Project deadlines

Constraints physical (space, facility), financial, and project deadline... 

The appropriate tools such as software, experimental equipment, and instruments for executing the task should be identified. The activities to meet the objective such as computer simulation, modeling and experimentation are defined. To meet the project deadline, it is also necessary to estimate the time needed to complete the tasks. Proper allocation of human and monetary resources to perform the activities is also essential [3]. 

In most cases, feasibility assessment is conducted under a tight timeline. When the plant management approves a feasibility project, they want to move things as soon as possible in order to see the benefit to be captured quickly. However, it happens from time to time that feasibility assessment cannot generate correct results on time or is unable to address the key concerns sufficiently and hence turns out to be unsuccessful. In majority of such cases, it can be traced back to one source failure to define the basis correctly and get data right. Thus, the feasibility assessment embarks on the wrong track until it is too late to meet the project deadline. 

Using this CL model meant a significant extra workload for the lecturers, which is difficult to quantify, as an accurate assessment of such an impact was not carried out. For example, the lecturers spent many hours answering students questions, particularly near the projects deadlines. In SMI the lecturers distributed the workload and each of the 3 or 2 lecturers (depending on the edition) was responsible for a different project. In the SMII course the author did it on her own, using the same model in the 1st edition and a lighter version in the following editions. 

At first, the contract-relevant project deadlines have to be specified. Typical basic dates are ... 

Figure 4-7. Projection of fast-line and deadline locations on rig floor [9].

During a project s life, planners and management should focus on three basic parameters quality, time and cost see Figure 51.2. A successfully planned and managed project is one that is completed at the specified level of quality, on or before the deadline, and within budget. 

Renegotiate Discuss with your client the prospect of increasing the budget for the project or extending the deadline for completion. X X... 

Deploy more resources You may need to put more people or machines on the project to meet a critical schedule. Increased costs must be weighed against the importance of the deadline. X X... 

A successful project produces an outcome that performs as expected, by deadline, and within cost limits. Thus, the three parameters by which a project is planned and controlled are established. Quality is defined by specifications, time is defined by schedule, and costs are defined by a budget. 

The probability of completing the project in 135 days is 0.28. This means that 28% of the time the deadline will be met. 

Whether you can accomplish a specific goal or meet a specific deadline depends first on how much time you need to get the job done. What should you do when the demands of the job exceed the time you have available The best approach is to divide the project into smaller pieces. Different goals will have to be divided in different ways, but one seemingly unrealistic goal can often be accomplished by working on several smaller, more reasonable goals. 

The authors would like to thank Grace Freedson who believed in our abilities and gave us this project. Many thanks also to Rasika Mathur in the preparation of the final copy. Thanks also to the McGraw-Hill team, especially Kimberly-Ann Eaton, Charles Wall, and Barbara Gilson. And John would like to especially thank his dear wife Robin who put up with his late nights at the computer, tight deadlines, and foul moods. 

As the program becomes widely used, the ability to generate reports and data sheets for laboratory results will be a valuable addition. The added ability to remind the scientist about certain deadlines for a project may be easily included, but will not be useful until scientists use the Apollo computer regularly. 

Time-management skills Sharmila was able to manage her time well. She accomplished more on this project over the summer than our office had been able to accomplish in the six months preceding her internship. She met all the deadlines. EE... 

This may mean having to ward off attempts to terminate your project because you have not got quick results. If you are thwarted initially, realize you can live to Aght another day. You may have to accept being judged adversely because you have failed to deliver on deadlines or other targets that you were required to promise, however unrealistic. 

On the face of it, knowing when remedial action is called for might appear straightforward. Tasks can be allocated. Deadlines set. Requirements explained. If these can be specified unambiguously there may be little problem. But, as explained above, given the uncertainties and conflicting pressures of many projects that is not always feasible. 

While deciding-as-you-go-along is often a valid way of proceeding, it can place testing calls on the project leader s powers to keep collaborators in line and the project on course. Deadlines can be argued to have been unrealistic. Whether a task has been completed satisfactorily or not may be open to wide interpretation. These are issues that then need to be discussed and negotiated in the light of project objectives. 

Recourse to one s formal authority, which might be possible if you are taking corrective action for standard routine activities, may be out of the question in the case of a project. Many if not all of your collaborators will work with you voluntarily and by agreement. This makes it difficult to use the heavy hand of formal authority to get someone to remedy a neglect or shortcoming - even if this were your style. Moreover, in the case of deadlines not met, it may be too late to do anything other than accept that you are now behind schedule. 

Again regardless of in-house or outsource development, document a list of features and prioritize them. Break the project down into short, timeboxed iterations, each focusing on one or two of these features (Chapter 5). Do not let the iteration deadline slip. Reduce the scope of the iteration if necessary. Implement features with high business values and high business and technical risks in early iterations. Make sure each iteration delivers a production quality partial system to solicit feedback and let the system grow incrementally. The project plan should be adjusted based on the feedback. It is OK if the initial project plan is not accurate. However, it should become more and more accurate as more iterations are completed. Test and integrate early and frequently. 

Controlling an integration program can be a Herculean task. With projects (and sub-projects) running in parallel and countless individual actions documented with concrete end products, responsibilities and deadlines, a high level of complexity is guaranteed. In addition, individual project teams often work at different locations in different countries. 

The outputs of Step 1 illustrated for the case studies in a box on the next page include a list of the planning team members and their roles identification of decision makers a concise description and a conceptual model of the environmental problem in question and a summary of available resources and relevant deadlines for the project, such as the budget, personnel, and schedule. 

We wait until a deadline approaches before we really get moving on projects. 

When you are required to turn in a project for your supervisor, turn it in before the deadline. 

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