msc Project Planning - Graduate Education · • Project management recognises and attempts to limit the effects of ... EPS Graduate Education – MSc Project Planning and Control

EPS Graduate Education – MSc Project Planning and Control 1

MSc Project Planning

Dr Paul Brunn – 4th February 2009

• Project Planning and Control

– Intro to General Methods

– Some simple examples

• How to plan and complete

an MSc Dissertation project


What is a Masters Degree ?

• “Students will have shown originality in the

application of knowledge, and they will understand

how the boundaries of knowledge are advanced

through research. They will be able to deal with

complex issues both systematically and

creatively, and they will show originality in tackling

and solving problems. They will have the qualities

needed for employment in circumstances requiring

sound judgement, personal responsibility and

initiative, in complex and unpredictable professional

environments.”

Masters level qualification descriptor, Quality Assurance Agency, 2006



• Much more than passing exams!

• An individual project clearly

demonstrates your ability to apply

knowledge, do research, deal with

complexity, show originality, sound

judgement and initiative; while taking

responsibility for your own work



• The Project is your chance to

demonstrate to potential employers that

you can do more than just pass exams

• Therefore you need to show that you

planned it properly and organised it’s

execution

• At interview it’s your chance to talk

about something that you really believe

in and enjoyed doing


What are Projects?

• Projects (unlike Production) are “one-off”

activities, with clearly defined start and

end points

• There is always some uncertainty

about their outcome

– because the task to be completed has

(normally) never been done before

– because the detailed activities and

resource requirements are, as yet, unclear


Project Planning and Control

• Normally there will be a compromisebetween time, quality and cost toachieve the agreed project objectives

– but this will depend on the precisedefinition of the project objectives

• Projects differ from Production in termsof the measures used to judge theirsuccess, for example:-

– Completion within budget -v- minimum cost

– Completion on time -v- ongoing profitability



• Projects exist in, must take account ofand will be affected by the environmentin which they take place

– whereas production can, almost, exist inisolation from its environment

• Project management recognises andattempts to limit the effects ofuncertainty

– production management tries to removethe causes of that uncertainty



• The aim of all project planning is a

successful project not a beautiful plan

• The plan is a tool to assist you to

– Prepare for the project

– Control the project

• It will change as circumstances change

– A good plan is for guidance, it is not

“written on tablets of stone”



• Planning - can be an individual activity

– assesses feasibility of an idea

– establishes cost, time, resource and quality

constrains

– provides a plan upon which to base

subsequent control of the project

• Control - must be a group activity

involving all those involved in the

project


Project Planning

• First - Define the AIMS & OBJECTIVES

• Then - Establish the CONSTRAINTS

• It is then possible to balance

–Cost

–Time

–Quality


Project Planning

• For any project

– List all activities

– Estimate time for each activity (assuming

“standard” resources)

– Define sequences of actions (dependency)

– Calculate duration, resource requirements

and costs

– Compare with external constraints

– Adjust/re-plan if necessary


Project Planning

• Tools available:-

– Small projects

• Draw a Gantt Chart (bar chart)

– More complex projects

• Critical Path Analysis (CPA) (or PERT)

• Computer based systems using CPA are

available to simplify resource and time planning

• All require a thorough definition of

project objectives and activities


Project Planning

• Gantt Charts (invented by Henry L Gantt 1861-1919)

– Show sequences and dependencies

– Parallel activities

– Resource requirements/conflicts

– Total duration, critical path and float

• Used as intended can also be used to

control the project since they can show

progress against plan


Gantt Chart Example - Making Tea

Fill Kettle

Boil water

Add tea to pot

Pour on water

Allow to "mash"

Add milk to cups

Pour tea

Drink tea

Time


Project Planning

• Critical path analysis (CPA) provides

– a pictorial representation of the whole

project

– highlights “critical path” activities

– indicates position and quantity of “float” on

non-critical activities

– resource utilisation data

• When controlling a project allows the

effect of changes to be predicted


Critical Path Analysis

• Define activities & their duration

• Specify dependencies

• Draw network (each activity starts and finishes at

a node) - (adjust if necessary to meet all

constraints)

• Forward pass - calculate time for each path

• Find “critical path” - defines earliest finish

• Backward pass - calculate “float” on each activity

• Check dates - re-plan if necessary

• Allocate resources (critical path first)

• Use float to help allocate remaining resources


Project Control

• You can’t control a project that

hasn’t been planned !

• Things will happen so fast that it is not

possible to “plan as you go along”

• If circumstances change it may be

necessary to re-plan but …...

