TTP-3 Project Schedule with Task Dependency Links (Team projec.docx

TTP-3 Project Schedule with Task Dependency Links (Team
project)
Please be sure to read the Team Contribution Assessment and
Grading of Team Assignments and the
Project Documentation Requirements sections of the ITP Master
Document.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. To be successful at this assignment (as well as later
assignments) you will need to rely on the
Week 2 Lecture, How to Build Work Breakdown Structures
2. Review the Case Scenario and TTP-2 - Project Charter
(including the instructions); these
sections will provide valuable information
3. Make sure you have configured MS-Project exactly as
specified in the ITP-1 Assignment; this
will be part of your TTP-3 grade
4. Finish objective #2 (Enter the WBS into MS-Project) as soon
as possible; in other words, in the
first half of week 4 (DON'T WAIT UNTIL SATURDAY
NIGHT!), ideally by Tuesday night
5. As soon as objective #2 is accomplished (and before
establishing durations or identifying
predecessors - successors), post the team's MS-Project schedule
to the "Shared Learning -
WBS with Dependencies" discussion area

6. Notify me immediately once you have uploaded the team's
MS-Project schedule; I will review
it and provide important feedback, possibly even asking you to
revise the WBS
Assignment for the TTP-3 Project Deliverables
The objectives of this assignment are for each team to:
1. Compile the "best of the best" ideas from your team's
individual ITP-1 assignments into the final
project WBS
2. Enter the WBS into MS-Project
3. List all deliverable end items under their appropriate WBS
element
4. Define and list sub-tasks under each lowest-level WBS
element (i.e., the work package);
establish task durations
5. Identify predecessor - successor relationships between sub-
tasks
6. Iterate steps 4 and 5 as necessary to achieve a workable
schedule
This assignment has two parts.
Part 1. Create the Work Breakdown Structure in Microsoft
Project

The team will determine the appropriate method for
consolidating the individual Work Breakdown
Structures into a single WBS. For instance, after review of all
team members' Work Breakdown
Structures:
• The best WBS could be adopted
• Portions of different team members' Work Breakdown
Structures could be used
• The best features of different team members' Work Breakdown
Structures could be used
• It could all be scrapped and collaboratively re-built from
scratch
• Any number of other methods could be used
Once I have reviewed your team WBS (in MS-Project), begin
loading task durations. IMPORTANT: Only
change durations for tasks. You do not adjust durations for
Summary Tasks because MS Project's
scheduling engine will roll-up the task durations to Summary
Tasks, and automatically calculate the
overall durations.
Then, the team members will add predecessor-successor links
between all sub-tasks in the consolidated
team WBS. This represents the ORDER in which work will be
performed. Every task (not WBS element)
should have a dependency relationship (predecessor - successor)
to another task. The default in MS-

Project is a "finish-to-start" relationship (task A must be
completed before task B can start). Each
member of the team should go through the WBS as a whole to
flesh out areas that may not be
addressed with sub-tasks.
As a team, look at the NETWORK View in MS-Project. All sub-
tasks (not WBS elements) should be linked
to other sub-tasks (EXCEPT for Start Project and Complete
Project). There should be no stand-alone sub-
tasks, i.e., without predecessors or successors. There may be
multiple paths and the paths should flow
generally from left to right. The first task should be Project
Start and it must have no predeccessors. The
final task should be Complete Project and it must have no
successors.
1. Do NOT hard-code task start and finish dates. Just enter task
durations and let MS-Project
calculate the dates. If your "I" column has a little calendar - you
have not done this correctly.
2. Do not use "manually scheduled" sub-tasks. Rather, use
"automatically scheduled" sub-tasks.
When manually scheduled, the dates are essentially hard-coded
and not allowed to
automatically adjust should task durations and critical paths
change.
3. WBS elements are roll-ups and should never have any work
assigned. Do not enter a duration
for WBS elements. Their durations will be automatically
calculated by MS-Project using the
associated work package durations.
4. The Gantt Chart View and the Network View should not look

like waterfalls, wherein each task
has only one predecessor and only one successor. That is not
only unrealistic, but is problematic
for most projects. There should be some degree of parallelism.
This means that sub-tasks may
have multiple successors and/or predecessors.
5. Check the Project Fields to Include in ITP Deliverables
document in the assignment area to
ensure that your MS-Project (.mpp) file includes the needed
fields (columns) visible in the left-
hand table portion of the Gantt chart view.
The magnitude and scope of the project must be such (this is
important) that it will require the work of 3
to 6 people who will constitute the project management team.
Even though your own team might be
smaller, you MUST include roles for 3 to 6 people. These
additional "virtual" people will be responsible
for accomplishing the work or tasks to complete the project.
Also, the project should be scoped so that
it will take 3 to 6 months to complete. If it is less than this, then
you have scoped it too small; if it is
more than that, then you have scoped it too large.
When done, save a baselined project schedule and submit the
Microsoft Project (.mpp) file with your
Team name includedin the file name.
Part 2. Answers to Questions in Microsoft Word
In a Word document, include a cover sheet that includes
contributors, the executive summary, and text
that describes your team efforts and decisions made. Answer
the following questions in a text
document. As a 400-level class, writing should be of a style

