Scheme Design Manual

Scheme Design Manual Group 1 Scheme Design 2014

Table of Contents 1.0.

Manual Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1

2.0.

Procedure for Operating the Software Packages ................................................................ 1

3.0.

Procedure for down loading software packages from Wordpress...................................... 2

4.0.

Procedure for Conducting a Feasibility Study ...................................................................... 4

5.0.

Waste Water Treatment System Design Procedure ............................................................ 6

6.0.

Procedure for Stakeholder Management .......................................................................... 10

7.0.

Procedure for Operation of the Work Breakdown Structure ............................................ 12

8.0.

Procedure for Operation of the Pert Programme and the precedence diagram .............. 14

9.0.

Procedure for operating software packages ..................................................................... 17

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1.0.

Manual Introduction

This manual is compiled to assist the user in operation of the integrated software package created as part of the Group 1 submission to fulfil the Scheme Design Module requirements in the BEng (Hons.) in Civil Engineering Programme at Athlone Institute of Technology. It also provides guidance on conducting feasibility studies to enable the most suitable Wastewater Treatment System be selected to meet the project requirements. The design process of the actual plant is also provided.

2.0.

Procedure for Operating the Software Packages

The following is the procedure for operating of the combined software packages. The various integrated project management software encompasses features such as Earned Value Management, Cost Control, Cash Flow, Risk Management, Mitigation and Contingency. Risk is quantified in terms of time and cost. Should a risk occur, the time required to make up the loss is suggested and the cost to the project is displayed. Graphical representation of results regarding risk, are provided in the form of a dashboard and scheduling is displayed through the graphics associated with Microsoft Project along with appropriate allocation of resources.

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3.0.

Procedure for down loading software packages from Wordpress

To download the relevant documents in relation to the design and management of the wastewater treatment system at Keudue the following steps are required.

1. Click Google Chrome and access the Group One Scheme Design Wordpress website.

2. Click the final submissions tab on the right hand side of the screen to open the final submissions.

3. Click the download button in the final submissions section. Once you click on the download button, a zip file will open. A picture of the final submissions section can be seen in figure 1.

Figure 1 – Wordpress final submissions section 4. To download the zip file which is labelled complete, click on the file tab which is located in the top left hand corner of the screen. After clicking the file tab click the download button.

5. Wait a few seconds for the zip file to download. The downloaded zip file will than appear on the left hand side of the screen. Click the small arrow at the side of the icon 2

and click the button that states show in folder. A folder should then appear on the screen containing the zip file.

6. Right click the zip file and click extract all. Once a panel appears click extract. The complete file will be saved to the download section of the computer.

7. Click the folder and drag the folder on to the desktop icon on the left hand side of the small panel.

8. Minimise all the panels on the screen. A folder labelled complete will be on the desk top.

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4.0.

Procedure for Conducting a Feasibility Study

The feasibility study is used to investigate the best wastewater treatment system for the site at Keadue. The study involves a number of computations which gives the user a Net Present Value and a Cost Benefit Analysis. There are a number of factors that are to be inputted into the spreadsheet to ensure that the correct system is chosen. The following steps will guide the user in operating the spreadsheet and choosing the most cost effective and feasible system.

1.

Open the complete folder on the main desktop and open the excel spreadsheet labelled Feasibility study.

2.

Input the list of process options in the left hand column in the process option table. The process table is located in the first tab.

3.

Input the list of items for running costs in the right hand column in the process option table.

4.

Once the process options and running costs have been entered into the table, input the related plant processes and components in the plant process table in the second tab.

5.

Once the related plant processes have been computed, enter the specific details for each plant option in the table located in the third tab. The type of information required for the table includes cost, size, efficiency, time of construction and life span.

6.

In the fourth four there is a table which is labelled plant criteria. Input the relevant information related to the site, treatment and intended lifespan.

7.

In the fifth tab pick the best combination of options for the two chosen wastewater treatment plants.

8.

In the sixth tab input the operational running cost per year for each item.

9.

