C1. The Project Management process

How to translate design strategies and process into a finished result.
This entails planning and coordinating the people, stakeholders and resources necessary to get the project build, on time and within a budget.

Maintaining a good client relationship throughout this process relies on:

• clear, effective and frequent communication
• good design brief
• agreement of defined roles and responsibilities

There are number of questions that must be addressed:

• what is the scope of the project?
• what activities, tasks and resources are needed?
• how much time should be allocated to each step?
• what will the cost be?
• etc.

The ultimate goal is:

• to achieve the best end result possible
• within the timeframe and budget available
• maintain a possitive working relationship throughout

Cost, time and performance
schedule, making sure that project stays on track
needed:

• strong leadership
• good judgement
• ability to make informed decisions

Measures of quality, time and cost:
Quality:

• performance
• features
• reliability
• conformance
• durability
• serviceability
• aesthetics
• perceived quality/reputation
• value for money

Time:

• manufacturing lead time
• due date
• rate of product information
• delivery lead time
• frequency of delivery

Cost:

• manufacturing coost
• value-added
• selling price
• running cost
• service cost
• profit

Project planning
in consultation with the design team and the client contact design manager:

• estimates the amount of work involved on a project
• defines the terms of the contract
• roles and responsibilities will be formally assigned
• both within the client organisation and the design team

Five key areas of activity:
1. design manager ensures:

• the client and design team agree and understand the project brief
• the client and design team agree and understand what will actually be delivered

this is achieved by breaking down the design or project brief into manageable project stages.
manager must make sure:

• the design methodology, process, development and implementation stages are mapped out in the sequence in which they must occur

2. manager should:

• breakdown what needs to be done into smaller tasks
  
• estimate the time needed to complete each one
• identify relationships between tasks
• determine what activities need to occur before another can begin
• the interdependences should be monitored as delays can have serious knock-on effect to later project stages

3. need to be identified:

• project roles
• responsibilities
• lines of communication
• team-management procedures

Also:

• project team should be set up
• design manager need to make sure all parties are aware of their responsibilities
• ensure the time estimated for each stage, and the duration allowed for each task, is realistic
  

4. design manager should identify:

• any additional resources or stakeholder involvement needed
• key milestones such as deadlines, reviews, presentations (useful points to evaluate actual project progression, against the project plan)
  

project review meetings:

• to monitor progress
• internally with the design team
• externally with the client
• combined team meetings

5. design manager should set up:

• a project file
  
• ensure the team understands the system for information flow, documentation, record keeping and administration

manager is responsible for:

• making sure the information flows between the design and client teams
• mediating decisions
• providing leadership and direction
  
• making informed decisions at key stages

Good communication characteristics:

1. ensuring that all sides understand the problem and are fully briefed
2. ensuring that all sides understand each other and are talking the same language
3. ensuring that all sides are always fully informed, sharing problems and solutions
4. encouraging all sides to share experiences and knowledge, especially on details, procedures and knowledge

Project planning tools
software like:

• microsoft project
• basecamp
• filemaker
• design industry standard: gantt chart

This form of bar graph chart is a working document that lists each of the project stages and the tasks to be completed, in order they must be completed.
Also highlights dependences between different activities and stages.

Information highlighted in gantt chart includes:

• a prioritisation list of activities
• the likely duration of tasks from start to finish
• the duration of intervals between tasks
• links and interdependences in relationships between tasks
• critical and non-critical tasks
• key project milestones

A gantt chart is a plan for how a project should run in an ideal world, does not necessarily reflects how the project will run in real life.

gantt charts provide a focus for:

• nonitoring progress
• anticipating how resources are managed
• minimising the chance of pitfalls and delays

Project management benefits
Good project planning and management can make a big difference to whether projects run smoothly and on time and budget, or fall into fire-fighting mode and other difficulties.

also:

• operational benefits
• cricial competitive advantage

_______________________________________

For Major project

what is the scope of the project?
interactive digital wall for tube platform. The final product is an prototype of the wall exhibited at graduate show at uni.

what activities, tasks and resources are needed?
project management, usability testing, game design, iteraction design, concept development, research, coding, technology research, accessability, information architecture, animation, presentation...

how much time should be allocated to each step?
see google calendar and bellow gantt chart. also specified previously per week - the time is set up (deadline) and how we use it is flexible.

what will the cost be?
we are not specifying the cost for this project.

1. manageable project stages
- per week + usability testing dates

2. smaller tasks, the time needed to complete each one, relationships between tasks
- main one selected on the begining, the rest as needed on the go.

3. project roles, responsibilities
- selected on the begining of the project in learning contract.

4. additional resources, key milestones such as deadlines, reviews, presentations
- contacting stakeholders to invite them to the show, material for presentation (show)
- deadline fixed, reviews on the go and during the meetings.

5. project file, documentation, record keeping and administration
- this blog for archiving the progress, this will be also copied into uni wiki, testing gantt chart and basecamp files will be created.

Software
testing basecamp and gantt chart