appropriate for a senior level college
class. “Yes” or “No” answers with no explanations or
discussions are not appropriate answers.
1. Did your team discuss and/or divide up the major tasks
before completing the INDIVIDUAL
WBS?
2. How did your team “merge” the WBS of individual
teammates?
3. Were some teammates’ WBS more thorough or complete than
others?
4. What was the most difficult part of this assignment?
5. Did every teammate contribute to this WBS effort?
6. Is your team still following the day-to-day schedule provided
in the TPP-1?
Approximate breakdown by areas include:
o General: Structure, Format, Mechanics, Style (~4%)
o Schedule WBS (~10%)
o Schedule linkages (~60%)
o Network view (~26%)

Rubrics and Grading for the ITP -3 Project Deliverable
To earn 90-100% of the points available for this assignment -
The start of the project is a milestone with zero duration, no
sub-task(s), no predecessors, and no
resources. The end of the project is a milestone with zero
duration, no sub-task(s), no succecessors, and
no resources. The TEAM WBS should have predecessors for all
sub-tasks (except project start), and
should have successors for all sub-tasks (except project end).
Several tasks are types of predecessors
different from the finish-to-start default. Durations have been
assigned to ALL of the tasks, Notes is used
to address extra information that will be used by the team
during the project, and at least two other
features of Microsoft Project have been used and discussed in
the text document. There are no hard-
coded or manually-scheduled dates. Summary tasks should
have no predecessors or successors, no
hard-coded durations, and no resources; all summary task
durations should be calculated by MS Project.
More than 5 milestones/decision points are included and at least
3 recurring tasks are included. No

unusual date constraints or linkage types are used.
The NETWORK VIEW should show tasks in multiple paths
(meaning tasks are not limited to being done
sequentially), and all of the paths should flow from left to right
with all paths ending at or leading to the
final task, which is on the far right of the Network View. Most
of the paths are blue (non-critical); one
or more paths from start to finish are red (critical paths). No
tasks stand alone in the Network View.
The textbook and at least 2 additional (credible) sources are
used to help develop the project,
references are from academically credible; a Reference Page
and discussion of how the sources and/or
were used to add to the textbook and WBS are included as a
Reference Page with the cover page.
no resources. The TEAM WBS should have predecessors for all
sub-tasks (except project start), and
should have successors for all sub-tasks (except project end).
Durations have been assigned to ALL tasks,

Notes is used to address extra information that will be used by
the team during the project, and at least
one other feature of Microsoft Project has been used and
discussed in the text document. There are no
more than 3 hard-coded or manually-scheduled dates. Summary
tasks should have predecessors or
successors and no hard-coded durations; all summary task
More than 2 two milestones/decision points are included and at
least 2 recurring tasks are included. No
more than 3 unusual date constraints or linkage types are used.
sequentially), and all of the paths should flow from left to right
with all paths ending at or leading to the
final task, which is on the far right of the Network View. Most
of the paths are blue (non-critical); one
or more paths from start to finish are red (critical paths). No
more than 3 tasks stand alone or lack
predecessors or successors in the Network View.
In addition, at least two sources are used (the textbook and 1
credible source) to help develop the

project. References are from academically credible sources
and/or the textbook and include text,
explaining how the textbook was used, with a Reference Page
and the cover page.
no resources. The TEAM WBS should have predecessors for
most sub-tasks (except project start) and
successors for most sub-tasks (except project end). A minimal
number of sub-tasks have no relationships
or have hard-coded or manually-scheduled dates. Summary
tasks should have no predecessors or
successors and no hard-coded durations; all summary task
At least 1 milestone (milestone/decision point) is included and
at least 1 recurring task is included. No
more than 7 unusual date constraints or linkage types are used.
sequentially), and all but a single or almost single horizontal

path flowing from left to right is acceptable.
The paths should flow from left to right with all paths ending at
or leading to the final task, which is on
the far right of the Network View. Most of the paths are blue
(non-critical); at least one path is red
(critical paths). No tasks stand alone in the Network View. No
more than 7 tasks stand alone or lack
predecessors or successors in the Network View. The textbook
is used and cited.
The TEAM WBS should have predecessors (except project start)
and successors (except project end) for
sub-tasks. In the Network View, the paths flow toward the final
task which is at the far right of the
Network View. Most paths are blue. No major tasks stand
alone and no more than 10 sub-tasks stand
alone.
Less than 60% -
Team efforts that do not meet the requirements will earn a zero.
Team efforts that are not original
work will earn a zero. Team efforts that do not have proper
APA references and citations to any
included or quoted work will earn at most 50%.

