Estimate resource requirements and programme work

Transcription

1 Estimate resource requirements and programme work Note: This section is in two parts Sequence and programme work CONTENTS Part 2 Page Number Introduction to project management... 2 What is project management?... 3 Barriers to successful project management... 4 Rules for successful project management... 5 Seven stages of project management Summary of project management activities and decisions... 19

2 PART 2 Sequence and programme work Introduction to project management Project management is used widely by businesses to ensure that work activities are planned, co-ordinated, and managed effectively using all required resources efficiently. A project team may be responsible for managing a particular project. One of the team will be designated as the project leader or manager. The manager s role will be to synchronise and maximise effort across the various departments of an organisation. An organisation that purely runs on functional lines will soon run into difficulties with potential bottlenecks and confusion often arising between different departments and or individuals within that organisation. The project manager will be able to ensure that there is co-ordinated planning across the organisation to bring resources and people together correctly. The project manager is simply an individual who co-ordinates the activities in a project. Project Management is required to ensure that the project team is managed efficiently to implement the project to the timetable required by the client. This will ensure that resources are used effectively and efficiently. A project can be analysed at distinct stages such as the end of design and the end of implementation. These stages can be broken down into further discrete tasks with target milestones included. There are planning tools such as the use of a critical path analysis (CPA), programme evaluation review technique (PERT) and GANTT charts that can be used to ensure the effective planning of project activities. These allow progress of the project can be monitored against the plan and corrective action taken to bring the project back on time, or if required to reschedule future activities to ensure that all interested parties are kept informed of progress. Page 2

3 What is project management? 1. Project management is a complex task. 2. Project management has a definite beginning and end, and is not a continuous process. 3. Project management uses various measurement tools to accomplish and track project tasks. These include Gantt and programme evaluation review technique (PERT) charts and the use of Critical Path Analysis (CPA). 4. Projects frequently need resources on an add-on basis as opposed to organisations that have full-time positions and fixed resources to draw upon. For a project to be successful it must: Meet customer requirements. Be completed on or under budget. Be on time. The role of the project manager in project management is one of great responsibility. It is the project manager s job to direct and supervise the project from beginning to end. The project manager also has other roles including: 1. Defining the project, reducing the project to a set of manageable tasks (activities), obtaining appropriate and necessary resources, and building a team or teams to perform the project work. 2. Setting the final goal for the project and motivating the team workers to complete the project on time. 3. Having appropriate technical skills, relating to financial planning, contract management, managing creative thinking and problem solving techniques. 4. Learning to adapt to change, as no project ever goes 100% as planned. Page 3

4 Barriers to successful project management There are many things that can go wrong with project management. These are commonly called barriers. Here are some possible barriers: 1. Poor communication Many times a project may fail because the project team does not know exactly what to get done or what has already been done. 2. Disagreements Project must meet all elements in a contract. Customer and project manager must agree on numerous elements. 3. Failure to comply with standards and regulations If legislative requirements are ignored or not met, then projects will not succeed. For example, a serious breach of health and safety regulations could result in the Health and Safety Executive issuing a prohibition order. All work would cease forthwith in these circumstances until the conditions of the order have been fulfilled. 4. Inclement weather Inclement weather can have a detrimental effect on the success of a project, with many outdoor construction projects being delayed as a result. 5. Trade Union strikes Although, not as common in today s society, work disputes can result in strike action being taken, therefore, may prevent projects from being completed successfully within the time allocated. 6. Personality conflicts Conflicts between team members can reduce productivity and ultimately lead to breakdown in communication and the delay in the successful completion of projects. The project manager must ensure that any such conflict is kept to a minimum. 7. Poor management Poor management leads to additional costs and wastage. 8. Poorly defined project goals This will lead to confusion and ultimate failure of the project. Page 4

5 Rules for successful project management Project management is a key skill that is required by individuals who are project managers. Project management is also essential for any complex task, where different outcomes are possible, requiring planning and assessing options, and organising of activities and resources to deliver the end result. Projects can come in all shapes and sizes, from the small and straightforward to extremely large, and can be both simple and highly complex to complete. Examples could be the construction of a tee box on an existing golf course to the complete construction of a new golf course. Each project has its own set of complexities that must be overcome to achieve success. There are some simple rules of project management that should be followed to ensure that the project is successful. For projects large or small, project management, should follow this simple seven-stage process: Seven Stages of Project Management Stage 1 Agree precise project specification Stage 7 Project completion & project evaluation Stage 2 Project planning Stage 6 Check, measure, review and inform the team Stage 3 Communicate the plan to the project team Stage 5 Manage, motivate, inform and enable the team Stage 4 Agree and delegate actions The seven key stages of project management will now be looked at in more detail. 1. Agree precise project specification The project specification is often called the project terms of reference, and is an accurate description of what the project aims to achieve, the criteria used to measure the success of the project and the flexibilities involved. It also includes its parameters, scope, range, outputs, sources, participants, budgets and timescales. Page 5

