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Project Management Fundamentals Guide

This document provides an introduction to project management, defining key concepts such as project management, the stakeholders involved, and the phases of the project. It also addresses the organization necessary to ensure the smooth running of a project, emphasizing the coordination of stakeholders and the management of quality, cost, and time constraints. Finally, it describes the essential preparatory steps for launching a project, including the opportunity study and the feasibility study.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
9 views47 pages

Project Management Fundamentals Guide

This document provides an introduction to project management, defining key concepts such as project management, the stakeholders involved, and the phases of the project. It also addresses the organization necessary to ensure the smooth running of a project, emphasizing the coordination of stakeholders and the management of quality, cost, and time constraints. Finally, it describes the essential preparatory steps for launching a project, including the opportunity study and the feasibility study.

Translated by

ScribdTranslations
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Introduction to Project Management Adima Said

National School of Higher Education in Mechanics and Electricity


MASTER HR 2011/2012

Introduction to the
Project management

Insured by:
Adima Said

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Introduction to Project Management Adima Said

Summary
I. Project Management
1- Project definition
2- Project management and management
3- Project Stakeholders
3-1- Project Management
3.2- Project Manager - Project Director
3-3- Project Management
3-4- Subcontracting
4- Project Organization
4-1- The steering committee
4-2- Steering Committee
4-3- Project Management
4-4- Expert techniques / associated experts
5- The phases of the project

5-1- PREPARATORY PHASE (Framing)


The opportunity study
2. The feasibility study
3. The detailed study
4. The technical study
5-2- EXECUTION PHASE
THE ANALYSIS
1.1 PBS "Product Breakdown Structure"
1.2 WBS "Work Breakdown Structure"
1.3 OBS "Organisation Breakdown Structure"
RBS "Resources Breakdown Structure"
1.5 CBS "Costing Breakdown Structure"

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2. The PLANNING
2-1 The breakdown into elementary activities
2-2 Taking into account constraints
2-3 Determination of duration and load
2-4 Operational Planning (Scheduling)
2-4-1 Deadline Planning
1. Scheduling using the CPM method
2. The PERT Method
3. The Gantt chart
2-4-2 Resource Planning
2-4-3 Network optimization and minimum direct cost of the project
2-4-4 The Quality Assurance Plan
3. The FOLLOW-UP

Individual Follow-up
3.2 The Global Monitoring of the Project

3.3 The economic follow-up of the project (cost control)

3.3.1 Creation of the reference framework and determination of budget consumption


3.3.2 The gap analysis approach
4. The GUIDANCE
4.1 Principles of piloting activity
4.2 The control point
4.3 Management and Communication
II- Information System
1- Definition
2- The role of the information system
3- The functions of the information system
4- Typology of information systems
5- Project information system
6- Management of the project information system.

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Project Management

1-Definition of a project

That retained by the International Organization for Standardization according to the ISO 10006 standard
(version 2003) and taken over by AFNOR under standard X50-105 is stated as follows:
The project is a unique process that consists of a set of coordinated activities and
controlled, with start and end dates, undertaken to achieve a goal
in accordance with specific requirements, including constraints of deadlines, costs, and
resources.
In this first definition, the project is characterized by the intentional aspect of things and of
the objective to be achieved, which thus allows for a methodical structuring of a future reality.
The Francophone Association of Project Management (AFITEP) offers a definition of the project
as being:
A specific approach that allows for methodically and gradually structuring a
upcoming reality
Here, the project is defined as a specific approach both in method and in...
resources implemented. What we prioritize here is the way we will achieve the objective, as soon as
when it has been defined.
It is characterized therefore by:
¾ the satisfaction of a specific and particular need of a client for a committed price and
respected.
¾ a start and an end determined by the client. The project is temporary and autonomous in the
weather.
¾ its uniqueness. The product or service resulting from the project is unique and requires an organization.
specific, specially adapted and temporary. The project is unique.
¾ its degree of complexity.
¾ the mobilization of resources, means, and multidisciplinary skills on a
more or less long period;
¾ modifications in progress, which gives it its evolving character.

Approached from the perspective of its management, a project involves taking into account three
elements :
¾ A goal, which can be broken down in terms of quality, costs, and deadlines.
means, corresponding to resources (men, techniques, information, ...
money) and their own organization within the framework of the project;
¾ Conditions or constraints that generally limit the scope of what it is.
possible to do,
¾ The way in which these different elements will be taken into account and how their management will be handled
interactions will result in the quality of project management.

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2-Project management and administration

The main objective of project management is to provide the project management with elements tor
make timely decisions that allow him to respect commitments made in terms
of quality, costs, and deadlines. It is therefore a primarily forecasting activity integrating
a global and long-term vision, technical, commercial and contractual of the project.
The interdependence of the three parameters quality-cost-time (figure 1) is the major challenge of
project management.

Quality: Quality level


Project cost
Project deadline

Figure 1 - Triptych representing the issue of a project

The term 'project management' incorporates the concept of project management to which it adds a
additional dimension regarding the definition of strategic objectives and policies of the
direction (it therefore integrates the Project Management).
The management of a project can be defined as the activities of management and direction.
carried out on a project aimed at ensuring the mastery of a triptych of objectives (figure 1).
Mastering the triptych means setting each of the triptych's objectives and ensuring that each
the objective is achieved throughout the project. It is also to verify the consistency of the triptych and
to strike a balance between the three dimensions.

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The idea of compromise is essential. In practice, it is often necessary to mediate between the
three dimensions. In some cases, the deadline is sacrificed for the sake of quality, in others it is
quality at the expense of costs.

3- Project stakeholders
3.1- Project Owner

It is the "natural person or legal entity who will own the work. She
ensure the payment of expenses related to the realization (AFNOR)
The project owner (sometimes referred to as project management, abbreviated as MOA) is the entity that carries the ...
need, defining the project's objective, its timeline, and the budget allocated to this project. The result
The expected outcome of the project is the realization of a product, called a work.
The project owner controls the basic idea of the project and represents the users in this capacity.
final recipients for whom the work is intended. Thus, the project owner is responsible for the expression
functional needs but does not necessarily have the technical skills related to implementation
of the work.
When the project owner lacks the necessary professional experience to manage the project, he
can call on a delegated project management (whose job is project management). We
talking about project management assistance (noted AMO). Delegated project management
(sometimes noted as MOAd) is responsible for interfacing between the project manager and the client.
of work in order to help the project owner clearly define their needs and verify with the
project manager if the objective is technically feasible. The delegated project ownership does not
does not substitute for the project management and therefore has no direct responsibility with the
project manager

3.2- Project Manager – Project Director-

Due to the obvious ambiguity of the term project manager, AFNOR recommends
that an alternative term such as 'project manager' is used preferentially for
designate the project manager of the 'project owner'. The terms 'user project manager' or
"Project managers" are also employed.
.
3.3- Project Management

It is the individual or legal entity that is intended, on behalf of the project owner
to design a work while ensuring overall responsibility for technical quality,
deadline and cost, to coordinate its execution and to propose its acceptance to the master
work.
The contractor (or project management, noted as MOE) is the entity selected by the client.
work to carry out the project, under the conditions of deadlines, quality, and cost set by this
last in accordance with a contract. The project management is therefore responsible for the choices
techniques inherent to the realization of the work in accordance with the requirements of mastery
of work. The project manager thus has the responsibility in the context of his mission to designate a
natural person responsible for the proper execution of the project (usually referred to as project management)
project), it concerns the project manager.

