Complex Problem-Solving Methodologies to Develop Effective Systems for Fire and Rescue Operations - Case Study Example

Name: xxxxxxxxxxx Course: xxxxxxxxxxx Institution: xxxxxxxxxxx Title: Project Management Date: xxxxxxxxxxx @ 2010 Project management Introduction Project management is the practice of planning, organizing and controlling the application of resources to realize some set objectives and goals of a project. Though contradicted with program management, the latter is much complex in that it is of higher level both resources and the type of objectives set. A project is a short term attempt with a specific start and an end complete with the time frame, resources and the expected results which are carried out to meet definite goals. The short term nature of projects is different from other normal business activities in that the latter are repetitive, and usually permanent with the aim of production of goods and services. The essential challenge of project management is the realization of the set project objectives while adhering to the anticipated project constraints (Albert, 2004). Every fire station should aim at controlling or minimizing the chances of occurrence of a fire incident or accident by educating the local community on issues concerning the benefits of appropriate safety practices. The procedure should include identifying and eliminating all forms of risky conditions which are a hazard to life, the environment and property. Communities thus look upon fire departments through the fire services to offer valuable and essential services to them whenever a need arises. The aim of this report is to evaluate current project management system theories and systematically and find the appropriate method to carry out the project of educating the community about fire safety. Defining the project The project will identify the number of incidences that arise as a result of the community’s failure to control the number of fire incidences and accidences. This mainly occurs as a result of their failure to have the relevant knowledge of fire and fire incidences. The procedure will include identifying and eliminating all forms of risky conditions which are a hazard to life, the environment and property. The recommendations after the end of the project will be useful in the fire service to assist the community in control of fire incidences. Objectives of the project To determine the fire incidence issues that affect the community as a result of failure to have the appropriate knowledge to control fire accidents. To conduct a complete health and safety evaluations form an external point of view. Measure the effectiveness of the project in reference to the expected results. Setup a fire and safety clinic to educate the community on fire incidences. To implement appropriate measures that can be used to reduce the number of fire incidences. Methods of project management There are a number of project management methods or theories which are based on responsive, interactive, incremental and phased practices. Irrespective of the approach utilized in project management, issues to consider in each method are basically the cost, goals, timeframe and the duties of the players of all the implementer of the project. Some of the methods to be considered in this project include: The traditional approach This method follows a series of steps which are commonly five in number. The stages are: project initiation, planning or designing, execution, monitoring and control systems and completion stage. Though not all the projects follow the sequences, steps 2, 3 and 4 are compulsory for every project (Bruce, 2004). The stages are shown by the diagram below: Critical chain project management Critical chain project management is an approach of planning and running projects that concentrates more on the resources required for implementing the project’s description. It is the use of the Theory of Constraints to execute projects. The idea is to raise the rate or speed in which projects are completed in a firm. To utilize the constraints, activities on the critical chain are accorded the first priority over the others. Eventually, projects are run and executed while emphasizing on activities on the critical chain (Albert, 2004). Extreme project management Extreme project management- is a method that is suited to manage multiple projects. It targets the very large –scale, non-routine projects. Event chain methodology This is an approach that complements both the critical path and critical chain methods of project management. The approach is an uncertainty representation and schedule network analysis procedure that emphasis on identifying and running events and event chains that influence project schedules. The approach assists to alleviate the negative influence of psychological heuristics and biases and also help in handling the uncertainties of any project. The approach is founded on the following principles: probabilistic moment of risk, event chains, critical events, project tracking with events and event chain visualization. PRINCE2 PRINCE2 is a structured method to project management adopted from the generic project management system. It merges the original PRINCE approach with IBM’s MITP approach. PRINCE2 offers a means of running projects within a well described framework. PRINCE2 outlines procedures to organize individuals and tasks in a project and the means of designing and executing a project. PRINCE2 offers a universal language for all the players in the project (Rowe, 2001). Process-based management This approach advances the aspect of project control and is founded on the principles of Maturity models like CMMI and ISO/IEC15504. Traditional approach in educating the community on fire safety This approach basically adopts a series of steps. Initiation This step establishes the nature and extent of the project development. If the step is omitted or performed inappropriately, then there is a high probability that the project will not realize its objectives. The main project controls required at this project are an understanding of the community needs as far as fire safety education is concerned and ensuring that all the controls appropriate for the project are considered. Any constraints should be noted and recommendations established to correct them. This stage should include a plan covering key areas such as: an analysis of the requirements of the assessed objectives, review of the existing operations, and theoretical design of the means of getting the results and equipments and resources necessary for the project. Other areas to consider are the financial analysis, stakeholders’ analysis and project contract encompassing the expenses, activities, schedule and the results (Denis, 2007). Planning and design This involves designing a small prototype of the expected results and testing it. The testing is carried out by conducting a series of testers and end users. This can be done while developing the prototype or even afterwards. Proper controls should be installed to ensure that the end results are in accordance with the expected goals. The end users of the fire fighting project are the community members while the main objective of the project is to reduce fire incidences or accidents among them. The design adopted should suit the project’s sponsor as well as the end user and should be able to produce the expected results within the allowed time frame and costs (Denis, 2007). Executing Executing involves the procedures of accomplishing the project as per the design and plan. It entails the