Lean six sigma process improvement tools and techniques by donna summers chapter 08

Project Management• Proposals – A project proposal creates a general understanding of what is needed... Project Management• Proposals – Outcomes of a Project Proposal • Technical obje

Project Management

Chapter 8

Project Management

• Proposals

– A project proposal creates a general understanding of what is

needed.

Project Management

• Proposals

– Outcomes of a Project Proposal

• Technical objectives established

• Basic areas of performance responsibility are assigned and accepted

• Tentative schedules and budgets are established

• Essential required tasks outlined

• Project manager selected

Project Management

• Proposals

– If accepted, the project proposal becomes the framework or outline

of the eventual project plan.

Project Management

• Plans

– The purpose of a good project plan is to facilitate later

accomplishment!

• Having what you need when you need it.

– Planning is tortuous, iterative and needed.

• meet the specifications that satisfy the client

– Only with a project plan can you hope to accomplish all three

– with a minimum amount of hassle

Project Management

• Plans include:

- mission and the deliverables

- scope and objectives

- what will the final outcome be?

- WHAT ARE THE DESIRED RESULTS ASSOCISTED WITH THE

PROJECT?

Project Management

• Plans include:

- Goals and Objectives

- What are the specific goals and objectives

supporting mission?

- It is crucial to tie any project’s objectives to the overall mission of the firm!

Project Management

• Plans include:

- Evaluation Measures

- performance, effectiveness, cost

- how will you keep the project on track?

- Measures of Performance

- Track these

Project Management

• Plans include:

– Contingency plans for potential problems

- What could go wrong?

- How will you deal with it?

Project Management

• Plans include:

– Schedules provide:

• A vehicle for proper communication

• An expected completion date

• Information about critical activities that might affect project completion

• Information about activities that can be adjusted as time and budget needs arise

• Information on start dates for activities

• Information about task dependencies

• Information about possible project completion

Project Management

• Scheduling techniques for creating a

timetable:

– Gantt Chart

– PERT Chart (Program Evaluation and Review Technique)

• Shows time and probabilities – CPM (Critical Path Method)

• Shows costs, time, probabilities

• Gantt chart forces a person to have a plan and

to keep track of happenings

• Promotes the identification and assignment of clear-cut tasks

• Gantt chart enables users to visualize the passing of time, easy to read

• A division of space represents both an amount of time and an amount of work to be done in that time

• Lines drawn horizontally through that space show the

relation of the amount of work actually done in that time

to the amount of work scheduled to be done.

– perfect for complex projects

• PERT coordinates and synchronizes various parts of the overall job

• allows for the determination of the longest series

of inter-related events that must be completed in

the project: the critical path

• The times associated with the activities must be well estimated and costs calculated P 384-390

Project Management

• Scheduling:

– PERT and CPM Terminology

• Activity: Tasks required by the project which need resources and take time to complete

• Event: Completing an Activity

• Network: Combination of all Activities

• Predecessor: Activities which must be completed before another activity can begin

• Path: A series of connected Activities

• Critical: Activities, events or paths which, if delayed, will delay the project.

Project Management

• Scheduling

– To create a PERT or CPM network:

• Compile a list of activities

• Determine the relationships between the activities (predecessors, successors)

• Begin at the beginning

Project Management

• Why can a project plan fail?

– Not recognizing it is a project

– No or limited project management skills

– No clear specifications and targets

– Lack of project team building and training

– No full-time project manager of the appropriate status

– No formal acceptance/approval procedure

Project Management

• Why can a project plan fail?

– No visible, regular mechanisms to measure and review the project

– No regular monitoring of budgets, resource utilization versus plan

– No budget agreed on with the project manager

– No formally allocated, representative and full-time project team

Project Management

• Why can a project plan fail?

– Poor coordination between supporting functions

– Inter-function politics

– Key shared resources

– Failure to integrate subcontractors