Research Methods & Project Management Combined Lecture Slides PDF

Research Methods & Project Management  General Overview of Course  Teaching Staff  Weekly Breakdown  Assessment Breakdown  MACA and Extensions Policy  Cheating and Plagiarism Policy  MyUni Overview  Working as Part of a Team  This course is intended as a precursor to the...

Research Methods & Project Management  General Overview of Course  Teaching Staff  Weekly Breakdown  Assessment Breakdown  MACA and Extensions Policy  Cheating and Plagiarism Policy  MyUni Overview  Working as Part of a Team  This course is intended as a precursor to the engineering honours project. Therefore, this course is suitable for students who: ▪ Have completed 48 units of study (i.e. first and second year) ▪ Expect to complete your degree program by the end of Semester 1, 2026  If you are unsure whether this course is suitable for you, please contact me  The major component of this course is a group research project  Throughout this course, you will learn: ▪ How to find and analyse research articles James Hughes Course coordinator and Lecturer Gayani Fernando Lecturer  Education  Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)(Mechanical and Aerospace) – UoA, 2018  PhD in Mechanical Engineering – UoA, 2021 Research and Experience James Hughes  PhD – Guided wave damage inspections  Postdoc #1 – Fatigue and fracture  Postdoc #2 – Ultrasonic defect detection Learning and Teaching  Tutor since 2016, lecturing since 2018  Stress Analysis and Design, Solid Mechanics, Design Practice, Dynamics, Fracture Mechanics Research Outside Uni ▪ Fatigue crack growth ▪ Sailing ▪ Nondestructive testing ▪ Adelaide Crows ▪ Solid mechanics ▪ Roller Coasters ▪ Guitar Teaching ▪ Engineering education ▪ Communication skills ▪ Academic integrity  Education  Bachelor of Science of Engineering (Civil) – UoM  Mphil in Civil Engineering - HKU Research and Experience Gayani Fernando  Research associate  Research engineer  Civil engineer Learning and Teaching  Lecturing and tutoring since 2008 Research ▪ Data driven methods in hydrology and environmental modelling ▪ Prediction of water quality variables ▪ Rainfall runoff modelling ▪ Hydrology and environmental modelling Teaching ▪ Project management ▪ Hydrology  Each week you may be required/wish to attend the following elements of the course: ▪ Lectures ▪ Workshops ▪ Practical ▪ Consulting  Although this is not a “technical” engineering course involving equations, it is still vital that you review all of the lecture material. This will give you the best understanding of how to complete a research project and the associated engineering management skills  There will be 2 x one hour lectures per week. These will both occur in Flentje on: ▪ Tuesday at 8am ▪ Friday at 9am  You are not required to attend this session, but you are heavily encouraged to attend so you can ask questions and keep up to date with your work  If you choose not to attend a lecture, you should review the recording as soon as possible  The lectures will present information related to project management and how to best complete your research project  There will be a core concepts test which can cover any information presented in the lectures  There will be 3 x two hour workshop sessions per week. You are only required to attend one session. The session times are: ▪ Monday 2pm in BSS 2032 ▪ Tuesday 9am in IW B18 ▪ Wednesday 10am in BSS 1062  Attendance at these sessions is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, and is required for you to receive your participation mark for that session  Please only attend the workshop you are enrolled in  During some of the workshops you will meet with your research project advisors. Therefore, if you want to be in a group with specific people, make sure you are all enrolled in the same workshop  The practical for this course is a computer exercise which involves using MS Project. There are 2 x one hour sessions to attend in weeks 3 and 4. There are 3 practical streams: ▪ Tuesday 4pm in EM 108 ▪ Wednesday 2pm in IW G22 ▪ Thursday 4pm in IW B23  It is highly recommended that you attend these sessions as without attending it will be extremely difficult to complete your scheduling assignment My consulting times for this course are Monday 10am – 12pm and Thursday 10am – 12pm in my office (IW 3.17)  You can find all of the information regarding assessment due dates, class schedule, etc. on the course calendar uploaded to MyUni  Note that due dates on this calendar are indicative only Type Weighting Submission Research Project 75% Literature Review (50% hurdle) 35% Group Project Plan 20% Group Presentation 10% Group Project Review 5% Individual Project Management 5% Group Active Participation 5% Individual Scheduling Assignment 5% Individual Core Concepts Test 15% Individual Course Total 100%  The core of this course is a semester long research project. This is intended as a precursor to an honours project (i.e. the project will be something that you could conceivably continue as your honours project)  The research project is a group project  There are five main components of the research project: ▪ Literature Review (Due EOW 9) – 50% hurdle requirement ▪ Presentation (Weeks 10 and 11) ▪ Project Review (Week 12) ▪ Project Management (Due SWOT) ▪ Project Plan (Due SWOT)  Active participation marks will be allocated during a number of activities such as workshops, peer reviews, and smaller online quizzes.  Each AP task is worth 0.5%. There will be more than 10, but the grade is capped at 5% maximum.  Just attending the workshop does not qualify you for the 0.5% AP mark  The workshop based AP marks will usually involve submitting a worksheet or a quiz shortly after the workshop finishes  This mark is to ensure that you are properly understanding the material and are engaged in the course  Please ensure you attend you enrolled workshop class, as the due date for some AP submissions will be based on your enrollment  There is a direct correlation between AP marks and overall mark!!  To apply for an extension for an assessment task, you should complete the online Application for Assessment Extension form. This then goes to me as the course coordinator to make a decision ▪ The form explains what situations are covered and what kind of evidence is required ▪ If your situation is ongoing/urgent and you cannot complete the form yet, email the course coordinator immediately to explain your situation ▪ Submitting the form does not guarantee an extension ▪ Please do not apply for an extension the day an assignment is due  For more information, please refer to the MACA policy  Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students who are suspected of cheating and/or plagiarism will be referred to the academic integrity committee. Please note that cheating and plagiarism includes (but is not limited to): ▪ Directly copying material which is not your own ▪ Closely paraphrasing material without providing references ▪ Using the ideas or concepts of others without acknowledgement ▪ Using AI to generate portions of work which you submit as your own  The use of AI is NOT PERMITTED in this course  Turnitin has an advanced AI plagiarism detector which is highly accurate Counselling Support Struggling? Need someone to talk to? Free and confidential Highly experienced counsellors Address whatever gets in the way of Uni adelaide.edu.au/counselling  In week 2, the topics of potential research projects will be released  Group formation is as follows: 1. Find two other people in your workshop session that you would like to work with 2. Read through the projects and note a few that your group are interested in 3. Find another group of 3 in your workshop session who you would like to work with and would like to complete the same project 4. Complete the group formation quiz so you can be placed into a project  This process will occur in the week 2 workshop  Engineers Australia has a list of competencies which graduates must attain throughout the course of their degree  EA stage 1 competency 3.6 – Effective team membership and team leadership has the following indicators of attainment a) Understands the fundamentals of team dynamics and leadership b) Functions as an effective member or leader of diverse engineering teams, including those with multi-level, multi-disciplinary, and multi-cultural dimensions c) Earns the trust and confidence of colleagues through competent and timely completion of tasks d) Recognises the value of alternative and diverse viewpoints, scholarly advice, and the importance of professional networking e) Confidently pursues and discerns expert assistance and professional advice f) Takes initiative and fulfills the leadership role whilst respecting the agreed roles of others  In 1965, researcher Bruce Tuckman analysed people working in groups and noticed that almost all groups go through the following five stages 1. Forming – in this stage the team first meets, and members act reasonably independently 2. Storming – here the team experiences internal conflict. This is usually resolved through the adoption of a group leader, and everyone is able to find their place in the team 3. Norming – once disagreements and conflict are resolved, the group can start functioning normally and making progress towards the goals 4. Performing – the team has a good