EE 4171 Module 7 - Project Management PDF

MODULE 7 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Learning Objectives Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:...

MODULE 7 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Learning Objectives Having successfully completed this module you will be able to: TLO 12: Know the concepts of Project Management. TLO 13: Apply the concepts of Project Management to engineering projects. Introduction This Module focuses on Project Management and its related concepts. Project management is an essential skill that can help students in a wide range of situations and develops useful skills. Project management is also a transferrable skill, so it can help a student look more desirable when they apply for a job. Successful project management skills are difficult to learn but lead to a significant advantage when implemented properly. Learning project management can help students excel in their academics and career. Source: https://www.managementstudyhq.com/project-management.html In a single engineering project, a lot goes on behind the scenes- and it iss not just designing, strategizing, and developing an item. Outside of the engineering visionaries lies other professionals who help manage the project as a whole by keeping the entire team on schedule. They are project managers. DISCUSSIONS Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 1 prohibited.  What is a project manager? According to the Project Management Institute®, project managers are passionate goal- setters who use their organization and communication stills to strategically help companies or teams succeed in their projects. From the beginning of a project to the overseeing the completion of a final report on a completed project, project managers help ensure a project goes smoothly by collaborating with team members throughout the entire duration How do they play a role in engineering? Project managers play an extremely important role in the engineering world. When diving into an engineering project, project managers work hard and provide constant communication to team members to ensure the project is finished on time without going over budget. Another important role of project manager is to serve as a liaison between the engineering team and a client, ensuring all communication is recorded and addressed accordingly. Think about it: without a project manager on a team, deadlines can become foggy, therefore risking a firm’s relationship with a client. When a client contacts an engineering firm to complete a project, they are putting their trust in your firm (while putting a large sum of corporate dollars on the line too). Source: https://www.schoolofpe.com/blog/2019/07/why-project-management-is-important-in-engineering.html What is a project? A project is a unique, transient endeavour, undertaken to achieve planned objectives, which could be defined in terms of outputs, outcomes or benefits. A project is usually deemed to be a success if it achieves the objectives according to their acceptance criteria, within an agreed timescale and budget. Time, cost and quality are the building blocks of every project. Time: scheduling is a collection of techniques used to develop and present schedules that show when work will be performed. Cost: how are necessary funds acquired and finances managed? Quality: how will fitness for purpose of the deliverables and management processes be assured? The core components of project management are: defining the reason why a project is necessary; capturing project requirements, specifying quality of the deliverables, estimating resources and timescales; preparing a business case to justify the investment; securing corporate agreement and funding; developing and implementing a management plan for the project; leading and motivating the project delivery team; managing the risks, issues and changes on the project; monitoring progress against plan; Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 2 prohibited.  managing the project budget; maintaining communications with stakeholders and the project organisation; provider management; closing the project in a controlled fashion when appropriate. Project management is aimed at producing an end product that will effect some change for the benefit of the organization that instigated the project. It is the initiation, planning and control of a range of tasks required to deliver this end product. Projects that require formal management are those that: Project management is aimed at producing an end product that will effect some change for the benefit of the organization that instigated the project. It is the initiation, planning and control of a range of tasks required to deliver this end product. Projects that require formal management are those that: produce something new or altered, tangible or intangible; have a finite timespan: a definite start and end; are likely to be complex in terms of work or groups involved; require the management of change; require the management of risks. Investment in effective project management will have a number of benefits, such as: providing a greater likelihood of achieving the desired result; ensuring efficient and best value use of resources; satisfying the differing needs of the project’s stakeholders. Projects are separate from business-as-usual activities and occur when an organization wants to deliver a solution to set requirements within an agreed budget and timeframe. Projects require a team of people to come together temporarily to focus on