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Lecture 4 - Project Planning

The document outlines the key elements that should be included in a project master plan, including an overview, objectives, approach, contractual aspects, schedules, resource requirements, personnel, and evaluation methods. It also discusses the planning process, including developing an invitation list, launch meeting, sorting out the project, and creating a work breakdown structure and project action plan.

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27 views29 pages

Lecture 4 - Project Planning

The document outlines the key elements that should be included in a project master plan, including an overview, objectives, approach, contractual aspects, schedules, resource requirements, personnel, and evaluation methods. It also discusses the planning process, including developing an invitation list, launch meeting, sorting out the project, and creating a work breakdown structure and project action plan.

Uploaded by

lyleholst
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MCS 8302

MTI 8403

Project Management
CONTENTS OF A PROJECT
PLAN
3
Elements of Project Master Plan
• Overview
– brief description of project
– deliverables
– milestones
– expected profitability and competitive impact
– intended for senior management
• Objectives
– detailed description of project’s deliverables
– project mission statement
Elements of Project Master Plan
continued
• General approach
– technical and managerial approaches
– relationship to other projects
– deviations from standard practices
• Contractual aspects
– agreements with clients and third parties
– reporting requirements
– technical specifications
– project review dates
Elements of Project Master Plan
continued
• Schedules
– outline of all schedules and milestones
• Resource requirements
– estimated project expenses
– overhead and fixed charges
• Personnel
– special skill requirements
– necessary training
– legal requirements
Elements of Project Master Plan
concluded
• Evaluation methods
– evaluation procedures and standards
– procedures for monitoring, collecting, and
storing data on project performance
• Potential problems
– list of likely potential problems
THE PLANNING PROCESS
PM’s First Job
• Understand the expectations that the
organization has for the project.
• Identify who among senior managers has a
major interest in the project.
• Determine if anything about the project is
atypical.
Developing Invitation List
• At least one representative from senior
management.
• Managers from functional areas that will
contribute to the project.
• Perhaps highly specialized technical
experts.
The Launch Meeting
• Senior management introduces PM
• PM chairs meeting
– develop general understanding of the functional inputs the
project will need
– may brainstorm the problem
– may develop preliminary plan
• Important results
– scope understood and temporarily fixed
– functional managers understand their responsibilities and
have committed to developing the initial plan
Sorting Out the Project
• Hierarchical planning process
– begin with project’s objectives
– list major activities needed to achieve objectives
(level 1 activities)
– delegate level 1 activities to individuals or
functional areas to develop list of level 2
activities …
– degree of detail should be same within a given
level
Three Levels of Detail in
Hierarchical Planning
The Project Action Plan
• Project activities identified and arranged in
successively finer detail (by levels).
• Type and quantity of each required resource
identified for each activity.
• Predecessors and durations estimated for
each activity.
• Milestones identified.
• Individual or group assigned to perform the
work identified for all activities.
Using the Project Action Plan
• Project master schedule created by
combining milestones, durations, and
predecessors
– used to compare actual and planned
performance
• Use of templates
THE WORK BREAKDOWN
STRUCTURE
Simple Approach for Creating the
WBS
• Gather project team
• Provide team members with pad of sticky-
notes
• Team members write down all tasks they
can think of.
• Sticky-notes placed and arranged on wall
A Partial WBS (Gozinto Chart) for an Annual
Tribute Dinner Project
A Linear Responsibility Chart
MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMS
-- BALANCING PLEASURE AND
PAIN
Concurrent Engineering
• Carrying out steps concurrently rather than
sequentially
– also referred to as simultaneous engineering
• Key advantages
– helps minimize conflict across functional
groups
– reduces project duration
Interface Coordination --
Interface Management
• Key challenge facing PM is coordinating
work of different functional groups.
• One approach is to identify and map the
interdependencies between members of
the project team.
An Interface Mapping of a Silicon
Chip Design Project
A Coordination Structure Model for
Project Management
Design Structure Matrix (DSM)
• Traditional project management tools tend
to focus on which tasks have to be
completed in order for other to start
• Another important question is what
information is needed from other tasks to
complete another task
Example DSM for Project with Six
Activities
a b c d e f
a
b X X
c X X
d X X X
e X
f X X X

X -- information flow
Modified DSM to Show Activities to Be
Completed Concurrently
a b c d e f
a
b X O
c X O
d X X X
e X
f X X X

tasks to be completed concurrently


X -- information flow
O -- potential rework situation
Comments on Empowerment and
Work Teams
• Participatory management
• Success of empowered teams depends
heavily on how team program implemented
Advantages of Empowerment
• High quality solutions
• Avoid micromanagement
• Team has accountability for part of project
deliverable
• Synergistic solutions
• Tool for timely evaluation and feedback

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