C2. Project Management in Practice

No project ever goes exactly according to plan.
The process requires each member to be comfortable with continual change.

Critical path
is used to track progress of the project implementation. It identifies those tasks which must occur on time and in sequence for the final project deadline to be achieved.

managers are responsible for:

• monitoring actual progress against the proposed schedule
• controlling the project
• steering it back on track if necessary

3 steps to take:

1. the original project plan to be saved as the baseline version
2. the project plan needs to be regularly and honestly updated so that it reflects the progress actually being made
3. the baseline plan should be compared to the updated one; if they don't match, an appropriate course of remedying can be taken.

Risk management and audits

• identify where problem areas are most likely to crop up on a project
• propose what should happen in the event of one occurring

The original project scope will be de- and re-scoped in response to the changed conditions and in attempt to get the project back on track.
Weak will be identified and solutions proposed.

By monitoring actual progress of the project against an agreed schedule, potential delays can be proactively brought to the attention of the client and the design team.
Proposing solution at this stage reduces the risk of the delivery date incurring actual delay.

if the priority is to meet a deadline:

• the client and manager can increase the size of the project team
• this will mean increased costs

if it is important to keep the project on budget:

• it might be agreed to extend the deadline for completion
  
• but alter the material specification
  
• or reduce the size of the project team
  

Scope creep
if the tasks grow beyond what has been agreed, designers can unwittingly agree to carry out additional design or redesign work in response to client request, without being fully aware of the implications on the original agreements in the design brief.

a good manager will:

• act as the first line of defence against scope creep
• work internally with the design team to estimate the time and resources needed to carry out any extra work
• present the proposal to the client for consideration

a design team member faced with client request for extra works should:

• always refer the client back to manager

scope creep shouldn't be viewed as bad thing:

• it can create additional opportunities for the design resource to win more work and generate more income
  
• client team can also benefit by addressing additional organisational concerns through already established design projects.

Cost effectiveness
managing the project budget requires the control of 3 types of costs:

1. the type of payment
2. the actual budgeted costs
3. cost effectiveness

the client most likely measures cost effectiveness in the terms of:

• what they consider to be value for money
• what they are getting in exchange for their investments of time, money and resources

can also include:

• the benefits of long term relationships

Regular review meetings
manager should create regular opportunities for clear and open communication, both with the design team and the client team.
reviews should happen:

• daily through informal conversations
• regular and frequent review meetings to assess and monitor progress
  

manager:

• negotiate on behalf of the design team leaving the designers free to concentrate on work
• manages the client contact with the design team as an opportunity for discussion
• simultaneously reduces potential conflicts over scope creep and hasty promisses of results
• keeps the client abreast of the project progress
• reviews and revises the project schedule
• keeps the design team informed of changes within the client organisation

Post-project review
reviews held after the completion.
they are always a better ways to do things.

both sides can:

• acknowledge key achievements
• identify areas for improvement
• learn from the process
• the relationship between the client and the design team also can be reviewed

long-term relationships based on trust and previous project successes encourage clients not to move their business elsewhere.

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For Major Project

critical path
tasks selected how they need to occur one after other in the gantt chart.

risk management and audits
- the priority is to meet a deadline, but we can't extend the design team or costs. We have to keep the size of the project realistic. If delay, the size needs to be decreased.

scope creep
client isn't extending the original brief with extra work. I'm making sure that within the team we are keeping realistic.

cost effectiveness
no budget selected (yet, maybe after MA)

regular review meetings
- daily informal conversations are held
- regular meetings too, about 1-4 per week, depends of the stage of the project.

post-project review
will be held in mid September