The final tab will show the calculated results and graphs for each option. The main graph will compute the estimated expenditure for the actual and net present value over a 20 4

year period. There was a 20 year period because the user defines the period in the Feasibility study. The chart on the right hand side of the dashboard shows the initial capital cost and the cumulative net present value for each option. The pie charts at the bottom of the page show the percentage allocation costs for each component of the wastewater treatment system. A picture of the calculated results and graphs can be seen in figure 2.

Figure 2 - Calculated results and graphs from feasibility study

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5.0.

Waste Water Treatment System Design Procedure

When designing a wastewater treatment system it is important that the system is designed in accordance with the ‘’Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Guidelines and Legislation’’. The EPA contains a number of documents for designing wastewater treatment systems. The system design is stipulated in the ‘’EPA wastewater treatment manual for small communities, business, leisure centres and hotels’’. The EPA manual contains calculations for designing various types of treatment systems such as a horizontal flow settlement tanks, Imhoff Tanks, Wetlands, Rotating Biological Contactors, Aeration Tanks, Percolating Filters etc. The calculations are important for ensuring the components of the wastewater treatment system are large enough to treat the effluent.

The EPA manual is divided into 7 sections. The sections concerned with the design of the wastewater treatment plant are section three, four, five and six.

1. The first step for designing a wastewater treatment system is to calculate the waste water flow coming into the system. This gives a good indication of the type of system to choose. The flow is calculated by multiplying the population equivalent (p.e) by the per capita wastewater flow. A value for the per capita wastewater flow which can be used is 225litres/day, however this value can vary between 150 litres/day and 250litres/day.

The Dry Weather Flow (DWF) is the wastewater flow in a sewerage system during dry weather. To account for peak flows, it is important that the system is designed for 3 to 6 times DWF. However this can be reduced to 1.5 to 2 times DWF if the treatment system is located near a water source. An example of how to calculate the flow coming into a wastewater treatment plant is as follows: Data: Balancing Tank: 2 DWF Population: 220 people

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Balancing Tank Design Population: 440 p.e.

Calculation: Wastewater Volume per person per day: 180 l/per/day Flow = Q = 180l/person/day x 2 x 220 = 79200 l/person/day = 79.2m3/day 2. The second step in designing the waste water treatment system is choosing the system components. A schematic of a typical biological waste water treatment system can be seen below in figure 3.

Figure 3 – Schematic of a typical biological waste water treatment plant.

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It is important that the system has the essential treatment components. A majority of wastewater treatment plants contain primary and secondary settlement combined with biological treatment. The level of treatment and the chosen components is mainly based on the wastewater characteristics and the effluent standards required. Some other factors that influence the selection of the treatment system are stipulated on page 10 of the EPA manual.

3. The third stage is sizing the waste water treatment system components. The calculations for sizing the individual system components are stipulated in section four, five and six of the EPA manual. The horizontal flow tanks can be used for both the primary and secondary settlement stage. The capacity of the horizontal flow tank for primary settlement is on page 15 of the EPA manual and is calculated using the following equation:

C = Gross capacity of the tank P = design population An example of the calculation being used to size a horizontal flow tank for primary settlement is as follows: Capacity = C = 180P0.85 C = 11.421m3 D = Depth of Tank = 2m Area = C/D=5.710m2 X=length = ((5.710/3)0.5) x 3 = 4.139m Y=width = 4.139/3m = 1.379m

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Note: The EPA stipulates that the gradient of the tank floor is to be 1:10 and that the length of the tank should be 3 times the width.

The horizontal flow tank design calculation for secondary settlement is on page 17 of the EPA design manual and is calculated using the following equation:

C = Gross capacity of the tank P = design population A number of options can be chosen for biological treatment. Some of these options include aeration tanks and oxidation ditches. An example of an aeration tank calculation can be seen below.

Extended Aeration system Population: 220 Wastewater volume/day: 180 l/person/day BOD loading: 0.06kg BOD/person FM ratio: 0.075 MLSS: 3,500 mg/l Sludge mass in the aeration tank: (0.06x330)/0.075=264kg i.e.: Capacity = 264kg/(3500mg/l/1000) = 75.428m3

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6.0.

