Project management disciplines

Project management disciplines like cost estimation, project scheduling, resource planning, configuration management, and proactive risk management to avoid the state of wonder why the project is in constant turmoil. Implementation of a minimal process and reliance on staff expertise is not sufficient. 

This may be a simplistic question but for many, a project is an I know it when I see it proposition. For most, the author included, training in project management was an ad hoc, on-the-job affair. However, there is quite a lot of structure, much of it in the PMBOK, in the project management discipline and supply chain strategy makers ought to understand it and use it when necessary. 

The definition of project scope might begin with describing the expected outcome. By definition, project outcomes are one of kind, unique to the individual project. If outcomes were repetitive, the project management discipline would not be needed. A production environment would be more appropriate than a project environment. 

Poor project management discipline to structure the effort... 

Once filed, an NDA undergoes several layers of review (Figure 4.12). A primary review panel generally consists of a chemist, microbiologist, pharmacologist, biostatistician, medical officer and biopharmaceutics scientist. Most hold PhDs in their relevant discipline. The team is organized by a project manager or consumer safety officer (CSO). The CSO initially forwards relevant portions of the NDA to the primary review panel member with the appropriate expertise. 

The coordination of this entire complex process is the province of project management, the objective of which is to ensure that all the necessary parts and components of a project mate up. This discipline in its modem form was first developed for the Polaris missile project in the 1960s. Its major tool that is familiar to pharmaceutical scientists is the network or PERT (Program Evaluation Review Technique) chart, as illustrated in Figure 1.2. This chart is a tool that allows one to see and coordinate the relationships between the different components of a project. One outcome of the development of such a network is identification of the rate-limiting steps, which, in aggregate, comprise the critical path (see Table 1.3 for a lexicon of the terms used in project management). 

Why is it so difficult to muster just the right amount of perseverance in a corporate environment We believe perseverance is foremost a decision-making problem. To meet performance criteria, project management needs discipline. Typically, at the start of a project the project leader develops a milestone plan as guidance for future project evaluations. When milestones are not met after the originally estimated time, management typically decides to withhold further funding because it has lost faith in the project s likelihood of success. 

The planning and preparation of either a new product or investigational product application requires a multidisciplinary approach. Most companies developing new products utilize formal project management systems to facilitate the collaboration between the technical disciplines, which may include personnel from research and development, manufacturing, formulation development, regulatory affairs, quality assurance, and other disciplines, as required. In addition to planning for the required elements, most FDA review divisions have specific preferences on how data should be analyzed and presented. When complex applications are planned, such as INDs, IDEs, PMAs, NDAs or BLAs it is critical for communications with the... 

The recommendations should then be divided into various specialized disciplines for evaluation, for verification and concurrence on the project managers decision (safety, operational, engineering). 

Level 2 Basic project management processes are established to track cost, schedule, and fnnctionality. The necessary process discipline is in place to repeat earlier successes on projects with similar applications. 

In the meantime, the breakdown of the construction hours by disciplines provided with the conceptual estimate enables the Project Manager to refine, with the aid of the scheduling guidelines in Fig. 9.1, the staffing requirements and prepare a firm plan for contracting the construction work. 

An alert Project Manager can realize real cost savings in these areas by being inquisitive, having a healthily skeptical attitude and a good sense of cost and value. The Project Manager does not have to be an expert in any particular field but must have a basic understanding of all disciplines involved in project execution. 

Master and short-term itemized schedules and the discipline of tracking performance and making the contractors live up to their projections, especially the short-term ones. If a contractor cannot meet the goals of a short-term schedule, it will never meet the long-range schedules. The Project Manager has to take immediate action ... 

Correction Periodic reviews of work progress with each discipline supervisor in the presence of the contractor s Project Manager and his/her immediate superior. 

Specialists have a dual responsibility to both the Project Manager and their line supervisors and will support the project work in their discipline areas as required by the Project Manager. These areas include ... 

In the meantime the Project Manager can use the construction hours breakdown by disciplines to prepare a preliminary execution plan to refine the field staffing requirements and prepare a meaningful, tentative plan to subcontract construction work. 

Project manager 5 points Several projects of similar nature Subcontract experience Field experience General engineering experience Strong commitment to project/client Planning experience First or second project with firm > 20 yrs with same company Specialization in any discipline Relies too much on discipline managers... 

---