grasp of the task at hand, has sorted out all differences, and is most productive towards achieving their goals 5. Adjourning – the results of the project are passed on, the team is wrapped up and disbanded  Functioning effectively as a team requires a diverse range of “team roles” to be fulfilled. Research shows the following factors make teams less likely to succeed: ▪ Teams which are too large or too small ▪ Teams where all the roles are not represented ▪ Teams where people compete to play certain key roles  One model for roles within a team was created by Dr Meredith Belbin Social Roles Thinking Roles Action Roles Coordinator Plant Shaper Team Worker Monitor-Evaluator Implementer Resource Investigator Specialist Completer-Finisher  We expect the following from all students when working in groups: ▪ Actively attend meetings ▪ Be honest about your intentions or ability to complete work ▪ Respect the contributions of others ▪ Be inclusive (the best teams work when there is minimal conflict)  In the week 3 workshop you will draft a team contract which contains: ▪ What you expect from your team members ▪ What you agree to do as a team ▪ How you will resolve internal conflicts  Complete Introduction Quiz Research Methods & Project Management  General Reminders  What is a Project  What is Project Management  What does a Project Manager do  Quality and Requirements  Triple Constraint  Approaches to Project Management  PMBOK  Project Scope  Two general reminders: ▪ Please make sure you complete your Introduction Quiz. It is due 7pm this Sunday and is worth one AP session ▪ Attendance at workshops is pseudo-compulsory. During this time you will meet with your groups, complete activities designed to help you manage your project, and gain active participation marks  A project can be defined as “a coordinated set of tasks designed to create a new product, process, or service within a constrained time and resource budget”  Projects are temporary ▪ They have a clearly defined start and end in time defined scope and budget  Projects are unique ▪ Specific set of operations designed to accomplish a goal  Projects are scoped ▪ Specific task to be completed, which is understood by the client and administering body  Project management is best described as the utilisation of tools to ensure that the objectives and overall goal of a project are delivered ▪ On-time ▪ Within budget ▪ To the client’s expectations Construction of a house Development of new RAH Design & build of future submarine fleet Increasing scale For all projects, a very similar project management toolkit is used  As an engineering graduate, you could be in a variety of different industries ▪ Consulting ▪ Construction ▪ Government (i.e. defence) ▪ Utilities  The skills of project management are transferrable between all of these industries  Project management skills take time to develop – it generally happens through experience and learning from different projects you will work on in your career  This course is designed to be a kick starter to developing these skills  Is ultimately responsible for Is across all Leads team to the success aspects of the meet objectives project Project Management Balances Engineer competing Resolves conflict constraints Provides Liaises with the direction and client vision What the company offered What management approved What the engineer designed What was manufactured What was installed What the client wanted  Quality – the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils requirements  Requirement – need or expectation that is stated, generally implied, or obligatory  Examples of requirements could include ▪ Standards (ISO, building code, etc.) ▪ Legal documents ▪ Council rules ▪ Guidelines  As engineers, we need to ensure that we meet the requirements of the client, including hidden requirements (such as complying with local laws)  Requirements can change dependant on the scale of the project Uni Small project Large Project Lectures Client brief Client brief MyUni Contract Workshop Design sessions Proposal Consultation Client meetings Stakeholders Legislation Approval Code of Practice conditions Specifications Legislation Code of Practice   Customer requirements are met  Organisational objectives (i.e. safety, quality, risk, budget, employee satisfaction) are met What does success  The public sees the benefits of the project (EA code look like? of ethics)  A maintainable, reliable, sustainable solution  Safety, equity, legislative, standards, and building codes are met  The triple constraint in project management refers to three factors which Scope govern all projects ▪ Cost ▪ Scope Project Time Quality ▪ Time  The project quality is a combination of all of these factors  If one constraint is changed, the others Cost must change to compensate  There are two general approaches to project management ▪ Waterfall – defined by the scope, planned at the start ▪ Agile – defined by the cost and time you are willing to put in, evolves Scope Time Cost Heirachy Time Cost Scope Waterfall Agile  In practice, management of the triple constraint requires ▪ Working with the client throughout the course of the project ▪ Clearly communicating the project scope ▪ Setting deadlines for completion of sections ▪ Allocating resources to ensure the budget and time constraints are met ▪ Monitoring the project so tradeoffs and adjustments can be made as needed  Taking inspiration from quality management, the PDCA cycle is commonly used in project management engineering Recognise opportunities, plan Plan objectives and method Plan Carry out the plan to gather Do meaningful data / create something Act Do Evaluate the results – do they meet Check the requirements? Based on the analysis, make Check Act changes to improve future outcomes  POBOK stands for Project Management Body Of Knowledge ▪ Is the ‘global standard’ for project management ▪ Adopted by the Australian Institute of Project Management ▪ Contains 10 knowledge areas for PM ▪ Newer edition contains agile project management  An alternative used in the UK is PRINCE2  Throughout the semester we will be looking at the knowledge areas in the PMBOK guide  Knowledge Areas Process Groups Project Integration (Chapter 4) 1. Initiating Project Scope Management (Chapter 5) 2. Planning Project Time/Schedule Management (Chapter 6) 3. Executing Project Cost Management (Chapter 7) 4. Monitoring and Controlling Project Quality Management (Chapter 8) 5. Closing Project Resource Management (Chapter 9) Project Communications Management (Chapter 10) Project Risk Management (Chapter 11) Project Procurement Management (Chapter 12) Project Stakeholder Management (Chapter 13)  Processes, Tools and Inputs Outputs Techniques, Practices Scope Management Knowledge Area 5.1 Plan Scope Mgmt 5.2 Collect requirements Requirements Contract 5.3 Define Scope Requirements matrix 5.4 Create WBS WBS 5.5 Verify Scope 5.6 Control Scope  The project scope statement describes ▪ The project deliverables ▪ The work required to complete the deliverables ▪ What will and won’t be completed as part of the project  Imagine you are building a house. Are the following items within the scope or the build? ▪ Flooring ▪ Heating and cooling ▪ Driveways  You will apply the project management tools you learn to your semester long research project  Specifically, the following assignments heavily involve project management tools ▪ Project plan for 2025 (hypothetical honours project) ▪ Project monitoring (demonstration throughout the semester of meeting minutes and other project monitoring and control tools) ▪ Project review (critical reflection of the project, i.e. the “act” stage)  Complete Introduction Quiz Research Methods & Project Management  General Reminders  Importance of Setting up a Project  Industry Frameworks  Project Quality Management  Validation and Verification  Management Systems  Project Meetings  Active Work  Project offerings are now available – please have a look if you have not already  During the workshop you will enrol in a 3-person group  You will then submit project preferences, and you will be placed with another 3-person group to make a project team of 6  The library has a number of excellent training resources for helping develop information finding skills ▪ Library Essentials I: Fundamental information skills ▪ Library Essentials II: Intermediate information skills  In 2010, during pre-season testing and the inaugural race in Bahrain, the Virgin Racing F1 team found their fuel tank was too small to complete races  How do you determine ▪ Who was at fault? ▪ Which people approved the fuel tank design? ▪ Who did the calculations? ▪ Who manufactured the tank? ▪ Where did it all go wrong?  Setting up your project well at the start allows traceability of issues and reduces project risks  In 1999, the Mars Climate Orbiter, a $125M USD spacecraft, crashed into the surface of Mars. This occurred due to a computer program which, output in N.s, interfaced with a ground station which thought the unit was lbf.s ▪ Was it NASA or Lockheed Martin’s fault? ▪ Who pays for the loss of the spacecraft? ▪ How do we make sure this doesn’t happen again?  