Assessment Brief 2022
Karen Robins – Updated June 2022
Detailed Brief for Individual / Team Assignment
Assignment Title: Project Budgeting and Scheduling – Holiday Home
Fred and Wilma Flintstone have just retired and want to build a small house in the beautiful Greek Island
of Naxos. They have hired Theo Papadopoulos as the general contractor for the project. He has assembled
a team of ten very capable workers who will be available in order to complete the project: 1 electrician
(E), 2 bricklayers (B), 1 plumber (P), 1 carpenter (C), and 5 general construction workers (G). Theo has
negotiated a cost–plus contract with the Simpsons whereby he will receive 15 percent beyond the cost of
labour and materials. Before they sign the contract, the Simpsons want an estimate of how much the project
is likely to cost and how long it will take.
Theo has estimated the cost for materials as follows: bricks £30,000, metallic parts £10,000, timber
£12,000, tiles £11,000, concrete £12,000, electrical wires 4,000, pipes and other plumbing materials
9,000. He wants to determine labor costs as well as how long the project will take. This is one of several
projects Theo is only managing the team (he is also teaching project management), and other than
occasionally helping, his role is strictly limited to supervising the work.
Theo has devised the following master plan and assignments (see table below).
The project will start with 4 general construction workers preparing the site, which will take between 12
and 16 days. Then a bricklayer will join them to pour the foundation. After that, the same four men, with
the addition of a bricklayer, will erect the frame and when frame is done, they will build the walls. The
roof can start once the walls are finished, and the two Bricklayers with a Carpenter and a General
Construction worker will build it. As soon as the roof is completed, work on Doors and Windows,
Plumbing, and Electrical installations can start. As soon electrical and plumbing work are completed,
then tiling can start. Works at Patio/Garden can also start once plumbing is completed. Once tiles are in
place, kitchen installation and heating installation can take place. Walls can be painted/decorated once
kitchen and heating have been installed and doors/windows are in place. The carpenter can fit the
wardrobes after painting is done. Finally, after fitting wardrobes and finishing the work at external spaces
(patio/garden) the team will clean up and hand over the house to the Flintstones.
Electrician and Plumber get paid £180 a day, while carpenter and bricklayer get paid £150 per day. Each
general construction worker receives £100 per day of work. Theo has negotiated a 10 percent management
reserve to deal with unexpected problems. Any unused funds will be returned to the Flintstones.
For each task you can choose a value withing the given range. For example, for task A the time can
be chosen as 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16. Create a new table with the chosen durations.
ID Task Time (days) Resources
Needed
A Prepare Site 12 to16 4G
B Pour
Foundation 11 to 15 B, 3G
C Erect Frame 13 to 19 2B, 3G
D Walls 26 to 33 2B, 3G
E Roof 15 to 20 B, C, G
F Windows/Doors 7 to 9 C, 2G
G Electrical 7 to 8 E, G
H Plumbing 9 to 13 P, G
I Tiles 6 to 8 B, 2G
J Heating 4 to 6 P, G
K Install Kitchen 6 to 9 C, P, E
L Paint/Decorate 4 to 7 3G
M Fitted
Wardrobes 4 to 5 C
N Patio/Garden 5 to 8 3G
O Clean Up 2 to 3 3G
Karen Robins – Updated June 2022
Description of the assignment, task, content and structure:
Tasks
a) Choose a time estimation for each task and create a new table. What is the estimated duration and
estimated total cost for this project? When will the project finish if the team works five days a
week and start on 1st of March 2023?
b) Prepare a Network Diagram and a Gantt Chart for this project
c) Prepare a Budget and a Cost Baseline for this project
d) Did resource limitations affect the final schedule? If so, how?
e) What is going to be the impact on the project of a 4–days delay in Task B and a 12–days delay on
Task F? What would you suggest as a course of action in that case?
f) What financial risks does this project face? What can the Flintstones do to protect themselves
against those risks?
g) After 10 weeks, tasks A, B, and C have been completed and £70,000 have been spent. Use EVM
to discuss the progress of the project and to re–estimate its total cost and duration. What do you
think about the project progress?
Any specific instructions:
You are advised to use MS Project, but other software can also be used as long as it is fit for purpose