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3.4- Subcontracting

For the completion of certain project tasks, when it does not have the internal resources
necessary, the project manager can call on one or more external companies, we refer to
So subcontracting (and each company is called subcontractor or provider). Each
the subcontractor carries out a subset of the project directly with the project owner but does not
no direct responsibility with the project owner, even if they have a 'right of oversight'
on his way of working.

4- Project Organization

Project management (possibly referred to as project conduction) is the organization


methodological implementation to ensure that the work carried out by the project manager
meet the expectations of the project owner and be delivered under the conditions of cost and deadline
initially planned, regardless of its 'manufacturing'. To achieve this, project management has
to ensure the coordination of actors and tasks with a view to efficiency and
profitability.
This is why a 'project manager' is appointed at the level of project ownership.
in order to be in constant contact (in theory) with the project manager on the control side
of work.
In the case of major projects, the project owner can appoint a project management team.
that is to say a project team under the responsibility of the project manager tasked with assisting him.
in project management, as well as in strategic, political, and definition decisions
objectives.
The choice of an organization to carry out a project, as limiting as it may seem, is
an asset that allows all project stakeholders to jointly carry out an organized action
according to clearly stated rules.

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4-1- The steering committee:

Its mission is to validate all strategic orientations and the questioning of


objectives and resources. He is responsible for the project and pays particular attention to mastering
the costs and deadlines. It meets as needed and systematically at the points of
controls identified following the risk analysis and included in the Quality Assurance Plan (QAP).
4-2- Steering Committee:

Is tasked with ensuring the operational follow-up of the project. To do this, he monitors progress, ensures the
coordination, prepares the upcoming steps and instructs the decisions of the management committee. It meets 1
twice a month according to the project's needs.
At the launch of the project, a Steering Committee, made up of organizational leaders
the project management, is appointed to ensure monitoring. This temporary structure, put in
specifically placed for the project, aims to manage the project autonomously, that is to say
by distinguishing itself from the permanent hierarchy of society. The Steering Committee is however
responsible for reporting to the Board of Directors the issues encountered during the project
when a strategic level decision needs to be made during the project.

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Project management:

4-4- Expert techniques / associated experts:

5-The Phases of the Project

In order to be managed in a quality context, a project must follow different phases by the end
which control points must be defined. Each step results in a deliverable and
from a validation based on a specific document. This allows for controlling compliance of
deliverables to the definition of needs as well as ensuring alignment with cost objectives and
of deadline.
These validation steps, which are part of project management tasks, help to detect
the non-conformities as soon as possible and to adapt to the new constraints due to unforeseen events
initially planned. At each stage, it can be decided to stop the project if the project management
estimate that the objectives will not be met.
The term 'project life cycle' refers to the sequence of stages and validations over time.
between the emergence of the need and the delivery of the product. The "life cycle of the work"
corresponds to the steps and deliverables necessary for the completion of the work.

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5-1- PREPARATORY PHASE (Framing)

The term Preliminary Project is generally used to refer to all the stages
necessary preparations for the launch of the project. It is therefore about precisely defining what it will be
the project in order to develop contractual documents allowing to engage the
project management and project ownership in the project launch. This phase therefore formalizes
the decision to start the project.
1-The opportunity study

This pre-project phase allows to study the project request and decide if the concept is
viable. This first step aims to validate users' requests regarding the
general objectives of the organization.

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It involves defining the scope of the project (also referred to as context), particularly in
define the end users (we are talking about targeting or profiling). At this stage of the project, it is therefore
useful to involve users in the overall reflection.

2- Feasibility study
The feasibility study aims to analyze the economic, organizational, and technical feasibility of
project.
Needs analysis: based on the summary analysis of the needs, it is appropriate to conduct a
rough estimation of the investment and operating cost of the project (in terms of
human and material resources), anticipated deadlines and any potential return on investment.
Based on these estimates, the Steering Committee may consider continuing the project and the
if necessary, plan a methodological organization for it. The feasibility study leads to
to develop several scenarios ("case studies"). Each scenario studied allows for the evaluation of
risks weighing on the project and must be accompanied by a projected balance sheet presenting the cost and the
advantages of the scenario. This step results in a deliverable, the feasibility study, submitted to
Steering Committee to ensure that each scenario is studied.

3-The detailed study

The needs analysis carried out in the preliminary project report focuses solely on the processes.
major aspects of the project. It is necessary to conduct a more in-depth study of the needs so that the
the project owner and the project manager can agree on a contractual document, it
this is the preliminary study, also called 'general design'. It is essential during
the preliminary study to ensure that the needs are expressed solely in a functional manner
and not in terms of solutions. The functional analysis of needs thus allows to identify the
necessary features of the work.
Functional analysis leads to the development of a document that functionally defines the
need (regardless of any technical solution). This document is called a notebook
functional charges (commonly abbreviated as CdCf) or design file.
The specifications allow the project owner to express their needs clearly.
functional, as well as to clarify the constraints imposed on project management.

4- The technical study

The technical study is the phase of adapting the design to the chosen technical architecture.
The deliverable of the technical study is the Special Technical Specifications (CCTP) or specifications book.
detailed charges. The detailed technical study may possibly be accompanied by the
creation of a mockup or prototype allowing user representatives to verify
that the chosen solution meets their expectations.

5-2- EXECUTION PHASE


One can decompose the execution phase into four successive steps that serve to carry out the
project to be completed in the best conditions, while respecting cost, time, and quality objectives.
These steps are:
1. The Analysis
2. Planning
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3. The Follow-up
4. The Steering

1- ANALYZE
This study phase is part of project scheduling; it is the segmentation.
It is about asking a number of questions concerning the progress of the project:
What to do? Product hierarchy → PBS
How to do it? Task hierarchy → WBS
Who? Organization→OBS
With what to do? Resources→RBS
How much? Estimate of expenses→CBS
Risk assessment
Budget preparation

The objectives of project segmentation:


Segmentation allows:
¾ Identify the content of the project: know all the products that make up the system and
to know all the tasks necessary for their completion.
¾ Prepare the project organization: distribute tasks among actors and define the
responsibilities.
¾ Establish the budget and the project implementation schedule, which will allow for monitoring.
and to monitor the progress of the project afterwards.

The APPROACH
¾ Segmentation is developed by the Project Manager, but it results from a collaborative effort.
consultation between all involved teams (it indeed involves the organization of
project)
¾ The segmentation must be formally approved by the stakeholders responsible for management.
of the project. A single and unique PBS and WBS are adopted throughout the duration of the project. Some
supplements can be provided, but no major modification should alter
the basic framework (main levels of decomposition)
¾ Beyond 200 tasks, it is suggested to group tasks into batches of
work. A division by trade (according to, for example, the functions 'mechanics',
"electricity", "cabling"...), can be considered instead of a strictly oriented cut.
product
¾ Segmentation (PBS and WBS) is the foundation of configuration management and
document management
1.1 PBS "Product Breakdown Structure" (Project decomposition into product)
Also called product tree, it must be a coherent decomposition and
organized around the project's objective, it is the exact expression of everything that must be accomplished for
to reach the end of the project. It is the breakdown of the project into a tree structure of products.
The PBS (figure 4) is a description, element by element, of the products that make up the
system without forgetting the specific tools required for the implementation.

