Life Cycle Models for High-Technology Projects

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Life Cycle Models for High-Technology Projects

• Applying Systems Thinking to Managing Projects
• Russ Archibald, PMP, FPMI

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Purpose of My Presentation

• To enhance your ability to
• Develop the best life cycle model for your
  projects
• Document your Project Life Cycle Management
  System/PLCMS
• Improve your PLCMS through systems thinking

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Presentation Outline

1. Categorizing Projects
2. Project Life Cycle Models PLCMS
3. Hi-Tech Project Categories Their Life Cycles
4. Improving the PLCMS
5. Conclusions

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1. Categorizing Projects

• Projects
• Are the common denominator for all aspects of
  project management
• Exist in many sizes types
• Produce many different products results
• Can be classified in many different ways

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Project Categories

• Why bother? Because
• One size does not fit all
• Life cycle models and processes good for one
  category are not good for others
• Recommended categories are based on project end
  results

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Recommended Major Categories

1. Aerospace/Defense
2. Business Organizational Change Projects
3. Communication Systems Projects
4. Event Projects
5. Facilities Projects

1. Information Systems
2. International Development
3. Media Entertainment
4. Product/Service Development
5. Research Dev.

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Other Major Categories May Be Required

• See Table 1 in the paper for detail
• Where to download see later slide
• Further breakdown is obviously required
• A few examples follow

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Sub-Categories Are Required

• One example
• Business Organization Change Projects
• Acquisition/merger
• Management process improvement
• New business venture
• Organization re-structuring
• Legal proceeding
• Other ?

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ExampleCategory 5. Facilities Projects

• Subcategories
• Facility decommissioning
• Facility demolition
• Facility maintenance modification
• Facility design/procure/construct1.Civil
  2.Energy 3.Environmental 4.Industrial
  5.Commercial 6.Residential 7.Ships 8.Other
• Other ?

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Categories AreNot Mutually Exclusive

• Programs and large projects usually involve more
  than one category or sub-category
• These projects are placed in their predominate
  category
• Must Mega projects be treated separately?
  Probably yes

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Classifying Within Categories Sub-Categories

• Project size
• Project complexity
• External or internal customer
• Degree of customer involvement
• Levels of risk

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Classifying Within Categories (Contd)

• Major minor projects
• Mega projects not categorizable?
• Stand-alone versus create supporting
  infrastructure
• Standard versus transitional
• Other ?

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Current Global Survey Will Test This Approach

• Global survey of project categories life cycles
  in progress
• Please go to
• http//ipmaglobalsurvey.com
• Download 11 page paper and complete the online
  survey prior to Nov. 15
• Results will be reported to respondents

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2. Project Life Cycle Models PLC Management
Systems

• Many life cycle models are in use
• They portray a project as an overall process or
  system
• Their purposes include
• To enable all to understand overall process
• To capture best experience, enable improvement
• To relate roles, responsibilities, systems and
  tools to all elements of the project

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Generic Life Cycle 4 Phases

• Concept
• Initiation, identification, selection
• Definition
• Feasibility, development, demonstration, design
  prototype, quantification
• Execution
• Implementation, realization, production
  deployment, design/construct/commission,
  installation and test
• Closeout

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Generic Life Cycles

• Apply to any project
• Too broad to be very useful, practical
• Need to be tailored to the project category
• And key environmental factors

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3 Parameters to Work With

1. Number definition of phases sub-phases
2. Their inter-relationships sequential,
   overlapping, repeated
3. Number, definition and placement of key decision
   points

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Identify Deliverables Each Phase and Sub-Phase

• Documents related to the project
• Objectives, scope, plans, schedules, reports,
  authorizations, work orders, etc.
• Documents related to the product
• Specs, drawings, product cost, reports, etc.
• Physical products or results
• Mock-ups, models, prototypes, test articles,
  tooling, equipment, software, facilities,
  materials, etc.

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Defining Decision Points

• Key events/milestones gates at start end
  of a phase or sub-phase
• Decisions typically authorize project manager
  team to
• Complete current phase, start next
• Revise objectives, scope, schedule
• Re-plan, re-start, repeat previous work
• Terminate or put project on hold

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Deliverables Decision Points

• Decisions are often made based on contents or
  results of key deliverables
• Therefore these two elements are closely linked
• You cant make good decisions without adequate
  information

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Documenting a Project Life Cycle Management
Process

• Define the life cycle
• Select the life cycle model to be used
• Name phases, sub-phases decision points
• Establish inter-relationships among them
• Portray the result flow chart, narrative
• Specify authorizing documents
• Purpose levels of approval authority
• For initiation major changes

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Documenting PLCMS (Contd)

• Identify key roles define responsibilities
• Identify major deliverables by phase
• Specify issue escalation procedures
• Specify differences for
• Major vs minor projects, or
• Other project classes within a sub-category

