EE295: Applying Project Management Best Practices towards MSEE Project Development

1. EE295: Applying Project Management Best Practices towards MSEE Project Development Harry Fuller, Project Management Professional • San Jose State University • April 12, 2003 H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

2. Presentation Topics (:60 min) • Value of Formal Project Management (5 min) • Critical Elements of Project Management (5min) • Project Start-Up (15min) • Exercise: Identify Project Goals & Project Requirements • Project Planning (15min) • Exercise: Identify Major Tasks; Duration; Sequence; Risks; Quality Requirements; Costs • Review: Case Study (5min) • Project Execution and Control (10min) • Exercise: Identify Project Reporting Criteria • Project Close-Out (5min) • Exercise: Identify Project Closeout Activities H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

3. Value of Formal Project Management IT Statistic 70% of Projects Fail (Requirements Planning / Scope Creep) • History • What Is Project Management? • Formalized Post-WW2 • Specialized Industry Methodologies • Definition of Project (Vs. Operations) • Projects are Temporary & Unique • Operations are On-going (A repetitive process like assembly) • A Successful Project Meets or Exceeds the Expectations of the Stakeholders Advantages and Pitfalls • Communication • Balance Stakeholder Interests • Planning is Key Process H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

4. Critical Elements of Project Management • Requirements • Specifications of the goal or deliverables; Answers the question: “How will we know it is successful? • Deliverables • Measurable outcomes, results, or specific items that must be produced to consider the project or project phase completed • Communication • Project managers spend as much as 90% of their time communicating in one form or another. • So, communication skills are arguably the most important skills a project manager can have. • Goals / Objectives • Purpose for undertaking the project; describe the final result of the project • Describe whatit is you are trying to do or produce H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

5. Critical Elements of Project Management (cont.) • Project Stakeholders • A person or organization that has a vested interest in the project outcome; will have something to gain or lose from the result of the project • Project Team • A person or organization contributing to a project requirement or deliverable. Lifecycle/Phases • Project Start-Up or Initiation • Project Planning • Project Execution • Project Control • Project Close-Out H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

6. 1. Project Start-Up • Project Purpose - Critical Questions to Ask • Project Goals • Project Constraints and Assumptions • Statement of Work: Thesis Proposal • Project Requirements: Project Report Guidelines • Resource Requirements • Types of Resources H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

7. Exercise for Project Start-Up Phase • What are the project goals? • What are the project requirements? • What are the project deliverables? H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

8. 2. Project Planning • Activity Definition • WBS - Work Breakdown Structure • Schedule Development • Estimating • Contingencies • Critical Path • Milestone Schedule • Risk Assessment • Definition of Risk • Resource Requirements • Budget Considerations • Quality Planning • Project Plan (baseline)/ Checklist H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

9. Exercise for Project Planning Phase • What are the major tasks that need to be performed? • How long will the individual tasks take • In what sequence should the tasks be performed? • What are the major project risks and your mitigation strategies? • What are the quality requirements? How often are you going to check the quality of the report? • How much does it cost to have the project bound and filed? H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

10. Review: Case Study Dave, a project manager, is in charge of the development of a new product. The project sponsor, Bill, is unfamiliar with project management processes and stops by the project manager’s office for a brief update. He has an “I’m here for answers” look on his face…. Bill (Sponsor): “I thought I’d drop by to see if the team has started the design and when the first prototype can be expected.” Dave (PM): “We just had a team meeting. We were brainstorming project activities and discussing process.” Bill: “What’s the hold-up? I’d thought the design would have begun by now.” Dave: “I’ve been working with the team on the project plans.” Bill: “Wait….project plans!? You already have a plan: I approved the proposal and that spelled things out pretty clearly.” Dave: “The proposal was the project kick-off, and I agree that it included the goals and deliverables. However, it’s not detailed enough to start creating the project plans. I’m collecting the project requirements and defining the activities as the team plans their work. From that, we’ll create a work breakdown structure with all the deliverables diagrammed in a tree-structure that I’d like to review with you before the next team review.’ H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

11. Review: Case Study Bill: “”We aren’t building trees, we’re designing and building a new product. I don’t understand why you’re wasting the team’s time with these planning activities. We all know what the goals are.” Dave: “Bill, if we put the right amount of time into the planning phase, the actual execution should go pretty smoothly. Planning is probably one of the most important things we can do to ensure project success. If we don’t plan correctly, we might miss something that could delay the release date. The product has to be ready for the spring product show, or so I thought.” Bill: “Yes, we have a firm release date. But, I don’t see how we could have missed anything. You and I know what the product is supposed to do and you’ve communicated this to the team, correct?” Dave: “You’re right, the team knows the high-level requirements and we reviewed them in today’s meeting. And that’s a perfect example of why we need to plan. In fact, in today’s meeting, marketing revealed that the network connection protocol has to be internationalized for Europe. That means we have to contact the Rome office and consult with the product manager and design group. Dean Georgia is the product manager and I’m sure he might have additional specifications for his market to discuss. If there are any additional requirements, we might be able to leverage their staff to complete some of the design work and shorten the schedule. As we discussed, the last two project releases have been delayed and we can’t afford a third.” H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

12. Review: Case Study Bill: “Oh, I forgot that this might be leveraged in Europe. You’re right, that’s an important part of the project, and we can’t have any delays. Okay, I’m beginning to see why you’re taking planning seriously. Let’s take a look at the work breakdown structure this week.” Lesson Learned: When you Fail to Plan , you Plan to Fail! H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

13. 3. Project Execution and 4. Control • Commitment of Resources • Time Management • Project Change - Will it Happen? • Project Status Reporting ("Measuring") - Communication • Formal and Informal Types • Project Monitoring / Tracking ("Evaluating") • Quality Assurance / Checkpoints • Corrective Action ("Correcting") • Respond to Risk • Conflict - How to Manage Issues H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

14. Exercise for Project Execution and Control Phase • What meetings need to be scheduled with the project team? With the project sponsor? • Do progress reports have to be submitted? If so, what information should be included? H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

15. 5. Project Close-Out • Purpose of Process • Product Verification • Checking that the work of the project was completed correctly and to the satisfaction of the stakeholders • Primary Activity of Close-Out • To obtain final sign-off and distribute information that formalizes project completion H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

16. Exercise for Project Close-Out Phase • What are the project closeout activities for the Project Report? H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices

17. Questions? Comments? Harry J. Fuller, PMP hjf_98@hotmail.com H. Fuller, PMP—Project Management Best Practices