Procedure for Stakeholder Management

The identification of any persons or organizations which the project is likely to influence is required for successful stakeholder management. Stakeholder management is also required to allow for minimal disruption to the project. This can be achieved by using the project charter, the procurement documents, the enterprise environmental factors and the organizational process assets to ultimately formulate a stakeholder management plan. The stakeholder register can be consulted for guidance on the effort required to manage each particular stakeholder. The steps involved in how to use the stakeholder register are as follows: 1.

Open the Stakeholder Register and Management Plan stored in the “Complete folder” which stores the project programmes.

2.

Observe from the predefined list of stakeholders the pertaining information regarding each stakeholder. There are a number of stakeholders incorporated into the spreadsheet such as the Roscommon County Council and the employees. Each stakeholder can be filtered depending upon what needs to be investigated.

3.

Input the relative information in relation to the designation, department, role in project, type of stakeholder, type of communication and expectations. The type of stakeholder chosen can be defined as external or internal.

4.

Select from the dropdown menu for ‘Interest Level’’ and ‘’Influence Level’’ the most appropriate designation. There is a drop down box in the interest level column. The drop down box indicates how the interest level effects their management. In the ‘’influence level’’ column click the dropdown box to indicate how the stakeholder will affect the overall management of the project. The spreadsheet will tell the user how the stakeholder will affect the overall project outcome wither they are an influencer or supporter. This can be seen in figure 4.

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Figure 4 – Stakeholder Register

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7.0.

Procedure for Operation of the Work Breakdown Structure

The Work Breakdown Structure is a hierarchical and incremental decomposition of the construction project into phases, deliverables and work packages. It consists of a tree structure which shows the user a subdivision of the effort required to achieve a particular objective. The Work Breakdown Structure is developed by starting with the end objective and successively subdividing it into manageable components in terms of size, duration, and responsibility which include all steps necessary to achieve the objective.

The Work Breakdown Structure Dictionary is a useful resource for project management, and should be consulted for relevant information on each component of the Work Breakdown Structure. The Work Breakdown Structure Dictionary includes entries for each Work Breakdown Structure component that briefly defines the scope or statement of the work, defines deliverables, contains a list of associated activities, and provides a list of recognized milestones.

The following steps are required to inform the user of how to use the Work Breakdown Structure and Work Breakdown Structure Dictionary.

1.

Open the complete folder on the main desktop and open the Visio file labelled Work Breakdown Structure.

2.

The work carried out in MS project was broken up into various work packages such as the ‘’Planning Phase’’ which can be seen by the colour green. Each work package was further broken down again into various activities and sub activities.

The boxes showing the main activities can be seen in yellow and the boxes for the sub activities can be seen in purple. In the yellow rectangle boxes are the steps involved in how the project manager might deal with some of these tasks.

A picture of a section of the Work Breakdown Structure can be seen in figure 5.

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Figure 5 – Section of Work Breakdown Structure 3.

Now that we have looked at the Work Breakdown Structure, it is important to look at the Work Breakdown Structure Dictionary. To access the Work Breakdown Structure Dictionary click on the excel file labelled Work Breakdown Structure Dictionary in the ‘’Complete folder’’.

4.

The activities or work packages containing the Work Breakdown Structure Dictionary are all coloured coded. The Work Breakdown Structure Dictionary consists of a number of columns. Some of these columns include the activity number, function, description, activities involved, activity number involved, deliverables, assessments of risks, performance measurements, completion criteria, durations, dependant on, assigned too, resource requirements and quality requirements. Everything that is inputted by the user into the Work Breakdown Structure is manually inputted and has no influence on any of the other spreadsheets.

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8.0.

Procedure for Operation of the Pert Programme and the precedence diagram

The ‘’Pert analysis’’ document provides the user with an indication of the individual tasks within the project. This document while already populated with values for the purposes of this project can be manipulated to facilitate its application to other projects.

The programme automatically yields a weighted average for duration of the relevant activity based on user input of anticipated shortest, most likely and longest duration of the activity. The spreadsheet calculates the worst case plus the best case plus four times the most likely divided by six to give the estimated time required for each activity. This can be seen in the following equation.

