You work in a manufacturing plant that is starting to rely heavily on technology to run their operations. You proposed the use of virtual technology to save money. You have a plan to run multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a clustered based Hypervisor. Before you implement, you have been asked by your management to report on the following items:

Describe storage and network virtualization.
Explain the difference between a Bridged, NAT and host-only network connection. When would you use them and why.

Sample Solution

The post Manufacturing plant appeared first on homework handlers.

Background
Sometimes the implementation of a public policy involves the successful completion of a project. When such projects fail, critical incidents often occur.

Specific projects have a start and a finish. Project managers help implement projects by marshalling and coordinating the resources necessary to complete a project on-time and in a way that ensures the goals of the project are achieved. Since specific projects are so integral to public service delivery, many techniques have been developed to ensure effective implementation and retrospective analysis. One of these techniques is called critical path method (CPM) also known as Performance Evaluation Review Technique (PERT).

CPM provides a way of representing graphically, in an easily understandable form, the steps required to implement a decision. This technique is especially appropriate for specific projects, which have specific starting and ending points. Simply put, CPM allows for a more objective way of managing specific projects since it allows everyone to more fully grasp the relationship of the project’s parts to the project’s goals. Through a system of circles and arrows, a project planner can depict the flow of policy and predict likely challenges to effective implementation before they occur.

Part of the appeal of CPM is its simplicity. CPM networks are composed of two elements: events (represented by circles) and activities (represented by arrows). An event is defined as the start or competition of a task; events consume no resources and simply mark time in a CPM network. Activities represent the flow of tasks themselves. Activities consume resources, including time. To use CPM, a manager identifies the set of events that must occur to complete a project and links them together in the proper sequence with activity arrows. Each arrow represents the amount of time (or other resources) that must be consumed to produce an event.

Figure 1 represents a simple four-event, three-activity CPM for buying groceries. The project begins with Event A. Activity 1 must be completed to reach Event B. Activity 2 must be completed to reach Event C and Activity 3 must be completed to reach Event D. Note that the project cannot effectively proceed to Event D without finishing Events B and C. For example, if a list of items to purchase is not made, the buyer may purchase excess items marketed to them in the store (which can be okay for personal grocery shopping, but often disastrous in terms of effectiveness and efficiency when implementing more sophisticated public services).

The real value of CPM is that it forces managers to plan projects carefully and estimate the amount of time (and other resources) necessary to proceed to the next stage of the project (or Event in CPM terms). This allows managers to anticipate challenges and manage their resources as efficiently and effectively as possible. Estimates about resources, including time, are made with reasonable judgements about each activity, often based on prior managerial experiences or knowledge of similar projects implemented. For this reason, estimates are sometimes given in ranges reflecting minimums and maximums.

Events
A. Decision to buy groceries
B. Decision on where to buy groceries
C. Decisions on which groceries to buy at grocery store
D. Decision to leave grocery store after purchasing groceries

Activities Resource estimate (in minutes)

1. Identify grocery stores 5
   where groceries can be purchased
2. Identify which grocery items you want to buy 30
   at grocery store
3. Travel to store to buy groceries 15

This is a very basic example that does neglect some project steps. For instance, there is no Event E showing the return home. Something to think about! Also, note that events do not have to be linearly sequential like this. That is, one event can connect to two events at the same time. For example, in Figure 2 family members are consulted regarding the grocery purchase.

Figure 2: A More Complex CPM Network (Buying Groceries)

Events
A. Decision to buy groceries
B. Decision on where to buy groceries
C. Decisions on which groceries to buy at grocery store
D. Decision to leave grocery store after purchasing groceries

Activities Resource estimate (in minutes)

1. Identify grocery stores 5
   where groceries can be purchased
2. Identify the grocery items you want to 20
   buy at grocery store
3. Travel to store to buy groceries 15
4. Consult with family members 80
   regarding which groceries to buy
5. Identify which groceries from family
   members to actually buy 10

The main purpose of CPM is to identify the longest path connecting your starting point with your destination. This is the critical path and is often the area of project implementation most prone to failure. By identifying the critical path, managers are able to estimate the amount of time (and other resources) necessary for achieving the critical path and other non-critical paths that may be indirectly related to the project’s success (such paths are often identified as slack).

In our Figure 2, the critical path would be: A-B-E-C-D taking a total of 110 minutes. The path where you just identify your individual items you want to purchase at the store would be deemed a non-critical path with available slack (i.e. since your list of items to purchase only takes 20 minutes, while obtaining the list of items to purchase for other families takes 80 minutes, you essentially have 60 minutes to devote to helping family members make their list of groceries to purchase. Admittedly, that sounds a bit silly, but when considered in a professional service delivery setting, will make more sense. For instance, such assistance theoretically will result in more effective and efficient decisions being reached).

CPM is most useful for specific projects with start and ending dates. CPM is not as useful for services implemented on a continuous basis. For those services, other management techniques exist.

Instructions for Critical Incident #1

1. Examine CMU’s decision process for making decisions about weather delays and closures (i.e. closing the university due to inclement weather such as severe snow events). The process is explained here:
   https://www.cmich.edu/about/emergency/Pages/weather-delays-closures.aspx#:~:text=The%20university%20will%20be%20open,operations%20or%20close%20the%20university.
2. Read this story about CMU’s decision to close campus due to excessive snow in 2019. The store is available here:
   https://www.abc12.com/content/news/Chips-fired-up-after-Central-Michigan-University-waits-to-close-campus-504995511.html
3. Based on the information contained in these documents, construct a CPM for the CMU decision-making process for weather delays and closures. Your CMP should include events, activities, and resource estimates. Additionally, it should include a figure of events and activities illustrating this decision process.
4. In 2-3 pages of written text (double spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 point font in Calibri or Times New Roman), explain the challenges inherent in implementing CPM for project decisions. Use this section to link concepts expressed in the course readings to the use of CPM in public sector organizations.

Sample Solution

The post The implementation of a public policy appeared first on homework handlers.