Project

Assignment
Project Schedule
The goal of this Specialization is to provide you with the tools to more effectively and successfully
manage projects. A key part of this effort is to learn how to produce many of the key project planning
deliverables that are part of a well-developed project.

In this assignment, we will build a CPM diagram and a Gantt Chart based on the Wilmont’s Pharmacy
Case Study found in the Resource section of this Course. The student should use the Study as a basis to
develop the assigned deliverables for the project.

The Wilmont’s Pharmacy Case Study is based on a hypothetical case where a pharmacy company is
developing a drone project for home delivery of prescriptions. You may not be familiar with the
technology involved in the Case; however, the assignment is based on your knowledge of the typical life
cycle of a project and the contents of the associated deliverables. Therefore, you should focus on
developing a management plan for the project based on the lessons in the Specialization and not focus
on the technology and the details of the engineering.

The deliverable will be graded by your peers who are also taking the course. The grades will be based
on a Grading Rubric developed by the teaching staff and provided to each grader and your participation
in the grading process to review the deliverables of other students. Each student must complete peer-
review evaluations in order to get credit for the assignment.

Assignment Requirements

Format: The assignment must be uploaded in Electronic PDF-type print image file formatted in standard
US letter size pages by Adobe Acrobat or compatible software. The original document can be prepared
in any format of the students choosing as long as it can be converted/printed to a PDF deliverable.

Assignment Guidelines: Use the information provided in the Case Study as a guide to produce this
deliverable. You are not required to perform any outside research to add to the Case or to perform
additional studies over what is specified in the assignment to further define the Case.

A standard template is provided for this Deliverable. You are welcome to download and use these
templates to develop the assignment. Alternately, you can use a format that is derived from some other
standard from your organization or elsewhere as long as the contents contain the required information
and it is reasonably easy to follow by the Peer-reviewer without additional knowledge or training.

Assignment Deliverable Contents

In this assignment, we will first prepare a CPM Diagram which will include a project sequence, WBS
Number, Duration, early start, late start, early finish, late finish and the critical path. Next, we will use
this information to build a Gantt chart. The Gantt chart will include WBS Number, activity description,
activity duration, start dates and end dates.

CPM Diagram

Prepare a CPM Diagram similar in format to the one shown in Figure 6-16. Example of Critical Path
Method in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge – Sixth Edition or Figure 6-4:
Forward and Backward Pass in Project Management ToolBox – Second Edition. The CPM Diagram should
have the following characteristics:

• It should include a key explaining the various symbols in the diagram. It should also specify the
units used in the diagram (days, weeks, months, etc.)
• Each element of the WBS should be included in the diagram.
• Each node in the diagram should include the WBS number, activity duration, early start, late
start, early finish, and late finish. The dates may be shown as the number of weeks from the
project start for simplicity.
• The task durations should be based on the Effort Hours provided in the Wilmont’s Pharmacy
Case Study assuming 40 hours per weeks/5 day work weeks plus your reasonable estimate for
the tasks included in the WBS but not listed with Effort Hours in the Case. As an example,
Wilmont’s/DroneTech Legal Contract Negotiations take 160 hours/40 hours or 4 weeks.
• It should indicate the critical path based on the analysis of the information.

Gantt Chart

After you have completed the CPM Diagram, convert it to a Gantt chart with a format similar to that
contained in Figure 6.1: An Example Gantt Chart in Project Management ToolBox – Second Edition. The
chart can be prepared using scheduling software, Excel or by hand drawing. Excel has a Gantt project
planner template that can be used.

The Gantt chart should contain the following:

• WBS number for each activity on the schedule

• Activity description/name
• Activity duration
• Activity start date
• Activity end date
• Bars indicating the start and end date

The Gantt chart schedule should be based on the Project start date and the milestone dates indicated in
the Case. Remember, that the Project cannot start until the estimate is complete and the contract
negotiation complete. Therefore, there will be activities which start and stop before the Project start
date. These early activities should only include the initial cost estimate, project planning and contract
negotiations.

The Gantt chart schedule should fall between the Early Start/Early Finish times and the Late Start/Late
Finish times calculated as part of the sequence diagram after these have been converted to actual dates.

The Gantt chart should include a zero duration activity labeled Start Activities indicating the start date of
the schedule and a similar zero duration activity labeled Project Completion indicating the last day of the
Project.

Grading Rubric for Peer Review

Following are the general guidelines for evaluation of this assignment. The student should use these
guidelines to aide in the preparation of the CPM Diagram and the Gantt Chart. If you are uncertain as to
the specific requirements, please refer to the CPM Diagram Template and the Gantt Chart Template in
the Resources section of Coursera, the Assignment Video, Chapter 6 of The Project Management Body of
Knowledge, 6th edition, and pages 145 to 162 of Project Management ToolBox, Tools and Techniques,
2nd edition for additional information. Also, please feel free to post any questions you may have in the
discussion forums.

 CPM Diagram and Gantt Chart Grading Rubric
The CPM Diagram and the Gantt chart documents will be rated based on the following scales. Provide
specific written feedback to explain your rating.

Project Name, Document Revision Number and Date – The CPM Diagram and the Gantt chart contain
the Project Name, the Document Revision Number and the Revision Date.

Poor (0) Average (7) Good (8) Very Good (10) Rating =
Name and The CPM Diagram One of the two Both the CPM Diagram
Revision and the Gantt chart documents includes and the Gantt chart
Number includes the Project the Project Name, includes the Project
missing. Name, but not the the Revision Number Name, the Revision
Revision Number or and Revision Date. Number and Revision
the Revision Date. Date.
Comments:

CPM Diagram

WBS Elements – The CPM Diagram should contain each element of the WBS as a node in the diagram.

