Project management tools Archives - Project Management Research Institute

Integrated project monitoring and control, Project management tools

Scoping the Project Management Information System (PMIS)

I am googling on the key word ‘Project Management Information System’ and the results were disappointing. That motivates me to write this article which will have answers for the following questions when completed;

What is the scope of project management information system (PMIS)?
Will one system cater to the needs of different types of project organizations?

Scope of the PMIS

A good project management information system should support the planning, monitoring & controlling aspects of;

Contracts
- With customer
- With Sub-contractors and suppliers
- Claims
Scope
- Change management
- Configuration management
Time (both schedule and effort)
- Planned Vs Actual
- Forecasts
Cost
- Planned Vs Actual
- Forecasts
Procurement
- Request for Information (RFI)
- Request for Bid (RFB)
- Request for Quotation (RFQ)
- Purchase orders
Resource management
- Human resources
- Machine, material and equipment
Risk management
Quality management
- Snag (defect) management
- Price of Conformance (POC)
- Price of Non Conformance (PONC)
Communications management

Well captured, accurate project data not only helps in managing projects but also provide the basis for planning and controlling of future projects. This aspect become all the more important for the application of artificial intelligence in project management.

Will one system cater to the needs of different types of organizations?

The answer is a definite ‘No’. Projects involve various stakeholders and their needs are different. Another key aspect to be considered is the type of contracts the organization is participating or intending to participate like;

Cost Reimbursable Contracts
- Cost Plus contracts
- Cost Plus Percentage Contracts
- Cost Plus Fixed Fee Contracts
- Cost Plus fluctuating Fee Contracts

Lump Sum Contracts (Also known as Fixed Price Contracts)
Piecework Contracts
Unit Pricing Contracts
GMP Contracts (Guaranteed Minimum Price Contract)
Rate Contracts
- Item rate contracts
- Percentage rate contracts
Target Contracts
Materials and Labor supply Contracts
Time and Materials Contracts
Operate, Maintain and Transfer (OMT) Contracts (popular in roadworks)
Build Operate Transfer (BOT) Contracts
Build Own Operate Transfer (BOOT) Contracts

Another parameter to be considered is the discipline. The project’s stakeholders come from various disciplines like Architecture, Electrical, Mechanical, Piping, Air conditioning, Structural, I.T, Product development, R&D etc. These parameters play a major role in while deciding on the PMIS.

Budget availability is another option.

Another parameter is the project segment.

Hence there is no single system which will meet the requirements optimally, as every system is aligned to a particular industry.

Project Management, Project management tools, Strategy, Trends in project management

Advanced Work Packaging (AWP)

In construction projects, during the construction phase, the actual time on tools is only 37%. 63% of the workers time is spent on activities like waiting for materials and tools, equipment movement, crew movement, early exits etc. This is primarily due to lack of integration of the pre-construction activities of engineering, procurement and construction.

Advanced Work Packaging (AWP), also known as construction-based planning, solves this problem by beginning with the installation work packages in mind and then working backwards through engineering, procurement and construction. According to Construction Institute study, AWP have helped projects to improve their productivity by 25% along with other benefits like reduction in rework, better safety, better cost control etc.

Application of questionnaires and surveys in projects

We use questionnaires based surveys for requirements collection, feed back collection, satisfaction surveys, competitors analysis. The list is incomplete as imagination and creativity is the limit for the application of questionnaire based surveys. In training projects we use questionnaires to assess the knowledge transfer effectiveness of the training programs.

The following sections are taken from Wikipedia

A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions (or other types of prompts) for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. The questionnaire was invented by the Statistical Society of London in 1838.

Although questionnaires are often designed for statistical analysis of the responses, this is not always the case.

Questionnaires have advantages over some other types of surveys in that they are cheap, do not require as much effort from the questioner as verbal or telephone surveys, and often have standardized answers that make it simple to compile data. However, such standardized answers may frustrate users as the possible answers may not accurately represent their desired responses.

Basic guidelines for framing questions

Use statements which are interpreted in the same way by members of different sub-populations of the population of interest.
Use statements where persons that have different opinions or traits will give different answers.
Think of having an “open” answer category after a list of possible answers.
Use only one aspect of the construct you are interested in per item.
Use positive statements and avoid negatives or double negatives.
Do not make assumptions about the respondent.
Use clear and comprehensible wording, easily understandable for all educational levels
Use correct spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Avoid items that contain more than one question per item (e.g. Do you like strawberries and potatoes?).
Question should not be biased or even leading the participant towards an answer.

