Practical Project Management for Engineers

This exciting new resource guides readers through a step-by-step process on how to deliver high-quality, robust products and services while strengthening teams and customer relationships. Drawing on the author's extensive knowledge in aerospace and defense contracting, Practical Project Management for Engineers shares real world examples to recover schedule, cost and performance, explaining the tools, techniques, and methodologies to ensure success. It compares NASA, Department of Defense (DoD), and Project Management Institute (PMI) processes and provides best practices that work in the real world to deliver quality products on time and on budget. This book applies the Pareto Principle, which focuses on the 20% of the material that contributes to the majority (80%) of success to help engineering managers to move a project from contract award to delivery while increasing productivity tenfold. This book is a “how-to” manual for those struggling to get their projects under control as well as for new project managers looking who need a holistic view of project management. Practical Project Management for Engineers Contents Acknowledgments Introduction References Chapter 1 Communications Management Know the Audience Effective Communication Media Email Use Email Distribution Phones and Voice Mail Effective Meetings Meeting Preparation No Meeting Wednesday Use WebEx Direct, Informal Communication Allow Back Channels Heads Up Be Accessible The Importance of Templates Trip Reports Weekly Status: Four Corner Charts (Quad Chart) 80-20 Report Template Evolution Conclusion References Chapter 2 Scope Management Plan Project Management Plan Scope Management Collect Project Requirements Document Project Scope Create WBS Validate Scope Control Scope Summary References Chapter 3 Schedule Management Define Activities Work Breakdown Structure Work Package Planning Indirect Efforts Phase Gate Reviews Level of Detail Rolling Wave Plan Invoicing Strategy Sequence Activities Activity Dependencies Network Diagrams Estimate Activity Duration Duration and Elapsed Time Start and Finish Dates Activity Duration Rollup Resource Loading Duration Estimating Techniques Reserve Analysis Estimate Activity Resources Resource Requirements Develop Schedule: Analyze and Baseline Schedule Analysis Schedule Baselines Use the Schedule Tracking Progress Assessing Performance Analyzing Performance Critical Path Analysis Corrective Actions Summary References Chapter 4 Requirements Management Identify User Needs Collect Requirements Elaborate Requirements Express Requirements Analyze Requirements Requirements Verification and Validation Requirements Summary References Chapter 5 Risk Management Plan Risk Management Identify Risks Risk Identification Categories Risk Identification Statement Analyze Risks Handle Risks Monitor Risks Opportunity Management Summary References Chapter 6 Project Resource Management Organizational Environment Plan Resource Management Acquire Project Resources Develop Project Team Manage the Project Team Summary References Chapter 7 Vendor Management Vendor Selection Vendor Product/Service Acceptance Monitor Vendor Performance Vendor Summary References Chapter 8 Cost Management Organize the Project Develop Project Schedule and Budget Define Measurement Methods and Baseline the Project Analyze Project Performance Summary References Chapter 9 Configuration Management Plan Configuration Management Identify Configuration Items Manage Configuration Changes Maintain Configuration Item Status Evaluate Configuration Items and Changes Release New Configuration Items Summary References Chapter 10 Quality Management Plan Quality Management Quality Assurance Quality Control Balanced Quality Management Quality Summary References Chapter 11 Tales from the Trenches Communication Management The Value of Informal Communications Scope Management Three Perspectives of Scope Management from a Single Program The Mars Viking Lander Project Schedule Management Key Takeaways Requirements Management AMRAAM: Write the Specification to Win the Contract! Communicate Clearly with the Contractor/Subcontractor Communication View Requirements through the Eyes of the Customer Risk Management Resource Management Project: Transition Hospital Operations to a New State-of-the-Art Facility Vendor Management Cost Management Planning Planning at the Right Level Culture of Accountability Monitoring Cost and Schedule Management The Importance of Cost Awareness Quality Management Configuration Management The AWG-9 Radar for the F-14 Aircraft: A Persistent Test Failure About the Author Index