Managing Multiple Projects
and Deadlines
Staying On Top of Things
Agenda
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Definitions
Project Management
Managing Multiple Projects
Deadlines
Definitions
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Project – a task or unit of work outside the routine
Management – controlling the outcome.
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Planning
Organizing
Allocation of resources (resources – supplies, materials, tools, equipment, personnel, time)
Providing oversight
Quality assurance
Evaluation
Multiple projects – more than one
Deadlines – A date or time, by which a project must be completed.
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On or about – a flexible deadline that allows for delays over which we have no control
No later than – an absolute, finite date or time with no exceptions for any reason
Multiple Project Management
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Individual Project Planning
Organizing Resources
Assigning Roles and Responsibilities
Scheduling Timelines
Coordination of Teams
Providing Oversight & Consultation
Quality Assurance
Evaluation – Individuals’ Performances, Individual Projects, &
Overall Project
Managing Multiple Projects
• Begins with planning each individual project
– The specification (scope of work)
• View in the global context (the big picture)
• External dependencies (others)
• Identify & procure resources
– Work breakdown structure
• Task by task
• Time-scales (time per task)
– Set project timelines
• Mileposts and midpoints (intermediate goals)
Managing Multiple Projects
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Individual project planning continued
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Task allocation (assignments)
• Roles & responsibilities
• Delegation
Establishing controls
• Intermediate checkpoints on the timelines
• Establish routes of communication
Consult the team
• Provide training before the project begins
• Gather feedback during to help the project along
Project review
• During
• After
Step 1: Project Planning
• Define the scope of work
– Clearly, and absolutely; allow no room for additions or changes in mid-project –
no “wiggle room”
• Example: existing floor finish will be removed using a chemical stripper.
Residual stripper will be removed with a neutralizing rinse, followed by a
minimum of two clear-water rinses. The floor will be allowed to dry for a
minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of one hour. Two coats of acrylic
floor sealer with a minimum of 18% solids content will be applied using a
rayon finish mop, allowing the floor to dry a minimum of 30 minutes and a
maximum of one hour between coats of sealer. (Cont’d)
Example, Cont’d
• Three coats of acrylic floor finish with a minimum of 22% solids
content will be applied allowing the floor to dry a minimum of 30
minutes and a maximum of one hour between coats of finish.
The final coat of finish will be allowed to cure for a minimum of
12 hours and a maximum of 24 hours before burnishing with a
2000 rpm floor burnisher using a beige polythermal floor pad.
After burnishing, the floor will be dust-mopped with a treated
dust-mop before being opened to traffic. This Floor Refinishing
Project may begin after 5:30 p.m. on Friday May 15 and must
be completed before 7:30 a.m. on Monday May 18.
Step 2: Project Planning
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Reduce the project to its component
parts
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Dust mop the floor
Apply stripping solution (allow 5 min. Dwell
time)
Agitate with buffer
Recover solution with a wet-vac
Flood rinse with neutralizer
Recover neutralizer with wet-vac
Clear water rinse
Clear water rinse
Dry time
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Apply seal
Dry time
Apply seal
Dry time
Apply finish
Dry time
Apply finish
Dry time
Apply finish
Dry time
Burnish
Dust mop the floor
Review the list – have you forgotten
something?
Project Planning – Make a
COMPLETE List
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Step 2: Reduce the Project To Its Component Parts
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Load Truck
Drive To Location
Locate The Guy With The Key
Unload Truck
Set Up Equipment
Dust Mop The Floor
Apply Stripping Solution (Allow 5 Min. Dwell Time)
Agitate With Buffer
Recover Solution With a Wet-Vac
Flood Rinse With Neutralizer
Recover Neutralizer With Wet-Vac
Clear Water Rinse
Clear Water Rinse
Dry Time
Clean Equipment
Load Truck
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Apply Seal
Dry Time
Apply Seal
Dry Time
Apply Finish
Dry Time
Apply Finish
Dry Time
Apply Finish
Dry Time
Clean Equipment
Dispose of Trash
Load Truck
Burnish
Dust Mop The Floor
Clean Equipment
Load Truck
Drive Home
Unload Truck
Store Equipment
– Secure Location
– Drive Home
– Unload
Equipment
– Store Equipment
– Load Truck
– Drive To
Location
– Find The Key
– Unload
Equipment
– Set Up
Step 3 : Establish Timelines
• Assign a “time per task” to each item on the project
breakdown
– Allow a bit of extra time for unforeseen events or unaccounted for
activity.
