Engineering Project Management - Projects in Controlled Environments - Assignment Example

ENGINEERING PROJECT MANAGEMENT Name Professor Institution Course Date Part 1 An Overview of the PRINCE 2 Project Management Methodology The word PRINCE stands for projects in controlled environments. PRINCE project management methodology is highly employed in the UK. PRNCE 2 is the second version of PRINCE. There are five main elements around which PRINCE 2 is organized (Gray & Larson 2008). These elements include: Product-based approach Business justification Structure for a project management team Project flexibility Division of the project into controllable stages Further, PRINCE 2 methodology is process-driven and is organized into eight stages or processes which are also divided into about 45 sub-processes. The processes include starting up of the project, planning, initiating a project, directing a project, controlling, managing product delivery, managing stage boundaries, and closing a project. At start up of a project, the project team is designed, and the initial plan is initialized. After planning, the project is initiated based on some objectives to ensure stable management and proper resource management. The project board is responsible for directing the project throughout its lifecycle. At the controlling stage, all the activities for control and monitoring of the project are described. The management of product delivery ensures that the deliveries are produced on time. The project board is given sufficient information on how to continue or end the project. Finally, at the closure of the project, the project board should check on whether the project requirements have been met. Some of the issues addressed through the application of PRINCE 2 methodology include analysis of business case and stakeholders, organization, risk management, quality management, planning, and control (Phillips 2006). Analysis of business case and stakeholders helps in obtaining a clear picture on how managements is committed towards approving the investment of businesses. As such, the business case has to show the need for business, customer, precise assurance of realizable benefits, and tangible and intangible costs for a project. Once the ownership for all the probable deliverables has been established, organization should be structured. Proper organization shows a formal way of structuring the responsibilities and roles of anybody who is involve in the project. It helps enforce the involvement of managers and others. PRINCE 2 defines a Project Manager as an individual who is given the responsibility and authority to manage projects on a daily basis so that the required products are delivered within the agreed constraints. Project success inherently depends on how those involved employ the business and technical knowledge in evaluation and control of risks. Project risks must be evaluated. There are those risks which the project manager has to anticipate and may be quantified and recorded before the project starts. Proper risk records help in creating evidence on the ability of the organization to mitigate and reduce the risk. PRINCE 2 recognizes quality in meeting the project objectives. The key quality elements it supports include planning to meet standards such as ISO 9000, assurance and control in ensuring that the deliverables of the project satisfy the criteria for quality. Also, PRINCE 2 lays emphasis on planning at all the project lifecycle stages. The plans undergo approval from relevant levels of organization. PRINCE 2 methodologies ensures greater level of control is achieved through the resources and cost plans. Risk management is crucial to project management. PRINCE 2 defines risk as uncertainty of outcome. The main aim of risk management is to handle exposure to risk. Therefore, the board has to boost risk management, develop adapted policies, and assess status of a project that is related to their risks. Other risk management elements in PRINCE 2 include the parts related to risk tolerance. Tolerance varies depending on the perceived significance of the anticipated risks and other factors such as product cost, product quality and the project scope. Risk responsibility must also be taken into account. For example, the project board is mandated with the responsibility of warning the project manager on the new risks that are emerging. As a methodology, PRINCE 2 comprises documentation on how to start a project, the set of standard techniques to be employed in project management, the order in which the different stages are performed and even an overview on how documentation and management fit together. The aim of PRINCE 2 methodology is to subdivide the project into easier and smaller manageable stages, and measure progress in terms of cost, time and quality. Also, with the methodology, a person can take corrective action and allocate human and physical resources to the project. Using of PRINCE 2 methodology has a number of advantages. The method is very interesting because it is teachable, repeatable and built on experience (Turner 1995). This ensures that a person knows what to expect and can, therefore, warn of early problems. Also, PRINCE 2 offers a defined process whose framework is clear, and useful to any project, no matter the project size. Some of the processes in PRINCE 2 are unique, and cannot be found in other processes like PMBOK. Also, being a