Reference – Wikipedia

PM-Tools

PM-Book

PMBOK, Project management tools

Application of market research for projects

Projects deliver unique product or services. How successful the product of the project after deployment determines the success and failure of the project from the owner’s perspective. Conducting a detailed market research will help to validate the assumptions made while justifying the investment into the product idea.

Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets or customers. It is a very important component of business strategy. The term is commonly interchanged with marketing research; however, expert practitioners may wish to draw a distinction, in that marketing research is concerned specifically about marketing processes, while market research is concerned specifically with markets.

Market research is one of the main factors used in maintaining competitiveness over competitors. Market research provides important information which helps to identify and analyze the needs of the market, the market size and the competition. Market-research techniques encompass both qualitative techniques such as focus groups, in-depth interviews, and ethnography, as well as quantitative techniques such as customer surveys, and analysis of secondary data.

Market research, which includes social and opinion research, is the systematic gathering and interpretation of information about individuals or organizations using statistical and analytical methods and techniques of the applied social sciences to gain insight or support decision making.

Examples of factors that can be analysed using market research are;

Market Information
Market segmentation
Market trends
SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats)
PEST analysis (Political, Economical, Social, Technology related external factors

Reference Wikipedia

PM Book

PM Tools

Project management tools

Application of Focus groups

Focus groups are a research method used to gather feedback and opinions from customers. Each person in the group is encouraged to participate in a discussion which is pre-planned by a researcher and is guided by a facilitator. Focus groups are typically used to gauge opinion and gather information from users about products, services, and features before they have been developed.

A focus group is a small, but demographically diverse group of people and whose reactions are studied especially in market research or political analysis in guided or open discussions about a new product or something else to determine the reactions that can be expected from a larger population. The use of focus groups is a research method that is intended to collect data, through interactive and directed discussions by a researcher.

Focus groups, or group interviews, is a technique used by sociologists and in different fields of study which include communication studies, education, political science, and public health. Marketers can use the information collected through focus groups to receive insights on a specific product, issue, or topic.It is a form of qualitative research consisting of interviews in which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. Questions are asked in an interactive group setting where participants are free to talk with other group members. During this process, the researcher either takes notes or records the vital points he or she is getting from the group. Researchers should select members of the focus group carefully for effective and authoritative responses.

Online focus groups

Focus groups typically are conducted face-to-face, but the emergence of technology has enabled qualitative research to reach online approaches. There are two types of online methods; synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous methods allows for researchers to conduct live chats which try to mimic in-person interviews. Asynchronous methods collect participant information through online communication such as forums and email lists. Challenges within asynchronous online focus groups include sporadic participation over time and a potential timely study. Within synchronous online focus groups, challenges include timing not working for participants and lack of accessibility. Online focus group benefits include no transportation necessary and ease of access, while online focus group complications include lack of technology and minimal technological skill .

Advantages to online focus groups allow those to participant who are geographically far from each other and increase participation by engaging with those who are more comfortable with internet use. Disadvantages of online focus groups include losing associated non-verbal behavior which could factor into assessing qualitative research.

Reference

Wikipedia

PM Tools

PM Book

Project management tools

Usage of Checklists

People use checklists for two reasons. One is because there is no room for error. Aviation industry uses the maximum number of checklists. Pilots do more than 150+ checks before every take off. They use checklists not because they do not know their job, but because there is no room for error.

People also may use checklists for preventing errors committed by those who are new to the job. Since no two projects are identical, during project planning, one need to plan for the check sheets to be used during the project management life cycle like;

Requirements review checklists
Contract review checklists
Design review checklists
Quality related checklists

There is a cost associated with designing check lists, training people to collect and analyse data, collecting data, collating data, analyzing data and then taking corrective / preventive actions. All these costs are part of the price of conformance and must be factored into project cost estimates.

PM Tools

PM BOOK

PMBOK, Project management tools

Designing effective check sheets

The defining characteristic of a check sheet is that data are recorded by making marks (“checks”) on it. A typical check sheet is divided into regions, and marks made in different regions have different significance. Data are read by observing the location and number of marks on the sheet.

Check sheets typically employ a heading that answers the Five Ws:

Who filled out the check sheet
What was collected (what each check represents, an identifying batch or lot number)
Where the collection took place (facility, room, apparatus)
When the collection took place (hour, shift, day of the week)
Why the data were collected.

Check sheets are used to;

To quantify defects by type
To quantify defects by location
To quantify defects by cause (machine, worker)
To keep track of the completion of steps in a multi-step procedure

There is a cost associated with designing check sheets, training people to collect and analyse data, collecting data, collating data, analyzing data and then taking corrective / preventive actions. All these costs are part of the price of conformance and must be factored into project cost estimates.

Sample check sheet

PM Tools

PM BOOK

Reference

Check sheet – Wiki