Project Management
Techniques
Steve Snelling
747 Industrial Engineering
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
stephen.r.snelling@boeing.com
My Background
• B.S. Industrial Engineering degree from Virginia Tech
Co-Op student (7 work quarters)
&
 (Reynolds Aluminum Co. – Richmond, Virginia)
• Worked 5 years as an Area Industrial Engineer
 (Reynolds Aluminum Co. – Listerhill, Alabama)
• Worked 10 years as a Management Consultant
 (A.T. Kearney Inc. & Arthur Young Intl. – Chicago, San Francisco
& Vancouver - worked in 22 states & Canada)
• Worked last 21 years as an IE - Process Improvement
Engineer
 (Boeing - Everett site: 747, 767, 777, & 787 airplanes – currently
on 747-8 program, some projects coaching & mentoring)
• Volunteer activities with IIE (nationally & locally)
& PSEC (Puget Sound Engineering Council)
2
Presentation Outline
• Pictures of Boeing products &
747 Freighter Assembly
• Types & Structure of IE Projects
• Five Project Stages
• Some Project Dangers
• Project Management Tips
• An Example Project
• Q&A
3
Commercial Airplanes
4
Military
5
Space
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Commercial Airplanes - Military Aircraft & Missiles - Space & Communications - Air Traffic
Management - Boeing Capital Corporation - Shared Services Group - Phantom Works
7
747 Final Assembly
at Everett, Washington
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747 Freighter
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747 Freighter
10
Industries of IE Projects
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Aluminum & Steel
Materials Testing
Ceramics
Electronics Assembly
Aerospace & Airplanes
Plastics & forming
Shipbuilding
Entertainment
Military
Construction
Applied Research
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Forestry & Logging
Mining
Healthcare
Banking
State & Federal
Government
Transportation
Oil & Gas
Utilities
Insurance
Consulting
11
Types of IE Projects
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Process improvement
Problem resolution
Elimination of rework
Cost analysis
Facility layout
Equipment justification
Stand alone benchmarking
Systems integration
12
Project Management
Industrial Engineering
Functional Work Areas
Production Control
Factory Operations
Quality
- Project Planning
- Project Scheduling
- Projects Coaching
- Risk Assessment
Material
- Product Mix Analysis
- Forecasting
- Production Scheduling
- Lean Manufacturing
- Systems Integration
- Chronic Rework
- Supplier Quality
Product Engineering
Costing
Facilities
- Supplier On-Site Visits
- Supply Chain Management
- Parts Storage & Movement
- Layout Design
- Process Flow Analysis
- Integrated Product Teams
- Product Development
- Product Costing
- Comparison of Alternatives
- Cost & Savings Estimating
Training
Safety
Tooling
Transportation
- Safety Investigations
- Ergonomic Evaluations
- Machine Capacity
- Tool Usage
- Tool Certifications
- Logistics Planning
- Material Handling
- Alternative Methods
- Training Presentations
- Course Scheduling
13
Logical Progression of a Project
Objectives
Initial Findings
Areas of Detail
Cost Analysis of Alternatives
Recommendations
Summary
Report &
Presentation
Implementation
Plan
14
1
Start-up
Activities
Five Project Stages
2
Process
Documentation &
Measurement
3
Develop & Evaluate
Solutions
4
Conclusions &
Recommendations
5
Implementation
Follow-up
15
3/16/2016
1
Start-up
Activities
Five Project Stages
Project Profile & Schedule,
Feasibility Examination
2
Process
Documentation &
Measurement
Historical Data, Observations, Flow
Diagrams, Cause/Effect, Benchmarking
3
Develop & Evaluate
Solutions
Legend:
Outputs from each stage
Preliminary Solutions,
Evaluation of Findings
4
Conclusions &
Recommendations
5
Implementation
Final
Presentation
New Plan
Follow-up
16
3/16/2016
Five Project Stages
1. Project Start-up Activities
–
–
–
–
–
Project is authorized and assigned
Initial meetings with the project’s customer
Project Team is formed
Initial understanding about project
A feasibility study may be required before
proceeding too far
– Project Profile is prepared & reviewed with the
project’s customer
– Project Schedule is prepared & reviewed with
the project’s customer
17
Five Project Stages (continued)
2. Process Documentation & Measurement
– Process flow charts are prepared, if applicable
– Historical data is obtained & analyzed
– New data is obtained & analyzed (e.g. Time
Studies, direct observations)
– Direct observations of current conditions
– Digital pictures of current conditions
– Interviewing for Information
– Cause and effect diagrams, etc.
