Anything that can go wrong will go wrong - E. A. Murphy Jr.
Failure has no friends - John F Kennedy
Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing - Warren Buffet
| References | Back |
Project Planning and Control
Performance Definition: Statement Of Work/Requirements Document/ContractSchedule Definition: Milestones/Activity Diagram/Gantt Chart
Cost Definition: Work Breakdown Structure
Tools:
- CPM
- PERT
- COST
- LOB
- Simulation
- Object library
- Requirements Change Control
- Project Manager's Charter
- Project Organization Chart
- Project Budget Authorization
- Project Control Room
- Project Reviews - Agenda
- Customer and Vendor Meetings
- Significant Events
- Decisions since last meeting
- Cost Review
- Schedule Review
- Performance Review
- Risk/Contingency Review
- Decisions required by next meeting
- Action Items
Project Models
| Activity ID | Activity Completed |
|---|---|
| A | Project Authorization |
| B | Mechanical Design |
| C | Electrical Design |
| D | Software Design |
| E | Functional Validation |
| F | Integration |
| G | Certification |
Activity on Node Diagram
Tree Diagram/Work Breakdown Structure
Gantt Diagram
Projectized Organization - Matrix Relationships
Comparison of Project organizations with Line and Staff organizations
| Project Organization | Line and Staff Organization |
|---|---|
| specific life cycle | perpetual life |
| difficult to predict performance, cost and time | easier to predict performance, cost and time |
| schedule-oriented accountability dates | fiscal calendar accountability dates |
| unique effort | repetitive |
| variable budget | fixed budget |
| multi-discipline | focused specialties |
| expenditure types and rates variable | expenditure types and rates fixed |
| authority/accountability gap | authority/accountability parity |
| high risk | low risk |
Project management is a challenge requiring successful wielding of both System I and System II power. They must delegate effectively within the project organization and be able to motivate and influence laterally within the organization.
Comparision of Projectized Organization Structure with Functional Organziation Structure
| Functional Organization | Projected Organization |
|---|---|
|
Advantages Efficient use of technical personnel Career continuity and growth for technical personnel Good technology transfer between projects Good stability, security, and morale |
Advantages Good project schedule and cost control Single point for customer contact Rapid reaction time possible Simpler project communication Training ground for general management |
|
Disadvantages Weak customer interface Weak project authority Poor horizontal communication Discipline rather than program oriented Slower work force |
Disadvantages Uncertain technical direction Inefficient use of specialists Insecurity regarding future job assignments Poor crossfeed of technical information between projects |
Project Phases
| Concept | Definition | Design | Production | Application | Post Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| preproposal R&D | RFP analysis | specification | facilities | customer approval | upgrades and spares |
| bid decision | proposal | product design | tooling | regulatory approval | warranty and non-warranty repair |
| project register | pricing and contingencies | process design | inventory | fill distribution channels | new business identification |
| pilots | negotiation | prototype | labor | FMEA | new technology identification |
R&D Project Classification
- Type A - no new technologies; no technological ambiguities; easy to plan
- Type B - some new technologies; some technological uncertainty
- Type C - some new technologies; unique technology integration attempt
- Type D - many new technologies; considerable risk regarding project completion
Contract Types
- Fixed-Price
- Firm fixed-price
- Fixed-price with escalation
- Fixed-price with incentive
- Cost-Based Price
- Time and materials
- Cost plus fixed-fee
- Cost plus overhead
- Cost plus incentive
- Letter of intent
Project Communications
Contingency Planning
- Technology Substitution
example: use new compiler to speed software development
- Schedule Crashing
example: add more staff to speed software development
- Fast Tracking
example: pre-approval software development to complete software development earlier
Mythical Man-Month
- The best/most economical opportunities to influence a project occur early in the project life cycle, so projects should ideally be well-staffed in the early stages
- The competition for internal resources associated with most technology organizations usually result in projects that are poorly-staffed in the early stages
- As the scheduled completion date nears, there is often pressure to crash the duration of the remaining activities by adding to the project staff and increasing the "man-months" of resources available to the project management
- Counter-intuitively, increasing the available staff late in the project usually results in an increase in the overall schedule duration. This occurs because the newly assigned engineers end up competing with the existing staff for:
- CAD workstations
- laboratory equipment
- prototype units
- meeting time
- management attention
- This situation can be aggravated if the new engineers exhibit high levels of "not invented here" syndrome.
Additional References
- Archibald, R.D., Managing High-Technology Programs and Project, Wiley, New York, 1976.
- Babcock, D.L. Managing Engineering and Technology, 2nd ed., Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, 1996.
- Brooks, F.P., The Mythical Man-Month, Addison-Wesley, Reading, 1975.
- Martin, C.C., Project Management: How to Make it Work, American Management Association, New York, 1976.
- Shenhar, A.J., "From low- to high-tech project management", R&D Management, 1993.
- Whitehouse, G.E., Systems Analysis and Design using Network Techniques, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 1973.