In this Individual Activity, you will continue to explore project planning tools, focusing on the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Gantt chart.

The first tool you will use is the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). A WBS is a chart that breaks a project down into smaller components. It also highlights project tasks and illustrates how those tasks relate to each other, and to the project as a whole. A WBS can help a project manager predict situations and outcomes, provide a clear hierarchy of the work that needs to be accomplished, identify milestones, simplify cost estimation and allow better decision making. To create a WBS, a project manager analyses the project objectives, and then creates the tasks required to meet each objective. Tasks can be broken down into subtasks, or even broken down further until a specific resource can be identified.

The second project planning tool you will use is the Gantt chart. The Gantt chart is a bar chart that is named after its creator, Henry Gantt. Gantt focuses on the schedule of a project. It includes start and estimated finish dates, and can follow a monthly, weekly or even daily timeline. A Gantt chart is beneficial in applying a schedule to smaller projects, but can often become cumbersome with larger projects that have numerous activities. In order to create a Gantt chart, a WBS must be created first so that activities can be clearly defined.

 

SCENARIO:

Your firm is adopting a new software tool to support its accounting functions. Almost all staff within the firm will use the software, from the accounting staff who used the most advanced functions, to the line employee who will use it to enter requisitions and purchase orders. In many cases, employees who have not previously used software to accomplish accounting tasks (having completed them in paper form) will now use the new software. Your team is responsible for planning and executing the installation and implementation of the new software and planning for follow-up training and technical support.

 

To complete this Individual Assignment:

§ Identify and briefly describe the project planning tools you would use for your scenario, explaining why you would use each one. Be specific and use examples to support your answer.

§ Perform a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Gantt analysis for the project in your scenario.

§ Create two Microsoft PowerPoint slides, one titled, ‘Work Breakdown Structure’, and the other titled, ‘Gantt Analysis’, and include information from the WBS and Gantt analysis you performed.
Please remember to submit all slides into a single PowerPoint document in Turnitin