specific project objectives. As a result, effective teamwork is central to successful projects. Projects require a team of people to come together temporarily to focus on specific project objectives. As a result, effective teamwork is central to successful projects. Project management is concerned with managing discrete packages of work to achieve specific objectives. The way the work is managed depends upon a wide variety of factors. The scale, significance and complexity of the work are obvious factors: relocating a small office and organizing the Olympics share many basic principles, but offer very different managerial challenges. Objectives may be expressed in terms of: outputs (such as a new HQ building); outcomes (such as staff being relocated from multiple locations to the new HQ); benefits (such as reduced travel and facilities management costs); strategic objectives (such as doubling the organisation’s share price in three years). Anyone and everyone manages projects, even if they aren’t formally called a ‘project manager’. Ever organised an event? That’s a project you managed with a team of people, and project management is life skill for all. More formally, projects crop up in all industries and business: Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 3 prohibited.  Transport and Infrastructure Information Technology Product manufacture Building and Construction Finance and Law Source: https://www.apm.org.uk/resources/what-is-project-management/ What is an Electrical Engineering project? A project is a temporary effort applied to achieve planned objectives and produce a specific output or outcome. Each project is unique with a defined scope, start and end date (these made it Temporary), outputs are tangible and expressed as deliverables such as Document Reports, Drawings, Constructions, etc. A project has a specific schedule and budget that define indicators of performance. Electrical engineering projects (in power systems) as any other kind must be scheduled according to the logical sequence of activities involved (calculation, equipment installation, raceways, wiring, grounding…); many of these need to be coordinated with other disciplines such as Civil Engineering (for construction underground raceway systems). Electricity is a service, coordination with other disciplines such as mechanical and process engineering is important, they establish equipment duty and power requirements, so continuous communication and interdisciplinary information revision should be established during project life. What is project management? Project management is recognized as a discipline that involves the application of knowledge, techniques, experiences, tools and skills to project activities in order to successfully accomplish all the project objectives and meet client requirements. There is a lot of information about approaches and methodologies to run projects. Project Management Institute (PMI) developed a guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) that establishes the common processes and best practices applied to most of projects. These technique and indications should be adapted to each project since they are unique. PMBOK is process-based, it means that objectives are achieved by executing processes, being concise with other recognize management standards such as ISO 9000. Each process interacts with others; has Inputs, Tools / Techniques to be applied, and of course Outputs. PMBOK establishes five process groups: Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 4 prohibited.   Initiating: Involves all the processes applied for starting a new project or stage, taking authorization from organization and sponsor.  Planning: these processes establish the scope of work, objectives to accomplish, Plans, schedule, budget, quality issues, among others.  Executing: Processes to carry out for committing the defined scope and activities indicated in project plan.  Monitoring and controlling: includes all the activities to review, check and track the project performance in order to determine any deviation of the Plan.  Closing: All processes done to formally end the project. These recommendations apply to any type of electrical engineering project. Electrical Engineering: successful project management There is no recipe for success in Electrical Engineering Projects but a balance of skills, experiences and knowledge can be the key to obtain positive results. Scope Definition Project scope must be detailed and specifically defined in the early stage. It should be written in a document and reviewed by all project team members. Out of scope activities should be mentioned in order to easily detect any deviation. Any activity done out of the approved scope will affect schedule and budget. Physical and Electrical Battery Limits of the Scope should be clear and mentioned, determining which panelboard, equipment, substation and area will be included as part of the project. Making Real Plans Plans should be made considering the defined scope and requirements, taking into account all the tasks, responsible and milestones. Plans must be real, based on available resources (human, technological, financial), employee work schedule, and quality issues. If the obtained plan does not meet project requirements such as end date, actions must be taken by the organization (hire more people, buy new equipment…) in order to commit them. Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 5 prohibited.  