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A product can be an infrastructure, a hardware, a process (project management,


Quality assurance). A single PBS is developed throughout the duration of the project.

1.2 WBS "Work Breakdown Structure" (Decomposition of the product into Tasks)

The WBS (figure 5) must be constructed from the produced organizational chart. It lists the
activities (tasks) necessary for the completion of each product.
Also called "task flowchart (TF)", it is defined as the breakdown
exhaustive and organized overview of the entire project, analyzing the tasks and the necessary resources
to create a finished product (system, service...) in accordance with the expression of an expectation to
satisfy.

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The task organization chart primarily serves to contribute to coherent management.


project, taking into account the objectives expressed in terms of both performance and costs,
of deadlines or industrial policy, providing both a tool:
¾ deconstruction
¾ of communication,
¾ of management,

1/ Structuration
The analysis of the demand from a project owner must simultaneously allow for:
¾ define a first core of industrial organization;
¾ optimize the goals in terms of performance, costs, and deadlines that it imposes on the
diverse participants,
The task organization chart aims to:
¾ break down the project into identified tasks;
¾ define the scheduling of tasks, their interfaces and key events;
¾ Establish and assign the work lots
¾ track the progress and verify the satisfactory completion of all the tasks of
project.
The task organization chart provides participants with the opportunity:
¾ to identify the responsibilities for carrying out the work
¾ to gradually identify and organize all the work to be done,

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¾ to have a common basis for coordinating work and mastering


project progress.
The task organization chart can be used at every level of operational delegation and in
function of contractual provisions for:
¾ make observations at the level of specific work lots (supply expenses-
deadlines) to highlight the connections between elements (functions, products, tasks) and the
identified resources
¾ ensure that the system components and specific means have all been identified
¾ manage the risks associated specifically with each task.

2/ Communication
The task organization chart is a true tool for cohesive communication within the organization.
specific to the project. It indeed provides a common structure for exchanging information
all nature :
¾ structure of the exchange network through the specific organization of the project and by
the identification of responsibilities,
¾ structure of the information itself by exchange standards and indicators
retained.

3/ Management

In terms of quality management, the task organizational chart proves that a preparation has been
carried out in a manner that organizes the project and masters its various aspects:
¾ identification of needs, logic of project implementation and monitoring,
¾ control of performance,
¾ mastery of costs and deadlines
¾ information management, etc.
In terms of cost and time management, the task organization chart allows for the assignment of
each activity a cost and duration forecast that can serve as a basis for the development of a
offer (supplies, prices, deadlines) and specify the tracking requirements. It also allows
to identify the relationships of dependence between tasks and work packages to establish
the scheduling of tasks which, once optimized, will determine the overall duration of
project and position the project plan in relation to the key events imposed.

1.3 OBS 'Organization Breakdown Structure' (Functional Decomposition of the Project)


The structure of the project's human resources organization (OBS figure 6) presents the
distribution of skills and responsibilities. It is often helpful to assign a task to a
competence center.

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1.4 RBS "Resources Breakdown Structure"


The RBS decomposition stems from the task hierarchy, it consists of:
¾ Assess, according to needs, the critical resources required for the project
¾ Break down the project into human and material resources.
¾ Group resources by nature or by teams.
¾ Establish work schedules.
¾ Check the availability in terms of skills
¾ Assign hierarchical responsibilities

1.4 CBS "Costing Breakdown Structure"


This structured breakdown of costs overlaps with the task organizational chart for
associate each batch with a cost allocation center.
One can then allocate the budget and manage each type of expense (fixed cost, variable cost,
labor, materials and supplies...)
This organizational chart represents a good complement to other breakdowns highlighting each
and specifying the different budgets allocated to the phases.
Following all these stages of the Analysis phase, we gradually obtain:
¾ the decomposition of the project into tasks (units of work)
¾ the identification of means
¾ the allocation of responsibilities
¾ the definition of work lots

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¾ the establishment of precedences between tasks

Relationships between tasks are oriented relationships because one task cannot be undertaken without
the completion of other preliminary tasks. These relationships are the basis of PERT networks and
Gantt charts that allow for scheduling the project's tasks.

2- The PLANNING
Planning is one of the last phases before the launch. It must lead to
the development of an action plan integrating most of the known constraints, likely
influencing the course of the project. This assumes the implementation of the following actions:
¾ Break down the work lots into activities;
¾ Identify the constraints and the links between the tasks;
¾ Evaluate the durations and resources;
¾ Establish the planning (operational planning or scheduling).

Concept
By planning, one obtains a view of the project that is both comprehensive (from start to finish) and detailed.
(list of activities to be carried out with their precise sequence, distribution of the load of
resources or allocated means). Planning allows the project to be broken down into sub-
simpler ensembles (phases, batches, macro tasks...) until determining and organizing the activities
elementary; the level of detail must be sufficient for the task to be understood. On
for this sequence of tasks, it is helpful to set visible markers: control points "milestones", which
indicating an expected event (the approval of the general management on the investment by
example) or the provision of a supply (the reception of the plans made by the office
of studies...)
The plan is a simulation tool that allows for proposing different scenarios to the decision-maker and a
decision support by justifying the requests for necessary resources to achieve the objective. In
the life of the project, the first plan, once approved, becomes the reference on which the manager
Project place, at regular intervals, the progress of the work done and the projections on the work
what remains to be done.

The Planning Cycle


Planning is only useful if the plan is regularly updated and is used to prepare.
decisions. The planning cycle involves establishing and obtaining approval for a preliminary plan or
reference plan. This plan is designed to achieve the negotiated objective. It takes into account the
knowledge, hypotheses, and risk analyses. Based on this and according to the timeline
planned, the execution of tasks is initiated. At regular intervals, the project manager checks
the progress of ongoing achievements. It gathers from the concerned stakeholders what has been done
and what remains to be done. He thereby establishes a new version of the plan and submits it for approval.
Once the agreement is obtained, this version becomes the new reference. The reference plan is
reviewed again in case of a change in the objective (a client changing their mind) and in the case of
changes in the project environment: technology, finance, competition, strategy of
the company...

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2-1 Breaking down into elementary activities:


We're about to discuss the breakdown of each work lot into manageable and controllable activities.
these can be:
¾ Lots of lower-level work related to the realization of defined sub-assemblies.
by the project's task organizational chart
¾ Logistics and management activities (supply, monitoring, transport, control)
quality, ...) associated with the execution of the work package itself.
¾ Technical activities, (design, manufacturing, development, ...) placed under the
direct responsibility of the manager related to the realization of the deliverable product.

2-2 Taking into account the constraints


In project scheduling, three classes of constraints are traditionally distinguished:
potential, cumulative and disjunctive constraints. This typology is useful for formalizing
correctly complex scheduling problems.

