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Sample
“Young Scientist of the Year”
Project Plan
A statistical investigation of the effects of bacteria on
plant germination
Date of
Issue: dd/mm/yyyy
Project Managers: Students at
Myschool
Please note that the views, opinions, conclusions and other content
information expressed in this document have been drawn together for the purpose
of illustration based on written reports and interviews given relating to the
project “A statistical investigation of
the effects of diazotroph bacteria on plant germination”. The details of this
document have not been given or endorsed directly by Kinsale Community School
or by the students who conducted the investigation. The major part of this plan
has been put together based on project planning principles. The format of this
Plan is in accordance with BPPM’s project planning template.
1.1.2.1 Select Project Resources
1.1.2.3 Critical Success Factors
1.1.3.1 Work Breakdown Structure
1.2.1 Organise Plant & Equipment
Laboratory
1.2.2 Preparation of sowing media
1.2.2.1 Pre-germination of seeds
1 Project Title
This document is the project plan
for “A statistical investigation” to measure the effects of bacteria on plant
germination, and incorporates all amendments, scope changes and updates to the
original project plan arising from the lessons learned. It provides an overview
of the project using plain and un-ambiguous terms, such that it can be used as
a reference for stakeholders. It
outlines the elements necessary to produce the product of the project. It may
also be of interest to students conducting projects of a similar nature in the
future.
This project is based around
bacteria, which are well known to have a symbiotic relationship with the legume
plant family whereby the bacteria thrive while providing energy to the plant
itself via the nitrogen fixation process (ref, year). The project outlines an
extensive experimental program to assess the impact of such bacteria on
non-legume crop species.
1.1 Project Initiation
The project was initiated when nodules
were found on roots that contained bacteria and it went from there. The
germination stage is one of the riskiest times in crop growth because of losses
particularly from adverse weather (ref, year). This project is expected to provide
solid scientific proof that the addition of given bacteria to seeds of
non-legume plants significantly accelerates the rate of germination hence
potentially increasing yields of valuable crops.
1.1.1
Project Charter
This Charter gives authority to
commence project planning for carrying out a statistical investigation.
Objectives
The over-riding Goal of the project
is to Improve Educational Outcomes. The purpose is to (a) Expand Knowledge (b)
Contribute to Research (c) Improve Career Options.
Stakeholders
The primary stakeholders are the
students conducting the investigation and their teacher, etc….
The secondary project
stakeholders are their parents, teachers at Myschool, BT Young Scientist
Competition, Dept. of Education etc.
The tertiary project
stakeholders are biology researchers, cereal producers etc.
Budget
The amount of time the students,
teachers and other human resources spend on the project is included in the
budget as hours. The rate per hour is set at €1 per each resource for
demonstration purposes. Equipment and raw materials used for the project and
owned by the school or the students’ families are not charged to the project.
Any purchases made specifically for the projects are charged to the project.
The € budget for the project is €50 and the Human Resource hours budget is 300.
Funding
The funding is provided by the
students.
Timescale
Give the planned project start
and completion date. Take the date of the charter if you wish. The students
revealed that, after coming up with the idea in February, they put in long hours carrying out their projects.
Resources
Outline the amount and
timeframes for the estimated resource requirements to be in place.
Project Roles
Briefly outline the roles of
project human resources. Project Team, Sponsor (e.g teacher), Families,
Advisors, School Steering Group etc.)
Signed
__________________________________ Date:____________________
(Project sponsor)
1.1.2
Success Framework
“This stage commences officially
following Project Charter Approval (e.g. Project Proposal Approval). The preparatory work for this stage is done
while drawing up the charter for approval.”
1.1.2.1 Select Project Resources
“The business requirements
are the specifications that describe the functions that the product is expected
to provide. The identification and attainment of Project Resources is the first
order of business meeting those requirements. Resource requirements are unique
to every project but generally require a mix of internal and external Human,
Capital and Financial Resources. Outline
here or in an appendix the selection process for resources e.g. project team, equipment,
advisors, request for proposal, and business case for funding. You may wish to
outline the timeframe of contracts as some resources may be coming on to the
project earlier than others.”
Project Team.
The team is made up of the
students conducting the investigation CJ, ÉH,and SHT. You may wish to allocate
roles and responsibilities.
Advisors
SH and any other named or
yet un-named resources that may be called upon.