( BestCase)  (4  MostLikely)  (WorstCase) 6

The procedure for using the spreadsheet is as follows: 1.

Open the complete folder on the main desktop and open the excel spreadsheet labelled ‘’Pert analysis’’.

2.

The Pert is essentially an activities list. The list of activities within the Pert are all from the Work Breakdown Structure and are colour coded.

3.

Insert the anticipated most likely duration (in days) for the relevant activity in the column labelled “Most Likely” and the row which indicates the activity in question.

4.

Input a value for the duration of the activity given the worst and the best case scenario in the appropriate columns labelled “Worst Case” and “Best Case”. The programme will yield an estimated time value for each activity in the column labelled “Estimated Time”.

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To enable other sections of the integrated package the percentage complete of the various activities can be inputted. This in turn yields a column of indicative delay values which are sourced from the Risk Register. The Actual Time for each activity is yielded which incorporates time stopped and time for remediation. A picture of the Pert can be seen in figure 6.

Figure 6 – Picture of Pert Spreadsheet 5.

Following on from the Pert is the Precedence Diagram. The Precedence Diagram is a tool for scheduling activities in a project plan. It is a method of constructing a project schedule network diagram that uses boxes, referred to as nodes, to represent activities and connects them with arrows that show the dependencies. The Precedence diagram assumes that succeeding activities cannot start until all preceding activities are complete.

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6.

There were two precedence diagrams produced to show how the activities were scheduled within the project. The first precedence diagram shows all the relationships between all the activities. The first Precedence Diagram was very complicated so a simpler Precedence Diagram was produced to help the user to understand the entire construction process. The Precedence Diagram consists of the different phases and activities within the project such as site preparation, site planning and demolition stage.

The purpose of the two precedence diagrams was to establish the relationships between all the activities and to see which activity was to go first. A picture of the simplified precedence diagram can be seen in figure 7.

Figure 7 – Simplified Precedence Diagram

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9.0.

Procedure for operating software packages

Part A Earned Value Management is a project management technique for measuring project performance and progress. It has the ability to combine a number of measurement factors such as scope, schedule and cost. The purpose of Earn Value Management is to measure project performance and progress in an objective manner. To investigate the Earn Value Management the user is to follow the following steps: 1.

Go to the folder labelled ‘’Complete’’ and open the project file labelled ‘’Project’’. Once the project file is open, open the excel file labelled ‘’Pert’’.

When the excel file labelled ‘’Pert’’ is opened, open the excel spreadsheet labelled ‘’Risk register’’. Once the ‘’Risk register’’ has been opened, open the excel spread sheet labelled ‘’Inventory list’’.

Note: The ‘’Inventory list’’ is an extensive collection of ‘’Activities’’, ‘’Start Dates’’, ‘’Labour Requirements’’, ‘’Material Requirements’’, ‘’Rates’’ and ‘’Expenses likely to be incurred’’ while carrying out the project. The requirements of the construction project are classified into 2 categories ‘’Services’’ and ‘’Materials’’. All the labour required for the project be it professional or trades or hire items are classified as a ‘’Service’’ whereas the actual item which will be consumed during the process of construction are classified as ‘’Materials’’. The reasoning for distinguishing between the two is, in the case of the materials category the quantity of the item can be multiplied by the cost price to get the total for the item and subsequently the sum total for all the materials can be obtained. In the case of an ‘’Item on hire’’ or a ‘’Labour cost’’, the length of time which either of the two is in use for will determine the cost which the item or particular trade or service amounts to. It is important to point out that the sum total can be obtained for each item.

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2.

The rates at which each item in the services category is charged are inputted into the relevant cell in row 2 of the inventory list, these are linked with the risk register expected time values which incorporate expected duration along with an allowance for delays due to remediation and actual time stopped. The Inventory List Programme is populated for this particular project.

The

programme allows the user to customise the Inventory List in accordance with the particular project.

3.

It is extremely important that everything is enabled or updated and that the user is to click ‘’Yes’’ to any window that appears on the screen. It is also important that the order in which all the spreadsheets are opened is correct as it is critical to the spreadsheets being linked properly together.