¾ The potential constraints


Potential constraints can be of two kinds: prior constraints or
temporal localization.
a) Constraints of precedence:
The constraint that a task "j" cannot start before a task "i" is completed.
Completed is referred to as a constraint of anteriority (or precedence).
A project can be broken down into a number of tasks (or activities) that, generally,
are not achievable in any order. Task analysis leads to an explicit statement.
of what type of constraints.
b) Constraints of temporal localization:
The temporal location constraints imply that a given task 'i' cannot start
before a set date or that it cannot be completed after a set date (this is often the case
milestones).
¾ Cumulative constraints
The cumulative constraints require taking into account:
I. on the dated availability of different non-storable resources, that is to say
resources, such as hours of staff work or equipment, that can be
disposed of during a period are lost if not used during
this period,
and their consumption dated by the tasks in the search for scheduling.

¾ Disjunctive constraints
Disjunctive constraints impose the non-simultaneous execution of two tasks. One will find
such constraints in the case of using a single resource. We will categorize this class
constraints of simultaneous execution prohibitions related, for example, to reasons of
security (electric protection¼) or lack of space to execute multiple tasks simultaneously
tasks in one place.

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2-3 Determination of the duration of a task and the workload

The duration is the interval of time that elapses between an event starting the action and a
end of the action.
The charge is the number of work units necessary to perform an action. It can
to be expressed as the time of occupancy of the resource.
In general, duration and load are linked by a third element: the rate of
mobilization (effort or intensity). This rate corresponds to:

• In the number of units of resources mobilized at the same time


• to the amount of time that a resource can dedicate to the task.

Duration = Load / Mobilization Rate


In practice, only two assessments are made according to one of the following three methods:
We assess the duration and the load and deduce the mobilization rate.
2. We estimate the duration and apply the mobilization rate to obtain the workload.
3. We appreciate the load and the mobilization rate to calculate the duration.

2-4 Operational planning (Scheduling)


Operational planning involves creating a timeline that establishes the timing of each
elementary activity of the project. It includes three dimensions: deadlines, resources and
costs. This schedule allows the various stakeholders to know when the activities they are
responsibilities must be executed and also serves as a reference for monitoring compliance with
deadlines during the implementation phase.

2-4-1 The planning of deadlines


After identifying all the activities, we must define the deadlines for completion.
detailed so that the commitments made or the objectives defined are respected. Two constraints
must be managed simultaneously in this context:

• The respect of the project's 'objective' end date;


• The duration required for the completion of the various activities of the project.

A- The planning techniques


The scheduling of the project is a programming of the activities and resources required.
upon their execution. The objective intended is to allow the project to achieve its deadline goals,
costs and performance. This programming takes into account the different constraints
techniques of the project and the availability of resources used.
The most well-known modern project scheduling techniques today are
the PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique), the CPM (Critical Path Method) as well
designated by the method of potentials and the Gantt chart.

A-1-The scheduling by the CPM method


The CPM method allows for representing the tasks or activities of the project (their duration and their
dependency) through a logical network.

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The projects to which it applies are generally those for which the managers have a
sufficient knowledge of the work to be carried out and are therefore able to make an estimate of
cost at the same time as the duration of each activity.
By linking the concept of cost to that of time, the CPM method allows for the creation of the schedule of
achievement corresponding to the minimum total cost of a project.

The steps for carrying out the scheduling are as follows:

• Draw the sequence of tasks;


• Assign a duration to each task;
• Calculate for each node the earliest date;
• Start from the end date and calculate for each node the date at the latest;
• Define time margins for non-critical tasks;
• Define the critical path (the route for which the earliest date = the latest date);

Once a series of scheduling calculations is completed, we obtain for each of the activities
identified during structural planning, as well as for each of the events
identified during operational planning, the following results:

• The earliest start and end dates


• The start and end dates at the latest
• and the free and total margins.

Often presented in a long table, where each activity occupies a line. These results
allow to establish a schedule of activities, particularly through the Gantt chart.

A-2- The PERT method


The PERT method (Program Evaluation and Review Technique), also known as potential method
steps (aims to estimate and control the realization dates (PERT-TIME).
The scheduling establishment using this method follows the same steps as that of the CPM.
However, it can be noted that the PERT method is focused on events (steps) as opposed to
the CPM method which is more focused on elementary activities or tasks. It is said that there is
duality between the two methods.
The questions regarding the execution times of each activity or elementary task and the deadline
the total execution of the project is easily managed when the durations are considered certain as
this is the case in the CPM method. In some cases, however, it is very difficult to appreciate
the duration that each activity will take. The PERT method is characterized by the use of
three evaluations for the duration of each activity: an optimistic duration, a pessimistic duration and
a probable duration according to the Beta distribution, it is possible from these three
data to establish a probabilistic assessment of the duration Thus, based on the average durations
of activities, it is then possible to develop the schedule or implementation calendar, and especially
to establish the Gantt chart.

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A-3- The Gantt chart


The representation of a project's activities on a Gantt chart allows for visualizing the
progress in the implementation of the project, to determine the overall duration of its completion, and to
to easily understand the concepts of margin. The Gantt chart leads to determining
the best way to position the different activities of a project to be executed, over a period
determined, it appears today as one of the best communication and tracking tools
between the project management and the operational staff. (See example of GANTT construction in
class).

2-4-2 - Resource Planning


The aim of this approach is to establish a resource planning that allows for considering the
project more from the perspective of the means it implements. In general, one must find a
arbitration with constraints of deadlines and resources, while respecting the technical imperatives of the
realization.

Two main options are usually adopted:

• The deadlines are set and cannot be changed;


• Resources are only available for a certain period.

When deadlines are set and the focus is on meeting those deadlines, we determine the
resources necessary to complete the specified work within the set time (allocation of
resources for each task), afterwards we sum up all the resources in
highlighting the total need for all tasks taking place at the same time.

If we consider all the resources of the project, there may still be peaks of
irreducible charges (figure 7). To reduce them, one can either increase the workforce by hiring
additional, either proceed with renting equipment or resort to subcontracting

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When resource needs confront availability, a question is raised:


What to do if for certain resources the instantaneous demand during certain periods is higher
to capacity? Sometimes it is necessary to agree to an extension of deadlines (leveling of resources)
(figure 8)

Resource leveling involves adjusting the schedule to align the availability of


resources with the request. It is advisable to work on a schedule as soon as possible.
We highlight on the calendar the resource interruptions. To eliminate them, we delay the
start of non-critical tasks. If disruptions persist, we extend the deadline or increase the
resource (it can be seen here that a decision needs to be made regarding timing and/or cost on the part of
project management

2-4-3- Network optimization and minimum direct cost of the project

For projects where the managers have sufficient knowledge of the activities to be carried out, this
allows them to make a cost estimate at the same time as the duration of each
activity, they can define the cost of accelerating each activity per unit of time saved
(figure 9).