second version, it is improved. However, PRINCE 2 has drawbacks. It is difficult to adapt for small projects and involves a lot of documentation. It also, does not give explicit requirement analysis since it is purely an implementation methodology. Part 2 A comparison of PRINCE2 compared with PMBOK The first noticeable difference is that PRINCE 2 is project life cycle based. It has six out of eight processes running from between the start to the closing of the project. Planning and directing of the project are continuous processes in support of the other six processes. Also, PRINCE 2 offers a description of three techniques on product planning, quality review and change of controls. The whole documents are a narrative that is easy to follow, with bulleted checklists, hints and tips, and process diagrams. However, PMBOK has twelve chapters which give a description of function-based areas with appropriate examples of their respective processes on project management and narrative descriptions in form of inputs, outputs, and tools-and-techniques. PRINCE 2 discusses the stages or processes rather than phases. It also makes it clear that while the application of stages or processes in mandatory, the number of these stages can be changed according to the requirements of management. Further, PRINCE 2 differentiates between management stages and technical stages. The technical stages require a given set of specialist skills while the management stages emphasize on resources and the authority to spend. But, PMBOK describes a project phase as a group of logically associated project activities which usually lead to completion of the major deliverables. It does not differentiate phases from stages. Another clear difference between PRINCE 2 and MPBOK is in their definition of a project manager. PRINCE 2 defines a project manager as an individual who is given the responsibility and authority to manage the project from one day to the next, and to deliver the needed products under the constraints agreed upon by the Project Board. Alternatively, MPBOK defines a project manager as simply a person responsible for the management of a project. This is quite shallow. PMBOK gives reasonable amount of information to a project manager on the proven practises under project management and also asks for the project manager to practise some of these techniques where they seem appropriate. On the contrary, PRINCE 2 gives a more prescriptive or flexible number of steps that the teams and project manager should follow. In fact, PMBOK recognizes the main skills and soft skills on management of human resource, something which PRINCE 2 does not get into. Whereas PMBOK gives lessons on core competencies in having a project manager who is effective, PRINCE 2 offers teachings on how a person can undertake a project effectively (Kathy 2010). Also, PRINCE 2 incorporates a lot of PMBOK’s content and goes ahead to present it as a methodology- a blueprint on how a person is supposed to undertake a project from the beginning to the end. The good thing about PRINCE 2 is that it has application on any project and its methodology is not rigid at all-it can be adjusted to suit the project parameters. PMBOK will allow a project manager to learn what is supposed to be learnt whereas PRINCE 2 will teach on how to go about project management. However, despite the differences, both PRINCE 2 and PMBOK are valuable. They are powerful tools and, therefore, it is recommended that both of them are applied. They supplement each other in management. Part 3 An engineering management project with successes and failures within the project An example of an engineering management project is the monitoring and managing of several software projects concurrently. From such a project, we further look into an analysis entailing both the success and failure factors within the project. Generally, projects can be complex and with non-routine activities. Your one-time effort may be limited by budge, time, resources, and even performance specifications while trying to meet customer requirements. A set of techniques, tools, and knowledge, will be required by project managers and should be used effectively. Finally, depending on the situation at hand, it will culminate in success or failure. Despite the highly contested issue on what defines success or failure, a lot can be attributed to the economic outcomes that are measurable. The objectives define what is expected out of a project. When a substantial number of project objectives are met, then a project is successful. A cancelled project means none of its goal or objective was met and is, therefore, a failed project. A successful project is also characterized by an output that is desired by all parties. The successful project is workable and has the right people on the ground. However, when the project objective is not met, we say the project has failed, either partially, or fully. The project environment is surrounded by several elements such as the physical location on which the project is constructed, the stakeholders’ interests with regard to probable political or conflicting intentions, project cost and time constraints, and quality and quantity in terms of project performance. According to Chapman & Ward (2001), some projects end successfully but some may not end on time. Some will go above budget or get cancelled. Some of the reasons for project success include having