Plant
The experiments are to be
performed at home and in school.
Equipment
Raw materials are to be
sourced from families and the school. Materials (e.g incubators, agitators, transfer
chamber etc) are to be designed by the project team. Any purchases to be made will be made locally
where possible.
1.1.2.2 Project outputs
The product objectives and the
project management objectives can be combined under the heading of Project
outputs.
The product objectives are:
● Hands-on Experience ●Apply Concepts ● Learn Project Skills
●Share Knowledge ●Prove Scientific Relevance ●Encourage Further Research
●Enter Science Competition ●Build Relationships ●Represent School
●Promote Science Literacy
The project Management
objectives are:
● Meet stakeholder needs ●Deliver within Time-frame ● Operate within budget
1.1.2.3 Critical Success Factors
(Example) The Critical Success
Factors are:
● Clear Objectives ●Competent Advisors ●Committed Team
● Sponsor Support ●Family Support
●etc
1.1.2.4 Success Criteria
The criteria as set out in the table below
have been drawn up by the stakeholders to measure the success of the project
based on the project outputs.
The
basis for succeeding with this project is through satisfying the success
criteria. The critical success factors are represented in the middle of the “Theoretical
Success Framework Diagram”, representing their relationship to achieving both
project and product objectives and their influence on satisfying the success
criteria. (State here how the objectives, the success factors and the success
criteria were agreed and by who?)
1.1.2.5 Risk
The risks, their likely impact
and the necessary response are outlined in the table below. ”You need to
consider all the things that may be expected to go wrong during your experiment.
|
Risk No. |
Risk Identified |
Likely Impact |
Risk Response |
|
1 |
The scope of project is beyond our skill level |
The team will reach a
certain point beyond which they will be unable to proceed. |
Mitigate. Set the Boundaries
at the outset. Seek assurance from collaborators, teachers or advisors, that skill
level of the team is appropriate. |
|
2 |
Diseases and pests |
Seeds don’t germinate |
Mitigate. Maintain favourable conditions in respect of temperature, light, moisture
and aeration |
|
3 |
|
|
|
1.1.3
Project Constraints
The project inputs explain how
the product will be done and are defined, by the work breakdown structure,
responsibility chart, schedule, and budget.
1.1.3.1 Work Breakdown Structure
The work breakdown divides the
project into manageable components. The components are numbered to indicate
their relationship to each other. WBSs are indispensable for project planning,
particularly when estimating time and resource requirements.
The product work inputs are the
resource activities required to deliver the output objectives. The product work
inputs are:
● Organise Plant &
Equipment ● Preparation of Sowing Media
● Test Hypothesis ●
Prepare Report
●________________ ●_______________
The product work inputs can be
further broken down into work packages and depicted graphically in a Work
Breakdown Structure. The WBS below is a picture of the project subdivided into
hierarchical units of work, and represented as a tree.
1.1.3.2 Time Schedule
Time is not the driving
constraint for this project but is carefully managed from the preparation of
the charter until the final report. The project team determines the length of
time needed to complete each of the work packages by estimating the optimistic,
pessimistic and most likely durations. The WBS on the left is the work
breakdown structure code.
