Managing R&D Projects
Project Management
"Isn't it about having fun while were winning more market share and shareholder value?"
Why This Course?
This course exists to provide high-tech managers and project team members with the tools they need to achieve project and corporate success.
Who Will Benefit?
This course is primarily for Project Managers and project team members. Executives, Account/Purchasing Managers, Line Managers and Marketing Managers will also benefit.
Overview
There are many ways to run a successful R&D project. In our experience, the most successful people balance the science and art of project management. We see it as structured chaos; the need for just enough structure to maintain control while giving project staff enough freedom for creativity.
Since the single most important factor in project success is the effectiveness of the people, we devote time not only on the science of project management (i.e., doing the right things) but also on the art of project management (i.e., doing things right). To accomplish this, we explore roles and techniques that have been successfully applied to understand where each might be appropriate. Also, we explore specific theories and models (some unique to us) that help maximize trust, leadership and management efficiency and effectiveness in order to achieve the highest productivity possible. We also explore the dynamic of client/supplier relationships since many high tech projects today have some degree of outsourcing.
Why do we do this? What we have found is that successful teams have a superior problem solving capability when faced with multiple competing criteria (i.e., situational awareness and sense of balance). At the same time, they are able to rapidly put into effect sound and balanced decisions by adapting themselves rapidly to the various roles they must play and by aligning stakeholder interests. Participants will never see project management in quite the same way ever again. Guaranteed!
Participants Will Learn To:
- Start the project on the right note.
- Get the plan right the first time.
- Monitor what's really happening.
- Control problems before they control you.
- Finish the way everybody wants you to.
- Balance conflicting interests and objectives.
- Understand what's really going on.
- Understand at a deep level what the root cause of a problem really is.
- Identify peoples strengths and weaknesses.
- Identify the real situation.
- Match strengths to situations.
- Apply the right leadership style to get what you want and what you need.
- Develop trust and positive relationships at all levels under stressful conditions.
Benefits:
- Maximize shareholder value.
- Increase project success rates.
- Alignment of objectives.
- Effective communication.
- Estimates that aren't "guesstimates".
- Plans that execute faithfully.
- Efficient and effective project delivery.
- Teams that want to do another project.
- More effective and efficient leadership.
- Increased morale and motivation.
- Less stress.
- Improved supplier relationships.
- Lower cost and increased profit.
Detailed Outline:
This course is designed for the high-tech manager who is new to managing high-tech projects or who wants to acquire new skills and techniques to get projects done on time, on budget, to very high technical quality and that meets everyones expectations. The course emphasizes both the science and art of managing projects.
The course is usually split up into two, 2-day sessions to accommodate engineering managers demanding schedules, although it is preferable to have a continuous 4-day course for learning effectiveness and pricing advantages. The module descriptions are for the major items only.
Part 1:
Module 1: Introduction
This module introduces the course, agenda, aim and objectives and takes care of administrative issues. Participants are asked to introduce themselves and their expectations.
Module 2: Governing Principles & Models
This module defines project management in the context of a commercial Electronic Product Design (EPD) project. It introduces the concept that project success is a dynamic problem where scope, time and cost are often in conflict. It also adds that this dynamic affects the quality of the relationship among stakeholders since different stakeholders have different measures of success and changes to scope, time and cost affect the degree of success achieved. This is particularly true in situations where outsourcing occurs and/or where a formal client/supplier relationship exists. The module also describes the importance of schedule on EPD projects and the impact of time-to-market and time-to-competition.
Module 3: Life Cycle
This module introduces the concept of the life cycle and links project management models to engineering models as found in typical engineering standards. A link is made between the model and the structure of the project plan (i.e., PM software, typically MS Project). Participants are shown how specification practices are linked to the life cycle.
Module 4: PM Process
Both engineering and project management processes are described in this module. A link is made between engineering process models and the structure of the MS Project plan. Key issues associated with initiation, planning, execution, control and closing are discussed.
