PROJECT MANAGEMENT
ENCE-7323
CLASS 8
March 17, 2003
Carl E. Edlund
214-665-8124
cedlund@prodigy.net
edlund.carl@epa.gov
CLASS 8
PROJECT DOCUMENTATION
AND
TECHNICAL WRITING
CLASS 8 OUTLINE
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•
•
•
Finish Class 6
Project related documentation
Ten elements of technical writing
Review of mid-term in Class 9
Federal Acquisition Regulations
‘FAR’
• TERMS:
– Contract
– Acquisition
– Purchase
• TWO DRIVING PRINCIPLES:
1. Stewardship of Appropriated Funds
• Full and open Competition
2. Procurement ‘Above Reproach’:
• Minimize:Fraud Waste Abuse
Federal Acquisition Regulations
• All federal procurements, all agencies
• Maintained by: GSA, DoD, NASA, and
EPA
• Procurement Authority issued by GSA to
each agency, subsequent delegations within
each
Federal Acquisition Regulations
• Contracting Officer (CO)
• Authority to issue and cancel contracts
• Personal signature
• Contracting Specialist (CS)
• Administers the contract.
• Works directly for the CO
• Contracting Officer’s Technical
Representative (COTR)
• Evaluates technical specifications and deliverables,
• Monitors work progress
Federal Acquisition Regulations
• Specifications are for ‘things’:
– Technical attributes
– Clear language
– Avoid trademark or commercial description
• Statement of Work (SOW) is for ‘services;
– Task oriented
– Meaningful measures
– May be ambiguous [e.g. research]
Performance-Based verses Specifications-Based Contracts
Contract Types
• Sealed Bid Contracts
– FFP - Firm Fixed Price
• Maximum risk for contractor
• Minimum contract administration
– FPE - Fixed Price with Economic Price
Adjustments
• Contingencies related to economy
• Reduces contractor risk .. but …
– FPI - Fixed Price Incentive
• Profit adjustment
• Shared risks/benefits
• Performance incentive
Contract Types
• Negotiated Contracts:
– CPFF - Cost Plus Fixed Fee
• Frequently used for R&D and environmental assessments
• FF range: 5 to 15 percent
– CPIF - Cost Plus Incentive Fee
• Fee based on negotiated formula
• General services use this
– CPAF - Cost Plus Award Fee
• Subjective evaluation of fee
• Partial payment
Contract Types
• Negotiated Contracts:
– T & M - Time and Materials
• Frequent for A & E and environmental services
• Hourly rates
• Materials at cost
– T & M * Indefinite Delivery T/M
• Flexibility for scheduling and levels of effort
• Bounds set on agency obligations
– SSC - Sole Source Contracts
• Uniquely qualified contractor .. Unique product or
service
• Limited component of overall project
• Misery to administer
Contract Types
• Negotiated Contracts:
– C%C - Cost Plus Percent of Cost
• A ‘no - no’ … why?
– Letter Contracts
• No bidding/competition at all
• Time of war, national emergency
Q: Which form of contracting is
most wanted by contractors, and
why?
A: Sealed bid FFP! This has the most
potential for profit.
HIGH
Balancing: Stewardship and Integrity
FPI FFP
FPE
T&M
CPFF
CPAF
CPIF
SSC
REPROACH
LOW
C%C
LOW
STEWARDSHIP
HIGH
Soliciting for Contracts
• Commerce Business Daily
– Prime vehicle but other advertising is also done
– www.cbdweb.com
• Types of announcements
– Sources Sought
– Notice of Intent
– Pre-solicitation Notice
• Timing:
– 15 days before solicitation
– at least 30 day notice period
Soliciting for Contracts
• Sealed Bid Process
– Basic
– Two Step
• Negotiated Contracts
– RFP/RFQ
Bid Protests
• Timing:
– w/I 10 days
• Made to:
– Awarding Agency
– GAO
– Courts
SIKES
• Re-solicitation for Bids
– Delayed project one year
– Complied with FAR
– Saved $24 to $41 million
• Sikes cleanup:
– 1 billion pounds of contaminated soil detoxified
– 3 billion pounds of water cleansed
– All for $.30 a pound … a bargain?
