Problem 4 Project Prioritization (65 points)

This problem will use the Le Petit Chef case study that was used in Assignment 1. There are already several ongoing projects identified in Exhibit 15 as well as several proposed projects in Exhibit 13. A key element of building a project portfolio is understanding resource capacity within the organization. In this problem you will first do a capacity analysis and then create a decision matrix to build the proposed portfolio. The ongoing projects seem to be driven by a single engineering group. Use the table below in your capacity analysis.

Engineering Group	Application Area	Project Description
Concept/design/aesthetics	Future products, sensor applications, industrial design	1: Improve external finishes, colors, and contours of both lines to make them more aesthetically differentiated
Mechanical	Integration, cavity/wave-guide design, prototyping	2: Redesign of waveguide to improve wave diffusion in cavity of Liberate line 5: Reconfigure component layout in galit line to reduce overall volume occupied and develop an Egalite compact model
Power electronics	Power supply and magnetron controls	4: Modify HV power supply design in both Egalite and Liberte to be tolerant to fluctuating or under voltage conditions in some countries
User interface/electronics	Code development, circuit design and outsource relationships	7: Redesign the galit user interface for faster user input and expanded recipe offerings
Conventional cooking	Convection and grilling elements	3: Change grill element material in Liberte to make it longer lasting 6: Add halogen grilling capability to galit line

a) Do a 3-level capacity analysis to assess the current situation. It is important to drill down on resources because a high level assessment may show there is available capacity when in fact the right skills may not be available.

Level 1 Analysis Considering the ongoing projects, how many resources are being consumed in the current year, how many are then available (if any) this year, and how many are available next year? What is the capacity utilization rate? (Assume the year 2000 and 2001) (5 points)

Level 2 Analysis How many resources are available each month beginning in January 2000 through when the ongoing projects are complete in 2001. Show this information in a graph. Are there any months when the team is already over-committed? If so, which months? (10 points)

Level 3 Analysis Engineers dont necessarily have interchangeable skill sets, so we need to look at resources available by skill type by month. Just consider January 2000 and identify the skill sets and number of resources needed for each project. Note that you are given the person months to complete each project. Example: If it is January 2000, and 12 person months are required to complete the project, and the project completes at the end of March then 4 people are required per month. What does this analysis for this single month tell you? (10 points)

b) In Assignment # 1 you identified project categories to use as a first step in building our project portfolio. Based on the strategies of the organization, identify what percentage of the overall budget (lets equate budget with resources) should be spent on each category (this is your goal). Provide a brief rationale for your selections. (5 points)

c) Create a decision matrix (or matrices) to use for prioritization of both the ongoing projects and proposed projects using information given in the case. Consider whether you need different criteria for the different types of projects (ongoing vs proposed). Then do a project prioritization for the ongoing and proposed projects to create a ranked list of the projects. Based on resource constraints, how far down the ranked list of projects would you proposed investing in. Remember that you can cancel projects underway if they dont look good compared against the rest of the projects. Lastly, based on your proposed project portfolio categories, what is the percentage of the overall budget (i.e. resources) within each of your project categories (you are comparing to your goal from part b)? (35 points)