| Course | HCIS 410 Project Planning and Implementation in Health Care (HCIS/410) |
|---|---|
| Week | 3 |
| Paper type | Estimating and scheduling paper |
| Length | about 1,006 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | BS in Health Administration |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for HCIS 410 Week 3
Four and One-Third Weeks for the Interface: A Work Breakdown Structure, Three-Point Estimates and the Critical Path for a Hospital's Video Interpreting Project
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
HCIS/410: Project Planning and Implementation in Health Care
Week 3 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The hospital, its tasks and their durations are composites written for a model paper; estimating and scheduling methods come from the sources listed.
Last week's charter set a go-live date of April 6 for video remote interpreting across a composite community hospital's inpatient units, emergency department and nine clinics, 13 weeks after the January 5 kickoff, to meet language access expectations the hospital is already obliged to follow (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2024). This paper turns the charter's deliverables into a schedule: a work breakdown structure, estimates for each task, the dependencies between them and the critical path that decides whether April 6 is realistic.
The Work Breakdown Structure
The project divides into six deliverables. Contract and vendor setup: final contract, account configuration and user directory. Network upgrade: site survey, two new access points and coverage testing. Tablets and stands: order, receipt, configuration, security software and placement. Electronic record integration: one-touch launch button, documentation template, build and testing. Policies and training: interpreting policy, training materials, champion training and staff training by unit. Go-live and evaluation: pilot units, full go-live, support and the six-month evaluation. Each deliverable breaks into three to five work packages, 24 in all, each small enough for one owner to complete in two weeks or less.
Estimating Methods
Three methods were used. Analogous estimates came from the hospital's last device project: configuring 40 tablets took three weeks. Vendor estimates covered account setup, one week after contract. Three-point estimates were used for uncertain work. Malcolm et al. (1959), in the work that introduced the program evaluation and review technique, proposed estimating each activity from optimistic, most likely and pessimistic times to reflect uncertainty.
The Interface Estimate
The electronic record integration is the least certain task because it depends on the hospital's analysts, the vendor and the record's release schedule. The analyst estimated three weeks if everything goes well, four weeks most likely and seven weeks if the vendor's interface needs rework. The weighted estimate is three plus four times four plus seven, divided by six, or 4.33 weeks. The pessimistic seven weeks pulls the estimate beyond the most likely four, which is the point: uncertainty belongs in the schedule, not in the project manager's hopes.
Dependencies
Tasks are linked finish-to-start. The contract must be signed before account setup, tablet ordering and interface work begin. The network upgrade must finish before emergency department tablets are tested. The interface must be built before it is tested, and tested before training materials are finalized, since screenshots and steps depend on it. Training must be complete in a unit before that unit goes live.
The Forward Pass
Starting January 5: contract signed at the end of week 1; interface build weeks 2 to 6, using the 4.33-week estimate rounded up to five weeks with buffer; integration testing weeks 7 and 8; training materials week 9; champion training week 10; unit training weeks 10 to 12; pilot go-live in two units at the start of week 12; full go-live at the start of week 14, April 6. The network upgrade, weeks 2 to 6, and tablet setup, weeks 2 to 6, run in parallel.
The Critical Path
The longest dependent chain runs through the contract, interface build, integration testing, training materials, training and go-live, about 13 weeks with no spare time. The network upgrade and tablet setup finish in week 6 but are not needed until testing in week 7 and unit placement in week 10, so they have float: about one week for the network and four weeks for tablets.
A Resource Conflict
The logical schedule placed unit training in weeks 10 to 12, but week 11 includes the hospital's annual skills fair, when nurse educators are fully booked. The project manager moved champion training earlier into week 10 and asked champions to deliver half of the unit sessions in week 11, keeping the path intact.
Who Owns Each Work Package
Every work package has one owner. The IT project manager owns the contract and account setup; the network engineer owns the access points; the biomedical engineering lead owns tablet configuration and placement; the clinical informatics analyst owns the interface; the nursing education manager owns training; and unit managers own readiness in their areas. Owners report progress each Monday in a 20-minute stand-up meeting. Having a single name beside each package means a slipping task is noticed in days rather than at the next milestone.
Estimating Effort as Well as Duration
Duration and effort differ. Training every nurse takes two weeks of calendar time but about 640 staff hours, because 1,280 staff must each attend a 30-minute session. The project manager used that effort figure to plan backfill for nurses leaving the floor. It also showed that the charter's training line covered materials and educator time but not all backfill, so unit managers agreed to absorb the rest in their regular staffing budgets.
Schedule Risk
The critical path depends heavily on the interface estimate. If integration testing finds serious defects, go-live will slip. The mitigation is to begin testing parts of the interface in week 5 and to prepare a fallback: go-live with the vendor's stand-alone application and manual documentation, adding the one-touch button later.