Socioeconomic Programs
• Small Business
– Set-asides
– Competitiveness demonstration
• Labor Surplus Area Set-aside
• Minority and Woman's Business Enterprise
[MBE/WBE]
• Davis-Bacon Act
A&E Contracts
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•
•
•
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Special Problems lead to 1972 Brookes Act
Qualifications Based Selection
Fair price [industry ‘standard’]
Announced in CBD
Panel selection
Contract Modifications
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•
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Administrative vs Substantive
Unilateral vs Bilateral
The ‘Changes Clauses’
Computation and negotiation difficult
Contract Termination
• ‘Near termination’ remedies:
– stop payment
– reduce price
– assess damages
• Termination for default
• Termination for Convenience
Ethics in Contracting
• BASIC DRIVING FACTORS:
– 1. ABOVE REPROACH
– 2. STEWARDSHIP
PROJECT DOCUMENTATION AND
TECHNICAL WRITING
• The importance of writing well
• Considerations regarding project-related
documentation
• Types of project documentation
• Ten elements of technical writing
• Putting thoughts on paper
• Mechanics of writing
• Writing perspective
• Use of graphics
22
WRITING WELL
• The project, the project manager, and the
project manager’s organization are
assessed in terms of project
documentation:
– Poor documentation can sabotage an
otherwise credible project.
– Poor writing can severely limit if not eliminate
a project manager’s career opportunities.
PROJECT-RELATED DOCUMENTATION
• Environmental projects:
– are technically complex,
– are long-term [usually more than 6 months],
– involve the interaction of numerous stakeholders inside
and outside of the project team and
– utilize varied resources
PROJECT-RELATED DOCUMENTATION
• Oral communications are important but a
written project record is essential to:
– track project progress
– verify/defend decisions and actions taken.
– Document deliverables and
– Receive credit [or payment]
PROJECT-RELATED DOCUMENTATION
• Written documents include:
– anything relating to the project which is handwritten,
typed, drafted, or electronically transmitted
– formal reports and correspondence,
– memoranda, and records of meetings, incidents,
technical issues,
– computations, project financial information, drawings,
photographs.
• The project manager is responsible for all
documentation.
TYPICAL PROJECT
DOCUMENTS
• Record of Verbal Communication (RVC)
• Memorandum For Record or Interoffice
Memorandum
• Letter of Transmittal
• Letter
• Report
• Forms
TEN ELEMENTS OF
TECHNICAL WRITING
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10
Accuracy
Brevity
Clarity
Simplicity
Emphasis
‘Concreteness’
Unity and Coherence
Objectivity
Sensitivity
Aesthetic Appeal
TEN ELEMENTS OF
TECHNICAL WRITING
1. Accuracy Free from mechanical or factual
mistakes. Accuracy is not easily achieved;
it requires attention to detail and critical
review by the writer.
2. Brevity Elimination of unnecessary words
or data. Concise writing enhances clarity.
Emphasize nouns and verbs; minimize
adjectives, adverbs. Omit unnecessary
modifiers. Present voluminous data and
other supporting details in appendices and
reference only as needed. Tables and
figures help brevity.
TEN ELEMENTS OF
TECHNICAL WRITING
3. Clarity Correspondence should lack
ambiguity. A reader should understand what
the writer is trying to say with be no room for
misinterpretation. To enhance clarity:
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avoid jargon;
minimize acronyms and abbreviations;
use short, simple sentences;
use the active voice;
place figures, tables and diagrams in close proximity
to observations and conclusions
If clarity and brevity conflict, chose clarity.
