Critical Analysis of the PMP, Other Subject

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16

Introduction------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18

Background and environment of project ------------------------------------------------------------ 19

Critical analysis of the PMP----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19

Nature of venture ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19
Nature and purpose of the chosen PMP ------------------------------------------------------------ 22
Audience of PMP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 25
Structure of the PMP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27
Conclusion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29

Recommendation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 30
Research & Academic Theory ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 32

Quality Management Plan ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38
Reference ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38
Appendix ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40

Critical Analysis of the PMP

3.4.1 Nature of venture- This project is related with production with special reference to technical specification. A project is a complex set of activities relating to diverse areas. Technology selection ,choosing the appropriate technology, procuring the appropriate technology, hiring the right kind of people ,arranging for financial resources, execution of the project in time by proper scheduling of the different activities etc. contribute to the complexities of the project.SEC companies will be monetary benefited and will open new projects after successfully finishing mission fire project.

Mr. Gary is project manager of mission fire project, prior he was project engineer he was promoted to become as a project manger following organization chart will explain appropriately detail structure of employee and management.

Fig 3.1

Fig 3.2

Gantt Chart- Scheduling Of the different activities of the project [15]

Fig 3.4

3.4.2 Nature and purpose of the chosen PMP –
Project management plan is actually managing the entire project and discussing the technical, ethical, legal, contractual and other project management matters that Project Manager faced during the Mission fire project.
Scientific Engineering Corporation decided to compete for Phase I of the mission fire Project. The purpose of the mission fire Project is to improve the structural capabilities of the Shuttle Launch Booster, a launch rocket booster used by ISRO. It will involve in certain activities which is described here as under
In research and development Technical Issues project manager Gary Allison faced many technical complications when attempting to create a product that could withstand the appropriate temperatures as well as ensure a long life span. The technical specifications stated that it must be able to operate normally and successfully through a temperature range of -65 degrees Fahrenheit to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately the current testing displayed that Scientific Engineering Corporation’s design would not function above 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Gary Allison tried his best to approach the research and design phase of the project by paying close attention to detail and overseeing as much of the actual process as possible. Gary also spent a great deal of time actually participating in the research and design. By doing so Gary hoped he would be able to identify and solve any technical issues. This project will define what project management is and explain the importance of project management as a part of a team environment. Project management refers to planning, organizing and managing different resources in order to successfully achieve a goal. The most important job of a project management is to deliver unique results within time constraints as well as according to a budget. The project must make the most efficient use of time, money, personnel, materials and communication in to successfully complete a project. The project manager must implement project control systems from the start so the project goes forward within time and budget constraints. Project control is essential but if implemented incorrectly it can have devastating effects on the outcome of a project. [9]

Purchase Department is responsible to procure the identified material and again it will be responsible for procuring to new material.
Testing is done in order to ensure raw material is within specification. All that remained was four additional full-scale verification mixes to determine how much deviation there would be in material properties between full-sized production-run mixes. Final testing was completed during the second week of the ninth month. The initial results looked excellent. The materials were within contract specifications, and although they were new, both Gary and Space Technology’s management (customer) felt that there would be little difficulty in convincing ISRO that this was the way to go.
Production Department will be responsible to manufacturing of the newly identified material. Assembly line will be Responsible for assembling of the entire project.
Few findings of the project like approach of project manager is critically analyzed

1, Gary Allison’s only attributes to this critical project was that he was a Project manager with such a command of technology and was very good at presenting technical data.
2. Gary Allison’s has familiarity with organization.
3. Initiative and risk taking ability, high Energy level.
4. The customer complained that he was not easily accessible and was often unavailable or had to be paged in the research laboratories.
5. They also complained that he was not present when staff presented administrative data. His team did not present data well and did not include an agenda.
6. Gary was not able to strike a balance between his technical responsibilities with his administrative responsibilities.
7. Major issue was that he lacked management skills; he needed to spend more time managing and less time doing.
8. His communication skills were not acceptable; he kept people in the dark for far too long and then expected them to jump at the very last minute. Gary was just not well equipped to take on such a tasking..
9. One of the major problems Gary faced was that he had poor management skills and did not lead his team in an effective manner.
Few Records of project-

Inventory report-
Technical specification Chart
Personal file-
Testing report-
Bill of Material-
It will list of the entire purchased item.
it will provide technical specification chart
It will record all personal data.
It will show testing Report
It will be useful during manufacturing.