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3. Hi-Tech Project Categories Their Life Cycles

• 4 (of 10) basic hi-tech categories
• Communication Systems
• Information Systems
• Product Service Development
• Research Development

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Hi-Tech in Other Categories

• Defense/Aerospace
• Very advanced, specialized life cycles prescribed
  by DOD NASA
• Facilities
• Very mature, specialized life cycle models
• Hi-tech projects within programs in these and
  other categories can be placed in one of the
  preceding 4 hi-tech categories

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Two Types of Hi-Tech Life Cycle Models

• Predictive
• Waterfall, Prototyping, Rapid Application
  Development/RAD, Incremental Build, Spiral
• Adaptive
• Adaptive Software Development/ASD, Extreme
  Programming/XP, SCRUM

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Predictive Life Cycle Models

• Waterfall
• Linear ordering phases, sequential or
  overlapping, no phase repeated
• Prototyping
• Functional requirements and physical design specs
  are generated simultaneously
• Rapid Application Development/RAD
• Based on an evolving prototype that is not thrown
  away

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Predictive LC Models (Contd)

• Incremental Build
• Decomposition of large development effort into a
  succession of smaller components
• Spiral
• Repetition of the same set of life-cycle phases
  such as plan, develop, build, and evaluate until
  development is complete

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Adaptive Life Cycle Models

• Adaptive Software Development/ASD
• Mission driven, component based, iterative
  cycles, time boxed cycles, risk drive, change
  tolerant
• Extreme Programming/XP
• Teams of developers, managers, and users
  programming done in pairs iterative process
  collective code ownership

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Adaptive LC Models (Contd)

• SCRUM (as in rugby)
• Similar to above adaptive models with iterations
  called sprints that typically last 30 days
• Defined functionality to be met in each sprint
• Active management role throughout

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XP Resources

• www.extremeprogramming.org/index/html
• www.industriallogic.com
• www.xprogramming.com
• www.objectmentor.com/home
• http//c2.com/cg/wiki?ExtremeProgrammingRoadmap

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Impact of Environment on Life Cycle Model
Selection

• Project environment is of primary importance in
  selecting a LC model for a given project
  category
• Organizational characteristics
• Familiarity with involved technology
• Competitive demands (schedule, other)
• Other

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4. Improving the PLCMS

• Document the integrated project life cycle model
• Document describe the PLCMS
• Re-engineer the integrated process
• Apply systems thinking TOC
• Implement the improvements
• Repeat these steps as required

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Re-Engineer the PLCMS

• Identify system constraints, gaps weaknesses
• Relate poor results to constraints benefits to
  their removal
• Look for speed bumps, accelerators
• Redesign the PLCMS to remove constraints

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Implement Improvements

• Obtain approval to conduct tests and analyses
• Plan, approve execute the improvement project
  to implement the revised PLCMS

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Seven Goals of the New Product Life Cycle Process

• Quality of execution
• Sharper focus, better project prioritization
• Strong market orientation
• Sharp, early product identification
• True cross-functional team approach
• Products with competitive advantage
• Fast-paved flexible process
• Source Cooper et al 2001
• see www.prod-dev.com

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Stage-GateTM Life Cycle ProcessSource Cooper et
al 2001 see www.prod-dev.com
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Apply Theory of Constraints/TOC (Source Leach
2000)

• Identify system constraints
• Decide how to exploit system constraints
• Subordinate all else to above decision
• Elevate the system constraints
• Does the new constraint limit output?
• Yes Back to step 1 No Beware inertia

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5. Conclusions

• Project categories are important
• Based on end results best way (?)
• Sub-categories also needed
• Further classification within categories and
  sub-categories needed

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5. Conclusions (Contd)

• Project life cycle models must be designed for
  each category/sub-category
• Define and inter-relate phases sub-phases
• Identify deliverables for each of these
• Define relate decision points

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5. Conclusions (Contd)

• Project Life Cycle Management System PLCMS must
  be well defined
• For each project category/sub-category
• Enables application of systems thinking to
  improve the process

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5. Conclusions (Contd)

• Two types of life cycle models are used for
  high-technology projects
• Predictive
• Adaptive
• With several variations within each of these
• Selection depends on the key environmental
  factors affecting the project

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5. Conclusions (Contd)

• Systematic improvement of PLCMS is achieved
  through
• Re-engineering the total system
• Application of TOC to total PLCMS or to a given
  phase
• Such improvement must be a major project
  management goal in every organization

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Further Reading

• Archibald Managing High-Technology Programs and
  Projects, 3rd ed 2003
• Chapters 2 and 3
• Download this paper
• 18 additional references given in the paper

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Thanks for Listening!!

• Questions?
• Rebuttals?
• Download this paper and/or slides at
• www.russarchibald.com
• go to AuthorRecent Papers
• select title of paper
• Contact me archie_at_unisono.net.mx