Web based Project Management System Kendriya Vidhalaya Sangathan Ministry of Human Resource Development, New Delhi Draft version A Proposal by: Analytics and Modeling Division & Human Resource Informatics Division National Informatics Centre Ministry of Communications & Informatics Technology Government of India 9th June, 2006 WEB BASED PROJECT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS FOR KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA SANGATHAN MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT VERSION 1.0 JUNE 2006 ANALYTICS AND MODELLING DIVISION & HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATICS DIVISION NATIONAL INFORMATICS CENTRE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS & INFORMATICS TECHNOLOGY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA 2 CONTENTS Sl No. Content Page no 1.0 Preface 4 2.0 Overview 5 3.0 Introduction 6 4.0 Scope of the work 8 5.0 Project Deliverables 9 6.0 Computer Hardware/Software Requirements 10 7.0 Roles and Responsibilities 11 8.0 Project Cost Estimates 13 9.0 Activity Chart 21 3 1.0 PREFACE In today’s environment, organizations are increasingly managing their activities and processes as projects to monitor performance more closely and make better business decisions about their overall work portfolio. Project Management Systems over the world are gaining critical acclaim for successful and timely execution of both large and small scale projects. These tools could help in monitoring and tracking of timely availability/allocation of resources by triggering the tasks getting delayed, apart from generating various reports in the form of both graphical and tabular analytical reports helping in quick assessment and taking appropriate actions in time. Kendriya Vidhalaya Sangathan is catering to the educational needs of children of transferable Central Government employees including Defence and Para-military personnel by providing a common programme of education , pursuing excellence and setting the pace in the field of school education ,initiating and promoting experimentation and innovations in education in collaboration with other bodies like the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) etc. and developing the spirit of national integration and create a sense of “Indianness” among children. A proposal has already been submitted by National Informatics Centre to develop a Project Management system for construction of Navodaya Vidhalayas . It was suggested by Ministry of Human Resource Development to develop a web based project management system to track the construction of Kendriya Vidhalaya at the same time. National Informatics Centre through wide spread detailed consultations with KVS advocating the baseline PERT for monitoring and control of project accomplishments in terms of vital physical and financial indicators near online. ************************* 4 2.0 Overview Kendriya Vidhalaya Sangathan an autonomous organization in India administering 929 schools known as "Kendriya Vidyalayas" throughout the country. Kendriya Vidhalayas has already constructed 596 schools throughout the country. Rest of the schools are either not sanctioned, or under construction or under planning by construction agencies or land is to be allotted by sponsoring authority. Details of current construction going on are as follows : KVS buidings where construction is going on 50 KV buildings under planning by construction agency 17 KVs with pending land formalities 18 KVs where land is yet to be allotted by sponsoring authority 106 Currently 50 schools are under construction Total buildings under construction are 50 as on April-06 48 schools completed 48 incomplete school 2 new work sanctioned 2.1 Construction Agencies: KVS is awarding the construction of Kendriya Vidyalayas to various construction agencies. CPWD is executing 23 out of 50 KVS ongoing construction projects . The other agencies involved in construction of Kendriya Vidyalayas are : Central Public Works Department(CPWD) M.E.S. State P.W.D. H.S.C.L. M.P.H.B. UPRNN UPJN UPPCCL KLAC JKPCC NHPC UPSKNN 5 2.2 Current Methodology of Monitoring: Currently KVS is regularly monitoring status of ongoing projects with the help of a feedback form which is sent to KVS officials every month by the construction agencies. This form includes both the physical as well as financial progress of the ongoing project. KVS is maintaining these feedback forms manually and feeding the data electronically to generate the required reports. The monitoring period is approximately one month . 3.0 Introduction 3.1 Kendriya Vidhalaya Sangathan: Kendriya Vidhalaya Sangathan has desired to develop a web based online project management system(PMS) based on CPM/PERT methodology for effective control over the construction projects of Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country. Kendriya Vidhalaya Sangathan , a constituent of Ministry of Human Resource Development has approached National Informatics Centre (NIC) for the provision of a total turn key solution in this regard using state-of-the-art tools and technologies. 3.1.1 Construction Monitoring Mechanism: Currently KVS is getting the construction status reports once in a month from the construction agencies . In the process the following are some of the problems encountered by KVS: Present system is very time consuming , manual and non-availability of a full proof process to create project status, financial reports, etc. No standard template across different agencies leading to difficulty in preparation of project status comparisons across various construction agencies. Cannot assess the requirement of resources across different projects executed by different agencies and understand their utilization holistically. Lack of tools to analyze the cumulative aggregated reports of various ongoing projects and assessment on overall impact of project critical parameters. KVS is experiencing the following intricacies while managing its construction projects geographically spread across different parts of the country which are in various stages of construction: Non-availability of standard baseline PERT across different construction agencies leading to non-availability of a standard tool to compare the project status Considerable delay in getting the status from the field to the review levels resulting in a different ground situation to the actual status under review. Currently, the status on the projects is obtained through cumbersome and time consuming means, leaving a very little or no time to have a holistic view or comprehensive analysis of the project status across different States/Construction Agencies 6 Non-deployment of proper computer based Project Management tools by construction agencies leading to assessment of project construction status through crude means Time consuming means for the compilation of project status at