Project Management Software 5

[rjung]

I am looking for project management software that will convert PERT charts to Ghannt charts and vice-versa. My boss has looked at MS Project and deemed it too complicated.
My initial search had found software only able to do one or the other.

 

[JPatten]

Primavera Suretrack but if your boss thinks MS Project is too complicated than he will probably not like Suretrack either.

 

[BernardErtl]

Have a look in my directory of Windows based project management software:

http://home.houston.rr.com/interplan/

Perhaps you can find something there...

Bernard Ertl
www.interplansystems.com
- eTaskMaker Project Planning Software
- ATC Professional Turnaround Management Software

 

[toolmantwo]

Maybe you can direct this problem, or have input. Dependant tasks
I must find a better system to show them, and plan for dependencies inside a large task.

When we plan a large project it will include resources required from our internal purchasing department and our internal tool and die machine shop. These resources will be dependencies scattered within the whole project. We also use outside contractors for tooling. Many times the purchasing department fails to meet the due date. Most times our internal tool and die machine shop will miss every due date. Our engineering manager will hold us accountable for the whole project if the final due date is not met.

The problem as I view the situation is that:
1. Our current system does not show dependencies well, and they are nearly invisible to our manager.
2. How to plan a project if we know the due dates of the dependencies will not be met? Should we add on what is expected and not use the input the resource provides?
3. What can be done to improve the situation?
4. How can we get more control of the resources?
5. Re-planing our projects due to the above problems take a long time and the payback is nearly zero and only increases the cost of the project. Re-planning is one more reason we need to spend more engineering resources on each project.
6. Re-planning itself was not planned and most likely cannot be foreseen, nor scheduled so that is one more step required and disrupts our plans.

 

[DRC1]

You have a problem that project management software can't solve. Replanning is not planning, it is scrambling.
You need to find out why the shop misses every deadline. Some possibilities include:
1.The deadline was established with out talking to the shop and was an unrealistic expectation.
2. The shop was never told of the deadline or the importance of the deadline.
3. The shop knew of the deadline, thought it was attainble, but due to unforseen circumstances couldn't meet it.
4. The shop knew of the deadline, knew it was important, knew it was acheivable, but didn't make it any way.

Somebody needs to get involved with the shop. Go to the shop See how it works . Have someone explain the process. Explain about the delays. Ask for their input. Next project be sure to do the following:
1. Explain the project, not just the tool& die portion. Explain the overall schedule. Get their input on durations and dates for the schedule. Don't schedule their work with out talking to them.
2.Once the schedule is done talk to them about it.Find out how much lead time they need to start. If the shop is told to start2 1/2 weeks before their 2 week project is due, and it takes 6 weeks to get materials, that might be part of the problem.
3. Establish dates for the shop for various points in the work. Talk to the shop in advance of these dates so if their are delays you can be proactive to avoid them. Go to the shop at least three times during the process to inspect the work. If it is not important to you, it won't be important to them.
4. Document everything. If they are suceesful, go to the shop and thank them. If they are not dicuss it with the shop, then with your supervisor.

This sounds like there may be serious management issues here. However, it sounds like an oppertunity for the guy who fixes the problem. Just remember this is management problem, not a software issue.
Good Luck!

 

[toolmantwo]

Thanks DRC1
I agree this is not a software problem. I gave you one star. I plan to try a few of the same things you recommend. Currently I am working on a fishbone chart to detail the problem. I also think we need some visability of the purchasing department load.
If anyone else has input, I am all ears. The one thing I know is something has to be changed in order to get improvements.
Have a great weekend, John

 

[IRstuff]

1. Our current system does not show dependencies well, and they are nearly invisible to our manager.

Sounds like your manager isn't really using the project GANTT chart to anticipate what should be happening and bird-dogging the known issues. That's seems to be a management problem, not a planning or software problem,

2. How to plan a project if we know the due dates of the dependencies will not be met? Should we add on what is expected and not use the input the resource provides?


If you can't change the situation, you can certainly plan for the contingency. That's part of the calibration process that every good manager MUST get a handle on. You say that you know your sub essentially lies when he tells you that he'll complete a task and actually takes twice as long, so why do you persist on assuming that he can meet his requirements? Either fire the nitwit or scale his schedule accordingly.

3. What can be done to improve the situation?

This is management problem. You're either lying in cahoots with your sub to make the schedule look good, or you're insane, because you expect something to change when all the variables remain the same. You either have a sub that can't meet a realistic schedule or lies about the schedule to get the job. You either fire the guy and find someone more reliable or honest, or you continue to lie on your schedule and pay the price.

4. How can we get more control of the resources?

Is that really the problem? Are the schedule commitments realistic? Or are you simplyu drinking your bathwater?

5. Re-planing our projects due to the above problems take a long time and the payback is nearly zero and only increases the cost of the project. Re-planning is one more reason we need to spend more engineering resources on each project.

Then do the plan correctly from the get-go. Either build in the correct durations or find someone who can meet the schedule as committed.

6. Re-planning itself was not planned and most likely cannot be foreseen, nor scheduled so that is one more step required and disrupts our plans.

see above.

TTFN

 

[toolmantwo]

Thanks IRstuff. I took your input and underlined the segment about "If you can't change the situation, you can certainly plan for the contingency. That's part of the calibration process that every good manager MUST get a handle on."

