JAYRA TO!!!!

A project plan is based on a schedule and budget. The first major goal in developing a plan is the
identification of the required work. The project constitutes a set of high-level tasks. Each of those tasks
can be reduced to smaller tasks.

As a minimum, each task will require labor but should also require tools, equipment, and expenses.
From an administrative perspective there must be enough information to track each task from start to
end and assess effectiveness. The administrator is also responsible for communicating with outside
groups and managing the team.

Chunking the Project

The key to planning is the task list, or work breakdown structure (WBS). For a new plan this list is very
general, has many details missing, and has crude estimates.

Figure 6.1

Developing a formal plan for a simple project may not be necessary. However, a professional will have a
plan in mind. For example, it would be unusual to develop a formal schedule for a week-long project to
be done by a couple of people. Project plans become essential as a project stretches into hundreds of
hours of work, multiple expenses, multiple people, suppliers, shared resources, and competing projects.
Failing to develop a plan will result in financial, time, and opportunity losses. The alternate to planning is
to, order all of the time-critical parts first, and start the critical processes as soon as possible; this is
easily said but very difficult to do.

Advantages of planning:

 There is a good estimate of time, money, and resource needs.

 Critical parts and tasks can be started early.
 Multiple projects can share resources with few conflicts.
 Problems can be detected and solved earlier.
 The plan keeps everybody informed about what is happening.
 There is clear responsibility for all tasks.

Disadvantages of planning:

 Developing a plan takes time.

 Tracking a plan takes time at all levels of the organization.
 Planning delays the start of the project.
 A plan appears to reduce flexibility and threaten individual autonomy

Task identification

A common trick for athletes is to break big training and competition activities into smaller goals.
Focusing on the next smaller, and reachable, goal improves focus and gives an ongoing sense of
accomplishment. The same approach is very important for projects to keep us focused on the next
deliverable goal, and improve morale with frequent achievements. To this end we want to clearly
separate the work into phases so that we can put our best efforts into the current task. Some of the
main features of tasks are listed as follows.

Milestones: Milestones are normally selected using business objectives. Figure 6.2

 Major points in the overall project.

 A clear end to one phase of the project and start of the next.
 Should involve some major approval or permission.
 A reasonable range for milestones is weeks to months.

Tasks: Project phases are sometimes combine, overlap, or are broken into smaller steps. Some
organizations tolerate or encourage fuzzy milestones, although it is better to close phases cleanly at
milestones to help the project move forward. Figure 6.3

 Include all the critical tasks (e.g., ordering, testing, meeting, etc.).
 Have a clear start and end. Some form of review should occur at the end of the task.
 Have a very well-defined outcome or deliverable. Measurable, reviewable, or testable is best.
 Have a lead person responsible for delivery. If a required person or resource changes, create
another task.
 Consider other resources needed: equipment, departments, suppliers, consultants, facilities,
weather, etc.
 Subtasks can be used to break up bigger tasks with less clearly defined outcomes and times.
 A reasonable range for tasks is weeks, and for subtasks it is days.
Constraints:

 Relationships between tasks, such as sequence.

 Specific dates for availability.

Figure 6.2

Figure 6.3

At the end of any project the following actions should be anticipated. If there is an action that does
not lead to one of the project outcomes it should be questioned. Other items to consider when
planning include:

 Review all of the specifications and the final design.

 Obtain and document testing results.
 Review and deliver final documentation.
 Train the customer.
 Create maintenance plans.
 Review budgets.
  Reassign teams to new projects.
 Report on the project to internal management.
 Resolve all open issues.
 Review all contractual obligations.
 Facilitate customer hand-off.
 Prepare project documents and materials for long-term storage, disposal, or transfer to
other projects.
 Undertake a final assessment of the work.

Customers should also ask for internal meetings and reviews during the project. Sometimes this is a
few phone calls or emails to check on progress, or it could be more detailed meetings, reports, and
approvals. It can be helpful to develop a communication plan to share with all the project
stakeholders (Figure 6.4).

Work breakdown structure (WBS)

There are multiple ways to divide work into stages. In a modular system this might be done by major
system components, as illustrated in the following list. In a process-oriented environment this may
be a sequence of operations such as foundations, structure, inspection, electrical, inspection,
drywall, and so on.

A WBS is often numbered to organize the tasks into a hierarchy (tree structure). Level 0 is the main
task/project. Level 1 is the next division of tasks, and so on until a reasonable level of detail has been
reached.