field level Non-fulfillment of need of various agencies on various type of reports. No scientifically controlling mechanism. A web based Project Management solution can help KVS to have deeper visibility into their work portfolio by providing the appropriate tools to the various levels of monitoring agencies leading to well-informed and timely decisions, optimize resources, share standard baseline PERT chart between KVS officials and different construction agencies thus effective and optimal deployment of limited resources including man power etc. 3.2 National Informatics Centre (NIC): National Informatics Centre (NIC), of the Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, is providing network environment besides IT and e-Governance solution to Central Government, State Governments, UT Administrations, Districts and other Government departments. It offers a wide range of ICT services including Nationwide Communication Network for decentralized planning, improvement in Government services and wider transparency to national and local Governments. NIC assists in implementing Information Technology Projects, in close collaboration with Central and State Governments, in the areas of (a) Centrally sponsored schemes and Central sector schemes, (b) State sector and State sponsored projects, and (c) District Administration sponsored projects. NIC’s endeavor is to ensure that the latest technology in all areas of IT is available to its users. Satellite based computer communication network is operational till the district level throughout the country since 1989 with regular updation of hardware and software tools. In States like North East, Jammu & Kashmir the network exists up to block level covering Community Information Centres (CICs). NIC over a period of time has acquired both domain and technical expertise in all sectors of national economy. 7 4.0 Scope of the Work Detailed discussions have been held with senior officials of KVS on the project being executed under their control. The Web based centralized Project Management System (PMS) is a multi-level system, which provides information to all levels of management and thus assists in effective implementation, tracking and planning the activities of the various construction projects of KVS at the desired frequency and also has the capability to capture the information online from various project sites. By considering existing infrastructure at the District level in rural areas, where the construction is being carried out, the system is required to be considered for implementation with mixed network solutions. The agencies could use cyber cafes and nearest NIC District Centres and Community Information Centres(CIC) at Block level for updation of the critical parameters of construction as per the predefined frequency. The higher levels of hierarchy could use web based access for monitoring and controlling the critical project assessment indicators from their respective office premises. 4.1 Current challenges Designing uniform standard baseline PERT Data redundancy Mechanism of regular updation of projects status Computer assisted Infrastructure at various projects executing agencies. 4.2 Benefits of the proposed system PMS System could be implemented uniformly across different locations Consolidation/Aggregation of data automatically carried out by the computer aided system Eliminate data redundancy by keeping a single source of data updation and retrieval with security features at different levels Online system wherein the frequency can be reduced to any time. To start with, it will be taken as once in two months. A system available across all the levels for all type of information both at micro and macro levels 8 5.0 Project Deliverables - Role of Web based Project Management System (PMS) in the Effective Management of Construction Projects: The main objective of a PMS system is to deliver the right information to right people at right time so that necessary and corrective actions can be taken at right time. A PMS can easily facilitate the project management, resource management and near realtime communication resulting in smooth transmission of essential information at different levels. Discipline of Project Management system enables the organization to align its people and projects with its strategic objectives for business growth and efficiency. A web based project management solution will give KVS, the much needed visibility, insight, and control and effective management of all projects across the country. By using a web based Project management system, KVS could accrue the following benefits: - - - Online access to status reports on all the projects or any . Ability to analyze various ongoing projects through various Project Management Reports. Projects could be analyzed from various perspectives like o Geographic spread of the Projects, o Nature of projects, o Phases of project o Project Manager o Executing Agencies View detailed project profiles plotted on electronic map of India with drill down capability to individual states (or districts)View lists of problem areas/risks identified for the projects Alerts & warnings auto-generated for effective project management or risk mitigation Effective resource management by mobilizing resources. A centralized project management solution supports a wide range of users with features designed to support the needs of each member of a project team or an organization. Project Monitoring Groups, like senior officials of Ministry, KVS and Construction Agencies can use web Access to quickly access project status reports across their executing agencies. Reports are available on the portfolio, project, and resource levels, so the group can quickly identify projects in trouble. Online status reports and project documents, enables team leaders to analyze trends across projects and resources and also to understand the causes behind problems. Web Access allows project managers to see, understand, and resolve problems in project(s) across the country. 