Effective Project Planning and Management - Assignment Example

Project Scheduling for Effective Project Planning and Management Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 LO1 3 Introduction 3 Quality and Project Management 4 Human Resource Aspects of Project Management 5 LO2 8 Project Details 8 Critical Path Analysis Calculation 9 Critical Path 10 Critical Path Network Diagram 11 Gantt chart 12 12 The procedures you would adopt to monitor and control the progress of the project 13 References 14 LO1 Introduction This assignment is divided into two sections. In the first section, I will discuss the theoretical framework for project management and in the second part I will implement these concepts on practical data. For the first part, I have chosen the topic “role of quality management”. There are many useful and well established business management techniques and approaches that we can apply to manage technology and engineering related businesses. However, in case of technology and engineering related businesses, there is a dire need for mechanisms that ensure the development of products and completion of projects within budget and time constraints. In fact the basic goal of any project management is to develop high quality engineering and technology products. In addition, the high quality project management practice of engineering products and technology can be a realistic activity that involves project management resources for each engineer, professional, experienced architecture and managers moving into management roles. Moreover, in order to ensure the high quality project development; project managers as well as their team members collectively perform an important role. Furthermore, project team members and their awareness of high quality management practices, organized project improvement, development and maintenance procedures, are able to decide corporate success of or failure (Rose, 2005; Kerzner, 2006). This part of the assignment presents a general discussion on project management and quality related concepts. This part discusses the importance of quality in project management along with other issues that can influence the quality of project management. These aspects can be related to cost, human resource or project requirements. Quality and Project Management In order to ensure the development of high quality processes there is need to follow some rules and regulations defined by different organizations. Nowadays there are a number of certifications and standards which are commonly implemented as consumers demand high quality management and controls. In this scenario, project managers need to be conscious about technology and quality standards like that those published through the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), in addition to frequently developing practices, and standards developed by international standard organization (ISO) (Futrell et al., 2001; Young, 2013; Sower et al., 1999). While managing quality in engineering project management, engineering standards and quality goals are essential however not enough for the requirements of these days changing market trends. In fact, smaller cycle times, development through a few technology based resources, are as well in demand. In this scenario, the developed products should be cautiously targeted to the exact business and corporate functional needs of more and more refined customers. It can be possible only when standard practices of project management will be followed. In addition, the project managers and team members dealing with these issues and frequently contradictory objectives need to be extremely skilled in coordinating, planning and managing development projects. To do this, they need to be familiar with how to modify most excellent practices to their present projects and to get the benefit of their business earlier knowledge when constructing project strategy. Moreover, the implementation of the appropriate metrics to check project performance is necessary, while having essentially multi-disciplinary team management abilities. Furthermore, software project management has to examine the project "big picture" similar to it communicates to their career and to their career progression (Futrell et al., 2001; Young, 2013; Sower et al., 1999; Gray et al., 2010). Human Resource Aspects of Project Management Inside a corporation, the success of the overall project is contextual. In other words, the organization itself plays a significant role in making a project a success. In addition, all the attributes of an organization such as its culture, its strategy, its structure each plays a significant and central part and they collectively form an environment in which a project flourishes or fail. However, issues that can have an effect on a project vary from organization to organization. It depends on the nature of a host organization for which a project is initialized. Additionally, a project’s relationship to contractor firm’s overall strategy such as the care with which they build the team and the objectives and goals they establish for the projects can be vital. In the same way, organization’s culture, rules, processes, strategies, structure, culture, and operating systems work collectively to maintain and support project management or work against the capability to successfully