Electronic Design Project Project Management Lecture 4

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Electronic Design ProjectProject
ManagementLecture 4
ELE 1EDP
George Alexander G.Alexander_at_latrobe.edu.au www.la
trobe.edu.au/eemanage/
27 August, 2007
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So far -

• The four phases of project management
• The project parameters
• Team formation
• Strategy
• Project planning
• Setting the project parameters.

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This week -

• Implementing the plan - project execution
  ensuring that the plan happens

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Project Parameters
Project Parameters
Quality
Cost
Time
Schedule
Specifications
Budget
Source Haynes, M.E. Project Management from Idea
to Implementation Kogan Page, 1990
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Implementing the Plan

• The project manager must co-ordinate all
  elements of the project
• Controlling work in progress
• Providing feedback
• Negotiating for materials, supplies and services
• Resolving differences

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Controlling work in progress

• The project plan is the key to effectively
  controlling the project in terms of quality, time
  and cost. It involves
• Establish standards. (Refer specification).
• Monitor performance.
• Take corrective action.

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Performance Monitoring Tools

• Control Point Identification Charts
• Anticipates problems and solutions.
• Project Control Charts
• Monitors status of schedule and budget.
• Milestone Charts
• Reports scheduled and actual milestone dates.
• Budget Control Charts
• Plots actual vs budget cumulated costs.

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Example Control Point Identification
Chart(Adapted from Haynes)
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Example Gantt Chart
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Timeliness/critical path

• In more complex projects, the schedule consists
  of a network of activities
• some dependent on others
• some happening in parallel, some consecutive
• The critical path is the longest sequence of
  activities in the project.
• It follows that any delay in a critical path
  activity will delay the project completion.

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Example Project Control Chart(Adapted from
Haynes)
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Example Milestone Chart(Adapted from Haynes)
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Example Budget Control Chart(Adapted from Haynes)
Solid line Budget Dotted line - Actual
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Risk Management

• Identify what could go wrong.
• Can be a group meeting or, for a large project,
  an intensive 2-3 day workshop with prescribed
  methodology.
• Categorise/rate each item in terms of
• Likelihood of happening (H/M/L)
• Consequences/adverse impact (H/M/L)
• For items with high likelihood and high impact
• Take action to reduce likelihood/impact
• Draw up a contingency plan in the event that it
  does happen.
• If there is no viable contingency plan, then the
  issue must be highlighted as a risk (to the
  client and other stakeholders).

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Risk Management - assessment
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Action Responsibility Matrix - Example
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Providing Feedback

• Feedback negative and positive - should be
  provided on a regular basis to those involved in
  the project.
• This helps maintain good performance and correct
  poor performance.

Intentions
Actions
Results
Feedback
Source Haynes, M.E. Project Management from Idea
to Implementation Kogan Page, 1990
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Progress and time reporting

• All project team members must regularly and
  accurately report progress for their specific
  responsibility areas.
• This is critical if the project managers are to
  be aware of true project progress and
  difficulties.
• Time expended on the various activities must be
  reported accurately and on time.
• Delays in time reporting can result in delays in
  invoicing the client and in wrong project cost
  reporting.

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Negotiating and resolving differences

• A significant proportion of the project managers
  time is spent negotiating and resolving
  differences.
• This is often caused by scarce resources -
  materials and people and differing views of the
  priorities that apply.
• Negotiation and conflict resolution are key
  skills, learned with experience, complemented by
  formal training.

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Completing and evaluating the project

• Successful conclusion requires client acceptance
  of the project outcomes.
• This means agreement that the quality time and
  cost parameters have been met, including any
  agreed changes made during the life of the
  project.
• It is vital that any changes made to the original
  project plan are agreed with the client and fully
  documented.

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Change Control within a project

• It is vital that changes are scrupulously managed
  during the course of a project.
• Changes to the original specification must be
  agreed in writing with the client including
  their impact on quality, time, and cost.
• Changes may be necessary due to unforeseen
  technical difficulties, or simply a change of
  mind on the part of the client.
• Unforeseen problems can be minimised through
  thorough initial planning.

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The Completion Process

• Delivery
• Wrap up and close down
• Celebration
• Evaluation and reflection
• LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCE

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Project Final Report

• Summarise project outcomes actual compared to
  planned
• Learnings
• What was good what was bad
• Highlight any need for process changes.
• Information source for future projects

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Other facets of Project Management

• Negotiation and conflict resolution
• Assertiveness
• Team Building
• Performance management
• Budget control
• Ability to handle pressure
• Project Management Systems

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Project Management Systems

• Quite sophisticated software packages are
  available for managing projects particularly
  complex projects.
• They assist in tracking time-reporting, and other
  costs, and assist in monitoring the project
  schedule.
• Some examples are
• MS Project
• ARTEMIS
• Primavera

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Management Today AIM 09/2006Why projects fail
to fly

• Problem projects
• Multiplex and Wembley Stadium
• London 2012 Olympics (2.45bn already!)
• Euro Disney (Budget 3bn, Actual 5.3bn)
• Victoria fast train project
• The problem seems to be that the next project
  starts with a clean sheet and a renewed optimism
  that this time things will be different.

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Management Today AIM 09/2006Top 10 reasons per
http//www.gantthead.com/

• Inadequately trained and/or experienced project
  managers
• Failure to set and manage expectations
• Poor leadership at any and all levels
• Failure to adequately identify, document and
  track requirements
• Poor plans and planning processes

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Management Today AIM 09/2006Top 10 reasons per
http//www.gantthead.com/

• Poor effort estimation
• Cultural and ethical misalignment
• Misalignment between the project team and the
  business or other organisation it serves
• Inadequate or misused methods
• Inadequate communication, including progress
  tracking and reporting

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Management Today AIM 09/2006Losing the
skills AIPM CEO Peter Shears

• Serious project management skills shortage
  anticipated in the next decade
• Organisations need to plan for this now.
• Three solutions
• New approach to mentoring by senior project
  managers
• New approaches to skills development to attract
  and retain talent
• The addition of project management skills to the
  core capabilities of all professionals

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Project Management as a Career

• Good project managers are very highly regarded
  and well rewarded.
• Skills required include
• People management skills
• Appreciation of the technical issues involved
• Negotiation skills
• Sound business knowledge
• Formal qualifications at various levels are
  becoming the norm.
• Good project managers make things happen on
  time, on budget, with quality outcomes. They are
  good for business.
• Institutes PMI, AIPM

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Readings

• Course is based on -
• Project Management From Idea to Implementation
• Haynes, M.E. Kogan Page, 1990
• Further reading (more detail) -
• The Fast-forward MBA in Project Management
• Verzuh, E. John Wiley Sons Inc. 1999

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Thanks and good luck in managing your
electronic design project!