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.
The determination of the project execution plan leads to the definition of the critical path and the
maximum duration of the project. It is usually considered in the calculations that all activities are
performed at their normal duration. They then cost the normal price, and the total represents the cost
direct minimum of the project. Any acceleration of an activity therefore increases this cost. Also, for
saving time, we can seek to accelerate the activities whose cost of time saved is
the weakest on the critical path. The reduction must necessarily relate to a task.
Critique should be done in a gradual and iterative manner because the time gain is not linear.
In doing so, we obtain a new plan, shorter in length, whose direct cost is higher than the
previous, but whose increase is minimal. Of course, new paths are emerging
critiques, and the reduction must take place on a task common to all critical paths.
The process continues and produces new plans until the project has been reduced to its
shorter duration and at the minimum associated cost. This does not mean that all activities have been
accelerated, because in this case the direct cost of the project would be maximum.

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2-4-4- The Quality Assurance Plan


In terms of quality assurance, the formalization of the quality system is necessary to demonstrate
compliance with the model (e.g., ISO 9001, 9002 or 9003). In this context, some
contractors implement a quality assurance plan intended to contain the provisions
specific to the execution of their contract.
Quality assurance is supposed to ensure consistency of quality and reduce costs through the
reduction of controls and malfunctions.

Quality Assurance

According to ISO 8402:


Set of predefined and systematic activities implemented within the framework of the system
quality, and demonstrated as needed, to provide the appropriate confidence in what a
entity will meet the requirements for quality.
The "Quality Assurance" aims to ensure the reliability of each step in the process of an activity,
it consists of systematically and methodically preventing any malfunction source of
non-quality.
Quality assurance is obtained:
• by mastering the functions that impact the product and/or service
(conception, purchase, process, handling…)
• through specific actions (contract review, control and testing, corrective actions and
preventive...) ;
• through the formalization and dissemination of procedures, operational sequences, etc.…
Quality assurance can be summarized as:
• The description of what each person does and how they do it (procedure);
• The fulfillment of what is written (execution of procedures);
• The verification and proof that what is done corresponds to what is written.

Quality management is a strategic issue to meet the challenge of competition and


competitiveness, quality assurance must be defined so that all measures
necessary for obtaining the quality are to be planned. This approach will be materialized by
a document titled "Quality Assurance Plan".

Quality Assurance Plan


The PAQ (Quality Assurance Plan) is used to describe all the specific arrangements taken.
to ensure the quality of the product delivered within the framework of a project. It states the methods
operational, the resources, the organization and the sequence of activities related to the assurance of the
quality related to the project.

The use of the PAQ should enable the achievement of the following objectives:

• Establish a common reference for all members of the project team. It will allow
to ensure good consistency and uniformity in working methods.

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• Ensure the quality of the project products through the controls planned for each.
activity.
• Ensure the traceability of the quality of the work performed.

It is important that the quality assurance plan addresses the following aspects:

• A detailed presentation of the project, its prerequisites, and its limitations;


• The structural organization of the project, presented in particular through an organizational chart;
• A precise definition of the roles, duties, obligations, and responsibilities of all
stakeholders involved in this project and featured in the organizational chart;
• The definition of a communication plan;
• A first workload plan for the project
• The standard norms, practices, and other conventions to be respected;
• The management of project monitoring and control (meetings, reviews, progress tracking and monitoring
financier) ;
• The management of unforeseen events, new requests, and incidents;
• The presentation of the tools, techniques, and methods used (procedures)
• The process of trials, of provisional acceptance.

The activities of the project quality assurance manager take place throughout the project. They
are of two types:
¾ Quality assurance activities: which allow to define the principles as early as possible
qualities of the project and to anticipate potential problems, these activities are important to
start of the project
¾ Quality control activities: who regularly verify that the procedures are
comprises and correctly applied as well as the deliverables of each activity if they are
in compliance with the required standards. In case of non-compliance, it proposes actions.
corrective or preventive actions, he is then responsible for monitoring the progress of these
recommendations.
3- The FOLLOW-UP

It is about measuring activity in terms:

• of resource consumption,
• from the estimate of the project's end,
• the measurement of the gaps between what was planned and what was achieved,
• and finally maintain a dashboard.

The detailed planning will serve as a reference to monitor the progress of the work.
progress, for a project manager, is being able to answer any question about:

• What has been produced: it is the actual progress of the project;


• what has been consumed: these are the resources used;
• the gaps between the planned and the realized;

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• the origin of the discrepancies, whether it is a cause having effects on several tasks, by
for example, the unavailability of a machine, or a temporary issue related to a task or to
a person

To inform the project management and to make steering decisions, the project manager has
need to manage a set of information that we call the project information system.
This includes:

• a dashboard
• generally complemented by a logbook, a journal where daily entries are recorded
events, incidents or special facts of the project.
The dashboard thus contains two levels:

• Individual monitoring, which allows for the detection of potential difficulties for an interventionist or
on a task;
• The project monitoring, which serves as the basis for a periodic progress update with the client.
work.

Techniques for Advancing Work.


In practice, depending on the cases, several techniques are used to measure the progress of tasks.

Techniques used Explanations


Equivalent units Physical progress is the ratio between
the
number of physical units produced and the
total number of units planned at time t.

Intermediate milestones It is about pre-determining milestones


characteristics of progress of the
task, physically identifiable. Each
milestone is assigned a defined percentage. This
Milestone entails a process.
sequential. Crossing a milestone
indicate the progress of the task regardless
let the real number of hours spent.

Progress by the remaining work Progress = Work done/Total work


re-estimated as of date t. This involves adding to the
"number of man hours" actually
spent on the given date, the number
estimated man-hours left
to do until the end of the activity.

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Techniques used Explanations

Calendar progress It is the relationship between the time that has already passed since
the start of the task and the total duration reassessed.

Progress report on the task It is about asking the person in charge of the task
studied the necessary time to finish the "
still to be done.

Technique 0/100 As long as the task is not finished, the progress


is considered null and 100% if it is finished.
Suitable for very short duration tasks.

Technique 0/50/100 The progress is 50% when she


starts and is 100% as soon as it is
finished.

Table 4 - Example of project advancement techniques.

3.1 INDIVIDUAL MONITORING

It is based on the task list, which are assigned individually. The description of each
task includes an identifier - each task is uniquely identified - and the elements having
used for evaluating its workload (method, units of work, standard weight, ratio...).

For each task, three types of loads are associated:

• the initial charge: it is the one used for the detailed planning estimation.
This value must always be maintained. Changing it would deprive the company of a
possibility of learning;
• The assigned charge: it is the customization of the initial charge based on
the experience and the skill of the one who will carry it out. It can be higher or
lower than the initial charge. This value represents the contract between the project manager and
the concerned actor. It is generally not visible to the project owner. It must be
used with caution;
• The updated charge: underway during the project, but still before the
If the task has not started, new elements may lead to revising the estimate.

