Project Plans and Schedules

The validation plan is a strategic document that should state what is to be done, the scope of approach, the schedule of validation activities, and tasks to be performed. The plan should also state who is responsible for performing each validation activity. The plan should be reviewed and approved by designated management.1 

Validation plans are documents that tailor a company s overall philosophies, intentions, and strategy to establish performance and computer systems or software adequacy. Validation plans state who is responsible for performing development and validation activities, who identifies which systems are subject to validation, who defines the nature and extent of inspection and testing expected for each system, and who outlines the framework to be followed to accomplish the validation. 

In general, validation project plans describe the organization, activities, and tasks involved in the development of a computer system, including  

The plan may also refer to procedures to guide operation and maintenance. 

Validation plans ensure that mechanisms are in place to guide and control the multiple development or maintenance activities, many of which ran in parallel, and assure proper 

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Validation plans and associated schedules are live documents that should be reviewed periodically. Phase gate verification activities, performed during each event, may be a perfect place to review the project plan and schedule. 

The result of the project planning and scheduling process should be a planning document often called the project or integrated project plan. This serves to emphasize that it represents the integrated plan of all the team members. An integrated project plan should include the following information ... 

The project risks and issues with contingency plans. The project plan and schedule (in milestone form for management review and in detailed team member deliverable form for the team members)... 

Once you have developed the program plan and schedule, and estimated resource requirements, you should organize this information in a manageable form for presentation to your PSM sponsor. If you have kept management informed about your progress you should have a clear idea of what is expected in terms of form, content, and level of detail. A sample table of contents for a project plan appears as Figure 5-12, and Figures 5-13 and 5.14 provide additional detail on selected portions of the plan. 

One of the principal tasks facing the manager responsible for implementing a new plant layout is the planning and scheduling of the many activities involved in the project. Modem computerized systems have evolved into easy-to-use tools that avoid the need for a detailed technical knowledge of planning techniques. 

Most detailed programs for plant-related projects are prepared using simple critical path analysis (CPA) techniques. CPA is a well-known and familiar technique to most engineers and is incorporated into most modern PC-based planning and scheduling systems. Such a system typically has the following features that a plant project manager will find useful ... 

This fact is not designed to take away from the importance of either one. The good news is that the mechanics of planning and scheduling is the same for either daily/weekly or shutdown/project maintenance. Well planned work orders are the fundamental requirement of both routine and outage maintenance. Many organizations lose sight of this fact. 

Project plans and a dedicated project manager are required to coordinate across-site support activities, e.g. project planning, engineering, process development, production, QC (quality control), etc. This is critically important if production scale equipment and operating areas need to be used during the transfer exercise, i.e. the impact on commercial manufacturing schedules. 

A contractor company represented in the DQO process by the project manager, the chemist, and the statistician will conduct project planning. The contractor company will provide the necessary resources and perform the work. The project budget and schedule are negotiable. A consulting company represented in the DQO process by the project manager and the chemist will perform the work the consultant will provide personnel for the operation of the treatment system. The project has a limited budget and will last for two years. 

The main virtue of these computer programs lies in the ease of the scheduling and revision process along with the ability to provide up to date reports at any time. As a side effect the availability of a supportive computer program may improve the motivation to create more detailed project plans and to update it as required. 

Good planning and scheduling will minimize the project duration and enhance productivity both during engineering and construction. 

The project execution plan and master project schedule developed by the Owner s Project Manager during the initial project stages (Chapter 9) set the basis and execution logic for the entire project and, normally, are all that is needed to execute small projects. However, in major projects, the responsibility for the actual execution is eventually turned over to an EPC contractor who must assume the planning and scheduling functions and issue an expanded execution plan and MPS in details commensurate with the size and complexity of the project. 

The Owner s Project Manager still has the overall project execution responsibility and must ascertain that the contractor s proposed plan and schedule reflect all the available data and that they incorporate any out-of-the-ordinary action that will be taken in the course of the project to achieve the stated objectives. 

The approved execution plan and schedule must remain unchanged and become the basis to evaluate project performance. When contractors say "I meet all my schedules," they sometimes mean "I met the last revision of all my schedules." Even if the working schedules must be revised as required to preserve their meaningfulness, contractors should never be allowed to change the original approved schedule. 

The following factors must be investigated and taken into consideration in the preparation of the execution plan and schedule it is up to the Owner s Project Manager to confirm that the contractor has done it in a conscientious manner. 

Work management processing of work requests preparation of project cost estimates planning and scheduling of work provision of required parts, materials, and equipment and maintenance of all related labor and equipment records... 

A process model is an ideal definition of the software life cycle or of how actual software projects work. As such, they are prescriptions for how to organize the software engineering activity. In reality, actual software projects deviate from these models but the models nevertheless give both managers and engineers a framework in which to plan and schedule their work. 

A resource plan, identifying the human and other resources required for the project, and their source, timing, and cost, compatible with the project budget and schedule. 

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