INSTRUCTIONS:

This assignment comprises distinct task as shown in the following sections. You are required to complete all parts as detailed. Tasks must be completed and submitted in its original formats. Students should attend their tutorials to ensure the proper development of their assignments. The tutorials and lectures are designed to support students in understanding the topic, completing their assessments, and clarifying potential issues. Attendance in both lectures and tutorials is essential for the successful completion of this assignment. This course does not provide templates for the assignments, and students are expected to consistently work on their assignments each week and are encouraged to bring any questions or concerns directly to the course coordinator and tutors during sessions, rather than relying on email communication.

ASSESSMENT:

Total and component marks for this part is as shown. The overall total mark for this part is equated to 100%. Overall, the assignment carries 55% of the total mark for the paper. Your score out of the 100% will be factored by 55% to establish the score contribution to the overall mark for the paper. This assessment consists of four separate questions. The assignment rubric (on NUKU page) provides details or break down of the marks for the individual tasks.

SUBMISSION:

Please submit the softcopies of your assignment to NUKU. (These softcopies MUST BE IN THE ORIGINAL FILE FORMATS e.g., Microsoft Excel files based on the question.) PLUS, ONE REPORT IN WORD FILE FOR THE ASSIGNMENT INCLUDING EXACT ANSWER OF THE TASK SET WITH REFERENCING TO THE EXACT SHEET OF ORIGINAL EXCEL FILE. PLEASE NO PDF FORMATS!
Please submit ON OR BEFORE 11:59 AM – Noon Friday 09 May 2025 DEADLINE via NUKU page for the course. You will receive feedback on your performance in electronic format.

AI USAGE POLICY:

• Transparency: Acknowledge using AI and include any drafts generated by AI in an appendix.
• Detailed Documentation: For AI-generated content, specify the tool used (text or image), the prompts you provided, the number of drafts generated, and how you curated or modified the final output.

QUESTION 1: Work Breakdown Structure

In this assignment, you will explore the concept of Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) within the construction industry. You will select a project from a specific domain within construction (architecture, landscape, interior design, renovation, or building construction). Your task will involve researching an existing or hypothetical project to create a detailed WBS that outlines
all the necessary tasks and subtasks required to complete the project. This exercise aims to enhance your understanding of project planning, organization, and the practical application of WBS in construction project management.

TASK SET: [100 marks]

1. Domain Selection: Choose your project domain and use an example of a project you are familiar with or are interested in.Project Options:
   Architecture (e.g., design and construction of a single-family home, commercial building, public library) Landscape (e.g., design and construction of a residential garden, urban park, public plaza, development of a rooftop green space) Interior Design (e.g., design and execution of a residential interior, commercial space, retail store or office, fit-out of a restaurant, or refurbishment of a historical building) Renovation (e.g., Complete renovation of a kitchen, bathroom, or entire house) New Net-Zero Energy Building Construction (e.g., Construction of a multi-story apartment building, school, or hospital) Sustainable Urban Regeneration (e.g., Redevelopment of an abandoned industrial site into a mixed-use complex with strict sustainability guidelines)
2. Project Description (Research and define the scope of project): Gather information about your chosen project and provide a concise overview of it. Focus on understanding the project goal, scope, scale, deliverables, specific requirements of the project, and typical construction phases. (Report) – 20 marks
3. WBS Development: Create a detailed comprehensive WBS for your project with at least 30 work packages using a hierarchical structure. Start with the project title at the highest level. Break down the project into main deliverables or phases. Decompose each deliverable or phase into smaller tasks and subtasks. Continue breaking down until you reach a level where each work package is manageable and assignable unit of work with a clear deliverable. (Excel + Report) – 40 marks
4. WBS Coding: Apply a standard WBS coding system across all work packages. Ensure consistent and logical coding throughout the WBS. (Excel + Report) – 20 marks
5. Visual Representation & Documentation: Prepare a document summarizing your project selection, project milestones, WBS structure, and coding rationale. Include visual representations of the WBS (e.g., diagrams or charts). (Excel + Report) – 20 marks

QUESTION 2: Project Schedule

This question aims to develop your critical path analysis and scheduling skills by applying the Critical Path Method (CPM) to a sample project as shown in figure 1 below. You will calculate project duration, identify critical path, calculate key project scheduling metrics for each activity, and create a Gantt chart in Excel. This exercise aims to enhance your proficiency in project scheduling using the Critical Path Method (CPM), and visualizing project schedules through Gantt charts.