– Possible Benchmarking tours
18
Five Project Stages (continued)
3. Develop & Evaluate Solutions
– Solutions are listed and organized
– Additional benchmarking, if needed
– Simulations (mathematical or using simulation
software) are performed, if applicable
– Evaluation criteria are determined and utilized
– All viable solutions are evaluated
19
Five Project Stages (continued)
4. Prepare Conclusions & Recommendations
– Conclusions are documented and investigated
– Final recommendations are documented
– Final presentations are prepared, reviewed & given
20
Five Project Stages (continued)
5. Implementation & Follow-up
– Implementation items are planned and
assisted
– Follow-up is done as necessary
– A large scale implementation may become a
new project
21
Some Project Dangers
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Vague commitment from customer
Poor project description
Undefined or unclear objective
Unrealistic scope
Unrealistic deliverables
Poorly defined tasks
Too tight a schedule
Multiple customers not in agreement
No safety margin for late tasks
Key team members not available
22
Some Project Dangers (continued)
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Poor communication with customer
Poor data storage & sharing of files
Late outside data sources
Sub standard quality of data being used
Bad team dynamics
Non action-oriented report (or final
presentation)
 Overlap with other project teams
 Legal issues
23
Project Management Tips
Project Profile & Scope
• Develop a good Project Profile with a descriptive
objective
• Develop a realistic project Scope (the project’s
“boundaries”)
• Develop a logical Statement of Work / Schedule
• Limit the simultaneous work you show in your
project Schedule, if a small Team
• Show the entire project in the Project Schedule to
complete all Deliverables
• Continually compare new action items against the
original Scope & Deliverables
• Keep track of the Estimated Completion Date
(ECD) - adjust to complete on time, if possible
24
Project Profile
Project Profile
Project #: PE- 0410
Assignment Title:
Customers:
Analyst:
Steve Snelling
747 T.O.C./Critical Chain Pilot Area
Final Assembly General Supervisor
A/C Bay Supervisor
Date Assigned: 4/1/2004
ECD: 12/10/2004
Description:
To determine if a pilot area for T.O.C. (Critical Chain) is viable for an area in FBJ
systems. Then set up and run the pilot area for several airplanes.
Scope:
FBJ Air Conditioning Installation area (~110 jobs).
Expected Benefits:
Determine potential savings by using alternate scheduling methods.
Determine if feasible. If there are measurable savings by this approach.
Statement of Work:
Develop a project plan and schedule
Learn from F-22 usage and 777 S&I pilot area
Define the true Critical Chain (note: differs from the Critical Path, and also more
detailed than current P-nets), including revised job times and buffers
Investigate software options
Get IE Resource Commitment
Prepare report on turning on the pilot
Decide to go or no-go
Start up the pilot area
Deliverables:
Detailed precedence networks
Calculated (or estimated Project Buffer and Feeder Buffers)
A detailed Critical Chain network that represents the entire pilot area (all skills)
Sample management reports & tracking charts
A recommendation to proceed or not to proceed with turning on the pilot
A recommendation after running the pilot, to expand or not to expand it to other
systems areas in Final Assembly
Schedule:
25
(see attached MS Project schedule)
3/16/2016
Project Management Tips
Project Schedule
• I suggest taking an outline approach to building your
project Schedule
• Most big & complex projects can be broken down into
phases or smaller projects
• Make the project Schedule only as detailed and
complex as the project requires
• The Schedule needs to be a useful and dynamic tool,
and not a static one-time-use document
• Any Scheduling software cannot take the place of
logical steps and good task time estimates
26
Project Schedule
27
3/16/2016
Project Management Tips (continued)
Project Phases
• Consider breaking larger projects into several
phases
• Work on project phases sequentially as smaller
projects, if enough resources are available
• Break out portions of the project, if necessary,
due to delays in the project customer’s decision
making
• Implementation and significant follow-up activity
is commonly viewed as a separate phase of the
project
28
Project Management Tips (continued)
Getting Help
• Look for ways of partnering with other individuals
or groups on projects
• At Boeing, MR&D (now M&PT) has a variety of
experts on call & may be able to purchase some
inexpensive items for testing
• Also at Boeing, other groups of “Subject Experts”
bring additional needed expertise
– (e.g. Tool Engineering, Quality Engineering, Design
Engineering, etc.)
