PROJECT PLANNING

 

 

 

·         PROJECT PLANNING

•    DR SHASHI AGGARWAL

•     PROJECT PLANNING

•     PLANNING IS THINKING DEEPLY THROUGH A PROBLEM,EXAMINING ALL THE LOGICAL PATHS AND WRITING DOWN ALL THE TIMES IN THEIR LOGICAL AND TIME ORDER

•     PLANNING IN ANY PROJECT SECTOR SHOULD JUSTIFY THE FOLLOWING :

1.       PLANNING WOULD HELP TO OPTIMIZE THE USE OF SCARCE RESOURCES

2.       OPTIMIZATION AND BETTER UTILIZATION OF THE EXISTING RESOURCES

3.       WITH IN THE BUDGETARY PROVISIONS OF FINANCING INSTITUTIONS

•     PROJECT PLANNING

1.       PROJECT PLANNING IS PART OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT WHICH RELATES TO USE OF SCHEDULES SUCH AS GANTT CHART TO PLAN AND SUBSEQUENTLY REPORT PROGRESS WITHIN PROJECT ENVIRONMENT.

2.       PROJECT PLANNING CAN BE DONE MANUALLY OR BY THE USE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE.

3.       PLANNING IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF THE PLANNING AND CONTROL CYCLE

4.       PLANNING PROCESS NOT ONLY ESTABLISHES WHAT IS TO BE DONE,BUT  ALSO SMOOTHS THE WAY TO MAKE –IT-HAPPEN

5.       THE CHALLENGE IS TO SELECT AND APPLY THE AVAILABLE PLANNING TOOLS AND EFFECTIVELY

6.       THE PLANNING PROCESS COMMUNICATES PLANNING INFORMATION TO THE PROJECT TEAM AND STAKEHOLDERS AND OBLIGE THEM TO SIGN ON AND PLEDGE THEIR SUPPORT.

7.       PLANNING IS ALL ABOUT THINKING FORWARD IN TIME

8.       IT IS WISE TO LOOK AHEAD ,BUT FOOLISH TO LOOK FURTHER THAN YOU CAN SEE

9.       A PLAN FOR MANAGING THE HUMAN RESOURCES ON THE TEAM BOTH IN TERMS OF AVAILABILITY AND SKILLS

10.    A PLAN FOR MANAGING THE COSTS AND BUDGETING ELEMENTS OF THE PROJECT

11.    COMMUNICATION PLAN SETTING OUT WHO IS GOING TO RECEIVE MESSAGES ABOUT THE PROJECT,WHEN AND IN WHAT FORMAT

12.    A PLAN FOR DEALING WITH PROJECT RISK

13.    A QUALITY PLAN THAT SPECIFIES THE QUALITY TARGETS FOR THE PROJECT

•     PROJECT PLANNING STEPS

•     PROJECT CHARTER : TERMS OF REFERENCE OR PROJECT MISSION

1.       SHOULD BE TIGHTLY WORDED DOCUMENT OUTLINING WHAT IS TO BE DONE AND THE BOUNDARIES OF THE PROJECT

2.       AIM SHOULD BE PRECISELY DEFINED

3.       BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

4.       KEY ASSUMPTIONS

5.       BUSINESS NEEDS AND OTHER COMMERCIAL NEEDS

6.       PROCESS OF PROJECT PLANNING

7.       DEFINING THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

8.       MAKING FORECASTS FOR ACHIEVING THE GOALS

9.       IDENTIFYING THE ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTIONS FOR ACHIEVING THE GOALS

10.    EVALUATING THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THE ORGANIZATION

11.    EVALUATING THE ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTIONS AND SELECTING THE COURSE OF ACTIONS THAT ARE MOST SUITED TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED RESULTS TAKING INTO ACCOUNT RESOURCES CONSTRAINS.

12.    DURING THE PROCESS OF PLANNING,THE VARIOUS OPERATIONS INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT,THEIR SEQUENCE AND THEIR LOGICAL INTER RELATIONSHIP ARE ESTABLISHED.

 

•               SCOPE OF THE WORK

1.       IDENTIFY THE KEY ACTIVITIES,BUDGETS AND DATES

2.       COMMENT ON HOW THE PROJECT IS TO BE MANAGED

3.       ROLE OF THE PROJECT MANAGER ( RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY) AND REPORTING STRUCTURE

4.       ESSENTIALLY FORMALIZE THE PROJECT

5.       PROJECT CHARTER PROVIDES ALL THE PROJECT MANAGER WITH THE AUTHORITY TO APPLY THE COMPANY RESOURCES TO THE PROJECT

•    FEASIBILITY  STUDY :THE LEAD UP TO THE FEASIBILITY STUDY (FROM THE CLIENT’S PERSPECTIVE) IS THE FORMALIZING OF THE PROJECT WITH THE PROJECT CHARTER. THE PROJECT CHARTER OUTLINES THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT AND WHAT IS MEANT TO ACHIEVE.

1. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE
2. PROJECT BRIEFS
3. LEVEL OF DETAILS
4. BUDGET THE FEASIBILITY STUDY
5. REPORT BACK DATE

6.       OFFERS A STRUCTURED APPROACH FOR IDENTIFYING THE STAKEHOLDERS AND ASSESSING THEIR NEEDS

•    SCOPE MANAGEMENT : EFFECTIVE SCOPE MANAGEMENT IS ONE OF THE KEY FACTORS DETERMINING PROJECT SUCCESS

•    SCOPE MANAGEMENT DEFINES WHAT THE PROJECT WILL ACCOMPLISH,WHAT IT WILL DELIVER,WHAT IT WILL PRODUCE AND WHERE THE WORK PACKAGES START AND FINISH

•    ON AN ENGINEERING PROJECT : SCOPE OF WORK WOULD BE DEVELOPED INTO A LIST OF DRAWING,BILL OF MATERIAL AND SPECIFICATIONS

•    SCOPE MANAGEMENT ALSO INCLUDES A CLOSEOUT THE REPORT TO DOCUMENT ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN FROM MISTAKES

•    BUILD METHOD : THE BUILD METHOD OUTLINES HOW THE PRODUCT WILL BE ASSEMBLED OR IMPLEMENTED

•    FOR EXAMPLE IT CONSIDERS THE POSITION OF THE CRANES AND STORAGE ON HIGH RISE BUILDING OR THE METHODS OF COMMUNICATION AND DATA STORAGE ON THE IT PROJECT

•    EXECUTION STRATEGY : CONSIDERS THE MAKE OR BUY DECISION

•    IF THE PRODUCT IS TO BE PURCHASED THIS IS A PROCUREMENT ISSUE BUT IF THE PRODUCT IS TO BE MADE IN HOUSE THIS IS RESOURCE ISSUE WHERE THE EXECUTION STRATEGY SHOULD IDENTIFY THE EQUIPMENT AND LABOUR POOL

•    WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE IS TECHNIQUE WHICH BREAKS DOWN A WORK INTO ITS COMPONENTS AND AT THE SAME TIME ESTABLISHES THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE COMPONENTS

•    THE PURPOSE OF THE WBS IS TO SUBDIVIDE THE SCOPE OF WORK INTO MANAGEABLE WORK PACKAGES THAT CAN BE ESTIMATED,PLANNED AND ASSIGNED TO A RESPONSIBLE PERSON OR DEPARTMENT FOR COMPLETION.

 

•    WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE : IS AN EXCELLENT TOOLS FOR QUANTIFYING THE SCOPE OF WORK AS A LIST OF WORK PACKAGES AND ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR QUANTIFYING THE SCOPE OF WORK AS LIST OF WORK PACKAGES AND IS AN ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR ENSURING THE ESTIMATE OR QUOTATION INCLUDES THE COMPLETE SCOPE OF WORK

•    THE WBS CAN ALSO BE CONSIDERED AS A HIERARCHICAL FORM OF MIND MAP THAT HELPS TO BREAK COMPLEXITY DOWN INTO SIMPLE MANAGEABLE COMPONENTS

•     EXAMPLE OF WBS HOUSE PROJECT

•     1.1.0 CIVIL

•      1.1.1 FOUNDATIONS

•      1.1.2 WALLS AND ROOF

•     1.2.0 PLUMBING

•      1.2.1 PIPING

•      1.2.2 SEWAGE

•     1.3.0 PLUMBING

•      1.3.1 WIRING

•      1.3.2 APPLIANCES

 

 

•    ORGANIZATION BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE :

1. THE OBS OR RESPONSIBILITY MATRIX IS SET UP TO MANAGE THE PROJECT AS OUTLINED IN THE EXECUTION STRATEGY
2. LINKS THE WBS WORK PACKAGES TO THE COMPANY,DEPARTMENT OR PERSON WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PERFORMING THE WORK
3. CAN BE FURTHER DEVELOPED TO INCLUDE DELEGATED RESPONSIBILITY,LEVEL OF AUTHORITY AND LINES OF COMMUNICATION
4. ORGANIZATION BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE :
5. PROJECTS ARE OFTEN MANAGED BY PROJECT MANAGER AND PROJECT TEAMS THAT IS SPECIFICALLY SET UP FOR THE PROJECT AND DISBANDED ON COMPLETION.
6. THE INTEGRATION OF THE PROJECT TEAM AND COMPANY DEPARTMENTS ---THROUGH MATRIX STRUCTURE

 

•     ORGANIZATION BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE

•     CRITICAL PATH METHOD (CPM) :USES A NETWORK DIAGRAM TO PRESENT THE WORK PACKAGES AND ACTIVITIES IN LOGICAL SEQUENCE OF WORK THAT IS DEVELOPED FROM THE BUILD METHOD AND OTHER CONSTRAINS

