Project Management There are a large selection of books about Project Management Most of the books address hard details Establishing procedures Using Project.

Project Management

There are a large selection of books about Project Management

Most of the books address hard details • Establishing procedures• Using Project Management software.

Most mistakes made in Project management do not occur in the hard details– The majority of responsibility, accountability, and

success to be derived from Project Management lies in the soft-skills areas.

• are hidden in the cracks in the pavement• are where most projects meet problems

Project Management Is relatively new

– A few decades old

Is different from Line Management (where tomorrow's activities may be very similar to today's activities.)

– Examples: • accounts department in large companies

• operations at manufacturing facilities

• delivery of the mail.

Project Management is simply the management of a task that is to be done only one time. (A singular task)

– Examples: • constructing a bridge

• putting a man on the moon

• building a submarine

• organizing a wedding

• developing a piece of software

Common FeaturesAll projects have a Beginning, a Middle and

an End.

Every project has objectives

– people or teams are dedicated to the achievement of defined objectives

• There is a need to know “What you are trying to do?”

• There is a need to know “When you have achieved the objective.”

Projects are Singular Tasks

Remember– The project did not exist before a decision

was made to proceed.

• Resources dedicated to the achievement of objectives will not exist

• Team needs to be assembled at the outset.

– Do all members of the team understand the objectives and agree to them?

– Is everyone on board and prepared to build the same mouse trap?

Initial Considerations

Projects usually involve different types of skill coming together to work.

Cultural differences are inevitable.

– Architects and drainage engineers may work together

– University Arts professors and software programmers may work together.

In both cases, interpretation of the objectives will be influenced by the skill background and culture of the various parties.

Misunderstandings embedded at an early stage may only become apparent well into the project -

– resolution of differences may be very expensive by then.

Initial Questions

Have all team members "bought in" to the project?

Are all team members committed to the objectives?

Are all team members committed to the Project Management procedures whereby these objectives will be attained?

– Organizations or individuals that ignore agreed communication channels or procedures (usually because they fail to see the reasons for them) can cause havoc.

In a good project team the individual's first allegiance will be to the project.

– The individual's sense of belonging to the organization which employs them will be subsidiary to that.

The Role of the Project Manager

To attain the project objectives.– If objectives are framed coherently, it simply

means to:

• deliver the right product

• a the right quality

• in the project time scale

• at the right price

Time, Quality and Cost

Time, Quality, and Cost are the only three variables that matter in Project Management.– Everything else can be summed up within these three words.

There is a tension between Time, Quality, and Cost.– The time scale can be reduced, but only by providing additional

funding and/or by delivering less.

– Quality can only be increased by increasing cost or increasing the time scale.

The Project Manager must maintain the appropriate balance between these three elements.

Network AnalysisThis is a method of task scheduling within a

project whereby task dependencies can be identified.

A task network can then be built up and time tolerances identified.

Network analysis is a collective term for two different approaches to project planning:

– Critical Path Method

– PERT.

Critical Path Method A procedure for using network analysis to identify those

tasks which are on the critical path:

– Any delay in the completion of specific tasks in the critical path will lengthen the project time scale, unless action is taken.

For all tasks that are not on the critical path, a degree of tolerance is possible (late starts, late completions, early starts, etc.).

Make Network charts and the Critical Path Method of analysis used to be carried out by hand.

Software is now available which requires the user only to enter the tasks, duration of each task and dependencies upon other tasks

– a network chart and CPM is then automatically created.

PERT(Program Evaluation Review Technique)

Developed in 1958 by the US Navy to meet the requirements of project planning in conditions of substantial uncertainty - where the number of tasks and sub-contractors render traditional techniques unworkable. The system relies fundamentally upon probabilistic techniques, and is not really relevant to the present context.

The Gantt ChartA basic means of visually presenting a

project program.

Essentially a bar chart– useful aid to see where the project stands

– only a static representation of a dynamic situation.

– interdependencies between one task and another not shown

– must remain in the mind of whoever draws up or uses the chart.

The Gantt ChartHigh level Gantt chart.

– Each bar constitutes an aggregate of numerous sub-tasks which will be continued in their own Gantt chart.

– A hierarchy of Gantt charts can therefore be built up.

Often used as the benchmark by which a project's progress is measured and is commonly circulated to all team leaders.

Most Project Management software packages will offer

the option to produce a Gantt chart.

Total Quality Management (TQM)A recent phenomenon in management

thinking.

A distinct area of study in its own right, formally unrelated to project management.

Draws upon many concepts originally developed within project management.

From the increasingly competitive nature of modern business.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

Essentially concerned with giving priority to quality of service particularly within line management operations.

The implications are more psychological than formal

– Main emphasis placed upon all individuals within an organization

– Recognizes all individuals have customers, even if it is only another part of the same company

– Intention is that quality is perceived and measured at all stages of an organization's activities.

Three Project Management Models

Two of the three models are common– The first puts him or her at the center of the

hub, coordinating activities between teams or individuals.

• The Project Manager can easily lose control of the management process.

– All work is carried out by, and decisions are taken between, parties at the rim, with no more than token reference to the Project Manager.

Project Management Models

The Second Model reflects traditional organizational hierarchy.

Recognizes authority of the Project Manager

– Implies that decisions are taken at the "top" and communicated downwards.

– Ignores the fact that expertise in specific areas lies near the "bottom" of the traditional hierarchy - and decisions are, wherever possible, arrived at by negotiation rather than by declaration.

Project Management Models

The third Model reflects best of both preceding models.

Project Manager is clearly in possession of the requisite authority

– informal (or even formal) reporting and communication between other parties, without reference to the Project Manager, is recognized.

Starting a Project

Ask – What have you agreed to do?

– What is unclear?

– Who carries the risks and for what?

– What are the consequences of non performance?

– What are the sanctions against non performance?

This is a delicate tension, since the Project Manager must be appraised of all important aspects of the project as it develops.

Finding the right balance in any project takes time and care.

Golden Rules i) Software alone does not make you a

project manager.ii) Project Management is too important to

be left only up to the project manager.

iii) Communicate-communicate-communicateiv) Be conscious of your own bias.v) Be very wary when dealing with

innovation.

RecommendationsAt Inception

– Define your project objectives very clearly.

– Ensure as far as possible that the objectives are not open ended.

– Assess the extent to which all project team members have 'bought in' to the project.

– Establish clearly what the risks are and where they lie.

RecommendationsDuring development

– Instill a culture of communication within your project team.

– Be conscious of your own bias.

– Buy a Project Management software package,

but always ask yourself whether you could do it more quickly on the back of an envelope.

– When all else fails, consult a reliable guide - but be careful not to get bogged down in unnecessary detail.