1 Working Through Breakdowns & Completing a Project Advanced Project Management.

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Working Through Breakdowns & Completing a Project

Advanced Project Management

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Learning Objectives

BreakdownsDefine breakdowns Identify sources of breakdowns Provide tools to resolve breakdowns

Completing a ProjectDifferentiate between finishing and closingLearn to evaluate the process

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Reality Check: How do projects progress over time?

Time

No. of Actions

Goal

Start

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Most assume…

Time

Action Goal

Start

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When in reality…

Time

Action Goal

Start

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Current Understanding of a Breakdown

What is a breakdown?

What do we think about breakdowns?

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Definition of a Breakdown

A breakdown is something that goes wrong in your project resulting in dissatisfaction by any stakeholder

Team Task

External Stakeholder

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What Happens After a Breakdown?

Initially upsetOh,!!!XX$X?What’s wrong with me/you/it

Then engage in problem solving (what can be done?)

Take action (from list of options)

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What Happens After a Breakdown?

When the project becomes something dreaded, then something is missing

Rather than letting the situation drift, ACTKey is to view as an opportunity for growth Important to understand the sources of

breakdowns from the project perspective

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Sources of Breakdowns

Scope of what is to be accomplished Difference can occur at a variety of levels

(interpretation of problem, overall goal, and/or breadth of work)

Arise from differences in opinions between team members and/or between team and customer (e.g., professor)

Examples: turn in first assignment and earn a “0,” target redefined frequently, lack agreement or understanding of finished project, lack understanding of project requirements

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Sources of Breakdowns

How resources are assigned Number of people assigned to a given task Balance between assigning tasks that can be

accomplished easily with existing knowledge versus tasks that are more challenging and require acquiring new competencies

Examples: who gets to use the laptop, which team gets prime lab time, who is assigned to be writer vs. CAD modeler

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Sources of BreakdownsWork scheduled Task decomposition Sequencing of tasks Time estimates/deadlines Milestone definition Team member slacking

Examples: task takes twice as long as expected, company representative doesn’t read email, team member disappears or doesn’t do assigned task, team makes wrong assumptions in defining task, external factors interfere (major milestone moved due to a snow day)

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Sources of Breakdowns

BudgetFunds were incorrectly allocated in original

project Errors cause need for additional funds to

resolve

Examples: equipment breaks and must be replaced, must pay extra to expedite, need to run additional experiments

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Sources of Breakdowns

Competing prioritiesPersonal schedules/work obligations

outside of classDifferences in understanding work

expectationsDifferences in goals

Examples: people who want to earn an “A” vs. a “C,” style differences – procrastinators vs. obsessive planners or detailed oriented vs. big picture thinkers

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Sources of Breakdowns

Group dynamics/individual differencesNatural course of group structure

developmentHow decisions are madePoor communication

Examples: team structure, use of meeting times and participation, communication method disagreement (IM vs. email)

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Resolving Breakdowns

Just fixing the immediate breakdown leaves dissatisfaction

Resolving the breakdown allows for satisfaction

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Resolving Breakdowns: Revisiting the Sources

Look at the six types of breakdownsQuestions to ask What new team structure do we need? What

communication needs to occur? How did the scope change? Is everyone still in

agreement? Do we need to realign resources? Do we need to adjust our time? Do we need more money? Do people have hidden agendas?

Address the breakdown from all angles

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Summary

Projects with breakdowns can be fulfilling“Key & Lock” analogyValuable to resolve breakdown (enrich skill sets, increase comfort level)Helpful skills to resolve breakdowns Communication Negotiation Open mindedness Problem solving

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Optional Slides:Finished vs. Completed

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DebriefingWhat happens when you finish a project in a class?

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Finishing a Project

Turn project into professorMay check gradeMay read feedbackOut of sight – out of mind

Problems with conventional approachLacks satisfaction Lacks intellectual growth Repeats in the future So you are finished, but

is it really over?

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Completing a Project

What happens when you complete a project in a class?

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Completing A Project

Turn project into professorTurn project into professorNext step: Evaluation (cNext step: Evaluation (conducted as soon as possible after the project is finished) Professor evaluates the team (Grade)Professor evaluates the team (Grade) Member evaluation of him/herselfMember evaluation of him/herself Member evaluation of the team processMember evaluation of the team process Team review – lessons learnedTeam review – lessons learned

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Completion

Takes courage to complete a project

Takes time to complete a project

Completion provides the opportunity to grow and learn from each experience

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Evaluation Discussion Points

Performance Technical aspects (quality, goal accomplishment) Schedule (meeting deadlines, time allocation) Planning & control (realistic, data collection, regular

meetings)

Relationships with stakeholders (company, team members, instructor)Communication Identify problems and resolutionsLessons learned (recommendations for working on future projects)

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Completion ExerciseWhat was the original goal of the project? What was the actual result?What worked?What did not work?What were your strengths and weaknesses working on this project?Who and/or what is there to be acknowledged? (a team member for their contribution…something you said or did that you want to apologize for...something you did extra that your team doesn't know about)Identify one area you think you need to improve to be a better team member on your next project

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If Working with Stakeholders External to the Classroom

Critical to capture their feedback and share with students

Aspects Satisfaction/quality perceptions Expectations met Level of professionalism Level of communication Willingness to serve as a reference (e.g., if working on a

project for a company) Suggestions

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References

Gido, J., & Clements, J.P. (1999). Successful project management. Cincinnati, OH: Southwestern College Publishing.Martin, P., & Tate, K. (1997). Project management memory jogger. Salem, NH: GOAL/QPC. Smith, K.S. (2000). Project management and teamwork. USA: McGraw-Hill.Weiss, J.W., & Wysocki, R.K. (1992). 5-phase project management: A practical planning and implementation guide. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books Publishing.