Edward Jones is responsible for finding a suitable building and establishing a new convenience grocery store for Thrift-Mart, Inc. Jones enumerated the specific activities which had to be completed and the estimated time to establish each activity. In addition, he prepared a network diagram, which appears below, to aid in the coordination of the activities. The list of activities to locate a building and establish a new store is as follows: mlop85

Required:
a Identify the critical path for finding and establishing the new convenience store.
b Edward Jones would like to finish the store 2 weeks earlier than indicated by the schedule, and as a result, he is considering several alternatives. One such alternative is to convince the fixture manufacturer to deliver the fixtures in 4 weeks rather than in 6 weeks. Should Jones arrange for the manufacturer to deliver the fixtures in 4 weeks if the sole advantage of this schedule change is to open the store 2 weeks early? Justify your answer.
c A program, such as the one illustrated by the network diagram for the new convenience store, cannot be implemented unless the required resources are available at the required dates. What additional information does Jones need to administer the proposed project properly?
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Activity number 2-5 2232 1-2 2-3 3-4 5-6 6-4 4-8 5-7 7-8 8-9 9-10 Description of activity Find building Negotiate rental terms Draft lease Prepare store plans Select and order fixtures Delivery of fixtures Install fixtures Hire staff Train staff Receive inventory Stock shelves Estimated time required in weeks 4244163542+