|
WBS |
Activity Description |
Dur. |
Start |
Finish |
|
1 |
A statistical investigation |
309 d |
Fri 24/02/12 |
Sat 29/12/12 |
|
1.1 |
Project Initiation |
197 d |
Fri 24/02/12 |
Fri 07/09/12 |
|
1.1.1 |
Produce Project Charter |
31 d |
Fri 24/02/12 |
Sun 25/03/12 |
|
1.1.2 |
Outline Success Framework |
3 d |
Wed 04/04/12 |
Sat 07/04/12 |
|
1.1.3 |
Document Constraints |
5 d |
Tue 10/04/12 |
Sun 15/04/12 |
|
1.1.4 |
Enter Young Scientist Competition |
4 d |
Tue 04/09/12 |
Fri 07/09/12 |
|
1.2 |
Product Work Inputs |
108 d |
Sat 08/09/12 |
Mon 24/12/12 |
|
1.2.1 |
Organise Plant & Equipment |
18 d |
Sat 08/09/12 |
Tue 25/09/12 |
|
1.2.1.1 |
Set up Laboratory |
5 d |
Sat 08/09/12 |
Wed 12/09/12 |
|
1.2.1.2 |
Procure equipment |
5 d |
Thu 13/09/12 |
Mon 17/09/12 |
|
1.2.1.3 |
Photograph Experiment |
2 d |
Mon 24/09/12 |
Tue 25/09/12 |
|
1.2.2 |
Preparation of sowing media |
6 d |
Tue 18/09/12 |
Sun 23/09/12 |
|
1.2.2.1 |
Pre-germination of seeds |
3 d |
Tue 18/09/12 |
Thu 20/09/12 |
|
1.2.2.2 |
Soil Preparation |
2 d |
Fri 21/09/12 |
Sat 22/09/12 |
|
1.2.2.3 |
Plant seeds |
1 d |
Sun 23/09/12 |
Sun 23/09/12 |
|
1.2.3 |
Test Hypothesis |
78 d |
Mon 01/10/12 |
Mon 17/12/12 |
|
1.2.3.1 |
Record Growth |
70 d |
Mon 01/10/12 |
Sun 09/12/12 |
|
1.2.3.2 |
Statistical analysis |
5 d |
Thu 13/12/12 |
Mon 17/12/12 |
|
1.2.4 |
Prepare Report |
4 d |
Fri 21/12/12 |
Mon 24/12/12 |
|
1.2.4.1 |
Document process |
2 d |
Fri 21/12/12 |
Sat 22/12/12 |
|
1.2.4.2 |
Draw Conclusions |
1 d |
Sun 23/12/12 |
Sun 23/12/12 |
|
1.2.4.3 |
Make Recommendations |
1 d |
Mon 24/12/12 |
Mon 24/12/12 |
|
1.3 |
Closeout |
4 d |
Wed 26/12/12 |
Sat 29/12/12 |
|
1.3.1 |
Lessons Learned report |
3 d |
Wed 26/12/12 |
Fri 28/12/12 |
|
1.3.2 |
Project closure event |
1 d |
Sat 29/12/12 |
Sat 29/12/12 |
The nature of the experiment dictated
a seven day working week. The only non-working day is Christmas Day. When all
the data is inserted into MS Project 2000, it calculates the expected time (te)
by utilising the PERT formula: Expected Time (te) = (to +4tm + tp)/6. The
expected time (te) is identified in MS Project as Duration.
Critical Path
What determines the length of
the project is the critical path, which is the series of tasks that dictates
the finish date of the project. If one task on the critical path moves, the end
date of the project will move as well. The total number of working days is 309
from Fri 24/02/12 to Sat 29/12/12.
Critical Path Analysis
By applying the Central Limit
Theorem a probability based critical path duration is calculated. This means
that if we make a number of estimates of each activity’s duration, the range of
critical path duration will tend to be normally distributed. This will in turn
allow statements to be made with confidence with respect to the probability of
the critical path duration of a project been achieved.
The table below is a report from
MS Project, which identifies estimates of each activity in Work Breakdown
structure.
MS Project 2000 generated expected
project duration of 309 days for “A statistical investigation of the effects of
diazotroph bacteria on plant germination”. All task duration’s were developed
from a range of values and by application of the Central Limit Theorem. The
range of critical path duration’s will form a normal distribution. It is now
possible to calculate the probability of the critical path duration.
Step 1
MS Project 2000 calculates the
expected duration (te) for each activity using the formula;
Expected Time (te) = (to +4tm +
tp)/6
Step 2
MS Project calculates critical path
using te.