4.

Click the small lines that are connecting the activities together to ensure that the activities have the correct relationships. The relationships can also be changed by using the ‘’Network Diagram’’. To activate the network diagram click on the gantt chart button on the top left hand side of the screen and click on the network diagram button.

5.

The red line on the network diagram shows the critical path for the project. The connections between each activity can also be changed on the ‘’Network Diagram’’ by clicking the lines.

6.

In the resource column in MS project allocate the resources required for each activity. Double click on each cell if additional resources are required. There will be a drop down box to choose which activities are applicable to the project.

7.

If additional resources are required go to the ‘’Gantt’’ button to the left hand side of the screen and click on the resource sheet to add any additional resources.

8.

Once all the resources are allocated go to the inventory list and ensure that whatever information is included in the project is also included in the inventory.

It is important that the user knows that the method for calculating the total costs is different for the ‘’Services’’ and ‘’Materials’’ in the inventory.

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9.

Ensure that the Consultant Engineer is also used in the preliminary inspection as these two values must equal one another. All the information is to be inputed manually by the user. The data within the spreadsheet is also colour coded.

10.

Once all the information has been inputed is it then time to Baseline. Click save at the top left hand corner of the screen and exit out of the existing MS project document. When Base lining it is also important to baseline the clients project.

Open up the complete folder and click on the project file labelled client.

11.

In the client project file click on the button at the top of the screen that reads set baseline, then click set baseline followed by okay.

12.

If there is a change that needs to be made within the linked spreadsheets, the first step is to make the required changes in the ‘’Inventory’’. Ensure that whatever value is being submitted into the ‘’Percentage Complete’’ column is a whole number.

13.

After making the necessary changes in the ‘’Inventory’’, go to the ‘’Risk register’’ and input whether a risk has occurred. If the risk has occurred in the ‘’Preliminary Inspection’’, then click yes in the dropdown box in the ‘’has risk occurred’’ column. By clicking yes it then affects the time that is in the Pert. This automatically creates a delay in the Pert.

14.

Once the Pert has been saved open up project again. It is important that every time the user makes a change that the project file is closed and opened again just so that the new information will be reloaded.

15.

The next step is to go to earn value management using project. In project click on the visual reports button at the top of the screen and click on earn value over time report. Change the format from weeks to days in the dropdown box and click view. Wait a few moments for project to create the report. A picture of the earn value management report can be seen in figure 8.

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Figure 8 –Earn value management report

Part B 16.

Once the earn value management report has been produced by project click on assignment usage at the bottom of the page. After clicking assignment usage at the bottom of the page expand all the tabs in the excel file. The user will have the ability to change the earn value management graph by simply going to the start date at the very top of the screen.

17.

After changing the start date at the top of the screen, it will result in the graph in the excel file becoming more expanded. This can be seen by clicking chart in the excel file. Once the chart has been expanded click save. Ensure that the file is saved into the complete folder on the desktop. Create a new folder and name the folder EVM contractor. Click save and then click continue.

18.

Once the file is saved the user can then exit out of the file. The next stage is to incorporate a cost with each risk. First go to the risk register and scroll up to the 20

top of the screen. The first column contains a list of activities which are associated with the work being carried out in the project. There are a number of other columns in the risk register. Some of these columns include the activities associated with each risk, the cost from the inventory, the durations, whether a risk has occurred or not. Click yes in the column if the risk has occurred. The column which states percentage complete is not imputed by the user as the values are calculated by the Pert. The user does not have to imput any information for the time remaining column either.

19.

The other relevant information in the risk register in relation to the risk in the construction project includes the design risk, organisational risk and project management risks. A description of each risk can also be imputed by the user followed by the probability of the risk occurring.

20.

A drop down box will appear in the probability of risk occurring column showing the likelihood of the risk occurring. The severity of the risk can also be changed in the severity of impact column. Once the values have been imputed into the risk register, the risk register will automatically produce a risk rating for each risk in the risk rating column. Each risk rating will be associated by a symbol.

