Greendale Baseball Stadium Project Management Case Study
This case study examines the project management plan for the Greendale Baseball Stadium, analyzing whether construction can be completed by the May 20, 2014 deadline. The paper covers the project's three-phase work breakdown structure, critical path identification, slack and float calculations, and a risk assessment of the top threats to the project schedule. It also presents a contingency plan outlining response strategies for risks such as weather-related delays, materials delays, and roof installation setbacks. The analysis concludes that the project can be delivered approximately 54 days ahead of schedule through concurrent phase execution.
- Project Completion Timeline Assessment: Three-phase plan enables on-time delivery
- Critical Path Analysis: Phase III roof tasks define critical path
- Slack and Float in the Project: 481-day free slack identified in schedule
- Top Three Activities That Could Impact the Project Due Date: Weather, materials, and roof delay ranked highest
- Contingency Planning for Project Risks: Response strategies assigned to each risk event
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What makes this paper effective
- Integrates structured tables clearly to present phased timelines, risk likelihood and impact ratings, and contingency responses in a scannable format.
- Applies standard project management terminology — critical path, slack/float, WBS, LF/EF/LS/ES — consistently and correctly throughout.
- Connects risk identification directly to mitigation strategy, showing a logical flow from problem to contingency response.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied quantitative project scheduling: it calculates total project duration, identifies the critical path through concurrent phase tasks, and derives slack values using the standard formulas (LF − EF and LS − ES). This grounds the analysis in measurable data rather than qualitative assertion alone.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a timeline feasibility assessment and a three-phase breakdown of construction tasks. It then identifies the critical path through Phase III's retractable roof and steel canopy work. A slack/float section follows, quantifying schedule flexibility. The risk assessment section ranks threats by likelihood, impact, and detection difficulty. The paper closes with a contingency plan table assigning response strategies, triggers, and responsible parties to each identified risk.
Project Completion Timeline Assessment
The full project calculation reveals that the Greendale Baseball Stadium's construction lifecycle will take a total of 695 days to complete, ending on February 27, 2014. Based on this projected trajectory, the project will be completed 54 days ahead of schedule, well before the May 20, 2014 deadline.
However, the project is not without its challenges. The total duration of all individual tasks, if run sequentially, amounts to 1,695 days — far exceeding the estimated lifecycle. To address this problem, project stakeholders will implement many tasks simultaneously. The project is therefore divided into three phases — Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III — whose tasks and timeframes will run concurrently in order to meet the due date. The work packages across the three phases will be interdependent, each contributing to overall project success.
The table below outlines the tasks and estimated completion times for each phase:
Table 1: Project Phases
Phase I (Estimated Completion: 460 days): Clearing the project site; driving the support pilings; playing field installation; installation of luxury boxes; stadium infrastructure (locker rooms, bathrooms, restaurants, etc.); lighting installation.
Phase II (Estimated Completion: 240 days): Building demolition; concrete bowl construction; upper steel bowl construction; installation of seating; installation of the JumboTron; construction of the steel canopy.
Phase III (Estimated Completion: 305 days): Building the support site; main concourse construction; retractable roof installation; stadium inspection. Planning and construction of the retractable roof will run concurrently and parallel to the entire project. This task represents the critical path.
Critical Path Analysis
Several factors must be considered when developing a critical path for this project. First, all activities required to complete the project must be captured within the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Second, the duration of each activity must be calculated. Third, any dependencies between project activities must be identified.
As shown in Table 1 above, the tasks in Phase III represent the critical tasks. Specifically, the planning and construction of the retractable roof, along with the construction of the steel canopy, will run concurrently and parallel to the entire project. These Phase III tasks therefore define the project's critical path, meaning any delay in this work will directly affect the final completion date.
Slack and Float in the Project
Total slack refers to the amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the project's finish date. It is calculated as the difference between Late Finish and Early Finish (LF − EF = SL), or alternatively as the difference between Late Start and Early Start (LS − ES = SL). The free slack in this project is 481 days, and the activity carrying the greatest slack is "set up the construction site."
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