Risk Analysis Risks are always present and can affect (positive or negative) project objectives. Identify possible risks at the beginning of the project is really important, determining real causes and how to avoid them by pre-event and post-event plan ensure that any action won’t be improvised Project manager should not be taken by surprise for risk. Work environment Projects are carried out by people, so how employees feel about work influences project performance. A better environment will bring better results, adaptation to changes and commitments to the achievement of objectives. Work environment can be improved by good and open communication, training, rewards, and flexibility. Tracking and Monitoring It consists of evaluating the work already done with the project plans. Deviation of plans must be studied and corrective actions should be taken. Tracking and monitoring establishes project performance, using key indicators such as efficiency, efficacy, earned value, etc. These indicators are usually shown in a dashboard that makes work easier. This ensure that project will be completed on time and meeting the budget. Source:https://engineering.electrical-equipment.org/others/electrical-engineering-project-management.html Project Management Tools “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.” ~ Quote by Douglas MacArthur, American Army general, and war hero. Project management is the art of planning, executing, monitoring, and closing a set of tasks, duties, and chores to achieve a set goal/endeavor be it of small, medium, or long-term duration. The main person to oversee the project is called a project manager. A project could be of any scope. Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 6 prohibited.  The 4 Ps: Product, Process, People, Project. Product – The meaning of this term is self-evident. It refers to the result of the project, the purpose of the project. The project manager needs to explain the product scope so that everyone is clear on the end results. The product refers to be both tangible and intangible. For example, it could mean relocating the office or factory to a new premise or migrating to a new software/tool. Process - A clearly defined and mapped out process is the key to the success of any project. It factors in issues, hurdles and probable solutions to ensure minimum disruption. Each stage of the process in the project needs to be mapped so that everyone knows what to do and how to do it. The correct process strategy leads to the proper execution of the project hence success. People - The most critical component of a project and its successful implementation is human resources. A well-managed team with clear cut roles defined for each person/team will lead to the success of the project. Some of the assigned roles in project management are project manager, team members, stakeholders, process analysts, and information technology personnel. Managing people successfully is tricky and a role played well by good project managers. Project – The fourth but not the least component is the project. This is where the big role and responsibility of the project manager are under the spotlight. The manager is also known as PM informally, has the task of overseeing the project, delegating tasks, guiding and assisting team members with issues, checking on budget, and trying to ensure the project stays on track with the well-defined deadlines. Source: https://www.codleo.com/blog/4-Ps-of-Project-Management This lesson will discuss the concept of project management and various tools for project scheduling and monitoring for timely completion and implementation of information system in the organization. These topics will be useful for monitoring the progress of project as per timelines defined in the beginning of the project. Project management is the process of defining, planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the development of an information system. Project management is important throughout the entire life cycle of the system development. While developing and conceptualizing the project, managers must consider the project size and scope, IT resources available, prior experience with similar projects, and applicable constraints. Project is divided into number of activities and accordingly the time and budget estimates are prepared for each activity to complete the project within time frame and allotted budget. The management of large projects requires analytical tools for scheduling activities and allocating resources. This lesson describes various tools such as Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), Critical Path Method (CPM), Critical Path Scheduling (CPS) and Gantt chart that has proven valuable to project managers for project management. Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 7 prohibited.  Project Management and Monitoring Project management and monitoring is an essential part of information system development to ensure higher success rate and to increase the satisfaction of customers by delivering/implementing the system as per deadlines. Project manager has to plan and control activities within the computer based system and resources like people, equipment, money, time, etc., for successful development of system. Efficient planning and monitoring keeps budget under control and create an environment of success and users satisfaction. Generally information systems developed for business activities involves data processing. This involves higher risks, giving rise to the expenditure for the system to be developed. On order to reduce the effect of risks or uncertainties, planning and controlling measures are to be taken care of by the analyst. Project manager has to monitor the plan very closely in such a way that even smaller deviations from plans are recognized and corrective actions are taken to avoid or mitigate the effect and deviations. Despite best efforts, projects may fail due to number of factor such as:  Goals are not understood.  