21.

If the significant risk was changed to a catastrophic risk and the unlikely scenario was changed to an immanent scenario then the symbol would change to an x.

The x-value in the risk register warns the user to be wary of this particular risk.

Each risk ranking has their respective descriptions. If the risk has the number four it will be a low risk. If the number is a ten then it shows the user that the risk is a medium risk.

22.

The risk register incorporates a trigger system which tells the user if a risk has occurred or not. Another advantage of using the risk register is that it contains the risk owner. The risk owner is the person who is responsible for the risk.

23.

The risk register provides the user the time for the remediation in days.

Following on from the remediation in days column, there are two columns which require information to be imputed by the user. The columns involve the real

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time stopped in days and the total time lost per risk. The user will also have to click yes or no whether the delay qualifies for an extension.

24.

The other columns that are required by the user to fill in include ‘’whether the extension is granted’’, ‘’time lost on qualifying delays’’ and ‘’time lost on nonextension delays’’. The user will then input yes or no whether the delay cost is compensatable. This requires the user to look at the contract document to see what risks are compensatable or not. Once the user has checked whether the risk is compensatable or not, the user must input yes or no whether the delay has more than one cause. The user than inputs the delay, the time qualifying for the delay, the delay cost and the actual cost of the delay occurring.

25.

Once the data has been imputed by the user, the user inputs the mitigation measures for each risk in the mitigation measures column followed by the control measures, monitoring and contingencies. The contingencies are a standard operating procedure for handling the situation if one of the risks occurs. The risk register will show whether the risk is possible or not.

26.

When all the relevant information has been inputted into the risk register, click on the dashboard tab at the bottom of the screen. The dashboard shows that the occurrence of risk that is not occurring is one hundred percent. Thresholds one and two which were shown previously in the risk register can also be changed. The

dashboard shows the time extension qualifying delays, time

granted, time to make up for extension qualifying, time to make up non extension qualifying, total time to makeup and time qualifying for delay costs. A picture of the dashboard can be seen in figure 9.

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Figure 9 - Dashboard 27.

There is also a graph on the dashboard showing the percentage risk allocation.

The percentage risk allocation depicts the cost due to the risk occurring. The percentage of risk allocation graph shows which tasks have the most significant risk. To see the contingencies click on the contingency tab at the bottom of the screen. In the contingencies there is a severity rating labelled one, two and three. For all the risks occurring the user is to input the contingency in relation to each risk.

28.

If a risk has occurred the Pert will show the delay. Open the project file and close the main window in the project file. The project file will show the change in the durations. A few minutes will be required to allow the project file to change the durations. The orange line in the project file indicates the status date so if the status date is moved to a different date than the orange line will move in accordance with the new status date. Once the project file has made the necessary changes it is important to click the save button at the top left hand

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corner of the screen. Once the project file is saved, click the save button in the risk register, Pert and inventory.

29.

The risk can influence a task in two ways. The risk can affect the time and the cost of the task. In the project file the user does not have to be concerned with time being assigned to an activity as long as the time has been assigned in the risk register however the cost is different so what the user must do is click on the task where the risk occurred and go to the resource names. Double click the cell the resource names cell and click resources. Underneath the resources click on a risk. Than click the risk followed by okay.

30.

It is important to point out that only one risk category can be assigned to an activity per category. This means that if ten risks occur in a work package then only one risk can be assigned to one activity. This is only used to simplify the entire process however when one risk is being assigned this will include all the times for all the other risks that are in the work package.

31.

Once the change has been made go to the visual report that was created earlier.

Right click anywhere on the graph and go to refresh data. This will result in the data in the report being refreshed. This process may take several minutes. The reason that the graph will not change too much is because only one risk and one change occurred. If several risks occurred in the project there would be greater fluctuations in the graph.

32.

To ensure that the graph has been updated click on assignment usage with earn value management at the bottom of the screen. The page shows the earned value, the planned value and the actual costs. In the video presentation the plan was for the overall cost to be two hundred and twenty three euro however the actual cost has increased to three hundred euro. Out of the three hundred euro there is an earning of one hundred and seventy two euro. This means that the user is behind schedule. To save the changes, click save followed by continue.

