Project Planning And Control

CHAPTER 16

Introduction

This section is concerned with the planning and control of operations which occupy the low volume-high variety type of work. This is introduced in chapter 4 of the book. These 'project' operations are engaged in complex, often large-scale, activities with a defined beginning and end. The pioneers of planning and controlling project operations were the engineers and planners who worked on complex defense and construction projects. More recently, the methods they developed have been applied to projects as diverse as new product launches, education projects in the Third World, and theatrical productions.

Project planning and control is important because all managers will at some point, get involved with managing projects. Many of these projects may be relatively small - a Human Resources manager planning a training course, for example. Some will be far larger, for example, where the manager is part of a project team - such as an accountant providing cost information for a new marketing promotion. Whether large or small, however, the planning and control aspects of managing projects will follow similar principles.

 

Figure 16.1 illustrates this.

 

 

The Chapter Examples In The Book

PROJECT FAILURE AT THE LONDON AMBULANCE SERVICE - Relevance Rating

The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust - Relevance Rating **** - Site Rating ****

        

This is the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust home page. It is an excellent starting place to obtain information on the service and relevant information on the system crash in 1992. As well as the system crash information detailed below there are also articles on current developments within the service such as:

Operation Mayflower

Call Taking Computer System

Replacement 999 Telephone System

The purpose of examining this site however is to gain more information and background to the Computer-Aided Despatch System crash of 1992. This is also provided along with the above developments which may also be of interest.
The link courtesy of Anthony Finkleston at City University, London is the best place of starting from this site.
An interesting article on current state of the LAS CAD Development is also available and can be obtained from The Computer Bulletin. This article concerns the new control room.

Ambulance Dispatch System is a similar case from Melbourne, Australia. Here their new computerised dispatch system for the Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS) (Melbourne, Victoria) has also run into some difficulties.

ONCE IN A LIFETIME

Giotto Mission - Relevance Rating **** - Site Rating ***

Giotto was the European Space Agency's first interplanetary mission, and was part of the international armada of spacecraft which made flybys of Comet P/Halley in 1986. This site provides some background to this mission and further information which may be useful to the examination of this case as an example of project management. There are some further links available providing detailed and overview information at the highlighted sites.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES (Personal Profile) - Unavailable

LEMMING TELEVISION (Case Exercise) - Unavailable

CONTROLLING THE PROJECT AND CONTROLLING THE PLANT - Unavailable

THE CHANNEL TUNNEL

Department of Environment, Transport and Regions - Relevance Rating **** - Site Rating ***

This is a government site concerning the development and operation of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. There is a lot of information especially historical and factual to be obtained at this location and it is a useful addition to the colour page in the book. Use the site to gain a better understanding of the size of the project and its eventual purpose.
A Journey through the Channel Tunnel - Relevance Rating * - Site Rating **

Nothing to do with project management on the Channel Tunnel. This article is one person's account of the journey from London - Paris via the tunnel. This is relevant to some operations topics and links in nicely with the Channel Tunnel literature above to give a view of the end result of the project. Use this in conjunction with the other book chapters if doing a study on the tunnel.

VIRTUAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

CADCENTRE - Relevance Rating ***** - Site Rating **** - Recommended

CADCENTRE is a world-leading supplier of software solutions to the Process Industries. The link above is to their home page. At this location there are various sections which review the company and their products. This provides good background to the company.
The most relevant information to the colour page example can be found in their Visual Engineering section. It further describes the virtual reality projection technology from the perspective of benefits to the customer. An extremely relevant site worth a visit.

Other Organisations Relevant To This Chapter

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
Many of the activities that NASA undertake are project orientated and on a very large scale. This website provides information on their activities and their operation and has some interesting and relevant sections. NASA is a good example of an organisation with a high project management requireement and this comprehensive site provides useful illustrations. There is also the NASA Headquarters [http://www.hq.nasa.gov/] site that may provide material for the study of this topic.

The Sydney 2000 Games
This is the Official Site for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The games are scheduled to run between 15^th September and 1^st October 2000 during which approximately 10,200 athletes and 5,100 officials from 200 countries will be expected to take part. With an estimated worldwide audience of 3.5 billion the Games are a very big event requiring a vast amount of organisation. As an example of project management this site can offer an excellent insight into the organisation of one of the one of the worlds biggest tournaments. For further information try the Official Site of the International Olympic Committee. [http://www.olympic.org/]

Articles Relevant To This Chapter

The Project Management Forum – Rating *****
"The Project Management Forum is a non profit resource for information on international project management affairs dedicated to development, international cooperation, promotion and support of a professional and world wide project management discipline." This is an excellent resource site well worth visiting for background information in the area of project management. A wealth of resources can be found here with many papers, journals and case studies readily available.

Project Management Institute – Rating ***
This is the homepage for the Project Management Institute (PMI). The PMI is a non-profit making professional association specialising in the area of Project Management. In addition to providing information on the association there are also articles on Project Management and related activities that may be of use in research.

ProjectNet – Rating ***
The ProjectNet site is a project management resource site from Project Manager Today magazine. There are some interesting sections that provide information on a variety subject matters, case studies and project management research material.

The Sections

Main Page - Operations Management

Section 1 - Introduction

Section 2 - Design

Section 3 - Planning & Control

Section 4 - Improvement

Section 5 - The Operations Challenge