1. Microcontroller hardware

(1.1) Component selection

(1.2) Circuit design

(1.3) PCB layout

(1.4) Review

(1.5) Order parts

(1.6) Assemble and test hardware

 2. Software, etc.

The contents of a WBS are very well suited to a spreadsheet. The columns for a reasonable
spreadsheet are shown in the following list. Many of these fields, such as progress, can be calculated
automatically. It can also be helpful to use colors to indicate the status of tasks, including current,
upcoming, and overdue.

 Task number (e.g., 1, 3.2, 4.2.6)

 Milestone name
 Task name
 Subtask name
 Next tasks: Any tasks that must wait until another one is done
 Start date
 End date
 Required work ≤ end-start
 Actual work/work done to date
 Progress: Normally percentage = 100%*(required-actual)/required
 Status: ahead, behind, on track, late
 Lead person
 Other resources, people, etc.

The baseline is a reasonable estimate of the time to complete the plan. This is often based on a critical
path through the network diagram: the most time-constrained tasks. Tasks that are not on the critical
path typically have some variable, or slack time, for when they start.

Resources and people

Estimate when and how much employee time and resources are needed for a project. Consider that
employee time, equipment, purchases, and facilities cost money. This needs to be added into project
costs, but this is only possible if you know how much time you will need. Most companies do not have
unused equipment and idle workers, and what they do have is shared between multiple projects and
regular operation.

Figure 6.5 shows a couple of working lists to compile and estimate people and resource needs. Figure
6.5(A) shows people, space, software, and suppliers. Moreover it shows who the primary person
responsible for task completion is; the other people on the task are also listed. Including information
and approvals helps to schedule time. Figure 6.5(B) also includes cost, lead time, and other details. It is
also possible to put this information directly into a WBS spreadsheet if additional columns are added for
the resources and specific employee names.
227-231 na lang kulang sa report
RVEH TO!!!

Plan Review and Documentation

Very few people will want to see all the details in a project plan. Documentation is derived from the
project plan and shared with different groups.

For example, the cash flow projections will be sent to the accounting department and relevant
managers so that they can plan to have the needed money in the budgets.

The project manager can track the accounts and compare the expected with the actual expenses, to
identify problems. It is normal practice to track the difference between actual and projected budgets,
and when the difference is too great, an escalation procedure is initiated to examine the reasons for the
variations in expenses.

Engineering groups and purchasing departments will use a bill of materials.

Early in the project this will have details for major purchases and estimates for various components. As
the design progresses, more detail will be added, and the purchasing department will use these details
to purchase prototyping materials and negotiate for production volume purchases.

For simpler projects, the WBS may be suitable for scheduling. When a WBS for a project becomes larger,
it is very helpful to use it in a graphical form; the standard visual form is the Gantt chart.
There are a large number of free and commercial project-tracking software packages. For scheduling
they allow a WBS to be entered and a Gantt chart is generated automatically.

A project team is most likely to coordinate activities with a Gantt chart. For clarity and accountability
each task should have a lead person identified, and a list of other people working on the task.

Details that might be communicated with the Gantt chart or separately include:

 Who will execute the task?

 Who needs to be informed?
 Who needs to be consulted?
 Who has approval authority?
As with any engineering problem solution, it is critical to look at the methodology and results to see if it
is rational and reasonable. A rational plan will have a set of times and costs that “sound right.”

Examples of problem indicators are:

 There are task times that are extremely long or short

 There are tasks that do not have a lead person
 Resources and people are overscheduled
 Holidays, shutdowns, and other projects are not considered
 The plan does not match the project contract or proposal
 There are no clear starts and ends to tasks
 There are time periods where no tasks are being done
 There are too many concurrent tasks

SALAMAT LALA! AMEN

VANESSA to!!

PROJECT TRACKING AND CONTROL

Surprises in projects are bad, even when they are good.

 A project plan is a best guess for how a project will be guided to success.
Ideally the project will follow the plan exactly; practically it should be adjusted
somewhat. If the plan and actual progress are relatively close, then we will say
the project is in control. By control we mean that we can predict the outcome.
When a project is in control the project team will be well prepared.

 When a project is not in control there are real and unmanaged threats to the
project success. A good engineer and/or manager will recognize the signs of a
project that is out of control.

 One fallacy is that saving time and money is always good. A project task that is
finished quickly could mean that the job was done poorly or that work was
missed. Budget savings could indicate that poorer quality components were
used, the wrong parts were purchased, or that the original budget was incorrect.

Some general warning signs, not necessarily problems, include:

 Tasks are done too quickly or are taking too long.