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33.

Once the document is saved go back to the project file. In the project file there is a couple of red men. The red men signify an over allocation occurring. To deal with the over allocation the user must sort out the resources.

34.

To find out which resource is over allocated go to task and click gantt chart. After clicking in gantt chart go to resource usage where it can be seen that the consultant engineer, foreman and other personnel are being over allocated. Click on the personnel to investigate where the over allocation is occurring. Where ever there are any values in red it means that there has been an over allocation.

To change the value, delete the value in red. Save the project file and click on the gantt chart followed by site investigation.

Part C 35.

To check if an over allocation of resources has occurred check the information column on the extreme left of the MS Project programme for the presence of Red Men icons.

Investigate the over-allocation further by depressing the Gantt Chart icon on the top left of the screen and selecting either the Resource Sheet or Resource Usage option from the dropdown menu. Here the over allocation of resources can be resolved in one of three options: Option 1 Increase the allocation of foremen on site to 200% in the Resource Sheet Tab. Option 2 Proceed to the Resource Usage Sheet and check for over-allocation in terms of hours, i.e. over-allocation indicated in red. Select the Gantt Chart Icon and choose Gantt Chart form the dropdown menu. Select the appropriate Activity in

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the Task Name column and proceed to click on the relevant cell in the Resource Name column to open the Task Information Dialogue Box. Select a different value from the dropdown menu in the Units column and click the OK button, (In this instance, changing 100% down to 50%). This allocates the foreman to spend half his time on this activity instead of all of it on this activity, in other words he is free to carry out another activity while troubleshooting and as a result is no longer over-allocated as demonstrated.

Option 3 Change the Time durations in the Estimated Time column of the PERT programme and click Save. Note this overrides the inbuilt formula for estimated time which takes account of Worst, Most Likely and Best Case Time values.

Note: Any changes which are made must also be changed in the inventory and whatever option is chosen for addressing over allocation of resources click Save when complete.

36.

If a risk occurs as the project progresses it will have impact on the cost of a project.

To demonstrate this scenario, change the status of the risk by

navigating to the Risk Register and select yes in the relevant cell for the ‘’Has Risk Occurred column’’. After clicking yes, close the Project file. Save all the other programmes and reopen the MS Project programme ensuring all links are enabled. When the project file has been reopened it can be seen that the duration has been extended.

37.

To incorporate a cost given that Risk A has been allocated, navigate to the Project Tab of MS Project and click on the Status Date icon. Once the user has clicked on the status date icon, change the Status Date and click “OK”. Click on the Update Project icon and select OK. Once the user has clicked OK then Save the file. Once the file has been saved, close the programme and then reopen the programme.

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38.

When the programme has been reopened click yes to any automatic updates that may appear on the screen. Navigate to the Project Tab and click on the Visual Reports icon at the top of the page, select the Earned Value Over Time Report option and select Days from the Select level of usage data to include in the report dropdown menu.

39.

When the days have been selected click on view and wait for the data to upload.

When the report appears on the screen a straight line graph should be presented on the screen. To inspect the actual earn value over time, open Assignment Usage with EV tab at the bottom of the spread sheet.

40.

After clicking on the assignment usage expand all of the tabs. Once the tabs are expanded return to Chart 1 where the actual Earned Value Over Time is displayed. In the graph the green line represents Actual Cost, the red line represents Planned Value and the blue line represents Earned Value. Once the report has been produced ensure that the report is saved by clicking the save button at the top left hand corner of the screen.

41.

The inventory file displays information on a number of items. The items are as follows: 

Cost per Activity



The Cumulative Cost



The Charge



If the rate is adjustable.

If the rate is adjustable it can be either three options. The three options which can be chosen from a dropdown box are ‘’Yes-Increase’’, ‘’Yes-decrease’’ or ‘’No available’’. The option chosen by the user will have an impact on the Rate Adjustment column and the charge column labelled DB on the extreme right of the screen.

