1 EE97 Lectures Senior Project Design Fall 2006 Lecture 9 Planning: Project Management: Milestones, Schedule, and Making the Commitment

2 Quote for the Day “When I do talk with students, my goal is to help them develop what I consider to be two of the most important forms of intelligence: the ability to read other people, and the ability to understand oneself. Those are the two kinds of intelligence that you need to succeed at chess — and in life” —Bruce Pandolfini National Chess Master Teacher and Author

3 My Senior Project  Our project is to create an subsystem to a home entertainment system to show videos, play music, an operate the television  Our part is to build the controller platform which consists of several hardware module with associated software and a main software application  The subsystem parts: Overall controller platform Several hardware modules Software for the hardware modules Software application  How do we do this?

4 Tasks

5 John Lennon  “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” Meaning: inevitably something bad will happen to the plan This does NOT mean you should not make a plan in the first place!

6 Lee Marvin  “Improve. Adapt. Overcome” From: The Dirty Dozen (movie) Meaning: just make a plan, stuff will happen, then you make a new plan

7 Dwight D. Eisenhower  “The plan is nothing. Planning is everything.” Meaning: something will happen and the plan will have to change Since you have a strong skill and competency in planning, you can readily make a new plan

8 The moral to the story is…  No matter how thorough you plan is…  The project will always turn out differently from you initial thoughts and design…  Writing a thorough plan and design focuses your thoughts and actions…  It saves time, money, and effort!

9 Three Approaches to Planning  Approach #1: project is designed in advance to facilitate planning Know what to do before your are doing it  Approach #2: we’ll make it up as we go along Allows maximum flexibility Allows for fun and spontaneity  Approach #3: plan the project, build consensus, implement Focuses all stakeholders, oversight to all activities, and commitment to make it happen

10 The Three Approaches Approach #1: Full Design PROS Makes planning easier CONS Costs money Consumes time Limits vision & breakthrough Reduces flexibility Approach #2: Open-ended PROS Follow the fun CONS Finish date unknown Costs are unknown It may not be so much fun after all Nobody knows what is next Approach #3: Planned PROS Reduces risk Shortens cycle time Predictable & manageable Include stakeholders Known commitments CONS Takes effort

11 Product Development Planning (1)  Identify the tasks and milestones of the project Build on the tasks you identified while scoping the project in your proposal For each major task:  A milestone is created to monitor progress  Each milestone has a clearly defined deliverable E.g., Prototype complete -> working prototype E.g., Experimental results -> raw data E.g., Computer simulation -> computer model

12 Product Development Planning (2)  Tasks & Subtasks Major tasks are decomposed into sub tasks Subtasks: specific activities for a specific project module Define start & end of tasks and subtasks Durations are in weeks or days, not months Significant to the project Not: “Develop concepts”, but: e.g.,  Create alternative concepts for power supplies  Fabricate plastic housing  Generate assembly code for sorting algorithm

13 Project Plan (A Guideline)  Introduction  System overview System Engineering description and diagram  Project assumptions Risks and contingencies  Architecture Key specifications Functional description Design description  Organization: who is responsible for what and by when  Detailed plan: dates and durations Tasks & subtasks: resources associated with each Milestones  Acceptance test criteria and plan  Bibliography

14 How to Plan  It’s a cycle, not a straight path  Identify success  Create the plan, then evaluate for success  Analyze time, risk, capabilities at each step  Modify the plan as you implement  Update and keep it current

15 A Planning Cycle (A Guideline) Define Success Identify Opportunity Explore Possibilities Select Most Viable Alternative Plan the Details Analyze Risk/Capabilities Evaluate Implement / Modify Update Use SWOT & Risk Analysis At Each Step

16 Step 1: Identify Opportunities  Identify what needs to be done  Use creativity and brainstorming techniques to work out the unknowns

17 Step 2: Define Success  What is the end state?  What benefit will be derived at the end state?  Is there a tangible deliverable that is required?  What is the quality of the end state need to be?

18 Step 3: Evaluate Possibilities  Use creativity methods and brainstorming tools  Bring in experts to help secure the details and subtleties  Generate many alternatives as possible  Combine and recombine to optimize  Define an acceptance criteria

19 Step 4: Select Most Viable Alternative  Select the best option  Make sure you have the capabilities, skills, time, budget, and resources to carry it to completion  Improve on your best option if possible

20 Step 5: Plan the Details  Make sure you a good picture of the current situation  Work out the details (the tactics) of the most efficient and most effective method of achieving the end state  Answer the questions: who, what, when, where, how, why, and at what cost in time, money, and effort

21 Step 6: Analyze Risk/Capabilities  Identify the possible dreaded outcomes that may impact the detail task or subtasks  Evaluate possible mitigation path  Decide on a contingency plan if the dreaded outcome occurs

22 Step 7: Implement/Modify  March down the intended path  Analyze, synthesize, and evaluate new information as it becomes available  Modify plan by reviewing all process steps

23 Step 8: Update  Review the opportunities and confirm you the path to success remains the same  Make changes to your plan  Update all documentation  Communicate all changes and impacts to stakeholders

24 Gantt Chart  Useful tool for analyzing and planning a complex projects  Visualize the relationship of tasks to each other: duration and completion  Form a baseline to scheduling when the tasks need to be started and completed  Assist in the allocation of resources required to complete the project  Determine the critical path: the tasks that must be completed in a specific amount of time by a certain date

25 Gantt Chart (2) Source:

26 Gantt Chart (3) Source:

27 Critical Path Analysis  Tool to assist in schedule management of complex projects  Identifies tasks which must be completed on time in order for the entire project to be completed on time  Gantt chart may not make the immediate time constraints obvious  Identifies the minimum time required by the project

28 Types of Tasks  Serial  Parallel  Interdependent SE Task SE SE SE SE

29 Linking the Tasks SE Task S E S E SE SE SE SE  Circles represent events  Arrows represent activities  Numbers over the arrows represent durations  Numbers in the circle represent specific events or accomplishments  Red denotes the critical path is the longest path  Slack time is gaps in time between activities

30 Constructing a Critical Path (1)  List all activities

31 Constructing a Critical Path (2)  Plot the activities using circle/bar format 5 days High level design 12

32 Stakeholder Analysis Keep Satisfied Keep Informed Manage Closely Monitor (Minimum Effort) Power High Low High Low Interest  Identify stakeholder  Prioritize High Power, High Interest – you must fully engage and make the greatest efforts to satisfy High Power, Low Interest – keep satisfied, but don’t make them bored what you say Low Power, High Interest – keep adequately informed; make sure no issue is brewing; these people can help with the details Low Power, Low Interest – monitor, do not harass, watch for any danger

33 The Project Proposal – Criteria TopicSub-TopicMaximum Grade MissionWhat For Whom When 3 ProblemStatement Value/Reason Expected Outcome 3 TheoryHistory Critical Items 2 ScheduleTask Milestones 2 R/CRisks Contingencies 2 Bibliography 1  Maximum grade is 13  Criteria was based upon minimum from guideline and topics presented in class  Revision is allowed and expected

34 The Project Proposal – Outcome TopicAverageStd Dev Mission Problem Theory Schedule R/C Bibliography Total  If you are thinking grades… A: 12, 13 B: 10, 11 C: 8, 9 D: 6, 7 F: 5 and under  High was 13  Low was 1