execute projects. Moreover, in engineering and technology projects the foremost cost item intended for development activities and projects is people. If we get appropriate staff members for a project group it will improve the probability of success (Mochal, 2003; Pinto, 2009). Thus, before initializing a project, project manager and team must be sure about the structure of the host firm because it influences their project and the operations they seek to perform. In addition, the culture of an organization is composed of certain attributes such as values, attitudes, viewpoints and behaviors of its staff members. In addition, it demonstrates the established principles and values of the organization, infusing all the activities which a corporation performs. In simple words, it can make a project a success or a failure. However, the perfect organizational culture is that in which projects are well thought-out in strategic management and are executed to promote and support a firm’s corporate strategy and corporate goals. As a result, top management pays more attention to them and assigns more and more organization’s resources to allow them to be successful. Here strategic management is the discipline of building, implementing, and assessing cross-functional decisions that facilitate a corporation to attain its goals. Moreover, each corporation has its own model organizational culture, operating systems and inside and outside resources to attain this (Stanleigh, 2012; Pinto, 2009). In addition, at the present it is necessary for the project managers to be familiar with the cultural, organizational and social environments adjacent the project. It could be done by recognizing the stakeholders and their capability to have an effect on the project. Thus, it could lead towards the likelihood of influencing project surroundings in an optimistic manner. Therefore, the any kind of risks could be considerably diminished; however failure to adopt such a way could unavoidably lead to a less than acceptable ending. In addition, the successful project managers would be familiar with the importance to put some effort in changing or improving the organizational culture for the benefit of the project stakeholders. In this scenario, it is the responsibility of every team member of a project, undeniably every employee of the organization, needs to be influenced to demonstrate the approach that, just as they are stakeholders, as well as every other project stakeholder is also vital to the success of a project (Wideman, 2001; Pinto, 2009). Moreover, the organizations culture plays a significant role in the success rate of projects. Take into account that this is about projects all throughout a corporation, not just about one specific project. In addition, the culture of a host organization plays possibly the major role in whether their organization is flourishing in running projects. On the other hand, if a supplier firm faces challenges running projects productively with the host firm, they cannot blame the project managers. In fact, they are struggling surrounded by a culture that is not in support of their struggle. Thus, it is essential for the project manager as well as the top management of the supplier firm to identify and assess the culture of the host organization. Until they are comfortable with the culture, they will constantly fight to be successful (Mochal, 2003; Pinto, 2009). LO2 Project Details In this part I will apply techniques to given data. I will discuss how certain techniques will be applied to this data. Identifier No. Activity Duration (Days) Direct Cost (£/day) Crash Cost (£) Immediate Precedence A 10 16 1200 1250 B 20 16 1300 1400 A C 60 16 1400 1550 B D 70 8 1150 1230 B E 80 6 1100 1110 C, D F 30 32 1300 1350 A G 90 36 1800 1850 F, E H 40 20 1400 1460 A I 100 48 1700 1730 H J 50 8 1100 1200 A K 110 40 1500 1700 J L 120 8 1200 1400 K M 130 8 1200 1300 G, I , L Critical Path Analysis Calculation Critical Path Analysis (CPA) is a very useful project management technique that is used to manage and schedule activities of a wide variety of projects. Basically, this technique was created in the 1950s and it was developed to manage huge defense projects. However, it has been utilized regularly since then. Additionally, the Critical Path Analysis technique allows us to map all activities that must be accomplished as an element of a project. In addition, these activities work as the foundation both for development of a plan, schedule, and of resource planning. In fact, all the way through the project management, it facilitates us to keep an eye on success of project objectives. As well, it allows us to determine when corrective processes need to be applied to get a project back on track. However, for successfully developing a CPA, we need to calculate the elapsed time for each activity (it is the time duration from initialization to completion (Tutor2U, 2013; Mind Tools Ltd, 2013). Project duration, critical path, the EST and LST for each activity, total float for each non-critical activity are outlined in below table No. Activity Name On Critical Path Activity Time Earliest Start Earliest Finish Latest Start Latest Finish Float (LS-ES) 1 A Yes 16 0 16 0 16 0 2 B Yes 16 16 32 16 32 0 3 C Yes 16 32 48 32 48 0 4 D No 8 32 40 40 48 8 5 E Yes 6 48 54 48 54 0 6 F No 32 16 48 22 