Note: The Rate Adjustment values are automatically filled out based on user input in the Dashboard tab of this spread sheet which will be discussed later.

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42.

On the dashboard tab a cost comparison can be made which compares Cost and Cost + Profit. The margin of profit is displayed graphically on the screen. In the finance section the user can input the following variables

43.



% Profit Desires



The Rate adjustment Increase



The Rate Adjustment Decrease.

The Cost Analysis graph displays the comparison between the cost of each activity in blue and the price being charged. In cases where undercharging occur, the activities are unavoidable whereas the activities which are overcharged are opportunities to charge a premium for extras.

44.

The Financial Schedule is an indicator for when the cash flow will be exhausted due to the accumulation of costs as the project progresses.

The graph is

interactive and is dependent on inputs in the Financial Arrangements Table. The red line represents cash available and the blue line represents cumulative costs.

A picture of the financial schedule can be seen in figure 10.

Figure 10 – Financial Schedule

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45.

To demonstrate the application of the financial schedule proceed to the Financial Arrangements and delete entries in the “Occurs at” and the Cost to Client Column. Based on the receipt of €50,000 at the onset of the project and the receipt of $25,000 at the beginning of Activity H the cash on reserve will be depleted at a point in time when the M category of activities is taking place. To demonstrate how the depletion in cash flow varies, select from the Occurs at dropdown menu, an activity at which a payment is made and enter an amount in the third column to observe the change when the cash flow is exhausted i.e. the red line crosses the X-axis. Repeat as required to plan the cash flow and save the data.

46.

Proceed to the Risk Register to investigate the following information 

If the extension of time is or is not granted



The cost of each risk



The mitigation measures



The contingencies which are a predetermined Standard Operating Procedure.

47.

Navigating to the dashboard of the risk register, the percentage occurrence of risk is demonstrated in the top graphic. The second graphic displays the cost of the risks which occurred. To identify the high risk work packages scroll down to the Percentage Risk Allocation Pie Chart. In this instance, G and H are the riskiest.

48.

Proceed to the Pert programme dashboard tab and examine the Duration per Activity graph to observe actual duration for each activity displayed in red and anticipated duration displayed in blue. In this example it shows that Work Package A is behind schedule.

49.

The percentage complete for each activity which is entered in the Pert programme is displayed in the % Complete for Each Activity graph.

50.

In the file project the cash flow reports among others can be generated by clicking on the Visual Reports tab at the top of the screen and selecting cash flow 29

reports from the menu followed by pressing View. As previously carried out open the Task Usage Tab then open each individual tab. Return to the Chart 1 sheet to observe the graph. Once the user has returned to chart 1 save the file.

51.

To perform the earn value management, right click on the top left corner of the screen and select More Tables at the bottom of the dropdown menu. Select Earned Value from the Dialogue Box and click apply to display the values for Planned Value (PV), Earned Value (EV), Actual Cost (AC), Schedule Variance (SV) and Cost Variance (CV). Now click on the cell at the top left of the screen and select entry.

Part D 52.

Save the project file and exit out of the file. Open the client excel sheet and open the client project sheet. Click update on the first window that appears and click yes on the second window that appears. The excel spread sheet contains information on each stage of the project. This information includes the duration, start date, finish date, percentage complete, cost and charges. There is also a cell that provides the all-in rate per day. A picture of the excel spread sheet can be seen in figure 11.

Figure 11 - Excel spread sheet containing information on each stage of the project 30

53.

What the user must do is determine manually the difference from the very start date to the last date. In the video presentation it turns out to be sixty one days.

Input the sixty one days beside where is says duration days. In the presentation it results results in the all-in rate being over 1423 euro per day. The dashboard shows what is being charged per package.

54.

Similarly to the project file the user can investigate the earn value management over time. Click the project tab at the top of the screen. After clicking the project tab, click ensure that all the packages are saved and click visual reports. In the visual reports window click earn value over time. Click the drop down box and click days.

55.

After selecting the level of usage data to include in the report click view at the bottom right hand corner of the window. A earn value over time report should appear on the screen. There are a number of visual reports that the client may want to use. That concludes how the software packages can be used together.

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