Dr. Tanvir Manzur

Department of Civil Engineering, BUET

CE 301: PROFESSIONAL PRACTICEProject: definition, characteristics & life cycle

Project Project management as a discipline was spawned in the mid-20th century

An academic writer in 1930s proposed the use of acoordinator who might be used to administer a task involvingseveral functional areas

According to Morris this addition of a separate mechanism tointegrate the various entities making up a project as theinception of modern project management

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

The rise of modern project management between the 1930sand 1950s is related to

Development of system engineering in the U.S. defense and aerospaceindustry

Engineering management practices in process engineering

Developments in management theory, particularly in organization design

Evolution of the computer, enabling mane project management tools

Literature on project management reflects the need forflexibility and the changing context in which project exists

The phrase management by projects may best capture thesituation today

Project

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Evolution of Design toward collaboration and integration

Modern Postmodern

Taylorism Systems Engineering

Hierarchical/vertical Flat/layered/horizontal

Specialization Interdisciplinary

Rational order Messy complexity

Centralized control Distributed control

Experts Meritocracy

Tightly coupled system Networked system

Micro-management Blackboxing

Hierarchical decision making

Consensus-reaching

Bureaucratic structure Collegial community

Incremental Discontinuous

Closed Open

Project

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Definition A project is an endeavor that is undertaken to produce results expected from the requesting party.

To be more specific, a project is an endeavor that will Accomplish a specific client need or goal

Include related activities guided by a leader or project manager

Be composed of cross-departmental personnel or unique experts capable of providing unique services to the project

Be performed for a fixed duration of time

Project

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Generally the requester or owner does not have the expertiseor the time (or both) to take on the endeavor on their own

The project will likely have a fixed or estimated life

Once the project is complete, the operating component &maintenance will likely revert to the owners

However, some contemporary engineering projects ownersoffer the builders to provide services for short-term start-upoperation & occasionally long-term facility operation

Project

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Scope-Schedule-Budget triangular relationship A projects scope of work is a definition of the tasks required tocomplete the project to meet the clients need

The complete scope of work for a project requires a scheduleand budget

This relationship of scope, schedule, & budget can be thoughtof

as a connected triangle where each side represents an essentialcomponent of the project managed by the PM ( Project Manager)

the connected sides of this triangle enables the PM to see these threecomponents are interrelated and that one side cannot move or be adjustedwithout affecting either of the other two components

Project

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Scope, schedule, and budget relationship

Project

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Quality during this stage of project is another importantissue that needs to be addressed

The client will likely have an idea about quality of the projectand will include their thoughts on quality in scope details

The important point is that quality should connect the scope,schedule, and budget

If the final project does not meet or exceed the ownersexpectation for quality, the project likely will rejected

Project Life Cycle

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Projects are undertaken for the purpose of developing asystem

The natural life cycle of systems gives rise to a similar lifecycles in projects called the project life cycle

Each project has a starting point and progressed toward apredetermined conclusion during which the state of theproject organization changes

Projects are characterized by a buildup in activity that peakseventually and then declines until project termination

This activity can be measured in various ways

Project Life Cycle

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Level of activity during the project life cycle

Project Life Cycle

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Besides changes in the level of activity, the nature andemphasis of this activity also vary Clients and planners dominate during early stages of the project Designers, builders, and implementers are in charge duringmiddle stages

Users and operators take over in later stages

Despite changes in level and mix of activity, three measuresof project activity that apply throughout a projects full spanare Time Cost Performance

Project Life Cycle

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Time refers to the temporal progress of activities extent to which schedules and deadlines are being met

Cost refers to the rate of resource expenditure as compared to budgeted resources

Performance refers to outputs of the project as compared to objectives, specifications, and

requirements ability to meet performance requirements is one measure of the quality of the

project output

The project organization attempts to achieve time, cost, andperformance requirements as it advances through phases of theproject life cycle

Project Life Cycle

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Managing the project life cycle It requires special treatment Most thins in project resources, schedules, tasks, etc.-are somewhatunfamiliar or in a constant state of change

Little that is done in a project can be considered repetitive or evenroutine

Work schedules, budgets, and tasks must be tailored to fit each phaseand stage of the project life cycle

All life cycle contain an element of uncertainty Unforeseen obstacles, some virtually inevitable, can cause

Missed deadlines Cost overturns Poor project performance

Project Life Cycle

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Managing the project life cycle Management must

Anticipate problems and plan for them Then re-plan activities Shift resources as unforeseen problems occur

Often organization undertake several projects at once and at agiven time, the projects are at different stages of their lifecycle Some are just being started while others are underway or are being closed

out

Management must be able to continuously balance resourcesamong the projects so Each gets what it needs Yet the sum does not exceed the resource available

Project Characteristics

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Projects have a purpose Projects have clearly-defined aims and set out to produce clearly-defined

results.

Their purpose is to solve a "problem, and this involves analyzing needsbeforehand. Suggesting one or more solutions, a project aims at lastingsocial change

Projects are realistic Their aims must be achievable, and this means taking account both of

requirements and of the financial and human resources available

Projects are limited in time and space They have a beginning and an end

They are implemented in (a) specific place(s) and context.

Project Characteristics

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Projects are complex Projects call on various planning and implementation skills

They involve various partners and players

Projects are collective Projects are the product of collective endeavors.

They involve teamwork and various partners and cater for the needs of others.

Projects are unique Projects stem from new ideas.

They provide a specific response to a need (problem) in a specific context.

They are innovative.

Project Characteristics

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Projects are an adventure Every project is different and ground-breaking

They always involve some uncertainty and risk.

Projects can be assessed Projects are planned and broken down into measurable aims, which must

be open to evaluation

Projects are made up of stages Projects have distinct, identifiable stages (figure in next slide)

Project Characteristics

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Various stages of a project