The main scope of this project is to relocate a three-bedroom apartment into a modern style. The present arrangement of this apartment is not excellent and there is very little space. There should be more space after the new arrangement of furniture. Also, interior designing should be done with the latest and attractive materials. Therefore, the fund, management, and time required for this project need to be estimated.
Cost estimate
The cost estimate is the total cost required for the completion of a project. It includes all the costs that will be spent for the completion of the project including labor cost, travel cost, etc. The costs estimate for this project will include painting cost, plumbing cost, the cost for removal, disposal, and purchase of new furniture, costs for clearing and finishing basements, etc. The budget is prepared according to the estimated costs.
WBS
Work breakdown structure is the process of breaking down a large and complex project into smaller parts. Each part of the project task is done separately to do the project more easily and quickly. “The work breakdown structure (WBS) is a powerful tool for expressing the scope or extent of a project in simple graphic terms. It represents the project in terms of the hierarchy of deliverables and services it will produce.” (Concept: Work breakdown structure, 2006, para.2). The components are organized in different levels in a hierarchal model and some works are done individually and some are done by a group. As the work is divided among the workers, they become efficient in particular work and they can do the work very fast which has been assigned to them. Based on this project, as it is a redecoration of an apartment, there are many works to be done, mainly replacement of the old furniture by new ones. The old furniture in this apartment has to be removed and this work should be done by a group of individuals so that this work can be finished quickly. Next is the design and decoration of the apartment according to the new plan. All works such as painting, plumbing, interior designing, carpentry, etc should be done by the appropriate persons, that is, the persons should be qualified and experienced in these works. The project manager should give appropriate guidelines and orders to the workers to do the work without any failure.
Schedule
The schedule of the project is the time needed for the completion of the project. It is the time between the start and completion of the project. A work breakdown structure is needed for the creation of a project schedule. The project schedule is estimated according to the work breakdown structure or else the schedule may become inaccurate. The time required for completion of each of the activities in the three-bedroom apartment is included in the schedule. Painting, plumbing, and replacement of moldings require separate schedules. The schedules should be prepared in consultation with the handyman because his conveniences should also be taken into account. The starting date, as well as the finishing date of the work, has to be estimated properly. The works to be completed on each day have to be properly explained. The works that are scheduled on different dates should be completed at the right time.
The Schedule of the project is given below:
- Removal of furniture: November 1-7
- Painting: November 7-14
- Restoring of hardwood floors: November 14-20
- Purchasing of all items: December 21-9
- Placing of furniture and artwork: December 10-17
- Clearing basement: December 17-20
- Fixing basement: December 20-23
- Reviewing and making changes: December 23-30
Key milestones
“Milestones are essential to manage and control a project, but there is no task associated with it. Usually, a milestone is used as a project checkpoint to validate how a project is progressing and revalidate the work.” (Milestone, 2009, para.3). The milestone of a project marks the end stage of the project. It marks the completion of the works. A milestone has to be set up for every project. In this project, a three-bedroom apartment has to be redecorated. The room has to be designed such that it gets a modern look. The developers of the project work according to the key milestone set. The milestone also affects the future of the project. The scheduling of the project is done based on the milestone setup. The purchasing of furniture, carpet, artworks, painting of walls, etc have to be done on the estimated budget.
The milestone helps to find out if the project is on schedule. The critical path can be made based on the milestone. The progress of the project can be monitored using the key milestone. But they monitor the progress on the critical path only. Since the apartment has only three bedrooms two persons will be sufficient for the activities that have to be carried out. The redecoration activities have to be completed by the end of December.
Project Network, Critical Path, and Earned Value
To coordinate several objectives in a project, it is necessary to introduce the respective project network. Since the project is to redecorate an apartment, there are several steps to complete the project. So, it is essential to identify the steps for successful completion of the project, and also identifying the critical path is very important for the success of a project. “An activity network diagram can show you which activities or which series of activities is critical to the timing of a more complex collection of interactive activities. This can be very helpful in deciding where and when to apply extra energy to keep projects on time.” (Bonacorsi, 2009, para.4).