Industry uses frameworks to track projects over time. These include: ▪ Project codes ▪ Document control ▪ File structures/sharing ▪ Meeting minutes/agendas ▪ Verification and validation ▪ Distribution of information  By following these frameworks we can both track the progress of a project, as well as accountability  The Management System for Engineering Education provides a framework for Policies ▪ Risk mitigation ▪ Decision making Procedures ▪ Traceability Processes / Work Methods  Very similar practices are used in industry Templates / Records  PMBOK guide Section 8 provides information on project quality management  Dr W. E. Deming developed the area of quality management ▪ Total quality management ▪ Continual Improvement Skill / Outcome ▪ Focus on improving systems and processes Time  Quality Management Coordinated activities to direct and control an organisation with regard to quality Quality Control (QC) Quality Assurance (QA) Focused on providing confidence Focused on fulfilling quality that the quality requirements will requirements, testing the product, be fulfilled, process based output based  As engineers we need to follow international standards on quality, safety, etc. ▪ ISO 9000: Quality Management Systems – Fundamentals and Vocabulary ▪ ISO 9001: Quality Management Systems – Requirements ▪ HB90.3-2000: The Construction Industry Guide to ISO9001:2000 ▪ ISO 14001: Environmental Management System ▪ AS/NZ 4801: Health and Safety Management System  User Design Design Design Product / Needs Input Process Output Service Verification Validation  Verification: Checking what you have designed was what you intended to design  Validation: Checking if your final output is what the user needs  The purpose of management systems is to: ▪ Improve efficiency ▪ Minimise risk ▪ Minimise unplanned outcomes ▪ Increase consistency and confidence ▪ Ensure everyone is on the same page  In industry, projects are controlled using an organisation’s specific management system processes, requirements, and IT systems  What do management systems allow? ▪ All team members have access to up to date documents ▪ If team members are not available, other team members have access ▪ Evidence is available when the project is audited ▪ Verification and review activities can be easily undertaken ▪ Lessons can be learned from successes and failures ▪ Decisions can be traced (meeting minutes are important for this) ▪ Contractual disputes can be resolved ▪ The distribution of documents can be managed (who was given what and when)  For this course, our document management system is MS Teams  The correct use of your MS teams channel is part of your Project Management assessment  You should include a “readme” file that explains the document control structure  Please see the Project Management assignment on MyUni for specific details  Project Monitoring ▪ How you use your teams channel ▪ Team charter ▪ Project documents (with correct naming conventions) ▪ Feedback given in week 5  Project Plan ▪ To be completed after the literature review  Why do we have project meetings? ▪ Formal communication channel ▪ Auditable trail of project process ▪ Provides an agreed interpretation of the discussions ▪ Enables outcomes to be reviewed ▪ Allocates responsibility for decisions and actions ▪ Creates accountability ▪ Provides a reporting mechanism for management teams ▪ Can assist to clarify events in the case of legal action and/or contractual disputes  You will have both advisor meetings and regular group meetings throughout the semester ▪ All meetings should have an agenda ▪ Held at least once per week ▪ Rotate the chair role and minute taker role ▪ Minutes are numbers sequentially, to enable tracking of specific items ▪ Should aim for at least one specific action item per meeting ▪ Actions should have an associated due date ▪ Date and location of next meeting should be decided on  There are many different meeting minute templates which you can use for inspiration  Good meeting minutes are: ▪ Action-oriented ▪ Finalised soon after the meeting ▪ Use objective language (avoid embarrassing people) ▪ Focus on what/why rather than who/how ▪ Clarify any issues ▪ Ensure participants know the action requirements  Scheduling assignment released  Literature review released  Project management released Research Methods & Project Management  Why is Research Important?  What is Research?  How do we Start Research?  Communication  Time Management  Scheduling Assignment  Active Work  Career ▪ Innovation plays a huge role in engineering ▪ Research skills are expected (whether in practice or further study) ▪ Enables you to make engineering decisions based on self-directed critical reviews ▪ You may need to conduct a study on your own  University ▪ Final year honours research project makes up a good proportion of honours grade (i.e. 1st class, 2nd class A, 2nd class B, 3rd class) ▪ Open ended projects enable modelling of industry experience (self-directed but advised)  The purpose of research is to discover something new and useful  You are adding something to the body of knowledge (usually incremental)  The Department of Education and Training uses the following definition: Research is defined as the creation of new knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way so as to generate new concepts, methodologies and understandings. This could include synthesis and analysis of previous research to the extent that it leads to new and creative outcomes.  Research is a broad term which encapsulates pure and strategic research, experimental development, and applied research  As engineers, we are mainly looking at applied research – an original investigation for the purpose of acquiring new knowledge in order to address a specific practical objective  Typical examples of research within the field of engineering are ▪ New development or advancement of a technique (modelling, experimental, theoretical, etc.) ▪ Translation of a technique from one field to another (i.e. taking established mathematical concepts and applying them to an engineering field) ▪ A new insight into a problem, physical process, or technique (i.e. learning how something works, or doesn’t work)  Research can be ▪ Theoretical or empirical/experimental often a mixture for engineers ▪ Quantitative or qualitative mainly quantitative for engineers  In engineering, research is fairly application focused (i.e. applied research)  In engineering, research is fairly application focused (i.e. applied research)  Research is often judged based on three factors Feasibility  This is useful to consider in relation to our projects ▪ Literature review ▪ Project plan Significance Innovation ▪ Presentation  We normally start by conducting a survey of what has previously been done ▪ This is the purpose of a literature review!!  The creation of new knowledge requires ▪ Identification of the knowledge gaps in the problem domain being considered ▪ Motivation for filling these research gaps ▪ Creation of research objectives Maier, H.R., 2013. What constitutes a good literature review and why does its quality matter?. Environ. Model. Softw., 43, pp.3-4. Maier, H.R., 2013. What constitutes a good literature review and why does its quality matter?. Environ. Model. Softw., 43, pp.3-4. Maier, H.R., 2013. What constitutes a good literature review and why does its quality matter?. Environ. Model. Softw., 43, pp.3-4. Maier, H.R., 2013. What constitutes a good literature review and why does its quality matter?. Environ. Model. Softw., 43, pp.3-4.  Communication is the most important tool for any profession, including engineering  Conducting world class research is pointless unless you can communicate it with a variety of audiences  What ways can you communicate information? Submit your thoughts to Menti (code: 1829 9659)  Reports  Website  Memo  Oral presentations  Meetings (inc. minutes)  Voicemail  Tenders  Radio/podcast  Professional network  Email  Video/tele conf  SMS  Phone call  Physical models  Slack/Teams  Specifications  Simulations  Code  Drawings  Calculations  Blog  PPT  Plots  Project schedule  Poster  Body language  Gantt chart  The four Ds of time management Important Unimportant ▪ Do – Important tasks which can only be done by you, deal with it Urgent ▪ Delegate – Tasks which can be or should Do Delegate be dealt with by one of your team members or colleagues ▪ Delete – Tasks which are not important and not urgent Not urgent ▪ Delay – If you cannot apply the first three, set a reminder and revisit the task at a later time Delay Delete  Time management is all about prioritising the important and urgent tasks  Why is time management important in a project setting? ▪ Ensure you complete all tasks by the end date ▪ Ensure you complete the project within budget ▪ Ensure you fulfil the project scope  In project management, time management refers to ▪ The process of analysing work and developing a timeline to ensure you complete a project within a particular schedule ▪ The planning, scheduling, monitoring, and controlling of all project activities ▪ The tools and techniques used for managing time  Plan: ▪ What software tools will you use MS Project (widely used in industry) ▪ Who is responsible for using the software ▪ How often the schedule will be reviewed  Identify: ▪ The project milestones ▪ The activities of the project ▪ The breakdown of activities into manageable tasks Work breakdown structure  The scheduling assignment teaches you to use MS Project to plan your semester  You will likely use this tool during your honours project and in industry  Need to ▪ Identify requirements ▪ Identify critical periods ▪ Identify management strategies ▪ Identify where you are best spending your time  Details about the scheduling assignment are available on MyUni  MS Project is only available in the CAT suites, so please attend your enrolled sessions!  