Project Management

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Project Management

• What is Project Management?
• Why do Project Management?

Tracking project timing and cost.
To monitor if your project is staying on time
and is within budget.
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Project Management

• What questions might project managers be
  interested in?
• How long will the project take?
• Can I add manpower or tools to reduce the
  overall project length?
• To which tasks should I add manpower?
• What tasks are on the critical path?
• Is the project on schedule?
• When should materials and personnel be in place
  to begin a task?
• Am I within budget?
• Should I transfer funds between line items?
• Other?

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Project Management - Examples

• University Convocation Center
• Windsor Engine Plant
• Other major construction projects
• Large defense contracts
• NASA projects (space shuttle)
• Maintenance planning of oil refineries, power
  plants, etc
• Senior Design projects
• other

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Project Management - Timing
Timing A project consists of a series of tasks
with estimated durations. Consider building a
house Step A Prepare site. (5 days) Step B
Build foundation. (8 days) Step C Frame walls
and roof. (15 days) Step D Rough in Plumbing
(12 days) Step E Rough in Electrical (10
days) Step F HVAC Venting (8 days) Step G
Drywall (11 days) Step H Finish Electrical (5
days) Step I Finish Plumbing (4 days) Step M
Paint (5 days) Step J Finish HVAC (2 days) Step
N Landscape (5 days) Step K Install Kitchen (8
days) Step L Install Baths (14 days)
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Project Management - Timing
Timing Gantt Chart Tasks and task durations are
often represented as Gantt Charts. No
consideration for task precedence.
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Project Management - Timing
Timing Network Diagram Tasks must sometimes be
performed in series, or may at times be performed
in parallel. For the house example, let each arc
represent a project task/job. Each arc is
identified by a job letter and duration. Note
the dummy jobs indicating precedence that jobs H
and I must complete before K or L begins.
J,2
7
H,5
M,5
D,12
K,8
0
A,5
B,8
C,15
G,11
E,10
11
2
1
3
4
5
6
9
10
0
L,14
N,5
F,8
I,4
8
 
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Project Management - Timing
Timing Gantt Chart Tasks and task durations are
often represented as Gantt Charts. With task
precedence knowledge.
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Project Management - Timing
Critical Path Why is knowing the critical
important?
J,2
7
H,5
M,5
D,12
K,8
0
A,5
B,8
C,15
G,11
E,10
11
2
1
3
4
5
6
9
10
0
L,14
N,5
F,8
I,4
8
 
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Project Management - Cost
Costs Estimate your costs by task (add a safety
factor, 20-50?), also called itemizing. Track
your costs by item. Formally transfer/track
transfer of budget between line items. Stay
within budget!!
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Project Management - Resources

• Resources
• How do resources effect project management?
• Add workers to reduce task time.
• Remove workers if a task is not on critical
  path.
• Ensure tools and supplies are available at start
  of each task.
• Other?

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Project Management - Tools
Software Most Popular (Listed by Yahoo.com)
Blue Angel Technologies, Inc. - provider of
metadata management tools. Niku Corporation
(NasdaqNIKU) - develops enterprise application
software that cuts costs and increases
productivity by automating the work of internal
service organizations. eRoom Technology,
Inc. - makers of a browser-based product used to
manage projects, collaborate on documents,
share information, and hold discussions. Formerly
Instinctive Technology. Mindjet - developers
of software to help business people organize
information into visual maps which display
relationships among diverse information.
eProject - specializes in web-based project
management and team collaboration software that
includes integration with WAP and palm-held
devices. Available on-site or as a hosted
service. Primavera Systems, Inc - Software
tools for managing both small and large
projects. Elite.com - offers web-based
project management and time and billing
software. Welcom Software Technology -
provides project management, collaboration, and
cost management solutions. Scitor
Corporation Business Solutions Group - provides
project and process management software
solutions and services. FreeTaskManager.com
- offers free web-based bug tracking and project
management software designed for business
managers and developers. 116 additional sites
listed in alphabetical order (did not include
MicroSoft Project)
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Project Management - Tools
Manual Method Can you manage projects
manually? Absolutely, who managed the building
of the Egyptian pyramids and what software did
they use? I have used Excel to manually track
projects.
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Applying Project Management

• Initial Setup
• Identify task and task precedence
• Estimate task cost and timing
• Identify critical path
• Modify resource allocation to adjust task timing
  and costs
• Continuous Monitoring
• Update if timing has changed
• Identify if still on time
• Identify if critical path has shifted
• Modify costs as real costs are realized

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Applying Project Management
Personal Experience Windsor Engine
Plant Products 4.6L, 5.4L, 6.8L Ford Truck
Engines Location Windsor, Ont. Budget - 1.2
billion Timing Plant Engineering (Summer
1993) Job 1 (March 1996) Volume 3000
Engines / day Launch Staff approx. 150
personnel Project Management 1 person
dedicated to timing, Primavera software, Gantt
charts hung around war room, cost management by
individual team managers (with help from
Finance dept.).
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Applying Project Management
Personal Experience Windsor Engine Plant
(cont.) My Responsibilities team manager of
information systems and communications (PCs,
networks, phones, pagers, radios, computer room,
PFIS, etc) Timing Tracking Method Used Excel
(problem deck), White Board (primary projects),
and note pad (to do list). Problem Deck Some
projects tracked closely some loosely dependent
on who was lead analyst. Primary project status
updated weekly. To do list updated daily.
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Applying Project Management
Personal Experience Windsor Engine Plant
(cont.) Cost Tracking Method - 8million budget,
itemized by primary projects (e.g. PCs, Networks,
Radios, Computer Room, etc). Used Excel and
reports from Finance office to track line items,
monitored on a weekly or bi-monthly basis