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ECE4951 – Design Workshop

Learn project management adages and techniques to organize, document, and manage engineering projects effectively for timely delivery and successful outcomes. Develop a project timeline, manage resources, and become a successful project manager.

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ECE4951 – Design Workshop

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  1. ECE4951 – Design Workshop Lecture 7: Project Management

  2. Project Management Adages … • “Plan the Work, then Work the Plan” • “Well Begun, Half-Done” • “Work Smarter, not Harder” • “A job worth doing is worth doing well” • In other words, everyone has trouble managing projects and managing people

  3. Organizing the Project • Understand the project • Does the project have a clear purpose or meet a specific need (P&N) • If not, can it be modified (at the beginning!) to have one? And can it be limited to only that purpose or need?(Scope) • Develop a vision of the completed project and get excited about seeing it through • RULE OF THUMB: If you can’t summarize the project in one sentence, the project purpose needs to be refined • All projects must make “business sense” – the benefits outweigh the development cost

  4. Organizing continued • Line up your resources • Get a commitment from management • Know your preliminary budget • Self-assess your skills – Are they sufficient to meet the demands of the project? • If not, can you get training in time to meet the demands or can you pick team members that have the skills needed for the project? • If neither of these options is available, ethically you need to respectfully decline the project or line up a consultant

  5. Documenting the Project • All engineering projects create a paper trail. • Well documented projects can be easily understood from conception to completion by following the paper • Projects with good documentation NEVER need to be repeated (Never invent the wheel more than once) • It takes time to document. It wastes time to not document!

  6. Documenting continued • START at the BEGINNING • Meet with the customer (end-user of the project) to identify all Needs and Wants • Identify the components that constitute a completed project (i.e. a working prototype, an operating manual, etc.). These are called “Deliverables”. • Date your documentation and mark with a Revision number

  7. Project Timeline • With the project well defined by it’s deliverables and the customer’s needs, start breaking it up into tasks • Engineers invest time at the front end of the project to thoroughly think it through in as much step-by-step detail as possible, documenting all along the way • There would be no space program or skyscrapers without engineers designing and troubleshooting ON PAPER prior to construction. The cost and risk would outweigh the benefit

  8. Timeline continued • With the project broken into tasks, a timeline for completion is created • Start with the completion Deadline • Then work backward toward the present • Each task must be assigned ownership to a team member • Each task must also be assigned a completion date, based on the workload of the team and impact the task has on the completion of other tasks and overall completion of the project • DOCUMENT THIS PROCESS

  9. Timeline continued • A well planned timeline becomes a project schedule. • Set reasonable tasks and task deadlines, then MEET THEM • Make sure team members understand their tasks and have the resources to complete them • Tasks can be considered mini projects. Team members should apply the project management principles to the tasks as well, breaking them into sub-tasks and scheduling their completion.

  10. Project Management • With a detailed and documented Timeline in hand, revisit the Budget, making a detailed engineering estimate of time and materials. • With Timeline and Budget fully developed and communicated to team members, management and the customer, the project is ready to start. • With a good timeline, the project is Trackable. It becomes a contract that binds everyone to meeting deadlines. It allows you to see where, when and why a project gets into trouble. • ALL PROJECTS GET INTO TROUBLE

  11. The Project Manager • A Good Project Manager is: • First and Foremost a good communicator, sharing information, conveying a vision for the project, convincing management to commit and team members to work • Secondly, willing to invest the time to plan, document and track the project – Fussy Details • Motivated by the vision of the completed project and able to find ways to motivate others to share that vision

  12. Conclusions • The ability to break the project into clear and reasonable tasks is essential to making progress (Most common shortcoming of Project Management) • Clear and reasonable tasks can only result from a deep understanding of a project that has been properly defined in scope • Deep understanding of a project TAKES TIME. Be willing to invest the time and energy.

  13. Summary • Determine the Project’s Purpose and Necessity and limit its Scope to that P&N • Start the Documentation Process by assessing the Customer’s Needs and Wants and what you will Deliver. • Think through the project, identifying Tasks. Develop a detailed cost estimate. • Assemble your resources and develop a reasonable timeline. • Track, Track, Track • Document, Document, Document • Celebrate upon successful completion

  14. References: • Chap, James: 5-Steps to Project Success, v1.1,http://www.youtube.com/JimChap1

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