Things to watch out for when using MS Project to complete your scheduling assignment: ▪ Set the calendar / working time – do you want to include weekends? ▪ Switch the scheduling mode to auto – ensures changes propagate through the chart ▪ Provide a reasonably detailed breakdown, but not so detailed that every minute is mapped out – you can overload with information ▪ Use colour sparingly and when necessary – it should add value to the chart rather than make it look pretty ▪ Printing your schedule is not simple – you will need to hide some columns. The tutors can help with this if you are having trouble, or there are lots of good videos online ▪ Look at the finished product and think: does this accurately convey what I need to achieve this semester, and will it help me to stay on schedule and manage my time?  Scheduling assignment – work on  Literature review – check for project allocations (to be released soon) and review preliminary information  First advisor meeting is next week – make sure you are prepared  Explore your MS Teams channel (to be created soon) Research Methods & Project Management  Definition of Ethics  Ethics in Research  ACRCR  University Authorship Policy  EA Code of Ethics  Academic Integrity  Academic Integrity Quiz Tips  Ethics are a set of principles which guide our behaviour  There is some overlap with morals Ethics and law, but ethics is not exactly the same  Governing bodies often have a code of ethics Morals Law ▪ UofA ▪ Engineers Australia  What does ethics in research look  What is poor ethics in research? like? ▪ Fabrication – making up data or results ▪ Rigorous thinking and practice ▪ Falsification – misrepresenting ▪ Honesty about results research by manipulating data or results, for example changing or ▪ Attributing ideas to the correct omitting data people ▪ Plagiarism – using another’s ideas, ▪ Willingness to be subject to scrutiny results, or words without appropriate credit ▪ Sharing of data and results for community benefit ▪ Disclosure – failure to disclose conflicts of interest ▪ Respect of privacy  The following are examples of things which are not unethical or misconduct ▪ Differences of opinion with others in the field ▪ Disagreements with supervisors ▪ Unintentional errors (when discovered they should be corrected) ▪ Using the ideas of others when properly referenced  Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research UoA Responsible Conduct of Research Policy and Procedure Data Management UoA Research Data and Primary Materials Policy FAIR Writing up Research (Findable/Accessible/Interoperable/Reusable) UoA Authorship Policy data UoA Academic Integrity Policy Data from Humans or Animals UoA Research Ethics procedures Office of Research Ethics, Compliance and Integrity Ethics Committees  Principle 1: Honesty in the development, undertaking and reporting of research ▪ Present information truthfully and accurately in proposing, conducting and reporting research  Principle 2: Rigour in the development, undertaking and reporting of research ▪ Underpin research by attention to detail and robust methodology, avoiding or acknowledging biases  Principle 3: Transparency in declaring interests and reporting research methodology, data and findings ▪ Share and communicate research methodology, data and findings openly, responsibly and accurately ▪ Disclose and manage conflicts of interest  Principle 4: Fairness in the treatment of others ▪ Treat fellow researchers and others involved in the research fairly and with respect ▪ Appropriately reference and cite the work of others ▪ Give credit, including authorship where appropriate, to those who have contributed to the research  Principle 5: Respect for research participants, the wider community, animals and the environment ▪ Treat human participants and communities that are affected by the research with care and respect, giving appropriate consideration to the needs of minority groups or vulnerable people ▪ Ensure that respect underpins all decisions and actions related to the care and use of animals in research ▪ Minimise adverse effects of the research on the environment  Principle 6: Recognition of the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be engaged in research that affects or is of particular significance to them ▪ Recognise, value and respect the diversity, heritage, knowledge, cultural property and connection to land of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples ▪ Engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples prior to research being undertaken, so that they freely make decisions about their involvement ▪ Report to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples the outcomes of research in which they have engaged  Principle 7: Accountability for the development, undertaking and reporting of research ▪ Comply with relevant legislation, policies and guidelines ▪ Ensure good stewardship of public resources used to conduct research ▪ Consider the consequences and outcomes of research prior to its communication  Principle 8: Promotion of responsible research practices ▪ Promote and foster a research culture and environment that supports the responsible conduct of research  Within the code, we also have responsibilities as researcher. Of particular interest are: ▪ R17: Comply with the relevant laws, regulations, disciplinary standards, ethics guidelines and institutional policies related to responsible research conduct. Ensure that appropriate approvals are obtained prior to the commencement of research, and that conditions of any approvals are adhered to during the course of research ▪ R21: Adopt methods appropriate to the aims of the research and ensure that conclusions are justified by the results ▪ R22: Retain clear, accurate, secure and complete records of all research including research data and primary materials. Where possible and appropriate, allow access and reference to these by interested parties ▪ R25: Ensure that authors of research outputs are all those, and only those, who have made a significant intellectual or scholarly contribution to the research and its output, and that they agree to be listed as an author ▪ R26: Acknowledge those who have contributed to the research ▪ R27: Cite and acknowledge other relevant work appropriately and accurately  To qualify for authorship on a document or research article, you must have given a significant scholarly or intellectual contribution involving at least two of the following five activities 1. Conception and design of the project 2. Acquiring research data where that acquisition requires significant intellectual judgement or input 3. Contribution of knowledge, where justified, including indigenous knowledge 4. Analysis and interpretation of research data 5. Drafting significant parts of the article or critically revising it so as to contribute to the interpretation  All listed authors are collectively accountable for the whole research output  An individual author is directly responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their contribution to the output  Authors should take steps to ensure that they have confidence in the accuracy and integrity of the contributions of their co-authors ▪ All team members should be confident that no-one violated the academic integrity policy  EA has a separate code of ethics which maps well on to the ACRCR  EACOE 1: Demonstrate Integrity ▪ Act on the basis of well-informed conscience ▪ Be honest and trustworthy ▪ Respect the dignity of all persons  EACOE 2: Practice Competently ▪ Maintain and develop knowledge areas ▪ Represent areas of competence objectively ▪ Act on the basis of adequate knowledge  EACOE 3: Exercise Leadership ▪ Uphold the reputation and trustworthiness of the practice of engineering ▪ Support and encourage diversity ▪ Make reasonable efforts to communicate honestly and effectively to all stakeholders, taking into account the reliance of others on engineering expertise  EACOE 4: Promote Sustainability ▪ Engage responsibly with the community and other stakeholders ▪ Practice engineering to foster health, safety and wellbeing of the community and the environment ▪ Balance the needs of the present with the needs of future generations  The University’s Academic Integrity Policy outlines what constitutes responsible research and what a breach is  Make sure you read through it, understand the different types of breaches, and cite your sources correctly  The University of Adelaide generally uses one of two referencing systems: ▪ University of Adelaide Harvard author-date style ▪ IEEE numbering referencing style  There are style guides on the University website which will be useful to review throughout your research project and honours project  Changing the order of ideas in not paraphrasing  If you are using more than a few words together, you need to include quotation marks, give an in-text reference, and include the source in the reference list  You can’t just use synonyms on some of the words  You must include an in-text reference at the end of each idea you use from a source, even if that means two consecutive references to the same source in the same paragraph  Generally, you should only use quotations for definitions  If you cannot find the original source text and you are paraphrasing from a secondary source, you must include both the sources in the in-text reference. Only include the actual source you read in the reference list  Scheduling assignment – work on  Literature review – start reading background information and gathering research articles  Set up your MS Teams channel  Complete the Academic Integrity Quiz Research Methods & Project Management  What is a Literature Review  Phases of a Literature Review  What should you Look For?  