I hope to use some suggestions to my manager to help solve this problem. He is good in the aspect of making some databases like Microsoft Acess to track our engineering tasks and those that do not meet the due date. If we applied the same tracking data to our dependencies (other departments) he would at least take notice of the situation. We keep a database of all tasks so we do not have to "re-invent the wheel" when a like problem comes to light and to record what cures worked on a like part or process.

I also see my question "4. How can we get more control of the resources?" may not be well thought out by myself. If we as engineers had more control of those resources this may not make any big difference in the situation and I guess I would not want more responsibility/headaches added to my job.

Wish me luck, John

 

[IRstuff]

Definitely, wish you luck.

Note that this is not an uncommon problem, particularly in the aerospace industry.

We had a customer who told once, "There isn't a schedule slip that you guys aren't in love with, is there?"

TTFN

 

[griffengm]

toolmantwo,
I agree with DRC1 that software will not solve your problem. I do think that there is a huge problem in your time reporting system if you cannot spot where the time is being spent by in-house T&D and purchasing.
There may be a couple things at work here. One might be who decides how much time T&D gets to spend on project work versus time required for die maintenance and other routine tasks. If a die maker normally spends six hours per day on routine then he only has two hours or less to devote to projects. Find out where his time is spent and who decides where he spends it. Talk to him.
If you are pulling resources from other departments, make sure the managers of those departments are committed to the projects and not following their own agendas. If part of their evaluation is not based on these projects then higher management needs to be involved to assure committment to these projects. If there is no committment from above, then you have three choices:get the heck out of there; get yourself promoted to where you can change the system; or stay and go old and frustrated.

 

[toolmantwo]

Thanks Griffengm,
I think we should be able to find out what hours are spent each week for purchasing working on engineering related projects. Likewise the T&D hours spent could be help. Just last week I went to see what T&D had to work on that was planned before my tasks and found one task to "Organize bolt bins". OK that is most likely needed, yet would only the T&D people be able to perform this task, could we not use other people with less skills with good direction? Not the best example, but it was an eye opener for me.

To quote DRC1 "We may have serious management issues here. However, it sounds like an opportunity for the guy who fixes the problem. Just remember this is management problem, not a software issue." I agree and I do like a challenge.

I know I will be stepping on a few toes and I might suffer because of my efforts to gain improvement, yet the other 5 engineers here can also benefit from any gains I can find.

I have found that if one can convince his manager that this was the manager's idea (Not mine) it will flow much better. At times this takes a dwell time in weeks before a manager will feel it was his idea all along Ha Ha.

OK questions for Rjung, did you find some software you liked? Did your boss give it a fair shot in trial? We used some software here a few years back that was TimeLine. It was OK, not all that great, but better than zero software.

In time our peers, (Not TimeLine users) did not understand it at all and insisted we discontinue using the software, with no replacement suggested. This did seem strange to me. Why should those outside of the use of any software insist engineering stop using the software? Why do they even get a vote? If they did not understand the software why not have our manager attempt to get them up to speed and understand the software with a simple project as some hands-on training.

 

[DRC1]

We have been experimenting with time card software for a few years now. It has gotten a lot better recently. We are now using HCSS (

http://www.hcss.com)but

it is geared to the heavy construction industry. I dont think that is what you are looking for. My point is that the software is much better now. It is important to have good time and production measurements. I was once told that you can't improve productivity until you can measure it. I would suggest that you see what accunting software your firm has and then see if they have time card software (many do now) or if any third paries make a package that will intergrate with accounting. Odds are you have some sort of system in place now. The next step is to review the cost codes to which time is charged. Do they reflect what items need to be tracked? I will bet they don't. The next part is tricky. Now you want convince your boss he should talk to his boss about getting serious about managing production time and that they should put a few young guys on it like you the thatguy/ gal from accounting. (believe me you want to have accounting involved, first if this thing is going to happen, who is going to collect and crunch the numbers? second when you start to get a little flak for this from the shop it is easy to say "This is what accounting is requiring to process time for payroll." that way you can keep going and it is accepted that this will happen) Next really look at the operation and develop cost codes that make sense. Also find out what reports managers would like and design easy to read reports that give them that information. Next implement it on a small scale until you work out the bugs. Make adjustments so that the inputer, accounting and the managers are happy. Once you got the system down, get these people to help bring everyone else in. Be sure to moniter and stay close to the operation until it working well under its own momentum. It is a lot of work (I'm about 80% through the process, started in January) But once you and your managers see the control you have over onging operations, you will wonder how you did with out it.
Good Luck!

 

[WeeNeil]

I have a lot of experience in the organisation of manufacturing environments to increase throughput and reduce WIP. The situation that you describe is fairly typical in many manufacturing environments - hence the fanatisism that many companies have for things like JIT, SMED and Kanban.

Working in projects is very similar - especialy when complicated by a manufacturing environment. It is very easy to 'waste' time on non-critical tasks. Gant and PERT charts are very useful tools and will help you to identify the critical path and to organise your time and resources accordingly, however, they do not identify other critical time 'wastage'.

If you would like me to explain what i mean by the above statement, i'd be more that happy to do so, however it will be a pretty long post. Instead i would recommend reading 'The Critical Chain' by Eliyahu Goldratt. It is very easy to read and as far as i'm concerned an absolute must for anyone involved in project management.

 

[pandora]

rjung,

For your original question look up WBSPro and Pert Chart Expert by Critical Tools. They work, they integrate into MS Project and they are better than most things out there.