On the Project menu, point to
Group by, and then click Critical, to group all critical tasks together. This
is what this view looks like
|
WBS |
Task Name |
Dur. |
Start |
Finish |
Predecessors |
|
|
Critical: No |
215 d |
Fri 24/02/12 |
Tue 25/09/12 |
|
|
1.1.1 |
Produce Project Charter |
31 d |
Fri 24/02/12 |
Sun 25/03/12 |
|
|
1.1.2 |
Outline Success Framework |
3 d |
Wed 04/04/12 |
Sat 07/04/12 |
3FS+10 d |
|
1.1.3 |
Document Constraints |
5 d |
Tue 10/04/12 |
Sun 15/04/12 |
4FS+3 d |
|
1.2.1.3 |
Photograph Experiment |
2 d |
Mon 24/09/12 |
Tue 25/09/12 |
15 |
|
|
Critical: Yes |
116 d |
Tue 04/09/12 |
Sat 29/12/12 |
|
|
1.1.4 |
Enter Young Scientist Competition |
4 d |
Tue 04/09/12 |
Fri 07/09/12 |
|
|
1.2.1.1 |
Set up Laboratory |
5 d |
Sat 08/09/12 |
Wed 12/09/12 |
6 |
|
1.2.1.2 |
Procure equipment |
5 d |
Thu 13/09/12 |
Mon 17/09/12 |
9 |
|
1.2.2.1 |
Pre-germination of seeds |
3 d |
Tue 18/09/12 |
Thu 20/09/12 |
10 |
|
1.2.2.2 |
Soil Preparation |
2 d |
Fri 21/09/12 |
Sat 22/09/12 |
13 |
|
1.2.2.3 |
Plant seeds |
1 d |
Sun 23/09/12 |
Sun 23/09/12 |
14 |
|
1.2.3.1.1 |
Record Growth 1 |
1 d |
Mon 01/10/12 |
Mon 01/10/12 |
15FS+7 d |
|
1.2.3.1.2 |
Record Growth 2 |
1 d |
Thu 04/10/12 |
Thu 04/10/12 |
18FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.3 |
Record Growth 3 |
1 d |
Sun 07/10/12 |
Sun 07/10/12 |
19FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.4 |
Record Growth 4 |
1 d |
Wed 10/10/12 |
Wed 10/10/12 |
20FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.5 |
Record Growth 5 |
1 d |
Sat 13/10/12 |
Sat 13/10/12 |
21FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.6 |
Record Growth 6 |
1 d |
Tue 16/10/12 |
Tue 16/10/12 |
22FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.7 |
Record Growth 7 |
1 d |
Fri 19/10/12 |
Fri 19/10/12 |
23FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.8 |
Record Growth 8 |
1 d |
Mon 22/10/12 |
Mon 22/10/12 |
24FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.9 |
Record Growth 9 |
1 d |
Thu 25/10/12 |
Thu 25/10/12 |
25FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.10 |
Record Growth 10 |
1 d |
Sun 28/10/12 |
Sun 28/10/12 |
26FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.11 |
Record Growth 11 |
1 d |
Wed 31/10/12 |
Wed 31/10/12 |
27FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.12 |
Record Growth 12 |
1 d |
Sat 03/11/12 |
Sat 03/11/12 |
28FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.13 |
Record Growth 13 |
1 d |
Tue 06/11/12 |
Tue 06/11/12 |
29FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.14 |
Record Growth 14 |
1 d |
Fri 09/11/12 |
Fri 09/11/12 |
30FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.15 |
Record Growth 15 |
1 d |
Mon 12/11/12 |
Mon 12/11/12 |
31FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.16 |
Record Growth 16 |
1 d |
Thu 15/11/12 |
Thu 15/11/12 |
32FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.17 |
Record Growth 17 |
1 d |
Sun 18/11/12 |
Sun 18/11/12 |
33FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.18 |
Record Growth 18 |
1 d |
Wed 21/11/12 |
Wed 21/11/12 |
34FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.19 |
Record Growth 19 |
1 d |
Sat 24/11/12 |
Sat 24/11/12 |
35FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.20 |
Record Growth 20 |
1 d |
Tue 27/11/12 |
Tue 27/11/12 |
36FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.21 |
Record Growth 21 |
1 d |
Fri 30/11/12 |
Fri 30/11/12 |
37FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.22 |
Record Growth 22 |
1 d |
Mon 03/12/12 |
Mon 03/12/12 |
38FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.23 |
Record Growth 23 |
1 d |
Thu 06/12/12 |
Thu 06/12/12 |
39FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.1.24 |
Record Growth 24 |
1 d |
Sun 09/12/12 |
Sun 09/12/12 |
40FS+2 d |
|
1.2.3.2 |
Statistical analysis |
5 d |
Thu 13/12/12 |
Mon 17/12/12 |
41FS+3 d |
|
1.2.4.1 |
Document process |
2 d |
Fri 21/12/12 |
Sat 22/12/12 |
42FS+3 d |
|
1.2.4.2 |
Draw Conclusions |
1 d |
Sun 23/12/12 |
Sun 23/12/12 |
44 |
|
1.2.4.3 |
Make Recommendations |
1 d |
Mon 24/12/12 |
Mon 24/12/12 |
45 |
|
1.3.1 |
Lessons Learned report |
3 d |
Wed 26/12/12 |
Fri 28/12/12 |
46 |
|
1.3.2 |
Project closure event |
1 d |
Sat 29/12/12 |
Sat 29/12/12 |
48 |
The sum of the durations for
tasks outlined as critical is 116 days. The differential (59 days) between the
sum of the critical tasks (57 days) and critical path duration (116 days) can
be attributed to the lags for Record Growth (WBS 1.2.3.1), Statistical analysis
(WBS 1.2.3.2), and Document process (WBS 1.2.4.1). The critical path duration of
116 days generated by MS Project 2000 will be used in this analysis.
