KINGSTON UNIVERSITY

Teaching project management: Advantages and challenges

for the XXIst century

Dr Andrea Petroczi

KINGSTON UNIVERSITY

What is Project Management?

• Managing a temporary endeavour undertaken to provide a unique product and service

• Project is different from production/process– One time endeavour– Definite beginning and end– Definite resources– Temporary team of people

• Examples:– Construction, events, software development,

research, etc.

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What is not?

• Project management is not equivalent to operational research

• OR – is concerned with planning and predicting– is described and analysed in numerical terms– deals with constrains and limitations– deals with objectives to be optimised– works with uncertainties

• OR intends to assist managers in decision making by– analysing problems, constrains and objectives using

a given data

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Operational Research (OR)

• Operational research is an important management tool.

• The distinctive approach is to develop a scientific model of the system incorporating measurement of factors such as chance and risk, with which to predict and compare the outcomes of alternative strategies or controls.

• Emphasis is on mathematical modelling– Programming– Simulations

• OR is part of Project Management

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History

Project management in its modern form began to take root only a few decades ago– Communicate and integrate work across departments and

professions

Historically:• Late 19th century

– Rising complexities and large scale government projects• Early 20th century

– Taylor’s scientific management• Mid 20th century

– Consequences of WW II (scarce resources), system theories

• Today– Complexity, competition and co-operation, globalisation,

speed, sudden and unexpected changes, information technology

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Multidisciplinarity

• Organisation studies and management– Work structure

• Human resource management– Teams and leadership

• Finance– Budget

• Mathematics– graph theory– network planning– Monte Carlo simulation

• Marketing– Project marketing/sponsorship

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PM Triangle (a.k.a. ‘triple constraint’)

Cost Schedule

Scope

CUSTOMER

SATISFACTION

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Project Management in education

What to teach?

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Areas of Project Management

Project Selection

Project Planning

Implementation Termination

Ideas/tasks TeamResourcesScheduling (time management)Set process for monitoring and controlRisk evaluation and management

Kick offMonitoring Modification (as needed)

Evaluation

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How to start a project?

• Decide on a project/define goals• Set project baselines• Create a WBS• Secure resources (including HRM)• Delegate tasks and responsibilities• Consider risks, evaluate and decide on risks• Develop a time based plan• Evaluate your plan• Chose the best alternative and finalise your plan

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Work Breakdown Structure

• Work based plan• Breakdown by work packages,

activities and tasks• Easy and understandable

graphical representation of the project

• Shows responsibility• Helps to create a complete list

of tasks needed to be completed• Can be done by work or phases

or the combination of both• Does not show time

Project

Areas Areas Areas

Work package Work package Work package

Activity

Activity

Task

task

task

Task

Activity Activity

Task

Task

Task

Task

Task

Project

Areas Areas Areas

Work package Work package Work package

Activity

Activity

Task

task

task

Task

Activity Activity

Task

Task

Task

Task

Task

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Time based plan: Scheduling

• List of activities• Task duration• Task sequence• Task interdependencies• Parallel tasks• Milestones• Deadlines

• Evaluation:– Critical Path method, PERT, Risk Analysis

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Graphical representation

Drawing a picture of activities, their relationship and the duration of each task

• Bar charts (Gantt)• Network diagram: Activity on Arrow (AOA)• Network diagram: Activity on Nodes (AoN)

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Gantt chart with task interdependencies

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Mathematical foundation

Depending on students’ background in operational research and mathematics:

• Linear and non-linear programming, dynamic programming• Graph theory• Network planning• Minimal spanning tree algorithm• Shortest route algorithms (Dijkstra algorithm, Floyd

algorithm)• Maximal Flow model/algorithm; minimum cost capacitated

flow• Greedy algorithm• Capacitated network simplex algorithm• Critical path computation

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Risks

• Due to uncertainty– Plans are about the future

• Risks are typically related to:– Time (being late)– Resources (not have enough or not adequate)– Technology – Environment (unexpected changes)– Force Majeure

• Effect:– Liability, costs, reputation, etc.

• Should be assessed and managed– Assessment: severity and likelihood– Management: avoidance, transfer, reduction

• Should not be confused with constraints

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Risk Management Continuum

Proactive ManagementAnticipate Risks

ReactiveCrisis

Management

Active Management

Timely Response

• Improved Services

• Protection of Reputation

• Improved Work Place

• Understanding and Evaluation of Risks

• Decreased Crisis Response

• Compliance Standards

• Central Oversight

Harvard University

• Standard Operating Procedures

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Risk impact

PROJECT SCHEDULE

RISKS ISSUES

Contains inherent unknowns If unresolved, impact

on schedule

Occur to become

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Evaluating plans

• Critical Path method– Longest route (red) based on

estimated time• PERT method

– Program Evaluation and Review Technique, based on optimistic, most likely and pessimistic duration

• Risk analysis (Monte Carlo simulation)– Criticality Index (number of

times the activity was found on the critical path)

– Critical value (CI x variance of duration)

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Applications: 2012 Olympics

• Has been used for the bidding procedure

• Construction of new sites, transportation• Construction/alteration of existing venues• Event management

– Scheduling transportation, events, trainings, etc.• Resource management

– Human resources (organising team), financial resources, etc.

• Marketing and Sponsorship

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Using software for PM

WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACHIEVE?

• Project Plan

• Time Management

• Cost monitoring

• Resource Management

• Calculate the risk of

delays

OUTCOMES

• Bar chart

• Precedence Network

• Resource Graph

• Risk Graph

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Software

• Microsoft Project• Prince (UK government)• Pertmaster

– Gantt chart with links– Precedence network– Resource graph– Risk analysis (Monte Carlo simulation)

• Quote from Pertmaster (www.pertmaster.com) “Pertmaster software is ideal for education because it uses "proper" planning techniques, and presents its sophisticated analysis and planning tools through an incredibly quick-to-learn interface”.

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Teaching Project Management

• Understanding of the ‘building blocks’• Practice time based planning using very simple

tasks– Focus: sequence and parallel tasks

• Transferring hand-calculated plans to computer software

• Training in computer software• Solving with ‘case studies’

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Benefits

• Develop strategic thinking• Allows to see and compare several alternatives

(develop decision making and problem solving skills)

• Helps to understand complexity• Allows practicing ‘real life situations’ without real

consequences

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Difficulties

• Some students may not see the relevance• Students sometime jump ahead (relying on

computer software without having understanding of the fundamental concepts)

• Requires significant preparation (developing cases, exercises)

• Individual projects are time consuming to mark• Requires computer lab (lab time) and software

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Do I recommend incorporatingproject management into

the curriculum?

Absolutely!

Managing projects effectively and efficiently is a skill that is required in almost any field

of employment… to a greater extent in some (e.g., engineering!) than in others.