Table 3.1

3.4.3 Audience of PMP-As discussed in organizational chart the Space technology industries is customer of the scientific engineering corporation they need to improve the structural capabilities of the Shuttle Launch Booster, a launch rocket booster used by ISRO. They need the completion of the project in proper time schedule and cost. Following time schedule table and Work Package table will be helpful to manage the entire project.

Time Schedule-

Sl .No Code No of Work Package Time Duration Time Schedule
Year 2012 Year 2011-2012
Feb-April May-July Aug-Oct Nov-Jan
1 A 10days Planned
Actual
2 B 90days Planned
Actual
3 C 10days Planned
Actual
4 D 15days Planned
Actual
5 E 60days Planned
Actual
6 F 10days Planned
Actual
7 G 60days Planned
Actual
8 H 100days Planned
Actual
9 I 1day Planned
Actual

Table 3.2

3.4.4 Structure of the PMP-- List of main tasks (Work Packages)

No.

Work Package

A

Research and Development
B
Purchase Department
C
Finance Department
D
Human Resource Department
E
Testing
F Purchase Department
G Testing of New Material
H
Manufacturing (Material Development)
I Assembly Line

Table 3.3

3.4.5 Contents of the PMP sections
Detailed Work Breakdown Schedule (WBS)

No

Task Responsibility Start Date End
Date Days
A Finance Department Acquiring and allocation of fund 5 Feb 16 Feb 10
B Research and development To identify the raw material 17th Feb 20th may 90
C Purchase department Procuring of identified material 21th may 31th may 10
D Human Resource Department Recruitment selection and Training 1st June 15Jun 15
E Testing Testing of identified material 15 Jun 15 Aug 60
F Purchase department Purchasing of new material 16 Aug 26 Aug 10
G Testing Testing of New material 27 Aug 27 Oct 60
H
Manufacturing (material Development) Manufacturing according to raw material 28 Nov 6th Feb 100
I Assembly line Final Assembly 7th Feb 17th Feb 10

Table 3.4

3.4.6 Conclusion
Project management issues that Gary faced during the Mission Fire project.
Throughout the mission fire project, Gary faced numerous technical, ethical, legal, contractual and other project management issues. Gary’s lack of project management experience was noticeable during the project and a number of times he failed understand that the final accountability has to be with him, the project manager. Finally, the overall performance of the project manager is assessed and the project was finished with their purpose.
In this study we demonstrated that the most excellent project management approach differ according to the intensity of risk concerned in a project. The significance of project objective perceptive, the intensity of power given to the project manager, difficulty managing by the project team, communication, and group synergy was plainly established. As a lot of achievement issues middle around individual association, this research also pointed out that high-risk project should be extra cautiously intended, strictly monitored and controlled.

3.4.7 Recommendation
The problem may be occurred of the technical specification if not met we can go for the new material. We may also face the problem of Budget and time which can be managed by change in Scope Statement. Project manager may overcome the problem by motivating his Team. Project manager should not involve in the work rather he should manage his team.
We will monitor the project by time schedule by network diagram and Gantt chart
Henry Larsen''s motive could also be read in his choice of having Gary as the project manager, he needed a new inexperienced manager who could be easily manipulated to promote his unethical management standards.
Solutions are recommended to decrease the incidence of issues in the future. These solutions include the proper use of strategic and business planning, pre-initiation and kick-off activities, and coordination tools, such as dashboards and project management software.
There must be proper, planning, scheduling, controlling implementation and project cost estimation of the entire project.
There must be proper consideration of ethical, legal issue.
The subsequent more recommendations are given-
As in this project technical risk is high so we can follow following instructions
? stress to work in team
? more power given to the project
? problem managing and communication skill is to be maintained
? keep away from detached project structure
? regularity of project monitoring
? employ WBS, PERT/CPM, techniques
? Pick the Excellent veteran project manager

Gary Allison’s was very new to project management, It was incorrect for Henry Larsen to let Gary be solely in charge of this project, the best way could have been to assign another more experienced project manager to work hand in hand with Gary or better still he could have allowed a more experienced project manager to lead the project while Gary worked as an assistant to the experienced project manager.