Step 3
Calculate the standard deviation
and variance of all activities on the critical path, using the following
formulae:
SD =
Var = (SD2)
Step 4
Assuming a desired probability,
calculate the required project duration.
Per the Central Limit Theorem,
the following equation will apply:
Z = Tx – Te / (√Crit Var) where x is a project duration of choice.
(Z = (project duration of
choice) less Expected Duration divided by the square root of the Critical
Variance.)
X = Te + (√Crit Var) * z
The following table identifies
the critical path for “A statistical investigation of the effects of diazotroph
bacteria on plant germination”, together with calculation of the standard
deviation and variance for each activity.
|
Expected
Time (te) = (to +4tm + tp)/6 |
||||||||
|
WBS |
Activity Description |
Dur. |
(To)
Optimist |
(Tm) Most Likely |
(Tp)
Pessimist |
|
Var =
(SD2) |
|
|
1.1.4 |
Enter Science Competition |
4 |
2 |
4 |
6 |
0.67 |
0.44 |
|
|
1.2.1.1 |
Set up Laboratory |
5 |
1 |
5 |
9 |
1.33 |
1.78 |
|
|
1.2.1.2 |
Procure equipment |
5 |
2 |
5 |
8 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
|
|
1.2.2.1 |
Pre-germination of seeds |
3 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
0.33 |
0.11 |
|
|
1.2.2.2 |
Soil Preparation |
2 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
0.33 |
0.11 |
|
|
1.2.2.3 |
Plant seeds |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.1 |
Record Growth 1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.2 |
Record Growth 2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.3 |
Record Growth 3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.4 |
Record Growth 4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.5 |
Record Growth 5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.6 |
Record Growth 6 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.7 |
Record Growth 7 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.8 |
Record Growth 8 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.9 |
Record Growth 9 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.10 |
Record Growth 10 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.11 |
Record Growth 11 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.12 |
Record Growth 12 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.13 |
Record Growth 13 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.14 |
Record Growth 14 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.15 |
Record Growth 15 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.16 |
Record Growth 16 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.17 |
Record Growth 17 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.18 |
Record Growth 18 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.19 |
Record Growth 19 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.20 |
Record Growth 20 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.21 |
Record Growth 21 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.22 |
Record Growth 22 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.23 |
Record Growth 23 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.1.24 |
Record Growth 24 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.3.2 |
Statistical analysis |
5 |
3 |
5 |
7 |
0.67 |
0.44 |
|
|
1.2.4.1 |
Document process |
2 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
0.33 |
0.11 |
|
|
1.2.4.2 |
Draw Conclusions |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.2.4.3 |
Make Recommendations |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
1.3.1 |
Lessons Learned report |
3 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
0.33 |
0.11 |
|
|
1.3.2 |
Project closure event |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
|
57 |
42 |
57 |
72 |
5.00 |
4.11 |
||
|
Sum Critical Tasks = Duration |
116 |
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Sum of Variance |
4.11 |
|||||||
|
SQRT of Total Critical Variance |
2.03 |
|||||||
Legend |
|
|
te |
Duration |
|
to |
Optimistic Duration |
|
tp |
Pessimistic Duration |
|
tm |
Most Likely Duration |
|
SD |
Standard Deviation |
|
Var |
Variance |
The sum of the critical
tasks in Table is 116 days.
If x =116 
Þ Z = (116 -116)/2.03 = 0 Þ
50% probability (from statistical tables).
