HEP 3104: PROJECT MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Lecture 5: Using a PMIS to track project progress

28 June 2012

Lecturer: Emma Longei Email: emma.longei@gmail.com

Topics Covered
Revision of Project management concepts Using a PMIS to track project progress Using PMIS time management tools Allocating project resources using PMIS

1. Revision
What is a project? A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to achieve particular goals and objectives. What is project management? Project management is the use of skills and knowledge to successfully plan, manage and complete a project. Project management skills are industry independent.
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1.2. Who are stakeholders?

Stakeholders are individuals and organizations actively involved in the project, who are affected by the outcome of the project and who may have influence over the project. They include:
Project team Clients/Customers Executive sponsor Public agencies
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1.3. What are the constraints on a project?

Projects are constrained by four factors: cost (budget), schedule (time), scope, and quality. CSSQ Pressure on schedule, scope and budget each affect the quality of the project outcome

1.4. Euler vs Venn Diagrams

A Venn diagram is a mathematical illustration that shows all of the possible mathematical or logical relationships between sets. A Euler diagram resembles a Venn diagram, but does not necessarily show all possible intersections of the sets. A Euler diagram is often more useful for showing real world data, because not all sets partially overlap with all other sets.

1.5. Euler diagram

No Overlap of all three

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1.6. POSSIBLE OUTCOMES

Design something quickly and to a high standard, but then it will not be cheap.
Design something quickly and cheaply, but it will not be of high quality. Design something with high quality and cheaply, but it will take a long time.

1.7. PROJECT CONSTRAINTS

Cost Scope Schedule (Time) Quality

CSSQ

1.8. The Project Triangle

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1.9.Skills to manage constraints

The discipline of Project Management is about providing the tools and techniques that enable the project team (not just the project manager) to organize their work to meet these constraints.

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1.10. What is the critical path?

Critical path is the series of activities from project start to project finish that defines the total duration of the project. Critical path is the shortest path from start to finish, incorporating all the tasks needed to accomplish the project. Microsoft Office Project 2007 defines a task as critical path if changes to the finish date of the task affect the finish date of the project.

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1.11.What are project phases?

Project phases are the stages that every project passes through For example, a controlling phase may include filing a change of scope request to track changes made to the scope document for the project.

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1.12.Project phases include:

PHASE Initiation ACTIVITIES IN THE PHASE Defining the project, creating a scope document, identifying stakeholders and building a project team OUTPUT Project Charter, key project team members identified.

Planning

Budgeting, scheduling and planning activities. Scope Document, Budget, Microsoft Project plan Reports from project

Implementatio Executing the plan and adapting to n stakeholders expectations. Controlling Monitoring progress, balancing demands of time, scope and quality, tracking corrective actions, and reporting progress to stakeholders.

Reports from project

Evaluation

Handing off to end users, closing down operations, and reporting outcomes.

Reports from project

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1.13. Criteria For Success

For

the purposes of this course, a software project will be considered successful if:
1. The software is delivered on schedule 2. Development costs were within budget 3. The software meets the needs of users (in scope and quality)

(Felici, 2011)
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2.0 Views in MS Project 2007

Microsoft Office Project 2007 has many different views to show tasks, resources, and assignments. These views display an information subset by using different formats and fields.

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2.1. Views in MS Project 2007 (2)

Peers (2008)

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2.2. To display a file in different views

1. On the View menu, choose Calendar to display task information on a visual calendar. 2. On the View menu, choose Tracking Gantt to display progress on tasks. 3. On the View menu, choose Resource Usage to show the hours that resources are assigned to work on tasks.
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3. CREATING THE PROJECT CALENDAR

When creating a project, you may need to create a project calendar that contains specific work schedule information for the organisation in which the project occurs E.g. Labour day May 1, Madaraka Day June 1, Jamhuri Day December 12, Christmas DayDecember 25, Boxing Day December 26

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3.1. CREATING THE PROJECT CALENDAR (2)

Choose Tools, Change Working Time Click Create New Calendar to create a copy of the Standard calendar. In the Name text box BuildHouseCalendar Click OK.

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3.1. CREATING THE PROJECT CALENDAR (3)

a. Click the scroll button to move to May 2012. b. Click on May1 and type Labour Day in the first row of the Exceptions column. The date selected will appear automatically in the Start and Finish columns when you press <Enter> to move to the next row. c. Move to June and select June 1. d. Click in the second row of the Exceptions list and type in Madaraka Day. e. Repeat to identify December12, December 25, 26 and as nonworking

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3.1. CREATING THE PROJECT CALENDAR (4)

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Discussion

Is there any benefit of having a special calendar for a project?

To change the calendar for you project, Choose Project -> Project Information. From the Calendar drop-down list, choose the newly created BuildHouse Calendar.

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4. ADDING RESOURCES
Resources are the people and equipment needed to accomplish your project tasks. In order to be able to assign tasks to them, you need to create the resources in your project plan file. By default, resources are work resources, meaning that they consume time to accomplish the task. Material resources are goods that your project will consume, such as stones for a construction project. They have a cost associated with them, but have no calendar and are not assigned overtime rates.

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4.1. Assume project created

Tasks, sub-tasks Duration of tasks, Dependencies of tasks Task schedule (how long it will take) Assign resources

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4.2. ADDING RESOURCES

No. Resource Name Type Group Standard Rate (Ksh)

1.
2.

