Putting it Together

1
Putting it Together

• Project Planning 2

2
Session Goals

• To understand how to use the tools of project
  management
• To understand how to effectively budget time and
  resources

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What is Project Planning?

• Process of scheduling tasks and resources to
  accomplish project goals
• Helps to ensure project completion in a timely
  manner
• Helps to plan for efficient use of resources
• Helps to identify potential problems and
  opportunities

4
Common Characteristics

• All project planning techniques are based on task
  dependencies precedence relationships
• All project planning techniques include estimates
  of task completion time and resource requirements
• All project planning techniques provide for
  project monitoring, control and modification

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Basic Steps in Planning

• List all project tasks
• List the time estimated to complete each task

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Basic Steps in Planning

• List the logical order of tasks and identify
  precedence relationships
• Project tasks are listed as the lowest level
  elements in a Work Breakdown Structure
• Precedence relationships identify tasks that MUST
  happen before a subsequent task can begin.

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Basic Steps in Planning

• Identify completion date and start date.
• List project tasks and task completion/start
  dates in sequence
• Gantt Chart
• Network Diagrams

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Gantt Chart

• List tasks on the left
• Draw bars to represent completion time of task
• Identify precedence relationships

9
Network Diagrams

• Uses a combinations of arrows and nodes to show
  the project plan
• Identifies task completion time
• Useful in identifying the critical path

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Problem Analysis

• Identify potential problems
• Identify the high priority potential problems and
  select one for further examination
• Identify likely causes for the problem
• Identify preventive actions that can be taken to
  reduce the likely cause

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Problem Analysis

• Identify contingent actions that can be taken to
  minimize the potential problem the information
  needed to trigger the contingent action
• Revise the project plan to incorporate the
  actions from the problem analysis

12
Opportunity Analysis

• Identify potential opportunities
• Identify the high priority potential
  opportunities and select one for further
  examination
• Identify likely causes for the opportunity
• Identify promoting actions that can be taken to
  cause the opportunity to occur

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Opportunity Analysis

• Identify exploiting actions that can be taken to
  maximize the effects of the opportunity the
  information needed to trigger the exploiting
  action
• Revise the project plan to incorporate the
  actions from the opportunity analysis

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Questions?
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Work Breakdown Structure