Design Project Management

Design Project Managers


Identify tasks
Make and update plans
Sequence tasks
 Allocate time
 Allocate People and Resources


Monitor and report progress
Six Steps in Project
Planning



Step-I: Identify tasks
Step-II: State task objectives and outcomes
Step-III: Estimate time and personnel
 Hofstadter’s law: “It always takes longer than you
expect even if you take Hofstadter’s law into
account”.
 Who is involved, and how long it takes
Planning

Step-IV: Develop a sequence for the tasks

Easiest method is a Gantt chart

Step-V: Estimate costs, times, resources

Step-VI: Evaluate and manage Risks
Tasks

What is a Task? (in the context of design project)

An activity that produces a specific result useful to
project progress. Do not include
 The means of accomplishing tasks.
 Tasks unrelated to the project.
 Tasks with no specific outcomes or deadlines
 Anything that is not clearly defined
Tasks

Not tasks





Arranging a meeting (means)
Having a meeting to discuss concepts (means)
Picking up pizza for the meeting (unrelated to project)
Research shock absorbers (Vague - no specific outcome)
Tasks




Developing pros and cons for 3 concepts
Evaluating and selecting the best concept
Picking up shock absorbers from shop
Creating a list of 3 shock absorber technologies
Tasks

Task clarification activity
Information
Needed to
Complete
TASK
Means to
Accomplish
Clearly
Defined
Deliverables
Project Planning Chart
Task-1
Task-2
Cory
10 hrs
10 hrs
Jade / Matt
15 hrs
20 hrs
Oliver
4 hrs
8 hrs
Manufactg
5 hrs
0 hrs
Jan-1
Feb-1
Mar-1
…
Task-3
Task-4
Task-5
Task-6
Master Plan

Every design project has a master plan with the
main design process tasks*:






Product Design Specifications
External Search
Internal Search
Concept Evaluation and Selection
Detail Design
Prototyping and Testing
Documentation

* You can add “Project Plan” as the first step of the design process
Master Plan

Often some other milestones are added to the
master plan











Product Design Specifications
PDS Design Review and Report (1-15-2013)
External Search
Internal Search
Concept Evaluation and Selection
Final Concept Design Review and Report (3-1-2013)
Detail Design
Prototyping and Testing
1st Prototype test and evaluation (5-1-2011)
Design Review and Prototype Evaluation Review (5-15-2013)
Documentation
Master Plan Gantt Chart
PDS
External
Search
Internal
Search
Evaluation Detail
Design
Team
100 hrs
100 hrs
100 hrs
100 hrs
Total
100 hrs
100 hrs
100 hrs
100 hrs
Jan-1
Feb-1
Mar-1
Apr-1
Prototype
Lower-Level Plans

PDS-related Tasks









Customer identification
Customer interviews
Development of PDS criteria and priorities
Defining engineering specifications (metrics)
Benchmarking and target selection
Developing HoQ
Writing the PDS Report
Reviewing the PDS Report
Modifying PDS Report based on sponsor feedback
PDS Gantt Chart
Customer
Identification
Customer
interviews
Development of
PDS criteria and
priorities
Defining
engineering
metrics
Jan-1
Jan-7
Jan-14
Jan-21
Donald
4
6
3
6
Totals
19
Neal
4
6
3
0
13
Lee
2
8
3
4
17
Totals
10
20
9
10
TASK Lists

Tasks are defined by the team and usually
include at least the following 5Ws:





What is the task
Who is going to do it
By When
In What format the results are to be reported
Why
Task Lists

Task list also includes:




How it is done
How it is paid for
Who can assist with the task
Risk Assessment (What if scenarios)