Project Planning

EAT100 – Design, Drawing and

Practical Skills
Dr Mike Knowles
 Project Planning

What the customer How the team leader How the engineer
described. understood it. designed it.
 Project Planning

How the project was When was the project What the customer
documented. completed. really wanted.
 Project Management

• What do you think a Project is?

 Project Management
• Various definitions for a project
– A temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product
or service.
– Planned activity.
– ‘A project is a set of co-ordinated activities that contribute to the
achievement of a common goal or goals.

• British Standards have defined a project as:

“ a unique set of co-ordinated activities, with definite starting and finishing points,
undertaken by an individual or organization to meet specific objectives within
defined schedule, cost and performance parameters.”
 Projects vs Functional work
• Key characteristics of projects
– a start and finish
– a budget
– planning is required
– specific objects are to be met or
– a specified product is to be created
– the project has a predetermined time span
– a lifecycle
– unique and non-repetitive tasks or activities
– single point of responsibility
• Functional work - is normally repetitive, ongoing and
predictable
 Working as a Team
• A key aspect of this project is that you will
work as a TEAM

• What do you think could go wrong here?

 Communication is Key
• Make sure everyone one knows:
– What they should be working on.
– When and where the next meeting is.
– The current status of work.

ANY team member should be able

to give an accurate project update
at ANY time.
 Organising YOUR Team
• All teams will function differently, play to your
strengths.
• Be accountable to each other.
• Treat others as you would expect to be treated.
• Value input from ALL members.
• Certain members might assume specific roles.
– We expect wide involvement
• Delegate tasks but don’t dodge responsibility!
 Holding Meetings
• Hold a regular meeting.
• Be prepared for your meeting.
• Keep a record of your meeting:
– When was your meeting.
– Who was there.
– Who sent apologies.
– What was discussed.
– What decisions were made.
– Who is going to do what tasks.
• Be efficient! Stay on topic.
 Meeting Minutes
• You should include the minutes of all meetings in your
reports
– i.e. each report should contain minutes of meetings which took
place since the last report
• Minutes should show:
– Who attended
– What has been achieved
– Future actions – who?
• If problems arise in the groups we will use these minutes to
determine who has been contributing

• These minutes should be summarised in your Canvas

‘logs’ as per the brief
 When things go wrong
• Maintain a professional attitude.
• DON’T make things personal!
• Try and fix any problems WITHIN the team.
• We do need to know about problems which remain
unresolved.
• We do need to know about team members not
pulling their weight.
 Project Plan
Its really important to know:
• What needs doing – Work Breakdown Structure
• When does it need doing by
• What order will tasks be completed
• One way to document all this is via a Gantt Chart
 Work Breakdown Structures

• The WBS is a key document in the project file.

• It is the entire project compressed into individual work packages.

• The Work Breakdown Structure provides a basis for planning,

budgeting, financial control, defining the organisation and assigning
responsibilities.
 Work Breakdown Structures
• WBS is a hierarchical structure
• Many different methods of sub-dividing the scope
• By product e.g. Airplane – wings, fuselage, tail
• By lifecycle – concept, design, build, instal
• By contractor – subcontractor1,subcontractor2 etc
• By Location – e.g.Power system – substation1,
substation2 etc
• Only limitation is your own imagination
• No right or wrong structure
• Choose the one that fits the situation best
Work Breakdown Structures
Gantt Chart
Gantt Chart
Gantt Chart
Gantt Chart
Gantt Chart
Gantt Chart
Gantt Chart
 Things to Think About
• When creating your Gantt chart you should
consider:
– The duration of the project
– The deliverable dates
– The level of detail you should include
– Who will do what
– Contingencies