Question

Personal Trainer, Inc. owns and operates fitness centers in a dozen Midwestern cities. The centers have done well, and the company is planning an international expansion by opening a new “supercenter” in the Toronto area. Personal Trainer’s president, Cassia Umi, hired an IT consultant, Susan Park, to help develop an information system for the new facility. During the project, Susan will work closely with Gray Lewis, who will manage the new operation.

Background
You are enjoying your job as a student intern at Personal Trainer. Last week, Susan asked you to help her plan the new information system project. Susan knows that you have completed several information systems courses at the local college, and that you have studied project management tools and techniques.
Specifically, she wants you to get ready for the next set of systems development tasks, which will be requirements modeling for the new system. Yesterday, Susan called you into her office to discuss the specific tasks she wants you to perform. After meeting with Susan, you sit down and review your notes. She wants you to treat the set of tasks as a project, and to use project management skills to plan the tasks.
Here is what she suggested to you as a work breakdown structure, including the duration she estimated for each task:
• First, you need to meet with fitness center managers at other Personal Trainer locations (5 days).
• After these meetings, you can conduct a series of interviews (5 days).
• When the interviews are complete, two tasks can begin at the same time: you can review company records (3 days) and observe business operations (8 days).
• When you have reviewed the records and observed business operations, you can analyze the BumbleBee accounting software (5 days) and study a sample of sales and billing transactions (2 days).
• After completing the analysis and studying the sales transactions, prepare a report for Susan (1 day)
You are excited about the opportunity to practice your skills, and you start to work on the
following list.

1. Read the attached case study scenario and complete the following:
Use Project to create a Gantt chart and task sheet.

2. Identify the overall duration of the project and identify the critical path.

Answer 1

Solution 1:

The Work Breakdown Structure shows a list of tasks involved in executing a project from start to finish. The Gantt chart shows the project schedule in the form of tasks arranged as per their dependencies and duration.

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The Work Breakdown Structure with dependencies, duration, and Gantt Chart for the project is as shown below:

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Solution 2:

The total duration of the project from start to finish is 26 days.

The critical path for the project is (shown in the Gantt chart with the help of arrows): Task 1 >> Task 2 >> Task 4 >> Task 5 >> Task 6 >> Task 7.