Project Description
Big Cola Company has been concerned that specialized fruit drinks have been eroding their cola
market. The CEO mandates that “If you can’t beat them, join them.” Grape juice was the first
product that was successful after an advertising blitz claiming the antitoxin benefits. Lately,
competition is compressing grape juice margins and profits. Months of additional market surveys
and focus groups have resulted in three potential high-margin drinks: cranberry, blueberry, and
pomegranate. All these choices represent antitoxins. The decision is to produce the pomegranate
drink that has many health claims. For example, the relative ability of these juices to eliminate
harmful free radicals (antitoxins) is 71 percent for pomegranate, 33 percent for blueberry, and 20
percent for cranberry (Technion Institute of Technology). The market potential appears very
attractive and should have a higher profit margin than the other potential juice products. Another
appeal for pomegranate juice is its familiarity in the Middle East and Asia.
The Project Priority Matrix for the POM+ Project is:
Time Scope Cost
Constrain X
Enhance X
Accept X
Connor Gage, the project manager, has formed his project team and the members have come up
with the following work breakdown structure.
1.0 POM+ Project
1.1 R&D product development
1.1.1 Need survey
1.1.2 Set product specs
1.1.3 Shelf life report
1.1.4 Nutrition report
1.2 Secure fruit suppliers
1.3 Initial Production
1.3.1 Equipment rehab
1.3.2 Production trials
1.3.3 Quality trials
1.3.4 Quality metrics
1.3.5 Quality training
1.4 Distribution
1.4.1 Market testing
1.4.2 Package design
1.4.3 Select distributors
1.5 Legal
1.5.1 Comp

Assignment
1. Enter the WBS outline given above in MS Project. You will need to review the MS
Project tutorials 1-5 to help you with this part of the assignment. The tutorials are titled to
help you find the appropriate tutorial. You will eventually need to view all of the videos.
The WBS you create in MS Project should look close to the same as the one provided
above. The tasks should be indented under every summary task.
2. Use the MS Project file you have created and the information provided to you in the table
below to create a project schedule. Please realize that your WBS will not change when
you do this. You will find it useful to view tutorials 6-12, 15 and 17 for this part of the
assignment. You may also find the printing tutorials, 18-20, helpful when preparing
different tables and charts to save as PDF’s.
3. The following holidays are observed: January 1, Martin Luther King Day (third Monday
in January), Memorial Day (last Monday in May), July 4th, Labor Day (first Monday in
September), Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November), and December 25th and 26th.
4. If a holiday falls on a Saturday then Friday will be given as an extra day off, and if it falls
on a Sunday then Monday will be given off.
5. The project team works eight-hour days, Monday through Friday.
6. The Project will begin on January 3, 2017.
7. Based on this schedule, submit a professionally written memo that answers the following
questions.
Questions
1) When is the project estimated to be completed? How many working days will the project take?
2) How many critical paths in your project network? List the activities that create the critical
path(s) for the project.
3) Which activity has the greatest amount of slack? How much slack does this activity have?
4) How sensitive is this network? Support your answer with findings within your MS Project file.
5) Identify two sensible milestones and explain your choices.
6) Compare the advantages/disadvantages of displaying the schedule as a network versus a Gantt
chart.
**Several memo formats can be found within Word. Your memo should not be a numbered list
of questions and answers, but rather a thoughtfully written document that incorporates your
answers within it in a professional manner.
**Remember: Save your file for future exercises!
**Hint: Change the timescale to months and weeks. This project should take

Activity Duration Predecessor(s)
3 Need survey 20 None
4 Set product specs 15 3
5 Shelf life report 10 4
6 Nutrition report 5 4
7 Secure fruit suppliers 20 5,6
9 Equipment rehab 30 4
10 Production trials 15 7,9
11 Quality trials 20 10
12 Quality metrics 5 11
13 Quality training 15 12
15 Market testing 30 5,6
16 Package design 15 15
17 Select distributors 25 5,6
19 Complete FDA certification 15 7,15
20 Register trademark 5 7,15
21 Prepare product launch 15 13,16,17,19FS + 25
days, 20FS + 15 days
FS = Finish to Start Lag
Submit for part 1:
1) Professionally written memo addressing the 6 questions listed above.
2) A PDF of the Entry Table alongside a Gantt Chart.
3) A PDF of the Schedule table, reporting the ES, LS, EF, LF and the slack
for each activity.
4) A PDF of the network diagram
5) Your MS Project file after completing this part of the assignment