• Most IE projects are collaborative
– How well you coordinate with other groups is critical
to a project’s success
29
Project Management Tips (continued)
Project Communication
• Use a variety of medium to communicate with your Team
– (meetings, e-mail, digital pictures, file servers, white board
discussions, Web Ex, etc.)
• Ask for reviews during the project
– Don’t wait for everyone to chase you down to find out how
it is going
• Regularly communicate with your project’s customer
– The more frequent - the less “forced” the final presentation
will seem
• A positive & team-focused “Attitude” is critical to today’s
project communications
– A “bad attitude” is rarely tolerated for long
30
Project Management Tips (continued)
Data Analysis & Measurement
• Understand what data is needed, then develop
your collection plan
– (both historical & new data)
• Use data to verify and help investigate findings
• Utilize good statistical analysis skills, and check
all calculations
• Link data to actual observations, when possible
• Set up lab tests and mathematical models
• Constantly do “reality checks” with your subject
experts
31
Project Management Tips (continued)
Benchmarking
• Benchmarking is mainly on-site tours of other
similar facilities for best practice comparisons
• Do the main benchmarking only after you fully
understand your current process
– If done too early, you are not ready
– If done too late, the benchmarking can’t properly
influence the solution development
• Utilize “white board” discussions (that are later
typed up) to reach consensus with your Team
• Try to include your project’s customer on some of
the benchmarking tours
32
Project Management Tips (continued)
Solutions & Evaluations
• Write down alternative solutions throughout the project
– Plan to research and investigate them
• Be creative and comprehensive when developing
initial solutions ideas
• Develop an evaluation approach
– (The criteria you want to use to determine which
solutions are best)
• Rank the most likely solutions
– (The ranking may be based on cost, schedule, or risk
factors)
• Bring the project’s customer in on the selection
process and to offer real applications information
– (A “reality check”)
33
Project Management Tips (continued)
Cost & Savings Estimates
• Cost & Savings estimates are built up from a good
detailed outline
• Get a good Unit Cost estimate for anything very
expensive or with a large number of occurrences
(biggest impact items)
• Get the owning organizations to confirm your Costs &
Savings estimates
• List one-time Costs & Savings separately from
recurring Costs & Savings
34
Cost & Savings Estimates
Initial Costs
Initial Savings
Recurring
Costs
Recurring
Savings
35
Project Management Tips (continued)
Conclusions & Recommendations
• Research & investigate the most likely conclusions
with the entire Team
• Review the possible conclusions ongoing with your
project’s customer
• Take the best of the ideas and form a logical
recommendation
• Assess the Recommendations by cost & risk when
presented
• Time phase the recommendations, if needed
36
Project Management Tips (continued)
Presentations & Reports
• Review all final presentations (and final
reports) prior to being given to the project’s
customer
• Make sure all files (hard copies & electronic)
are organized and stored properly at the
conclusion of the assignment
• Make sure Implementation Plans are well
organized and doable (Implementation may
take much longer then the Analysis)
37
Some Summary Comments
 Recognize when to use Project Management techniques
on your IE assignments
 Form a good Team, with the needed Subject Experts
 Develop a good Plan, then work your Plan to a successful
conclusion, with your Team
 Utilize good daily management and time management
techniques
 Monitor progress (overall & to the assigned tasks) and
make adjustments as required
 Keep your customer informed throughout the project
 Learn from your own project management experiences
(both the good and the bad)
38
A Sample Project
Flap Damage Reduction
39
Flap Damage Reduction
•
The 747 Trailing Edge Inboard and Outboard
Flaps were consistently being damaged (dents,
scratches, punctures, etc.)
