Practical Project Management for Engineers

✍ Scribed by Nehal Patel

• Publisher: Artech House Publishers
• Year: 2019
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 253
• Edition: Illustrated
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This exciting new resource guides readers through a step-by-step process on how to deliver 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.

✦ Table of Contents

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