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initial. For example, the technical study revealed unforeseen difficulties and one
it is now known that the programming workload has likely been underestimated by
20%. We do not modify the initial charge, but we negotiate with the project owner a
updating. The value of the updated charge is then taken into account for a new
planning.
The dashboard feeding for individual tracking is done through several reports:
¾ The activity report, also called progress report, drafted
periodically, generally at the end of the week, by each participant assigned to the project.
¾ The monthly summary allows for closer monitoring. For each task, it includes
every week of the month:
9The time spent (T);
9The rest to be done (R);
9The progress (A), calculated as a difference between the last two
remaining evaluations to be done:

Progress
Progressatatthe
the end ofperiod
end of periodn =nwork
= work remaining
remaining at theat
endthe
of end of(n-1)
period period (n-1)
- work - work remaining in
remaining
end
in of period n
short
of period n

¾ The monthly individual report provides each Participant with a snapshot of their
performance.

3.2 THE OVERALL PROJECT MONITORING

The project manager needs to periodically have an overview of the project's status. It is
On this summary, the project manager, who is the contractual responsible for the project, will provide an update with the
project owner.
This is what is called the project progress chart. In general, the mesh is wider than
for individual tracking: we no longer think in terms of tasks, but in terms of batches of tasks

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3.3 ECONOMIC MONITORING OF THE PROJECT (Costing)

As specified in standard NF X 50-106-1, cost management or costing is a process


allowing to monitor the progress of a project in order to minimize its cost. Different costs
are used in care

3.3.1 Creation of the reference framework and determination of budget consumption

The creation of a cost reference necessarily relies on the scheduling that has been adopted.
for the project and on the estimates of resource consumption by the different tasks to
executed, valued conventionally (using standard costs) or at market costs
(call for tenders, etc.).
The objective of cost monitoring is to control expenses during the implementation of
project, and this by highlighting as quickly as possible the deviations that occur on
the financial plan to allow for rapid response, mainly on the remaining tasks.
The reference framework is a cumulative schedule of forecasted charges. Once that
precise programming of the execution of each task and the estimation of its cost are established, it
we will be able to build this schedule.

The initial budget is constructed as follows:


• Enumeration of budget deliverables (studies, works, purchase of equipment...)
• Budget line breakdown based on the task organization chart
• Assessment of the technical provision by subset.
• Calculation of gross margin amount.
• Summary of budget lines and various provisions and gross margins

At the launch of the project, we have a reference framework (figure11), which describes the evolution of the
consumption of the initial budget from the project start date (t d) to the end of the project
scheduled for the date (t f,). In general, a contingency provision managed by is added to it.
project director and intended to face hazards and accidents.

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Figure 11 - Cost control framework in a project

Before addressing project cost control, it should be added that on a date(td<t<tf) during
the execution of the project, the evolution of demand, and a number of events may
lead to deviations in the objectives and/or means implemented by the project manager
is required to officially review, and thus revise the project budget.
This revision, as of the current date, modifies the framework with which the project stakeholders...
work
• At the originally established project end date (t f), it is replaced by the revised date (t f, r) that one
considered at the current date, as a technically realistic objective
• the initial budget is replaced by the current budget which incorporates the modification decisions
interventions to take into account the difficulties or opportunities encountered;
• the information available as of the current date may lead to an estimate of
project cost, called re-estimated forecast cost at the date t, which is higher (or,
less frequently, lower) than that of the budget to date.

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3.3.2 The gap analysis approach

During the project, as of the current date, a set of tasks has been completed in full or in part.
completed part, which logically translates to an incurred cost (or actual cost of labor)
Effectuated CRTE) corresponding to the actual cost of the work carried out to the date and charged to the
project.
On the other hand, if we had worked in compliance with the budget to date, the work that
should have been carried out by the current date would normally have resulted in bearing a cost
Budget of the Expected Work or CBTP (developed as a reference)
The difference observed at the date between what is planned (CBTP) and what is achieved
(CRTE) originates from:
The fact that on the date certain tasks are:
• ahead (completed earlier than planned or carried out with a percentage of progress
higher than that initially planned for this date
• or delayed (not yet started or completed with a percentage of progress
lower than that initially planned for this date);
A price effect, that is to say discrepancies in the values of consumed factors that are
attributable to:

• Differences in quantities used;


• and differences in unit prices valuing these quantities (higher or lower prices)
in relation to the forecasts).

The chosen principle consists of comparing what is planned (budgeted cost of the work
planned or CBTP) and what is realized (incurred cost or CRTE) to a third quantity
corresponding to a theoretical value of work performed that must be:

• comparable to the incurred cost, as it adopts the same assumption of advancement of the
planning (same tasks completed or in progress),
• and comparable to the incurred budget, because it adopts the same assumption of values of
resources consumed (total absence of cost overrun for completed or ongoing tasks
course).

This theoretical value of work performed, which is called the budgeted cost of work.
obtained all
simply by valuing the tasks performed by their projected costs defined in the budget
to date.

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Let's summarize these various conventions in the following table:

The following figure highlights the elements of cost variance analysis.

Figure 12 Analysis of Variances in Cost Control

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Planning deviation
The comparison of the budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP) to the budgeted cost of work planned
(CBTP) concerns budget consumption valued at the same usage costs.
resources. The difference between these two quantities therefore corresponds only to a difference
the planning, hence its name planning deviation.
Schedule variance = Budgeted Cost of Work Performed - Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled.

Two situations may arise:

¾ If the budgeted cost of the work performed is greater than the budgeted cost of the work planned (variance
the positive planning), the project achievements are ahead of schedule, and
this in a ‘global’ way (i.e., it is appropriate to analyze the planning in detail
to determine whether a critical task has not fallen behind schedule, because this synthetic indicator
does not allow it to be detected)
¾ If the budgeted cost of work performed is less than the budgeted cost of work planned (variance
the negative planning), the project's achievements are "generally" behind schedule compared to
to the forecasts.
The planning gap is an indicator expressed in value. Its sign indicates whether we are in
forward or late, but it's hard to assess its importance.
The complementary use of a relative value indicator allows for better appreciation.
the importance of diagnosed delay or advance. This indicator is obtained by dividing the gap
budget incurred planning (CBTP)

The relative scheduling gap = (CBTE - CBTP) / CBTP

Productivity Gap

The actual cost of work performed (ACWP) and the budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP) have in
common the same hypothesis of progress of the work. These quantities should therefore be
identical if, for each task completed or ongoing, the actual cost matched the planned cost.
The reality is different, and a cost gap is observed defined as:

Cost Variance = Budgeted Cost of Work Performed - Actual Cost of Work Performed

This difference originates from variations in the cost of performing tasks.

The variation in the cost of completing a task can be explained:

¾ Through variations in resource consumption used and thus a productivity of


resources less strong at execution than anticipated.
¾ and variations in the cost of these resources (variation in the relative importance of hours
additional, change in purchasing conditions for materials, change of sub-
treating...)

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The result of these variations is attributable to an improvement or a deterioration of


performance techniques, organizational and management. Other names are also used.
for these variations, performance gap or even productivity gap.