Project manager
Strengths
1, Gary Allison’s only attributes to this critical project was that he was a Project manager with such a command of technology and was very good at presenting technical data.
2. Gary Allison’s has familiarity with organization.
3. Initiative and risk taking ability, high Energy level.
Weaknesses
1The customer complained that he was not easily accessible and was often unavailable or had to be paged in the research laboratories.
2. They also complained that he was not present when staff presented administrative data. His team did not present data well and did not include an agenda.
3. Gary was not able to strike a balance between his technical responsibilities with his administrative responsibilities.
4. Major issue was that he lacked management skills; he needed to spend more time managing and less time doing.
5. His communication skills were not acceptable; he kept people in the dark for far too long and then expected them to jump at the very last minute. Gary was just not well equipped to take on such a tasking..
6. One of the major problems Gary faced was that he had poor management skills and did not lead his team in an effective manner.

3.5 RESEARCH & ACADEMIC THEORY
3.5.1 Technical Issue
Technical Issues Gary Allison faced many technical complications when attempting to create a product that could withstand the appropriate temperatures as well as ensure a long life span. The technical specifications stated that it must be able to operate normally and successfully through a temperature range of -65 degrees Fahrenheit to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately the current testing displayed that Scientific Engineering Corporation’s design would not function above 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Gary Allison tried his best to approach the research and design phase of the project by paying close attention to detail and overseeing as much of the actual process as possible. Gary also spent a great deal of time actually participating in the research and design. By doing so Gary hoped he would be able to identify and solve any technical issues. In conclusion Gary found that the only way to overcome this technical obstacle is by changing the design material or by incorporating new materials. After bringing this to the attention of Henry Larsen, they both agreed that new materials were necessary however with the encouragement of Henry; the decision was made to not disclose this in the proposal stage of the process. [10]
3.5.2 Ethical Issue
Ethical Issues Besides the technical issues that Gary Allison faced, he also faced some ethical issues as well. Henry Larsen, the director of engineering, advised Gary to not disclose his technical concerns to the customer. Gary was told to tell the customer that their design would be operative up to 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite Gary’s concerns with being untruthful, he decided to go along with Henry’s recommendations, as a promotion of being a program manager lied in the balance. By not disclosing the technical issues they faced and not disclosing the problematic design fault, they also had to lie about where the funds came from to cover the expenditures of having to test new materials in order to meet the specifications set forth. The compounding lies created so many ethical issues and each lie turned into another lie. [8]
One must question both the judgment and ethics of Henry Larson in hiring an inexperienced person to lead such an extensive project. Many incorrect decisions were made by Gary as he incorrectly heeds the poor and unethical advice of Henry Larson. Among the many adverse decisions and mistakes made by Gary was his lack of communication and honesty with the stakeholders involved with the project. If Gary would have been more informative with all parties involved (including the Space Technology Institute, the function manager, the team representative from the production department, and the production team as a whole), many problems would have either been avoided or rectified more smoothly. Henry Larson should have also been reprimanded for his involvement and contribution to the project over-run and mismanagement of funds. This would have been the case if Gary would have upheld his integrity and simply communicated to the SEC about Henry’s involvement from the beginning of the project. Yet, among many other erroneous decisions that Gary made, he decided to be hidden about Henry’s involvement, which ultimately led to Gary taking on the complete responsibility, Gary operated in a top-down hierarchical organization in which he took orders without questioning management. This led to Gary making the decision not to question his supervisor when he was faced with an unethical choice. Unfortunately Gary went along with the status quo and resorted to being dishonest in order for SEC to stay competitive. [7]
Henry Larsen''s motive could also be read in his choice of having Gary as the project manager, he needed a new inexperienced manager who could be easily manipulated to promote his unethical management standards.
3.5.3 Legal Issue
Legal Issues As a result of their dishonesty during the proposal process, it ultimately created a domino effect, with what once started as just a technical issue, turned into an ethical issue which then turned into a legal issue. The ethical issues ended up turning into legal issues as Henry Larsen’s team was spending the customer’s money on for testing materials that were not called out in the program plan, exceeding the budget drastically unless they are able to prepare a tradeoff analysis to figure out what could be deleted downstream in order to not overrun the budget. [4]Managerial Issues By not disclosing the testing of the new materials in order to meet the technical specification, it created bunch of issues all the way around. First of all it set the stage of distrust. Not only did Gary’s team no longer trust him but across the board this raised red flags for everyone as to what was going on with the management of this project. In an effort to reduce costs Gary accepted responsibility himself for developing the hill of materials, which then put the manufacturing plans a week behind schedule. Which then created a whole slew of other issues as the verification mix was then rescheduled. It was then discovered that Gary had never asked the engineering integration to prepare the bill of materials which then caused its own set of issues because in order to get it done, they had to reschedule his mix, require staff to work overtime which then increases costs.

3.5.4 Contractual Issue
A contract is legal agreement. It is an exchange of promises by two or more persons. When major work is undertaken by a main contractor, he can entrust some of the works to be executed by sub contractors. There will be separate contracts between the main contractor and his sub contractors. such sub contracts should provide for the execution of work by the sub-contractors as per the requirements of the original contract. SPACE TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIES (STI) is the prime contractor for the NASA’s Shuttle Launch Booster Program. If Scientific Engineering Corporation successfully bids and wins the Orion Shield Project, it will be a subcontractor to STI. The criteria for subcontractor selection are based not only on low bid, but also on technical expertise and management performance on other projects. SEC management believes it has a distinct advantage over most of the other competitors because they have successfully worked on other projects for Space Technology Industries. On February 10, Space Technology Industries announced that SEC would be awarded the Mission fire Project. The contract called for a ten-month effort, negotiated at a 6 million Fixed Price Incentive Fee (FPIF).SEC violates their contract on using the money of the customer. [3]
The stakeholders involved did not have a firm grasp on R&D contracting and the innovation that is allowed. Gary resorted to lying in order to make his results fit in with the proposal as opposed to striving for open and honest dialogue and embracing innovative practices.
One of the major problems Gary faced was that he had poor management skills and did not lead his team in an effective manner. There were complaints both internally
3.5.5 Financial Issue
The most important job of a project management is to deliver unique results within time constraints as well as according to a budget. The project must make the most efficient use of time, money, personnel, materials and communication in to successfully complete a project. The project manager must implement project control systems from the start so the project goes forward within time and budget constraints. Project control is essential but if implemented incorrectly it can have devastating effects on the outcome of a project. As Saran Wilson complained, he spent way too much time doing and not enough time managing. The fact that his memo authorized the vice-president and general manager to book 75 percent of $200,000 profit of the program for corporate profit spending for stockholders was an amateur but costly mistake that eventually cost Gary his job. [6]
Change request form is helpful to complete the project successfully.

