Systems Analysis and Design 

ITC 240 TUTORIAL 3

Tutorial 3
Topic: Managing the Information Systems Project

1. Calculate the expected time for the following activities:

Optimistic Expected
Activity Time Realistic Time Pessimistic Time Time
A 3 4 7 4.33
B 5 8 10 7.83
C 7 9 14 9.50
D 2 5 7 4.83
E 4 6 7 5.83
F 5 7 10 7.17

2. A project has been defined to contain the following list of activities along with their
required times for completion

Activity Time Immediate

(weeks) Predecessors
1. collect requirements 2 -
2. analyze processes 3 1
3. analyze data 3 2
4. design processes 7 2
5. design data 6 2
6. design screens 1 3, 4
7. design reports 5 4, 5
8. program 4 6, 7
9. test and document 8 7
10. install 2 8,9

a. Calculate the earliest expected completion time

24 Weeks

b. Show the critical path

c. Draw a PERT chart for the activities

 Systems Analysis and Design ITC 240 TUTORIAL 3

d. What would happen if Activity 6 was revised to take six weeks instead of one week?
Activity 6 as well as activity 7 would be included in the critical path. The project's overall
duration will stay at 24 weeks.

3. Briefly explain the process of managing an information systems project.

One of the most important phases of information system development is managing the project.
It is the job of the system analyst to strategize the project. This system analyst who is
currently running the project will be assigned the job of project manager and should have a
wide variety of skills in order to be able to carry out the process of project management which
includes these phases:
1. Project initiation
2. Project planning
3. Project execution
4. Closing down the project

First: Project initiation: In this phase of managing the information systems project, the project
manager has to carry out several activities such as assessing the size, scope, and complexity
of the project. In addition, the project manager has to initiate and establish potential
procedures that are needed in order to support subsequent activities. These activities are as
follows: Establishing the project initiation team, establishing a relationship with the customer,
establishing the project initiation plan, establishing management procedures, establishing the
project management environment, and developing the project charter.

Second: Project Planning: In this phase which is the second phase of the project
management, the project manager has to focus on defining clear, discrete activities and the
work needed to complete each activity in the project at hand. The activities in the project
planning phase include: Describing project scope and alternatives, dividing the project into
manageable tasks, estimating resources and creating a resource plan, developing a preliminary
schedule, developing a communication plan, determining project standards, identifying and
assessing risks, creating a preliminary budget, developing a project scope statement, and
setting a baseline project plan.

Third: Project Execution: this is the third phase of the project management and in this phase,
the plans that were created in the previous phases are carried out into action. The activities
include: Executing the baseline project plan, monitoring project progress against the baseline
project plan, managing the changes to the baseline project plan, maintaining the project
workbook, communicating the project status.

Fourth: Closing down the project: This is the last phase of the project management and
focuses on bringing the project to an end. The activities include: Closing down the project,
conducting post-project reviews, closing the customer contract.
 Systems Analysis and Design ITC 240 TUTORIAL 3

4. Briefly define and compare Gantt charts and network diagrams.

Gantt Chart: A Gantt chart is a project management tool that may help with the planning and
scheduling of projects of all kinds, but it's especially beneficial for simplifying complex tasks.
Network Diagram: In a project environment, a project schedule network diagram depicts the
sequential and logical link between activities. The accurate description of the chronology of
activities and occurrences is essential for this representation.
Gantt Charts vs Network Diagrams
Gantt charts
Show the progress of a project
Display the duration of tasks
Demonstrate time overlap
Show slack time as a percentage of total time
Network Diagram
Show the interdependencies between tasks
Show parallelism rather than temporal overlap
Boxes represent slack time

5. Assume that you have a project with SEVEN activities labeled A-G. Derive the earliest
completion time (ECT), latest completion time (LCT) and the slack for each of the following
tasks (start at time = 0). Which tasks are on the critical path? Draw a network diagram for the
tasks shown. Highlight the critical path in the network diagram.

Activity Preceding Expected ECT LCT Slack Critical

Event(s) Duration Path?
A - 5 5 5 0 Yes
B A 3 8 12 4 No
C A 4 9 9 0 Yes
D C 6 15 15 0 Yes
E B, C 4 13 16 3 No
F D 1 16 16 0 Yes
G D, E, F 5 21 21 0 Yes