Transcript Slide 1
Doctoral training workshop programme
1st Year Postgraduate Research
Students
PROJECT MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP
– Roger PITFIELD
October 2010
Slide: 1
Workshop objectives
Overview of project management
principles – why manage your work?
A little inspiration! Some guiding
precepts for success!!
Keeping on track! (The ‘Control loop’
model)
Other fundamental Project Management
‘tools’
Work starts here! (A kick-start)
Be glad you were here!!
Slide: 2
Project management
principles – why manage
your work?
Nobody else will! (Rule 1)
It makes life a whole lot easier!!
Provides a basis for control – targeting
success! (Rule 2)
Coordinate disparate but linked activity
streams (coherence and congruence)
(Rule 3)
Slide: 3
Project management
principles – why manage
your work?
Identify potential problems – gaps,
bottlenecks etc (Rule 4)
Stimulate thinking (forward thinking and ‘reflection’!) (Rule 5)
Motivation/inspiration (Rule 6)
Bonus ball: It doesn’t guarantee
success – but it HELPS!
Slide: 4
A little “inspiration/…”
“Badly planned work will take three
times longer than expected - well
planned work will only take twice as
long as expected!”
“A journey of a thousand miles begins
with a single step.”
“It’s a job that’s never started that takes
the longest to finish.”
“Time saved at the start of a project is
just as effective as time saved at the
end of a project.”
Slide: 5
More “inspiration/…”
“Activity does not equate to
results or achievement.”
“Good intentions get delayed by
weeks/months/years one day at a time!”
“A two year project will take three
years, a three year project will never
finish.”
“If you’ve got to eat a frog don’t sit
there looking at it!”
“Look where you slipped, not where
you fell.”
Slide: 6
So hopefully you will /…
Show initiative
Work independently – under own steam
Work out key tasks
Set milestones
Have a plan/plans
Acquire necessary resources
Acquire necessary skills
Build relationships
Be passionate and thorough!
Slide: 7
Planning and (-v-) Control
Planning
Control
Setting clear
objectives
Identifying the
tasks you need to
do
Linking tasks to a
schedule
Monitoring progress
Reviewing and
revising your plan/s
Evaluating outputs
and processes
(people/time/resources)
Pulling together a
plan/s that meets
your needs
Reviewing objectives
as/if necessary
Custom er s and client
Slide: 8
Keeping on track!
Revise
objectives
4
Act on results of
monitoring
1
Set objectives
Adjust tasks
2
Plan, identify markers
and carry out tasks
Stay on
course
“Perseverance
is not a long
race: it is many
short races one
after another!”
3
Monitor progress
Slide: 9
S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Objectives
S. = Specific
M. = Measurable
A. = Agreed
R. = Realistic
T. = Time-bound
E. = Ethical
R. = Recorded
Slide: 10
Monitoring (techniques)
And Evaluation (types)
Monitoring
Keeping records
Regular reporting
Exception/critical incidents
Discussion/s and questioning (network)
Evaluation
Results
Your process/es
Composite
Slide: 11
Other essential PM tools/…
1. Gantt (bar) chart [c.f. network or
critical path analysis (CPA)]
2. Task breakdown chart
3. Key events lists
4. Force Field Analysis [Exercise 2]
5. Potential Problem Analysis
6. Matrices: eg (Communication/
Actor-Issue/other)
Bonus tool: ‘HAVES/WANTS’
Matrix [Exercise 1]
Slide: 12
1. Gantt chart
Month 1
Research Survey
1
Early working - eg define population
2
Construct sampling frame
3
Decide sample size
4
Choose sampling method
5
Define survey content
6
Decide delivery methods
7
Design survey instrument/s
8
Devise schedules and incentives as
appropriate
9
Conduct pilot survey
10
Review and amend as necessary
11
Deliver survey
12
Analyse and interpret results
Wk
1
Wk
2
Wk
3
Month 2
Wk
4
Wk
1
Wk
2
Wk
3
Month 3
Wk
4
Wk
1
Wk
2
Wk
3
Month 4
Wk
4
Wk
5
Wk
1
Wk
2
Wk
3
Wk
4
Slide: 13
2. Task breakdown chart
Research aims
Research/er
objectives
Research
design
Research
period
Communicate
results
Research question/s
Collect data
Develop conclusions
Research methods
Analyse data
Develop recommendations
Plan for research period and
communicating results
Review
Develop communications plan
Publicise/use results
Slide: 14
3. Key events list
Date
Key event
Notes
9 April
Return from holiday
Easter break - Iceland
25 April
Finalise main conclusions
Research survey with FSB
APRIL
MAY
9 May
Faculty meeting
16 May
Writing retreat
17 May
Ditto
30 May
Review deadline for joint research proposal:
‘How well do management survey
instruments work?’
