University:
California State University, Northridge
Course:
ME 101/L | Introduction to Mechanical Engineering and Lab
Academic year:

2024
Views:

240

Pages:

22
Author:

lkalqie

Chapter 12 Project Management 12.1 Introduction    “Failure to plan is planning to fail.” A good plan is one of the most important attributes of successful teams and projects. Projects should be organized systematically. 12.1 Eight Questions that can be Addressed with a Plan         What to do first? Next? How many people? What resources? How long? Time table? Deadlines? Objectives? 12.2 Creating a Project Charter    A project summary Defining what your project is and when you will know when it is done Elements include     Deliverables Duration Stakeholders Team members 12.3 Task Definitions  Identify the completion tasks to achieve the objectives and outcomes     Plan Design Build Deliver 12.3 Plans  Plans should include:      Who to hold accountable for progress Needed materials, resources, etc. How to determine if the project is on schedule Manage people and resources Determine the end! 12.4 Milestones    Monitoring of your plans progress Deadlines for deliverables Completion of subcomponents 12.5 Defining Times   Include the full time needed for tasks As a student, you don’t have a full eight-hour work day every day  Break tasks into week segments    Weekday and/or weekend Class periods Break tasks into short time periods  No more than a week or two 12.6 Organizing the Tasks   Determine task relationships and sequencing Relate the task groups from your outline 12.7 PERT Charts    Each task is represented by a box containing a brief description of and duration for the task The boxes can be laid out just as the project plan is laid out Useful as a “what if” tool during planning stages 12.8 Critical Paths  The longest string of dependant project tasks   Ex. – prerequisites such as the math curriculum for engineering Some tasks can be accelerated by using more people, others cannot  Ex. – nine people cannot have the same baby in one month 12.9 Gantt Charts    Popular project management charting method Horizontal bar chart Tasks vs. dates 12.10 Details, Details   Remember Murphy’s Law - “Anything that can go wrong, will.” Leave time to fix debug or fix errors 12.10 Details, Details     Don’t assume things will fit together the first time Order parts well in advance to leave time for shipping, errors, or backorders Leave time for parts malfunction Push delivery times back to a week before they’re actually due – this will help to avoid panic if things go badly 12.11 Personnel Distribution     Get the right people on the right tasks Assign people after developing a draft of the plan Balance the work between everyone Weekly updates – does everyone understand what they’re doing and is everyone still on task? 12.12 Money and Resources  Develop a budget   Extra costs      Estimate with high, middle, and lower quality products – offer a range of solutions Shipping Travel Extra parts such as nails, screws, resistors Material costs and labor Have someone be responsible for managing the budgets and financial aspects 12.13 Document As You Go   Document milestones as they occur Leave time at the end for reviewing, not writing 12.14 Team Roles  Roles      Project Leader or Monitor Procurement Financial Officer Liaison Project Management Software 12.14 – Project Leader or Monitor     Designate a leader, or rotate leaders Monitor and track progress of milestones Maintains timelines Increases likelihood of meeting goals 12.14 – Procurement   Learns purchasing system Tracks team orders 12.14 – Financial Officer    Manages teams expenses Creates original budget Makes identifying budgetary problems easier 12.14 – Liaison   Responsible for keeping everyone informed about the progress of the plan and any changes This includes outside customers, management, professors, etc.