•
This caused major disruption to the shop &
increased cost to the company
•
IE used a project approach to analyze the entire
flap build-up & installation sequence
•
Developed improvement options working with the
crew and tested & implemented them
40
3/16/2016
Four Square Chart
(Flap Damage Reduction)
Pictures
Goals
- Reduce the amount of defects and damage related to Flaps
- Minimize disruption to the shop and to the supplier
- Improve customer satisfaction
Problem
The 747 Trailing Edge Inboard and Outboard Flaps
were consistently being damaged, causing major
disruption to the shop floor and our suppliers, while
increasing cost to the company.
Schedule
Measure
July
Define
June
Improve
January
Analyze
November
Control
February
Implementation
April
Project Profile
(Flap Damage project)
42
Project Schedule
(Flap Damage project)
43
Process Flow Chart
(Flap Damage project)
FLAPS ARRIVE IN
TRUCKS.
FLAPS ARE
TAKEN OUT OF
TRUCKS.
Inboards
THEY ARE VERIFIED FOR
DAMAGE AND THE RAIL
SHIPMENT PACKING SLIP
IS FILLED.
Outboards
THEY ARE
DRAGGED OUT
AND STAGED AT
40-55 YARD.
YELLOW TAG IS PLACED
(WAITING FOR QA).
QA VERIFIES THE FLAP
AND PLACE TAG FOR
READY TO MOVE.
FLAPS ARE
TRANSPORTED TO
FLAP BUILD UP.
FINISH
44
Pareto Chart
[Control Surface]
Pareto Chart of TYPE OF DEFECT
70
Count
50
80
40
60
30
40
20
20
10
0
TYPE OF DEFECT
Count
Percent
Cum %
Percent
100
60
nt
ch
e
at
D
r
Sc
t
ks
in
a
ar
P
lM
o
To
ip
er
ge l ate
ge
ge
h
h
u
u
u
C
o
tp
Ot
Ga
Go
u
/G
t
N
n
n
e
De
ok
Br
37
9
5
3
2
2
1
1
1
3
57.8 14.1 7.8 4.7 3.1 3.1 1.6 1.6 1.6
4.7
57.8 71.9 79.7 84.4 87.5 90.6 92.2 93.8 95.3 100.0
• 72% of defects are due to dents and scratches
(2 of 10 defect categories, 20%)
0
45
Defect Locator (‘Measles’) Chart
[Control Surface]
2 DENTS
INBD AFT
DENT AND GAUGE
WS 807
PAINT
DENT
WS
469.82
WS 500
SCRATCH AND DENT
10"
10"
6"
4'-9"
5
9"
6
1'-9"
2
6"
1'-3"
1'-8"
3
8"
1
7
4
WBL
128.4575
WBL 445
WBL 140
OUTBD FORE
DENT AND CRACKED
WBL 822
WS 834.5
5"
3'-4"
2 DENTS
26
2"
CHIPPED
WS 1196
25
25
WBL 583
WBL 515
46
Cause & Effect Diagram
(Flap Damage project)
47
5-Whys Analysis
Problem
1 Why
2 Why
3 Why
4 Why
Schedule incorrect
IE error
PRE not installed
in time
Tired and lack of
focus
5 Why
6 Why
(Flap Damage project)
7 Why
Flap damage
disruption
Working too fast,
busy schedule,
overtime
-Ineffective use of PREs
Not enough
resources
Mechanic forgot
New mechanics
Awareness
Ineffective use of
PRE
PRE doesn’t cover
where the damage
is ocurring
Three main causes:
Small PRE
Insufficient work
instructions
PRE not installed
correctly
Mechanic error
Lack of experience
PRE does not
work
Cannot withstand
surface loads
PRE material not
adequate
-Dropping tools and screws
IP not clear
Lack of training
Aft/Mid Inboard
Flap Damage near
SOB
Wrong screws
Pushing screws
from inside the A/P
Mechanic error
Dropping tools &
screws
Joins Process
No space to put
the tools
Very small
platform
Lack of good
access to the area
-Walking on flaps
Kitting process?
