CE 301: PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Project: definition, characteristics & life cycle

Dr. Tanvir Manzur Department of Civil Engineering, BUET

Project
Project management as a discipline was spawned in the mid20th century An academic writer in 1930s proposed the use of a coordinator who might be used to administer a task involving several functional areas According to Morris this addition of a separate mechanism to integrate the various entities making up a project as the inception of modern project management

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project
The rise of modern project management between the 1930s and 1950s is related to
Development of system engineering in the U.S. defense and aerospace industry Engineering management practices in process engineering Developments in management theory, particularly in organization design Evolution of the computer, enabling mane project management tools

Literature on project management reflects the need for flexibility and the changing context in which project exists The phrase management by projects may best capture the situation today
Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project
Evolution of Design toward collaboration and integration
Modern Taylorism Hierarchical/vertical Specialization Rational order Centralized control Experts Tightly coupled system Micro-management Hierarchical decision making Bureaucratic structure Incremental
Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Postmodern Systems Engineering Flat/layered/horizontal Interdisciplinary Messy complexity Distributed control Meritocracy Networked system Blackboxing Consensus-reaching Collegial community Discontinuous Open

Closed

Project
Definition
A project is an endeavor that is undertaken to produce results expected from the requesting party. To be more specific, a project is an endeavor that will
Accomplish a specific client need or goal Include related activities guided by a leader or project manager Be composed of cross-departmental personnel or unique experts capable of providing unique services to the project Be performed for a fixed duration of time

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project
Generally the requester or owner does not have the expertise or the time (or both) to take on the endeavor on their own The project will likely have a fixed or estimated life Once the project is complete, the operating component & maintenance will likely revert to the owners However, some contemporary engineering projects owners offer the builders to provide services for short-term start-up operation & occasionally long-term facility operation

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project
Scope-Schedule-Budget triangular relationship
A projects scope of work is a definition of the tasks required to complete the project to meet the clients need The complete scope of work for a project requires a schedule and budget

This relationship of scope, schedule, & budget can be thought of

as a connected triangle where each side represents an essential component of the project managed by the PM ( Project Manager) the connected sides of this triangle enables the PM to see these three components are interrelated and that one side cannot move or be adjusted without affecting either of the other two components
Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project

Scope, schedule, and budget relationship

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project
Quality during this stage of project is another important issue that needs to be addressed The client will likely have an idea about quality of the project and will include their thoughts on quality in scope details The important point is that quality should connect the scope, schedule, and budget If the final project does not meet or exceed the owners expectation for quality, the project likely will rejected

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project Life Cycle

Projects are undertaken for the purpose of developing a system The natural life cycle of systems gives rise to a similar life cycles in projects called the project life cycle Each project has a starting point and progressed toward a predetermined conclusion during which the state of the project organization changes Projects are characterized by a buildup in activity that peaks eventually and then declines until project termination This activity can be measured in various ways
Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project Life Cycle

Level of activity during the project life cycle

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project Life Cycle

Besides changes in the level of activity, the nature and emphasis of this activity also vary
Clients and planners dominate during early stages of the project Designers, builders, and implementers are in charge during middle stages Users and operators take over in later stages

Despite changes in level and mix of activity, three measures of project activity that apply throughout a projects full span are
Time Cost Performance
Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project Life Cycle

Time refers to the
temporal progress of activities extent to which schedules and deadlines are being met

Cost refers to the

rate of resource expenditure as compared to budgeted resources

Performance refers to
outputs of the project as compared to objectives, specifications, and requirements ability to meet performance requirements is one measure of the quality of the project output

The project organization attempts to achieve time, cost, and performance requirements as it advances through phases of the project life cycle
Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project Life Cycle

Managing the project life cycle
It requires special treatment Most thins in project resources, schedules, tasks, etc.-are somewhat unfamiliar or in a constant state of change Little that is done in a project can be considered repetitive or even routine Work schedules, budgets, and tasks must be tailored to fit each phase and stage of the project life cycle All life cycle contain an element of uncertainty Unforeseen obstacles, some virtually inevitable, can cause
Missed deadlines Cost overturns Poor project performance
Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project Life Cycle

Managing the project life cycle
Management must
Anticipate problems and plan for them Then re-plan activities Shift resources as unforeseen problems occur

Often organization undertake several projects at once and at a given time, the projects are at different stages of their lifecycle
Some are just being started while others are underway or are being closed out

Management must be able to continuously balance resources among the projects so

Each gets what it needs Yet the sum does not exceed the resource available
Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project Characteristics
Projects have a purpose
Projects have clearly-defined aims and set out to produce clearly-defined results. Their purpose is to solve a "problem, and this involves analyzing needs beforehand. Suggesting one or more solutions, a project aims at lasting social change

Projects are realistic

Their aims must be achievable, and this means taking account both of requirements and of the financial and human resources available

Projects are limited in time and space

They have a beginning and an end They are implemented in (a) specific place(s) and context.
Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project Characteristics
Projects are complex
Projects call on various planning and implementation skills They involve various partners and players

Projects are collective

Projects are the product of collective endeavors. They involve teamwork and various partners and cater for the needs of others.

Projects are unique

Projects stem from new ideas. They provide a specific response to a need (problem) in a specific context. They are innovative.
Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project Characteristics
Projects are an adventure
Every project is different and ground-breaking They always involve some uncertainty and risk.

Projects can be assessed

Projects are planned and broken down into measurable aims, which must be open to evaluation

Projects are made up of stages

Projects have distinct, identifiable stages (figure in next slide)

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET

Project Characteristics

Various stages of a project

Dr. Tanvir Manzur, CE, BUET