Basic Overview of

Project Management
and Life Cycle

M I Khan
MBA(UK),MCS(PAK),SCJP2(USA
)

January 18, 2013

Learning Objectives

Defining project management

Project Management Tools
Project Life Cycle
Constraints
Project Management Knowledge
Area

What Is a Project?
A project is a temporary endeavor
undertaken to create a unique product,
service, or result.*
Operations is work done to sustain the
business.
A project ends when its objectives have been
reached, or the project has been terminated.
Projects can be large or small and take a
short or long time to complete.

What is Project
Management?
Project management is the
application of knowledge, skills, tools
and techniques to project activities
to meet project requirements.*

*PMI, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge

(PMBOK Guide) (2004), p. 8.
4

Some consider planning to be

miraculous
Why do planning?

Time constraints
Budget constraints
Personnel constraints
Physical Constraints
Flight Constraints
Any and all of above

Provides structure to think the problem

through increasing likelihood of project
success

Some PM tools & jargon

Organization, organizational behavior
Life Cycle, waterfall,iterative & rapid development
process
Tasks, work breakdown structures
Milestones, deadlines, on-time
Dependencies, start, finish, critical path, slack
Network diagrams, PERT, CPM, Gantt Charts, Project plans
Requirements. Specifications, project scope & scope creep
Justification, budget, variance
Resources, constraints, Utility function, optimization
Status, reporting, communications
Responsibilities, ownership, respect, trust
Collaboration, teamwork, community
Intellectual capital management, knowledge re-use
Post mortem
Quality, excellence
6

Purpose of Project
Management
Ensure meeting the project objectives

within the allocated schedule & budget

Communication
Meetings
Reviews
Authorization
Record Keeping
Monitoring (testing)
Interface Control

Not for assigning blame (usually)

Keys to Successful
Projects
or
?!?
Things you already
know but Implement
It

PLAN

PLAN
Identify all stakeholders up front!
Develop the project plan before
starting the project
Establish communications protocols

PLAN
Define your requirements in detail
Establish a speedy conflict resolution
process
Make contingency plans
Plan a reasonable roll-out schedule

LEAD

LEAD
Ensure strong, committed management
support
Connect the business goals to the IT
project
Assign an experienced project manager

LEAD
Establish clearly defined directions
Be proactive
Give IT and program a seat at the table

LEAD
Set clear performance expectations
Ask for technical assistance
Do not start roll-out until pilot is complete!

COMMUNICATE

Communicate
Communicate objectives frequently
Recognize different perspectives
Check assumptions frequently

Communicate
Manage expectations
Share success and broadcast
achievements
Invite feedback

MANAGE

Manage
Ensure the system design reflects
sound planning
Hold the reins on irrational exuberance!
(Ensure the system design reflects the
system you need and can afford at this point
in time)

Manage
Train all staff in a timely fashion
Make extensive testing a priority!
Make the most of pilot testing!

The Project Life Cycle

Phases that all projects go through from
inception to completion
DESIGN

PDR
DEVELOPMENT

CDR
FABRICATION
INTEGRATION

OPERATION
FRR

TESTING

The Design Phase

Paper study of all issues including the
following:

Define Objectives
Understand Constraints
Identify all subsystems & interfaces
Design hardware
Identify parts, costs & availability
Determine personnel needs
Establish schedule
Develop plan to achieve objectives

Preliminary Design Review

(PDR)
Organized by the Program
Results from your design phase
Should show that you have thought
the problem through
Include written report and oral
presentation
PDR reviews will occur on Feb. 27, 2003
More on PDR next week

The Development Phase

Detailed in-depth study including
Test hardware concepts by prototyping
Finalize designs
Purchase long lead items (identified at
PDR)
Establish interface controls
Complete fabrication plan
Finish integration & test plans
Complete operations & data analysis
plans

Critical Design Review

(CDR)
Organized by the Program
Results from your development phase
Determines whether you are ready to
begin building your payload
Include written report and oral
presentation
Precise date should be identified
during PDR

Payload Construction
Phases
Parts procurement
Fabrication
Construct subsystems, test, fix, retest

Integration
Assemble subsystems, test, fix, retest

Testing
Payload qualification testing, fix, retest

Flight Readiness Review

(FRR)
Organized by the Program
Results from your construction phase
Particularly qualification testing

Determines whether you are ready to

participate in launch operations
Include written report and oral
presentation
FRR will occur on May 1, 2003

