KINGSTON UNIVERSITY
Teaching project management: Advantages and challenges
for the XXIst century
Dr Andrea Petroczi
KINGSTON UNIVERSITY
What is Project Management?
• Managing a temporary endeavour undertaken to provide a unique product and service
• Project is different from production/process– One time endeavour
– Definite beginning and end
– Definite resources
– Temporary team of people
• Examples:– Construction, events, software development,
research, etc.
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What is not?
• Project management is not equivalent to operational research
• OR – is concerned with planning and predicting
– is described and analysed in numerical terms
– deals with constrains and limitations
– deals with objectives to be optimised
– works with uncertainties
• OR intends to assist managers in decision making by– analysing problems, constrains and objectives
using a given data
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Operational Research (OR)
• Operational research is an important management tool.
• The distinctive approach is to develop a scientific model of the system incorporating measurement of factors such as chance and risk, with which to predict and compare the outcomes of alternative strategies or controls.
• Emphasis is on mathematical modelling– Programming
– Simulations
• OR is part of Project Management
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History
Project management in its modern form began to take root only a few decades ago– Communicate and integrate work across departments
and professions
Historically:• Late 19th century
– Rising complexities and large scale government projects• Early 20th century
– Taylor’s scientific management• Mid 20th century
– Consequences of WW II (scarce resources), system theories
• Today– Complexity, competition and co-operation, globalisation,
speed, sudden and unexpected changes, information technology
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Multidisciplinarity
• Organisation studies and management– Work structure
• Human resource management– Teams and leadership
• Finance– Budget
• Mathematics– graph theory– network planning– Monte Carlo simulation
• Marketing– Project marketing/sponsorship
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PM Triangle (a.k.a. ‘triple constraint’)
Cost Schedule
Scope
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
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Areas of Project Management
Project Selection
Project
Planning
Implementation Termination
Ideas/tasks Team
Resources
Scheduling (time management)
Set process for monitoring and control
Risk evaluation and management
Kick off
Monitoring
Modification (as needed)
Evaluation
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How to start a project?
• Decide on a project/define goals• Set project baselines• Create a WBS• Secure resources (including HRM)• Delegate tasks and responsibilities• Consider risks, evaluate and decide on risks• Develop a time based plan• Evaluate your plan• Chose the best alternative and finalise your plan
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Work Breakdown Structure
• Work based plan• Breakdown by work packages,
activities and tasks• Easy and understandable
graphical representation of the project
• Shows responsibility• Helps to create a complete list
of tasks needed to be completed• Can be done by work or phases
or the combination of both• Does not show time
Project
Areas Areas Areas
Work package Work package Work package
Activity
Activity
Task
task
task
Task
Activity Activity
Task
Task
Task
Task
Task
Project
Areas Areas Areas
Work package Work package Work package
Activity
Activity
Task
task
task
Task
Activity Activity
Task
Task
Task
Task
Task
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Time based plan: Scheduling
• List of activities• Task duration• Task sequence• Task interdependencies• Parallel tasks• Milestones• Deadlines
• Evaluation:– Critical Path method, PERT, Risk Analysis
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Graphical representation
Drawing a picture of activities, their relationship and the duration of each task
• Bar charts (Gantt)• Network diagram: Activity on Arrow (AOA)• Network diagram: Activity on Nodes (AoN)
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Mathematical foundation
Depending on students’ background in operational research and mathematics:
• Linear and non-linear programming, dynamic programming• Graph theory• Network planning• Minimal spanning tree algorithm• Shortest route algorithms (Dijkstra algorithm, Floyd
algorithm)• Maximal Flow model/algorithm; minimum cost capacitated
flow• Greedy algorithm• Capacitated network simplex algorithm• Critical path computation
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Risks
• Due to uncertainty– Plans are about the future
• Risks are typically related to:– Time (being late)– Resources (not have enough or not adequate)– Technology – Environment (unexpected changes)– Force Majeure
• Effect:– Liability, costs, reputation, etc.
• Should be assessed and managed– Assessment: severity and likelihood– Management: avoidance, transfer, reduction
• Should not be confused with constraints
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Risk Management Continuum
Proactive ManagementAnticipate Risks
ReactiveCrisis
Management
Active Management
Timely Response
• Improved Services
• Protection of Reputation
• Improved Work Place
• Understanding and Evaluation of Risks
• Decreased Crisis Response
• Compliance Standards
• Central Oversight
Harvard University
• Standard Operating Procedures
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Risk impact
PROJECT SCHEDULE
RISKS ISSUES
Contains inherent unknowns If unresolved, impact
on schedule
Occur to become
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Evaluating plans
• Critical Path method– Longest route (red) based on
estimated time
• PERT method– Program Evaluation and
Review Technique, based on optimistic, most likely and pessimistic duration
• Risk analysis (Monte Carlo simulation)– Criticality Index (number of
times the activity was found on the critical path)
– Critical value (CI x variance of duration)
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Applications: 2012 Olympics
• Has been used for the bidding procedure
• Construction of new sites, transportation• Construction/alteration of existing venues• Event management
– Scheduling transportation, events, trainings, etc.
• Resource management– Human resources (organising team), financial
resources, etc.
• Marketing and Sponsorship
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Using software for PM
WHAT ARE WE TRYING
TO ACHIEVE?
• Project Plan
• Time Management
• Cost monitoring
• Resource Management
• Calculate the risk of
delays
OUTCOMES
• Bar chart
• Precedence Network
• Resource Graph
• Risk Graph
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Software
• Microsoft Project• Prince (UK government)• Pertmaster
– Gantt chart with links– Precedence network– Resource graph– Risk analysis (Monte Carlo simulation)
• Quote from Pertmaster (www.pertmaster.com) “Pertmaster software is ideal for education because it uses "proper" planning techniques, and presents its sophisticated analysis and planning tools through an incredibly quick-to-learn interface”.
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Teaching Project Management
• Understanding of the ‘building blocks’• Practice time based planning using very simple
tasks– Focus: sequence and parallel tasks
• Transferring hand-calculated plans to computer software
• Training in computer software• Solving with ‘case studies’
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Benefits
• Develop strategic thinking• Allows to see and compare several alternatives
(develop decision making and problem solving skills)
• Helps to understand complexity• Allows practicing ‘real life situations’ without real
consequences
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Difficulties
• Some students may not see the relevance• Students sometime jump ahead (relying on
computer software without having understanding of the fundamental concepts)
• Requires significant preparation (developing cases, exercises)
• Individual projects are time consuming to mark• Requires computer lab (lab time) and software
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