Lecture 14 project planning

Project Planning or Problem Solving

T. Barber

References1: Show Me, The Complete Guide to Storyboarding and Problem Solving, Forsha, H. I.2: A Guide to Graphicl Problem-Solving, Moran, J. W., Talbot, R. P. & Benson, R. M.

Problem Solving

• Typically one is involved in one or three different types of problem solving activities:

– Development of a new product– Improvement of an existing product– Elimination of a problem with an existing product

Problem Solving

EngineeringGraphic Design

Legal Financial

Manufacturing Marketing Sales Consumer

ME EE ChE

ManEProd.Sup.

Right to left design is current industrial design philosophy

Problem Solving Steps

• Reason for improvement– Identify theme and reasons for working on it.

• Current situation– Select problem and set target for improvement.

• Analysis– Identify and verify root causes of problem.

• Countermeasures (Design)– Plan, design and implement countermeasures that will correct root

causes of problem.

• Standardization– Prevent problem and root causes from recurring

• Future plans– Plan remaining corrective tasks and evaluate team’s effectiveness.

Problem Solving Steps: The Details

• Reason for improvement– develop an understanding or background into the problem.

– Is the project a system or subsystem?– What is the purpose of the subsystem / system?– How does it work?

• In words…• In block diagram format…

– Who are the competitors• Do they have performance or feature uniqueness?


• Current situation– Select problem and set target for and metrics of improvement.

– How does one measure performance of the system?– What are the critical features that limit performance?– What are other relevant constraints, e.g. time, cost,…?– Are there meaningful trades of quality versus cost?– What are the weighting factors on the constraints?

Example Criteria & Weighting Factors for Selecting a College

Criterion Weight Factor(1-10)

PrivateUniversity

PublicUniversity

PrivateTotal

PublicTotal

1. Cost 9 5 10 45 902. Class size 6 10 5 60 303. Student body 7 8 6 56 424. Major desired 8 7 9 56 725. Reputation 7 7 8 49 566. Nearness 5 8 5 50 25

Total 316 315

Weighting factors may seem arbitrary but relative scale is the important factor


• Analysis– Identify and verify root causes of problem.

– Identify and define appropriate variables and constants– Make simplifying assumptions– Use fundamental principals– Check work for dimensional consistency– Examine limiting cases– Check that symmetries are correctly predicted– Compare with intuition / experience– Validate the assumption that were made


• Countermeasures (Design)– Plan, design and implement countermeasures that will

correct root causes of problem.

– Document design and results– Examine / interpret critical points of design– Re-assess importance of approach and assumptions– Create succinct summary of results and observations


• Goal of analysis or experiment• Examined variables

– measured or calculated to verify constraints / metrics

• Software / diagnostics used• Steps

– breakdown of problem from subproblems to complete design

• CAD software– clear definition of parts to be built / ordered

• Concerns– risks, modeling assumptions, etc.

Problem Solving Steps / Tools

• Understand problem: flowchart• Generate ideas: brainstorm• Prioritize ideas: SWOT• Achieve consensus• Determine risk factors• Organize & communicate: storyboard

• Graphical Support Tools– Fishbone– Gantt– Histogram, bar– Pie– SWOT– Tree

Problem Solving Approach: Teaming

• Importance of teaming– you don’t have everything you need (time, skills, ideas, …)– you can benefit from another point of view– other would like to be included in the solving process

– most tasks are easier with the support of others– it works

• Teams are typically greater than the sum of the parts

• Team roles– team leader ⇒ someone has to be in charge– facilitator (can be team leader)– scribe ⇒ someone who takes notes

Brainstorming

• A group process in which group members collectively contribute their ideas in a creative atmosphere.

• Members sequentially contribute their ideas one at a time

• Follow these guidelines– facilitator records ideas on flip charts– no criticism or comment allowed– work towards volume of ideas– avoid judgements– any ideas is acceptable– no storytelling– no one person will dominate

Consensus Development

• Consensus– Group solidarity in sentiment or belief – Involves general agreement and support for a final decision– Method of problem solving and decision making

• Decision by consensus is difficult and time consuming• Steps

– express and fully explain your opinion to group while they listen– You should listen while each group member expresses/explains

their opinion.

– As each position is presented all should be prepared to modify their position

– Group should move towards joint decision

• Effective decision = Q • A • L

quality level of leader

of time acceptance

Project Support Tools

References1: Show Me, The Complete Guide to Storyboarding and Problem Solving, Forsha, H. I.2: A Guide to Graphicl Problem-Solving, Moran, J. W., Talbot, R. P. & Benson, R. M.

Storyboarding

• A series of panels using pictures, numbers and words, important changes, in order of occurrence

• Typical uses– stimulate creative thinking– planning a project– collecting ideas– exploring an organization

– communicating a concept– understanding the big

picture

Fishbone Diagram• An investigative tool that organizes randomly connected causes

and sorts out noncontributing causes• Also called Ishikawa or cause-and-effect diagram.• Used to examine and graphically communicate the reasons or

root causes for a problem.• Attempts to cure the illness, rather than just treating the

symptoms.– Horizontal line/arrow to effect on right– Major causes placed parallel to and some distance from line– Minor causes clustered around major causes they influence– The initial major causes, called the 4 M’s, are man, materials,

methods, and machinery.

