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Project Management : Gaining Control

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Southwest Missouri State University Student STC Chapter. 16 Mar. 2004. 1 /32. Springfield, MO ... Southwest Missouri State University Student STC Chapter. 16 ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Project Management : Gaining Control


1
Project Management Gaining Control
  • Thomas L. Warren
  • Technical Writing Program
  • Oklahoma State University
  • Stillwater, OK 74078-4069
  • twarren_at_okstate.edu
  • http//www.okstate.edu/artsci/techwr

2
Overview of Talk
  • Definition and uses of project management
  • Project Scope
  • Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
  • Conclusion
  • Questions/Discussion

3
Resources
  • A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge
    (PMBOK). Newtown Square, PA Project Management
    Institute, 2000. http//www.pmi.org
    http//www.pmibookstore.org
  • Penner, Donald D. The Project Managers Survival
    Guide The Handbook for Real-World Project
    Management, 2nd edition. Columbus, OH Battelle
    Press, 2002. http//www.battelle.org/bookstore

4
Definition
  • Management
  • Applying knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques
    to meet or exceed stake holder's needs and
    expectations
  • Project
  • A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a
    unique product or service
  • Definite beginning and ending (temporary)
  • Different from all other products or services in
    some way (unique)

A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK). Newtown Square, PA Project Management
Institute, 2000, pp. 4, 6.
5
Key Issues and Topics
  • Integration
  • Collaborative project management and development
  • Scopelimitations
  • Time
  • Cost
  • Quality controls
  • Human resources
  • Communications
  • Risk management
  • Legal issues and proprietary information
  • Procurement

Become the sections of Project Plan
A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK). Newtown Square, PA Project Management
Institute, 2000, pp. 7-8.
6
Sample Projects
  • Develop documentation for a new product or
    service
  • Change structure, style, or staffing of an
    organization or department
  • Develop/acquire new or modified information
    system
  • Develop appropriate format for conveying needed
    information
  • Develop a five-year documentation plan

7
Sample Projects
  • Something more immediate
  • Plan a spring conference
  • Get an A in a course
  • Prepare an outstanding seminar paper

8
(No Transcript)
9
Key Issues
  • What will be done and for whom?
  • Who will do what?
  • When must it all be done?
  • When must the pieces be done?
  • How much will it cost?
  • What are the deliverables?
  • What happens if . . . ?

10
Focus of Talk
  • Project Scope (assume charter agreed)
  • Listing of all deliverables
  • Tells what the project will and will not cover
  • Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
  • Identify specific tasks
  • Estimate time required

11
Scope Inputs
Constraints
Assumptions
Expert Input
Scope Statement Written statement that is basis
for future project decisions
NOTE Same input types needed for all 11 sections
of the Project Plan
12
Scope Constraints
  • Project limits
  • Time?
  • Money/budget?
  • Staff?
  • Customer requirements (contractual provisions)?
  • Environment?

Expert Input
Constraints
Assumptions
Scope Statement Written statement that is basis
for future project decisions
13
Scope Assumptions
  • Organization goals and objectives
  • Product goals and objectives
  • Customer needs
  • Product complexity
  • Project authorization (charter)
  • Key personnel availability

Expert Input
Constraints
Assumptions
Scope Statement Written statement that is basis
for future project decisions
14
Scope Expert Input
  • Managers from similar projects
  • Other organizational personnel (purchasing, human
    resources, e.g.)
  • Consultants
  • Stakeholders
  • Professional and technical associations
  • Industry groups

Expert Input
Constraints
Assumptions
Scope Statement Written statement that is basis
for future project decisions
15
Scope Control
  • Must prevent Scope creep
  • Establish specific procedure for changing scope
  • Changes submitted by whom?
  • Changes approved by whom?
  • Areas that cannot be changed?
  • Scope change notification
  • Scope is key to WBS that is key to time
    management that is the key to

16
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
  • Sub-divide project deliverables into smaller and
    smaller units
  • Identify major deliverables (from Scope
    statement)
  • Use as criteria for subdividing adequate cost and
    duration
  • Identify how work will be defined, organized, and
    accomplished
  • Activity list itself is a deliverable
  • Example FORUM, an International Conference

17
Items to Prepare
Publications
PreSeedings
Program
Call for Papers
Post Harvest
Parts
Parts
Parts
Parts
18
FORUM 2000
FORUM 2003
19
Sample Activities List for FORUM 2003
  • Call for Papers
  • Poster
  • Delegate folder
  • Preliminary Programme
  • PreSeedings
  • Supplemental PreSeedings
  • Final Programme
  • Planning Guide for delegates
  • Supplemental Final Programme
  • PostHarvest

International spelling
20
Call for Papers Activities List
  • Logo and art
  • Author Instructions
  • Produce copy
  • Design and layout cover and pages
  • Format files
  • Send for proofing
  • Proof files
  • Return for correcting
  • Correct files
  • Send to vendor
  • Print
  • Distribute

21
WBS, cont.
  • Develop WBS based on finer and finer granularity
  • Logo development tasks
  • Identify theme (comes from another team)
  • Call for designs (separate publication)
  • Evaluate designs based on criteria (from?)
  • Feedback to designer(s) (by?)
  • Revise design
  • Proofs
  • Reviewed (by?)
  • Agreed

22
WBS, cont.
  • Develop WBS based on finer and finer
    granularitywhen do you stop?
  • Who are your potential resource people?
  • How professional are theyhow much do they
    know?
  • Manager of Logo task
  • Designer(s)
  • Fine line between managing and micro-managing

23
Screen shot of Word WBS for three of the
publications.
24
Steps Time Management
  • Define the activity
  • Overall
  • Major steps
  • Tasks to accomplish steps
  • Sequence activitiesdependencies especially
    important (A must happen before B)
  • Estimate activity duration
  • Develop a schedule
  • Control the schedule

25
Estimating Time
  • Use past experience
  • Should include a range
  • 2 weeks ?2 days
  • Time 8-12 working days
  • Could indicate probability
  • 15 probability finish in 3 weeks
  • 85 probability finish within 3 weeks

26
Class Paper Start
  • Charter
  • Standard practice
  • Subject of seminar
  • Requirements of instructor
  • Class and personal goals
  • Criteria for meeting goals
  • Scope
  • Syllabus
  • Discussion by instructor

27
Class Paper Tasks
  • What steps do you normally follow?
  • Select topichow does that happen? How long does
    it take? Relies on?
  • Researchhow does that happen? How long does it
    take? Relies on?
  • Drafthow does that happen? How long does it
    take? Relies on?
  • Revisehow does that happen? How long does it
    take? Relies on?
  • Final copyhow does that happen? How long does it
    take? Relies on?
  • Proofreadhow does that happen? How long does it
    take? Relies on?

28
Class Paper
  • Other factors to consider
  • Managing costsbudget for the project
  • Quality controlmeasuring success
  • People managementrely on whom?
  • Communicationswith whom and how often?
  • Risk managementwhatever can go wrong, will
  • Lessons learned reportfor next time you do a
    paper

29
Conclusion
  • Project and time management
  • an important part of any technical communicators
    job (and students)
  • something you know how to do (planning a
    document)
  • allows you to control your project
  • Projects have beginnings and endings
  • Management means handling the middle part

30
Conclusion, cont.
  • Been managing time and a project since you
    learned to write documents
  • Good scheduling (scope, WBS, time allocation) the
    key to successful time and project management

31
Questions
32
Thank You
  • Please feel free to contact me at
  • twarren_at_okstate.edu
  • Or see our web page
  • www.okstate.edu/artsci/techwr
  • We offer graduate courses in
  • publications management
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