9 Assistant/Junior Engineers or Executive engineers (Site Managers) can use PERT based tools to review timesheets, status reports, and project-related documents. SE/CE (Immediate Monitoring level) can quickly view their timesheets of assignments that needed to be completed and report progress on the assignments to the senior levels. This group can create and access status reports and project documents to simplify communication in the project team. Project Web Access provides the group, a single place to access and work with project information. They could be able to: Use Project templates & create new project plans Modify & detail out the project plans Build project document repositories with checking-checkout feature with version controls. Create issues/risks to be escalatedShare project related documents with the team on a centralized system Project Managers like monitoring officials at KVS and Construction Agencies can use PERT-PMS based tools to create and edit project plans. Link up with the central server enables KVS to easily access centralized resources and provide information required by a project management office (PMO). Sharing and availability of resources, human (matching with the requisite skill sets), financial and material resources as per the demands of a specific project could be easily made available and monitored with the tool. The same tool could also accessible through web interface making it more powerful to have direct inputs of the project at field level to be shared across various levels of hierarchy as per the information requirements at appropriate levels in the form of reports, status reports, and project plan updates. The tool will have user friendly features making it easy to use with the provision of minimal training skill sets. 6.0 Computer Hardware/Software requirements for the Proposed Solution: Web based project management system brings together client, server, and Web-based technology to give everything one need to manage organization-wide projects. It will be customized based on the standard baseline PERT designed. For a Web based Project Management System implementation, the following minimum computer hardware suggested: Two Central Rack servers of 2U configuration for hosting the Project Management software package. Operating System: Windows Server 2003, or Windows Advanced Server 2003 or later. Microsoft SQL Server 2000 with Service Pack 3 or later or MSDE with Service Pack 3 (included) Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.0 or later. Project Management Software tools 512 MB of RAM minimum is required for Project Server. Super VGA (800X600) or higher resolution monitor Microsoft Mouse, Microsoft IntelliMouse®, or compatible pointing device Installation of project management system requires: Microsoft Windows XP or later operating system. with a Pentium III processor and 256 MB of RAM. 10 CD-ROM drive Super VGA (800X600) or higher resolution monitor Microsoft Mouse, Microsoft IntelliMouse®, or compatible pointing device Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 with Service Pack 3 or later, For using Project Web Access, one needs: Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6 or later, Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 or later, Windows XP with Service Pack 1 or later operating system. Recommended system is Windows XP Professional on a computer with a 300 MHz processor and 192 MB of RAM. Pentium 133 MHz or higher processor required. Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 with Service Pack 3 or later, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 with Service Pack 2 or later, or Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 with Service Pack 1 or later (Internet Explorer 5.5 or greater recommended). 5-15 MB of available hard disk space is required for the typical installation of Web Access module. Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution monitor with 256 colors Microsoft Mouse, Microsoft IntelliMouse®, or compatible pointing device Colour Plotter suggested at SE level to have progressive plotting of various Project Templates 7.0 Roles and Responsibilities i. KVS a. Domain Experts are required to be nominated for constituting a Project consultancy Group for discussing the detailed project specifications and for freezing the formats for various data input formats (Critical parameters & norms of monitoring), reports, queries etc. and working out the Design Document b. Helping in the finalization of design of input, query and report formats for updation and accessing of data from remote locations c. Provision of test data for testing various modules for fixation of bugs if any d. The personnel for centralized training are required to be identified and informed to NIC for designing specific training and orientation sessions to inculcate the requisite skill sets for the smooth operation of the application package e. KVS will be responsible for the operation of the software packages and in putting them to effective use after a time period of one year. f. All agencies should compulsory update the PMS. There should be agreed information on agreed frequency and it should be responsibility of NVS to take the necessary action. g. A committee has to formed which will include the officials from KVS and executing agencies which will be responsible for freezing of PERT chart and predefined analysis reports, required at various monitoring levels and others. ii. Construction Agencies: a. These agencies have a key role to play as the basic data required for the monitoring is emanated by these agencies. These agencies are required to be advised to feed the essential developmental indicators on the agreed frequencies to enable smooth and effective monitoring and control at the higher levels. 11 b. This will not only benefit the construction agencies but also helps in bringing discipline and accountability amongst all the stakeholders in seeing the targets met with utmost certainty. c. Basic computer devices and suitable gadgets are required to be introduced optimally to have timely updation of data. Usage of existing public facilities like cyber cafes/NIC District Centre/CIC facilities could also be used to accomplish the desired objective. d. Standard formats for updation of data across all agencies are required to be inevitably used to have uniformity of operations. e. Adoption of Baseline PERTs for various construction templates will help in the introduction of uniform tool of monitoring. iii. NIC: a. NIC will develop the web based project management system and implementation the same on a turnkey basis and provide all technical assistance for their smooth operation up to one year. b. Software modules will be taken up for development as soon as the software specifications are freezed by the KVS. c. There will be a separate PERT chart for pre-construction activities d. The software will be hosted on the central servers of NIC located at NIC HQ and will be accessed through internet explorer by executive engineers or field engineers to update the status of various activities. e. Project managers can use MS Professional to download the standardized templates, make project plan, monitor the progress of various project and generate aggregated reports. f. The training for the operation of the software packages will be provided at 4 locations at NIC state centers in different regions of the country. It is also proposed to conduct a centralized training/awareness sessions for higher level officials of KVS and the Ministry. g. Complete testing and operationalization of the project management system. h. NIC will be developing a Tutor based trainer which will be self explanatory to help the officials from executing agencies and KVS. 12