NC FIRST FRC Team Workshops: Project Management

1. NC FIRST FRC Team Workshops:Project Management December 8, 2012 Chris Wetli, PMP®, SCPM® Merrilee Tomlinson

2. What is a Project? • A project has a definite beginning and ending • All projects have the same phases • Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitor and Controlling, Closing • All projects have the following issues and concerns • Scope, Time, Cost, Quality and Risk

3. What defines a success project? • Happy customers • Happy stakeholders • On time deliverables • On budget • Team cohesion • Innovation • Team talent pool intensifies • Diversify • Create a community infrastructure like FLL teams or academic mentorship

4. Project Manager • Primary duties • Identify Requirements • Build a team • Organize existing resources • Maintain/analyze data • Identifies and resolves gaps • Schedule resources • Organize capital • Manages budget • Morale

5. Phases of a Project Initiating Planning Monitoring & Controlling Executing Closing

6. Initiating • The very start of the project • Kick off the project • Contains clear project goals and parameters • Often involves the customer and stakeholders • Start controlling Scope

7. Importance of Planning • Time spent up front to understand the requirements, analyze and correctly design a solution saves big in the end • Unexpected problems late in the development are project killers

8. Define Solution / System Document all of the following: • Brainstorm Solutions • Make Sketches / Prototypes • Identify Likely Solutions • Use Decision Making Tool • Select a Final Solution • Complete Independent Reviews • Create Work Breakdown Structure

9. Decision Making Tool • List all areas of Solution/System • Rate each option on it’s own (don’t compare at this point) • Score each option • Best = 1 • Medium = 3 • Worst = 5 • Total Scores • Compare top 2 per scoring (weigh pros & cons)

10. Define Solution / System - One

11. Define Solution / System - Two

12. Team Structure: Defined Work Work Organization Budget Program Management Basics Purdue FIRST Programs

13. Team Structure: Organization Work Organization Budget Program Management Basics Purdue FIRST Programs

14. Team Structure: Budget Work Organization Budget Program Management Basics Purdue FIRST Programs

15. Create a Schedule • Identify Key Deliverables • Identify Critical Dates (FIRST, School, and so on) • Estimate Task Durations • Identify Task Dependencies • Create Draft Schedule • Review, Revise Until Issues Resolved • Gain Acceptance From Stakeholders

17. Executing • Do what you have planned • Do only what you have planned • Feedback and repeat from the top… It’s important to document all activities during the execution phase

18. Time to Execute • Design & Analysis • Manufacture Components • Make & Test Subsystems • Integrate Subsystems and Test • Audits and Reviews • Document Change Request • Manage Change / Monitor Progress • Manage Risk • Complete & Deliver Product

19. Monitoring and Controlling • Gather feedback from all area leaders • Sort feedback • Manage and monitor resources • People • Supplies • Tools • Manage schedule changes

20. Closing • A project is closed upon successful implementation • This is a formal process to make sure you have met and completed all areas of the plan • Ensure your customer has their needs met • Ensure your stakeholders have their needs met

21. Start here…

22. Step 1: Team Structure • Match people with their strengths and skills • Develop a skills matrix • Really helpful for rookie teams • Identifies what training is needed, where you need to get outside help (mentors) • Develop an organizational chart • This must match the team structure and show every role’s responsibilities • Everyone knows their role and responsibility

23. Step 2: Plan the work • Create a Work Breakdown Structure • Simply put it is a list of everything that you need to do to complete the process • Determine the form and function of every part and what they need to do for you • Fundraising, major events, support equipment, travel and so on • This ultimately becomes your project plan and needs to be as detailed as you choose it to be so you can finish the plan and schedule • Needs to match your Team Structure

24. Step 2: Plan the work (cont.) • Estimate each item or system using a Resource Loading Diagram along with a Network Diagram • How much time (work hours) will each task take? • How many people are available and how many hours are they available? • How many days/hours do you have to complete the project? • Where are you short handed? How can you adjust the schedule or tasks to make up for shortages? • Make sure you are not double booking people

25. Step 3: Develop a Project Schedule • Make a simple project schedule which shows who’s doing what and when • Make it easy to read and update • Stick to your plan • Monitor progress and update the schedule to show completed items • Meet with the various team leads to obtain updates and learn any issues that arise • Be flexible, you may have to alter the plan but this adds risk and could have negative effect on project • Project Manager has a very important role • Keep everyone productive, keep everyone positive, keep everyone on the same page, keep everyone motivated, keep everyone…you get the picture • Ensure you add some elements of fun into the project • Show appreciation for team members • Celebrate completion of major items • Acknowledge those going above and beyond COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE

26. Step 4: Design Review • Plan and schedule design reviews • Every day? Every other day? This needs to be held until the design is completed • Document! Be specific and detailed • How subsystems will work together and connect as they are designed, built and integrated • Check your interfaces in the reviews • If there are changes, it must be fully investigated, documented in the plan, is understood and agreed upon • Understand how the change will affect all tasks down the line • Change Request Form

27. Step 5: Risk Management • “What If” • Leave a little time for disasters and unforeseen issues • Testing is essential to reduce risk – ensure you have test cycles in your plan • Set goals for features and functions and categorize as “must have”, “Nice to have”, “wish list” • If a time crunch occurs then having these prioritized will help you trim off which features and functions without stopping everything to discuss and determine what can fall off the plan.

28. Step 5: Risk Management (cont.) • Failure Modes and Effective Analysis • Consider systems components • Identify symptoms of failure • Identify root cause • Predict consequences to other subsystems • Rank failure modes by severity (sev 1 hot, sev 2 medium, sev 3 low) • Rank failures by probability (sev 1 likely, sev 2 possible, sev 3 unlikely)

29. Step 6: Execute! ! !

30. Step 7: Monitor & Control • Meet regularly with all area leaders • Share and document all problems • Manage and monitor resources • People • Supplies • Tools • Manage schedule changes • Adjust as needed

31. Step 8: Close the Project • Post season hold a Roses & Onions session • From what went well to what disasters occurred • Document so planning for next year can take them into account • Make sure you have met and completed all areas of the plan, including documentation • Throw a party for the team and celebrate your accomplishments!

32. Resources and samples

33. Resources • USFIRST.org • Team Organization & Management • Project Management Institute • Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK)