AdvancedTopic 96 of 102Manufacturing, Robotics & Systems
Project management
Scope, schedule, cost and risk control.
In depth
PMBOK-style management covers scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, communication, risk, procurement and stakeholders. Techniques: WBS, Gantt, CPM, earned value, change control, agile/hybrid. Leadership, communication and managing uncertainty determine success as much as tools.
Key points
- Triple constraint
- Critical path
- Stakeholder analysis
ExampleEarned value shows CPI=0.9: the project gets 90 cents of value per dollar spent.
What is Project management?
Scope, schedule, cost and risk control.
Why is it important to understand project management?
Project management keeps work on time, on budget and within scope, so good planning and control decide whether an engineering project succeeds.
What are the main project constraints?
Scope, time, cost and quality, which are linked, so a change in one usually affects the others.
What is a work breakdown structure?
A hierarchical breakdown of the project into deliverables and work packages, which is the basis for planning and cost estimating.
How is Project management used in practice?
Typical applications include setting milestones for the design, build and test of a prototype, tracking costs and forecasting completion for a construction project and managing the change requests that threaten the budget of a product launch.
What should I learn before Project management?
Study "Engineering economics" first (topic 95 of 102 in Manufacturing, Robotics & Systems). It covers the groundwork this topic builds on.
What are the key points of Project management?
Triple constraint. Critical path. Stakeholder analysis.
Can you give an example of Project management?
Earned value shows CPI=0.9: the project gets 90 cents of value per dollar spent.
What comes after Project management?
The next topic is "Risk assessment", which builds directly on this one.
How difficult is Project management?
It is classed as Advanced in Manufacturing, Robotics & Systems (topic 96 of 102). It is an advanced topic. It assumes you are comfortable with the intermediate topics in Manufacturing, Robotics & Systems.