Back Chaining  Forward Chaining  Keyword Searches  Information Management  Literature Review Form  Active Work  A literature review is a type of writing that explores, analysis, and synthesizes current literature around a particular topic or area of study ▪ Literature here refers to published information/materials on a particular area of research or topic  The purpose of a literature review is to ▪ Provide an overview of existing research ▪ Critique existing research ▪ Identify the gaps in existing research ▪ Identify areas for further research  A good literature review contains the following elements ▪ What has been established, discredited, and accepted in your field of research ▪ Areas of controversy and conflict amongst different schools of thought ▪ Problems or issues that remain unsolved ▪ Emerging trends and new approaches ▪ How your research extends, builds upon, and/or departs from previous research 1. Refine Topic 2. Select Literature 3. Analyse & 4. Develop Synthesise Argument  Criteria for selection Start with  Plan before you given topic ▪ Relevance Concept 1 write ▪ Importance ▪ Mind map ▪ Authority A B ▪ Outline Narrow down ▪ Currency  Refine as you write  Don’t necessarily include C D ▪ Give yourself time all the literature you Research find! ▪ Refine structure and question arguments and/or aim ▪ Look for repetition  Aspects of the topic/problem already studied by others ▪ What is the motivation for researching this topic? ▪ What is already known about the topic?  Ideas which need further investigation ▪ What hasn’t been done? ▪ Are there any disagreements? ▪ Could the topic be extended? ▪ Are there research questions which have not been adequately answered? Foundational research Identify sources used for key concepts. Key sources in the field Start with the paper/s provided by your Advisor Key sources will be cited by other Recent developments researchers.  Back chaining refers to looking at the sources which are cited by a publication 1. Note the key concepts in a paper provided by your advisor 2. Find the paper on a database (web of science, compendex, etc.) 3. Find the sources within the publication which relate to a key concept ▪ Go to the reference list or use “find sources cited in” function of database 4. Read the new article and determine if it is foundational research (seminal source) ▪ Check how many publications have cited the source ▪ Check the status/impact of the journal  Be careful not to rely too heavily on a single source  Forward chaining refers to looking at articles which cite a publication 1. Find the paper on a database (web of science, compendex, etc.) 2. Use the “citations” or cited by” link to see papers which cite this source 3. Sort the results using a reasonable filter ▪ Newest first ▪ Highest cited 4. Review the newer papers to determine if they are relevant to your research  All publications will have a number of “keywords” which are submitted by the authors and are printed on the article  Keyword searches can be useful for finding relevant articles  Useful Boolean operators ▪ “ “ : An exact phrase ▪ AND : joins two phrases ▪ OR : searches both phrases ▪ NOT : excludes certain phrases  Part of managing information effectively is having a system for saving, labelling, and drawing data out of the articles you find. This is important for a) The ease of use and finding of information b) Getting a good mark for the Project Management assignment  Often you can tell if an article is relevant by reading the abstract. This is usually only 200 – 300 words long. If relevant, you should ▪ Download and store in MS Teams ▪ Update your study based matrix spreadsheet ▪ Note some key points that the source covers  Consider using a system like EndNote of Mendeley for referencing  Literature reviews typically follow the same form: 1. Stage 1: Introduction 2. Stage 2: Literature Review (i.e. the main body) 3. Stage 3: Outcomes 4. Stage 4: Objectives  For our Project Proposal assignment, we will use the following structure ▪ Stages 1 and 4 of the Lit Review ▪ Methodology ▪ Work Breakdown Structure ▪ Management Requirements  The introduction to a literature review serves several important purposes ▪ States the problem domain ▪ Provides motivation for undertaking research ▪ Explains the significance ▪ Introduces the research gap  Within the introduction (and all stages) of the literature review, you should move from general information to more specific information  This is the biggest portion of the literature review – where you present the analysis and synthesis of the papers you have read  Sources can be grouped in a number of ways ▪ Approach / theme / method ▪ Chronologically ▪ Distant to close  Normally we would try to move from distant to close sources, then by approach, then chronologically  Should include “gap indicators”  The outcomes section summarises the main body  Research gap and innovation are implied  Project potential is explained  Present information in the same order as in stage 2  Focus on stating the gaps in literature ▪ What areas can be extended? ▪ What is yet to do? ▪ Are there any new research questions?  Normally the shortest part of the literature review (sometimes a single page)  Presents the overall problem (sometimes called the aim)  Breaks the aim down into several project objectives which are intended to address the gap(s) in literature  Objectives should be SMART ▪ Specific ▪ Measurable ▪ Attainable ▪ Relevant ▪ Timebound  Scheduling assignment – work on  Literature review – continue reading background information and gathering research articles  Complete the Academic Integrity Quiz (if you haven’t already)  Prepare for your second advisor meeting  Start looking through the literature review exemplars Research Methods & Project Management  Collaborative Writing  Document Control  Writing Roles  Literature Review Format  Literature Review Submission Requirements  Progress Report  Draft Literature Review  Active Work  As an engineer you will frequently author reports with a number of colleagues  Collaborative writing skills are extremely important in both university and industry Team Team introductions, getting to know each other’s skill sets Team bonding, building trust formation Operating agreements, setting expectations Team Review tasks to be done and roles of each teammate Create a work plan planning Set team goals and objectives: milestones, deliverables, due dates Document Plan the document: research, brainstorm, outline format and content Compose a draft of the document production Revise, and iterate revisions Final document review to edit and approve content, organisation, and style Wind up Final document processing (proofreading and submission)  Can we / do we want to work on any tasks together? ▪ Synchronously and co-locationally When do you work together? ▪ Synchronously but not co-locationally ▪ Asynchronously The initial research stage  Task allocation At the conclusion of research ▪ Random? and before you write ▪ According to skills or interests? Checking progress and peer ▪ According to availability? review The final document review  File management ▪ Who is responsible? ▪ Naming, filing, access, version control  Mode Description Pros Cons Can be useful for Non-controlling members may When one person controls the maintaining group focus feel a lack of ownership or Centralised document throughout the and when working toward control of what goes into the process a strict deadline document When one person at a time is in Relay charge but the control changes Democratic Less efficient in the group When each person maintains Often require an editor to pull it Useful for remote teams Independent control of their assigned together; can reflect a group working on distinct parts portion that lacks government Can be highly effective; When everyone has non-threatening; good for Can lead to conflict, especially Shared simultaneous and equal groups working F2F, who in remote or less functional privileges meet frequently, who have groups high levels of trust  Mode Description Pros Cons Can be useful for Non-controlling members may When one person controls the maintaining group focus feel a lack of ownership or Centralised document throughout the and when working toward control of what goes into the process a strict deadline document When one person at a time is in Relay charge but the control changes Democratic Less efficient in the group When each person maintains Often require an editor to pull it Useful for remote teams Independent control of their assigned together; can reflect a group working on distinct parts portion that lacks government Can be highly effective; When