54 6 7 G Yes 36 54 90 54 90 0 8 H no 20 16 36 22 42 6 9 I no 48 36 84 42 90 6 10 J no 8 16 24 34 42 18 11 K no 40 24 64 42 82 18 12 L no 8 64 72 82 90 18 13 M Yes 8 90 98 90 98 0 Project Completion Time = 98 Days Total Cost of Project = $17,350 (Cost on CP = $8,000) Number of Critical Path(s) = 1 Critical Path The critical path is an algorithm that is used to prepare the schedule of a set of project activities. It comprises the following tasks: (Filev, 2010; Field & Keller, 2007) First of all we need to prepare a list of all activities required to complete the project Then we determine dependencies between the activities In the last step we calculate time (duration) that will be required for the completion of each activity Thus, by making use of these calculations we usually determine the longest route of required activities till the completion of the project. This technique allows us to estimate which processes are "vital" (processes that are on the longest path) so these activities cannot be postponed (Filev, 2010; Field & Keller, 2007). No. Activities Critical Path 1 1 A 2 B 3 C 4 E 5 G 6 M Completion Time 98 Critical Path Network Diagram Gantt chart A Gantt chart is frequently utilized in project management, to demonstrate a graphical design of a plan that facilitates project managers to plan, organize, and follow particular activities in a project. Basically, a Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart which was developed in 1917 by Henry L. Gantt, an American engineer and social scientist. Without a doubt, a Gantt chart is believed to be a tremendous tool to demonstrate a simplified schedule position by making use of definite complete vertical and shadings line showing the actual date. In addition, in some cases Gantt charts are used to prepare and demonstrate precedence activities and preceding processes and their associations (Rodriguez, 2013; Rouse, 2007). Cost envelope for the project duration under both normal and crash conditions and explain their significance. Project completion time and cost based on normal time: 98 days Budget 17350 Project completion time and cost based on crash time: 98 days Budget 18530 The procedures you would adopt to monitor and control the progress of the project We have discussed some of the useful tools and techniques in the above sections. I will make use of them to monitor and control the progress of this project. We will make use of Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and CPA for effective management of major project resources and procedures. In this scenario, WBS, CPA and Gantt chart are relatively similar techniques. In order to make a project a success, all these tools and techniques should be used. I will make use of these techniques to monitor and control this project. References Field, M. & Keller, L., 2007. Project Management. Thomson Learning. Filev, A., 2010. Critical Path is Easy as 1,2,3. [Online] Available at: http://www.wrike.com/projectmanagement/09/01/2010/Critical-Path-is-Easy-as-1-2-3 [Accessed 10 February 2013]. Futrell, R.T., Shafer, L.I. & Shafer, D.F., 2001. Quality Software Project Management. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall PTR. Gray, C., Larson, E. & Desai, G.V., 2010. Project Management, The Managerial Process. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. Kerzner, H., 2006. Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. 10th ed. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Mind Tools Ltd, 2013. Critical Path Analysis and PERT Charts. [Online] Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/critpath.html [Accessed 08 February 2013]. Mochal, T., 2003. Organizational culture and structure influence project management more than you realize. [Online] Available at: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/organizational-culture-and-structure-influence-project-management-more-than-you-realize/5035216 [Accessed 10 February 2013]. Pinto, J.K., 2009. Project Management. 2nd ed. London: Prentice Hall. Rodriguez, J., 2013. What Is a Gantt Chart? [Online] Available at: http://construction.about.com/od/Cost-Control/a/What-Is-A-Gantt-Chart.htm [Accessed 10 February 2013]. Rose, K., 2005. Project Quality Management: Why, What And How. Florida: J. Ross Publishing. Rouse, M., 2007. Gantt chart. [Online] Available at: http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/Gantt-chart [Accessed 10 February 2013]. Sower, V.E., Savoie, M.J. & Renick, S., 1999. An Introduction to Quality Management and Engineering. Prentice Hall College Div. Stanleigh, M., 2012. How to Establish an Organizational Culture that Supports Projects. [Online] Available at: http://www.bia.ca/articles/HowToEstablishanOrgCultureThatSupportsProjs.htm [Accessed 09 February 2013]. Tutor2U, 2013. Critical Path Analysis CPA (Network Analysis). [Online] Available at: http://www.tutor2u.net/business/production/critical-path-analysis.htm [Accessed 10 February 2013]. Wideman, R.M., 2001. Managing the Project Environment. [Online] Available at: http://www.maxwideman.com/papers/projenviron/projenviron.pdf [Accessed 02 February 2013]. Young, M.L., 2013. 6 Success Factors for Managing Project Quality. [Online] Available at: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/6-success-factors-for-managing-project-quality.html [Accessed 09 February 2013]. Read More