Modeling the project system -

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Based on Chapter 3 of Maylor, Harvey,2000. Project

Management, Financial Times Pitman Publishing, Delhi: Addison Wesley Longman(Singapore) Pte. Ltd.

The Planning Process

• How project starts?– Customer provides a brief & Project Manager responds with a

proposal

• Proposal should keep in mind:– For who it is for – investment decision maker or a third party? -

Internal customer or External customerInternal customer or External customer

– Why the proposal? – for competitive bidding or first examination or as part of organizational policy to consider more than one supplier

• Proposal should have …. – An executive summary

– Main body of the report

– appendices

Plan

• First step in providing the means of satisfying

the requirements of the project owner or sponsor

• It’s project manager’s input to ensure potential

problems are identified and solved in advanceproblems are identified and solved in advance

• It’s

– explicit statement of intended timing of project

activities; and,

– basis of estimating resource needs

• Planning has a cost as it consumes resources

Proper use of planning

• Misuse –

– Plan as a straitjacket

– Focus on precision

– Generation of data– Generation of data

• Good use

– Plan as a working tool

– Focus on accuracy

– Provision of information

Process of project planning:Activity Model using ICOMs

Standards/

Procedures

Controls

Financial/time/legal/

ethical/strategic/envi

ronmental/cultural/

constraints

Planning

ProcessInputs Project

Brief

Project Plan/

ProposalOutput

Tools &

Techniques

Project Manager

& Team

Mechanisms

Process of project planning

Identify

constituent activities

Determine logical Determine logical

sequence of activities

Prepare estimates

of time and resources

needed

Present the plan

in a readily intelligible

format

Methods for obtaining benefits of planning –overview models

• Work Breakdown structure (WBS)

• Process mapping

• Building in check-points – use of gated processesprocesses

• PRINCE2

• Concurrent vs. sequential models

Work breakdown structure (WBS)• Also known as chunking or unbundling

• Breaking down of large activities into manageable units is a fundamental part of project management

• Facilitates responsibility for manageable • Facilitates responsibility for manageable part

• Facilitates financial control activities

• Major draw back � by concentrating on small parts people may lose the holistic view

PROCESS MAPPING

• AFTER WBS – NEXT STAGE IS TO CONSIDER ELEMENTS OF THE PROCESS AND THEIR INTERACTION

• PROCESS MAPPING CAN BE USED• PROCESS MAPPING CAN BE USED

• ONE TECHNIQUE IS FOUR FIELD MAPPING OR DEPLOYMENT FLOW CHARTING

• It involves relating four information fields

Four field map

A

1. Team members

2.Logical Phases

of an activity

With entry/exit

criteria

4. Standards

Listed for each

task

-time & activity

B

C

D

3. Task flow

can be planned

in detail due to

this dimension

-controls also

specified

No phase can be completed till all errors have been corrected

and causes identified

Building in check-points – use of

gated processes

• Use of check points or gates bewteen the phases provides an additional check for the manager of progress.

• The stage gate system involves decision • The stage gate system involves decision being made actively at each milestone whether the project should continue

• The criteria for passing must be laid down in advance

PRINCE2

• Projects in Controlled Environments – is a structured method for managing projects

• It identified 8 key processes:– Directing the project – done by senior management– Planning a project – Starting up a project – Starting up a project – Initiating a project – Controlling– Managing product delivery– Managing the stage boundaries– Closing

• All these constitute good project management. Project roles are highly defined

• Has to submit - quality log, issue log, risk log

Concurrent vs. sequential models

• Due to need for speed, functional barriers need

to be broken down to facilitate information flow.

This multi disciplinary teaming approach to new

product is called concurrent engineering

• In conventional life cycle for a new product

development – chinese whispers’ syndrome and

delay due to constant process revision –occur

• Japan model – ‘right first time

• ‘time-to-market’accounts for 30% profits

• Concurrent engineering vs. sequential process–

has potential for:

– Reduced time to market

– Reduced engineering costs

– Better responsive ness to market needs

• Disadvantages:

– Increased overheads

– Cost of co-location

– Cultural resistance

– Inappropriate application