Change Request Form

The following form is divided into three parts. Part 1 is proposed for use by the entity submitting the change request. Part 2 is proposed for utilize by the Project Manager to manuscript/converse their initial impact investigation of the requested change. Part 3 is intended for use by the management of Scientific Engineering Corporation (SEC) to document their final decision concerning the requested change.
1.) SUBMITTER - GENERAL INFORMATION
CR# Registration fees, sponsorship, charity program
Type of CR 0 Enhancement
Project/Program/Initiative Mission fire Project

Submitter Name Mr. Gary
Brief Description of Request Changes in staff, changes in raw material, changes in cost
Date Submitted 15/02/12
Date Required 18/02/12
Priority 0 High

Reason for Change Technical Specifications
Other Artifacts Impacted [List other artifacts affected by this change]
Assumptions and Notes Productivity and technical specification is to be met
Comments [change is essential]
Attachments or References 0 Yes
0 No

Link:
Approval Signature [Approval Signature] Date Signed [/dd/yyyy]

2.) PROJECT MANAGER - INITIAL ANALYSIS
Hour Impact [#hrs] No change
Duration Impact [#dys] No change in duration
Schedule Impact Mentioned in the WBS
Cost Impact Attached in the budget sheet [feature the impact this change may have on cost]
Comments May helpful to accomplish the object
Recommendations
Approval Signature [] Date Signed [17/02/2012]

3.) Management of Scientific Engineering Corporation (SEC) – DECISION
Decision 0 Approved
0 Approved with Conditions 0 Rejected
0 More Info
Decision Date [18th Feb 2012
Decision Explanation [Approved because it is essential for completing the project]
Conditions [Document and conditions imposed by the objective]
Approval Signature [Management of Scientific Engineering Corporation (SEC)] Date Signed [10/Nov/2011]

Table 3.5

3.6 Quality Management Plan

There are no of quality test were performed during testing of material in order to achieve technical specifications.

References

[1]. Gupta and Hira, (2010).Operations Research ,S Chand & Company page no 35
[2]. Sharma S.D., (2009). Operation Research: a modern approach, 3rd ed.,Kedarnath Ramnath and Co. page no 234
[3]. Nagrajan, N., (2008). Project management [Online] (Updated 26 September 2010) Available page no 123
[4]. At: https://knol.google.com/k/n-/-/1hzaxtdr9c09g/7 [Accessed 10 January 2012].
[5]. Vyas Jay Naryan(1987): Handbook of project Financing, N.K. Vyas publishers, Ahmadabad, p. no.-122-134
[6]. Lockyer Keith (1984): Critical Path analysis and other project network technique, Pitman publishing Limited, London,.
[7]. Mathur, B.L, (1994): Project Management, Arihant publishing House ,Jaipur
[8]. Roy M.K (2005)”Managerial Economics” 2nd edition pp 345-367 ICFAI press
[9]. Singh S.K, (2007), Business Economics pp.29-31, Sahitya Bhavan Publication
[10]. Joshi Roy (2008), Business Environment, pp.23-45, Kalyani Publication
[11]. Aswathpa .k (2010) Managerial Economics pp.56-59 Vrinda Publications
[12] Pinto, J. and D. Slevin. Project achievement: Definitions & Measurement methods. 1990. Project Management Journal, vol. XX, page no. 77-87.
[13] W Seelig. 1977. Practice as a Factor in the choice and Performance of Project Managers. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, vol. EM-12, no. 3 (nov.), Page no. 141-145.
[14]J.D. Sherman. 1998. The consequence of Matrix Organization volume and Number of Project Assignments on Performance. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, vol. 28, no. 2 (Jan.), Page no. 85-88
[15]Wolf man p, 2011 CPM and PERT techniques Project Management Journal vol. 3, page no. 23-35 John Wiley & Sons

Appendix 1

Risk Assessment Plan

Work Package -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Task
No
Describe the Risk
Likelihood
Impact
Overall Risk

• The level of Impact = (1). Insignificant, (2).Minor, (3).Moderate, (4). Major,(5) Catastrophic
• Likelihood of the event occurring = (A) Expected,(B) Probable,(C) Possible, (D)Improbable,(E) Rare

Level of likelihood Level of impact
1
(insignificant) 2
(minor) 3
(moderate) 4
(Major) 5
(catastrophic)
A (expected) Low Medium High Very High Extreme
B (Probable) Medium Medium Medium High Extreme
C (Possible) Low Medium Medium High High
D (Improbable) Low Low Medium Medium High
E (Rare) Low Low Medium High Medium

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