Presentation Transcript
Project Scheduling : Project Scheduling The Hurrier I Go: The Behinder I Get!
Harlan Kennedy P.Eng PMP Illustration: Sir John Tenniel – 1865, 1890 Nursery Version of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carol
Elements of Project Management : Elements of Project Management Scope
Cost
Time / Schedule
Human Resources
Procurement
Quality
Communications
Risk
Integration
Why do Projects Finish Late? : Why do Projects Finish Late? Applies to:
IT projects
Construction Projects
Process change projects
Personal or family projects
Event projects (project on time, but some tasks not completed)
Why do Projects Finish Late? : Why do Projects Finish Late? Tasks finish late
Tasks required but not identified in planning
Actions taken to correct issues with Human Resources, Contracts, Quality, or Risk events take longer than anticipated
Inadequate contingency planning
Why do Tasks finish late? : Why do Tasks finish late? Some of the reasons:
Inadequate experience of team, leading to inaccurate estimates
Unforeseen delays with inadequate contingency planning Slide 5
Failure to break down project elements far enough to estimate accurately
Unidentified precedents
Poor team communication about status of precedent tasks Slide 6
Why do Tasks finish late? : Why do Tasks finish late? Some of the reasons:
Quality of work of precedents Rejected Precedents
Resource unavailability (human and non-human)
Previous project changes not properly accounted for in revised project schedule No accounting for change
Sponsor-initiated delays not documented appropriately: Contracting procedures, Approval delays, Scope Change requests, etc.
Rejected Precedents Example : Rejected Precedents Example Construction Project:
Permanent heat not available due to change by mechanical contractor
Temporary heat increased humidity – drywall cured poorly
Painter urged to start ASAP
Paint finish rejected by Architect
Why do Tasks finish late?
No accounting for change - Example : No accounting for change - Example Construction Project:
Mechanical Contractor changed – redesign of system
No contingency plan for approval delays
No contingency plan for re-work costs, or for delay costs
Why do Tasks finish late?
Late Completion of Project Tasks : Late Completion of Project Tasks An example, from the files of Harlan Kennedy
The Disneyland “Vacation” : The Disneyland “Vacation” Family of four: Mom, Dad, two children aged <3 & <6
Drive to Southern California in ’84 Honda Accord with no A/C
Three weeks in June 85
Hotels booked in advance in Anaheim, San Diego and three points on route to California
The Disneyland “Vacation” : The Disneyland “Vacation” On advice of CAA, don’t take much US currency – wait and exchange in US to get “a better deal”
Hotels on Return trip – book based on travel progress going down
Plan well to ensure children are entertained and fed on time – to avoid hearing loss due to screaming
The Currency Exchange – lessons learned : The Currency Exchange – lessons learned In mid-1980’s most fast-food outlets don’t take credit cards. US outlets don’t take Canadian $
Most US Banks won’t do foreign exchange
Las Vegas Casinos would gladly exchange $CDN at $0.69 US
It takes several days to get to Las Vegas
Little kids don’t like to wait to eat in full-service restaurants
Children can scream very loudly for their size
The Currency Exchange – lessons learned : The Currency Exchange – lessons learned No (or poor) contingency plan
Potential savings did not justify taking the risk
Failed to maintain plan to feed kids on time – delays searching for appropriate restaurant caused longer travel days than planned
Why do Tasks finish late? : Why do Tasks finish late? Some of the reasons:
Inadequate experience of team, leading to inaccurate estimates x
Unforeseen delays with inadequate contingency planning x
Failure to break down project elements far enough to estimate
Unidentified precedents
Poor team communication about status of precedent tasks
Packing up the Car – Lessons Learned : Packing up the Car – Lessons Learned Instead of “pack up the car – 20 minutes”, tasks should have been:
“search room for all personal items, toys, clothes, snacks, etc. – 15 minutes”;
“pack suitcases, tote bags, & cooler and load car – 10 minutes”; and
“search room again, including way down at the bottom of the bed – 5 minutes”
Heading home… : Heading home…
Travelling – Lessons Learned : Travelling – Lessons Learned In spite of what you might have heard, all Roads do not lead to Las Vegas!