Escalation in budget.  Lack of coordination among various teams of project development  Planning was performed by a separate group who were not part of analysis team.  User/Customer not co-operating.  User changes the requirement frequently.  Frequently shifting of skilled staff from the project team.  Unforeseen constraints Project Scheduling An analyst must plan the project with applicable constraints and should design a yardstick to control the development of system to minimize the ambiguities and impact of risks and their consequences. Each step or activity of the project must be planned and scheduled to monitor the progress of the project. Project manager must know the activities to be performed, duration of each activity, the order in which the activities will be performed, the start and end times for each activity, and who will be assigned to each specific task. Project scheduling is an integral part of project development. Manager has to consider and perform the following actions while preparing the project schedule. 1. Define activities A list of activities with their detailed description is prepared for the system. This list is used as a reference by each and every member of the development team. 2. Estimate duration of each activities After defining the activities, estimate the time for completing each activities. This will help the manager to estimate the total time required for developing a system. The time should be calculated in man days. To estimate the time, weighted average of three estimates is selected for each activity. The three estimates are as given below: (i) Optimistic time: How long the activity will take to complete the job, if everything goes as per plan. Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 8 prohibited.  (ii) Most likely time: How long the activity will take normally to complete the job. (iii) Pessimistic time: How long the activity will take to complete the job, if everything does not go as per plan. The estimated time for each activity will be computed on the basis of the formula (eq. 1) given below. However, manager can device their own criteria for weighted average (if required). Eq. (1) Where O = Optimistic time M = Most likely time P = Pessimistic time 3. Activities relationship and priority Generally, activities are dependent on each other; therefore the manager has to determine which activities are inter-dependent. A dependent activity cannot be started until one or more other related tasks are completed. Hence all activities cannot be accomplished concurrently, but activities that are to be accomplished first should be given higher priority in order to optimally utilize the resources. For example one cannot go for pilot testing of the software until required hardware has been installed. After identifying all the activity dependencies, arrange the activities in a logical sequence. 4. Define start and end time of each activities Define the staring and end time of each activity to be performed. An activity cannot start until all preceding activities on which it depends are completed. The ending time for an activity is its start time plus whatever time it takes to complete the task. 5 Assign man power On the basis of skill of the members of development team, activities should be assigned. After assignment, analyst calculates the man days with respect to the member who is assigned the activities. The resulting figure is compared with estimated man days, if the comparison is balanced then the analyst will continue with assignment job else the analyst has to reassign the task to avoid delays with respect to time in man days estimated in the previous step. Assignment should not overload or underutilize team members. After performing the above actions, analyst can represent the activities pictorially for better understanding while scheduling project using graphical tools such as PERT/CPM and Gantt chart. Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 9 prohibited.  PERT/CPM PERT and CPM are project management techniques, which have been created to plan, schedule and control complex projects. PERT was developed by the US Navy to manage the construction of nuclear submarine during 1958. CPM was the developed approximately during the same period (1957) by private industry to meet similar project management needs. The first test was made in 1958, when CPM was applied to the construction of a new chemical plant. A PERT/CPM chart shows a project as a network diagram. The project is defined as a collection of interrelated activities with each activity consuming time and resources. PERT/CPM provide analytic means for scheduling the activities. CPM deals with the situations when deterministic time estimates for the activity completion time can be given precisely while PERT can be used in the situations when the activity completion time cannot be given precisely i.e. activity completion time is probabilistic. The distinction between the two methods have disappeared over time and today the technique is called either PERT, CPM or PERT/CPM. Terms related to PERT/CPM Commonly used terms to prepare PERT/CPM chats are as follows: Activity: An activity is a task or job required to be completed