PROJECT MANAGEMENT
CONCEPTS
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Project, Defined
Aprojectisanendeavortoaccomplishaspecificobjectivethrough
auniquesetofinterrelatedtasksandtheeffectiveutilizationof
resources.
Ithasawelldefinedobjectivestatedintermsofscope,schedule,and
costs.
Projectsarebornwhenaneedisidentifiedbythecustomerthe
peopleororganizationwillingtoprovidefundstohavetheneed
satisfied.
Itisthepeople(projectmanagerandprojectteam),nottheprocedures
andtechniques,thatarecriticaltoaccomplishingtheprojectobjective.
Proceduresandtechniquesaremerelytoolstohelpthepeopledotheir
jobs.
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Examples of Projects
Planningawedding
Designingandimplementingacomputersystem
Hostingaholidayparty
Designingandproducingabrochure
Executinganenvironmentalcleanupofacontaminatedsite
Holdingahighschoolreunion
Performingaseriesofsurgeriesonanaccidentvictim
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Phases of the Project Life
Cycle 1
The first phase involves the
identification of a need, problem, or
opportunity.
Theneedandrequirementsareusuallywrittenbythecustomer
intoadocumentcalledarequestforproposal(RFP).
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Phases of the Project Life
Cycle 2
The second phase is the development of
a proposed solution to the need or
problem.
This phase results in the submission of a proposal.
The customer and the winning contractor negotiate
and sign a contract (agreement).
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Phases of the Project Life
Cycle 3
The third phase is performing the
project.
Different types of resources are utilized
Results in the accomplishment of the project
objective
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Phases of the Project Life
Cycle 4
The final phase is terminating the
project.
Perform close-out activities
Evaluate performance
Invite customer feedback
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The Project Management
Process
Theprojectmanagementprocessmeansplanningtheworkand
thenworkingtheplan.
7stepsofplanning
1.Clearlydefinetheprojectobjective.
2.Divideandsubdividetheprojectscopeintomajorpieces
3.Definethespecificactivitiesforeachpiece(workpackage)
4.Graphicallyportraytheactivitiesthatneedtobeperformedfroeachwork
packageinordertoaccomplishtheprojectobjectiveintheformof
networkdiagram.
5.Makeatimeestimateforhowlongitwilltaketocompleteeachactivity
resourcesneeded.
6.Makeacostestimateforeachactivity.
7.Calculateaprojectscheduleandbudgettodeterminewhethertheproject
canbecompletedwithintherequiredtime,withtheallottedfounds,and
withtheavailableresources.
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Project Control Process
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Work Breakdown Structure
(WBS)
The second step is to determine what
activities need to be performed.
A list of all the activities must be
developed.
The WBS is a hierarchical tree of end
items to be accomplished.
A work item is one small piece of the
project.
A work package is the lowest-level item.
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Microsoft Project WBS
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1. Start new project
Turn on the Project Guide
On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the
Interface tab.
In the Project Guide settings section, select the
Display Project Guide check box.
Manually set up a new project
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Project Project Information
or View Turn on project guide
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project/HA102639631033.aspx
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Tools - Options
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2. Tasks
There are four major types of tasks:
1. Summary tasks - contain subtasks and their
related properties
2. Subtasks - are smaller tasks that are a part
of a summary task
3. Recurring tasks - are tasks that occur at
regular intervals
4. Milestones - are tasks that are set to zero
duration and are like interim goals in the
project
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Add tasks
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Insert new task
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Outlining tasks
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Tools Options - check Show project summary task
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Predecessor
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Tasks can be linked in four
ways
Finish-Start FS Predecessor finishes and the
other starts
Start-Finish S-F Task begins at the same
time as its predecessor
Finish-Finish F-F Both tasks finish at the
same time
Start-Start S-S Start of the predecessor
determines when the other starts
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Constraints
Certain tasks need to be completed
within a certain date.
Intermediate deadlines may need to be
specified.
By assigning constraints to a task you
can account for scheduling problems.
There are about 8 types of constraints
and they come under the flexible or
inflexible category.
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3. Managing task
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Defining a Timeline
Find an optimistic value, D(o),
a pessimistic value, D(p) and
a realistic value, D(r) .
Then: Duration = ( D(o) + D(p) + 4 x D(r) ) / 6
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The importance of tracking
progress
Techniques to manage projects effectively:
Critical Path Management (CPM) and
Program Evaluation and Review Techniques (PERT).
They are similar and you will now often find the technique referred
to as: CPM/PERT.
The technique involves using network models to trace the links
between tasks and to identify the tasks which are critical to
meeting the deadlines.
Once you've identified the critical path, any delay on any part of
the critical path will cause a delay in the whole project.