Module 5: PM Functions (Scope, Time, Cost, Risk and Transition)
This module introduces the PM functions. Each function is discussed with a view to identifying the primary drivers associated with successful planning and how each relates to the technical effort of the EPD project as well as business management. Scope specifically addresses the WBS and how it and the EPD product specification must be consistent to maintain conceptual integrity of the management system and the technical design. Participants are also introduced to the importance of maintaining a link between the specification and the requirements and the importance of specification practices. Time specifically addresses the concept of estimates and their probabilities. In addition, participants are shown the concept of the Critical Path Method and provided with an exercise on how to calculate it. This method is especially critical in understanding how to schedule activities with respect to the degree of risk and the methods associated with reducing overall project time. Cost addresses the difference between product cost and project cost. Participants are introduced to the concept of earned value as a method of tracking project performance and projecting cost at completion. Risk focuses on identification of risks and identifying situations where risks exists; particularly the language of risk. Participants are provided with a procedure for documenting and tracking risks. Emphasis is given to the differences between the client and the supplier perspectives. The transition function discusses when and how to best transition projects from client to supplier and back again and the tools and techniques needed for success.
Part 2:
It is assumed that there will be some separation in time between Parts 1 & 2. Therefore, Part 1 is reviewed prior to part II. This is specifically needed to ensure that linkages between hard and soft skills are completely understood.
Module 1: Introduction
This module introduces the course, agenda, aim and objectives and takes care of administrative issues. Participants are asked to introduce themselves and their expectations.
Module 2: Review of Part I
This module consists of an extensive review of Part I key concepts and models.
Module 3: PM Functions (HR, Procurement, Quality, Communications and Governance)
This module introduces the remaining functions and how each contributes to a successful project. The HR function concentrates on organizational structures and makes a link between the WBS and team composition. The procurement function concentrates on contract types and their utility depending on the situation. A key issue addressed is how contract type distributes cost risk between two organizations. The quality function addresses the concept that quality is both objective and subjective. This module makes the link between degrees of importance in requirements and how metrics need to track those items highly critical to success. The communications function concentrates on the ease by which miscommunication can occur. It describes how organizational structure aids or hinders successful communication. Participants learn how body language, tone and vocabulary must be controlled for effective communication to occur. This is particularly described with respect to client/supplier relations and the typical face-to-face meeting. Governance is described with respect to the need for maintaining good procedures when 2 or more parties are involved in a project.
Module 4: Internal Team
This module describes how internal organizational structure impacts project teams. It introduces the idea that the project team is far more than the PM and the people doing the work but includes all stakeholders.
Module 5: External Team
This module describes client/supplier roles and how outsourcing maturity impacts project success whether the PM is in a supplier or client role. Participants are introduced to relationship and trust models as they related to client/supplier relationships.
Module 6: PM Core Competencies
This module consists of an in-depth look at five key categories of core competencies; namely, Personal Attributes, Management, Organizational Skill, Customer Management, and Leadership.
- Personal attributes examines the following topics: problem determination and analysis, creative thinking & systems thinking, industry specific knowledge, corporate/personal values, communication skills, eagerness to learn and stress management.
- Management examines the following topics: business/technical management knowledge, time management, managing meetings, coaching and mentoring, decision making, negotiating/facilitating, communication, delegation, and performance management.
- Organizational skill examines the following topics: team structure, team building and interacting with the internal team.
- Customer management examines the following topics: networking, professionalism, trust and the ability to generate trust, diplomacy and political acumen, consulting skills, application specific knowledge.
- Leadership examines the following topics: characteristics, functional model of leadership, team building, managing expectations, persuasion and influence, conflict management, initiative, situational leadership, strategies for increasing trust, and vision. Specific topics are enhanced by case studies and role playing where the synthesis of all the tools and techniques are put into practice.
Module 7: Course Summary
The course is summarized. Course evaluations are completed and certificates distributed.
To view a PDF version of this syllabus, click here.
Dates & Locations:
- Please contact learn@xtreme-eda.com for more information.