Managing deadlines of large projects generally pose many difficulties and with far greater complexity to organisations. But, how do we prevent delays of projects?
Firstly, an effective schedule most be produced and participants agree to it.
Let's say that we do have an effective schedule and all stakeholders as well as project team has agreed to the tasks and deadlines. Delays might still occur. what can we do? Let's find out!
Closed Loop Control System
One method for close project management and control is measuring the effect of any command given. The information than can be fed back to the source and correct any errors.
If the feedback is disconnected the system seems to operate in an open loop.
For am effective project management a Closed Loop Control (CLC) system is to be used.
For every instruction issued, progress is monitored, deviations from plan (errors and variation) are detected and corrective actions are applied. We have to ensure, however, that the corrective actions do take place so that the control loop is closed.
This principle of "command - measure - feedback - correct" should operate on the level of each individual task, at the higher level of WBS and the entire project.
This is also called often a cybernetic control and its principle is shown in the figure below.
Styles of management
Over many years, there are number of different management styles developed that can be easily adopted in the environment of project management.
Management by objectives, for example, is based on setting objectives for each manager, quantify them to measure the performance. This will, of course, require close analysis of each manager's role in the organisation. This concept has a lot of similarities with the WBS of the project as each manager is allocated in a hierarchical structure of their rile and objectives. Each manager than sets up objectives to its subordinates and measure the performance.
Another style, often called Management by the seat of the pants, is more instinctive, like riding a horse. Feelings are generally providing information on whether things go as expected. Not many of us, however, possess those skills and we should rely on data and scientific evidence.
When management often visits parts of the project to see the progress being made it can bel called Management by walking about. This can be useful, especially when adding motivation to those involved in the project. Even when some parts of a project are set at remote locations, there should be en effort made to visit and review the progress. Generally, people will respond well when they see they are being looked after. Failure to do this simple tasks can have tremendous consequences in demotivating the team.
Management by exception happens when errors and variations to plan occur and corrective actions are required. Here, we concentrate the focus of management on those exceptions. Management by exception require production of exception reports. This can be associated with project running late significantly, over budget or shortage of materials. These exceptions should always be reported to senior management by the project manager. The senior management should only concentrate on higher organisational objectives and significant issues with project schedules.
Updating project plans
Within a projects, many schedules and plans might change and need to be updated. For example, drawings or purchase schedules. These are very likely to change during the project life cycle. They must be kept up to date.
If everyone has access to it, issues with communication can also be avoided. It is important to keep close control over the revision status and issue numbers.
At times, we might need to make updates to project schedules. The changes might include:
Change in resource availability (more or less), cost rates or new target dates.
Change to the project logic arising from technical problems or change in scope.
Desire to produce new schedule from progress made so far.
There is many unknowns in projects that cannot be anticipated at the planning stage. Last minute issues often lurk, but the integrity of original plan should be protected as much as possible. When changes happen that will significantly affect the schedule, these changes should be actioned and updated as soon as possible.
For some complex projects regular updates are required. These are often the significant part of the project management. Therefore, day-to-day administration is highly desirable.
If we have up-to date information, updates and actions deriving from change will be most accurate.
Work-to-do lists
There should be certainly a simple method for collecting the progress information. That's where the training of all participants is highly effective to ensure data is kept up to date continuously. When the team members control and update their own work, it can provide the project manager with the real data at all times.
There should be two-way communication between the project manager and task managers. There might be specifically designed progress return forms, direct input to the computer software or managers returning copies of their to do lists.
When the feedback is received in the form of to-do-list for example, the new to-do-lists are issued.
The feedback should include:
- Tasks not completed to schedule, the reasons why tasks were not finished as planned.
- Number of tasks just started.
- The tasks in progress, with estimated completion and duration.
- Tasks completed.
The data should then be analysed and rescheduled into the entire project.
Schedules should be updated as frequently as it is required. In manufacturing environments, works to do lists are issued every day and those should feed back to the scheduler at the end of each day then schedule suitably updated.
In other projects, weekly work-to-do lists are recommended. If the intervals are left for too long, some of the corrective actions taken might not be effective.
If the progress on tasks is being gathered on forms rather than on computers, there is an important question that the project manager needs to ask themselves:
Can this task's immediate successor(s) be started now?
This is a true test on whether or not the task has truly been completed. If a task progress has been marked as 100% but the next task cannot start this might mean a false progress claim. Sometimes checks are required due to lack of confidence in the task or activity. In this situation the task should not be marked as 100%.
There is also another place where often progress can be made, where network logic fails to deliver. For example in a situation when engineering drawings have not been finalised but the purchases for materials can be started anyway. This might be an opportunity for speeding the progress.
Data checks
In terms of statistical checks we often look at the costs and resources engaged in the project. Is the correct number of people engaged as per plan? There could be many reasons why schedules are not progressing up to the plan and a close analysis os required.