90% probability
desired Þ
From tables look up 100 – 90 = .10 Þ Z = 1.28
x = 116 + (1.28 *2.03)
x = 116 + (2.5984)
x = 118.60
10 % probability
desired Þ From tables look up 0.10 Þ Z = -1.28
x = 116 + (-
1.28 *2.03)
x = 116 + (-
2.5984)
x = 113.40
A Probability Table ranging from
10% to 99% probability can now be generated for “A statistical investigation of
the effects of diazotroph bacteria on plant germination”.
These values for Z can be used
for the associated probabilities in any project without having to revert to the
probability tables
PERT
PROBABILITY ANALYSIS CHART
A statistical investigation of the effects of
bacteria on plant germination |
||||
|
Probability |
z |
Dur. |
√Crit Var |
x |
|
10% |
-1.28 |
116 |
2.03 |
113.40 |
|
20% |
-0.84 |
116 |
2.03 |
114.29 |
|
30% |
-0.52 |
116 |
2.03 |
114.94 |
|
40% |
-0.25 |
116 |
2.03 |
115.49 |
|
50% |
0 |
116 |
2.03 |
116.00 |
|
60% |
0.25 |
116 |
2.03 |
116.51 |
|
70% |
0.52 |
116 |
2.03 |
117.06 |
|
80% |
0.84 |
116 |
2.03 |
117.71 |
|
90% |
1.28 |
116 |
2.03 |
118.60 |
|
95% |
1.64 |
116 |
2.03 |
119.33 |
|
99% |
2.33 |
116 |
2.03 |
120.73 |
The expected duration for the
project is 309 days. A contingency of 4 days will be required to increase the
confidence of completing the project from 50% to 99%. This constitutes a contingency
level of 4/309 = 1.29%. The project team
is 95% confident that the project will be completed on Sat 29/12/12. With a
contingency of 4 days the confidence of completing the project on 2/1/13 is
99%.
1.1.3.3 Resources
Responsibility Assignment Matrix
“The matrix outlined below
depicts the resource assignments. The level of effort required by the resources
named beside each activity indicates the % of their time each day. Where there
is no % indicated, the resource is assigned 100% of their time for the duration
of that activity. The material resources used for the completion of activities
are named beside each activity.
|
WBS |
Activity Description |
Resources Assigned |
|
1 |
A statistical investigation |
|
|
1.1 |
Project Initiation |
|
|
1.1.1 |
Produce Project Charter |
CJ,ÉH,SHT,SH |
|
1.1.2 |
Outline Success Framework |
CJ,ÉH,SHT,SH |
|
1.1.3 |
Document Constraints |
CJ,ÉH,SHT,SH |
|
1.1.4 |
Enter Young Scientist Competition |
CJ,ÉH,SHT,SH,B |
|
1.2 |
Product Work Inputs |
|
|
1.2.1 |
Organise Plant & Equipment |
|
|
1.2.1.1 |
Set up Laboratory |
CJ,ÉH,SHT,SH,F,S |
|
1.2.1.2 |
Procure equipment |
CJ,ÉH,SHT,SH,F,S,inc,agt,cha |
|
1.2.1.3 |
Photograph Experiment |
CJ,ÉH,SHT |
|
1.2.2 |
Preparation of sowing media |
|
|
1.2.2.1 |
Pre-germination of seeds |
CJ,ÉH,SHT |
|
1.2.2.2 |
Soil Preparation |
CJ,ÉH,SHT |
|
1.2.2.3 |
Plant seeds |
CJ,ÉH,SHT |
|
1.2.3 |
Test Hypothesis |
|
|
1.2.3.1 |
Record Growth |
|
|
1.2.3.1.1 |
Record Growth 1 |
CJ |
|
1.2.3.1.2 |
Record Growth 2 |
ÉH |
|
1.2.3.1.3 |
Record Growth 3 |
SHT |
|
1.2.3.1.4 |
Record Growth 4 |
CJ |
|
1.2.3.1.5 |
Record Growth 5 |
ÉH |
|
1.2.3.1.6 |
Record Growth 6 |
SHT |
|
1.2.3.1.7 |
Record Growth 7 |
CJ |
|
1.2.3.1.8 |
Record Growth 8 |
ÉH |
|
1.2.3.1.9 |
Record Growth 9 |
SHT |
|
1.2.3.1.10 |
Record Growth 10 |
CJ |
|