within a certain time limit. Activity is represented by an arrow shaft (i.e. Vectors). Event: It is a point which represents start or finish of an activity. It is represented by circle. The event at the beginning of the activity is called start event and the event at the end of the activity is called as finish event. The activity lines connect one node to another. The length of a line is not related with duration of the activity it represents. Fig.1 shows two events connected by an activity line/ vector. Each event is identified by a number event-1 is the beginning of the activity and event-2 marks the end. Each activity is identified by a short description above the vector, or with a letter or code explained in a table. The estimated duration of the activity appears below the vector. Figure 1. Events connected by activity vector Dummy activity: A dummy activity in a PERT/CPM chart indicates an event dependency. The dummy activities neither utilize any resources nor does it consume any unit of time. These activities are represented by dotted lines to create sequence of activities. For example, in figure 7.2 the dummy activity connecting events 3 and 4 identifies that event 4 cannot take place until event 3 occurs. Figure 2. Events connected by dummy activity Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 10 prohibited.  Dependent activities: When activities are completed in a sequence, they are called dependent or serial activities. Figure 3(a) shows three dependent activities A, B, and C. One can notice that activity A must end before the start of activity B. Event 3, which marks the end of activity B, must occur before activity C can start. Parallel/ Concurrent activities: When activities are completed at the same time, they are called concurrent or parallel activities. Figure 3(b) shows activities A and B are parallel that can be done at the same time, but the duration of these two activities may be different. For example activity A may take one week and activity B any take 5 weeks for completion. One can notice that activity C depends on completion of activities A and B i.e. activity C cannot start until both A and B are completed. The dummy activity between events 2 and 3 connects activities A and B into a single path that leads to activity C and shows that they both must be completed before C can begin. Figure 3 (a) Dependent activities (b) Parallel activities Earliest Completion Time (ECT): This is the minimum amount of time necessary to complete all activities that precede the event. To determine ECT, work out from left to right. Latest Completion Time (LCT): LCT for an event is the latest time at which the event can occur without delaying the project. To determine LCTs, you may work backward through the chart, from right to left. Critical Path (CP): A critical path is a series of events and activities which determine the total length of the project. It is the longest path through the network for which every node has equal ECT and LCT. A critical path is a series of events and activities with no slack time. If any activity along the critical path falls behind schedule, the entire project schedule is similarly delayed. Critical path include all activities that are vital to the project schedule. So the critical path determines the project completion date. Project managers must know what the critical path is, so that they can monitor progress and make prompt decisions, if necessary, to keep the project on track. Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 11 prohibited.  Procedure for drawing PERT/CPM chart 1. Define the Project and all of its significant activities or tasks. The Project (made up of several tasks) should have only a single start activity and a single finish activity. 2. Develop the relationships among the activities. Decide which activities must precede and which must follow others. 3. Draw the "Network" connecting all the activities. Each Activity should have unique event numbers. Dummy arrows are used where required to avoid giving the same numbering to two activities. 4. Assign time and/or cost estimates to each activity 5. Determine the earliest completion time for each event. 6. Determine the latest completion time for each event. 7. Compute critical path which is longest time path in the network. 8. Use the network to help plan, schedule, monitor and control the project. The key concept used by CPM/PERT is that a small set of activities, which make up the longest path through the activity network control the entire project. If these "critical" activities could be identified and assigned to responsible persons, management resources could be optimally used by concentrating on the few activities which determine the fate of the entire project. Non-critical activities can be re-planned, rescheduled and resources for them can be reallocated flexibly, without affecting the whole project. Rules for construction of PERT All activities should either go from left to right or from top to bottom in downward direction.  Loops within the PERT must be avoided.  Activities should neither cross each other nor intersection of activities is allowed.  Usage of dummy activities should be as less as possible. Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 12 prohibited.  