Productivity gap = CBTE - CRTE

Relative productivity gap = (TEB – RET) / RET

The analysis of this information is such that:

¾ if the budgeted cost of work performed is less than the actual cost of work performed (variance of
negative cost), we are faced with additional expenses that will need to be offset by
subsequent savings or, failing that, by an increase in budget; we are therefore in
presence of a risk of budget overruns;
¾ if the budgeted cost of work performed is greater than the actual cost of work performed (variance
at a positive cost), the project's achievements cost less than expected, which increases
the chances of staying within the initial budget envelope.
This information must be put into perspective by analyzing the scheduling gap. For example, a
Budget overruns may stem from the desire to achieve a positive planning variance.
(hence, for example, a greater use of overtime) another scenario, a
budgetary economy can be linked to the use of less expensive and less
performant, which will have caused a delay in the schedule.
The table below summarizes the planning and productivity (cost) variances:

Hypotheses CRTE (cost CBTP (budget CBTE (value


encouru) encouru) acquired
Progress Scheduled X
Completed X X
Costs Scheduled X X
Completed X
Planning deviation: CBTE – CBTP retard advance
Performance gap: CBTE - CRTE < 0 => economy
exceeding

Tableau 6-Diagnosis of planning and productivity discrepancies

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4- The PILOTING
The management begins as soon as the project is launched according to the timeline of activities described in a plan.
initial. The more this reference is structured, understandable, and adapted to the project, the better the management of
the project is facilitated.
Leading a project means being active and even responsive. It is, of course, identifying the deviations in
grasping what has been accomplished, but also having a view of the future by estimating the 'remaining to be done'
Managing a project allows one to be, at every moment, capable of integrating the changes inherent to everything
project. The earlier a drift is identified, the better we can remedy it.
Based on the monitoring data, we will be able to: make decisions, drive the project, control the
derivatives, manage resources and choose scenarios. Some steering actions are internal to
project, the decision is made by the project manager, others are under a steering committee of
project.

4-1 Principles of steering activity

The piloting activity is divided into five steps:

4-1-1 Collection of measurement elements and progress status


It involves taking stock of activity reports, that is to say the progress of the work.
with each team resource and the progress point of the products. These data
updated will allow among other things to revise the schedule.
4-1-2 Analysis of potential drifts
Step that consists of:
Revise the schedule: that is to say to revise the availability of resources, to re-estimate.
the tasks not started and possibly to add new constraints
external.
Analyze the results: to implement corrective actions if necessary.

4-1-3 Corrective and preventive actions


Take corrective actions (to correct an observed problem). We can do this by putting
set up additional training, redistribute tasks, modify the method
of estimation...
Also carry out preventive actions aimed at avoiding the emergence of a problem.

4-1-4 Project reporting and dashboard


Performing reporting or a dashboard (summary of reporting) allows for the exchange.
information about the progress of the project to the outside. For the client, this is what
see while waiting for the final product. Good reporting proves mastery of project management.

4-2 The control point


It corresponds to a delivery of dashboards, indicators, written reports, databases
the analysis and potential re-evaluation of the project.

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A control point is prepared by:


¾ The measurement of the actual progress of the activities planned during the considered period;
¾ The estimation of the 'remaining work' for ongoing tasks;
¾ The consideration of potential changes to upcoming tasks.
This information is transferred to the initial plan, allowing for a comparison between the planned and the actual.
and the 'remaining tasks' in relation to the reference.
The observed lapses or new information gathered require the development of
new plans or scenarios and to have one approved for the future period.

4-3 Steering and communication

The steering process must be defined, known, and accepted by all stakeholders before the project
be launched. The main means of communication are site visits, meetings,
reports, dashboards.
The phases of project execution are necessarily accompanied by the creation of documents.
At each stage, these latter constitute the informational support of the project. They are the source of
creation of information, it must be appropriately processed and communicated in order to
reliably use it for decision-making in the management activities.
This therefore requires the creation of an information system as a tool for project management.

II- Information System

1- Definition

The expression information system is used in a varied and abusive manner. These definitions
preceded by a reflection on the notions of system and information present a great
diversity. It can be noted that it involves human, organizational, technical, and structured means.
to capture, store, process, and communicate information of various types necessary for a
company or to an organization for the achievement of its objectives.
Excluding certain human or organizational dimensions, the reduction of the system
Information in its strictly computer aspect is often used to describe the whole of
equipment and software used. Placed between the control system and the operating system,
The information system participates in both the monitoring and management of operational information.
and decision-making.

2- The Role of the Information System (IS)

¾ The information system aids in decision-making: it puts at the disposal of decision-makers


the necessary information for decision making, it allows studying the consequences
predictable decisions by providing decision-makers with information regarding the
future.
¾ The information system allows for the control of the organization's evolution: it enables
detect internal malfunctions and abnormal situations, all while maintaining
a trace of information about the past.
¾ The information system allows for the coordination of the activities of the different components of
the company.

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3- The Functions of the Information System

a) Gather the information:

The 'IS' has two main sources of information, external sources


which are made up of all the components of the environment generating information, and
the internal sources which are all the components of the company generating information
(capture all internal flows).

b) Memorize the information:

Once entered, the information must be stored in a durable and stable manner.

c) Exploit the information:

Once memorized, we can apply a series of operations to the information that consist of:
¾ Consult the information: search for it, select it...
¾ Organizing information: sorting, merging, partitioning...
¾ Update the information: modify them
¾ Produce new information: calculated information, totals, etc.

d) Disseminate information :

Broadcasting consists of making available to those in need, at the moment they need it.
need, in a usable form, all the information that will allow them to ensure
their activities.

4- Typology of information systems


The information system covers three main areas, we first focused on
the automation of operational tasks, then decision support and finally
communication. The typology presented in the following table is based on the uses of
information system in business.

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Role of the system Examples of applications


information
Information system Collect, memorize, process Purchase, stock, logistics
operational the necessary data for the Data Management
management of the activity techniques, management of
Automate, smooth out the orders, Payroll and management
process human resources

Assistance Information System Provide indicators Budget, dashboard of


to the decision relevant to the activity activities, reporting
Know the clients, offer Customer profile analysis
analysis tools and
simulation

Information system of Communicate the Messaging, report, networks


communication internal information of internal exchange
Exchange with partners Networks of exchange with the
(clients, suppliers) clients and suppliers
(supply chain)

Table 7 - Typology of Information System Applications

5- Project information system


The project information system primarily aims to collect, process, record and
communicate all information relating to the progress of the project's activities. These
Information is represented by schedules, action sheets, and account follow-up sheets.
activity and meeting reports, the project manager's dashboards... It serves to support all
the project actions, and generally includes manual and automated systems The system
The project information works on two major registers:
¾ The actual management aimed at achieving the project while respecting the constraints of
costs and deadlines.
¾ The technical part that deals with functional performance and the final cost of the system.
completed (Project)
In these two registers, we distinguish what pertains to execution from what pertains to validation.
and piloting.
The project information system is based on the task organization chart (WBS Decomposition)
to circulate the different information regarding the project, and to identify the direction of the flows
informational
The task organizational chart is a framework for the reporting of management information.
These are collected at the lowest level (task or activity) and raised to the
upper module to be consolidated there before being transmitted to the next higher level (batch

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of work) up to the top of the hierarchy (project manager). This cycle is reversed for the
dissemination of information.

Project meetings are also an important part of the project information system.
The following table summarizes the purpose of the meetings and their area of application.

