Bring:

• Sample Gantt chart copy for each team
• Blank WBS or task form for each team
• Blank dinner task ovhd
• Ovhd pens

Refs:

- Ulrich & Eppinger: Chaps 1,2,12

• Most management texts
• Many web sites on Project Management

Sit in your teams

- Planning affects engineers

- Ability to plan can make difference between success/failure

- Think of your own projects for courses (e.g. term papers). Ones which were well planned.....and those which weren’t.

"Project" Set of activities which ends with specific accomplishment

- Non-routine tasks

- Distinct start/finish dates

• Resource constraints (time/money/people/equipment)

• Not the same as the project leader

• In this course, you are the Project Managers….advisor has set the goal, you have to define tasks and schedule. Who fills the PM role will vary from project to project. Advisor may be PM at start, then students take over.

What is the scope of the project?

What gets delivered for time, people, $?

- What we will do, won’t do

What resources do I need?

How do I tell where I am?

- track progress

- track costs

How do I communicate within team and to outside?

- gain approval

- team check

- show customer/sponsor

Project plan deals with all these things. Good planning = no surprises, predict the future

Human side is essential, requires good leader to implement a plan.

Tedious, hard......but must do

What ==> tasks

When ==> schedule

How ==> people, materials, equipment costs

Set scope!! (and avoid "scope creep")

"Tasks" = activities which must be completed to acheive project goal

"Milestones" = important checkpoints

"Making Dinner" example

• Baked chicked, rice, salad
• Fill in overhead with tasks/duration/who/resources

Break project into tasks, subtasks

Big pix for CEO, little pix for individuals

- Have start/end points

- Short relative to project

- Significant (not "going to library", but rather, "search literature")

- Appropriate level of detail for stage of project

- Name by "verb-noun" form

"create Pro/E drawings"

"build prototype"

* be consistent

* use action verbs (create, define, gather) rather than

"will be made"

- Each task has:

Resources (people/expertise/equipment/materials)

hint: find out what expertise you have in group

Duration

hard! take your estimate and double

Exercise (10 minutes, do as a team):

• Using the sheets provided, list tasks with resources/durations (days) for your project
• Discuss
• Archive on sheet with names at top (those in lect)

Interim goals

Use to motivate

Can catch scheduling problems early

- Name by "noun-verb"

"report due"

"parts ordered"

"prototype complete"

Gantt chart

Best basic scheduling tool

Do one for next week

---show ovhd example--

Notes:

Pick appropriate time scale (days/wks)

Method of tracking progress

Who is responsible

Method for doing via Excel is posted on Web

Good software (e.g. MS Project) is available. ---show ovhd example-

Other scheduling tools

• PERT chart (--show example--)
• Shows dependency and parallel tasks
• Shows critical path and where flex time is
• Dependency chart (--show example--)
• Shows interdependent tasks

Team homework:

See "Deliverables" for when Gantt charts are due

Use them!

Do early!

Plan will evolve

Be flexible

Goals change

Update weekly

Don’t forget budget planning

Do early

Communicate total $’s needed to advisor/sponsor

Where are $ coming from?

Spending authority?

Don’t forget (phone charges, copy costs,

design show display costs....)

Risk areas for project

Identify early

Take action to minimize

Example: sophisticated analysis required, new technology

required, lead-time for purchased components...