UNIVERSITY OF BOLTON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING. MSc CIVIL ENGINEERING MSc CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT SEMESTER ONE EXAMINATION 2017/2018

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1 ENG026 UNIVERSITY OF BOLTON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING MSc CIVIL ENGINEERING MSc CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT SEMESTER ONE EXAMINATION 2017/2018 PROJECT MANAGEMENT MODULE NO: CPM7002 Date: 15 January 2018 Time: INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES: This paper contains two sections: section A and section B Section A contains one question: you must answer this question. It is worth 40 marks. Section B contains four questions: you should answer any three questions from these four questions. Each of these questions is worth 20 marks. Marks for parts of questions are shown in brackets. This examination paper carries a total of 100 marks. All working must be shown. A numerical solution to a question obtained by programming an electronic calculator will not be accepted.

2 Section A Compulsory Question Question One The information provided in Table Q1 represents the activity dependencies to be followed for a major road-bridge project. List of Duration Activity Dependencies Activities (weeks) A 4 A starts the project. B 8 B can begin once A has completed. C 6 C can start on completion of both D and B. D 3 D can begin 2 weeks after the start of A (SS2). E 5 E can only commence 1 week after the completion of F (FS1) F 2 F starts on completion of A. G 6 G begins no sooner than 3 weeks from the start of A (SS3) H 3 H can commence once F and G are complete. J 2 J can begin 7 weeks after the start of C (SS7). J also starts when E has ended. K 4 K follows H and also commences 2 weeks after the start of E (SS2). L 2 L follows both J & C. However, L may only start 2 weeks after C is finished (FS2). L finishes the project. M 3 M commences upon completion of K. M finishes the project. Complete the following tasks: Table Q1 (a) Draw a network diagram for the above activities using precedence diagram. (b) Carry out forward and backward passes to determine earliest & latest times and earliest & latest finish times for each activity and the network critical path. (c) Calculate the Total Float (TF), Total Time Available (TTA) and Free Float (FF) for all non-critical activities Page 2 of 7 Question 1 continues overleaf

3 Question 1 continued (d) If the contractor has detected the following two mistakes: The duration of Activity E should be 15 weeks not 5 weeks. Activity L follows J (as before) but should begin 8 weeks after the completion of C not 2 weeks. The Client is anxious not to exceed 26 weeks for this project. Review the precedence diagram, examine the effect of the above changes and any change in the free float for activities F, E and M, then advise the Client of the consequences. Section B Answer any three questions Question Two Page 3 of 7 Total 40 marks (a) Critically discuss the six main steps of value engineering, and the main tasks and outcomes of each stage. (b) Critically evaluate the process of Project Risk Management and how each stage of risk analysis and risk response could be conducted including the techniques/tools used in each stage. Question Three Total 20 marks (a) Appraise the roles and responsibilities of a project manager, and critically discuss the skills and attributes required to be an effective project manager. (b) Critically discuss the five key stages through which groups or teams pass (Tuckman s Model) and relate that to the nature of the construction industry. Total 20 marks

Question Four (a) Discuss the main objective of resources aggregation in a construction project and mention some of the techniques used to achieve it.

4 Question Four (a) Discuss the main objective of resources aggregation in a construction project and mention some of the techniques used to achieve it. 4 marks (b) The network diagram in Figure Q4 represents a planning programme for construction activities in a project as viewed by the construction manager. Activities duration are given in weeks. (i) Analyse the network and determine the earliest start and latest finish times for each activity together with the network critical path. (8 marks) (ii) If all project activities in Figure Q4 require continuous craneage. The contractor owns one crane costing 1575/week and the cheapest crane hire would cost 1980/week. Determine the minimum cost of craneage to the contractor. (8 marks) Total 20 marks Figure Q4 Page 4 of 7

5 Question Five A graduate engineer prepared a plan for construction activities to bid for a building project. The plan included ten activities that need to be performed to carry out the project. To convince his manager that the project could be finished in 36 weeks, the engineer used the PERT three-estimate approach, to estimate accurate duration for each activity as laid in Table Q5. Estimated Times (Weeks) Activity O M P Precedence (Optimistic) (Most Likely) (Pessimistic) A B A C A D A E B F C G D H E I F & G J H & I Table Q5 The manager had a look at the numbers above and made his own calculation, then told the engineer that there is a 99:1 chance of completing the project in the duration that he has in his mind. (a) Construct the network diagram for this project and determine the mean critical path. (b) What is the chance that the engineer would complete the project by 36 weeks? 5 marks (c) What was the project duration the manager had in his mind when he talked to the engineer? 5 marks Total 20 Marks END OF QUESTIONS Page 5 of 7

6 PERT Equations Useful Formulae t e = a + 4m + b 6 ; 2 b a v e = ( 6 ) n T = t e i i=1 d T Z = S ; n S = v e i ; P(d T) = 1 P(T > d) i where, te ve a m = expected mean duration of activity = variance of activity duration = optimistic estimate for activity duration = most likely estimate for activity duration b = pessimistic estimate for activity duration, (a < m < b) = project mean duration T S d n P(d T) Z = standard deviation of project duration = project required deadline duration = number of activities along the critical path = probability of project required duration less than or equal project expected duration = standard normal random variable Page 6 of 7

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Project Management Techniques (PMT)

Project Management Techniques (PMT) Critical Path Method (CPM) and Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) are 2 main basic techniques used in project management. Example: Construction of a house.