The project manager will be involved in some or all of these human functions of project management: selecting, training, coordinating, leading, coaching, rewarding, disciplining, and supporting. Related to the people aspect of project management is the project manager's responsibility for managing the relationships associated with the project. Externally, they include your client's people involved in the project, as well as any subcontractors and suppliers who may be involved in the project.
Overview of Project Management
They are leadership and management skills - skills that will help you lead and manage the project in such a way that the project's objectives are achieved. The level of complexity of the budget should be proportionate to the overall complexity of the project. The actual choice should be based on the complexity of the project and the capabilities of the planning program.
Staffing the Project Team
This includes reviewing the job description you are seeking to fill and preparing questions that will help you determine how qualified a particular candidate is for that position. So you'll want to develop questions that will help you assess how well the candidate has performed in previous situations typical of those he or she will face in your workplace. You should develop some questions that reflect the job requirements and give you a good idea of the candidate's ability to perform in the position you have open.
Fundamentals of Scheduling
Early Start (ES) As suggested, this is the earliest time at which a particular activity can be started. Because no events appear in the “Activity-on Node” diagrams, it is difficult to use milestones in the network; therefore, the visual aspects of priority networks are poor. Since there is no date line, it is also very difficult to view the overall status.
Computer Tools for Project Management
The way you enter the project plan into the program and how easy it is to change the plan will have a direct effect on how much you get out of the program. As a minimum, the program must be able to contain all the project activities and calculate and show the project's critical path. Reports on the project schedule and project status are some of the most valuable tools a program can provide.
Technical, Schedule, Financial Management
Typically, this meeting is held after you have been designated as project manager and one or more of your project team members have been assigned, but it can be held at any time. During this meeting you will want to explain very clearly your standards for the project. You may even want to hand out a paper outlining the principles of your project management, and then review the paper's contents with the project team.
You can use this Postmeeting Action Plan to follow up and manage the results expected of the project team members who attended the meeting. In order to effectively manage the financial part of your project, it is important that you become familiar with the project management system that your company uses. As with the other responsibilities in project management, it is crucial that you as the project manager frequently reiterate to project team members the importance of controlling internal labor costs.
If project team members know that internal cost control is important to you, they are more likely to make it a priority for themselves. Travel costs can be a significant cost element of a project depending on the location, type and duration of the project. As with the other responsibilities of project management, it is critical that as a project manager you regularly reiterate to project team members the importance of keeping travel costs under control.
You want to make sure your project team members understand the necessity of timely completion of deliverables so lower cost shipping delivery dates can be used.
Cost Estimating
This method is usually more accurate, usually around ± 30%, but does depend on the quality of the database. As can be seen from the above "definition", the project manager is actively involved in the development of the estimate and is responsible for the final product. Estimation by ratio method.” This method calculates piping as a percentage of the major equipment cost.
Total electricity supply costs associated with total horsepower or thousands of kilowatts. Ancillary material and labor costs may be considered as a percentage of the total cost of the instrument. in Instrument score review. Depending on the quality of the assessment basis, previous work hours should usually be considered for the time and location of the project.
This method requires a great deal of process design completion so that a detailed list of drawings can be developed. These, in turn, determine the appropriate grading allowances and accuracy ranges for each of the segments. A careful review of the procurement program is essential, as equipment/material costs can be more than 50% of the total cost.
What is the political climate of the proposed site and the prospects for future stability?.
Leadership Fundamentals
But here's the good news – just as there are many great athletes who, although not born gifted with athletic skills, work hard and become great athletes, so are leaders. Leadership - The process of influencing individuals or groups to achieve an organizational goal or mission. The outstanding leader has an almost tangible sense of responsibility to his people and to his project.
This leader constantly asks "How can we do things better?" When things go wrong, he/she asks "What could I have done to prevent this?" The excellent leader holds other people accountable for their roles in the project, but he or she does not automatically blame others when problems arise. Similarly, a good performance can produce the "halo effect" - the idea that the person can do no wrong. Regardless of the reasons, the excellent leader will use this behavior or indicator to get to the bottom of the situation.
For example, the leader might ask a project team member: Do you understand the instructions? The team member can answer “Yes.” But the way she answered yes;. Most importantly, the excellent leader is interested in his or her people outside the workplace and demonstrates his/her interest through these competency behaviors. This competency has to do with the fact that the excellent leader will apply discipline where it is warranted.
Whenever possible, the excellent leader will engage his or her people in the “why” to gain greater commitment and support. The excellent leader will match words, vocabulary and phrasing to the education and training levels of the people with whom he or she communicates. The excellent leader does not stay locked in his/her office or glued to the phone or computer.
Effective Communications
We need to understand the person who is speaking and what he or she is really trying to convey. Give the person face time in the literal sense as well as the figurative sense. This does not imply that you agree with the person, but rather an acknowledgment that you are interested in what the person is telling you and makes it easy for him or her to keep talking.
To let the person know that you have actually heard and understood what he or she is saying, restate the other person's basic ideas in your own words. Or if you're wrong, the person can correct you right then and there so you know what he or she meant. You can draw on your own experience later after you fully understand the other person's situation, but not while seeking to understand the person's own situation.
Look beyond the simple words the speaker uses to understand what the person is feeling. Show that you understand the person's emotional status by reflecting your understanding of the person's feelings. When the person believes that you are truly interested in them and builds trust in you based on that trust, you are in a good position to understand what is going on with the person and possibly help them.
The reward for your patience and skill in using active/empathic listening is a deeper understanding of the other person and the ability to create solutions that meet the person's needs, the organization's needs, and your own needs.
Economic Decision Making
The payback period is the time required to recoup the capital investment from income or savings. Even with the assessment element, life cycle costing is the most important tool in value engineering because the results are quantified in terms of dollars. The method used to find the rate of return is called discounted cash flow.
The three most commonly used methods in life cycle costing are annual cost, present value, and rate of return analysis. Rate of return analysis gives a good indication of the overall ranking of independent alternatives. Assuming an energy rate of 8¢ per kWh and a 20-year lifespan, the expense is justified based on a minimum pre-tax rate of return of 20%.
L is the value of equipment at the end of its useful life, commonly referred to as salvage value. Determining the after-tax rate of return requires a trial-and-error or computer analysis. As illustrated by Exercise 9-5, a modest estimate of fuel inflation has a major impact on improving the project's return on investment.
Note: Maximum investment to achieve a 15% after-tax rate of return on investment for annual savings of $1,000.
Contract Planning Essentials
In the owner's situation, the contract is the means by which the contractor can be controlled and ensures that the work and the final product meet the owner's requirements. — acting as the owner's agent in the administration of the contract and deciding, in an impartial manner, certain rights of the parties under the contract. The project manager must carefully decide on a specific contracting arrangement, as described in the section below on Contract Strategy and in Chapter 6, Planning.
The project manager is essentially responsible for the contract strategy that is developed as part of the project strategy. This combined responsibility of the project manager and the contracting department in the contracting process can lead to inefficiencies, delays, and disagreements, and can negatively impact project cost and schedule when organizational conflicts occur. The project manager must obtain the agreement of the contracting department and the company's insurance department before committing to contractual language regarding liability, indemnity or insurance.
As discussed in the project strategy, the following would be important considerations when developing a contract strategy for the project: Segment the project into separate work packages to facilitate management, and subject the work packages to available resources. Consider the contract philosophy, the type of contract best suited to the project, contract interfaces, bid evaluation techniques, and bid documentation.
Engineering and construction contracts can be drawn up in a wide variety of forms, depending on the contractor's contract strategy and financial resources.
Commissioning Construction Projects
Case Study: Microbial Abatement