• Example: Flood Rinse Floor = 12 min. / 1000 sq. ft.
– Your floor = 7,000 sq. ft.
– 12 min. times 7 = 84 min. to Flood Rinse 7,000 sq. ft.
» So, allowing 90 min. will give you time to fill the bucket,
walk to the area, and walk back to the closet and rinse out
the bucket.
Step 3 : Establish Timelines
• Use times per task as basic starting point
• String them together in 7 hour blocks
– 8.5 hrs/day
• Two15 min. breaks + 30 min. lunch + 10 min. prep time + 20 min. clean
up time = 7 working hours/day
– These blocks are not labor hours, they’re Project Hours
• Labor hours = the number of people working the project x 1 project
hour
– 10 people working 10 Project Hours = 100 Labor Hours
Step 3 : Establish Timelines
• Establish Timelines
– Friday
• 4 p.m. – Load Truck
• 4:30 – Leave
• 5:00 – Arrive on Site
• 5:30 – Begin Work
• 10:00 – Go Home
– Saturday
• 9:00 am – Leave Home
• 9:30 – Arrive
• 10:00 – Start
• 12:00 - Leave
Building Timelines
• What’s the deadline?
• Work backward in 7 hour blocks to the start day
• Add some time (fudge factor / wiggle room / elbow room) to allow
for contingencies (surprises)
– Equipment breaks down
– People call in sick
– The unknown happens (power failures/water-main breaks, etc.)
• Where is the “window of opportunity”?
– Can the project be completed within this window
• Will extra people make a difference?
– 100 labor hours does not equate to 100 people for 1 hour.
Set Mileposts
• Natural breaks in the work flow + the point on the
timeline where the break occurs + fudge factor =
milepost
– Asks the question, “are we on track to finish the project by the
deadline?”
Project Planning
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Step 2: Reduce the Project To Its Component Parts
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Load Truck
Drive To Location
Locate The Guy With The Key
Unload Truck
Set Up Equipment
Dust Mop The Floor
Apply Stripping Solution (Allow 5 Min. Dwell Time)
Agitate With Buffer
Recover Solution With a Wet-Vac
Flood Rinse With Neutralizer
Recover Neutralizer With Wet-Vac
Clear Water Rinse
Clear Water Rinse
Dry Time
Clean Equipment
Load Truck
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Apply Seal
Dry Time
Apply Seal
Dry Time
Apply Finish
Dry Time
Apply Finish
Dry Time
Apply Finish
Dry Time
Clean Equipment
Dispose of Trash
Load Truck
Burnish
Dust Mop The Floor
Clean Equipment
Load Truck
Drive Home
Unload Truck
Store Equipment
Establish Timeline Mileposts
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Secure Location
Drive Home
Unload Equipment
Store Equipment
Load Truck
Drive To Location
Find The Key
Unload Equipment
Set Up
Project Planning
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Step 2: Reduce the Project To Its Component Parts
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Load Truck
Drive To Location
Locate The Guy With The Key
Unload Truck
Set Up Equipment
Dust Mop The Floor
Apply Stripping Solution (Allow 5 Min. Dwell Time)
Agitate With Buffer
Recover Solution With a Wet-Vac
Flood Rinse With Neutralizer
Recover Neutralizer With Wet-Vac
Clear Water Rinse
Clear Water Rinse
Dry Time
Clean Equipment
Load Truck
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Apply Seal
Dry Time
Apply Seal
Dry Time
Apply Finish
Dry Time
Apply Finish
Dry Time
Apply Finish
Dry Time
Clean Equipment
Dispose of Trash
Load Truck
Burnish
Dust Mop The Floor
Clean Equipment
Load Truck
Drive Home
Unload Truck
Store Equipment
Establish Quality Control Points
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Secure Location
Drive Home
Unload Equipment
Store Equipment
Load Truck
Drive To Location
Find The Key
Unload Equipment
Set Up
Step 4: Organizing
Resources
• Identifying required resources
• Gathering resources
– Those you have
• Check condition
• Arrange repairs
– Those you don’t have
• Borrow, rent, or buy
• Allocating resources
– Assign to team by timeline –
– Arrange deliveries, purchases, etc., so workflow doesn’t stop
Step 5: Delegation
• Bring team leaders into the loop
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Explain all timelines, deadlines & mileposts
Explain materials procurement & scheduling
Explain interaction with outside factors
Delegate oversight responsibilities
• With scheduled reporting requirements
• Guarantee them the authority necessary
– Set boundaries
– Make sure they know how to contact you in an emergency
Step 6: Establish Controls
• Timeline checkpoints
– Team leaders can follow progress & report
• Quality control checkpoints
– Will you delegate these?