Figure1: Question 2- project Schedule

TASK SET: [100 marks]

1. Project Duration: What is the total duration of this project in working days? – 10 marks
2. Critical Path Identification: What sequence of activities constitutes the critical path for this project? – 10 marks
3. CPM Calculations: Determine the Earliest Start (ES), Earliest Finish (EF), Latest Start (LS), Latest Finish (LF), and Total Float (slack time) for each activity in the project. – 30 marks
4. Gantt Chart Representation: Enter the project details into an Excel file and generate a Gantt chart to visualize the project timeline, starting from April 1, 2025. Highlight the critical path in red and display the total float for each activity. Given that activity durations are measured in working days, determine the project’s finish date. (Excel + Report) – 40 marks
5. Visual Representation & Documentation: Prepare a report document answering all the above. Include visual representations of the Gantt chart. (Excel + Report) – 10 marks

QUESTION 3: Project Time-Cost Optimisation

Background

A contractor has entered into a fixed price lump sum contract for which a delay that is not attributed to the owner would Not be tolerated. The owner requires the project to be completed in 15 days.

The contractor envisages some delays in the execution of the project as part of his own risk. Being conscious of reputation, he would not want to soil his image by not completing to owner’s required time. He has consulted you to carry out a full time-cost trade off analysis and advise on the outcomes.

TASK SET: [100 marks]

Based on the information provided in Table 1, carry out a full time-cost trade off analysis to advise on the following:

1. The normal duration of the project (5 marks)
2. The direct costs, indirect costs and total project costs at the normal duration (10 marks).
3. The optimum duration and optimum cost for the project (40 marks);
4. The project cost at the owner’s-imposed duration (10 marks);
5. The shortest possible completion time for the project and the associated project cost (15 marks);
6. Plots of the total project cost versus incremental decrease in the project completion times from the normal duration to the shortest possible completion duration for the project. Annotate your plots showing the optimum conditions. (20 marks).

Tip: Please answer all tasks on separate sheets within your Excel file. Clearly respond to each task in your report (the exact numbers or plots as requested in the question). Additionally, reference the specific Excel sheet where the calculations for each task are located.

Table 1: Planning details for a project

Indirect cost per day = $1150

QUESTION 4: Monitor, update and control a construction project schedule

Here is the tracking Gantt chart which one of your team members prepared for this month:

Table 2: project tracking Gantt chart

TASK SET: [100 marks]

1. Analysis of Project Progress: You are responsible to present the project progress report for this month. Analyze it activity by activity and explain any information you get from it in your own words. (Report) (30 marks) Your analysis should highlight the progress made, identify any deviations from the original plan, and provide insights based on the available data.
2. Update the Project Schedule: Here is the data collected by your colleague from construction site to prepare the end-of-month 10 progress report:
   • Activity C took 7 months to complete and finished at the end of month 9.
   • Activity E is started immediately after activity C and is currently 50% complete due to the addition of extra resources. These additional resources will remain available until Activity E is fully completed.
   1. Draw a tracking Gantt chart (in Excel) based on the collected data and update the schedule. (Excel + Report) (40 marks) Determine how this impacts the overall project schedule.
   2. When will be the updated date of your project delivery? (Report) (20 marks)
3. Visual Representation & Documentation: Prepare a report document answering all the above. Include visual representations of the Gantt chart. (Excel + Report) – 10 marks

Tip: Answer the questions in your report and clearly reference the relevant Excel sheet.

Rubrics: Please refer to Nuku for the rubrics for each question.