Operations & Analysis

Interface with launch team

Prepare payload for launch
Monitor during flight
Collect & analyze data

Program Schedule
Constraint
Design

1/21 2/26

PDR

2/27

Development

2/28 3/26

CDR

3/27 (flexible)

Construction, Integration,
Testing

3/28 4/30

FRR

5/1

Operations

5/18 5/22

Other Project Constraints

Budget Constraint
$500 per team

Personnel Constraint
3 members per team

Physical Constraint
Weight 1 kilogram
10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm or Coke can size

Flight Constraints
Shock, Thermal, Duration, Altitude

Project Management Triple

Constraints

Time
Cost
Scope
Manage these or they will
manage you!

The Triple Constraint

Every project is constrained in different
ways by its:
Scope goals: What work will be done?
Time goals: How long should it take to
complete?
Cost goals: What should it cost?

It is the project managers duty to balance

these three often-competing goals.
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The Triple Constraint of Project

Management

Successful project
management means
meeting all three
goals (scope, time,
and cost) and
satisfying the
projects sponsor!

39

Project Management Framework

9 Knowledge Areas

40

Project Stakeholders
Stakeholders are the people involved
in or affected by project activities.
Stakeholders include:
Project sponsor
Project manager
Project team
Support staff
Customers
Users
Suppliers
Opponents to the project
41

Nine Project Management

Knowledge Areas
Knowledge areas describe the key
competencies that project managers must
develop.
Four core knowledge areas lead to specific project
objectives (scope, time, cost, and quality).
Four facilitating knowledge areas are the means
through which the project objectives are achieved
(human resources, communication, risk, and
procurement management).
One knowledge area (project integration
management) affects and is affected by all of the
other knowledge areas.
All knowledge areas are important!
42

Project Management Tools and

Techniques
Project management tools and techniques
assist project managers and their teams in
various aspects of project management.
Specific tools and techniques include:
Project charters, scope statements, and WBS
(scope).
Gantt charts, network diagrams, critical path
analyses, critical chain scheduling (time).
Cost estimates and earned value management
(cost).
See Table 1-1 for other examples.
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The Project Management

Process

Theprojectmanagementprocessmeansplanningtheworkandthen
workingtheplan.

7stepsofplanning

1.Clearlydefinetheprojectobjective.
2.Divideandsubdividetheprojectscopeintomajorpieces
3.Definethespecificactivitiesforeachpiece(workpackage)
4.Graphicallyportraytheactivitiesthatneedtobeperformedfro
eachworkpackageinordertoaccomplishtheprojectobjectivein
theformofnetworkdiagram.
5.Makeatimeestimateforhowlongitwilltaketocompleteeach
activityresourcesneeded.
6.Makeacostestimateforeachactivity.
7.Calculateaprojectscheduleandbudgettodeterminewhetherthe
projectcanbecompletedwithintherequiredtime,withtheallotted
founds,andwiththeavailableresources.

Project Success Factors*

7. Firm basic
requirements
8. Formal methodology
9. Reliable estimates
10. Other criteria, such
as small milestones,
proper planning,
competent staff, and
ownership

1. Executive support
2. User involvement
3. Experienced
project manager
4. Clear business
objectives
5. Minimized scope
6. Standard software
infrastructure
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Suggested Skills for Project

Managers
Project managers need a wide variety of skills.
They should:
Be comfortable with change.
Understand the organizations they work in and
with.
Lead teams to accomplish project goals.

46

Suggested Skills for Project

Managers
Project managers need both hard
and soft skills.
Hard skills include product knowledge
and knowing how to use various project
management tools and techniques.
Soft skills include being able to work
with various types of people.
47

Suggested Skills for Project

Managers
Communication skills: Listens, persuades.
Organizational skills: Plans, sets goals,
analyzes.
Team-building skills: Shows empathy,
motivates, promotes esprit de corps.
Leadership skills: Sets examples, provides
vision (big picture), delegates, positive,
energetic.
Coping skills: Flexible, creative, patient,
persistent.
Technology skills: Experience, project
knowledge.
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Example Management
Flow
ACES Program

Team Lead

Science Lead

Ground
Software

Data
Analysis

Payload Lead

Science
Payload

Interface
Control

Business Lead

Flight Segment

Procurement

Interface
Control
Accounting

Flight
Software

Spacecraft
Integration

Integration &
Testing

Mission
Ops

Results

THANK YOU