6 Usually the project manager must consult with others and then agree the project specification with the client, superiors, or with relevant authorities. The specification may involve several drafts before it is agreed. A project specification is essential in that it creates a measurable accountability for anyone wishing at any time to assess how the project is going, or its success on completion. Project terms of reference also provide an essential discipline and framework to keep the project on track, and concerned with the original agreed aims and parameters. A properly formulated and agreed project specification also protects the project manager from being held to account for issues that are outside the original scope of the project or beyond the project manager s control. This is the stage to agree special conditions or exceptions with those in authority. Once you have published the terms of reference you have created a very firm set of expectations by which you will be judged. The largest projects can require several weeks to produce and agree project terms of reference. However, the majority of normal business projects require only a few days of thinking and consulting to produce a suitable project specification. Establishing and agreeing a project specification is an important process even if your task is a simple one. A simple template that can be used for a project specification is as follows: Project specification Describe the purpose, the aims and the deliverables. State the parameters and constraints (timescales, budgets, range, scope, authority). State the people involved and the way the team will work (frequency of meetings, decision-making process). Establish break-points at which to review and check progress, and how progress and results will be measured. Page 6

7 2. Project planning Plan the various stages and activities of the project. A useful tip is to work backwards from the end aim, identifying all the things that need to be put in place and done, in reverse order. In the first instance, brainstorming (simply noting ideas and points at random) will help to gather most of the points and issues. For complex projects, or when you lack experience of the issues, involve others in the brainstorming process. Thereafter, it is a question of putting the issues in the right order, and establishing relationships and links between each issue. Complex projects will have a number of activities running in parallel. Some parts of the project will need other parts of the project to be completed before they can begin or progress. Some projects will require a feasibility stage before the completion of a detailed plan. Timescales The majority of projects usually come in late, so do not plan a timescale that is over-ambitious. You should ideally plan for some slippage, particularly if the project relates to construction of external features on a golf course or sports turf facility. If you have been given a fixed deadline, plan to meet it earlier, and work back from that earlier date. Slippage should be built into each phase of the project. You should err on the side of caution where you can; otherwise you will be making a rod for your own back. Picking the team Another important part of the planning stage is picking your team to deliver the project. Take great care, especially if you have team members imposed on you by the project brief. Selecting and gaining commitment from the best team members is crucial to the quality of the project, and the ease with which you are able to manage it. Generally try to establish your team as soon as possible. Identifying or appointing one or two people even during the terms of reference stage is possible sometimes. Appointing the team early maximises their ownership and buy-in to the project, and maximises what they can contribute. Page 7

8 Project management tools To plan and manage large complex projects with various parallel and dependent activities you will need to put together a Critical Path Analysis (CPA) or a Programme, Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) approach. A spreadsheet using software such as Microsoft Excel or equivalent is beneficial for this purpose. CPA will allow you to show the order in which tasks must be performed, and the relative importance of the tasks. Some tasks can appear small and insignificant when they might actually be hugely influential in enabling much bigger activities to proceed or give best results. A Gantt chart is also a useful way of showing blocks of activities over time and at a given cost and can be used for managing the project and its costs along the way. Project management software is also available to help the project manager in his/her role. One such example of this is the use of Microsoft Project. Critical Path Analysis (CPA) Critical path analysis is sometimes referred to as the critical path method (CPM). It is a logical and effective method for planning and managing complex projects, and consists of the preparation of a network diagram in which each job or activity to be performed is represented. The arrangement of these activities indicates their sequence relative to each other. The basis of CPA is the preparation of a network diagram in which each job or activity to be performed is represented. The arrangement of these activities indicates their sequence relative to each other. The network represents the whole project and can be modified as necessary to find the sequence in which work can be most effectively performed. The sequence of activities drawn as a network is based on three main elements: I. Activity. II. Event. III. Dummy Activity. I. Activity (first element) Activities of a project should be performed in a planned sequence and are shown by a series of arrows. Each arrow represents a specific activity within the project. Activities can take place one after another or they can take place at the same time. Activities that take place at the same time are known as parallel activities. The example below is a simple network diagram for the construction of a golf green. The rootzone is brought in, mixed, installed and then consolidated before final seedbed preparation and ultimately the turf being laid to finish off the project. Mix and install rootzone Final seedbed preparation Turf laying A B C D KEY A B C D Mix and install rootzone Final seedbed preparation Laying turf Job completed Page 8

