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

TASKInformation Needed to Complete

Means to Accomplish

Clearly Defined Deliverables

Task-1 Task-2 Task-3 Task-4 Task-5 Task-6

Jan-1

Feb-1

Mar-1

…

Cory 10 hrs 10 hrs

Jade / Matt 15 hrs 20 hrs

Oliver 4 hrs 8 hrs

Manufactg 5 hrs 0 hrs

Project Planning Chart

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

PDS External Search

Internal Search

Evaluation Detail Design

Prototype

Jan-1

Feb-1

Mar-1

Apr-1

Team 100 hrs 100 hrs 100 hrs 100 hrs

Total 100 hrs 100 hrs 100 hrs 100 hrs

Master Plan Gantt Chart

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

Customer Identification

Customer interviews

Development of PDS criteria and priorities

Defining engineering metrics

Jan-1

Jan-7

Jan-14

Jan-21

Totals

Donald 4 6 3 6 19

Neal 4 6 3 0 13

Lee 2 8 3 4 17

Totals 10 20 9 10

PDS Gantt Chart

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)