Project Management

by
Rory Burke
Overview or Introduction to Project Management
1. Since World War I , there was in America, Henry Gantt designed the
Bar Chart as a visual aid for planning & controlling for his cargo ships
construction site.
Gantt Chart Features are as follows :-
1.1. Time Scale
1.2. Activities
1.3. Bar (Scheduling of activitivities to get proposed objectives )
1.4. Progress Bar Lines of activities
1.5. Time Now
2. Around 1950's US Navy's PERT (Program Evaluation & Review
Techniques)
3. Reminton Univac's CPM ( Critical Path Method)
There are CPM or PERT method or PDM (Precedence Diagram
Method)
4. Arrow Diagram Method (ADM) or Network On Arrow
5. Definition of a Project ( What is Project ? , What is Project
Management ? )
- The Transition period during which a change occur.
- Desigining & construction
- Designing & testing new prototype (Car)
- The launch of new product
- Implementing a new system, which could be an information and
control system, or a new organization structure.
- Improving productivity within a target period
The features of a project include :-
5.1. Life cycle
5.2. A Start & Finish date
5.3. Budget
5.4. Activities that are essentially unique & non-repetitive.
5.5. Consumption of resources, which may be from different departments
and need co-ordinating.
5.6. A single point of responsibilty.
5.7. Team roles and relationships that are subject to change and need to be
developed, defined and established.
Definition of Project as :-
A GROUP OF ACTIVITIES THAT
HAVE TO BE PERFORMED IN A
LOGICAL SEQUENCE TO MEET
PRESET OBJECTIVES OUTLINED
• Definition of Project Management
• Definition :- MAKING THE PROJECT HAPPEN.
• Project Management :- The product is sub-divided into
workpackages, i.e. fabrication, repair, maintenance and jobbing.
• Production Management :- The product moves along a production line
in batches, i.e. car production.
• Process Management :- The product flows along a process line i.e.
chemical plant processing petrol from crude oil.
• Production Mangement Process Management
• BATCH PROCESS

• JOBBING
• Project Management
Why Project Management need ?
For complex projects, where Project Management systems are required to
plan and keep controlof the project.
- The speed of the project ( decision making within a dynamic
environment )
- Co-ordinating among the number of different departments and sub-
contractors.
- The limited availability of key resources.
- The high level of innovation.
- More sophisticated communication.
- High volumes of Data ( Information overload )
 A way of developing structure into a complex situation, where the
independent variables of time, cost, resources and human behaviour
come together.

Effective planning & control of projects requires a panoramic view,

logical thinking, a feel for detail, good communication skills and
commitment to meet the challenge to make it happen.
• Assigns responsibility for the completion of achievable objectives.
• Defined by the project manager as part of the planning and control
system.
• Time
• Preference or
• Objectives

• Cost Quality
• Time with respect to project start and finishes dates.
• Cost with respect to cash flow and the project budget.
• Quality with respect to pre-defined standards and specifications laid
down by the client or classification society.
• The Overall objective is to complete the project within the time, cost
and quality constraints set by the client.
The Triangle of Forces
Time :- e.g. hotel project & holiday or Tour season.
Cost: - When cost is the main consideration, contracts are awarded to
the lowest bidder. If the contractor trades cost in preference to
schedule at the beginning of the project, this preference could be later
reversed when time panlities rear this ugly head.
Quality: - In high technology projects quality requirements often have
pirority overtime & cost. The quality requirement is usually defined in
the contract and therefore not negotiable without a scope change. e.g.
Camel Paint
 Management by Exception
- Focuses the managers attention on the activities that have gone off
course and need to be controlled to ensure the activities will meet their
objectives.
- MBE technique uses a filter to select the non-conforming activities.
- MBE addresses this problem by enabling the project manager to set
the threshold limits for the exception reports. This could be , for
example the critical activities and any other activities that are running
late, over budget or not meeting the required specification.
 Benifits of a Project Palnning and Control
system.

- Project Manager's main responsibilities :- To Plan, Track and control

the project to meet preset objectives.
- To do above this PM requires accurate and timely information.
- Which outlines the scope of work and measures performance against
the original plan.
Main Advantages of a EffectiveProject Palnning and Control
system
1. Estimating :- it can keep database for future projects.
2. CPM (Critical Path Method) :- Focuses the managers to think about planning in
a structured manner, the critical activities give a guide to the level of detail.
The CPM presentation offers a tool for discussion woth other managers.
3. Quality vs Quantity :- CPM & MBE can be used to provide focused
information.
4. Project/ Corporate System Integration :- The planning and control system can
provide the link between the project and corporate reporting system.
5. Response Time :- Timely response on project performance. It can adjust the
feedback to address the needs of the project.
6. Reporting Interface :- The palnning and control system's database can be
structured around the WBS for project reporting and OBS for corporate
reporting.
7. Trend :- Projects are best controlled by, monitoring the progress trends of time,
cost and performance.
Main Advantages of a EffectiveProject Palnning and Control
system
8. Data Capture :- It need to get accuracy of the information.
9. Responsibility : The project manager is the single point of responsibility,
therefore when the project manager accepts this responsibility, he needs
authority over the supply of project information.
10. Cost of mistakes : A fully integrated project management system will certainly
increase the project budget, however without an effective planning and control
system the cost of mistakes due to lack of adequate control, may be even
higher.
11. Procedure :- The palnning & control system enables the project manager to
develop procedures and work instructions tailored to specific needs of the
project.
12. Client :- The project manager is the project's single point of responsibility and
company's resprentative to the client. When holiday meetings with the client
the planning and control system will provide information about every aspect
of the project