MSc Project Planning &
Timetabling
Research Methods, Project Planning and
Experimental Design
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Find these on VISION
Revised 2011-2013: Dr. Helen Hastie
Original version: Dr Rick Dewar
Revised 2008: Prof Rob Pooley
Some slides from Judy Roberston
Learning Objective
Apply basic project management techniques to help
plan a project
Apply what you have learned for your Msc project
Why Plan?
Why Plan?
Deliver:
On time
On budget
A good quality product
Enable communication
Highlight problems early
Help manage risk
4 Steps To a Good Plan
Step 1: Project Goals
Step 2: Project Deliverables and Tasks
Step 3: Project Schedule
Step 4: Supporting Plans and Risk Management
Step 1: Project Goals
Who are your stakeholders?
Who will be negatively/positively affected by the project
(or whos going to get angry if it all goes wrong.
What are their needs?
Interviews
Requirements analysis
Prioritise needs
Example of Stakeholders
The project sponsor
The customer who receives the deliverables
The users of the project outputs
Supervisor and yourself
Activity
Example: Government gives a contract to Heriot-Watt
university to design an interface for air traffic control
List:
Stakeholders?
Needs/requirements?
Prioritise needs?
FAA
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Step 2: Project Tasks and
Deliverables,
Deliverables: list of things the project needs to deliver
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Break down into individual tasks
Help define a project in terms of its end objective and
primary elements
WBS helps organise a project with respect to:
Cost estimates
Resources
Schedule and dependencies
Measure progress
Add tasks and deliverables to a project plan with estimated
delivery date
Templates online
Step 2: Project Tasks and
Deliverables, example
1.2 Planning
1.2.1
1.2.2
1.2.3
1.2.4
1.2.5
1.2.6
1.3 Execution
1.3.1
1.3.2
1.3.3
1.3.4
1.3.5
1.3.6
1.3.7
1.3.8
1.3.9
Create Preliminary Scope Statement
Determine Project Team
Project Team Kickoff Meeting
Develop Project Plan
Submit Project Plan
Milestone: Project Plan Approval
Project Kickoff Meeting
Verify & Validate User Requirements
Design System
Procure Hardware/Software
Install Development System
Testing Phase
Install Live System
User Training
Go Live
http://www.projectmanagementdocs.com/
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Waterfall development
model
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Waterfall_model.png
Problems with the waterfall
development model?
Requirements may change- no control over this, for example if
design is finalized
Whole phases may be invalidated
Designers may not be aware of future implementation
difficulties- may be better to revise the design than persist
with design based on faulty predictions
Impossible to perfect one phase completely- so could never
move on
Iterative development
Design is progressively refined during a series of
development cycles.
Each iteration has the same basic steps (names of steps
may vary):
Examination consider what users will need, define the problem.
Definition specify a solution to the problem.
Creation design and implement the solution, e.g. paper only
designs in early stages.
Boehm Spiral
Step 3: Project Schedule
For each task identified in Step 2 identify:
The amount of effort (hours, days, weeks) required to
complete the task
The resource who will carryout the task
Update your plan with more accurate delivery dates
Create a plan (e.g. on MS Project, OmniPlan)
Project Estimation is a fine art
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Common Problems at this
Juncture
You realise that the delivery deadline that is not
realistic based on your estimates:
Renegotiate the deadline (project delay)
Employ additional resources (increased cost)
Reduce the scope of the project (less delivered)
Use the project schedule to justify pursuing one of
these options.
Manage expectations.
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Gantt Charts
Named after Henry Gantt.
Around since 1st World War.
Commonest graphical representation of plans.
Can show critical path and resources.
Easy for novices to construct and interpret.
Other charts/views are available in MSProject.
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MS-Project
A widely used tool from Microsoft to help plan
projects.
Available on PC-Cal and in various labs in EM Building.
Far more functionality than youll need for your
project.
Free version: http://www.ganttproject.biz/
Alternative: Omniplan
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In Some Versions
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Dependency/Precedence
Relationships
Describe what activities must be done before
another activity can take place
Boil kettle before adding water to cup
Pick up hand set before dialling number
Buy computer system before installing it.
Write dissertation before submitting it.
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Critical Path
The chain of sequential activities that
determines the minimum time required for
the project.
Passes through activities with least float.
If you mess with critical tasks, you mess
with the projects end date!!
You might wish to show the critical path
on your Gantt chart.
MS-Project can help you.
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Float (Slack)
Total Float
amount of time a task can be delayed without
affecting the end date of the project.
Critical path tasks have zero total float.
Free Float
amount of time a task can be delayed before
affecting the next task.
