Electronic Design Project Project Management Revision

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Electronic Design ProjectProject
ManagementRevision
ELE 1EDP
George Alexander G.Alexander_at_latrobe.edu.au www.la
trobe.edu.au/eemanage/
25 September, 2007
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The exam

• The 2-hour exam is in two sections.
• There will be two project management questions
  in a total of six questions in Section A.
• This revision contained in these slides will
• provide a refresher of the basics of project
  management
• assist you in preparing for the exam.
• Also, refer project management questions in past
  exam papers at http//www.latrobe.edu.au/eemanage/
  .
• Preparing answers to these will be useful exam
  practice.
• For a deeper knowledge of project management and
  electronic systems design, you obviously need to
  be familiar with the detailed lecture notes and
  further appropriate reading/training.

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Types of Projects

• Research
• Development
• Problem Solving
• Construction
• Manufacturing Technical Projects
• Business

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Types of project

• Projects vary in terms of
• Size
• Duration
• Urgency
• Dedicated/shared resources
• Capital intensive
• Labour intensive
• Local or global focus

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Project Parameters(Project Specification)
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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Planning the Project

• Detailed and comprehensive planning is a vital
  factor in a successful project.
• The quality of the outcomes is usually directly
  related to the quality of the plan.
• A project plan should list in detail
• what is required to successfully complete the
  project
• criteria by which performance can be measured,
  both during the life of the project and at its
  completion.

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Recommended Planning Steps (Haynes)

• Establish the project objective
• Choose a basic strategy for achieving the
  objective.
• Break the project down into subunits or steps.
• Determine the performance standards for each
  subunit.
• Determine how much time is required to complete
  each subunit.
• Determine the proper sequence for completing the
  subunits and aggregate the information into a
  schedule for the total project.

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Recommended Planning Steps (Haynes)

• Determine the cost of each subunit and aggregate
  costs into the project budget.
• Determine the necessary staff organisation,
  including the number and kind of positions, and
  the duties and responsibilities of each
• Determine what training, if any is required for
  the project team members.
• Develop the necessary policies and procedures.

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Purpose of the project parameters

• Defines the project in terms of
• What will be delivered
• When
• At what cost
• Mechanism for controlling the project
• Able to monitor actual events and ensure they
  match the plan. Otherwise take corrective action.

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Performance Specifications

• Performance specifications should be written for
  each subunit identified by the work breakdown
  structure.
• The specifications must include all the relevant
  information necessary to meet the projects
  quality requirements such as,
  components/materials to be used, methods of
  construction, standards to be met, tests to be
  performed.

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Planning the Time Requirements (1)

• Careful planning and scheduling of the effort is
  essential if costs are to be minimised and the
  project completed in the shortest possible time.
• To plan the project time requirements, look at
  the work breakdown structure and determine
  answers to the following questions -

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Planning the Time Requirements(2)

• What time is required to complete each subunit?
• In what sequence must the units be completed?
• Which subunits can be underway at the same time?
• This analysis determines for each subunit
• The duration of each step
• The earliest time that each step can be started
• The latest time that each step must be started

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Gantt Charts

• Displays the time relationship between the
  project subunits
• Lists steps and and time required
• Overlapping lines indicate parallel events.
• Slack time is indicated by a dotted line.

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Example Gantt Chart
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Planning the Project Costs - Budgeting

• Careful planning of the project costs is vital.
• If costs are greatly overestimated, the project
  may be rejected as uncompetitive.
• If costs are greatly underestimated, it is likely
  that the project will lose money.
• The budget provides a basis for monitoring costs
  and taking corrective action where necessary.
• While some inaccuracies are inevitable, these can
  be minimised through careful planning and
  research.

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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(detailed knowledge
not necessary for the exam)

• 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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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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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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Project Manager provides 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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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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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 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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Good luck on November 9