 Major budget items are not close to budget estimates.
 Details, such as expenses, are not clear.
 The specifications are being questioned or changed.
 Questions receive “fuzzy” or no answers.
 There are issues and questions that were not expected.
 Significant meetings are rescheduled.
 Parts of the work have started to blend, overlap, or are forgotten.
 People have differing views about the project plan details, especially tasks.
 There are very strong emotions.

The progress of the team should be tracked by looking at details, large and small, on a
regular basis. The review includes comparing actual to planned expenses, task progress, task
completion, customer interaction, scheduling resources, and reporting to senior management.
A good project manager will track projects informally every day and formally every week
while asking questions such as, “Does the project match the plan?” When the plan and the
project agree, the project will be deemed in control.
 To track the project formally, actual progress should be compared to the plan details.
The schedule can be assessed by looking at the WBS or Gantt chart for tasks that are far behind
or ahead of schedule. Likewise, the budget should be close to the actual expenses or money and
time.

Some of the tasks performed by a project manager are outlined in the following list.

Categories:

 Budget—Any point that marks the beginning or end of a major budget item.
 Performance tests—When values are available.
 Component completion—When major subsystems are complete.
 Specification changes—If details in the specifications are changed or approved.
 Preliminary—Before major reviews to reduce questions and issues.

Routine tasks:

 Reviewing and approving customer invoices.

 Reviewing and approving purchase requests.
 Reviewing and approving budget items.
 Tracking the project budget.
 Arranging for shipping.
 Arranging travel and meetings.
 Routine correspondence.
 Scheduling and approving employee work hours and overtime for payroll.
 Working with suppliers for samples, technical support, and components.
 Communicating with other corporate departments—manufacturing, HR, accounting, security, IT,
etc.
 Maintaining corporate policies and practices.
 Making commitments on behalf of the team.
 Personnel reviews.

Reflective questions:

o How does this help the project?

o Is it good for the company?
o Is it good for me, and my people?
 PLAN, ACT, ASSESS, REPEAT.
At a high level, project tracking should be objective. A formal tracking tool can be used to aid
in this process (Figure 6.17). The worksheet can be updated at regular intervals and then reviewed
to identify issues. Budget estimates and task times are relatively easy to assess. Other elements,
such as risk, involve some consideration of larger issues. For example, a project that has large energy
costs might need to monitor crude oil prices. Another concern would be a change in company
ownership that might result in project cancellation.

MAKE DECISIONS, GET SUPPORT, MOVE FORWARD.

DON’T CONFUSE APPARENT AND ACTUAL PROGRESS.

 Figure 6.18 shows a stepwise procedure for reviewing plans. If the plan matches the expected
progress then it can move forward, possibly with some minor variations. Higher levels of uncertainty or
threats to the plan may require escalation. Escalation is a process where upper level management are
informed or asked to consider the project status. These sudden and/or major changes increase the
chances for mistakes and losses. Some companies will set escalation procedures for project managers.

For example, if the project expenses reach more than $10,000 above or $20,000 below the
budget it may be necessary to inform the director of engineering. The worst situation, firefighting, is to
have a project problem that must be addressed quickly and/or change the project in a substantial way.

The two extremes of control are hands-off and micromanaging.

In a hands-off environment there is very little effort put into tracking and reporting, thus
saving money. However, there are more lapses that lead to financial losses and time overruns.

Micromanagers put extraordinary attention on every detail and the reporting takes away from
the value-added project work.

The two curves in Figure 6.19 show that with the level of control there is also an increase in
control costs but a decrease in losses. Adding these two reveals a minimum in the overall cost.

A project manager must learn to find the optimal point, accepting that there should be a
reasonable level of losses and delays. We can say that a project that is “in control” has a predictable and
acceptable level of losses and delays.
CONT.....
ASSESSMENT

LEARN FROM MISTAKES

Assessment comes after the routine business of the day. The assumptions and approaches
used in project work will sometimes fail, or worse. When these things happen, consider what
led to the issue and how it can be avoided or minimized the next time.

Thinking or talking about these issues can provide insight to how the problems occurred and
possible solutions. Another approach is to use a simple assessment table for the assumptions
and new approaches for each project or design (Figure 6.20).

Plan-do-check-act (PDCA) is a four-step management method used for continuous

improvement. The focus is on the assessment process for a specific task.

The basic steps are:

Plan: Define the target outcomes and the processes and methods to achieve them.
Do: Do the work and collect data for assessment in the “check” and “act” steps.
Check: Review the actual work and the plan while looking for deviations. If possible,
use numerical metrics for long-term tracking.
Act: Changes are made to the “plan” and “do” steps to improve the process.