 9 Homework Exercises

1. The 3rd unit of an aircraft hangar project was completed in 2,700 hours. The 15th unit was
built in 2,100 hours.
a. What is the learning rate (based on doubled units)? (0.75 points)
b. How long would it take to build the hundredth unit? (0.75 points)
2. The “A” value for 5 sluice gate installations was 160 hours (learning 0.90 for doubled
averages).
a. Find the average time to install 25 sluice gates. (0.75 points)
b. What is the time required to install the twentieth sluice gate? (0.75 points)
3. The learning rate of 0.90 on cumulative averages is realized when constructing metal
storage tanks. The first unit took 1,400 hours to construct. After 6 units were constructed,
the hunting season opened and the entire work crew took off a total of 5 days.
a. Ignoring the impact of weekends, determine the time required to complete units 7
through 12. (0.75 points)
b. If wages are $10 per hour, what was the cost of the hunting season in terms of lost
productivity? (0.75 points)
4. A contractor has kept accurate records on the installation of pressure vessels in a refinery.
He has the following data: Unit #3, A = 1530; Unit #4, A = 1450; Unit #7, A = 1370;
Unit #10, A = 1325; Unit #12, A = 1300; Unit #15, A = 1275. A strike delayed further
installations for two weeks (16 days), before the 16th unit could be installed. The
contractor had a crew size of 11 workers who receive an average wage of $18 per hour.
The rental on the equipment and the company overhead is $500 per day. The contractor
noted that he broke even after having completed the eighth unit. Find the theoretical time
to complete the first unit.
a. Find the learning rate (in percent). (0.5 points)
b. When work resumes, how many units must be completed before the crew is
working at the same pace it had when it completed the 15th unit? (0.25 points)
c. How long will it take to complete the 16th unit? (0.25 points)
d. What is the cost of the delay on units 16 through 20? (0.5 points)
5. The finishing work on a building project was to be completed by an ideally-size crew of
five workers in 45 days (40-hour workweeks). To accelerate the work, it was decided that
the crew size would be increased to eight workers, that a second eight-worker crew
would be added to the project. In addition, all the workers were scheduled to work 60-
hour work weeks (10 hours per day from Monday through Saturday). Assume workers
are paid $18 per hour.
a. What is the expected duration of the projects with the suggested changes? (0.75
points)
b. What is the cost of the acceleration in terms of labor cost alone? (0.75 points)