1.2.3.1.11 |
Record Growth 11 |
ÉH |
|
1.2.3.1.12 |
Record Growth 12 |
SHT |
|
1.2.3.1.13 |
Record Growth 13 |
CJ |
|
1.2.3.1.14 |
Record Growth 14 |
ÉH |
|
1.2.3.1.15 |
Record Growth 15 |
SHT |
|
1.2.3.1.16 |
Record Growth 16 |
CJ |
|
1.2.3.1.17 |
Record Growth 17 |
ÉH |
|
1.2.3.1.18 |
Record Growth 18 |
SHT |
|
1.2.3.1.19 |
Record Growth 19 |
CJ |
|
1.2.3.1.20 |
Record Growth 20 |
ÉH |
|
1.2.3.1.21 |
Record Growth 21 |
SHT |
|
1.2.3.1.22 |
Record Growth 22 |
CJ |
|
1.2.3.1.23 |
Record Growth 23 |
ÉH |
|
1.2.3.1.24 |
Record Growth 24 |
SHT |
|
1.2.3.2 |
Statistical analysis |
CJ,ÉH,SHT,SH |
|
1.2.4 |
Prepare Report |
|
|
1.2.4.1 |
Document process |
CJ,ÉH,SHT |
|
1.2.4.2 |
Draw Conclusions |
CJ,ÉH,SHT |
|
1.2.4.3 |
Make Recommendations |
CJ,ÉH,SHT |
|
1.3 |
Closeout |
|
|
1.3.1 |
Lessons Learned report |
CJ,ÉH,SHT |
|
1.3.2 |
Project closure event |
CJ,ÉH,SHT,SH,S |
1.1.3.4 Cost
Resource
Cost
The rates and the number of
units for resources that have been determined by the project team are:
|
Resource Name |
Std. Rate |
Total Cost |
|
CJ |
€1.00/hour |
€ 87.24 |
|
ÉH |
€1.00/hour |
€ 104.04 |
|
SHT |
€1.00/hour |
€ 88.20 |
|
SH |
€1.00/hour |
€ 18.83 |
|
School |
€1.00/hour |
€ 9.21 |
|
Families |
€1.00/hour |
€ 8.64 |
|
Incubators |
€1.3/Unit |
€ 13.00 |
|
Agitators |
€2.00/Unit |
€ 4.00 |
|
Transfer Chamber |
€1.00/Unit |
€ 1.00 |
|
BT Entry Fee |
€20.00/Unit |
€ 20.00 |
|
Total |
|
€ 354.16 |
Apart from the materials the
costs actually represent the amount of hours spent by each resource on the project.
The rate per hour for each resource is set as €1.
Cost Breakdown Structure
A Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS)
is constructed by assigning the cost to each allocated activity of the WBS.
|
WBS |
Activity Description |
Cost |
|
1 |
A Statistical Investigation |
€354.16
|
|
1.1 |
Project Initiation |
€172.55
|
|
1.1.1 |
Produce Project Charter |
€112.55
|
|
1.1.2 |
Outline Success Framework |
€9.60
|
|
1.1.3 |
Document Constraints |
€16.00
|
|
1.1.4 |
Enter Young Scientist Competition |
€34.40
|
|
1.2 |
Product Work Inputs |
€170.09
|
|
1.2.1 |
Organise Plant & Equipment |
€89.53
|
|
1.2.1.1 |
Set-up Laboratory |
€29.53
|
|
1.2.1.2 |
Procure Equipment |
€48.00
|
|
1.2.1.3 |
Photograph Experiment |
€12.00
|
|
1.2.2 |
Preparation of Sowing Media |
€36.00
|
|
1.2.2.1 |
Pre-germination of Seeds |
€18.00
|
|
1.2.2.2 |
Soil Preparation |
€12.00
|
|
1.2.2.3 |
Plant Seeds |
€6.00
|
|
1.2.3 |
Test Hypothesis |
€33.20
|
|
1.2.3.1 |
Record Growth |
€19.20
|
|
1.2.3.2 |
Statistical Analysis |
€14.00
|
|
1.2.4 |
Prepare Report |
€11.36
|
|
1.2.4.1 |
Document Process |
€5.60
|
|
1.2.4.2 |
Draw Conclusions |
€2.88
|
|
1.2.4.3 |
Make Recommendations |
€2.88
|
|
1.3 |
Closeout |
€11.52
|
|
1.3.1 |
Lessons Learned Report |
€8.64
|
|
1.3.2 |
Project Closure Event |
€2.88
|
1.2 Product Work Inputs
This section of the plan outlines the
specifications for the product to satisfy stakeholder requirements. Describe in
detail, the step-by-step procedures to follow, such that a stranger would be
able to do exactly what you plan to do, just by reading your procedure.
