Project Management

Lecture Network Analysis

Plan

 Project planning  Network analysis II      Project planning  Resource analysis Risk management Quality Budgets and cost control Project teams

Iterative Process

  The plan will evolve as the project evolves The plan is reviewed and updated as more information becomes available and uncertainties become less uncertain Monitor & Review Monitor & Review Monitor & Review

PBS Example

Project Project Management Deliverables Design Deliverables Database Deliverables Produce Use Cases Produce Activity Diagrams Produce Class Diagrams GUI Deliverables Functional Deliverables

Use Case

   Describes a unit of functionality from a users perspective  May be text or diagram Therefore they provide a good tool for Project Task Planning They also can determine the nature of the project process  How many development iterations?

Use Case Example – Big John’s

Priority 1 Place Order Retailer Staff Send Payment Dispatch Order Raise Purchase Order Send Invioce Priority 2 Make Payment

Use Case Example – Big John’s

   Each Use Case Shown can be shown as activities in the PBS The prioritisation can be used to describe the activities for two development iterations This will be significantly different to the process if only one iteration was used

Gantt Chart Example

Represent the following on a Gantt chart Task A B C D E F G H I J Start (wk no) Duration (wks) %Complete 5 2 10 6 1 2 1 3 7 8 5 3 8 4 5 4 6 6 2 6 100 100 75 100 60 25 0 100 50 50 Assume this information was taken at the end of week 8

Gantt Chart Example

Task A B C D E F G H I J Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Scheduled Completion Actual Completion Under-fulfilled tasks: Over-fulfilled tasks C, E, F, I H, J

Gantt chart disadvantages

  Not ideal for showing inter-relationships Locating an activity requires three simultaneous decisions:    Method Time Resources

Complexity

     Number of tasks?

Number of people?

Size of Budget?

Number/Nature of constraints Dependencies between tasks

Why Network Diagrams?

 Splits up the decision making process into    Method/logic - the order in which tasks have to be completed Time – estimates for the time to completion can be added to each task Resources – these can be added and then analysis carried out

Two Methods

  Activity on Arrow  Traditionally the preferred method Activity on Node   More popular these days Supported by most Project Management software tools (i.e. MS Project)

Activity on Arrow

  Arrows are used to represent an activity Circles are used to represent the points where activities meet  i.e. the dependency between activities

Activity on Node

  Activities are represented by boxes Dependencies are represented by arrows joining the boxes

Task A Task B Task C Task D

Comparison

A B C D Task A Task B Task C Task D

Dependency Example

 Activity on Arrow

Task A Task A Task B Task B

More complex example

 Four activities/tasks:    A, B, K, L Activity K is dependent on activity A Activity L is dependent on activities A and B

Task A Task K Task B Task L

The problem with AoA

The same example in AoA

B

Activity K is dependent on activity A Activity L is dependent on activities A and B Right

A B

Wrong…

K L

dummy activity

L

Exercise 1

 Draw the following:    Activity K is dependant on Activity A Activity L is dependent on Activity B Activity M is dependent on Activity A and B

Exercise 2

 Draw the following:    Activity K is dependent on activities A and B Activity L is dependent on activities B and C Activity is dependent on activity B

Drawing the network

  Direction  The flow of work is from left to right Identifying Tasks   Each task is given a unique ID number ID number is often given in WBS

Scale

  Diagram is not drawn to scale Length and size do not matter  They have no meaning

What’s in the box?

Earliest Start Estimated Duration Earliest Finish Activity Number Activity Description Latest Start Float Latest Finish

Project Exercise 1

Project 1: Verification of a computer system

The followng table shows the activities required for this project.

Activity ID Activity

1 Test Module A 2 Test Module B 3 Test Module C 4 Test Combined Modules 5 Check User Documents 6 Print User Documents 7 Final Systems Check 8 Prepare Invoice 9 Ship to Customer

Immediate Predecessor

none Test Module A none Test Module B, Test Module C Test Combined Modules Check User Documents Test Combined Modules Final Systems Check Print User Documents, Final Systems Check

Duration (Days)

4 6 7 4 5 2 9 1 2

Errors in Logic

 Looping  Due to a mistake in drawing or to errors in identifying dependent activities

Q P R

Errors in Logic

 Dangling  Usually occur when activities are added as an afterthought  Can be avoided by using a single finish node

Finish M M

Project Exercise 2

Project 2: A presentation

The followng table shows the activities required for this project.

Activity ID Activity

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Book Search Journal Search Internet Search Produce Outline Prepare Handouts Print Handouts Produce Visual Aids Write Speech Notes Rehearse Speech Give Presentation

Immediate Predecessor

none Book Search none Journal Search, Internet Search Produce Outline Prepare Handouts Produce Outline Produce Outline Write Speech Notes Print Handouts, Produce Visual Aids, Rehearse Speech

Duration (Days)

12 6 15 10 7 2 12 4 10 1

Plan

  Introduction Project planning  Gantt chart and WBS    Project planning  Resource analysis Risk management Quality  Budgets and cost control  Final thought for the day: Erm… Project teams