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NNPC TOWERS
ENGINEERING DIVISION
BLOCK B
1.0 INTRODUCTION
"It must be remembered that project management is first and foremost a philosophy of
management, not an elaborate set of tools and techniques. It will only be as effective as the
people who use it."
- Bryce's Law
Several trillions of naira have been pumped into handling and managing projects
the professional way in order to avoid Project Management failure. Yet, at the
end of the day, there is not much to report by way of success. Surveys after surveys
have beamed gloomy pictures about the way projects end up FAILURE.
1.1 WHAT IS A PROJECT?
It is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product or
service
1.2 WHAT IS PROJECT MANGEMENT?
The application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project
activities to meet project requirements
A whole discipline known as "Project Management" has evolved in the
past fifty years.
1.3 PROJECT MANAGEMENT A SOFTWARE TOOL?
Most people think of Project Management as task management (a la
Microsoft Project). Project management is about skills and discipline. It's
about applying proactive processes and best practices.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.0 INTRODUCTION
3.5.1 E-MAIL
Email is probably the most prevalent form of project communication. A
great strategy is to discuss only one subject per email and to use a
succinct subject line.
3.5.2 DOCUMENTATION CONTROL
Good documentation is also important, but it must be accessible and
relevant. Needlessly complex documentation or the production of
documentation for its own sake just gets in the way.
3.5.3 EFFECTIVE LISTENING
In the throes of telling people what they need to do, it is easy to forgo the
respect you can afford someone by genuinely listening to them. All too
often, we listen so as to compose our response. The ability to just listen is a
rare skill.
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If the project manager isnt involved from the start they miss out on crucial
and often, unwritten, communication. The project manager doesnt have a
firm idea of who are the players involved; the real power sources and
agendas.
The problem is that there is a lot of water under the bridge between that first
meeting and project kick-off.
Scope is the overall view of what a project will deliver. Scope creep is the
insidious growth in the scale of work during the life of a project.
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It is unfair to call a project a failure if it fails to meet budget and schedule goals that were
inherently unattainable. Every project has a minimum achievable schedule and
cost. Fredrick Brooks summarized this law in The Mythical Man Month when he stated,
"The bearing of a child takes nine months, no matter how many women are assigned."
Attempts to circumvent a project's natural minimum limits will backfire
This one is obvious, but often overlooked. You must have the right people to do the right
job. Theres no getting around it. Halo theory is the process (in project management) of
assuming that someone would make a good project manager because that person is
good in his or her technical field.
This theory often becomes reality when someone is promoted to a Project Manager from
a technical or hands on position and hasnt had the opportunity to receive any Project
Management training.
However, the best technologists are not necessarily always poised to be the best
managers. The skill set for management and technicality are disjoint. The larger the
project, the more need there is for people with excellent planning, oversight,
organization, and communications skills; all excellent engineers do not necessarily have
these abilities.
The solution to skill-driven challenges is easy to define but difficult and expensive to
accomplish: Attract and retain the most highly skilled and productive people. You get
what you pay for.
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Typically, in this part of the world we do not do proper risk managementidentification of risk, documenting them in risk register, quantitative and
qualitative analysis, a good risk response system, management reserves,
inserting risk triggers and risk owners. That is why warning signals are too late to
respond. Does the following scenario sound familiar?
GOLD PLATING
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This is one the favorite ways to send a project into oblivion. Dont get me
wrong; there are times in the project lifecycle where a few long hours can be
expected. The final dash to the finish line, the panic session to fix the
repairs/reworks. Sometimes it does make sense to work long hours.
The law of diminishing returns come into play as rework is increased: resolving
defects and redevelopment of functional missteps consume the teams time.
The solution is Work smarter not harder and go home, that is by having a good
quality policy, quality assurance and control.
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CONCLUSION
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