Winter 2014 1

Lecture 9 Project Planning and Scheduling

Time

Events

Resources

Winter 2014 2

What is the difference between Project Planning and theProject Schedule?

The Project Schedule is the result of detailed Project Planning

Project Planning is the process of evaluating the project tasksand resources to determine how the resources will be applied to the tasks in a manner that will insure a successful result of the project.

Winter 2014 3

Project Planning and Scheduling

Once the project is defined, the schedule becomes the most visible project document.Developing a schedule is an iterative process. Remember the triangle.

• Task Description• Resource needs

Features

PreliminaryLinking

ResourceAvailability

WorkingSchedule

TimeNo No

YesFinal

Schedule

Winter 2014 4

Developmenttime-T

Developmentcost-C

ProductFeatures-F

C=F/T

Control Documents support key factors

PFSD

FSD

CG&S

ScheduleFinal ProjectReports

The FSD answers the What?The CG&S answers the How?And the Schedule answers the When?

Winter 2014 5

Developmenttime-T

Developmentcost-C

ProductFeatures-FC=F/T

The key parameters of Development

Trade offs between the key product developmentfactors.

Winter 2014 6

Murphy’s Law of Development• A project can be done;

– quickly, – inexpensively, – or well.

• One can pick any two of the three variables at the same time, but not all three. – (informally it’s fast, cheap, or good)

• Inherent trade-off between: Speed Cost Quality

Winter 2014 7

Project Scheduling

When does a team develop a Project Schedule?

It doesn’t make too much sense to do a detailed schedule before the project definition is complete. However, a rough schedule with approximate milestones is generally created early in the concept development phase. This preliminary schedule is used for project justification and project pipeline planning.

Once the project passes through the system level design checkpoint, and project level feasibility is proven, then the detailed plan for the completion of the project is completed. This coincides with the addition of project resources from other functional areas, and the authorization of large project funds to complete the project.

The detailed plan and schedule becomes a contract between the development team and the company. Contracts and schedules can be modified over time, but both require the explicit consent of both parties.

Winter 2014 8

Project Scheduling

8 Steps to complete a schedule

Step 1

• The first step is to develop a task description list. This is list of all the tasks that you can think of that will be necessary to complete the project.

• It is very important not to skip over some of

the more common tasks, such as system integration or testing time.

Winter 2014 9

Project Scheduling

Practice assignment. Develop a Gantt Chart for the following project;

Fixing dinner The dinner will include a tossed salad, mushroom and rice casserole, baked salmon, and rolls.

Step 1. Major activities • wash and cut vegetables for the salad• toss the salad• set the table • prepare the mushrooms• cook the mushrooms• mix rice with casserole ingredients• bake the casserole 350 degrees• prepare the salmon • bake the salmon • prepare the rolls • serve the dinner

Winter 2014 10

Project Scheduling

Step 2

• Next you make a first pass at the resource requirements to complete each task.

• The resource requirements need to consider both time and the number of people available.

• This will be hard for some of your projects, because most of you don’t have any prior experience to give you a baseline.

• Don’t estimate too tightly: allow for the unexpected.

• You will also have to make some fundamental assumptions about the project.

Winter 2014 11

Project Scheduling

Fixing dinner The dinner will include a tossed salad, mushroom and rice casserole, baked salmon, and rolls.

Assumptions: casserole requires the mushrooms to be precooked. We can cook both the casserole and the salmon in the same oven. We have only two people to complete the assignment

Step 2. Assign resource requirementsMajor activities and times

• wash and cut vegetables for the salad--15 minutes• toss the salad--5 minutes• set the table -- 8 minutes• prepare the mushrooms– 5 minutes• Precook the mushrooms– 10 minutes• mix casserole ingredients— 10 minutes• bake the casserole 350 degrees--25 minutes• prepare the salmon -- 10 minutes• bake the salmon -- 20 minutes• prepare the rolls -- 5 minutes• serve the dinner -- 5 minutes

Winter 2014 12

Project Scheduling

Step 3

• The third step is to identify linkages between the various tasks.

• Certain tasks are independent and can be started at any time.

• Most tasks require the completion of other activities before they can be started.

• Some tasks will have multiple linkages. • You may want to use a “task structure matrix”

to determine linkages.

Winter 2014 13

Three Fundamental Activity Relationships

Design BetaCartridges

Test BetaCartridges

(a) Sequential

(b) Parallel

(c) Coupled

Receive andAcceptSpecification

ConceptGeneration/Selection

Design BetaCartridges

Produce BetaCartridges

DevelopTestingProgram

Test BetaCartridges

SelectAssemblyEquipment

DesignProductionCartridge

DesignMold

DesignAssemblyTooling Example: Kodak Cheetah

Microfilm Cartridge

Winter 2014 14

• # Task Time1. wash and cut vegies 15m2. set the table 10m3. Prepare the mushrooms 5m4. precook the mushrooms 10m5. mix casserole ingredients 10m6. bake the casserole 25m7. prepare the salmon 10m8. bake the salmon 20m9. prepare the rolls 5m10. serve the dinner 5m11. toss the salad 5m12. heat the oven 10m

Step 3. Identify the dependencies between activities.

Dependenciesnonenonenone345,12none7, 12none6,11,2,8,91none

What assumptions are you making about available resources?What assumptions are you making about available resources?

