1 Working Through Breakdowns & Completing a Project Advanced Project Management

2 Learning Objectives Breakdowns Define breakdowns Identify sources of breakdowns Provide tools to resolve breakdowns Completing a Project Differentiate between finishing and closing Learn to evaluate the process

3 Reality Check: How do projects progress over time? Time No. of Actions Goal Start

4 Most assume… Time Action Goal Start

5 When in reality… Time Action Goal Start

6 Current Understanding of a Breakdown What is a breakdown? What do we think about breakdowns?

7 Definition of a Breakdown A breakdown is something that goes wrong in your project resulting in dissatisfaction by any stakeholder TeamTask External Stakeholder

8 What Happens After a Breakdown? Initially upset Oh,!!!XX$X? What’s wrong with me/you/it Then engage in problem solving (what can be done?) Take action (from list of options)

9 What Happens After a Breakdown? When the project becomes something dreaded, then something is missing Rather than letting the situation drift, ACT Key is to view as an opportunity for growth Important to understand the sources of breakdowns from the project perspective

10 Sources of Breakdowns Scope of what is to be accomplished Difference can occur at a variety of levels (interpretation of problem, overall goal, and/or breadth of work) Arise from differences in opinions between team members and/or between team and customer (e.g., professor) Examples: turn in first assignment and earn a “0,” target redefined frequently, lack agreement or understanding of finished project, lack understanding of project requirements

11 Sources of Breakdowns How resources are assigned Number of people assigned to a given task Balance between assigning tasks that can be accomplished easily with existing knowledge versus tasks that are more challenging and require acquiring new competencies Examples: who gets to use the laptop, which team gets prime lab time, who is assigned to be writer vs. CAD modeler

12 Sources of Breakdowns Work scheduled Task decomposition Sequencing of tasks Time estimates/deadlines Milestone definition Team member slacking Examples: task takes twice as long as expected, company representative doesn’t read , team member disappears or doesn’t do assigned task, team makes wrong assumptions in defining task, external factors interfere (major milestone moved due to a snow day)

13 Sources of Breakdowns Budget Funds were incorrectly allocated in original project Errors cause need for additional funds to resolve Examples: equipment breaks and must be replaced, must pay extra to expedite, need to run additional experiments

14 Sources of Breakdowns Competing priorities Personal schedules/work obligations outside of class Differences in understanding work expectations Differences in goals Examples: people who want to earn an “A” vs. a “C,” style differences – procrastinators vs. obsessive planners or detailed oriented vs. big picture thinkers

15 Sources of Breakdowns Group dynamics/individual differences Natural course of group structure development How decisions are made Poor communication Examples: team structure, use of meeting times and participation, communication method disagreement (IM vs. )

16 Resolving Breakdowns Just fixing the immediate breakdown leaves dissatisfaction Resolving the breakdown allows for satisfaction

17 Resolving Breakdowns: Revisiting the Sources Look at the six types of breakdowns Questions to ask What new team structure do we need? What communication needs to occur? How did the scope change? Is everyone still in agreement? Do we need to realign resources? Do we need to adjust our time? Do we need more money? Do people have hidden agendas? Address the breakdown from all angles

18 Summary Projects with breakdowns can be fulfilling “Key & Lock” analogy Valuable to resolve breakdown (enrich skill sets, increase comfort level) Helpful skills to resolve breakdowns Communication Negotiation Open mindedness Problem solving

19 Optional Slides: Finished vs. Completed

20 Debriefing What happens when you finish a project in a class?

21 Finishing a Project Turn project into professor May check grade May read feedback Out of sight – out of mind Problems with conventional approach Lacks satisfaction Lacks intellectual growth Repeats in the future So you are finished, but is it really over?

22 Completing a Project What happens when you complete a project in a class?

23 Completing A Project Turn project into professor Next step: Evaluation (c Next step: Evaluation (conducted as soon as possible after the project is finished) Professor evaluates the team (Grade) Professor evaluates the team (Grade) Member evaluation of him/herself Member evaluation of him/herself Member evaluation of the team process Member evaluation of the team process Team review – lessons learned Team review – lessons learned

24 Completion Takes courage to complete a project Takes time to complete a project Completion provides the opportunity to grow and learn from each experience

25 Evaluation Discussion Points Performance Technical aspects (quality, goal accomplishment) Schedule (meeting deadlines, time allocation) Planning & control (realistic, data collection, regular meetings) Relationships with stakeholders (company, team members, instructor) Communication Identify problems and resolutions Lessons learned (recommendations for working on future projects)

26 Completion Exercise What was the original goal of the project? What was the actual result? What worked? What did not work? What were your strengths and weaknesses working on this project? Who and/or what is there to be acknowledged? (a team member for their contribution…something you said or did that you want to apologize for...something you did extra that your team doesn't know about) Identify one area you think you need to improve to be a better team member on your next project

27 If Working with Stakeholders External to the Classroom Critical to capture their feedback and share with students Aspects Satisfaction/quality perceptions Expectations met Level of professionalism Level of communication Willingness to serve as a reference (e.g., if working on a project for a company) Suggestions

28 References Gido, J., & Clements, J.P. (1999). Successful project management. Cincinnati, OH: Southwestern College Publishing. Martin, P., & Tate, K. (1997). Project management memory jogger. Salem, NH: GOAL/QPC. Smith, K.S. (2000). Project management and teamwork. USA: McGraw-Hill. Weiss, J.W., & Wysocki, R.K. (1992). 5-phase project management: A practical planning and implementation guide. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books Publishing.