DM306 Distributed Project Management 2024 PDF

DM306: Distributed Project Management 15 January 2024 Week 1 Dr Hilary Grierson Lecture • Distributed design • Supporting distributed project management • Communication • Collaboration • Co-ordination • Tools Introduction • Modern day product design and development takes place in a global cont...

DM306: Distributed Project Management 15 January 2024 Week 1 Dr Hilary Grierson Lecture • Distributed design • Supporting distributed project management • Communication • Collaboration • Co-ordination • Tools Introduction • Modern day product design and development takes place in a global context. • Design team members need to acquire and develop an enhanced collaborative skill set. • Distributed design teams place a far heavier reliance on communication and collaboration than conventional co-located teams. • Communication technologies such as virtual environments, video and data conferencing and shared workspaces enable global product development activities. What is Distributed Design? • The wherewithal, knowledge and skills required to design, develop and manufacture products that no longer reside within a single location. • This leads to the need to establish distributed and possibly global design teams. • Additionally, current industry approaches such as the concept of the extended enterprise and global business have promoted the growth of distributed working. Assembly Design Manufacture A380 Physical v Virtual Physical proximity Company structure Cultures Information exchange Physical Space Relationships Purpose - Achieving Goals Resources Technology Working environment Accessing information Transparency of design activities Educational background Virtual Space Traditional/Physical Design Close In small and medium sized companies with 1 or few sites Limited variety of cultures, since team members may come from same company site Opportunity for sharing formal and informal information (ideas, dilemmas), between team members Characteristic Distributed/Global Design Physical proximity Remote Company structure Multi-national and international organisations with different sites Cultures Different people from different countries or sites, with a variety of experiences Information exchange Limited opportunity to share informal information because of the dispersed location Traditional/Physical Design Ample opportunity for f2f interactions An evolving sense of purpose Ample opportunity for sharing of resources (technical, human, etc.) Fewer hiccups due to possible sharing of technical systems Characteristic Relationships Purpose Achieving Goals Resources Technology Distributed/Global Design Limited opportunity to interact and build relationships A directed common sense of purpose Limited access to similar technical and nontechnical resources Possible problems in terms of hardware, software and resources, due to variation in technical systems Traditional/Physical Design Characteristic Distributed/Global Design A higher sense of belonging within team Working environment Feeling of isolation and possible absence of sense of belonging Availability of information at anytime to every member Accessing information Limitation in time and space for accessing information Greater visibility of design work Transparency of design activities Lack of visibility of work being carried on by team Similarity of work Differences in education, method and employment Educational/training language and training, time orientation and background expertise Distributed Working issues Technology and Environmental issues – – – – – – – – – Inadequate software - not able to perform the necessary tasks Unfamiliar software environment Lack of technical training and support Poor physical and hardware environment Difficulties in conveying design ideas Difficulties in the ability to share required data i.e. CAD data, shared whiteboards. Often no shared record kept e.g. of text messages Facebook, Twitter, etc. - good for social networking but not adequate for industrial collaborations. How secure are these technologies? Distributed Working issues Socio-cultural issues – – – – – – Not knowing collaborators in advance Not having clearly defined roles and responsibilities Misunderstandings Frustrations of asynchronous collaboration Differing cultures and methods Differing individual backgrounds and personalities Distributed Teams • A distributed design team is a multidisciplinary team containing the core skills required to undertake a project. – – – – engineering (e.g. design, mechanical, electrical, manufacturing) marketing finance others • These individuals would interact synchronously or asynchronously supported by a ‘collaborative toolkit’. • A defining characteristic of distributed design is the use of technology-mediated communication much more than f2f interaction in order to communicate. Distributed Teams • It is simply not sufficient to provide a set of collaborative tools and expect teams to work together effectively. • Engineers need to learn how to work within a distributed team environment in order to solve global product development problems. • Designers and engineers involved in distributed design teams need to develop an understanding of: – – – – – collaborative technologies socio/cultural issues the nature and operation of the distributed design process project management of a distributed team distributed information access, generation and management Supporting effective distributed design Different dimensions for effective distributed design Communication Physical/ Virtual space Co-ordination PRODUCT Collaboration , Source: adapted from Teufel et al, 1995 co-operative triangle for effective distributed design Communication Project Management Time and Space Grid Communication Technology-mediated communication +ves • Impacts on speed and ease of information sharing • Allows access to technologies 24/7. Technology-mediated communication -ves • Restricts the transmission of cues. • Human-computer interface and technology failures. Collaboration Using a combination of technology and virtual teams, global companies are: – increasing information and knowledge transfer, – increasing the speed of achieving solutions and – decreasing the bottlenecks or delays between customers and suppliers or geographically dispersed employees. Collaboration In addition different members of distributed teams offer unique information and expertise….. ………….and as a result of the sharing these different sources of expertise and information, a better product is delivered. Co-ordination Information and the Design Process Design Stage Information Shared Project Definition Reports, meeting notes, statistical data etc. Concept Design Sketches, brainstorming notes etc. Detail Design Design calculations, manufacturing drawings etc. Manufacture Bills of material, test specs etc. Sell Presentations, artwork etc. Co-ordination Challenges for resource and information co-ordination 1. More information to be shared: need to share information not only about task, but also team and context. 2. Sharing of resources and information needs to be managed effectively using technology medicated communication. 3. Information needs to be accessible by all – stored in document management systems or project repositories. 4. ‘Virtualness’ probably has a larger impact on the distribution of contextual information than task information. Co-ordination Reasons for resource and information co-ordination 1. Fewer communication errors between project members 2. Up-to-the-minute intelligence on all decisions and collective information relating to project 3. Less expensive for copying, messengers, couriers, etc. 4. Security Source: Teamwork and Project Management, Chapter 8:Project management, Documentation and Communications Co-ordination Characteristics of good records for product development Easily accessible Thorough – date, time, people Organised and legible Comprehensive Right media Consistent format Secure Cost effective Flexible Tools to support distributed work Communication Support System Classes Conferencing Systems – Message video and Handling audio Systems Shared Databases Workflow Monitoring Tools Process Definition Tools Co-ordination Support •Communication Systems •Shared Information Spaces •Workflow Management •Workgroup Computing Electronic Bulletin Boards Shared Desktop Systems Planning Systems Online Whiteboards Electronic Meeting Systems Collaboration Support Sauter et al (1995) http://www.ecscw.org/1995/08.pdf Desktop Conferencing Capabilities Video and Voice Communication • Team discussions Sub-contractor at site 3 Designer at site 1 NETWORK (INTERNET ISDN) Designer at site 2 Manufacturing Engineer at site 4 Desktop Conferencing Capabilities Shared Online Whiteboard • • • • Sketching Brainstorming Evaluation Marking-up Desktop Conferencing Capabilities Real-Time Application Sharing • CAD Drawings • File Transfer • Spreadsheets Desktop Conferencing Capabilities Information Storing • OneDrive • Sharepoint