9 It should be noted that the activity arrows are not drawn to any specific scale. Therefore, their length has no significance. Networks by convention are always drawn from left to right. An estimated time is then added for each activity, as follows: Mix and install rootzone Final seedbed preparation Turf laying A B C D 1 day 1/ 2 day 1 day KEY A Mix and install rootzone B Final seedbed preparation C Laying turf D Job completed The unit of time can be any length (hours, days, weeks, months etc.) but only one unit of time should be used throughout and this must be recorded on the CPA network. It now becomes possible to calculate the minimum time required to carry out a particular project. Those activities that take the longest to complete moving from one stage to the next in a project are referred to as being "critical activities". The critical path of a project is the path that these activities follow. II. Event (second element) The beginning and/or end of an activity are called events and are indicated by a circle; A 1 day B Beginning End III. Dummy activity (third element) This is a convenient method of showing a relationship between activities in a network and is indicated by a broken arrow. A dummy activity has zero duration and does not use any resources or indicate any work to be carried out. Event numbering Each event is numbered as a means of identifying each activity. The identity of each activity must be unique. With parallel activities care must be taken. Page 9

10 Critical path analysis Example 1: constructing a greenkeeper s storage shed Details of this project can be found in the table below and the critical path analysis chart that follows in the text. Code Activity Duration Comments (days) A Clear the site 1/ 2 Cannot start before Wednesday 10 B Excavate for the base 1 C Lay the hardcore 1 D Lay the base concrete 1 Keep off for 48 hours after completion E Offload bricks 1/ 4 Available for delivery anytime from Thursday 11 F Build the brick walls 2 1 / 2 G Fit the roof timbers 1 Timber available now H Fit the roof sheeting 1/ 2 Sheeting available from midday Saturday 15 I Glaze the windows 1/ 4 All windows fitted in brick walls J Fix the door 1/ 4 Door gear fixes to the roof timbers K Install electrics 1 1 / 2 Finish roof before electrics L Paint woodwork 1 1 / 2 Doors and windows only three coats equal time, 24 hours between M Tidy up the site 1 Could do partially after building walls Critical path analysis example: The critical path analysis chart has been devised from the information provided in the table above. A B C D H K F G J L M E I The critical path is the sequence of key activities that determine the amount of time to complete a project. The critical path in this example would be A to B to C to D to F to G to H to J to L to M. Gantt charts Developed by Harry Gantt in 1916, these charts give a timeline for each activity. They are used for planning, scheduling and then recording progress against these schedules. Gantt charts are extremely useful project management tools. A Gantt chart is a matrix constructed with a horizontal axis representing the total time span of the project, broken down into increments (days, weeks, or months). It is constructed with a vertical axis representing the tasks that make up the project. The Gantt chart is constructed with a graph area, which contains horizontal bars for each task connecting period start and period ending symbols. Page 10

11 You can construct a Gantt chart using a spreadsheet software package such as Microsoft Excel or similar. Every activity has a separate line, and you need to create a time-line for the duration of the project. You can colour code the time blocks to denote type of activity (e.g. whether or not the activity is intense, directly managed, delegated and left to run, etc.). You can have variants such as: Milestones: these are important checkpoints or interim goals for a project. Resources: for team projects, it often helps to have an additional column containing numbers or initials which identify who on the team is responsible for each of the tasks/activities. Status: the project s progress, the chart is updated by filling in the task s bar to a length proportional to the amount of work that has been finished. Dependencies: an essential concept that some activities are dependent on other activities being completed first. Costs: some Gantt charts can show the capital cost of the consumable items and a revenue cost for labour and fuel. Costs columns can show planned, actuals and variances, and calculate whatever totals, averages, ratios, etc. you need. A Gantt chart like this can be used to keep track of progress for each activity and how the costs are running. You can move the time blocks around to report on actuals versus planned, and to re-schedule, and to create new plan updates. Gantt charts are the most flexible and useful of all project management tools. But remember, they do not show the importance and interdependence of related parallel activities, and they will not show the necessity to complete one task before another can begin, as a critical path analysis will do, so you need both tools, especially at the planning stage. Gantt Chart Example 1: Constructing a Greenkeeper s Storage Shed The example overleaf is a simple Gantt chart used for planning the construction of a greenkeeper s storage shed. Page 11