a hard-working and focussed group, proper planning, competent staff, executive support from management, user involvement, clear list of requirements, clear vision and goals, realistic expectations and making of smaller project milestones. However, the reasons for failure revolve around poor planning, insufficient user involvement, incomplete requirements, insufficient resources, inaccurate cost estimation, among others. The four main factors that contribute to project success include: i. User Involvement Users of any program should be involved for any success to be realized. Whether the resources are sufficient or not, users are valuable in giving feedback. From the feedback, appropriate follow-ups can be taken. ii. Executive support from management Management influences the progresses and processes of any project. Managers are the core drivers of the project, and without them the project is likely to suffer severe disadvantages. Executive managers are trained, have the passion and the right management tools. iii. Clear list of requirements Basic level requirements should be clear, minimal, realistic, measurable and obtainable. Each project phase has its requirements and should be met on time. Forward and backward scheduling techniques can be employed in defining the requirements. Further, a clear list of requirements should be sufficient and each department should be allocated what it needs to smoothly execute its activities. iv. Proper planning Proper planning is a key to project success. There should be a clear plan on what needs to be done first, and when it should be done. Four main factors that contribute to project failure include i. Human factors Semi-skilled or unskilled project managers may not possess the required management skills. Also, there are some managers who may not be able to apply or put into practice the management theories they have learnt. Others have poor communication. The management should endeavour to educate its staff continuously so that success can be realised. Inefficient staff takes a lot of time in completing any technical job and may deliver low quality work that will need to be redone, thus wasting time and resources. Also, absenteeism of staff may lead to a lot of wasted time. ii. Implementation factors A poorly implemented project will just collapse or fail. What normally affects project implementation includes changes in project scope, poor application of project methodology, and several changes in project requirements (Jason 2003). Proper tests and inspections should be performed to enhance sufficient implementation. Implementation should be done in time because a project that takes more than reasonable and budgeted time is simply a failed project. iii. Planning and estimation factors When the factors that touch on initial costs and scheduled estimates are not revised, it may lead to a lot of project failure. Revision should be at bar with the project level so that appropriate amendments can be made. Also, when the plans are not applied in the correct way or not used at all in guiding the progress of the project, it will culminate in project failure. Lessons picked from the project challenges From the analysis of success and failure factors, it is recommended that openness forms the basis of success framework. We should have openness of project risks, allocation of project risks, and a thorough understanding of project objectives. The right people should also be involved so that any project framework can function. The right people will stand uncertain or changing environments, and are properly seasoned on project management. They are simply performers who are dedicated to success. Further, the participants of the project should be motivated. Besides, project failures result from several factors. Some of these factors may be uncontrollable under the project forces. Typically, in any project management system, failure results from application of ineffective organisation practices or procedures. In situations of ambiguous orders, revision has to be made and this may, at times, lead to additional costs. The financial cost of the project may also depend, in many ways, on the customer’s impact on the ongoing projects. The laws existing in a country or state also pose an external challenge while implementing the project. Some laws are inhibitive whereas others are supportive in nature. Also, the complexity of any project is something relative. A project can be unique or new, but not to everyone. Complexity may impact on the project success. Common heading under which to review complexity of a project include organisation, human factors, technical uncertainty, political roles, social conflicts, human factors and terms used in contracting. References Chapman, C & Ward, S 2001, Project Management Handbook (2nd Edition). Van Nostrand Reinhold, USA. Gray, CF, & Larson, EW 2008, Project Management: The Managerial Process. 4th Edition, McGraw-Hill Educations, Singapore. Jason, C 2003, Project Management Methodologies: Selecting, Implementing, and Supporting Methodologies and Processes for Projects, Wiley & Sons Inc, New Jersey. Kathy, S 2010, Information Technology Project Management, Course Technology Ltd, Boston. Phillips, J 2006, Project Management Professional Study Guide, 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill, California. Turner, JR 1995, The Commercial Project Manager, McGraw-Hill, London. Read More