Project planning

Explain in your own words what a Gantt chart is and what it is used for in a technological project. Name at least two things that can be determined by looking at it.

In a Gantt chart, what does the horizontal axis represent and what is listed on the vertical axis? Also explain what it means when two bars overlap in time.

Explain what a milestone is in project planning and give two examples of milestones in a project to build a scale model for the school science fair.

To build a scale model of a bridge, a team has the following jumbled tasks: (a) test the strength of the model, (b) research information about bridges, (c) draw the chosen design, (d) buy the materials, (e) assemble the parts. Put them in a logical order and indicate which ones could not start until another is completed.

The figure shows the Gantt chart for a six-week project, but the bar for the 'Documentation' task is incomplete: it lasts two weeks and can only start when assembly is completed, as shown in the figure.

State in which week the 'Documentation' bar should end and explain how you deduced it. Which two tasks are being carried out at the same time during week 5?

A project has the following bars in its Gantt chart: A (weeks 1–2), B (week 3), C (weeks 3–4) and D (week 5). State in which weeks there are two tasks underway at the same time and in which weeks there is only one, and explain what that means for team organisation.

A project has the following tasks: A (design, 3 weeks), B (buy materials, 1 week, depends on A), C (assemble, 2 weeks, depends on A and B), D (test, 1 week, depends on C) and E (write the project report, 2 weeks, can be done from the start). Calculate the minimum duration of the project and explain which task does not delay the end even if extended by one week.

Explain in your own words what the critical path of a project is and why a delay in a task on the critical path delays the whole project, whereas for other tasks it does not.

The schedule for a sorting robotic arm consists of four tasks: A (Kinematic design, 2 weeks), B (Machining and chassis assembly, 4 weeks, after A), C (Motor control programming, 2 weeks, after A), and D (Hardware-software integration and calibration, 1 week, after B and C are completed).

1. a) Determine the total project duration, the critical path, and the total float of task C.
2. b) During execution, task B suffers a 1-week delay due to a lack of drill bits for the lathe. Justify numerically what happens to the float of task C and how it impacts the final delivery date of the project.
3. c) Now assume that, starting from the initial situation, task C suffers an unexpected delay of 3 weeks. Reason whether the project's critical path would change and what the new overall duration would be.

In a project planned with a Gantt chart, the task 'printing parts' (week 3) is delayed by one week, and assembly planned for week 4 depends on it. Explain what happens to the end of the project and propose two measures the team could take to make up for lost time.

In week 3 of a project, three tasks coincide: B (needs 2 people), C (1 person) and D (1 person), but the team only has 3 people. (a) Represent the staffing workload for that week (tasks vs capacity). (b) State by how many people the available capacity is exceeded. (c) Knowing that task C has one week of float (slack), propose a planning adjustment that does not exceed capacity and verify that the project is not extended (resource levelling).

A team reviews its project halfway through and compares the planned progress with what was actually executed, as shown in the figure.

(a) State which task was delayed compared to what was planned and by how many weeks. (b) Reason in which week the project will finish according to actual progress, knowing that it was planned to finish in week 5. (c) Propose two measures that could have prevented or absorbed this delay.

Explain the difference between planning an entire project from the start (waterfall method) and working with Agile methodologies in short cycles. Give an example of a project in your environment where each approach fits best and justify your choice.

In Agile methodologies, work is done in 'sprints'. Explain what a sprint is, what must exist at the end of each one (a working product increment) and what is done in the review meeting that closes it.

A team builds a scale model of a cable-stayed bridge with a 1,5 m span. To organize the work, they decide not to use a Gantt chart and to apply a pure Agile methodology with one-week sprints. In the second sprint, they decide to modify the tilt of the main towers to improve aesthetics and lateral stiffness; however, the wooden decks had already been laser cut in the first sprint and the plaster footings had already fully cured.

1. a) Justify why the agile principle of "responding to change over following a plan" failed in this physical context compared to what would happen in a software project.
2. b) Design a hybrid management proposal (predictive and agile) for this project: specify which phases must be managed strictly sequentially using a Gantt chart with a critical path and in which deliverables or tasks it is advantageous to apply short iterations.