Example Draw PERT chart and determine critical path for given set of activities involved in developing a software project for dairy industry. List of activities along with estimated time and dependency is given below in table1. Table 1 List of activities along with estimated time and dependency Activity Symbol Activity Description Dependency Time (in days) ssA System Analysis Start 15 B Hardware - 25 Selection C System Design A 35 D Hardware B 20 Installation E Program Coding C 50 F File Conversion D 25 G Documentation D 35 H Program Testing E 25 I User Training H 25 J User Test I 25 Solution: As per the given information, there are 10 activities and their dependencies are also shown. Network diagram connecting all activities for drawing PERT Chart is shown in figure 4 given below. The diagram includes 10 activities, 11 events and two dummy activities that are used to reconnect parallel paths. The labels shown above each and every arrow represents the name of the activity and the numbers below the arrow line represent the estimated completion time. Number within circles specifies the events, and arrow lines show the progress of network in forward direction. After identifying the activities, events and duration, next task is to determine the overall length (i.e. critical path) of the project. First step is to compute ECT and LCT for each and every event from the diagram. ECT is the minimum amount of time necessary to complete all the activities that precede the event. ECT is computed by working out forward from left to right across the chart. LCT is the latest time at which the event can occur without delaying the project. LCT is computed by working backward from right to left across the chart. There will exists at least one complete path through the network for which every node has equal ECTs and LCTs. Computed values of ECT and LCT are shown the table 2 as well as in figure 4. ECT values are displayed in a rectangle and LCT values in a triangle symbol for each event Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 13 prohibited.  above the nodes in Figure 4. Critical path is a sequence of activities/ events where ECT and LCT are same for the events. From the network diagram, you can see the path 1-2-4-6-9-10- 11 (or A-C-E-H-I-J) has equal number of ECTs and LCTs. This path is the critical path for the given problem and has been highlighted in the figure. Table 2 ECT and LCT values Event Activity ECT LCT sss1 0 0 2 A 15 15 3 B 25 70 4 C 50 50 5 D 45 90* 6 E 100 100 7 F 70 125 8 G 80 125 9 H 125 125 10 I 150 150 11 J 175 175 Figure 4 Network diagram showing the PERT/CPM chart Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 14 prohibited.  Gantt Charts Gantt charts were developed by Henry L. Gantt during 1944, as a production control technique and become very popular among the community. This tool is used to illustrate scheduling of activities involved in a project. Gantt chart is a kind of horizontal bar chart to show the order of activities against time. It uses horizontal bars to show the durations of actions or tasks. The left end of bar represent beginning of activity and the right end represent the end of an activity. Activities are displayed vertically (i.e., on Y axis) and time periods horizontally (i.e., on X axis). The activities may be arranged from top to bottom or bottom to top in the order of their start dates. Gantt chart is shown in figure 5. This chart represents various activities involved in developing an information system in chronological order for the problem discussed in example given above. Figure 5 Gantt chart showing the activities involved in system development A Gantt chart is a project management tool assisting in the planning and scheduling of projects of all sizes, although they are particularly useful for simplifying complex projects. As it's in a bar chart format it is possible to check on progress with a quick glance. Project Management Software A large project involving complex relationships and hundreds of tasks/ activities and events is difficult to analyze manually. Therefore, to achieve efficient utilization of people, time, and resources managers are using other project management techniques and software Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 15 prohibited.  packages to manage large and complex projects. These software packages meet the needs of modern management practices and facilitate the project management process substantially to deal with the complexity of large projects. Project management software offer many features such as estimation and planning of man power, scheduling of activities and resources, PERT and Gantt charts, cost control and budget management, resource allocation, communication, quality management, printed reports, screen displays, graphical plots, and documentation or administration systems. Project management software can be implemented as a program that runs on the desktop of each user or as a Web application programs accessed through an intranet, or an extranet using a web browser. Desktop version gives the most responsive and graphically-intense style of interface. Web based software packages have all the usual advantages and disadvantages of web applications. Project management software package can be a single-user system or a collaborative system. Single user system is programmed with the assumption that only one person will edit the project plan. A collaborative system is designed to support multiple users modifying different sections of the plan. There are number of project management software available in market, readers may refer the web link for exhaustive list of such software packages Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_project_management_software. Commonly used project management softwares: 1. Microsoft Project: This is one of the most popular packages and it now offers a web interface and deep Office, Outlook and SharePoint integration. 