It could be, that the number of employees scheduled to work on the project depleted due to pandemic, for example, as we could experience in recent years. Then the managers must take appropriate actions to revise and catch up.
Checks on quality of materials and equipment
Project manager should take into consideration the quality procedures of the vendors involved in the project. Some larger organisations require that anyone supplying their projects are satisfy the requirements of ISO9001:2015.
The lead-times are also important.
The purchasers cannot stay still and rely on the supplier to deliver on time and in full. They need to be in continuous contact with the vendors.
The efforts should continue until the supplier delivers what was promised within the quality, time and budget.
At times, a purchaser might arrange an audit to supplier's premises to witness the quality of production and quality tests. Sometimes, project managers would send speciality engineers to witness the supplier activities. In cases, even checklists are provided to suppliers on product to ensure quality expected. The commitment of purchasing department here is highly important.
If a supplier cannot deliver on time, the project manager will need to intervene.
The assessment of impact should be done and emergency measures applied. Sometimes, it might involve accepting lower quality supply but this should generally not be compromised.
To prevent this issues and catch any as early as possible, the project manager should be kept up to date with the purchase order status. Efficient communication with the purchasing department and freight forwarders is essential.
Subcontractors and agency staff
Sometimes subcontractors are required for the project at hand. This could be due to undertake tasks which require expertise, provide additional "temporary staff" or perform specific tasks externally.
Specifically, when hiring temporary staff (which has been rather popular in current years). This is required to cover staff shortages caused by holidays, sickness or sudden work overloads. Some companies keep "temporary staff" continuously on their site to cover for frequent workload fluctuations and reduce the possibility of making permanent staff redundant. For this reasons, the Agency Workers Regulations came to force in the UK. The regulation states that if the temporary staff has been working in an organisation for over 12 weeks, they are entitled to the same rights as permanent staff.
Search for suitable agency should be done as soon as possible if 'temporary workers" are to be employed. This is to negotiate number of employees that might be needed as well as optimal rates. Care, should be taken, however to avoid-long term commitments and the payment of retaining fees.
With use of agency staff, there are risks of errors and inefficiency when the tasks require good understanding of business procedures and working practices. Therefore managers and supervisors should be dedicated to provide training. Temporary workers, should come under the supervision of the relevant department manager. The rates with agencies and hours worked to be suitably recorded and verified.
If temporary staff works outside the organisation's premises, for example, design staff, the supervision should be performed by the subcontractors management. Sometimes, businesses send supervisors to an external office to deliver new work, ensure standards are followed, monitor and report progress, answer queries and collect completed work. In other cases an organisation might employ permanently one of the external office engineering staff.
What information should we reveal to subcontractors?
There are different opinions of different managers of what project, budget or other information should be revealed to subcontractors. Certainly, one of those would be the priorities. Some project managers, like to communicate the amount of float, or any work has zero or any float.
Budget data, however should not be shared.
One important factor to consider when working with subcontractors is that we must be aware of the excitement and willingness to win a bid. Those companies who promise very short work schedules might be a little bit too optimistic when planning. From experience, those subcontractors who promise higher hourly rates, also, might not be the most expensive to use.
Special arrangements with subcontractors
When outsourcing external design staff issues might also occur when the subcontractor is using temporary staff and produce unsupervised work. There is a risk that the design will not satisfy the expected results. This problem can be overcome by designating "key engineer" for example. This selected person can familiarise themselves with customer's practices and standards and lead the work. Sometimes, this person might be an employee of the customer.
Urgent orders and how to deal with it?
At times, especially in manufacturing environments, requests are made for an order to be delivered urgently.
To overcome this some organisations allocate the order or priorities labelling their work orders as A,B, or C (ABC system) to indicate the degree of urgency. But such systems often do not work as eventually all orders might become priority A of higher urgency, leaving the department in a high amount of pressure.
A preferable arrangement would be to indicate the Due by date. The production department than can try and schedule to meet those dates. Such scheduling software systems are long available to be able to create such scheduled automatically.
If project is at risk of work not being completed on time, subcontracting work could be considered.
Conflicts can arise between jobs with different priorities. When projects run beyond delays and float is used to give favour to other work, it might be a good idea to appoint someone capable of assessing the metrics in conflicting jobs.
How bad is the delay?
When jobs start to run late it is helpful to consider:
- The implications on the current project.
- The implications on other projects in the pipeline.
- The implications on the customer.
Sometimes the job has enough float to overcome the delay and the only thing we need to do is to ensure that the task will be completed without further interruptions. But, if there is no float, we should do everything possible to bring the project back to schedule.
If critical tasks (without float) are late than special measures must be taken. We might need to accept more expensive working methods. Sometimes it is worth spending the additional money to bring the project back to its schedule. The project manager must always consider costs of changed activities.