• It is much easier and quicker to change

a plan that already exists


Project Control

• Control of all projects uses these steps:

– Plan

– Publish

– Measure

– Compare

– Correct

– (if necessary re-plan)


Project Control

• Project Control Technical Execution

of project tasks

– The two activities require different skills but

are often confused

• Project Planning and Control is an

iterative process

– Project plans are regularly revised and

updated as more information comes to light


Project Control

• CPA diagram (or a simple bar chart) is

a good method for both planning and

publishing the overall plan

• (a picture is worth a thousand words)

• Measure progress in time, job or cost

units. Show completed activities on the

CPA diagram or bar chart

• This highlights activities behind time


Project Control

• Measure regularly and compare

planned with actual

• Use float to make corrections if

necessary, without changing the plan

• Early feedback on problems is essential

• Set regular milestones to divide up

large activities and thus get feedback

on progress sooner than their end date


Progress Measures

• Cost related:-

• Total spend

• Expenditure under or

over budget

• Overtime charges

• Cash flow

• Price changes

• Time related:-

• Activities not started or

finished on time

• Time and Quality

related:-

• Changes in project

scope

• Test results

– (i.e. commissioning

particular pieces of

equipment)

• Performance

milestones

– built into project plan

• Complaints


Project Control

• “Mechanical” charts are useful when

regularly re-planning

• Regular updating is essential

– the difference between useful information

and excuses is when they arrive

• Computer based systems can quickly

and easily re-draw the CP diagram and

indicate any changes in critical path


Practical Project Planning

• Typical maintenance tasks– Power station shut down

– New product introduction

– Take-over bid etc.

• Thousands of activities, hundreds of people,tens of weeks duration– Computer systems (Microsoft Project etc.) handle

the clerical aspects but do not do the planning !(Date conversion, recalculation, resource allocation, data-base facilities and financial control etc.)

– Normally large projects aim for a reasonably good,feasible solution rather than an optimum one.


Planning and Controlling an MSc

Dissertation Project

• What is special about an MSc

Dissertation project ?

– Timescale

– Limited resources

– The supervisor


MSc Dissertation - Fulltime Timescale

• Normally five person-months

• One month intro. Three months work. One month

writing up

• A hard deadline in September (Check exactly when!)

• No opportunity to trade resources for time or quality

• But objectives can be adjusted …..

MSc Dissertations - Resources• Often very limited !

• Plan to rely only on yourself and the equipment etc.

that your supervisor has guaranteed

• Don’t let others side-track you


MSc Dissertations

• They are all different but they are all the same inseveral key respects:-– All adopt the same basic format

– A clear statement of the project aims

– All require a literature review

– A description of the work undertaken and the resultsachieved

– A discussion of the relevance of the work

– A summary of the conclusions


MSc Dissertation - Planning

A Normal MSc Dissertation

6 Write up Dissertation

5 Analyse Data / Results

4 Gather Data

3 Design Experiments

2 Literature Survey

1 Define Project Aims

May June July Aug Sept

AB

C


• All require that the writer shows that theyhave planned the work

• (so a plan [bar chart] is useful)

• The discussions benefit from a sectionshowing how the actual project differed fromthe actual plan (this is a good place to discusswhat went wrong and/or better than expected)

MSc Dissertations


MSc Dissertations - Discussions

A Normal MSc Dissertation

6 Write up Dissertation

5 Analyse Data / Results

4 Gather Data

3 Design Experiments

2 Literature Survey

1 Define Project Aims

May June July Aug Sept


MSc Dissertation - Planning

• Define the objectives - in conjunction with

your supervisor

• List the tasks and their approximate

durations - check your guesstimates

with your supervisor

• Show your supervisor that the original

project is not possible - on a bar chart!

• Replan to something more sensible


MSc Dissertations - Supervisors

• Probably the most important part of

your project is choosing the right

supervisor for you

• Get to know them

• It is up to you to manage your

supervisor effectively - they are all busy

people who have other things to do as

well as supervise your MSc project



• Trust your supervisor and use them to

check that the plan for your project is

sensible (include some holiday, time off,

allowances for problems etc.)

• Tell them as soon as the project drops

behind plan (as it will)

• Discuss how to get back onto schedule

- only change the plan when necessary



• Most supervisors will read through and

comment on draft chapters of your

dissertation

• but don’t leave it all to the last few days

• “my experience is one chapter a week

is all I can manage comfortably”

• So if there are 8 - 10 chapters in most

dissertations ………..


And finally …..

• “If all else fails, read the instructions!”

• MSc Regulations are available at:-

http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/

medialibrary/tlao/pgt-regulations-

june2007.pdf

msc Project Planning - Graduate Education · • Project management recognises and attempts to limit the effects of ... EPS Graduate Education – MSc Project Planning and Control

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