Marcia Ann Thornton is the primary owner and lead engineer
for Lazy MJ Ranch, Inc. She has over 35
years of experience on various technology projects in both federal government
and private industry.
Microsoft Project is used to create and track schedules. Manpower resources as well as hardware costs are integrated into a single tool. GANTT charts are generally used to show the various relationships between tasks as well as the duration of each task. Tracking GANTT charts show the original schedule baseline with current changes to the schedule as well as completed tasks. The figure below shows the first few tasks for a hypothetical elk hunt project. Note that tasks 1.1.1 and 1.1.2 have been completed but were performed later than the originally scheduled time. The same is true for tasks 1.2.1 and 1.2.2. However, task 1.3.1 was completed ahead of schedule.
Microsoft Excel is used to develop and track an earned value matrix that has specific milestones. Each milestone has definitive completion criterion, an estimated completion date, and an assigned value. The two figures below show representative tabular data and the corresponding graphical data for the preparation task of the hypotherical elk hunt project.
| WBS Element | Charge Number | Milestone Description | Completion Criteria | Task Value | Planned Completion Date | Actual Completion Date | Credited Milestone Value |
| 1.1 | 1.1 Review Hunt Proclamation | ||||||
| 1.1.1 | 101 | 1.1.1 Select Hunt | Hunt type & date(s) selected | $0.00 | 15-Jan-10 | 22-Jan-10 | $0.00 |
| 1.1.2 | 101 | 1.1.2 Review Hunt Requirements | Hunt requirements reviewed | $0.00 | 15-Jan-10 | 29-Jan-10 | $0.00 |
| 1.2 | 1.2 Purchase Hunting License | ||||||
| 1.2.1 | 102 | 1.2.1 Purchase General Hunting License | General hunting license purchased | $62.00 | 1-Apr-10 | 13-Apr-10 | $62.00 |
| 1.2.2 | 102 | 1.2.2 Purchase Habitat Stamp | Habitat stamp purchased | $9.00 | 1-Apr-10 | 13-Apr-10 | $9.00 |
| 1.3 | 1.3 Draw | ||||||
| 1.3.1 | 103 | 1.3.1 Submit Draw Application | Draw application submitted | $93.44 | 31-Mar-10 | 23-Mar-10 | $93.44 |
| 1.3.2 | 103 | 1.3.2 Receive Results of Draw | Draw results received | $0.00 | 23-Jun-10 | 25-Jun-10 | $0.00 |
Microsoft Excel is used to create cost estimate spreadsheets. These can range from very simple single task, single year projects to quite complex multi-year, multi-task programs. Costs can be estimated using labor categories or actual personnel. The latter is useful for small organizations where management wants to ensure people have reasonable work requirements. That means, for example, the lead scientist doesn’t have to work 400 hours per month to do analysis while the technicians have no scheduled work! In some cases, this means that the time to accomplish the work needs to be extended. Each program has its own unique constraints.
The results of a cost estimate show the costs for each major task by month as well as a summation by month. The costs for the major tasks include personnel, hardware, subcontractors, consultants, travel, supplies (program consumables as well as general office supplies), and other costs all with the appropriate burden (overhead, general and administrative costs, handling fees, etc.). A variety of summary information is available to let the customer assess where and why funds should be spent to accomplish the program. This information aids in the preparation of the cost proposal to a customer.
Our staff has years of technology experience ranging from nuclear power to high energy lasers. This wide experience base enables us to translate ”technical-eze” into comprehensible English appropriate to the customer’s need.
Our staff has many years experience in the safety arena. That experience includes the development and implementation of safety plans as well as governmentally required reports and similar documentation. We can assist in the development of a self-inspection program
We also have expertise in the development and implementation of training programs. That expertise is primarily in the nuclear research reactor arena which is a very demanding field.
Through many years of experience in the federal government and private industry, we have worked on classified programs with multiple layers of security. This experience translates into the ability to aid your company in setting up and maintaining an appropriate security program. We can also support self-inspections.