• Not only end result quality
– Product & material usage
» Are we within predictions?
» Way over? = Problem
» Way under? = Problem
– Set up feedback meetings with team leaders
» They should set up feedback meetings with their teams
Establishing Controls
• Set up lines of communication
– Who is the contact person?
– When are they to inform you of potential problems or concerns?
– Will you have regularly scheduled progress report meetings?
• If so, set the schedules now, & work them into the timelines
• You’re delegating responsibility, don’t forget to delegate the
necessary authority with it.
– You need to refer team members with concerns to the team leader for decisions
– don’t usurp the authority you delegated
Consult the Team
• Have team leaders check the timelines, procurement procedures,
material projections, etc.
– Questions, comments, concerns?
• Listen and consider
• Brainstorm solutions to potential problems if necessary
• Check training needs
– Work them into the schedule
• Gather feedback during the project
– Make changes as necessary to speed the process
Project Review
• Before
– To ensure all bases are covered
• During
– To ensure timelines are being met
– To make alterations if necessary
• After
– To better prepare for the next project
Planning Tools
• Can use blank paper & pencil
• Software planning tools
– Microsoft Project & others
• Software uses charts & graphs
– Pert charts
– Gantt charts
Planning Charts
• The PERT chart is sometimes preferred over the GANTT chart,
another popular project management charting method, because it
clearly illustrates task dependencies.
• On the other hand, the PERT chart can be much more difficult to
interpret, especially on complex projects.
• Frequently, project managers use both techniques.
A “Pert – Style” Chart
• A PERT chart presents a project as a diagram consisting of
numbered nodes (either circles or rectangles) representing
events, or milestones in the project
• More than one timeline can be included
– Running concurrently or simultaneously
– Running independently of one another
A “Pert – Style” Chart
Inventory supplies Determine needs,
create order, request
P.O.
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1
Order
processing
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1 day
Submit order
P.O. processing
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5 days
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1 day
2 days
1 day
1 day
1 day
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5
1 week
1 day
5 days
Supplies
Delivery
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10
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Equipment
Delivery
Determine needs,
create work order,
request P.O.
Evaluate
equipment
Repair time
P.O.
processing
Equipment
pick-up
A “GANTT – Style” Chart
• A Gantt chart is built with a horizontal axis representing
the total time span of the project, broken down into time
increments (days, weeks, or months) and a vertical axis
representing the tasks that make up the project.
• Horizontal bars of varying lengths represent the
sequences, timing, and time span for each task.
Inventory supplies
Request P.O.
P.O. Processing
Submit order
Order Processing
Supplies Delivery
“Today”
5/16/06
5/09/06
5/02/06
4/26/06
4/19/06
4/12/06
4/05/06
A “GANTT – Style” Chart
A “GANTT – Style” Chart
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Gantt charts give a clear illustration of project status, but one problem
with them is that they don't indicate task dependencies - you cannot tell
how one task falling behind schedule affects other tasks.
The PERT chart is designed to do this.
Both charts can be automated to store more information about tasks
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individuals assigned to specific tasks
notes about the procedures.
Automated charts also offer the benefit of being easy to change and may
be adjusted frequently to reflect the actual status of project tasks as,
often, they diverge from the original plan.
The Calendar Block
Back Method
• As initially discussed, break the project into day-sized (7
hour) blocks
– Work backward from the deadline to reach the starting date
• Remember to calculate using project hours, not labor hours
• Allow some room for contingencies
“Automated” Charts
• Computerized planning charts have one big advantage
over paper and pencil planning
– Details can be kept in one place
• Each block on the Pert or Gantt charts can be made “three
dimensional.”
– “Clicking” on a box opens paths to other information
» Stripping Crew Members and their training status, vacation
dates, etc.