organization of both physical and human resources and integration and execution of the tasks of the project in line with the plan of the entire project. The deliverables are developed as outputs from the activities accomplished as outlined by the project management plan. Monitoring and control Monitoring and controlling involves assessing of the project execution strategies in order to identify possible constraints and develop corrective measures to handle the challenges. Corrective measures can also be employed where appropriately to run the execution of the project. The step is significant in that it assesses the performance of the project frequently to spot any deviations of the project from the intended plan. Monitoring and controlling involves assessing the current tasks, evaluating the project’s costs and scope in comparison to those in the plan and spotting any areas that need correction in order to ensure positive results are realized. Monitoring and controlling allows for establishment of corrective or preventive measures to ensure that the project adheres to the initial plan. Project maintenance which is usually a continuing procedure involves a constant support of the project beneficiaries, correction of errors and updating of any software utilized in the execution of the project (Kendrick, 2009). Closing Closing is basically the official acceptance of the project and the termination therein. All the tasks in all the stages are officially closed and all the files archived. The project then ends with the closure of the contract (Joseph, 2004). Project management software Project management software describes several varieties of software which include scheduling, expense control and finances management. Other types are resource distribution, collaboration software and administrative systems. The main activities performed by project management software are: Scheduling One of the most frequent objectives of project management software is to schedule a sequence of activities or duties and the complication of the schedule varies significantly in accordance to the manner in which the tool is utilized. Some challenges encountered in the application of project management software in scheduling include activities that are dependent on each other and the blending of the appropriate resources with the right personnel. Handling the uncertainties of the project at each step of its implementation is also a challenge in scheduling (Michel, Robert & Dan, 2000). Calculating critical path A critical path is found in various complex schedules in many projects. These at times determine the completion time of various projects by highlighting the major activities on which to lay focus on. Providing information Project planning often give information to several groups of people involved in the project planning process. They can also be utilized in the assessment and justification of the effort necessary to complete ant particular project. For instance, basic requirements may include the list of activities to be carried out by various persons in the project implementation project and the distribution of resources in the project implementation. Other requirements are timely warning of possible risks, information on workload and any prior evidence of the success of project. This may include information on how the projects were planned, executed and completed (Keith, 2002). Critical path analysis and PERT Charts Critical path analysis and PERT charts are powerful tools that assist in the scheduling and managing of complex projects. The tools were created to manage large defense projects. Critical path analysis (CPA) assists in planning activities that need to be completed as part of the project while CPA enables project managers to develop a robust plan for the project. They serve the roles of determining the type of schedule to adopt and resource allocation procedure. In the course of managing a project, the tools assist in the evaluation of the already achieved objectives (Gail, 2003). They highlight the particular areas of the whole process that require correction and also guide on the appropriate action to take. The main advantage of the tools is that they assist in establishing and testing a plan to confirm its viability. Critical path analysis specifically identifies the activities that must be carried out first in the whole project. It also identifies the activities that can be postponed to later dates with minimal negative effects on the execution of the project plan. They further assist in reducing the completion time. The method is however disadvantageous in that the relationship between project activities and the scheduled time frame can not be established (Endsley, Bolte, & Jones, 2003). Drawing a CPA chart List all the activities in the plan by setting the starting date for the project, the duration it will take and whether it is sequential or parallel. The second step is plotting the activities as a circle and arrow diagrams which helps in tracing the steps of the project across the chart. Microsoft project is the most commonly used software in developing CPA charts. PERT (Program Evaluation and review Technique) is usually a variation on critical path analysis that assumes a relatively more skeptical view of time estimates for every project stage. This assist in setting realistic time estimates for the project stages. CPA assists in assessing: the tasks to be carried out, parallel activities to be carried out, shortest duration to complete the project and the resources required. CPA is also effective in sequencing events and prioritizing the tasks and shortening the completion time of urgent projects (David & Roland, 2006) Academic theory in project management Academic theory in the practice of project management focuses on the concept of risk in project management. Risk in project management is described as the potential to encounter unwanted negative consequences in the course of carrying out the project. Risk can be conceptualized in two major ways: a physical attribute of hazardous technology and a socially oriented attribute .A physical attribute is an objective fact which can be described, predicted and controlled by science. A socially manifested attribute exist independent of people’s actions. Risk as a concept is different from uncertainty. Risk implies that an outcome is not known though the odds are known whereas where the odds are unknown the situation is described as uncertain. Risks in project management are produced by the industry and science. Strategic selectivity assists to approach project management in an economic point of view through a broad understanding of risk and its management. This assists in evaluation of the suitability of a project (Schraagen, Chipman, & Shalin, 2000). Conclusion Complex problem solving methodologies are required to develop effective systems for fire and rescue operations. Methodologies that have been developed to assist in problem solving include the user centered design approach and the cognitive task analysis approach. User centered design approach is concerned with the integration of the user’s input into the design process for the problem solving process. Cognitive task analysis approach is concerned with the identifying the cognitive skills that are necessary to carry out a task efficiently. CTA methodology is acknowledged to be the most suitable approach in solving complex problems (Harrison & Dennis, 2004). Bibliography Albert H., 2004, Handbook of Project Management Procedures. 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