Possible new project – via RDA
Deadline with journal publisher
‘Long Range Planning’
Special Interest Group
JUNE
20 June
Slide: 15
5. Potential Problem Analysis
Potential problems
Consequences
Possible causes
Bullet proofing action
Contingency plan
Data analysis
problems
• Delays to research project
• Difficulty in drawing robust/
meaningful conclusions
• Incomplete results
• Poor research design
• Inappropriate research
method
• Weak instrument data
collection
• Careful planning/design
• Pilot study
• Consultation with peers/
colleagues
• Walk throughs, etc
• Allow ‘slack’ for taking
longer to derive results or
revisiting data captured
Final drafting process
takes too long
• Missed journal deadline
• Loss of trust
• Other deadlines suffer
• Other pressures
• Loss of motivation
• Writer’s ‘block’
• Unanticipated/problematic
results
• Allow some contingency
time in writing plan
• Prepare for the writing task
in advance
• Leverage peer support, eg
advice and guidance
• Don’t procrastinate
• Simplify
• Increase time available or
assigned to the task by
‘delegating’/’offloading’ other
tasks
Rejectional journal
article
• Frustration/disappointment
• Loss of potential impact and
opportunities
• Perceptional wasted effort
• Flawed analysis/argument
• Inappropriate ‘timing’
• Inappropriate journal
selection
• Internal peer review
• Mentoring
• Alternative journals in
pipeline
• Scope to reframe/recast
context of paper for a different
purpose/audience.
Adverse or poor press
coverage/PR
• Damage to personal
reputation
• Further
projects/opportunities
hindered
• Reputational risk at
international level
• Carefully prepared
communications/
dissemination strategy
Slide: 16
6. Matrices: Communication/
Actor-Issue matrix (example)
Research
components
Peers/
colleagues
Research
Design and
Proposal
Funding
Ethical issues
Dissemination
Research
grouping/
centre, etc
Faculty
administration
(research
administrators, etc)
Faculty
management
(Dean,
AD(R),
department
head)
Institutional
administration
(Research
School, etc)
Data
collection/
construction
Determine
findings and
conclusions
Line
manager/
supervisor
Institutional
leadership
(PVC
Research,
etc)
Discipline
community
User
community
Slide: 17
6. Matrices: evaluating/
comparing survey channels
Context issues
Face-to-face
interview
Telephone
interview
Postal
questionnaire
E-mail
Web
Does the mode of administration give respondents
the opportunity to consult others for information?
Does the mode of administration minimize the
impact of interviewers’ characteristics (gender,
class, ethnicity)?
Does the mode of administration minimise the
impact of the social desirability effect?
Doest the mode of administration allow control over
the intrusion of others in answering question?
Does the mode of administration minimise need for
respondents to have certain skills to answer
questions?
Does the mode of administration enable
respondents to be probed?
Slide: 18
Aims of the HAVES/WANTS
MATRIX Exercise
to help you to start to think about what you
need in relation to your studies
to help you explore both general and
specific issues with others
to introduce you to a simple but very
effective tool that you can use throughout
your studies (and beyond!)
to provide an example of how simple
practical tools/devices can be useful
Slide: 19
HAVES/WANTS MATRIX
No
Yes
No
No
HAVE
Yes
Yes
No
WANT
Yes
Slide: 20
Guidelines – HAVEs/WANTs
One thing per post-it note.
Write neatly.
Be serious.
Be specific.
Identify five or six items each silently –
and then share.
Trigger further ideas.
Look at which quadrant/s are more or
less populated – what does that tell
you?
Slide: 21
HAVES/WANTS MATRIX
No
No
Yes
AVOID
ACQUIRE
DIVEST
NURTURE
No
HAVE
Yes
No
WANT
Yes
Yes
Slide: 22
Aims of the FORCE FIELD
ANALYSIS (FFA) Exercise
to help you to think about the ‘project
management’ process in relation to
your studies
to help you explore both general and
specific issues with others
to help you identify ways to overcome
‘negative’ issues/contexts
to help you identify ways of building on
‘positives’
Slide: 23
Guidelines – FORCE FIELD
One thing per post-it note.
Statement – of 6 to 12 words.
No single words.
Write neatly.
Identify five or six items each silently –
and then share and trigger further
ideas.
The locate on flipchart sheet. [Close to
centre equals BIG IMPACT; thin arrow
equals easy to deal with.
Be serious and specific.
Slide: 24
Using Force Field Analysis
to surface your PM issues
DRIVING FORCES
CURRENT STATE
E
Q
U
I
L
I
B
R
I
U
M
B
A
R
R
I
E
R
RESTRAINING FORCES
DESIRED STATE
Slide: 25
PROJECT MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP
– Roger PITFIELD
October 2010
Methods Conference
1st Year Postgraduate Research
Students
Thank you and GOOD LUCK!
Slide: 26