» Equipment schedules – Bob’s crew gets the burnisher on
Friday, Mary’s crew needs it on Wednesday
» Rooms assigned to each crew
Working A Plan Of Action
• Just like every other plan you create
– Do it
• Decide what to do; coordinate with your team members; set a time for it
to be done.
– Review it
• What problems did you encounter, and how did you handle them?
• What went right, and can be incorporated into the next action?
• What did you and your team learn from this action?
– Renew it
• Fine-tune new approaches and add them to the repertoire of methods
and techniques your team will use in facing similar situations later.
The “Make It Happen”
Process
1. Review The Current Situation
and People
7. Take Action – Adopt,
Adjust or Abandon The
Plan
2. Identify The Needs and
Wants
6. Evaluate and Study The
Results
3. Establish Goals and
Objectives – Set Priorities
5. Implement The Plan
4. Develop a Plan of
Action
Managing Multiple Projects
• Managing several individual projects simultaneously
– The individual project management steps are the same
– Adds the step of co-ordination to more than one project
• Of resources
– Supplies & equipment
• Of teams (including outside contractors)
– So no one is in another’s way
– So no one creates work for others
• Of windows of opportunity
Deadlines
• Deadlines, once set, must be inviolate
– No matter what happens, if the deadline exists, it must be met
• Fire, flood, or famine
– Allow time for contingencies, if possible
– Allow for extra manpower, equipment, etc., if that will help & is possible
– If, during the planning phase, it is discovered that the deadline cannot
reasonably be met, within budget – let your supervisor know as soon as
possible - & list your concerns, with possible solutions (don’t bring
problems, bring solutions)
Deadlines
• When assigned a project
– Ask for a reasonable amount of time to work the timelines
• To determine whether or not it can be
– Completed on time
– Completed within the budget (or to generate a budget that will
allow its completion on time)
– If it is an impossible task, decline it (if possible)
• If not possible, express your concerns – with supporting documentation
• Express your willingness to succeed
– Go back to the planning stage and find time
Review
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Managing Multiple Projects Begins With Individual Project Planning
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The Specification
Task Breakdown with Times per Task
Time Lines & Schedules
Team Lists / Leaders/Assignments
Delegation of Responsibility and Authority
Mileposts / Meeting Schedules
Materiel
Establish Controls & Communication Routes
Consult With The Teams – Feedback Loops
Project Review
Planning Tools
Coordination
Deadlines
Quiz
1. (T / F) If you receive a project with an arbitrary timeline, and you can’t
refuse it, sabotage it to prove that you were right.
2. (T / F) Managing Multiple Projects is just managing several individual
projects at the same time.
3. (T / F) The more detailed the planning time before the project begins the
more likely you are to ensure timely completion.
4. (T / F) Software Planning Programs are no better or worse than paper and
pencil planning; either will get the job done.
5. (T / F) Pert Charts & Gantt Charts may only be used if you get them in a
software package.
Quiz
6. (T / F) Multiple projects require the extra step of coordination of time, and
resources between the several projects.
7. (T / F) When delegating responsibility be sure to let the team members
know that you are still in charge, and all decisions must come from you.
8. (T / F) Whether applied to a project, or a disciplinary problem, a Plan of
Action has the same basic steps to follow.
9. (T / F) Deadlines are always negotiable.
10. (T / F) Training considerations should not be made part of the planning
process.
Answers
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(F) If you receive a project with an arbitrary timeline, and you can’t refuse
it, sabotage it to prove you were right.
(T) Managing Multiple Projects is just managing several individual projects
at the same time.
(T) The more detailed the planning time before the project begins the more
likely you are to ensure timely completion.
(T) Software Planning Programs are no better or worse than paper and
pencil planning; either will get the job done.
(F) Pert Charts & Gantt Charts may only be used if you get them in a
software package.
Answers
6. (T) Multiple projects require the extra step of coordination of time, and
resources between the several projects.
7. (F) When delegating responsibility be sure to let the team members know
that you are still in charge, and all decisions must come from you.
8. (T) Whether applied to a project, or a disciplinary problem, a Plan of Action
has the same basic steps to follow.
9. (F) Deadlines are always negotiable.
10. (F) Training considerations should not be made part of the planning
process.
Managing Multiple Projects
and Deadlines
Thank you for your participation