objects, projects and people

Objects, Projects and People

An introduction to design

Version 1.1 24.10.2011

Part 3: Projects

J. Huysentruyt

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PROJECTS & CHANGE

Version 1.1 24.10.2011Objects, projects and people – An introduction to design J. Huysentruyt

PROJECTS & CHANGE

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Additional reflections on design


Additional reflections on design

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What is a project?


What is a project?

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Projects and programmes: definition

Definition

A project is often defined as

– a set of activities focused on the realisation of

– one or more of objectives within

– a given limited time-frame


Hence, a project should have a definite end and accordingly, a definite starting point.

Reference to production management

– One can see projects as a form of production management as different from:

• Job-shop organisation (many parts going through different workstations

• Series production and process organisation

Programmes vs projects

• There is no agreement on the definition of programme as opposed to projects

• Most often the distinction is about size: programmes are bigger and programmes may consist of several projects

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Projects are about change

TO BE situation

Change GAP

time

AS IS situation


Project start Project end

Drivers. Problems (to be solved). Needs (e.g. competitiveness. Hidden drivers (e.g. personal ambition)

Project objectives Project results∆?∆?∆?∆?

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Examples of projects

• The commercialisation of a new product (inc. definition, design, development, realisation/production)

• Complex system engineering: a spacecraft for shuttle services between the earth and the internation space station

• Organisation transformation/re-organisation


• Organisation transformation/re-organisation

• Space mission design

– Identification of the exploration around a planet

– + Design of the trajectories: transfer to the planet and trajectories around the planet

– + Requirements definition for a potential spacecraft

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Examples of projects with artefacts

Project Artefact(s)

A new rail transportation system TGV, Eurostar, ICE

Rail infrastructure

Rail traffic management system

A new profitable car Volkswagen Beetle

Aston Martin DB9


An advanced supersonic passenger transport Concorde

Tupolev Tu-144

Boeing 2707-300 (abandonned)

A new mobile computer & communication tool Apple i-Pad

A man on the moon Apollo hardware

N-1 rocket, Soyouz + moonlander

Building a tomb for a king Pyramid

Mausoleum

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Projects and artefacts


Projects may lead to the design and realisation of an integrated set of artefacts that have to

See the Apollo programme: A man on the mmon (and back) before the end of 1969 (J.F. Kennedy)

Projects may lead to the design and realisation of an integrated set of artefacts that have to interface and to work together so to as achieve the project objective.

See the Apollo programme: A man on the mmon (and back) before the end of 1969 (J.F. Kennedy)

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Artefacts are not the unique results of projects

Objective Target results Artefacts

Performant

organisation

• Knowledge of competition• Better organisation structure• Better tools• Adapted behaviour of the members of the

organisation (client friendliness)

• New business processes (model , training & quality assurance on execution)

• Knowlegde bases• New computer applications• Refurbished facilities

Reduction of

poverty in a city

• Participation of inhabitants into the project• Adaptation of legislation

• New schools• Training schemes


poverty in a city• Adaptation of legislation • Training schemes

• New credit rules

New information

system

• Reliable and efficient application• Application actually used by the users as

intended• Trained users• Motivated users willing to use and to help

improve the application

• New hardware (e.g. mobile devices)• Application software code• Performance follow-up software• User documentation (help function)• Operating guidelines (e.g. for back-

up)

One of the tasks of the designer is to

• Specify or help to translate over project objectives into target results

• To identify and later, to specify, the artefacts that have to be delivered at the end of the project

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The diversity of projects: factors

Differentiation factors Illustration

Project duration • From a few weeks to many years e.g. the development of a new pen vs. the high speed train programme

Project domain • One technical domains (e.g. IT) or many technical domains (a spacecraft) or socio-technical (change of organisation, change of behaviour of people and change of tools

Project ambition • The level of ambition is related to the level of change that is expected to happen. Replicating an artefact with minor


expected to happen. Replicating an artefact with minor mofifications is less complicating than bringing about a ninnovative artefact.

Project resources and their

organisation

• Available tools and machines for design and realisation• Experts• Specialised organisations (e.g. engineeringt bureaux ,

construction contractors

Project location • Mono-location or multi-location

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Project feasibility and risk

Ta

rget

res

ult

s


• A project aims at delivering a set of results, within a given time-frame, within available resources/budget

• As projects deal with change and as knowledge about (a) the future (b) the actual behaviour of people and artefact, is incomplete, there is always risk associated with a project

Time

The project space

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Methodology


Methodology

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Project management: ensuring the success of the project

• It rather difficult to succeed when constraints for the three dimensions (time, result, and costs) are tight: 75% IT projects are said to fail, the same applies for business process re-engineering

• Therefore, project management is about ensuring that:

– The project objectives are being met

– The target results actually delivered


– The artefact being operational (i.e. integrated, delivered, tested and implemented in the operational environment)

– The risks being mitigated

– The people responsible for the project being adequately informed, at given moments, about progress, quality, costs and risks for the remaining period.

• Several methods can be used for managing different aspects of a project

Methodology: an expensive word for saying method.

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Project process models/methodologies

Definition

Project executionProject

termination

Design … …

Project management

System development

life-cycle

Project start

Artefact/system development life-cycle


Definition Design … …

Specific design

processes

life-cycle

Specific development

phase

(methods)

Will be dealt with in the section: Design

Caution. The terminology about methodology and

methods is not standardised and hence,can be confusing.

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Project management processes (Prince2)


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Project management processes (PMBoK)


PMBoK© is a product of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and stands for :Project Management Body of Knowledge

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Phase 2

« Waterfall » methodology

Phase 1

• The results of one phase/activity are used for the next phase/activity

• Feedback from a phase to the preceeding phase is not considered resp. minimalised


Phase …

Start

Act. 1.1

Act. 1.2

… … …

…

…

Stop

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A system life-cycle: system engineering life-cycle (NASA)-1


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A system life-cycle: system engineering life-cycle (NASA)-2


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A system life-cycle: the spiral model


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A design method (part of System Development Methodology) - 1


In this case, design is subdivided into phases: Overall Design and Detailed Design

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A design method (part of System Development Methodology) - 2


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A system life-cycle: SCRUM


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A system life-cycle: the V model (for software)


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A system life-cycle: the V model (for IT services) Examples of IT services. Network management

. Application maintenance


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Why design? Why planning?


Why design? Why planning?

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Planning and design: postponed action

• When the realisation of an artefact is simple or obvious, there is only one thing to do: DO IT!

• However, when it is not the case, when one needs to think about what is needed and what could be the answer to this need, the action of realisation is postponed.


• Planning and design occur in situations of postponed action and have similar aims:

Aim Planning Design

To anticipate the future and to reduce project risk

To organise actions and resources in a efficient way

To define and specify the artefact(s) to be built

To reduce artefact risk over the whole life-cycle

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Summary


Summary

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Summary: the main concepts

• Definition of project

• Project and change

• Projects and artefacts

• The diversity of projects


• The diversity of projects

• Project and risk

• Methodology types: waterfall vs iterative

– Project process models/methodologies for the overall management of the project

– System life-cycle (methodologies) for the technical management within a project

– Specifc methods

• Planning and design in situations of postponed action

objects, projects and people

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