Used for managing resources without impacting on
future tasks.
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Total float: time task can be delayed without affecting the end-date
Free float: time task can be delayed without affecting the next26
task
Total float: time task can be delayed without affecting the end-date
Free float: time task can be delayed without affecting the next27
task
PERT network charts
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Network diagrams/Pert
Clearer dependencies
Critical path shown clearly (in red)
MS Project converts Gantt to Network and vice
versa
Event orientated rather than start-finish
Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
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Gantt vs Network views
Network diagram
Gantt chart
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Gantt
Advantages
Illustrates sequence and timing of tasks
Shows the steps by which tasks should be carried
out.
Easy to identify what should have been achieved at
any point in the schedule.
Makes it easy to ensure that the project is completed
on time.
Easy to show the importance of special checkpoints
with milestones.
Gives a good overview without too much detail
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Gantt
Disadvantages
Does not effectively convey task dependencies in
more complex projects.
Changes to the schedule require a redrawing of the
chart.
Several scheduling possibilities cannot be shown in
the same chart.
Does not illustrate risk well
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Pert Chart
Advantages
Critical path is easy to show and manage.
Critical path allows focus of resources and
effort to reduce risk.
Excellent for projects focusing on research or
new technologies.
Disadvantages
Can become confusing especially when projects
have complex task relationships.
If some activities take longer than expected,
the critical path originally being managed to
might end up being wrong.
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Step 4: Supporting Plans
Human Resources
Communication
Meetings with supervisor (check with him/her first!)
Check progress
Make decisions
Agree changes to plan
Risk Management Plan
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Risk Management
Risk: the chance of adverse consequences occurring
We may have a plan, but there are events beyond our
control, or simply unforeseen.
Impossible to eliminate risk completely.
Risk taking is human nature.
The degree of risk varies widely
We need to know:
what risks are there?
how likely are they to occur?
what will their impact be if they do?
what can we do to minimise their occurrence?
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Activity
Example: Government gives a contract to Heriot-Watt
university to design an interface for air traffic control
what risks are there?
how likely are they to occur?
what will their impact be if they do?
what can we do to minimise their occurrence?
FA
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A
Risks to watch for
Time and cost
estimates too optimistic
Customer review and
feedback cycle too slow
Unexpected budget cuts
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Risks to watch for
continued
Unclear roles and responsibilities Stakeholder
input is not sought or their needs are not properly
understood
Stakeholders changing/adding requirements after
the project has started
Poor communication resulting in
misunderstandings, quality problems and rework
Lack of resource commitment
Unmanaged expectations
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Consequences
of Risk
Lack of time to fix problems,
investigate issues, develop
solutions, etc
Grumpy supervisors
Lower marks than expected
Prediction &
Control
Predicting Risk
Your experience
Your supervisors experience
Simulations
Experiments (prototypes)
Planning
Stress, heroics and late nights Controlling Risk
Contingencies
Etc
Planning
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Medium
Low
PROBABILITY
High
Risk Map
Eliminate
Mitigate
Recognise
Low Medium
High
IMPACT
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Risk Plans
Alternative plans when things go wrong
Prepared in advance
Work through each activity
what could go wrong?
what are the consequences?
Construct a project risk matrix with a checklist of
possible risks and to classify each risk according
to its relative importance and likelihood
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Often, each risk will have an associated contingency plan.
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Pragmatic Realities of PM
All projects are unique
None will run exactly to plan
All involve people
Project Management involves change and
decision making - people like neither!
A structured approach & tools make things easier
Do not be a slave to your plans
They should be living artefacts
Change them as necessary
All projects have an element of risk.
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4 Steps to :
Summary
Step 1: Project Goals
Step 2: Project Deliverables (WBS)
Step 3: Project Schedule (Gantt, PERT, Slack/Float &
Critical Path, resource planning)
Step 4: Supporting Plans and Risk Management
These are just some techniques that help
management of the project lifecycle.
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Big bits missing...
Evaluating Risk
Estimating Task Durations
Justifying the Project
Executing the Project
Winding Up
Project Life-Cycle
Initial Idea & Feasibility Study
Supporting the Deliverables
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Neat quotes from DeMarco &
Lister
If a project has no risks, dont do it.
Risk management is project management for
adults.
Useful link:
http://www.projectmanagementdocs.com/
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Important: Your Project
Plan
Produce a project plan for your chosen MS-Project
1. This plan should include a Gantt chart.
You can experiment with other views if you like (eg
PERT), but make sure you have the Gantt.
2. You also need to provide a discussion of the plan
including consideration of risk management.
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