Corrective actions
If taken in time, corrective actions can be effective.
This will highly depend on the quality on-time information provided and suitable monitoring of the project.
Sometimes, working overtime can recover time. But working overtime can help only occasionally. Used too often might result in exhaustion of staff and loss of productivity, thus rather expensive.
If issues are arising from lack of resources, work can be subcontracted. Often, there also could be some extra capacity available within the department or organisation and utilised. The project manager must then re-examine the network logic very carefully. Some tasks might overlap or even be eliminated. Some tasks might be allowed to be delayed.
If all these fails, we might try to find out the customer reaction to late delivery. It could be, that the customer's own projects are running late so that later delivery can be negotiated.
At times, special motivational measures can be used as long as these are done legally and sensibly. Perhaps we can make a bet with the team of delayed tasks that they will not complete the tasks on time? Sometimes relocation of work might be required to give it deserved full attention. Sometimes scheduled maintenance or controls, tests can be skipped if they are unnecessary.
One solution to handling very urgent priorities might make us use of "Immediate action orders". These are generally distinct by radiant colours of paper or ink. These are designed the way to stand out easily from all other orders documentation. The orders, also should be authorised by one of the senior managers. Generally, only one immediate order could be in circulation at a time in an organisation. Every department seeing the order must give it an immediate attention and absolute priority. Additionally, the work must be achieved by all means, no matter the expenses.
The types of priority orders might be issued as part of correction or re-work of the product or part of product required. Works in progress might need to stop to work on those immediately. Significant progress and schedule "repair" might be accomplished through such actions.
Construction project control
In constructions project a great emphasis is placed on the planning. Secondly, relevant site authorisations must be obtained. This also includes relevant provisions being put in place i.e. telephones, computers, accommodations, space provisions etc.
When project is very large and site remote the project control and management might become rather complex. At times, making local arrangements can become one large project itself. This will require a very detailed planning well in advance.
For construction work for local authorities special inspectors would be checking the work in progress, quality of work and test, inspection results. Often clients would hire their own independent experts to check on the quality of work.
Even with such a great degree over quality concerns things go wrong. Therefore accurate and up-to-date record keeping is required.
Often monitoring the progress of construction works allows claims for payments. These are called "progress payments". These payments are generally supported by certificates.
Progress meetings
Project meetings can be very useful, often to resolve a problem. These are needed for:
- collecting and discussing data,
- inform on project status,
- brainstorm and gather ideas,
- consider proposed changes,
- make rules,
- resolve disputes and grievances,
- make collective decisions,
- issue instructions.
The project manager would often be in a chair of the meetings. He/she should ensure that the meeting size is suitable for the attendees, visual aids are appropriate, in place and tested, there is adequate ventilation, interruptions and calls during the meetings are not allowed and refreshments are provided.
Agenda of the meeting should be prepared in advance so that everyone has the time to prepare. Some argue, that meetings should be scheduled for mid or late afternoon, but people tend to be more alert in the morning and more creative. The project manager as the chairman will need to ensure to choose the right time of the day for the subject on hand.
Arguments arise during the meetings. One important thing to remember is to resolve them promptly.
Harmony must not be disrupted no longer.
Sometimes mediation will be required for conflicts. Chairmans will often play the role. The two conflicting sides should have a chance to talk to each other.
If relevant decisions allowing the progress are made, meetings might be considered as successful. We must remember, however, that any commands should be achievable and SMART.
Meeting minutes should also be written without any delay. They should be concise, clear and accurate. Every person participating in the meeting should obtain a copy of the minutes. Vague dates should be avoided, but actual dates should be presented.
a meeting action sheet, could also be very helpful (see figure below).
The minutes should also be sent to participants superiors for information.
Regular progress meetings should aim to prevent issues, keep periodic check on the project progress. Technical issues should be discussed outside of the meetings. Technical and design discussions should be kept apart from progress meetings.
We must bear in mind, that progress meetings can become unnecessary and take time. If the project is scheduled correctly, has relevant networks developed, use WBS and OBS, work-to-do lists then everyone should know what they are doing. Meetings are to be kept only at the senior management level and allow to make proactive decisions looking into the future. Unfortunately, in many organisations the progress meetings are used as a firefighting measures.
Progress reports
There will be different types of progress reports required: internal to senior management or progress reports to customers.
Internal progress reports should set out the technical, fulfilment and financial status and compare performance to plan in each of the three. For long projects, such reports are generally issued on regular intervals. These might trigger decisions that could lead to changes. The data should be presented factually and explained where possible. These, of course, need to be treated as confidential company information.
External reports to customers could be requested by contracts. Internal financial information are generally considered confidential and not disclosed to customers. Customer reports must never be designed to mislead customers. It is always important to keep customers informed on the true progress.
Nobody wants to find out that they have been taken out for a ride.
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