Project Management Lecture 5 Project Planning

Lecture 5 Project planning Project planning involves creating a road map for how to achieve the goals and objectives of a project. It is a critical phase in project management that includes defining tasks, setting timelines, allocating resources and identifying risks. The need for planning  Allowing for the creation of contingency plans in case things go wrong.  Planning defines the timeline for the project, including task durations and deadlines.  Allows for setting realistic schedules and prioritizing tasks effectively.  A detailed plan includes milestones and performance metrics, which allows for continuous tracking and assessment of progress.  Proper planning ensures that resources, such as personnel, equipment and finances are allocated appropriately. The planning process The process begins in the start of the project and continue throughout the project. In consists of: Inputs: resources and information Control mechanisms: regulations, budgets, standards, norms and procedures. Support and knowledge: tools, software, project office, tools and techniques. Output: project plans. Project planning tools Focus on the following tools: Critical path method, PERT and Gantt chart. Critical path method  The project network is a visual flow diagram of the sequence, interrelationships, and dependencies of all the activities that must be accomplished to complete the project.  Project networks are developed from the WBS (work breakdown structure).  The activities are placed in a sequence that provides for orderly completion of the project.  Networks are built using nodes (boxes) and arrows (lines). Rules for network diagrams 1. Networks flow from left to right 2. An activity cannot begin until all preceding connected activities are complete. 3. Arrows indicate precedence and flow and cannot cross over each other. 4. Each activity must have unique identity. 5. Conditional statements are not allowed. Terms in critical path method  Node: represents an individual activity or event in a project  Activity: schedule work to be performed e.g laying concrete in construction, drawing plans, etc.  Critical path: is the longest path in the projects network diagram, and any delay in critical path activities will delay the entire project, it has zero slack.  Slack/float: the amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the projects completion date. Slack = LS-ES or LF-EF  Early start (ES): earliest time that an activity can begin  Early finish: earliest time an activity can be completed  Late start: latest possible time an activity can start without delaying the projects completion date.  Late finish: latest possible time an activity can be completed without delaying the overall project.  Critical activity: an activity without slack or float. Determining critical path  It means the path(s) with the longest duration through the network  If an activity on the path is delayed, the project is delayed the same amount of time.  Critical activities cannot be delayed without delaying the completion of the project.  Activities with zero slack. Forward pass computation  Add activity times along each path in the network (ES+ duration = EF)  Carry the early finish (EF) to the next activity where it becomes its early start (ES), unless…  The next succeeding activity is a merge activity, in which case the largest EF of all preceding activities is selected. Backward pass computation  Subtract activity times along each path in the network (LF- duration =LS)   Carry the late start (LS) to the next activity where it becomes its late finish (LF), unless… The next succeeding activity is a burst activity, in which case the smallest LF of all preceding activities is selected. PERT  A PERT diagram (program evaluation review technique) is a project management tool used to schedule, organize and coordinate tasks within a project.  PERT is similar to CPM although there is slight difference  PERT uses probabilistic time estimates (optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely time) because activities may have high uncertainty. Additional terms for PERT  Time (TE) is estimated using three different scenarios: o Optimistic time (O): best case, the shortest time in which the task can be completed. o Pessimistic time (P): worst case, the longest time the task might take o Most likely time (M): most realistic, the best estimate for task completion under normal conditions. Benefits of critical path method and PERT  It demonstrates the graphical view of any project  It helps to identify the most important tasks that you have to manage  It helps to save your time and reduce timelines  It helps to compare planed and actual progress  It helps to make dependencies visible and clear Gantt chart  Is a visual representation of all the tasks related to your project scheduled overtime. They are used to plan projects of all sizes and shapes.  Why? Because they are an incredible tool to show the work that is scheduled to be done on a project on a specific day. They also show the whole tenure of a particular project in one simple view. Features you can monitor using Gantt chart  The start and end dates of a project  What are the project tasks  Who are the team members involved in each project  Who is working on each individual task  What is the duration of each individual task  How all the tasks are linked or are they dependent on each other Benefits of using Gantt chart  Know what is going on in your projects  Improved communication and team cohesion  Avoid resource overload  Measure the progress of projects  See overlapping activities and task dependencies  Experience more clarity  Practice better time management Reducing project duration Reasons why:  Customer requirements and contract commitments  Time-to-market pressures  Incentive contracts (bonuses for early completion)  Unforeseen delays  Overhead and goodwill costs  Pressure to move resources to other projects. Options when resources are not constrained  Adding resources  Outsourcing project work  Scheduling overtime  Establishing a core-project team (eliminates drain of multitasking on other projects or ork)  Do it twice-fast (prototype, temporary) and correctly (final solution) Options when resources are constrained Fast tracking: Sometimes it is possible to rearrange the logic of the project network so that critical activities are done in parallel rather than sequentially.  Critical chain: Critical chain project management is designed to accelerate project completion.  Reducing project scope: Probably the most common response for meeting unattainable deadlines is to reduce or scale back the scope of the project. This invariably leads to a reduction in the functionality of the project.  Compromise quality: Reducing quality is always an option but is rarely acceptable or used. If quality is sacrificed, it may be possible to reduce the time of an activity on the critical path. 