Detailed Map of Southern California - Roads and Freeways : Detailed Map of Southern California - Roads and Freeways
Travelling – planned versus actual : Travelling – planned versus actual Plan
Leave early
Drive NE on Interstate 15 to Las Vegas
Lunch in Las Vegas Actual
Leave early
Drive NE on IS 15 to where it crosses IS 10
Turn around and return to San Diego to retrieve favourite teddy bear
Drive N on IS 5 to Anaheim
At 11:00 AM, increase average speed to 75 mph
Drive west for 1 hour to meet up with IS 15
Drive into desert at 1:00PM
Supper in Las Vegas
Interesting Facts : Interesting Facts 119 degrees Fahrenheit (Baker, California temp) = 48.33 degrees Celsius
99 degrees Fahrenheit (Las Vegas temp) = 37.22 degrees Celcius
In June, it gets hot in the desert between Baker and Las Vegas
It feels pretty warm when the outside temperature is 37 C and it starts raining
Why do Tasks finish late? : Why do Tasks finish late? Some of the reasons:
Inadequate experience of team, leading to inaccurate estimates x
Unforeseen delays with inadequate contingency planning x
Failure to break down project elements far enough to estimate x
Unidentified precedents x
Poor team communication about status of precedent tasks x
Travelling – lessons learned : Travelling – lessons learned Double-check map
Measure progress against time to completion, not against how much time has been spent on tasks to date
Working harder on the wrong things (in this case driving faster in the wrong direction) does not improve progress
Visualizing being finished does not help
Rare causes for late completion : Rare causes for late completion Team tries to delay project to prolong the “fun”
Team not working hard enough
Project sponsor offers team a bonus for late completion
Project team needs more time to spend the entire project budget
Not “visualizing” a completed project Visualize…
Avoiding Task Scheduling Problems : Avoiding Task Scheduling Problems When team is inexperienced, further break down tasks – treat them like projects
Brainstorm risks for all precedents of critical path tasks, as well as those tasks
Include the identification of precedents in Risk identification brainstorming
Avoiding Task Scheduling Problems : Avoiding Task Scheduling Problems Get real status from team – in terms of time to completion. Provide a repository for reports on tasks (complete or otherwise) to avoid guesswork
Reject unsatisfactory work ASAP – don’t wait for an invoice or report of completion from the assigned resource
Avoiding Task Scheduling Problems : Avoiding Task Scheduling Problems Plan back-up for critical resources – if no back-up available, add to contingency
Use Risk Management techniques to help identify implications of changes – share or delegate risk where possible
Document deviations from approved schedule – even Sponsor generated deviations
Scheduling Problems – possible corrective actions : Scheduling Problems – possible corrective actions Break down larger tasks to allow revision of precedence logic Slide 31
Engage sponsor in resolving delays
Communicate frequently among team and Sponsor – provide status of delayed tasks and what action has been taken to resolve
Project Network with Critical Path : Project Network with Critical Path A B C D G F H 5 3 2 3 1 12 6 1 5 6 8 6 6 7 18 19 24 19 21 25 26 5 26 25 24 22 24 19 18 7 6 6 1 21 19 E 2 19 20 24 23 Slide 33
Revised Logic Network : Revised Logic Network A B C D1 G F H 5 3 2 3 1 4 6 1 5 6 8 6 6 7 10 14 19 14 16 20 21 5 21 20 19 17 19 14 10 7 6 6 1 21 19 E 2 12 13 19 18 D2 5 7 11 13 9 D3 3 11 13 13 11
I love deadlines… : I love deadlines… I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
-Douglas Adams
Share your experiences : Share your experiences Project scheduling – what worked and what didn’t
Harlan Kennedy P.Eng, PMP : Harlan Kennedy P.Eng, PMP E-mail address: hkennedy@spm.gov.sk.ca
Phone (306) 787-6237
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