CPMGT 303 Tree Trimming Project Analysis Paper

CPMGT 303

Wil Fence is a large timber and Christmas tree farmer who is attending a project management class in the fall, his off season. When the class topic came to earned value, he was perplexed. Isn’t he using EV? Each summer Wil hires crews to shear fields of Christmas trees for the coming Holiday season. Shearing entails having a worker use a large machete to shear the branches of the tree into a nice, cone shaped tree. Wil describes his business as follows:

B. Next, I agree on a contract lump sum for shearing with a crew boss for the whole field ($30,000).

1. I count the number of Douglas Fir Christmas trees in the field (24,000).

C. When partial payment for work completed arrives (5 days later), I count or estimate the actual number sheared (6,000 trees). I take the actual as a percent of the total to be sheared, multiply the percent complete by total contract amount for the partial payment [(6,000/$30,000 = 25%), (.25 x $30,000 = $7,500)].

This week’s assignment pertains to the above Tree Trimming Project. During this assignment I was given the task of analyzing and answering the following questions:

Is Wil over, on, or below schedule? Explain.

Wil is on schedule, after 5 days the total number of trees sheared are 6000 and if we calculate the total amount of work done, it can be calculated by the number of trees sheared divided by the total number of trees and if we multiply by one hundred we will get the actual percentage which amounts to 25% (Number of trees sheared = 6000, total number of trees = 24000). Subsequently, the sum that should have been paid for 25% of the work done is $7,500 which is computed by the 25% of the total amount payable which is $ 30,000.

Is Wil using earned value? Explain

In this case, yes Wil is using EV, according to the data collected it can be perceived that Wil has done 25% of the work in 5 days and should have 25% of the total payment which is $7,500 (Marshall, 2007).

How can Wil set up a schedule and cost variance?

While setting up schedule variance should be the budgeted cost of work performed minus the budgeted cost of work scheduled. The budgeted cost of work performed is $7,500, therefore the scheduled budget can be calculated and the schedule variance can be set up.

The cost variance is the distinction of real cost of work performed and planned expense of work performed. The budgeted cost of work performed is $7,500 and the actual needs to be calculated by Wil to set up the cost variance (John, 2004).

What method can Wil use to control any changes in scope to the project, such as change in shape of shearing from his customers?

If requirements from the customer changes then Wil should also be ready for tackling such situations and he should be feasible because the customers will pay only when their requirements are fulfilled. Therefore, client requirements should be valued and in the contract it should also be mentioned that vast changes in the middle of the process should not be entertained which would be helpful for the people who are working.

What alternatives are available to Wil to accelerate the completion of the tree trimming project?

The alternatives that are available to Wil to accelerate the completion of the tree trimming project are: 1). Wil can make the process of shearing fast by increasing the amount of daily effort that is being put by the people who are working in the project, or 2). Wil may even make the customers aware that the completion will fast therefore the partial payment needs to be more than present and this will make the completion fast.

References

John, C. (2004). Quantitative Methods in Project Management. J. Ross Publishing. pp. 173–178

Marshall, R. (2007) the Contribution of Earned Value Management to Project Success of Contracted Efforts. Journal of Contract Management, 2007, pp. 21-331