Pie Chart

• Useful for comparing the relative contribution of individual factors to the whole.

Histogram, Bar Chart

• Histogram shows frequency of occurrence.• Bar chart shows quantity of occurrence.

• Most famous histogram created by Gauss when he measured the distance to a star. His recognition that each measurement was slightly different led to the concept of a frequency distribution around a central number (Gaussian or bell curve)

Tree Diagram

• Also known as a stem-and-leaf display.• Used to assist in taking the idea to increased levels of detail.• Can be used to record the answers to the question why.• Sometimes used to analyze the probability of achieving a

certain result.

Flow Diagram

• A graphical description of the flow of activities in a system or organization under study.

• Standardized symbols– rectangle: for action; triangle: for decision; arrow: for direction

• Ex: a supervisor suggests a team have a clear and common vision of the product and process relevant to Machine #7.

SWOT Chart

• Consists of listing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

• Once brainstorming completed (ideas on table), apply SWOT to determine particular areas to focus on.

Strengths Weaknesses

Opportunities Threats

Managing Design Programs

• Murphy’s Law of Random Perversity– Basic Law: If anything can go wrong, it will (and at the worst possible

moment.

• Addenda and Variations– If everything appears to be going well, you have obviously overlooked

something.

– Nothing is ever as simple as it first seems.– No matter what goes wrong, there is always someone who new it would.

• Other Unnatural Laws– Etorre’s Observation: The other line moves faster– Law of Selective Gravity: An object will fall so as to do the most damage.– Boren’s Law: When in doubt, mumble.– The Golden Rule: Whoever has the gold makes the rules.– Weiler’s Law: Nothing is impossible for the person who doesn’t have to do it.– Zimmerman’s Law: Regardless of whether a mission expands or contracts,

administrative overhead continues to grow at a steady rate.

Risk Planning is Difficult but EssentialMake allowances for time and budget also

• Remember– “Experience is the name everyone gives to his mistakes” ……. W. Wilson– “Good judgement comes from experience and experience comes from

bad judgement” ….. B. LePatner– “Trust yourself, you know more than you think” ….. B. Spock

• Not the policy of the design course– “To err is human, bit it is against company (University) policy” ….

Anonymous

• Caution 1: Timing may be everything– “A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next

week” … G. Patton

• Caution 2: Radical solutions may not sell– “Some times the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason” …. J.

Seinfeld

But Things Do Happen

Managing Design Projects

• Total Quality Management (TQM)• Planning & Scheduling

– The Gantt Chart

– PERT Networks

– The Critical Path Method

• Clarifying the Project Objectives– Objectives Tree Model

– Coordination with Customer/Client

Program control techniquesUnderstand scope, keep track of progress, timing, cost.

• Gantt– Work vs time chart introduced by Henry Gantt and Fredrick

Taylor in early 1900’s– Has little to no statistical value but is used for dynamic action

in getting job efficiently completed.– Lists tasks, events, or milestones in program in some logical

or sequential order.– Open bars illustrate time allocated while shaded bars

indicate actual time spent.

• PERT (Program Evaluation Review Technique)– Gantt + measure of dependency and definition of activities

required to complete an event


• PERT Glossary– Activity: a line on the network showing dependency between two events.

Consumes a measurable amount of time and resources.– Activity duration: a quadratic average of optimistic, most likely, and

pessimistic time estimates.• Optimistic: minimum time estimate applied to an activity.

• Most likely: best judgement estimate of most likely estimate• Pessimistic: the maximum time estimate based on bad luck, possible

initial failure.– Event: an instant in time at which the planner can measure the plan

against reality; usually the beginning point or conclusion of a specific work effort essential to the plan.

• Start event, end event, hanging event– Network: a diagrammatic view of a complex plan, interconnecting lines

(activities) and nodes (events).– Slack: difference between latest allowable time and earliest expected time

of an event• > 0 means ahead of schedule, < 0 means behind currently late


• CPM (Critical Path Method)– Dates to 1956 when du Pont Company – Used for planning and scheduling– Sequence or work and length of activity are inputs

Activities / Constraints Diagram

• Is one of a family of charts used to control a project.• A dateless chart showing each activity and event in proper

sequence required to accomplish task or project.• Focus on activities and events interrelationships rather than on

time.

Gantt Chart

• Is one of a family of charts used to control a project.• A scheduling tool referenced to a time line• The psychological effect of having a schedule to keep is

valuable to a team.• Can show interconnecting tasks and milestones.

Program Evaluation & Review Technique (PERT) Chart

• Is one of a family of charts used to control a project.• A combination of Gantt and activities / constraints diagram.• Showing all activities & events in proper front-to-back sequence

with all activity start and end dates.• Dashed lines connote slack time in process.

Critical Path Method (CPM) - Based on PERT Chart

• The “no sack time” path through a PERT chart.• Represents the absolute minimum time necessary to complete

project.• Any lengthening of an activity on the critical path WILL cause

delay in completion of project. (unless corrective action taken)

Documents

Lecture 14 project planning