12 The example below indicates that the job of constructing the greenkeeper s storage shed will take 14 1 / 2 days to complete. This assumes that no work is carried out on Sundays and that the weather does not interfere with the construction. Code Activity Date 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th Day Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Duration (days) A Clear the site 1/ 2 B Excavate for the base 1 C Lay the hardcore 1 D Lay the base concrete 1 E Offload bricks 1/ 4 F Build the brick walls 2 1 / 2 G Fit the roof timbers 1 H Fit the roof sheeting 1/ 2 I Glaze the windows 1/ 4 J Fix the door 1/ 4 K Install electrics 1 1 / 2 L Paint woodwork 1 1 / 2 M Tidy up the site 1 Page 12

13 Gantt Chart Example 2: Constructing a Golf Green Consider the details in the table below. These represent a simplified set of activities required to construct a golf green. Code Activity Duration Comments (days) A Clear the site 1/ 2 Start on Monday 10 B Survey and stake 1/ 2 C Excavate the site 1 Use machinery with "grass-tyres" fitted and use designated route D Form sub-grade 1 Use compact machine with blade E Install sub-surface 1 Ensure Head Greenkeeper inspects work prior to drainage system backfilling F Install drainage layer 1/ 2 G Install coarse sand layer 1/ 2 H Mix and install root zone 1 Carry out quality control checks prior to use I Install irrigation system 2 Can be installed once sub-grade has been formed J Finish surface contours 1/ 2 K Tidy up the site 1/ 2 Page 13

14 The following Gantt chart can be devised to represent these operations: Date 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th Day Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Code Task/Operation Duration (days) A Clear the site 1/ 2 B Survey the stake 1/ 2 C Excavate the site 1 D Form sub-grade 1 E Install sub-surface drainage system 1 F Install drainage layer 1/ 2 G Install coarse sand layer 1/ 2 H Mix and install rootzone 1 I Install irrigation system 2 J Finish surface contours 1/ 2 K Tidy up site 1/ 2 You will notice that a space has been left under the activity bars. This is to enable the project manager to indicate the progress that has been made on the project. Other information that could be included on this chart is the staffing requirements and machinery time for each stage of the project. Page 14

15 Programme Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) PERT was first developed by the Special Projects Office for the US Navy as a way of showing a detailed plan for a major project together with timescales for various activities. This is a type of time-event network and uses three separate times as follows: The optimistic time. The best-case scenario, the time that will be taken if everything goes to plan. The most likely time. The project manager s, realistic, estimate of what is most likely to happen. The pessimistic time. A worst-case scenario, the time that will be taken if each set of activities falls behind schedule. Page 15

16 Financial planning and reporting The use of a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel to plan and report planned and actual expenditure will be most beneficial for financial planning and reporting purposes in project management. If you do not know how to put together a basic financial plan, it is advisable to get some help from someone who does. The management of finances is a key function of project management, and if you are unable to manage the financial processes yourself you need to be able to appoint specialist team member, whom you can completely rely on. Important points to remember for financial planning and reporting in project management are: - The spreadsheet must enable you to plan, administer and report the detailed finances of your project. You should consider creating a cost line for the main expenditure activity, and break this down into individual elements. Create a system for allocating incoming invoices to the correct activities, which will also help to show when the costs hit the project account. Establish clear payment terms with all suppliers and stick to them. Projects develop problems when team members get dissatisfied. Rest assured, non- or late-payment is a primary cause of dissatisfaction. Remember to set some budget aside for contingencies. Contingency planning Planning for and anticipating the unforeseen, or the possibility that things may not go as expected, is called 'contingency planning'. Contingency planning is vital in any task when results and outcomes cannot be absolutely guaranteed. This is often the case with jobs/activities that are undertaken on the golf course. Inclement weather is usually the reason why activities don t finish within the time frame allocated. A contingency budget needs to be planned as there are costs associated with projects that run over time or are delayed due to factors outside the control of the project manager. Contingency planning is about preparing fallback actions, and making sure that leeway for time, activity and resource exists to rectify or replace first-choice plans. It may be difficult to anticipate precisely what contingency to plan for in complex long-term projects, in which case simply a contingency budget is provided, to be allocated later when and if required. 3. Communicate the plan to the project team Communicating the plan to the project team serves two purposes: I. It informs team members what is happening. II. It obtains essential support, agreement and commitment from all concerned. If your project is complex and involves a team, then you should involve the team in the planning process to maximise buy-in, ownership, and thereby accountability. Your project will also benefit from input and consultation from relevant people at an early stage. Page 16

