The Planning Process

Prof Simon Rowland

Overview Planning processes

Management of time
Managing your time - its your life

Gantt charts
Planning your project

Overview Planning processes

Management of time
Managing your time - its your life

Gantt charts

Planning your project

Managing time
The nature of time We have a limited amount You can not get it back You can not store it It belongs to us as individuals like nothing else

In your PGT project will not need to manage money, people or resource (you may need to work with them)

Tools to help you manage your time

Until now your use of time has been driven by timetables set by others: lectures, labs, coursework and exams. You must now do the timetabling. You might use:
to do lists
time plans prioritisation techniques

We will touch on these

Key tools to do lists

These take several forms Use them to capture/rank/organise Use them as you see fit

A list of things that need doing

A list with target dates in order A list prioritised by urgent, soon, later or 1, 2, 3 Electronic, hand written, A4, in a log book, palm top

Key tools - prioritisation

If you have too many things to do all at once, what should you do?
Prioritise as below:

URGENCY!
Done second Done first

Never get done

Might get done

Importance

Successful planning will make your life easier! How to Prioritise 1. Never run up to a dead-line
Then urgency is removed!

URGENCY!
Done second Done first

Never get done

Might get done

Importance

Successful planning will make your life easier!

1. Never run up to a dead-line Then urgency is removed!
Time Priority URGENCY!

Done second

Done first

Never get done

Might get done

Importance

Successful planning will make your life easier!

1. Never run up to a dead-line

2. Only do what needs doing

Time Priority URGENCY!

Take off the list things that are unnecessary or you will never do

Done second

Done first

Never get done

Might get done

Importance

Successful planning will make your life easier!

1. Never run up to a dead-line

2. Only do what needs doing

Time Priority URGENCY!

Take off the list things that are unnecessary or you will never do

Done first

Might get done

Importance

Successful planning will make your life easier! How to Prioritise

Time Priority URGENCY!

1. Never run up to a dead-line

2. Only do what needs doing

3. Set time aside for the important things

Done first

Might get done

Importance

Successful planning will make your life easier! How to Prioritise

Time Priority URGENCY!

1. Never run up to a dead-line

2. Only do what needs doing

3. Set time aside for the important things

4. Time priority set by operational deadlines strategic importance

Done first

Might get done

Importance

Overview Planning processes

Management of time
Managing your time - its your life

Gantt charts
Planning your project

Key tools time plans

Diary Calendar List of target dates Gantt chart Project management tool MS project

Increasing complexity

Key tools time plans

Diary Calendar List of target dates Gantt chart Project management tool MS project

For a simple project such as the MSc Projects, we need something beyond a list of activities. To much complexity in a plan would not be worthwhile and might become a hinderance.

What is a Gantt chart?

In its minimal form it: is a list of activities with their start times and durations expressed as horizontal bars on a time axis the activities can be linked to show dependencies key deliverables and deadlines can be indicated related activities can be grouped can be used to track activity It can be used to plan activities and resource levels

How to generate a Gantt chart?

Select the level of complexity required Fit the tool you are using to the task (i.e. excel or microsoft project?)

Identify immovable milestones these are your boundary conditions

Identify your activities with their durations Group activities for convenience Identify dependencies Start to plan in time (use pencil and paper) Juggle resource to level the load (on your time) Add float (spare time) if you have none Review risks and adjust as necessary

Generating a Gantt chart

Identify tasks and durations, and milestones

Imposed milestones
Project report deadline Experimental development

Experimentation
Perform measurement (1 wk) Data analysis (1 wk)

Here are my activities grouped

Develop experimental plan (1 wk)
Order key equipment (1 wk) Equipment delivery time (3 wks) note this is included as an activity Workshop activity (3 wks)

Generating Dissertation

Write first draft of experimental and review sections (1 wk)

Finish first 3 chapters (2 wks) Write final two chapters (1 wk) Review dissertation (1 wk)

Commissioning (1 wk)

Printing and binding (1 wk)

Data handling
Investigate software platforms (2 wks) Select software - milestone Write software (2 wks)

Generating a Gantt chart

Create plan with dependencies and level resource need

Imposed milestones
Project report deadline Experimental development

Experimentation
Perform measurement (1 wk) Data analysis (1 wk)

Here are my activities grouped

Develop experimental plan (1 wk)
Order key equipment (1 wk) Equipment delivery time (3 wks) note this is included as an activity Workshop activity (3 wks)

Generating Dissertation

Write first draft of experimental and review sections (1 wk)

Finish first 3 chapters (2 wks) Write final two chapters (1 wk) Review dissertation (1 wk)

Commissioning (1 wk)

Printing and binding (1 wk)

Data handling
Investigate software platforms (2 wks) Select software - milestone Write software (2 wks)

Notes:
I have a week free in week 11: this is known as float. Without float I am likely to have at least one hitch that leads to late delivery or compression of events at the end of the project (i.e. not enough writing time). I have added a couple of milestones at important times.

You may draw arrows showing dependencies, I have chosen not to here.
Your plans should have real dates, and may be for longer or shorter than 12 weeks

Notes:
I have added some arrows to indicate work flow and dependencies.

Notes: We can track progress: the black bars represent work completed

Notes: By the end of week 4 writing the software is behind schedule

Notes: By the end of week 6 the software is still not written.

Notes: At the end of week 8 the project is about 1 week behind schedule. Now the float in week 11 no longer looks like a luxury

Notes: End of week 10, the experimental work is finished, and it looks like the project will end to plan

Notes: Project complete.

If the project deviates significantly from the original plan, it is as well to draft a second plan, optimising the rest of the activity. On the upside there is more interesting project management material to report if the project does not go to plan.

Key issues
Must have float
Otherwise you will be late on something or sacrifice quality

Set time aside for the important things Recommended reading Eli Goldratt Critical Chain (ISBN 0-88427-153-6)

Managing priorities

Driven by deadlines

Conclusion
Identify what needs to be done Identify when it needs to be done by Eliminate the unnecessary Plan with an appropriate level of complexity

Develop a plan which has float for all outputs using time priority
Try a few tools and use those which are sustainable for you

More information
http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/studyskills/or ganising/index.html http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/employ able/skills/communication/resources/