Project Manager
Site Contractor

Work
Work

Managemen t
Managemen t

1,000/hr
500/hr

3.
4. 5. 6.

Foreman
Structural Engineer Skilled constructor Unskilled constructor

Work
Work Work Work

Supervisor
Supervisor Worker Worker

250/hr
200/hr 50/hr 25/hr

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4.2. ADDING RESOURCES (2)

Open the file in MS Project 2007 Choose View, Resource Sheet Click in the first Resource Name cell Type in the first entry from the Resources Table Press <Tab> four times to move to the Group column. Type Management

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4.2. ADDING RESOURCES (3)

Press <Tab> twice to move to the Std. Rate column. Type 1,000 Continue typing the resources from the table.

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4.2. ADDING RESOURCES (3)

Double-click on a row to enter much more information such as availability of a particular resource To edit the currency in which the resources are costed go to Tools-> Options -> View -> Currency Options and change the symbol by typing in the currency of your choice.

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4.3. Tools > Options > View > Currency

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Remember to Save your work: Choose File, Save or click the Save button on the Quick Access toolbar.

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4.4. Allocate Resources

Where a task utilizes a resource, the schedule will be calculated on the basis of when it will be available from the resource calendar

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5. Managing Tasks
Creating an outline view of your tasks, allows you to view tasks at the summary and details levels. When you first create your project plan, you may not have the full detail for tasks that are happening later in the project. Using a summary task as a placeholder allows you to create the project plan and fill in the detail later as that phase approaches.

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5.1. Managing Tasks (2)

To promote or demote tasks, use the Outdent and Indent buttons on the Formatting toolbar that look like arrows:

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5.2. PROJECT SUMMARY TASKS

A project summary task is a task id 0 that appears at the top of your task list. It gives you the overall start and finish dates for the project, overall project duration and can have Budget Cost values assigned to it. To show a project summary task:
1. Choose Tools -> Options. 2. Click on the View tab. 3. Check the checkbox in the lower right corner to Show project summary task.
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5.3. Task Outline Numbers

To show task outline numbers: 1. Choose Tools, Options. 2. Click on the View tab. 3. Check the checkbox in the lower left corner to Show outline number.

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Activity

Add some detail to the Move In Task

Pack up furniture & clothing in old house Move in furniture Unpack furniture and clothes

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6. DEPENDENT TASKS
Each task should have a predecessor task, a task before, except for the first task in your project. Likewise, each task should have a successor task, a following task, except for the last task in your project plan. That way, no task gets forgotten and therefore, not finished, and you can show the impact of slipping dates more effectively in your project.

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6.1. Linking sub-tasks

Tasks should be linked at the level where the work occurs from subtask to subtask, even between phases. The last subtask of a phase should be linked to the first subtask of the next phase. The summary task duration will automatically be the total length of time to accomplish all tasks in that phase and the summary task start/finish dates will automatically change as the subtask links are made.

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6.2. 4 types of relationships between task (match correctly)

Finish-to-Start: Tasks happen in serial fashion, one after the other. Task 1 finishes and then Task 2 begins.

Start-to-Start Tasks begin at the same time. Tasks are linked in a parallel fashion, happening at the same time. Finish-to-Finish Tasks end at the same time. Again tasks are parallel, happening at the same time.

Start-to-Finish Tasks are not listed in chronological order, or tasks from one category of your project plan affect tasks in another category. Task 1 starts after Task 2 finishes.

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6.3. Task Constraints

Double-click on a task Go to the Advanced tab in the Task Information dialog box. Click on the drop-down list next to As Soon As Possible in the Constraint text box. Choose Start No Earlier Than. Type in 30/6/12 in the Constraint Date text box or click on the down arrow to choose the date. Click OK to close the dialog box.

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6.3. Task Constraints (2)

You can also change the type of dependency of a task by clicking on Task Information (or double-click the task) then Predecessors and you can change the Type to e.g. Start-to-Start (SS) Manage the number of dependencies so that the Gantt remains clear and not confusing

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6.4. MANAGING A PROJECT TO A DEADLINE TASK

Schedule from a Project Start Date and add a Project Complete milestone task at the end of the project with a Finish No Later Than constraint. You may also schedule a project from a Finish Date for the entire project, but the default constraint type As Late As Possible is more difficult to work with

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6.4. TASK DEADLINES

Tasks can have deadlines which will show as a green down arrow at the end of the Gantt bar. If the deadline passes without the task being marked as complete, the Info column will show an alert to notify you that the task deadline has passed.

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6.4. TASK DEADLINES

Double-click on Task or Go to the Task Information dialog box -> Advanced tab -> Click on the drop-down list next to the Deadline text box. Type in30/6/2012 in the Constraint Date text box or click on the down arrow to choose the date. Click OK to close the dialog box. If the deadline passes without the task being marked as complete, the Info column will show an alert to notify you that the task deadline has passed.

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6.5. Tracking schedule

Double-click a task Under General Tab, put the %age of task completed

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References
Peers, Robin (2008). Microsoft Project 2007 Level 1: Creating Project Tasks Felici, Massimo (2011). Project Management. http://www.inf.ed.ac.uk/teaching/courses/sa pm/2010-2011/slides/01_introduction.pdf Project Triangle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_triangle Fun with Venn and Euler Diagrams, http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/ 12219

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