(different screws’
sizes mixed)
Screws’ difference
very small for
mechanics to
distinguished
Can’t have a
bigger platform
because interfere
with flaps
Joins & flaps
overlap for 1 day
Scheduling
Lack of training
Joins jobs behind
schedule
New mechanics
Using different
platform
Landing gears
installed (day 5)
Joins jobs behind
schedule
Can’t use tiger lift
Flaps are in the
middle
Joins & flaps
overlap for 1 day
Seal jobs & CIC
Scheduling
Awareness
Walking on the
flaps
SOB Panel
Scheduling
Deep Root Causes:
-Schedule overlap of jobs
-PRE doesn’t cover proper areas
-Side of Body Panel PRE is insufficient
48 48
Description of Solutions
& Impacts to Process
Solutions
1. New Hinged PRE
Impacts to Process
PRE will cover entire flap and is robust enough to prevent
heavy damage. It is lightweight, durable, easy to install, and
will stay on flap through build sequence.
2.
Laser Measurement
Device
Device will enable Functional Test to take measurements
without walking on flaps
3.
Carriage Panel Screw
Relocation
Supplier to relocate placement of screws on flap carriage
panels to areas with less risk to process
Turn Buckle PRE
Improve process and protect area on flap that is volatile and
susceptible to damage through use of PRE
4.
Awareness
Presentation
To be presented to shop crews to point out the fragile nature
of the flaps, the costs to the company due to damage, the
amount of disruption it causes, and best practices if working
near the area.
6.
Wing Boots and
Containment Trays
Reinstate and make available for use. Put processes in place
to make items easy to obtain, apparent, and mandatory.
Boots provide clean surfaces. Trays used to place tools in
one area and not laying around on flap.
7.
Caution Notes on IPs
5.
Place important notes on relevant IPs that warn mechanics
49
about fragility of flaps and to use PREs
1. New Hinged PRE
• Will replace the current acrylic PRE (PRotective Equipment) which
is small (doesn’t cover entire flap), has a slick surface, and is
removed when inconvenient or during flap tests.
• The New Hinged PRE will be made of a new material, covers all
three flap sections, and hinges at each section so that it will not
have to be removed during flap test.
• PRE is robust enough to prevent heavy damage. It is lightweight,
durable, easy to install, and will stay on flap through build sequence.
50
2. Laser Measurement Device
• Concept is for the mechanic to use any such laser instrument
to measure the gaps on the flaps without walking on the flaps
themselves.
• Exact device specifications still in work.
• Use of scissor lift will also be necessary. Improve use of MIT.
Panel to be measured
Current tool
Speed brake
Flap
51
3. Carriage Panel Screw Relocation
• Supplier to relocate placement of screws on flap carriage
panels to areas with less risk to process.
• Eliminates current process risks of hitting the fore flap with a
tool during screw removal.
Leave it as is
Install Screw here
Do not install Screw here
Install Screw here
Do not install Screw here
52
4. Turn Buckle PRE
• Use Elephant Hide on flap in between turn buckle in case tool slips
away from mechanic when tightening.
• Other materials that are as thin as Elephant Hide but more rigid are
being investigated and could be used in the future.
• Improve process and protect area on flap that is volatile and
susceptible to damage through use of PRE.
PRE Implemented
53
5. Awareness Presentation
& Tipsheet
• Make Flap Damage Prevention Presentation and Tipsheet required
training for all 747 mechanics.
• Describes the vulnerability of flaps to damage, description of the
consequences of damage to company including total costs and
disruption caused to manufacturing, explanation of the proper
procedures when working on or around flaps, and repercussions of
not following established procedures.
• Should be presented to crews at least once per year
Awareness and education will prevent damage across the entire
flap
54
6. Wing Boots & Containment Trays
• Reinstate and make available for use.
• Wing Boots should be placed over the mechanic's shoes every
time they step on the flap to protect from debris that gets caught
on the sole.
• Containment Trays should be used as a central storage to place
tools in one area and not laying around on flap.
• Each mechanic who walks on the flap should have one. Put
processes in place to make items easy to obtain, apparent, and
mandatory.
Wing Boots required
on upper wing
surface
55
7. Caution Notes on IPs
• Place important notes on relevant IPs that warn mechanics
about fragility of flaps, to contact appropriate personnel before
accessing flaps, and to use PREs.
• Increases awareness and serves as reminder.
• Currently, only affected seal jobs have notes on them but IPs
from other areas will also have notes.
56
Any
Project Management
Questions?
stephen.r.snelling@boeing.com
57
3/16/2016