Please notice that there is a STRONG incentive for ALL team
members to carefully proofread team
documents before submitting. This incentive will continue
through the semester.
January 2020
Page 1 of 5
Project Fields to Include in ITP Deliverables
Contents
• Tasks to include in ITP Deliverables
• Project Configuration Settings
• ITP-1 - Project WBS with Durations
• TTP-3 - Project Schedule with Dependency Links
• TTP-4 - Project Resources and Costs
• ITP-3 - Project Risk Assessment
• TTP-5 - Consolidated Project Management Plan
• TTP-6 - Project Execution, Tracking and Changes
Tasks to Include in ITP Deliverables
First, before we get to fields - Please make sure that your WBS
(and .mpp file) include the following tasks
as part of your WBS. Note that this these are necessary but far
from sufficient. Many more tasks are
needed. This also does not mean that a single task will

necessarily suffice for each of these. Rather,
include as many tasks as it takes to do the job, but please
include at least the following kinds of tasks in
addition to whatever else you were planning for your WBS:
• Tasks regarding ordering, delivering, and receiving hardware
• Tasks regarding ordering, delivering, and receiving software
• Tasks regarding ordering, delivering, and receiving
networking
• Tasks regarding installing hardware
• Tasks regarding installing software
• Tasks regarding installing networking
• Tasks regarding managing, controlling, and monitoring the
project and the team
• Project meetings
To reiterate, there is a lot more to the WBS than this. However,
you will find these tasks to be needed in
later ITP deliverables. Omitting them would likely be
detrimental for many assignments.
January 2020
Page 2 of 5

Project Configuration Settings
Project needs some configuring before you submit these
assignments. Hint: This step will count
towards your grade.
NOTE: This is a one-time setup. If you follow the configuration
steps for ITP-1, you do not need to
configure Project for later assignments.
Launch Project and open a Blank Project. Open Project Options
and adjust your calendar options
settings to look EXACTLY like this:
Verify your scheduling options look EXACTLY like this
Verify your calculation settings look EXACTLY like this
January 2020
Page 3 of 5
ITP-1 – Project WBS with Durations
Please ensure that your .mpp file includes at least the following
fields (columns) visible in the

left-hand table portion of the Gantt chart view or the Tracking
Gantt view:
• Indicators (white "i" in a solid blue circle, listed in the
Columns list as "Indicators") [a
default field]
• Task Mode
• Name (i.e., task name) [a default field]
• Duration [a default field]
TTP-3 - Project Schedule with Dependency Links
Before we get to TTP-3 fields, a note about the general
structure of the TTP-3 schedule: The
Gantt Chart and the Network Diagram should not look like
waterfalls, wherein each task has
only one predecessor and only one successor. That is not only
unrealistic, but is problematic for
most projects. There should be parallelism. This means that
typical tasks should have multiple
successors and/or predecessors.
Gantt view:

• All fields from ITP-1
• Start date [a default field]
• Finish date [a default field]
• Predecessors [a default field]
• Successors
Additionally, please ensure that the Critical Tasks box in the
Format tab is checked.
TTP-4 - Project Resources and Costs
Gantt view and also in the
Resource Sheet view:
• All fields from ITP-1 and TTP-3
• Resource Name
• Material
• Type
• Group
• Standard Rate

• Cost per Unit
• Cost
• Work
January 2020
Page 4 of 5
ITP-3 - Project Risk Assessment
Please ensure that your risk register spreadsheet file includes at
least the following fields
(columns):
• WBS ID
• Task Name or brief description
• Task Level (see note in assignment instructions)
• Risk Description
• Risk Category (Risk Type)
• Risk Probability
• Risk Consequences (Impact)
• Initial Risk Score (Probability * Impact)

• Risk Handling Category
• Risk Handling/Control Plan
• Risk Owner (Risk Manager)
Additional suggested fields:
• Est. Cost of Mitigation
• Remaining Probability after Mitigation
• Remaining Consequences (Impact) after Handling
• Final Risk Score
• Current Risk Status
• Notes and discussion
TTP-5 - Consolidated Project Management Plan
Gantt view:
• All fields from ITP-3
TTP-6 - Project Execution, Tracking and Changes

left-hand table portion of the Tracking Gantt view:
• All fields from TTP-5
• Actual Start
• Actual Finish
• Actual Duration
• Baseline Start
• Baseline Finish
• Baseline Duration
January 2020
Page 5 of 5
On Resource Sheet view:
• All fields from TTP-4
• Baseline Cost
Additional suggested fields:
• Earned Value - EV (BCWP)

• PV (BCWS)
• AC (ACWP)
• Schedule Variance (SV)
• Cost Variance (CV)
• Estimate at Completion (EAC)
• Budget at Completion (BAC)
• Schedule Performance Index (SPI)
• Cost Performance Index (CPI)
• Percent Complete

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