2. Matchware MindView: MindView has an easy-to-use spreadsheet-like layout, and its mind map option lets you see your project in visuals, reminiscent of brainstorming bubbles. 3. Project Kickstart: Project KickStart is an easy-to-use project management package that integrates with other applications like PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, Word, and Microsoft Project. 4. RationalPlan Multi Project: This Project has features to manage resources and budgets as well as multiple projects. It has an interactive Gantt chart, normally available only in higher-end suites. 5. Basecamp: Basecamp is a low-cost web-based project management and collaboration package which is gaining momentum. 6. Milestones Professional: This is project scheduling software developed by KIDASA Software, Inc., Milestones Professional is a Windows-based program designed to create presentation-ready Gantt Charts and schedules for users. Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 16 prohibited.  7. 5pm: 5pm is an online tool and application service provider for project management. This software is available in 16 languages and provides interactive Gantt chart. Mobile edition is also available. 8. Collabtive: It is a web-based project management software published as free software. It provides an open source alternative to proprietary tools like Basecamp or ActiveCollab. Collabtive is written in PHP5 and uses an AJAX-based user interface. It is multi-language capable, supporting more than 30 languages. Collabtive integrates with other web services via an XML API. It also provides for importing functionality and data from other applications. It allows the user to work with to-do lists, milestones, files and to track the time worked on a task-by-task basis. Source: http://ecoursesonline.iasri.res.in/mod/resource/view.php?id=4703 Network Diagram A network diagram is a schematic that shows all the tasks in a project, who is responsible for them and the flow of work that is necessary to complete them. In other words, they help visualize the project schedule. Like the PERT chart, it is also made up of arrows and nodes that show the course of tasks through the life cycle of a project. It can be used to track progress and scope once a project has been executed. Figure 6. Network Diagram Source: https://www.edo.ca/downloads/project-management.pdf -project management ppt Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 17 prohibited.  The importance and rise of project management  Projects are becoming increasingly important. One of the reasons is because innovation is driven by projects and innovation is becoming increasingly important. Our economy has shifted from where competition between firms focused on operational excellence (becoming more efficient) to one where competition is driven by disruptive innovation.  To understand the link between innovation and projects, it is important to understand the two essential characteristics of a project. o Every project has a beginning and an end. While the start can be fuzzy as ideas evolve gradually into projects, the end of a project should be clearly defined. o Every project produces a unique outcome. Note that this outcome can be both tangible - e.g. a piece of software - or intangible - e.g. a new set of guidelines.  In sum, projects are unique and temporary, similar to innovation. After all, if innovation was not unique, then it would not be innovative. At the same time, innovation is temporary because once an innovation is introduced, it is picked up and becomes business as usual and is no longer considered innovative.  With the rise in importance of projects, the necessary skills to manage these projects have also increased. On the one hand, this gave birth to the specific function of a project manager, but also other job functions such as executives, functional managers and team members need to have project management skills. It has become a must-have job skill that will only become more valuable.  Project Management itself consists of methods, theories and techniques to manage the complexity of project work. As a discipline it has evolved over the past 60 years under the umbrella of several standards organizations, such as the Project Management Institute and the International Project Management Association. When is a project successful?  The traditional view on project success consists of three parts and is also called the iron triangle or triple-constraint: o The project is executed on time. o The project is executed within budget. o The project produces an outcome of high quality. This consists of two dimensions:  Product Scope: What is the product supposed to do?  Performance: How well does the provided functionality work? Both product scope and performance should be defined at the start of the project and high quality is achieved when the project delivers as specified. Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 18 prohibited.   These three aspects of project success are not independent from each other. On the contrary, typically improving one criteria implies delivering short on one of the other criteria - e.g. if one wants to execute the same project in less time, one needs more resources (higher budget) or one has to lower the specifications of the deliverable.  Recently, it has been argued that these three success criteria are only a small part of a bigger picture. Delivering to specification, does not guarantee that the project actually produces value to the stakeholders.  