On a critical path we have to complete several tasks like removing the furniture, painting, restoring hardwood store, all purchases, placing new furniture and several artworks, clearing basement, and fixing basement within the scheduled time for the successful completion of redecorating the apartment. Every task inside the critical path is very important and must be completed in the stipulated period itself. By going through the network diagram of the project we can analyze which are the important steps to be completed first in a fixed time. It also helps to reduce the difficulties regarding the time management of the project. The duration of the tasks which are there in the critical path is the best duration for the completion of the redecoration of a small 3 bedroom apartment. Therefore, to complete the project effectively and efficiently, it is necessary to identify the critical path of the network diagram. “The critical path is the series of tasks which must be completed within a specific timescale for the whole project to be completed on schedule.” (Carcone, 2008, para.1).
To redecorate the apartment, first, we have to separate different tasks and a series of activities. Based on these activities draw a network diagram along with the time required to complete each task. By analyzing the network diagram find out the critical path of the network. The activities of the project which are included in the project network are removal of furniture, painting, restoring hardwood floors, all purchases, placing new furniture, painting, and artwork in place, clearing basement, fixing basement, and reviewing and making changes. These are to be included in the project network.
Activities & Duration
- Removing furniture. One week.
- Painting. One week.
- Restore hardwood floors. Two weeks.
- All purchases. Three weeks.
- Placing new furniture, painting, and artwork in place. One week.
- Clearing basement. One day.
- Fixing basement. 3 days.
- Reviewing and making changes. One week.
Here the minimum duration path for completing the project is the critical path and the minimum time required for the completion of the project is 3 weeks and 4 days. Therefore, all the activities present in the critical path are to be completed in a fixed time. This activity diagram reveals which are the important steps to complete the project successfully.
Earned value
It is the method of measuring the progress of the project, i.e. evaluating the performance of the planned project. It estimates whether the project is going inefficient manner according to the plan which is designed primarily. It also measures whether the project is completed within the allotted time and budget. This technique is very useful to forecast the time and cost required for a future project. The quality of the project can be estimated through the earned value. In this redecoration apartment project, the time and cost spent for the redecoration of the apartment and the replacement of the old furnishings can be measured. Therefore, the project manager can evaluate the finished works and pending works. The cost spent for each work and new furniture and other interior designing can be evaluated separately. So, the quality and changes that appeared after the reconstruction of the apartment can be measured by the earned value.
Recommendation
When redecorating the apartment, proper planning should be made. The budget and time required to finish the project should be well planned. The project management should have good knowledge in analyzing the critical path and the network diagram of the project. In this project, first of all, the project manager should plan and divide the work among the employees. While planning, the cost needed for the entire project should be considered, and do the project according to the plan and available budget. When redecorating the apartment list out the things needed for redecoration and envisage the position or place to set the things. So that it can buy the things according to the available space in the apartment. When replacing the furniture try to use some of the existing furniture by making it a new one through repainting so that it can save the budget. Buy the furniture from the shop where there is overstock and during the time of discount sale so that it can purchase more things. The arrangements in the apartment can be made such that it looks like a spacious apartment. The small and cramped rooms should appear bigger. High-quality furniture will be better because it will last longer. So the frequent changing of furniture can be avoided. The plumbing works should be done properly to avoid leaks in the future. The reconstructing can be made attractively so that it attracts the guests coming to the apartment. The opinions of the members living in the apartment can be considered for the design of various rooms. The paint, furniture can be chosen according to the latest trends. Before the implementation of the project, a model should be created so that the problems related to the project can be identified. The latest technologies have to be incorporated in the project planning and also should forecast the risk in the project.
Reference List
Bonacorsi, S. (2009). Critical path mapping. Project Smart.co.uk. Web,
Carcone, P. (2008). Critical path analysis. Suite101.com. Web.
Concept: Work breakdown structure: Definition. (2006). Chambers & Associates Pty Ltd. Web.
Milestone. (2009). Visitask: Project Management Training and Resources. Web.