everyone has non-threatening; good for Can lead to conflict, especially Shared simultaneous and equal groups working F2F, who in remote or less functional privileges meet frequently, who have groups high levels of trust  Role Description Writer A person who is responsible for writing a portion of the content A person who is external to the project and has no ownership or responsibility for Consultant producing content but who offers content and process-related feedback (peer reviewers outside the team; instructor) A person who is responsible for the overall content production of the writers, and can Editor make both style and content changes; typically has ownership of the content production A person, internal or external, who provides specific content feedback but is not Reviewer responsible for making changes A person who is part of a team and may fully participate in authoring and reviewing the Team leader content, but who also leads the team through processes, planning, rewarding, and motivating A person external to the team who leads the team through processes but doesn’t give Facilitator content related feedback  As previously stated, there are four main stages (or headings) to the literature review ▪ Stage 1: Introduction – problem domain, motivation for research, overall gap ▪ Stage 2: Body – synthesis and analysis of the literature, gap indicators, identification of what has been done and what needs more work ▪ Stage 3: Outcomes – specific gaps are stated, significance is justified ▪ Stage 4: Objectives – overall aim of the project, objectives which are focused on addressing a previously identified research gap  After these sections, don’t forget References!  We will talk more about the specifics of each stage next week  There is a 50% hurdle requirement  The document will be written in Microsoft Word  The page limit is 20 pages (from the start of the introduction to the end of the objectives). This will be STRICTLY enforced. The minimum pages is 15  You may include as many appendices as you like  You must also include a ‘contribution of each team member document’ at the end  The final submission should be a single PDF document containing  The filename for the PDF submission should be structured as ENG3005_PROJECTID_LR_FINAL.pdf  You must abide by all of the rules set out in the style guide  During this week you will need to complete a progress report for your project  This is a document that allows you to perform a ‘self check’ on how your project is going  It must be completed and submitted to MyUni 2 hours before your week 5 workshop session (to allow me time to print it off)  During your week 5 workshop you will be paired up with another group and discuss your progress reports  The progress report template and information is available under Assignments on MyUni  Mainly covers preliminary information (i.e. introduction)  Project description ▪ Rewording your project description is useful to ensure you understand your own project  Focus ▪ The purpose of the literature review is to identify and justify a project goal – the literature review should point to something you could do ▪ Your focus must therefore be practical  Need for research ▪ Include ideas from the sources + references ▪ Okay to include your own understandings, but note ideas that will need to have references  Referencing ▪ Follow the UoA Harvard Guide or the IEEE style (EndNote has a UoA Harvard option & IEEE) ▪ Alphabetical order (no numbering or bullet points) ▪ Check required elements for each publication type, and their order ▪ Check the formatting requirements – use of capitals, italics, punctuation  Issues and challenges  Plan ▪ Plan for the whole semester ▪ Enter all the group assignment submission weeks (course calendar) ▪ Include advisor AND group meetings: rotations for agendas, minutes, chairing  The draft literature review is due at the end of week 6, submitted on MyUni  It should contain the following elements: ▪ Skeleton document, complete with headings ▪ Cover page ▪ Table of contents ▪ Introduction started ▪ Chunks of the body completed, with at least one section written by each member of the team ▪ References used correctly  Indicate one significant paragraph written by each member of the group. For that subsection, I will: ▪ Provide feedback on your language ▪ Comment on use of references ▪ Suggest ways to improve the writing ▪ Comment on the overall quality of the document ▪ Provide guidance on your reference list  This is an excellent opportunity for you to have a portion of your work ‘pseudo- marked’ by a marker – do not waste it!  Scheduling assignment – work on  Literature review – start adding to your skeleton document, work on progress report for next week’s workshop Research Methods & Project Management  PMBOK Process Groups and Knowledge  Project Scope  Work Breakdown Structure  WBS Design Principles  WBS Creation  WBS Format  Examples  WBS Checks  Relation to Gantt chart, Project Schedule, and other PMBOK Knowledge Areas  Active Work  5.1 Plan Scope Mgmt 5.2 Collect requirements Requirements Contract 5.3 Define Scope Requirements matrix 5.4 Create WBS WBS 5.5 Verify Scope 5.6 Control Scope  The PMBOK guide defines project scope as “The work performed to deliver a product, service or results with the specified features and functions”  Scoping a project allows us to ▪ Set boundaries ▪ Define deliverables ▪ Estimate project resource requirements  The project scope statement describes, in detail, the project’s deliverables and the work required to create those deliverables ▪ Deliverable: Any unique and verifiable product, result, or capability to perform a service that must be produced to complete a process, phase, or project.  The PMBOK guide defines project a work breakdown structure as “A hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables”  A WBS is ▪ Deliverable oriented – not action oriented ▪ Hierarchical ▪ Organises and defines the total scope of the project ▪ Each descending level represents an increasingly detailed definition of the project work ▪ Deliverables include both internal and external deliverables ▪ Often looks like a tree  Your WBS is an organisational chart for your project from an objective perspective ▪ Work scope which is not contained within the WBS should not be considered part of the project  A WBS assists in ▪ Verifying consistency and completeness of the scope ▪ Avoiding duplication ▪ Creation of a Gantt chart to plan resources and time  The WBS is an important communication mechanism ▪ Common language amongst stakeholders (on both project management and subject matter) ▪ Assists in understanding what is within and outside the scope  A WBS can be created using one of two approaches ▪ Phase based – design, renovation, finishing ▪ Product based – demolition, installation  100% rule ▪ A WBS should include 100% of the work defined by the project scope and capture all deliverables, including project management ▪ The sum of the “child” level must equal 100% the work represented by the “parent”  Mutually exclusive elements ▪ There must be no overlap in scope definition between different elements of a WBS  Plan outcomes, not actions  Level of detail required – when do you stop decomposition? ▪ 8-80 hour rule – work packages (smallest chunks of work) should be completable in a timeframe of 8 hours (one day) to 80 hours (10 days) ▪ Smaller timeframe work packages for smaller projects, larger for larger projects ▪ Can one person manage the work package? ▪ Can you accurately estimate time, allocate resources, and estimate cost?  Coding scheme ▪ WBS elements are numbered sequentially to reveal the hierarchical structure ▪ Unique labels/numbers are used  Other principles to keep in mind ▪ Relationships – WBS elements do not imply or show relationships ▪ Time – WBS elements don’t account for time or sequence of events ▪ Levels of decomposition – where a parent only results in one child, that parend shouldn’t be decomposed further  Gather critical documents ▪ Collect all of the crucial project documents ▪ Identify content containing project deliverables, such as the project charter ,scope statement, and project management plan  Identify key team members ▪ Identify the appropriate project team members ▪ Analyse the documents and identify the deliverables  Define level 2 elements ▪ Level 2 elements are summary deliverable descriptions/phases that must capture 100% of the project scope ▪ One level 2 element should be project management  Decompose elements ▪ Start with a level 2 element and break into unique lower level deliverables ▪ Continue breaking these new elements until the desired level of detail is achieved ▪ Work covered by each element is managed by a single individual or organisation ▪ The element would only have one “child” ▪ 8-80 rule ▪ “Child” elements capture 100% of the “Parent” element ▪ Ask yourself “would any additional decomposition make the project more manageable?” If the answer is “no”, this branch of the WBS is complete ▪ Continue until you decompose all level 2 elements  Work packages are the lowest elements of the WBS (think “quanta” for those physics inclined)  They are the building blocks for the WBS  The cost, duration, and resources of work packages can be reliably estimated  It makes no sense to break the work down any further  Produces a deliverable which is measureable  Work packages can be completed “in-house” or outsources to contractors 1. Project Lvl 1  1. Project Lvl 1 1.1 Key deliverable 1 1.2 Key deliverable 2 1.3 Key deliverable 3 1.4 Project Management Lvl 2  1. Project Lvl 1 1.1 Key deliverable 1 1.2 Key deliverable 2 1.3 Key deliverable 3 1.4 Project Management Lvl 2 1.1.1 Sub deliverable 1 1.1.2 Sub deliverable 2 1.3.1 Sub deliverable 3 1.3.2 Sub deliverable 4 Lvl 3  1. Project Lvl 1 1.1 Key deliverable 1 1.2 Key deliverable 2 1.3 Key deliverable 3 1.4 Project Management Lvl 2 1.1.1 Sub deliverable 1 1.1.2 Sub deliverable 2 1.3.1 Sub deliverable 3 1.3.2 Sub deliverable 4 Lvl 3 1.1.1.1 Work Package 1 1.1.2.1 Work Package 4 1.3.1.1 Work Package 6 1.3.2.1 Work Package 8 1.1.1.2 Work Package 2 1.1.2.2 Work Package 5 1.3.1.2 Work Package 7 1.3.2.2 Work Package 9 Lvl 4 1.1.1.3 Work Package 3 1.3.2.3 Work Package 10 1.3.2.4 Work Package 11  1. House Renovation Lvl 1 1.1 Kitchen 1.2 Main Bathroom 1.3 Painting 1.4 Project Management Lvl 2 1.1.1 Kitchen Design 1.1.2 Kitchen Remodelling 1.3.1 Exterior 1.3.2 Interior Lvl 3 1.1.2.1 Demolition 1.3.2.1 Preparation Lvl 4 1.1.2.2 Installation 1.3.2.1 Roll paint  1. House Renovation Lvl 1 1.1 Design 1.2 Renovation 1.3 Finishing 1.4 Project Management Lvl 2 1.1.1 Main bathroom 1.2.1 Demolition 1.1.2 Kitchen Lvl 3 1.1.2 Installation PMBOK Guide 6th ed. PMBOK Guide 6th ed.  