17 4. Agree and delegate actions Your project plan will have identified all those responsible for each activity. Activities need to be very clearly described, including all relevant parameters, timescales, costs, and deliverables. The use of SMART goals to check that you have delegated all the tasks properly will improve the planning, organisation, delivery and management of the project. Why do delegated tasks fail? Delegated tasks fail mostly because they have not been: Explained clearly. Agreed with the other person. Supported and checked while in progress. The project manager should publish the full plan to all in the team. However, you should not issue all the tasks unless the recipients are capable of their own forward planning, and competent to carry out the tasks. For long-term complex projects you will not know exactly what the future tasks will be. Do not delegate anything unless it passes the SMART test. What are SMART goals? All goals should be SMART goals S Specific Well defined. They are clear to anyone that has a basic knowledge of the project. Narrow it down to the most detailed level you can. M Measurable How will you know when you have succeeded in achieving the goals? Have some means to be able to know if the goal is obtainable or how far away completion is. Establish a method to measure what change has taken place. This should allow you to monitor progress towards their achievement. A Achievable and Agreeable Be realistic, but aim to stretch yourself and the team. What are the barriers? Too low and you will not be sufficiently challenged. Too high can result in de-motivation and disappointment. Have agreement between the users and the project team on what the goals should be. R Realistic Looking at the resources, knowledge, and time available - can the goal be accomplished? T Timed or Targeted or Trackable How much time is needed to accomplish the goal set realistic time targets? Page 17

18 Having too much time can affect the project performance. How can you track it on route? Can you identify when you would like to have achieved the goals by? Use milestones. Remember to be SMART with your goals and objectives! 5. Manage, motivate, inform and enable the team Aim to manage the team and activities by: Meeting on a regular basis. Communicating at all levels. Supporting and helping with decisions (but not making them for people who can make them for themselves). Good delegation skills are required for this purpose. Remember Catherine the Great Praise loudly; blame softly. One of the big challenges for a project manager is deciding how much freedom to give for each delegated activity. Tight parameters and a lot of checking are necessary for inexperienced people who like clear instructions, but this approach is the kiss of death to experienced, entrepreneurial and creative people. They need a wider brief, more freedom, and less checking. Manage these people by the results they get not how they get them. Look out for differences in personality and working styles in your team. They can get in the way of understanding and co-operation. Your role here is to enable and translate. Face to face meetings, when you can bring team members together, are generally the best way to avoid issues and relationships becoming personalised and emotional. Communicate progress and successes regularly to everyone. Give the people in your team the plaudits, particularly when someone high up expresses satisfaction never, ever accept plaudits yourself. Conversely you must take the blame for anything that goes wrong never dump on anyone in your team (as the project manager, any problem is always ultimately down to you anyway). 6. Check, measure, review and inform the team Check the progress of activities against the plan. Review performance regularly and at the stipulated review points, and confirm the validity and relevance of the remainder of the plan. Adjust the plan if necessary in light of performance, changing circumstances, and new information, but remain on track and within the original terms of reference. Be sure to use transparent, pre-agreed measurements when judging performance. (This shows how essential it is to have these measures in place and clearly agreed before the task begins). Identify, agree and delegate new actions as appropriate. Inform team members and those in authority about developments, clearly, concisely and in writing, and plan regular team review meetings. Stick to the monitoring systems you established. Probe the apparent situations to get at the real facts and figures. Analyse causes and learn from mistakes. Identify reliable advisors and experts in the team and use them. Keep talking to people, and make yourself available to all. Page 18

19 7. Project completion and project evaluation At the end of your successful project hold a review with the team. Ensure you understand what happened and why. Reflect on any failures and mistakes positively, objectively, and without allocating personal blame. Reflect on successes gratefully and realistically. Write a review report, and make observations and recommendations about follow up issues and priorities there will be plenty. Summary of project management activities and decisions A. Planning Identify the project customer. Establish the end product or service. Set project objectives. Estimate total resources and time required. Decide on the form of project organisation. Make key personnel appointments (project manager, etc.). Define major tasks required. Establish a budget. B. Scheduling Develop a detailed work breakdown structure. Estimate time required for each task. Sequence the tasks in the proper order. Develop a start/stop time for each task. Develop a detailed budget for each task. Assign people to tasks. C. Control Monitor actual time, cost, and performance. Compare planned to actual figures. Determine whether corrective action is needed. Evaluate alternative corrective actions. Take appropriate corrective action. Useful web sites for obtaining information on Project Management Home Page: Page 19