A more general definition of a successful project is one that delivers business value.  However, delivering value is not only a matter of delivering the product to specification, but also delivering the right specification, i.e. delivering the right product. Source: https://bookdown.org/content/e12712f9-eea3-49cb-ad8d-a3e908f52a2f/an-introduction-to-project- management.html The Different Plans Used in Projects Building Regulations are standards that apply to all buildings to make sure they are safe for people who are in or around them. The Building Regulations contain a series of Approved Documents covering the technical aspects of construction work. The Approved Documents consist of: Part A - Structure Part B - Fire Safety Part C - Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture Part D - Toxic Substances Part E - Resistance to the passage of sound Part F - Ventilation Part G - Sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency Part H - Drainage and Waste Disposal Part J - Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems Part K - Protection from falling, collision and impact Part L - Conservation of fuel and power Part M - Access to and use of buildings Part N - Glazing Safety (Withdrawn) Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 19 prohibited.  Part P - Electrical Safety Part Q - Security Part R - Physical infrastructure for high-speed electronic communications networks. Regulation 7 - Materials and workmanship Put simply, Building Regulations deal with the technical and constructional details of building works to ensure the health and safety of people in and around the building. What are the Building Regulations Drawings? The Building Regulations apply to the majority of new builds and many alterations to existing buildings. In order to show that you are complying with Building Regulations for your project, you need to submit your Building Regulations drawings for Building Control approval. Your architect should prepare your Building Regulations application drawings based on technical legislation that is laid out in the Approved Documents. Designing your project to meet Building Regulations ensures that your building: - is safe for those in and around it; - meets the required level of comfort and living standards; - will be of good standard. Building Regulations approval is not the same as Planning Permission. Planning permission and Building Regulations approval (Building Control) are two separate pieces of legislation. Sometimes you may need both; sometimes you may only require one; or none at all. Planning Drawing Example Planning permission covers the principles of development, assessing whether the development will accord with local and national policies, whereas the Building Regulations cover the structural and technical aspects of the project. Because the planning legislation is distinct from Building Control legislation, it should not be assumed that one grants consent for another. Drawings at a planning stage will not cover all the requirements needed to pass Building Regulations. Planning drawings are used to show the local planning department the scope of works, usually highlighting the appearance and layout of the proposal, paying particular attention to the proposed materials and main features of the building. The construction methods and details are not shown in this set of drawings and will not be a factor in the planning decision. Building Regulations Drawing Example On the other hand, Building Regulations drawings are much more detailed than planning drawings, showing construction methods and details in the drawing package. Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 20 prohibited.  The drawing package will also contain drawings, calculations and specification from your structural engineer showing proof that your proposed works are in full compliance with all the relevant Building Regulations. Most of the reputable architecture firms prepare very detailed Building Regulations Full Plans with calculations, specifications and construction notes for a contractor to accurately price the project. Again, this is always dependent on who is putting your Building Regulations package together. Planning Drawings Building Drawings A more detailed set of drawings showing the Location Plan to scale proposed works, including construction methods and materials To scale plans to show the size and layout of Drawings with full measurements the proposal Drawings with notes proving compliance with Illustrates scope of works the relevant Building Regulations Shows the proposed design through further Shows the proposed design through plan, drawings that can highlight but are not elevation and section limited to: electrical, mechanical, drainage, demolition and fire safety Focuses on the appearance and materials Relevant construction details at a larger scale of the proposal are often required Specification with further information about No construction information included construction and materials No reference to Building Regulations Thermal calculations Source: https://urbanistarchitecture.co.uk/building-regulations-drawings/ WATCH: Project Management Full Course | Learn Project Management In 8 Hours https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi1NFF1OTPc Project Management 101 | Project Management Tutorial for Beginners | Project Management Fundamentals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLXkOYaZ_K0 Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly 21 prohibited.