It is where managers must concentrate their efforts.
In MS Project, you use the Tracking Gantt diagram to show the
critical path in red and you can see the PERT diagram by looking at
the Network view.
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Gantt Chart View critical
path
A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that illustrates
a project schedule.
Critical path: View More views - Detail Gant
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PERT diagram - Network
view
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Views
Views allow you to examine your project from
different angles based on what information
you want displayed at any given time.
You can use a combination of views in the
same window at the same time.
Project Views are categorized into two types:
Task Views (5 types)
Resource Views (3 types)
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Saving a baseline
Baseline plan: The original project plans used
to track progress on a project.
The baseline plan is a snapshot of your
schedule at the time that you save the
baseline and includes information about tasks,
resources, and assignments.
You can set a baseline for your project,
enabling you to compare your progress with
the original plan and any additional baselines
you set at milestones throughout your project.
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Saving a Baseline
Tools Tracking Save Baseline
http://office.microsoft.com/home/video.aspx?
assetid=ES102776241033&width=1024&height=768&startindex=0&CTT=11&Origin=HA102751251033&app=WINPROJ&ve
r=12
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RESOURCES
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Manage the project
resources:
people
equipme
Resources are of three types:
nt
work resources, material resources and cost resources.
supplies
Work resources complete tasks by expending time on them. They are usually people
and
equipment that have been assigned to work on the project (you track their participation by the
amount of time they spend).
Material resources are supplies and stocks that are needed to complete a project. You assign
material resources by the quantity that you need: two tons of gravel or 300 gallons of diesel
fuel, for instance. Because materials aren't measured by time, quantities usually affect only
the cost of your project. Materials affect dates or duration only when you have to wait for those
materials to become available.
Cost. Cost resources are the new kid on the Project 2007 block, and they're strictly cost; no
time, no quantitiesjust dollars. Expenses, such as travel or fees, increase the project price
tag, but they aren't associated with work or material resources.
You must start by identifying the resources available along with their
costs.
Resource costs will be multiplied by duration to calculate project costs.
You have to open the Resource sheet to specify the project
resources and costs.
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Fields in the Resource Sheet may be blank or contain different types of information
depending on the type of resource. For example, a work resource doesn't have a Material
label, and costs are calculated initially as dollars per hour. Material resources have a cost
per unitper pound, gallon, or pieceand the Material label field defines the units. Cost
resources receive a value only when you assign them to tasks.
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Use the Detail Gantt view to
find slack (float)
On the View menu, click More Views.
In the Views list, click Detail Gantt,
and then click Apply.
On the View menu, point to Table, and
then click Schedule. In the chart
portion of the view, slack appears as
thin bars to the right of tasks, with slack
values adjoining the regular Gantt bars.
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To shorten a project
schedule
Reduce duration of activities on critical path
More resources
Change their scope
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Technically Constrained Activity Sequence
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Resource-Constrained Planning
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Painting Project Showing Needed Resources
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Create a budget for your
project
Step 1: Create budget resources for your
project
Step 2: Assign the budget resources to the
project summary task
Step 3: Enter values for the budget resources
Step 4: Categorize resource costs according
to their budget type
Step 5: Group resources to view how they
compare against the budget
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Step 1: Create budget
resources for your project
Create Budget-Travel and Budget-Labor on your
resource sheet
View Resource Sheet
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Check
the check
box for
Budget
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Step 2: Assign the budget
resources to the project
summary
task
Gent chart view Tools Options View Tab
Show project summary task (check box)
Task is added to the top of the project list. Select
this task.
Click on Button Assign Resources
Select the two budget resources you created earlier
and click Assign
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Step 3: Enter values for the
budget resources
View Resource Usage view
Add Budget Cost and Budget Work fields (columns):
Insert Column Budget Cost and Budget Work
Add values for travel and Labor cost
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Add: 15,000 for Budget-Travel and 30,000
for Budget-Labor (Budget Work column)
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Step 4: Categorize resource
costs according to their
budget type
Create custom filed (column)
Open Resource Sheet view
Tools Customize Fields
Choose Resource text filed and rename: Budget
Type
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Select Option Button: Roll down unless
manually entered
Add field to the resource sheet view: Insert column choose
Budget Type column ( you can now identify your resources as labor
or travel
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Step 5: Group resources to view
how they compare against the
budget
Resource Usage view
Project Group by: No Group Customize Group
By - Select the Budget Type field
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Viewing Project Cost
Information
Right click the Select All button and click Cost
Or
View Table: Entry Cost
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Reports
Cost Report: Reports - Reports Costs Cash
Flow:
Edit Column list
Project Summary report: Reports Overview
Project Summary
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Resource Usage Report
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Current Activity Reports
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