EE97 Lectures

1. EE97 Lectures Senior Project Design Fall 2006 Lecture 9 Planning: Project Management: Milestones, Schedule, and Making the Commitment 11-03-06

2. Quote for the Day “When I do talk with students, my goal is to help them develop what I consider to be two of the most important forms of intelligence: the ability to read other people, and the ability to understand oneself. Those are the two kinds of intelligence that you need to succeed at chess — and in life” —Bruce Pandolfini National Chess Master Teacher and Author

3. My Senior Project • Our project is to create an subsystem to a home entertainment system to show videos, play music, an operate the television • Our part is to build the controller platform which consists of several hardware module with associated software and a main software application • The subsystem parts: • Overall controller platform • Several hardware modules • Software for the hardware modules • Software application • How do we do this?

4. Tasks

5. John Lennon • “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” • Meaning: inevitably something bad will happen to the plan • This does NOT mean you should not make a plan in the first place!

6. Lee Marvin • “Improve. Adapt. Overcome” • From: The Dirty Dozen (movie) • Meaning: just make a plan, stuff will happen, then you make a new plan

7. Dwight D. Eisenhower • “The plan is nothing. Planning is everything.” • Meaning: something will happen and the plan will have to change • Since you have a strong skill and competency in planning, you can readily make a new plan

8. The moral to the story is… • No matter how thorough you plan is… • The project will always turn out differently from you initial thoughts and design… • Writing a thorough plan and design focuses your thoughts and actions… • It saves time, money, and effort!

9. Three Approaches to Planning • Approach #1: project is designed in advance to facilitate planning • Know what to do before your are doing it • Approach #2: we’ll make it up as we go along • Allows maximum flexibility • Allows for fun and spontaneity • Approach #3: plan the project, build consensus, implement • Focuses all stakeholders, oversight to all activities, and commitment to make it happen

10. The Three Approaches • Approach #1: • Full Design • PROS • Makes planning easier • CONS • Costs money • Consumes time • Limits vision & breakthrough • Reduces flexibility • Approach #2: • Open-ended • PROS • Follow the fun • CONS • Finish date unknown • Costs are unknown • It may not be so much fun after all • Nobody knows what is next • Approach #3: • Planned • PROS • Reduces risk • Shortens cycle time • Predictable & manageable • Include stakeholders • Known commitments • CONS • Takes effort

11. Product Development Planning (1) • Identify the tasks and milestones of the project • Build on the tasks you identified while scoping the project in your proposal • For each major task: • A milestone is created to monitor progress • Each milestone has a clearly defined deliverable • E.g., Prototype complete -> working prototype • E.g., Experimental results -> raw data • E.g., Computer simulation -> computer model

12. Product Development Planning (2) • Tasks & Subtasks • Major tasks are decomposed into sub tasks • Subtasks: specific activities for a specific project module • Define start & end of tasks and subtasks • Durations are in weeks or days, not months • Significant to the project • Not: “Develop concepts”, but: e.g., • Create alternative concepts for power supplies • Fabricate plastic housing • Generate assembly code for sorting algorithm

13. Project Plan (A Guideline) • Introduction • System overview • System Engineering description and diagram • Project assumptions • Risks and contingencies • Architecture • Key specifications • Functional description • Design description • Organization: who is responsible for what and by when • Detailed plan: dates and durations • Tasks & subtasks: resources associated with each • Milestones • Acceptance test criteria and plan • Bibliography

14. How to Plan • It’s a cycle, not a straight path • Identify success • Create the plan, then evaluate for success • Analyze time, risk, capabilities at each step • Modify the plan as you implement • Update and keep it current

15. Identify Opportunity Define Success Explore Possibilities Select Most Viable Alternative Plan the Details Analyze Risk/Capabilities Evaluate Implement / Modify Update A Planning Cycle (A Guideline) Use SWOT & Risk Analysis At Each Step

16. Step 1: Identify Opportunities • Identify what needs to be done • Use creativity and brainstorming techniques to work out the unknowns

17. Step 2: Define Success • What is the end state? • What benefit will be derived at the end state? • Is there a tangible deliverable that is required? • What is the quality of the end state need to be?

18. Step 3: Evaluate Possibilities • Use creativity methods and brainstorming tools • Bring in experts to help secure the details and subtleties • Generate many alternatives as possible • Combine and recombine to optimize • Define an acceptance criteria

19. Step 4: Select Most Viable Alternative • Select the best option • Make sure you have the capabilities, skills, time, budget, and resources to carry it to completion • Improve on your best option if possible

20. Step 5: Plan the Details • Make sure you a good picture of the current situation • Work out the details (the tactics) of the most efficient and most effective method of achieving the end state • Answer the questions: who, what, when, where, how, why, and at what cost in time, money, and effort

21. Step 6: Analyze Risk/Capabilities • Identify the possible dreaded outcomes that may impact the detail task or subtasks • Evaluate possible mitigation path • Decide on a contingency plan if the dreaded outcome occurs

22. Step 7: Implement/Modify • March down the intended path • Analyze, synthesize, and evaluate new information as it becomes available • Modify plan by reviewing all process steps

23. Step 8: Update • Review the opportunities and confirm you the path to success remains the same • Make changes to your plan • Update all documentation • Communicate all changes and impacts to stakeholders

24. Gantt Chart • Useful tool for analyzing and planning a complex projects • Visualize the relationship of tasks to each other: duration and completion • Form a baseline to scheduling when the tasks need to be started and completed • Assist in the allocation of resources required to complete the project • Determine the critical path: the tasks that must be completed in a specific amount of time by a certain date

25. Gantt Chart (2) Source: http://www.ee.umanitoba.ca/programs/undergraduate/courses/coursehome/c24400/24_400/Pages/2003.html

26. Gantt Chart (3) Source: http://www.ee.umanitoba.ca/programs/undergraduate/courses/coursehome/c24400/24_400/Pages/2003.html

27. Critical Path Analysis • Tool to assist in schedule management of complex projects • Identifies tasks which must be completed on time in order for the entire project to be completed on time • Gantt chart may not make the immediate time constraints obvious • Identifies the minimum time required by the project

28. S S S S E E E E Task Task Task Task Task S E Task Types of Tasks • Serial • Parallel • Interdependent

29. Circles represent events Arrows represent activities Numbers over the arrows represent durations Numbers in the circle represent specific events or accomplishments Red denotes the critical path is the longest path Slack time is gaps in time between activities S S S S S S S E E E E E E E Task Task Task Task Task Task Task Linking the Tasks 2 1 1 1 1 2 2

30. Constructing a Critical Path (1) • List all activities

31. 1 2 Constructing a Critical Path (2) • Plot the activities using circle/bar format 5 days High level design

32. High Keep Satisfied Manage Closely Power Monitor (Minimum Effort) Keep Informed Low High Low Interest Stakeholder Analysis • Identify stakeholder • Prioritize • High Power, High Interest – you must fully engage and make the greatest efforts to satisfy • High Power, Low Interest – keep satisfied, but don’t make them bored what you say • Low Power, High Interest – keep adequately informed; make sure no issue is brewing; these people can help with the details • Low Power, Low Interest – monitor, do not harass, watch for any danger

33. Maximum grade is 13 Criteria was based upon minimum from guideline and topics presented in class Revision is allowed and expected The Project Proposal – Criteria

34. If you are thinking grades… A: 12, 13 B: 10, 11 C: 8, 9 D: 6, 7 F: 5 and under High was 13 Low was 1 The Project Proposal – Outcome