Domains

Subject of the meeting Technique Management


Meetings aimed at producing Technical meetings Progress meetings
problem solving (Budgets and schedule)
Meetings aimed at validating and Technical reviews Reporting to management
to decide validation and irreversibility (arbitrage and realignments)
choices)

Table 8 - Project Meetings

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1- Management of the project's information system

It encompasses the processes necessary to ensure the writing, in due time and quality desired,
collection, dissemination, archiving and final processing of project information. It establishes the
links between people, ideas, and information that are essential to success. Figure 14,
represents the set of main processes as follows:

¾ Communication planning
¾ Information dissemination
¾ Progress reports
¾ Administrative closure

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6-1 Planning of consumption


Consumption planning involves determining information and communications
necessary for the stakeholders: who needs what information, when, and in what form
to hand it over to her. It is an integral part of the early phases of the project, and it is often
closely related to the organization of the project which determines the requirements in terms of
communication.
• Inputs
Communication needs:

They are made up of all the information requirements of the stakeholders of


project. The typical information needed to determine the project's requirements in terms of
communication includes:
• The relationships of responsibilities between stakeholders and the organization in charge of the project;
• The disciplines, services, and specialties involved in the project;
• The needs for external information.

Communication technology:

These are the technologies or methods used for the transfer of information. They can
vary short conversations to large meetings, from simple written documents to
planning or databases.

The constraints:

These are factors that limit the choices of the project management team. For example, if
parts of the project must be subcontracted, greater attention will be paid to
processing of contractual information.
• Tools and methods
The information needs of the various stakeholders must be analyzed to have a
logical and correct vision. This analysis must take into account methods and technologies.
adapted to the project and meeting information needs.
• Output
The communication management plan is a document that presents:

9A structure for collecting and organizing detailing the methods used for
gather and preserve various types of information. The procedures must specify the
collection and dissemination of updates and corrections made to documents.
9A dissemination structure specifying the recipients of the information, and the methods
used to disseminate various types of information. This structure must be compatible
with responsibilities and hierarchical relationship.
9A description of the information to be disseminated, specifying the format, content, degree of
detail and the conventions to be used.
9The release calendars that specify when each type of information is
issued.
9A method for updating and redefining the management plan of the
communication during the progress of the project.

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6-2 Information Dissemination


The dissemination of information involves making the necessary information available to the
stakeholders in the project, in due time
• Inputs
Work completed:
The work done is the result of the activities carried out during the implementation of the project.
Information about the work done (production of deliverables, quality measures, cost
generated...) is collected as an element of the project plan implementation and feeds
the progress report process.
Communication Management Plan
Project plan:
It is a formalized and approved document, used to manage and control the execution of the project, it
usually includes the following elements:
9Project charter;
9Description of the project management approach or strategy;
9Statement of the project content, with the project deliverables and its objectives;
9Project Work Breakdown Structure (WBS);
9Cost estimation, projected start dates, and assignment of responsibilities
up to the effective level of control;
9Performance measurement framework for cost and time;
9Main milestones.

• Tools and methods

Communication skills:
They are used during the exchange of information. The sender must provide information.
Claire, unambiguously, and completely so that the recipient can receive it correctly and
confirm that he understood it well. The receiver must ensure that he receives the entirety of
the information and that he understands it correctly.
System for the provision and dissemination of information:
Information can be shared by team members through file systems.
manuals, electronic databases, project management software, as well as
may be communicated using a set of methods including project meetings,
distribution of written documents, email...
• Output
Project data recorded:
They may include correspondence, memos, reports, and documents that describe the
project. The information must be kept in an organized manner.

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6-3 Progress Reports


The progress reporting process involves the collection and dissemination of information on
the progress in order to provide stakeholders with information regarding the use of
resources for achieving the project's objectives. This process encompasses:

9The situation: how far along are we in the project?


9The state of progress: what the project team has accomplished
9Forecasting: anticipating situations and future progress.
A progress report must provide information on the content, timelines, costs and the
quality. Some projects also require information on risk and the
supplies.
• Inputs
Project plan (previously seen): it includes the various baseline data that are used
to implement the project.
Work completed: (as seen previously)
The work completed is an output of the project plan execution.
Recorded data: (previously seen)
• Tools and methods
Progress reviews:
Progress reviews are meetings held to assess the status of a project's completion.
or its progress.
Gap analysis:
It involves comparing the actual results of the project with the planned or expected results.
Time or cost variances are the most frequently analyzed.
Trend analysis:
The trend analysis examines the project's results over time to evaluate whether the
advancements improve or deteriorate.
Earned value analysis:
This method is described in the cost tracking section of the previous chapter.
Tools and methods for disseminating information:
Progress reports are disseminated using the tools and methods described in the process of
dissemination of information.
• Output

Progress reports:
They classify and summarize the collected information and present all the analysis results.
progress reports generally take the form of Gantt charts, of curve in
And analysis tables of discrepancies.
Modification requests:

The project progress analysis often generates change requests, these are
handled in accordance with change control processes.

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6-4 Administrative closure


It involves verifying and documenting the project results for their formal acceptance by
the project owner. It includes the collection of project documents, the analysis of project success
and its effectiveness, and the archiving of information that can be used in the future.
Each phase of the project must be properly completed before the final completion of the project.

• Inputs

Documentation on progress measurement:


All documentation produced to record and analyze the progress of the project, including the
planning documents that constitute the general framework for measuring progress,
must be available for review during the administrative closing process.
Recorded data: (previously processed)
• Tools and methods
These are the same methods used for the progress report process.
• Output
Project history:
All recorded data must be prepared for archiving. All the databases of
specific historical data for the project must be updated. When the projects are
carried out under contract or when they involve significant supplies, it is necessary to
particularly follow the archiving of recorded financial data.
Feedback:
The causes of deviations, the approach justifying the type of corrective actions adopted, and the
Other acquired experiences must be recorded so that they become part of the foundations.
historical data, usable both for the project in question and for other projects as well
realize.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jean-Paul Bourgeois, "Project Management", Techniques de l’ingénieur publishing
the industrial company.
Morley Chantal, 2001, "Management of an information system project - principles,
technique, implementation and tools -emeEdition, DUNOD, Paris.
Dictionary of Project Management, AFNOR/AFITEP, 2emeEdition, 1993.
Giard Vincent
Hougron Thierry, 2001, "Project Management", DUNOD Publishing, Paris.
Javel Georges
Sandrine Fernez-Walch, 2000, 'Management of New Projects', Edition
AFNOR, Paris.
Marc Destors and Marie-Christine Noblanc, 2001, "Project Management with"
Microsoft Project, Microsoft Press Edition, France.
Christian Cazaubonet Gino Gramacia, 1997, 'Technical Project Management'
methods and tools", Edition Ellipses, Paris.
"Management Manual, Volume 2", AUPELF-UREF Edition, 1999, Montreal.
Didier Sébilo and Christophe Vertighem, 1998, "From Quality to Assurance"
Quality Accompanying the approach", AFNOR Edition, Paris.
Marie-Hélène Delmond, Yves Petit, Jean-Michel Gautier, 2003, "Management
Information systems, DUNOD Edition, Paris.
Project Management Institute, 1996, 'Project Management Body Of Knowledge'
PMI communication, USA.

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