TEN ELEMENTS OF
TECHNICAL WRITING
4. Simplicity means easy-to-follow patterns of
thought. A simple writing style:
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•
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•
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is easily understood
avoids stilted, flowery, or colloquial words and phrases.
contain only enough modifiers for clarity
defines technical terms when first encountered.
Introduces abbreviations and acronyms in complete form
when first used.
e.g., micrograms per liter (g/L), hydrochloric acid (HCl),
underground storage tanks (USTs), Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act (RCRA), Alabama Department of
Environmental Management (ADEM).
TEN ELEMENTS OF
TECHNICAL WRITING
5. Emphasis means that the key conclusions or
arguments stand out from other points.
Emphasis can be achieved by:
– Arranging words and thoughts in subordinate clauses
and word order so that important points stand out
from supporting ideas.
– Structuring the format of the document to highlight
ideas in headlines or boxes
– Use of the active voice over passive voice
TEN ELEMENTS OF
TECHNICAL WRITING
6. Concreteness Effective technical writing is
specific and precise. Concreteness is achieved
when:
– vague generalizations are avoided, and needed
generalizations are supported with specific detail.
– words have single, specific, meanings;
– unfamiliar and abstract concepts are explained using
comparisons, examples, and figures.
TEN ELEMENTS OF
TECHNICAL WRITING
7. Unity and Coherence means that the
correspondence follows a central theme and
‘hangs together’.
Unity is increased when:
– unrelated subject matters are removed. Two or more
different subjects may warrant two or more
communications.
– each paragraph addresses a single main idea. Each
paragraph should have a topic sentence; as each
report should have a statement of purpose.
TEN ELEMENTS OF
TECHNICAL WRITING
Coherence is achieved by:
– ordering units logically and
– using transition words, phrases, and sentences to help
the reader anticipate the thought path.
8. Objectivity means that the report is based entirely
on measurements, not subjective opinions. The
advantages and disadvantages of a course of
action are supported with facts and data.
Conclusions and recommendations follow logically
from presented facts.
TEN ELEMENTS OF
TECHNICAL WRITING
9. Sensitivity
The document is written from the
viewpoint of the readers, not the author.
Good correspondence is sensitive to the reader; it
is neither too formal nor too informal. The writer
should create in the reader a sense of being
informed, not of being patronized or cajoled.
Correspondence intended to attack another
party’s position or work should be carefully
worded and not accusatory.
TEN ELEMENTS OF
TECHNICAL WRITING
10. Aesthetic Appeal The appearance of the
written work product will make an impression
before it is read. To improve aesthetics:
– Avoid dense, lengthy text.
– Create variety through the use of headings,
subheadings, short paragraphs, tabulations, and
figures.
– Use “bullets” and space to highlight a list of items rather
than a paragraph of listed information.
– Vary sentence length, paragraph length, and order of
exposition.
PRACTICAL EXERCISE
The field investigation consisted of grilling soil borings
and installing groundwater monitoring wells.
Specifically, 16 soil borings were drilled, and the
boreholes were continuously sampled their full depths.
After the borings were drilled , they were completed as
groundwater monitoring wells. The locations of the 16
boring/wells are shown on the boring plan, Figure 3.
Three borings/wells were 40 feet deep, three were 50
feet deep, three were 60 feet deep, and one was 70 feet
deep. A tabulation of well completion data (ground
surface elevation, top-of-casing elevation, well depth,
and screen interval) is shown on Table 2. (97 words)
• Reduce the above text to a more succinct form.
PUTTING YOUR THOUGHTS ON
PAPER
• The reader (your audience)
• Your purpose
• Word selection
• Sentence construction – remember to:
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Avoid comma splices
Watch for misused modifiers
Look for faulty pronoun reference
Use parallel construction
Check for subject-verb agreement
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PUTTING THOUGHTS ON
PAPER
Watch for missing prepositions
Check for unity
Watch for mixed construction
Use predominantly short sentences
Place emphasis where needed
Avoid indirect phrasing
Put qualifying words at the beginning
• Meaningful paragraphs
PUTTING THOUGHTS ON PAPER
• Know Your Audience Are you writing to
a technically aware client, to the general
public, or to members of your company
staff? Tailor your writing accordingly.
