Megaprojects Need New Tools: Why Current PM Tools Dont Deliver the Goods

Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

Overview
Why a fundamentally new project representation and methodology is needed for Megaprojects The Plexus representation and methodology Experience on real industry projects Demonstration
Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

Fundamental research question

Why do large, mature, sophisticated organisations routinely fail to deliver complex new products successfully?

Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

Existing Tools
project management theory remains stuck in a 1960s time warp and that the underlying theory of project management is obsolete
Professor Peter Morris, Rethinking Project Management EPSRC Network 2004-2006

Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

Importance of suitable representations

Multiply LXXXVII by LXXIII in your head without converting to decimal! The Roman Number system is not suited to arithmetic

Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

Megaprojects Are Complex Systems

Involving large numbers of adaptive entities Interacting in multiple dimensions With stochastic effects And time evolution
Extant project models are not suited to Complex systems How do we derive an adequate models, then?

Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

Product and Process Knowledge

Product Knowledge Equations, Rules.

Planning

Process Knowledge Connections, Sequences Stochastic data Workflow

Engineering Domain

Management Domain

Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

Planning Paradox
Process Knowledge is the responsibility of, and is generated within the Management domain The Engineering domain has an aversion to planning and treats it as low priority, non-core activity Planning data has inadequate input derived from and associated with Product Knowledge. Plans are too abstract, unrealistic and are more likely to fail Poor execution track record further erodes the Engineering domains interest and confidence in planning activities.
Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

Post-it Planning

Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

Post-it Planning
Many, large, international, otherwise sophisticated organisations universally resort to post-it note planning Such planning sessions require labour intensive follow up activities

Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

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Iterations
Complex products (such as in aerospace) are highly refined artefacts There construction involves many detailed iterations Example aircraft design

Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

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Iteration in design
Mass of wing structure, Systems, fuel
Mass properties engineer

Determine aerodynamic shape

Aerodynamicist

Span, Chord, Section

Calculate structural mass

Not allowed In PM tools

Design Load bearing structure
Structural analyst

Calculate structural loads

Flight Physics engineer

Wing box design, Material volume, density

Load cases

In reality projects have many complex iterative loops..

Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

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Real Iterations!

Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

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Traditional Project management networks

Cannot model iterations Hard, contentfree dependencies One-dimensional, unsophisticated visualization
Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

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The Goal
Tools with a representation that
Can effectively capture process and product knowledge in meaningful project models
From which plans are derived And from which knowledge is reused And which allows for organic growth and replanning And which leads to real buy in from all project participants
Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

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Requirements
Separate project logic from scheduling logic Allow for collaborative input Allow for multi-dimensional categorization Allow for organic growth and replanning

Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

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Plexus approach
Detailed, multi-dimensional dependency network Collaboratively constructed For Detailed Simulation Multi-objective optimisation Analysis and Execution
Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

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Information Driven Planning

Scope Project
Apply Duration & Resource Requirements

Execute Monitor and Control

Publish Schedule

Re-schedule / Re-optimise
Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

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Experience
Project war-room equipped with a data projector and a number of networked lap-top computers. Teams to switch between;
collective review of planning using data-projector intensive sessions where sub-groups concurrently develop and refine the network using individual laptops.
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Software Demo

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Demo: Modelling In Plexus

The Network View Focusing the context Adding:
Hierarchy Elements Tasks Requirements Documenting Dependencies with Content

Dropping and Satisfying Requirements (collaborative planning)

Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

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Demo: Automatic Understanding

Cyclic activity handling Automatic options and iterations Ignoring = Estimating = Risk Dependency Matrix View Multiple, user-defined plan hierarchies Using the project filter
Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

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Demo: Automatic Scheduling

The DSM for quick schedules The resource model Discrete event simulation for non-conflicted resources Gantt chart view Coordinated, filtered views: Network, Matrix, Gantt Critical Path to any milestone Smart lookup
Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

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Demo: Optimizing Tradeoffs and Analysis

The Optimizer and DES The Tradeoff Surface
Views, Filters, Colors, Selections

Multidimensional Export to MS Project

With roundtrip

Stochastic Analysis
And much more
Dr R Smith Professor James Scanlan Professor Phil Lawrence

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Demo: Execution and Replanning

Roundtrip to MSP Updating of actual values and percentages complete Rescheduling Re-optimization that respects actual values

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In Summary
Plexus provides a shift in the planning representation:
Dependencies have content Collaboration provides appropriate content And buy in For reusable logic Iterations and options effect risk naturally Schedules are derived data That shows trade offs (risk/cost/time)

Execution should include comparisons to baseline, switching on the trade off surface, reoptimization when necessary, and remodelling

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Benefits
Allows engineers to declare a detailed representation of the relevant dependencies including iterations. Sophisticated viewing and navigation tools allow deep appreciation of context. Health checking shows up missing network data, inconsistencies or unconnected activities. Allows very fast generation of realistic, detailed networks Diagnostics automatically classify network nodes highlighting critical nodes, deliverables and inputs Powerful automatic layout algorithms to arrange the network in a logical, compact and visually appealing format

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Questions?

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Model Optional Activity!

More (resource) cost, less risk: More cost and time, less risk:

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Model Iterations Appropriately

If a model has natural iterative refinement cycles, model them There are three ways:

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