•     ACTIVITY DURATION AND WORK CALENDER'S ARE ESTIMATED,WHILE THE AVAILABILITY OF PROCUREMENT AND RESOURCES ARE NOT TO CONSTRAINS THE TIME ANALYSIS

•     SCHEDULE BAR CHARTS :ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND COMMONLY USED MEANS OF COMMUNICATING SCHEDULE INFORMATION

•     IT ENABLES THE PROJECT PARTICIPATION TO EASILY WALK THROUGH THE SEQUENCING OF THE PROJECT’S WORK

•     THE PLANNING STRUCTURE CAN BE FURTHER SIMPLIFIED BY FOCUSING ON HAMMOCKS,KEY DATES AND MILESTONES

•     PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE : THE EXECUTION STRATEGY MAKE OF BUY DECISIONS WILL DETERMINE

•     IF THE BILL OF MATERIAL IS A PROCUREMENT ISSUE OR RESOURCE ISSUE

•     THE PROCUREMENT FUNCTION IS TO SUPPLY ALL THE BOUGHT IN TIMES AT THE BEST PRICE TO MEET THE PROJECT SCHEDULE

•     RESOURCE HISTOGRAM : THE RESOURCES REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE WORK OUTLINED IN THE SCHEDULE BAR CHART ARE FORECAST AND COMPARED WITH THEIR AVAILABILITY

•     RESOURCE OVERLOADS OR RESOURCES UNDER LOAD NEED TO ACCOMMODATE BOTH PROJECT AND COMPANY REQUIREMENTS.

 

•     BUDGETS AND PROJECT CASH FLOW : THE PROJECT ACCOUNTING PROCESS NOT ONLY ESTABLISHES AND ASSIGNS BUDGETS TO ALL THE WORK PACKAGES BUT ALSO DETERMINE THE PROJECT’S CASH FLOW

•     THERE MAY BE CASH FLOW CONSTRAINS RESTRICTING THE SUPPLY OF FUNDS THAT WILL REQUIRE THE SCHEDULED BAR CHARTS TO BE REVISED

•     THE COST CAN BE INTEGRATED WITH TIME TO PRODUCE THE BUDGETED COST FOR WORK SCHEDULES THAT FORM THE BASELINE THE PLAN FOR THE EARNED VALUE CALCULATION.

•     COMMUNICATION PLAN :

1.       PROCESS REQUIRES TO ENSURE PROPER COLLECTION AND DISSEMINATION OF PROJECT INFORMATION

2.       CONSISTS OF COMMUNICATION PLANNING

3.       INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION

4.       A SCHEDULE OF PROJECT MEETING

5.       PROGRESS REPORTING

•     PROJECT QUALITY PLAN : OUTLINES A QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

•     QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL DESIGNED TO GUIDE AND ENABLE THE PROJECT TO MEET THE REQUIRED CONDITION

•     MAY INCLUDE PRE-QUALIFYING PROJECT PERSONNEL AND SUPPLIERS,,DEVELOPING PROCEDURES,QUALITY INSPECTIONS AND QUALITY DOCUMENTATION

•     RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN :

1.       INCLUDE THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING,ANALYZING AND RESPONDING TO PROJECT RISK

2.       CONSISTS OF RISK IDENTIFICATION,RISK QUANTIFICATION AND IMPACT

3.       RESPONSE DEVELOPMENT AND RISK CONTROL

4.       DISASTER RECOVERY PLAN TO ACCOMMODATE THE WORST POSSIBLE SCENARIO

•     BASELINE PLAN : MAY BE CONSIDERED AS A PORTFOLIO OF DOCUMENTS WHICH OUTLINES HOW TO ACHIEVE THE PROJECTS’S OBJECTIVES

•     THE LEVEL OF DETAILS AND ACCURACY WILL DEPEND ON THE PROJECT PHASE AND COMPLEXITY

•     THE BASELINE PLAN SHOULD BE A COHERENT TO GUIDE THE PROJECT THROUGH EXECUTION AND PROJECT CONTROL CYCLE

•     PROJECT CONTROL CYCLE

1. THE PROJECT CONTROL CYCLE IS PRESENTED AS SEQUENCE OF STEPS TO GUIDE THE PROJECT TO GUIDE THE PROJECT TO A SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION
2. THE BASELINE PLAN OUTLINES THE COURSE TO STEER,BUT ONCE THE PROJECT STARTS YOU CAN BE SURE THINGS WILL DEVIATE BE IT LATE DELIVERIES,SICKNESS,ABSENTEEISM OR SCOPE CREEP
3. THE PROJECT CONTROL CYCLE MONITORS PROJECT PERFORMANCE AND COMPARES IT AGAINST THE BASELINE
4. ALSO INCLUDES A MECHANISM FOR INCORPORATING SCOPE CHANGES

 

5. PROJECT CONTROL ALSO RELATES  TO KEEP THE PROJECT TEAM AND PERSONNEL INTERESTED IN THE PROJECT,TOGETHER WITH CONTINUING SUPPORT AND COMMITMENT FROM SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS.