PROJECT PLANNING

Purpose
The first stage of ANY project which has been authorised should be to develop a plan for the project. This should NEVER be skipped.

The plan should state what is required to be done, by who, and by when. The plan should ultimately be one of the main project tools for assessing/ checking progress, and should be taken to all reviews. Planning begins here but will continue throughout the remainder of the project.

This may seem like one of the most daunting stages. The approach described here may seem long winded. BUT it is critical, and it won’t take as long as you might think.

These guidelines are designed to provide direction in a step-by-step manner. Following these will ensure that there is a standardised approach to the way we all plan.

 


Note: The plan should be one of the most important sources of information for others about the project, both during and after the project. The plan is a snap shot of information including: what stages or tasks are/ were involved in completing the project, during what times the project took place, who worked on the project etc…


Overview
It is not possible to plan every last detail at this stage. A top down approach is needed. First of all think about the project specification, and consider the level of detail this plan should reflect.

The plans should include the following sections:

1. PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN
This is almost like a contract, the opening statement of the project plan, and is the section which should be signed off. Much of the content may be included in the project specification, the aim is to add detail where needed. If a good project specification has been generated, this should speed things up rapidly.

This plan should include:
 An introduction and summary
 Organisational Structure & Stakeholders
 Project Plan (Overview)
 Work Breakdown Structure  Overview
 Schedule and Statement of the work
 Communications Plan
 Statements of commitments and acceptance.


A template exists for the generation of this plan.

NOTE: The project manager “owns” this document, and should update it accordingly. This should be signed off by the Project Manager and Department Manager (Sponsor) as a minimum.

2. PROJECT PLAN
The next level of detail down is the “Project Plan”. Here we start to consider and record more detail:

 Key “Project/Management Stages” i.e. stages of the project.
 Key milestones and decision points.
 Costs for each stage.
 Overall Costs
 Resource for each stage

3. PROJECT/MANAGEMENT STAGES
Considering a project in stages is an important planning mechanism:
 Easier to consider a large project in smaller stages.
 Each stage may subsequently be planned separately but forms part of the same project plan.

There are TWO ways to think about this:

A. PRODUCT BASED
This is particularly useful for large projects. It may not be necessary for  those  which are smaller. In which case look at part B.
 Work Backwards
 What is to be produced?
 State/ describe this CLEARLY!
 What other things have to be produced? Again be clear.
 This should prompt Milestones
 How do the products have to be produced?
 Consider the flow of the Products
i. What product comes next?
ii. What products depend on others?
iii. A flow diagram might help.
 Move onto B.

B. ACTIVITY BASED
 Start from the beginning and consider what activities need to be carried out.
 If you have considered a Product Based approach, start with the first product.
 Produce a list of Activities (in MS Project) by considering:
i. What needs to be done?
ii. What comes next?
iii. Who will do what?
 Ensure the list includes:
a. ID
b. Activity name
c. Duration
d. Dependencies (if known)
e. Resource Requirements


4. SCHEDULING (MS Project)
 You should have a list of activities and possibly products.
 Understand the order of the work breakdown – what needs to be done in what order, dependencies etc…
 Consider and set the working days and holidays etc…
 Do you need to work
 Forwards – Establish How Long
 Backwards – Work to a SET date.
 Consider how long will be required to complete each activity.
 Be realistic
 Not everything can be done in parallel
 Think about what resources are available.
 Resource Scheduling
 Who will be needed?
 Special skills
 Particular Number of people
 It is critical to clearly communicate this element!
 Critical Path –
 This is the path of activities which determines the end date. Any slip along this line will affect that end date. The planner should also be aware of other activities, particularly when these are close to the critical path.


5. COMMUNICATION PLAN
This plan details the types, methods and schedule for communication to the project stakeholders. It is a good idea to include the scheduled items in the Gantt Chart.
 Look at the Stakeholder Matrix
 Establish their information needs in relation to the Project Plan.

Consider the following:
 Reports:
o What reports?
o By Who?
o To Who?
o How Often?
 Meetings:
o What meetings?
o Who?
o When?
o How Frequently?
o What Outcomes? Agenda?
 Methods:
o How to communicate unplanned activities, emergencies etc…
 Documentation and Storage:
o Specifiy where.
o Specific requirements?
o Templates.

 
TIPS and GUIDELINES:
Each project manager, and team will have their own subtly different approach to producing project plans, even if the above is taken into account. The tips bellow give some more specific pointers for creating the Gantt Chart, one of the most important parts of the project plan.

Specific Guidelines on Creating a Project Gantt Chart
The following summarises the main guidelines for generating a standard project plan. Many of these are already incorporated into the Project Plan Template:

• The file name should be the project number i.e. PD……. + “iss1” etc…
• Use size 12 text – Futura Lt BT
• Column Headings:
1. ID
2. Task Name
3. Duration
4. Start Date
5. Finish Date
6. % Complete
7. Resource
• The first task should always  be the Project Heading – Including project number
• All subsequent Activities or tasks should be indented by at least one, such that the overall project time can be easily seen.
Activities: The following activities may help when defining project management stages, and scheduling.
 Kick off meeting
• Research Inputs
• List inputs – Milestone – Linked to documents
• Construct and review specification.
• Implementation Activities.
• Reviews (regular intervals)
• Documentation
• Refinement
• Final Review
• Etc…
• Tasks should be grouped accordingly, and where these are a subtask of another, these should be tabbed by at least one.
• Tasks should continue in chronological order where possible. This will not always be possible e.g. sub tasking takes priority. Many tasks are in parallel.
• Always confirm duration except for exceptional circumstances. Be as accurate as possible.. REMEMBER the plan is not expected to be an exact account of what will happen and will be updated as the project moves on.
• At the end of the project plan list any other parties who are involved in the project, even if they are simply the customer. This will help with traceability, and should make the plan a one stop shop for retrieving information on the project.

 

 


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ENGINEERING COMMISSIONING

Project commissioning is a systematic performance testing and quality control process designed to verify that newly-installed equipment and systems operate according to the intended design and the agencies/customers needs.  Some say Commissioning typically begins during the project design phase and continues for at least one year after construction is complete.  It requires thorough documentation of system design, construction quality, functional performance tests, and operation and maintenance requirements.  The training of facility operators and staff also is a key component of building commissioning since staff may be responsible for some equipment maintenance.  Over time, continuous commissioning is the best way to determine whether controls and equipment function properly.

Why Do Commissioning?

Studies have shown that poor communication of design intent, inadequate equipment capacity, inferior equipment installation, insufficient maintenance and improper system operation have all reduced energy cost savings. Typical problems in non-commissioned projects include:

• Poor documentation of project installation and operational requirements.

• Underutilized energy management systems

• Incorrect equipment scheduling

• Existence of snags that wound hinder production time

• Lack of process optimization.

• Negative cash flow

Depending on the complexity of the project, commissioning cost can range from one to four percent of the total cost of the project. An investment in commissioning usually pays of itself in one or three years because it can reduce energy usage and other process snags by up to 15 percent. Commissioning can also reduce future equipment repair cost, downtime and replacement by 15 percent or more.  Benefits of commissioning include the following:

Increased in house knowledge and improved equipment operation.
Project commissioning provides the system/company with in-house knowledge for optimizing equipment, system and control efficiencies. Optimization improves coordination within systems/plants and, therefore, improves overall performance. Improved system control extends equipment life and improves operation efficiency by avoiding frequent equipment cycling.

Better planning and coordination for smoother equipment start-up
During project execution commissioning provides better planning, coordination and communication amongst stakeholders. This is considering that commissioning is considered to start of after the design phase of a project. This planning results in fewer change orders, shorter punch/snag list and fewer callbacks. Commissioning also provides faster and smoother equipment start-up due to systematic equipment and control testing procedures.

Better front end performance
Knowing that problem prevention is less expensive than problem correction, commissioning provides front-end performance accountability and quality control by allowing frequent comparison of consistent project construction with project design. This can provide quick feedback to design professionals on the dynamic performance of their design. Proper commissioning reduces liability risk from environmental hazards or equipment failure.


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Category: Chemical Engineering, General Engineering, Plant Scale Up's, Process Engineering, Project Engineering
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About Me

I have a first degree in Chemical Engineering, and a Masters degree in Process and Environment Systems Engineering. I have vast experience across industries as a process Engineer and hence a broad view with respect to Chemical/Process Engineering challenges & insight.