Project Management

The Rise of Project Management $10T spent annually on projects of all kinds 16M individuals consider themselves professional Project Managers > 1M new PMs projected need per year in the next decade

What is a Project? Temporary undertaking to meet a customer’s needs

2500 BC – Great Pyramid of Giza – 2 2500 BC – Great Pyramid of Giza – 2.3 million stone blocks (2 to 50 tons each); extremely accurate alignment to true north Courtesy www.okeanosgroup.com

550 BC - The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus – 127 columns As it may have appeared, courtesy www.wikipedia.org

200 BC - Roman Aqueducts – 260 miles serving 200 cities Courtesy www.culturefocus.com and www.unrv.com

2000 - International Space Station - $100 billion; 100,000 people in 15 nations; 220 miles above the Earth Courtesy www.cnn.com

210 million cubic meters of rock and sand 2008 - The Palm, Dubai – 210 million cubic meters of rock and sand Courtesy www.cnn.com

Saudi Arabia to Build World’s Tallest Building – 1 Kilometer into the Sky Courtesy www.cnn.com

Project Management All science and engineering involves routine labor Research may take a turn for the unexpected A PI’s or an engineering lead’s job involves keeping the project afloat while providing excellent leadership and encouraging creative insight Few scientists and engineers are trained to do this; most learn from experience; many never master it

Project Management To be successful, many aspects of management aspects must be attended to These include managing stakeholders, budget, communication, hiring, the project schedule, risk, and many other areas. And all of these must be surrounded by positive, supportive, and nurturing leadership. So, the question is: How? The answer is: Effective Project Management

Project Management One needs to manage the project (be it student research, R&D, small project teams) with the same discipline as we use for our science and engineering: Bold but methodical Purposeful but opportunistic Project Management, then, provides the tools to systematize (processes, procedures, tactics, techniques) the management of your team.

Project Management Project: Temporary undertaking to meet a customer’s needs Project Management: Has existed for all of recorded history Was formalized about 50 years ago Is not just graphs, charts, procedures, and reams of paper. Is, instead, very similar to being the conductor of an orchestra, drawing harmony from cacophony.

Project Management Applied to Science and Engineering Does it apply? Our tasks often may lack specific definition Funding may be fluid Ambiguity always exists. Outcomes are somewhat provisional. We revise them as new information arises.

Project Management Applied to Science and Engineering Tips for successful management of your endeavors?

Project Management Applied to Science and Engineering Plan Organize Control

Project Management Applied to Science and Engineering Plan Build a vision of what the project will achieve Determine all of the stakeholders Break the project down into smaller, more manageable elements Determine dates of accomplishment of these elements Budget each element List the risks to successful accomplishment and how you will reduce them

Project Management Applied to Science and Engineering Organize Based on your project breakdown, find and hire the right person for each element Write down role and responsibility for each of those element leaders Verbally explain them to each individual Work together to map-out (draw) a schedule of events with start dates and end dates

Project Management Applied to Science and Engineering Control Lead by walking around Ask each element lead to track their team’s progress; meet regularly to review the overall project accomplishments, schedule, and cost Make changes when appropriate and map the effects to all parts of the project Ensure element leads are keeping everyone informed Establish regular risk management meetings

Project Management Key Premises PM is a way of thinking and behaving, not just a way of analyzing and presenting data. One can attempt to control all aspects of a project (micro-managing). A better way might be to break the project into smaller parts and assign responsibility for each of them to an individual.

Project Management The Project Manager is the orchestra conductor They provide a vision of what the project will accomplish They align people and responsibilities Ultimately, the orchestra creates the music, not the conductor A well-trained and well-led orchestra can achieve synergy – a product greater than the team

Project Management – It’s What They Talk About at the Conference Room Table . . . Engineering Management Program