Poor (1) Average (7) Very Good (10) Rating =

The CPM A few WBS There is a one to one
Diagram elements are correspondence between
nodes do not missing or it is not the WBS and the CPM
match the easy to match Diagram activities.
Project WBS. them to the WBS
because of
nomenclature
differences.
Comments:

Diagram Key – The CPM Diagram should contain a key or index showing providing a diagram to show
the format of the CPM nodes with each value label indicated. It should also indicate the format for the
critical path and the time scale used on the diagram durations and dates.

Poor (1) Average (7) Good (8) Very Good (10) Rating =
A Diagram Key The Diagram Key is The Diagram Key The Diagram Key is
is not included but it is included and included and it indicates
included. does not include all clearly matches where the WBS number,
the information the nodes in the duration, early start,
and the match to diagram. One early finish, late start,
the node diagrams element is and late finish can be
is not clear. missing. found on the nodes. The
Diagram Key shows the
legend for the critical
path and the other paths.
It indicates the time scale
being used (days, weeks,
or months).
Comments:

Node Contents – Each node is labeled with the WBS number, activity duration, early start time, early
finish time, late start time and late start finish. The values are easy to identify based on the Diagram Key
or other means.

Poor (1) Average (7) Good (8) Very Good (10) Rating =
The nodes Each node contains Each node Each node contains the
elements are the WBS number contains the WBS WBS number, activity
not clearly or activity name number, activity duration, early start time,
labeled. and the duration, duration, early late start time, early
as a minimum; start time, late finish time, and late
however, much of start time, early finish time in a consistent
the other finish time, and format that matches the
information is not late finish time. Key Diagram. The time
included. However, the scales used are
match to the Key consistent across the
Diagram is not diagram.
consistent. The
time scales are
not readily
apparent.
Comments:





Critical Path – The CPM Diagram should indicate the Critical Path through some means. The critical path
should be the series of activities were the early start/early finish dates match the late start/late finish
dates or the path that takes the most time to complete.

Poor (1) Average (7) Good (8) Very Good (10) Rating =
The Critical The Critical Path is clearly
Path is not delineated versus
included. alternate paths. It
corresponds to the
activity sequence that
takes the most time to
complete. It is based on
the early start/early
finish dates matching the
late start/late finish
dates.
Comments:

CPM Diagram Format

Poor (1) Average (7) Good (8) Very Good (10) Rating =
The CPM The information in the The format is easy to The CPM Diagram is
Diagram is not CPM Diagram is laid follow and labeled formatted in a
well out in a readable using an index or standard easy to follow
formatted. fashion. However, an other means. It is format. It is indexed
Information is index was not included, not obvious that the and the values are
included in a it is not easy to identify format is standard included in a way so it
random the components, and and can be used is easy to compare data
fashion. the format should not across projects. to future projects.
be considered
standard.
Comments:

Gantt Chart

WBS Elements – The Gantt chart should contain each element of the WBS as an activity on the chart.

Poor (1) Average (7) Good (8) Very Good (10) Rating =
The Gantt A few WBS There is a one to one
chart activities elements are correspondence between
do not match missing or it is not the WBS and the Gantt
the Project easy to match chart activities.
WBS. them to the WBS
because of
nomenclature
differences.
Comments:

Key Dates – The key dates in the Gantt chart should be indicated and they should match the milestone
provided in the Case. The Gantt chart activity dates should fall within the early start/early finish and late
start/late finish dates included on the CPM Diagram.

Poor (1) Average (7) Good (8) Very Good (10) Rating =
No milestones Some but not all Some but not all The Gantt Chart indicates
or key dates key dates are key dates are all the key dates for
are indicated. indicated. The indicated. The completion of the project
match with the ones shown are as milestones. The key
Project Charter and consistent with milestones are consistent
Project Scope the Case, Project with the key dates
Statement is not Charter and the included in the Case and
clear. Project Scope the Project
Statement. Charter/Project Scope
Statement.
Comments:

Activity Data – Each activity on the Gantt chart should include the following data WBS number, activity
description/name, activity duration, activity start date, activity finish date and a bar reflecting those
dates.

Poor (1) Average (7) Good (8) Very Good (10) Rating =
Each activity on One or more of Each activity on Each activity on the
the Gantt chart the data are the Gantt chart Gantt chart includes the
includes only the missing from the includes the WBS WBS number, activity
activity chart; however, number, activity description/name,
name/description the majority are description/name, activity duration, activity
and a bar included. activity duration, start date, activity finish
indicating the activity start date, date and a bar reflecting
activity dates. activity finish date those dates. The activity
and a bar description matches the
reflecting those WBS and the remaining
dates. Some data data match the CPM
does not match Diagram.
the WBS
descriptions or
the CPM Diagram.
Comments:

Gantt Chart Format

Poor (1) Average (7) Good (8) Very Good (10) Rating =
The Gantt The information in the The format is easy to The Gantt chart is
Chart does not Gantt chart follows one follow and labeled. It formatted in a
follow one of of the specified is not obvious that standard easy to follow
the specified formats. However, the the format is format. Each section is
formats. sections are not standard and can be labeled so it is easy to
labeled and the format used across projects. compare data to future
should not be projects.
considered standard.
Comments:

TOTAL =

General Comments and feedback – What specific approaches worked well? Areas for improvement?