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