To successfully check whether you have completed the WBS, ask yourself the following questions ▪ Can you allocate resources? ▪ Can you estimate how long it will take? ▪ Can you estimate cost? ▪ Do the “children” represent 100% the work of the “parent”? ▪ Is there any duplication?  There are several other methods which can be used to break down a project (i.e. PBS in PRINCE2, phase orientation, functional orientation)  A WBS is not a flow chart or a Gantt chart, but can be useful for creating these  After completing your WBS you can create a WBS dictionary ▪ The WBS dictionary gives a description of each of the elements in the WBS ▪ Information should include boundaries, milestones, risks, owner, costs, etc PMBOK Guide 6th ed.  You can further break down the work packages into individual tasks and sub tasks  This level of detail is not captured in the WBS, but is instead presented in a table as the project schedule  Using the previous example, from 1.3.2.1 Preparation we could have ▪ Task 1: Sand walls ▪ Task 2: Plug holes with Spakfilla® ▪ Task 3: Tape cornices ▪ Task 4: Install drop sheets  These will form the majority of entries in your Gantt chart  Knowledge Linkage Output for ENG 3005 area Integration Communicates scope Consolidated project plan Scope Integral Part of Scope Management Brief overview plus WBS Time Each element can be scheduled Project milestones and Gantt chart, consistent with WBS Cost Each element can be costed Budget breakdown (hours rather than $$$) Provides documentation expectations and highlights Quality Basic quality plan and document control areas for control/review/verification Human Organisation chart / task responsibility matrix, consistent Each element can have resources assigned Resources with WBS Communications Consisting reporting framework Modes of communication and meeting frequency Risk Specific risks can be identified Risk assessment matrix Procurement requirements can be linked to each Procurement Materials list (lead times?) element  Scheduling assignment – work on  Literature review ▪ Submit progress report before your workshop session (shouldn’t take too long to complete) ▪ Start adding to skeleton document (only sections 1 and 2) ▪ Ensure your project management (meeting agendas and minutes, file structure, teams channel) is up to date Research Methods & Project Management  Project Control within RMPM  Relationship to PMBOK Knowledge Areas  Project Controls  Importance and Benefit of Project Controls  Project Controls within PMBOK  Controlling the Scope  Controlling the Schedule  Controlling the Cost  Other Control Areas  Active Work  During ENG 3005, you will demonstrate your project control knowledge primarily through two assignments ▪ Project Monitoring ▪ Project Plan Time Cost  When looking at a hypothetical 2-semester project, remember the triple constraint ▪ Cost: 150hrs/semester, 6 students ▪ Time: 2 semesters Scope ▪ Scope: what can you do with these resources? Agile  Knowledge What is covered Output for ENG 3005 area Integration How do all the knowledge areas fit together? Consolidated project plan What has to be done, how is it being broken down into Scope Brief overview plus WBS tasks? When do the tasks need to be completed by, what are the Time Project milestones and Gantt chart, consistent with WBS milestones? Cost How many hours is each person allocated for each task? Budget breakdown (hours rather than $$$) How is quality controlled, how will documents be Quality Basic quality plan and document control controlled, who is responsible for verification activities? Who is on the team, what is their role, what tasks will they Organisation chart / task responsibility matrix, consistent with Human Resources be undertaking? WBS Communications How will the team be communicating and how often? Modes of communication and meeting frequency What risks can be identified (project management and/or Risk Risk assessment matrix technical) and how are they to be controlled? Procurement What materials are required? Materials list (lead times?)  Controlling a project encompasses the following areas ▪ Scope ▪ Schedule ▪ Cost ▪ Reporting progress (communication) ▪ Quality  Having a clearly defined project control structure helps when formulating the project plan  What are project controls? ▪ Project controls are processes that keep a project on track ▪ They help measure, forecast, and improve project performance ▪ Project controls run for the entire duration of the project, from initiation through until closing  What is the role of project controls? ▪ Minimise and prevent variance in cost and schedule ▪ Keep track of where the project is currently at, and where it is meant to be ▪ Log changes to the project ▪ Define what needs to be done next to achieve the project objectives within the scope  Monitor cost and schedule – risk identification  Allow corrections in a timely fashion, if necessary  Help manage project cost and scope creep  Allow forecasting cost and completion time  Improve confidence to project managers ▪ Control over uncertain events, to create the conditions needed to deliver something new and demanding  Remember the five process groups of PMBOK? 1. Initiating 2. Planning 3. Executing 4. Monitoring and Control 5. Closing  During the planning stage, we develop a baseline (i.e. estimate) for each of the knowledge areas  Whilst completing the project, we are constantly checking against the baseline to track the project This is done within the Monitoring and Control process group → Scope baseline → Schedule baseline → Cost baseline  Monitoring and control process group is present for almost all knowledge areas  Involves checking against baselines and updating with the newest and most relevant information  Planning 5.1 Plan Scope Mgmt 5.2 Collect requirements Requirements Contract 5.3 Define Scope Requirements matrix 5.4 Create WBS WBS 5.5 Verify Scope 5.6 Control Scope Monitoring and Controlling Knowledge Area 5 – Scope Management  Controlling the project scope involves monitoring the status of the project and changes to the scope  Changes to the scope are recorded through the variation register ▪ Description of changes ▪ Approval by all parties ▪ Changes to cost ▪ Changes to timeline (if relevant)  In industry, controlling the scope through a variation register is particularly important to prevent scope creep Variation No. Description $ Request Sent Approved Contract Sum 0 Original contract sum NA NA NA $180,000 Add outdoor kitchen to 1 $25,000 12/03/24 20/03/24 $205,000 design … … … … … …  Planning 6.1 Schedule Mgmt 6.2 Define Activities Activity list WBS 6.3 Sequence Activities Scope baseline Schedule baseline 6.4 Estimate Durations 6.5 Develop Schedule 6.6 Control Schedule Monitoring and Controlling Knowledge Area 6 – Schedule Management  The process of controlling the schedule involves 4 main steps 1. Analysing the schedule to determine which areas require corrective action 2. Deciding what specific corrective action should be taken 3. Revising the plan to incorporate the chosen corrective actions 4. Recalculating the schedule to evaluate the effects of the planned corrective action  The secret 5th step – communicate to the client throughout so everyone is aware of changes to the schedule, including cost, time, and resource implications (included in communication management but worth mentioning here too!)  Schedule control involves regular reviews / updates of the activities on your project Gantt chart ▪ What is delayed? ▪ What is taking more time than expected?  