Presenting the Schedule
The schedule is presented as a Gantt chart with the critical path highlighted and milestones marked, and as a simple network diagram for the steering group.
Baseline and Tracking
Once the sponsor approves it, the schedule becomes the baseline. The project manager updates actual start and finish dates weekly and reports variance against the baseline, as project management guidance recommends for tracking performance (Project Management Institute, 2021).
Conclusion
The video interpreting project breaks into 24 work packages across six deliverables. Estimates combine past experience, vendor information and three-point estimates for uncertain work such as the interface. Dependencies reveal a critical path through integration, testing and training with no float, while network and tablet work have room to slip. The April 6 go-live is achievable if the interface estimate holds, and the schedule shows exactly where to watch.
References
Malcolm, D. G., Roseboom, J. H., Clark, C. E., & Fazar, W. (1959). Application of a technique for research and development program evaluation. Operations Research, 7(5), 646-669. https://doi.org/10.1287/opre.7.5.646
Project Management Institute. (2021). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (7th ed.). Project Management Institute.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2024). Nondiscrimination in health programs and activities. Federal Register, 89, 37522. https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-08711
What the HCIS 410 Week 3 instructions ask
HCIS 410 Week 3 usually asks students to estimate tasks and build a schedule for their health IT project. Students may be asked to create a work breakdown structure, estimate durations or effort using methods such as analogous, parametric or three-point estimating, identify dependencies, build a network diagram or Gantt chart and determine the critical path. Some versions ask about resource allocation and schedule risk. Expect a paper with a schedule or diagram and sources; some versions accept a spreadsheet with a written explanation. Strong submissions break deliverables into manageable work packages, explain how each estimate was made, show dependencies explicitly, identify the critical path correctly and discuss float, resources and uncertainty.
How this HCIS 410 Week 3 example is built
The paper begins with the charter's milestone: go-live on April 6, 13 weeks after kickoff. It decomposes the project into six deliverables, contract and vendor setup, network upgrade, tablets and stands, electronic record integration, policies and training and go-live and evaluation, each broken into work packages small enough to assign and track. Estimates come from three methods: vendor experience, past hospital projects and three-point estimates for uncertain work. Dependencies are listed as finish-to-start links. The forward and backward passes identify the critical path, which runs through the integration build, testing and training. Float, a resource conflict and the schedule baseline complete the paper.
HCIS 410 Week 3 grading rubric: where the points go
The scheduling week is generally graded on the logic and completeness of the work breakdown structure and schedule. Instructors look for deliverables decomposed into work packages, explained estimating methods, realistic durations, clear dependencies, a correctly identified critical path and attention to float and resources. A readable Gantt chart or network diagram, described or shown, earns credit. Linking the schedule to the charter's milestones shows consistency. Sources on estimating and scheduling support the methods, and naming the method behind each estimate matters. Organization, a readable chart and APA style complete the grade. Schedules that list tasks without dependencies, that ignore holidays and staff availability, or that call the longest single task the critical path, typically lose points.
HCIS 410 Week 3 help: mistakes to avoid
A common mistake in HCIS 410 Week 3 is listing tasks in order and calling it a schedule. Show dependencies, because they determine the critical path. Another is identifying the critical path as the longest task rather than the longest chain of dependent tasks. Explain how you estimated each duration, and use three-point estimates where uncertainty is high. Keep work packages small enough to assign to one owner. Check resources: two tasks may fit the logic but need the same people at the same time. Calculate float for noncritical tasks. Tie milestones to the charter. Finally, say how the schedule will be baselined and tracked, and who updates it each week.
Related HCIS 410 sample papers
Other HCIS 410 week samples
- HCIS 410 Week 1: Health IT Project Initiation
- HCIS 410 Week 2: Project Charter and Scope Statement
- HCIS 410 Week 4: Budgeting, Tracking and Controlling
- HCIS 410 Week 5: Implementation and Project Closure
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HCIS 410 Week 3 questions, answered
What does HCIS/410 Week 3 usually ask for?
Many sections ask students to create a work breakdown structure, estimate task durations, identify dependencies and build a schedule with a critical path for their health IT project.
Where can I find a free HCIS 410 Week 3 sample paper?
The interpreting project schedule paper is printed on this page without charge, with notes on the estimates and critical path in the margin. We will build a first schedule for your project free.
What is a three-point estimate?
An estimate that combines optimistic, most likely and pessimistic durations, often as a weighted average with the formula optimistic plus four times most likely plus pessimistic, divided by six.
What is the critical path in project management?
The longest sequence of dependent tasks from start to finish, which determines the shortest possible project duration; any delay on it delays the project.
What is float in a project schedule?
Spare time: how long a task can slip before it pushes back the end of the project. Tasks on the critical path have none.
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