Winter 2014 15

Project Scheduling

Step 4

• Identify the major checkpoint activities that will require the completion and demonstration of project status.

Example

Check if Casserole and Salmon are done.

Winter 2014 16

Development Phase

Activities

A

BC

D

E

CheckpointMeeting

Proceed to next phase

1

CancelProject

3

RedirectProject

2

Many activities may need to come together for the checkpoint meetings.

Winter 2014 17

Project Scheduling

Step 5

• Develop the preliminary schedule. There are many software programs, such as Microsoft Project, that can be used to actually complete the schedule.

Winter 2014 18

10 min 20 min 30 min 40 min 50 min 60 min* Wash and cut vegies

* Prepare mushrooms

* Precook mushrooms

* Mix casserole

* Cook Casserole

* Cook Salmon

* Prepare Salmon

* Preheat oven

* Prepare rolls

* Set the table

* Toss the salad

* Serve dinner

Gantt Chart for Dinner exercise

Person 1 Person 2

Winter 2014 19

PERT and CPM Charts4 2

Start 3

6

Finish

8

5

4

days

activity precedence

activity and duration• Simple network diagrams

are easy to understand.• We cannot represent the

coupled/iterative task relationships.

Winter 2014 20

Project SchedulingStep 6

• Analyze the results. Most schedules require many passes to balance the tasks, resources, and requirements. This is just like the project triangle. If the project schedule doesn’t meet the market requirements, then the project team must either modify the number of available resources, or reduce the scope of the project.

• In the case of your project, it is important to identify what degrees of freedom are available. The project end point is fixed. Therefore, you can only change the resources, (the amount of time that the team will commit to this project), or the scope of the development effort, (the features that your product will have).

Winter 2014 21

• # Task Time1. Heat the oven 10m2. Prepare mushrooms 5m3. Precook the mushrooms 10m4. mix casserole ingredients 10m5. bake the casserole 25m6. prepare the salmon 10m7. bake the salmon 20m8. Wash and cut vegies 15m9. Toss the Salad 5m10. Set the table 10m11. Prepare the rolls 5m12. Serve the dinner 5m

Step 3. What changes if you only have one person?

Dependenciesnonenone23446689105, 7, 9, 10, 11

You have to determine a new sequence of task completion.

Now the activity takes 75 minutes!!Now the activity takes 75 minutes!!

Winter 2014 22

Project Scheduling

• What can you do to reduce the time to complete the dinner?

• Could 3 or more people help?• If you had more time to prepare, how could you

shorten the schedule?

Winter 2014 23

Project Scheduling

Step 7

• Identify the Critical Path, the series of tasks that have no slack time associated with their completion. Then look for ways to do more in parallel to shorten the time. The perfect schedule has all paths at their critical points.

Winter 2014 24

10 min 20 min 30 min 40 min 50 min 60 min

* Wash and cut vegies

* Prepare mushrooms

* Precook mushrooms

* Mix casserole

* Cook Casserole

* Cook Salmon

* Prepare Salmon

* Preheat oven

* Prepare rolls

* Set the table

* Toss the salad

* Serve dinner

Slack timeCritical PathCritical Path

Winter 2014 25

PERT and CPM (Critical Path Management) Charts

4 2

Start 3

6

Finish

8

5

4

days

activity precedence

critical path

activity and duration

Winter 2014 26

Project Scheduling

Step 8

• When the schedule is close to completion, most smart teams insert into the schedule some planned slack time for contingencies.

Winter 2014 27

Project Scheduling

DSM - design structure matrix. Shows serial, coupled, and parallel tasks

Gantt chart - horizontal time line of the project. Commonly used to show completion status.

PERT chart - explicitly shows both timing and task dependencies. The nodes of the chart are the task descriptions, and the lines show the duration. It is easy to add critical path identification to the chart.

(In most development projects a person is assigned to develop and manage the schedule. Most projects with over 15 people or multiple teams will require a full time project coordinator.)

Winter 2014 28

Homework Assignment

• Prepare the “task list” for your actual project. (Use Microsoft Project or a similar program to complete the Schedule for your project.)

• Email a copy of your task list to me following your next team meeting.

• Review the material in Chapter 16 of Ulrich and Eppinger

Winter 2014 29

PERT Chart and Critical Path

A B C D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M N

2 4 8 8

5

2

14

10

6

4

2 2

A 2

task

duration (weeks)

A Receive and Accept Specification H Design Mold B Concept Generation/Selection I Design Assembly Tooling C Design Beta Cartridges J Purchase Assembly Equipment D Produce Beta Cartridges K Fabricate Molds E Develop Testing Program L Debug Molds F Test Beta Cartridges M Certify Cartridge G Design Production Cartridge N Initial Production Run

critical path

Winter 2014 30

Design Structure Matrix

Receive and Accept SpecificationConcept Generation/SelectionDesign Beta CartridgesProduce Beta CartridgesDevelop Testing ProgramTest Beta CartridgesDesign Production CartridgeDesign MoldDesign Assembly ToolingPurchase Assembly EquipmentFabricate MoldsDebug MoldsCertify CartridgeInitial Production Run

TASK

.

J

D

A

LK

I

E

C

H

FG

B

NM

B JDA LKIEC HF G NM

Coupled Tasks

Parallel Tasks

Sequential Tasks

CD

NM

L

KJ

IH

GF

E

AB

Example: Kodak Cheetah Microfilm Cartridge