Using the “% complete” function on MS Teams is an excellent way to control the schedule Today % Complete  Planning Scope baseline 7.1 Cost Management 7.2 Estimate Costs Activity cost estimate Schedule baseline 7.3 Determine Budget Cost baseline WBS/Activity list 7.4 Control Cost Monitoring and Controlling Knowledge Area 7 – Cost Management  Cost control involves managing and monitoring expenditure to ensure the project stays within the budget ▪ Tracking all current project costs (labour, materials, equipment, transportation, etc.) ▪ Future expenses (due to scope change, schedule changes, etc.) ▪ Negotiating with vendors to find the best deal and lowest cost  The success of most projects involves profits – the industrial world is all about how much money can we make per unit money invested  Controlling the project cost trough planning, estimating, budgeting, financing, funding, and managing is key to completing projects within the budget  Without cost control measures, it is impossible to deliver projects within budget and keep them on track for completion  Project Design  From the project schedule, ID Activity Admin Architect Drafter Manager Engineer you can estimate 1.1 Project Management ▪ Budget 1.1.1 Client meetings 6 ▪ Data 1.1.2 Monthly reporting 6 ▪ Timesheets 1.1.3 Invoicing 3 6 ▪ Work completed 1.2 Planning 1.2.1 Site Meeting 2 2 ▪ Forecast (EAC – estimate at completion) 1.2.2 Prelim sketches 4 8 Approval ▪ Earned value – work 1.2.3 1 2 4 2 documentation completed compared with cost  Scope Work completed Cost WBS Earned value Actual Cost Schedule Planned Value Cost estimate ID Activity Man-hours Material Total 1.2.1 Task 1.2.1 $$ $$ $$ 1.2.1.1 Subtask 1.2.1.1 $$ $$ $$ 1.2.1.2 Subtask 1.2.1.2 $$ $$ $$ 1.2.2 Task 1.2.2 $$ $$ $$  Planned value (PV) – the amount you have budgeted to complete the work. At a single point in time, you can calculate the planned value of a project by working out what tasks should have been completed and how much it was expected to cost  Earned value (EV) – the earnings from the completed (or partially completed) tasks. If task A, worth $10k, is completed, the earned value is $10k, regardless of what it actually cost to complete the task. The earned value for an individual task can therefore never be greater than the planned value. However, if you are “ahead of schedule”, you may have completed tasks ahead of time and “earned” value which you didn’t expect at that point in the project  Actual cost (AC) – the amount you actually paid to complete a task. If this is the same as the earned value, then the task cost as the planned value for the task, then it cost as much as you thought it would.  We can plot the planned value at the start of the project, given we have estimated how much each stage will cost, and we have a schedule of when each stage will be completed  Management Reserve – a certain amount of the contract budget set aside by the project manager at the beginning of a project for unforeseen circumstances  Budget at Completion (BAC) – the sum of all of the planned values of all tasks, i.e. how much you expect the project to cost when it is finished  Estimate to Complete (ETC) – expected costs to finish all remaining project work  Estimate at Completion (EAC) – expected total cost of completing all the works of the project  Variance at Completion (VAC) – the difference between the BAC and the EAC  Lets say we want to audit the project at some point in time. We would 1. Look at the Gantt chart and determine which activities have been completed 2. Use this to calculate the total Earned Value of the completed tasks to date 3. Plot the total costs of the project to date  We can then calculate some useful metrics to track our project ▪ Schedule Variance, SV = EV – PV Tracks if you are on schedule ▪ Schedule Performance Index, SPI = EV / PV ▪ Cost Variance, CV = EV – AC Tracks if you are on budget ▪ Cost Performance Index, CPI = EV / AC  Scheduled % Actual % Task Task Cost PV EV AC Completion Completion 1.1 $10k 100 $10k 1.2 $15k 100 $15k 2.1 $10k 86 $8.6k Totals $33.6k  Scheduled % Actual % Task Task Cost PV EV AC Completion Completion 1.1 $10k 100 100 $10k $10k 1.2 $15k 100 83 $15k $12.5k 2.1 $10k 86 57 $8.6k $5.7k Totals $33.6k $28.2k  Scheduled % Actual % Task Task Cost PV EV AC Completion Completion 1.1 $10k 100 100 $10k $10k $12k 1.2 $15k 100 83 $15k $12.5k $10k 2.1 $10k 86 57 $8.6k $5.7k $15k Totals $33.6k $28.2k $37k  𝑃𝑉 = $33.6𝑘, 𝐸𝑉 = $28.2𝑘, 𝐴𝐶 = $37𝑘  𝑆𝑉 = 𝐸𝑉 − 𝑃𝑉 = −$5.4𝑘, 𝑆𝑃𝐼 = 𝐸𝑉/𝑃𝑉 = 0.84 ▪ As SV is negative and SPI < 1, the project is behind where it should be at this point in time  𝐶𝑉 = 𝐸𝑉 − 𝐴𝐶 = −$8.8𝑘, 𝐶𝑃𝐼 = 𝐸𝑉/𝐴𝐶 = 0.76 ▪ As CV is negative and CPI < 1, the project is over budget at this point in time  Quality control and quality assurance (see Lecture 3) is required to ▪ Deliver the product that the client asked for ▪ Ensure that the product fulfils the requirements  Communication management is achieved throughout the entire project through meetings. Important questions to discuss are ▪ What has been completed ▪ Are there any problems ▪ Where is the schedule/budget at ▪ Have any risks been identified ▪ Are there any OH&S issues  Scheduling assignment – work on  Literature review ▪ Ensure your project management (meeting agendas and minutes, file structure, teams channel) is up to date – feedback will be given after the end of this week ▪ Start writing your draft literature review for submission next week Research Methods & Project Management  What is a Risk?  Risk Assessments  What is Risk Management?  Risk Management Plan  Identify Risks – Bowtie Method  Risk Descriptions  Risk Analysis and Risk Matrix  Risk Register  WHS Act 2012  Active Work  Risk Event  A risk is an uncertainty that An uncertain situation or can affect an outcome event that could occur  The PMBOK definition of risk is “an uncertain event or condition, that if it occurs, has Likelihood Impact a positive or negative effect on The consequences of the The probability of the risk problem created (can be a project’s objective” event happening positive or negative)  There are two main types of risks ▪ Project risks Inherent Risk The overall level of risk ▪ Occupational risks  Risk assessments play a critical role in engineering projects to ensure that projects are delivered on time, within budget, and that the product delivered covers the scope of the project  AS ISO 31000:2018 is the standard for risk assessments  Risk assessments have a wide applicability to a range of areas ▪ Safety in design (SiD) ▪ Floods, capacity, load ▪ Traffic management ▪ Workplace safety ▪ Project management  The PMBOK definition of risk management is “Risk analysis and risk management is a process that allows individual risk events and overall risk to be understood and managed proactively, optimising success by minimising threats and maximising opportunities and outcomes” 11.1 Plan Risk Management 11.2 Identify Risks Project 11.3 Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis Risk documents 11.4 Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis management 11.5 Plan Risk Responses plan 11.6 Implement Risk Responses 11.7 Monitor Risks Knowledge Area 11 – Risk Management  Planning risk management first requires project documents and procedures (i.e. do you already have an organisational risk policy? Are there any templates?)  The outputs of the risk management plan are ▪ Risk strategy – what is the general approach to managing risk? ▪ Methodology – what specific tools are used? (i.e. risk matrix, probability analysis, safety in design, SOP) ▪ Timing – how often and when does risk management take place?  Formulation of a risk management plan typically requires a meeting between all interested parties  Identification of risks involves ▪ Brainstorming with colleagues and clients ▪ Interviewing stakeholders ▪ Drawing on past experience through different projects  Think about factors that have the possibility of affecting the project scope, time, or budget  Also identify positive risks, or ‘opportunities’ – helps to take advantage of aspects which could help the project  When identifying risks, focus on  When identifying sources of risks, different categories you can use the following acronyms ▪ Project management ▪ PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, ▪ Technical Technological, Legal, Environmental) ▪ Safety ▪ SPECTRES (Social, Political, Economic, Commercial, Technology, ▪ Environmental Regulations, Environmental, ▪ Schedule Safety/Security) ▪ Quality ▪ Construction / Manufacture / Commissioning  The PMBOK guide explains how you can use a risk breakdown structure  One particularly useful tool for identifying risks is the ‘bowtie’ approach Event   One particularly useful tool for identifying risks is the ‘bowtie’ approach Before the event Cause 1 Drivers Cause 2 Event Cause 3   One particularly useful tool for identifying risks is the ‘bowtie’ approach Before the event After the event Cause 1 Consequence 1 Impacts Drivers Cause 2 Event Consequence 2 Cause 3 Consequence 3   One particularly useful tool for identifying risks is the ‘bowtie’ approach Before the event After the event Cause 1 Consequence 1 A Impacts Drivers Cause 2 Event Consequence 2 C B Cause 3 Consequence 3 Preventative controls   One particularly useful tool for identifying risks is the ‘bowtie’ approach Before the event After the event Cause 1 Consequence 1 A Impacts Drivers D Cause 2 Event Consequence 2 C B E Cause 3 Consequence 3 Preventative controls Reactive controls  A risk statement is a brief statement of the risk event, cause, and consequence  A risk description is a more fully-formed explanation of the risk. Think that the risk statement is the title, and the description is the abstract ▪ Risk statement: The risk of data breach due to inadequate cybersecurity measures ▪ Risk description