1.2.1
Organise Plant & Equipment Laboratory
List the main materials needed for the
experiment and where and how they will be got.
1.2.1.1 Set up Laboratory
Outline where the laboratory is and the
effort needed to get it ready.
1.2.1.2 Procure equipment
Outline the process used to acquire
materials?
Visuals make good presentation
materials. Outline when and how often photographs were taken.
It is important that a controlled variable
is included in this experiment. Controls allow a single variable to be tested
in an experiment because they are unchanged. Experiments usually have only one
control group, but can have more than one experimental group. The results in
the experimental group are compared against the results in the control group. We
can then make observations and comparisons between our controls in the
independent variables (things that change in the experiment) to develop an
accurate conclusion. The Independent variable in our experiment is the factor
that will not change. Outline the variables here.
1.2.2.1 Pre-germination of seeds
Explain the methods used for
application of the bacteria to crop plant seeds?
1.2.2.2 Soil Preparation
Mix and moisten the soil well and
put equal amounts into containers.
1.2.2.3 Plant seeds
Set up 10,000-12,000 samples are
to ensure the quality of the experiment.
Place groups of seeds of equal number on a moist surface in the containers.
These containers are placed in an incubator under controlled temperature and
light conditions. Seeds are checked for germination on a sequence of observation
days over a fixed period of time, long enough so nearly all seeds germinate. On
each observation day, seeds found to have germinated since the previous
observation are counted and removed, yielding a temporal sequence of
germination numbers.
1.2.3
Test Hypothesis
Describe the expected results of the
experiment? The hypothesis is a prediction that makes sense based on the research
carried out.
Seed samples are analysed for
performance using a standard unit of measurement? The growth is recorded every
third day by a member of the project team. Observations are documented using
photos and drawings?
1.2.3.2 Statistical analysis
There were 105 experimental runs
carried out over a 6 month period. Statistical
analysis is carried out on a computer with standard statistical software. The
results of thei investigations are statistically analysed by the project team
using the student T-test.
1.2.4
Prepare Report
As the final step of the work,
hypothesis are confirmed and included into discussion and conclusions.
1.2.4.1 Document process
Describe the process for
preparing the final report and for making presentations to external audiences.
1.2.4.2 Draw Conclusions
The results show that two types
of the bacteria produce a statistically significant acceleration (increase of
17% for and 28% for bacteria Y; p<001) in the rate of seed germination.
In field trials, bacteria
inoculated at 6x106cfu/ seed also increased growth rates and gave a 13.2%
(p=0.0328) dry mass yield improvement. The studies have significant potential
for improving the productivity of valuable food crops by increasing yields,
reducing fertiliser use, and by reducing losses due to disease and weather.
The students found that "Germination
in the seeds used is usually six days but was brought down to three days by
using the bacteria”
The students who conducted the
investigation and other commentators suggested that: “The experiment
demonstrated that adding the bacteria in laboratory conditions reduced the time
for the seeds to germinate. These results may have implications for our ability
to address food security issues. These are the first exciting steps, field
trials should follow”.
1.2.4.3 Make Recommendations
Opportunities to commercially
scale up bacterial treatment of seeds treatment are being investigated.
Investigations continue into the application of bacteria in the germination
phase of the malting process in brewing. Etc
1.3
Closeout
Project Closeout heralds the
formal end of the project. The closeout
shall verify that the objectives have been accomplished.
1.3.1
Lessons Learned report
The identification and recording
of issues arising on the project shall help to reduce or eliminate the chances
of re-occurrence on similar projects in the future. Details of the original lessons
learned report are incorporated into this document. Outline how the project
measure up against the criteria drawn up by the stakeholders to measure the
success of the project based on the project outputs
1.3.2
Project closure event
(supply details)
2 Appendices
2.1 Acknowledgements
At the end of the report
acknowledge any help received during the project for example, teachers,
companies, institutions and parents. Additional information may include,
correspondence.
2.2 References
List any books, articles, web
pages or references that helped you in your project.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