• Define Your Purpose: Consider what
you want to communicate and why. Is it
to inform, inquire, direct, arouse, or
influence?
TIP: The opening paragraph should define
the purpose, context, problem and solution
PUTTING THOUGHTS ON PAPER
• Select the Best Words Do not use arcane
or overly sophisticated words. Instead,
maximize use of common words to avoid
pompous or stilted reports. Use a
thesaurus to reduce repetition and improve
word choice.
• Use Meaningful Words Avoid words and
expressions that take up space and add nothing.
Also, avoid ambiguous words that force the
reader to guess what you are saying.
PUTTING THOUGHTS ON PAPER
• Avoid Loaded Words Stereotyping words
implying bias towards age, race, or gender are
particularly offensive.
Loaded words can also include terms such as
‘pollution’ and ‘contamination’ Designations of
“high” or “elevated” concentrations are not
meaningful without a comparative reference .
PUTTING THOUGHTS ON PAPER
14 Tips on Sentence Construction:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Avoid Comma Splices
Watch for Misused Modifiers
Look for Faulty Pronoun Reference
Use Parallel Construction
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Be Complete
Check for Subject - Verb Agreement
Watch for Missing Prepositions
Check for Unity
Watch For Mixed Construction
PUTTING THOUGHTS ON PAPER
10. Use Predominantly Short Sentences
11. Place Emphasis Where Needed
12. Avoid Indirect Phrasing
13. Put Qualifying Words at the Beginning
14. Meaningful Paragraphs.
MECHANICS OF WRITING
• Spelling (dictionaries, computer ”spell
and grammar checks” , other references)
• Punctuation
• Capitalization
• Numbers
• References
WRITING PERSPECTIVE
• Write to inform and convince
• Accommodate backgrounds of readers
• Appeal to readers, e.g.,
– Using section identifiers
– Using (lists) within text
– Using tables and graphics
• Anticipate criticism
• Be sensitive to liability issues and
Write in anticipation of litigation
USE OF GRAPHICS
• The appeal of graphics (figures, photos)
• The appropriateness of graphics
• Use of computer-generated drafting and
design
• Planning ahead
"LOOSE CANNONS"
7-1
Will Douhit, S&D project manager, received a
call from Ima Turney, with the law firm of
Turney, Turney, and Turney, requesting
information. Douhit was asked to check the
project correspondence record for the ERU
(Turney's client) law suit filed five years
previously by the Greendale Action Group
(GAG). Specifically, Turney wanted a copy of
the communication between S&D and the
State Environmental Agency (SEA)
"LOOSE CANNONS"
7-1
confirming SEA's recognition that the
wastewater effluent exceedance problem was
handled in a timely fashion and in the manner
established by SEA. She pointed out that this
communication was critical to ERU's case
and would have pre-dated the GAG suit.
Douhit, who had not been involved in the
project until his arrival at S&D four years ago,
said he would get back with Turney and
"LOOSE CANNONS"
7-1
began searching for the record of the
communication. Later, after diligent
searching of active and inactive files, he was
convinced there was no record. He then
attempted contact with the previous project
manager, Sie Anarra, only to find he had left
the country two years ago to become a
Tibetan monk. Douhit pondered what to tell
Turney.
WHAT ARE WILL’S OPTIONS??
"LOOSE CANNONS"
7-2
A cold sweat broke out on Melvin's forehead.
As project manager for the ERU groundwater
assessment project, it was now time to write
his summary report of the 18 month project.
He had looked good so far, and he knew the
senior staff was impressed. He didn't want to
blow it now. But, he remembered Professor
Goblonsky's composition class and
perspiration dripped off his nose.
HOW CAN YOU RETAIN, IMPROVE
WRITING SKILLS??