Managing Aviation Projects from Concept to Completion

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Managing Aviation Projects from Concept to Completion - Flouris, Triant G. & Loc Cover Half Title Dedication Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of Figures Acknowledgments Foreword by William DeCota Foreword by Dr Yiannis Paraschis Preface 1 The Nature of Projects and their Management An introduction to project management Four different types of projects Project life cycles and life histories Four principal players in a project life cycle Project management—a matter of common sense, logical reasoning and determination Senior management support References 2 Factors for Project Success or Failure Success or failure factors in relation to the initial project definition Three primary success or failure factors that are particularly relevant to the project execution phase Trade-offs between the time, cost and performance objectives Perceptions of project success or failure beyond the three primary objectives Identifying and ranking the stakeholders Benefits realization from a large aviation project Case example: Denver International Airport—a project with failure built in from the start Conclusion References 3 Project Definition Aspects of project definition for external and internal projects Project definition through the project life cycle Safeguards for projects which are difficult or impossible to define Checklists as an aid to project definition Defining projects proposed by external clients or customers Defining the project scope Defining internally funded projects Documenting the project specification 4 Strategic Decisions What are strategic decisions? Examples of early strategic questions and the strategic management process The strategic management process Questions of project definition and methodology Questions of project resources Questions of in-house management competence SWOT analysis as a tool for considering the competition and business environment Formulating project strategy under uncertainty Early dealings with regulatory bodies of the aviation industry References 5 Estimating the Project Costs Introduction to cost estimating Cost accounting terms commonly used in project cost estimating and cost control Accuracy or reliability of cost estimates Top-down or bottom-up? Compiling the project task list for bottom-up estimates Documenting the cost estimates Estimating manufacturing costs Estimating project labor costs Estimates for material and equipment costs Personal estimating characteristics Reviewing the cost estimates Version control of project cost estimates 6 Evaluating an Aviation Investment Project and Preparing a Business Case Projects carried out by contractors for external customers Investment projects The dimension of time in project financial evaluations Introduction to project financial feasibility analysis Case example: An airport visitors’ center building project The simple payback method of project financial appraisal Discounting the cash flows How much confidence can we place in the data? Preparing and presenting a business case Project funding 7 Project Authorization Purposes of a project authorization procedure Project authorization as a chain reaction Many variations on the authorization theme Authorization criteria for multiple projects Project registration and numbering Distribution of project authorization documents Authorizing work without a contract or customer’s order References 8 Organizing the Project Organization charts Introductory observations about organization in project companies Coordinated matrix organizations Matrix solutions for multiple projects Project team organizations Team or matrix: which organization is best? Hybrid organizations Contract matrix organizations Joint venture projects 9 Some Key Roles and Stakeholders in the Project Organization The role of senior management in projects The project customer (or owner) The financial institutions The design engineers and managers The project manager Director of projects or program manager The project engineer Project support office References 10 Work Breakdown and Coding The WBS concept WBS examples Coding systems Examples of coding systems Benefits of a logical coding system Choosing a coding system What happens when the customer says ‘You shall use my coding system!’? References 11 Relating the Project Dimensions of Work, Organization and Cost Dimensions of a typical aviation project Managing the incomprehensible and creating order out of chaos Introducing the project OBS A project case example Relationship between the project WBS and OBS Introducing the CBS Case example: cash crisis at Jet-U-There 12 Introduction to Detailed Project Planning A demonstration case example Planning the 4J airstrip project by the diary method A simple remedy for the 4J airstrip project Limitations of Gantt charts 13 An Introduction to Critical Path Network Analysis A general introduction to critical path project planning Activity-on-arrow network diagrams The 4J airstrip project planned using an arrow network diagram Activity-on-node (precedence) network diagrams The 4J airstrip project planned using a precedence diagram Dummy activities in precedence networks References 14 Critical Path Network Analysis in More Practical Detail Making a detailed plan for a new project Level of detail in the project schedule Estimating task durations Rolling wave planning Use of PERT to resolve uncertainty in estimated task durations Hangar restoration project: A case example planned using PERT What if the predicted timescale is too long? Time/cost optimization through crashing Fast-tracking to accelerate project delivery without adding cost Extreme measures References 15 Principles of Resource Scheduling The nature of project resources Resource scheduling without a computer A Gantt chart resource scheduling case example Time-limited and resource-limited schedules The significance of float in resource scheduling 16 More Advanced Aspects of Resource Scheduling Choosing which resources to schedule Specifying resource availability levels Specifying cost rates for labor and materials Allocating resource quantities to tasks Scheduling more complex tasks Using different calendars Multi-project scheduling Administration of the multi-project model Project resource scheduling in the corporate context What-if testing using a multi-project model Choice of software Case example: The Lox Brothers light aircraft development projec 17 Planning For Risk and Uncertainty in Aviation Projects Introduction to project risk management Uncertainty about time and cost estimates Identifying the possible risks Risk appraisal and analysis Qualitative cause and effect analysis Quantitative analysis Risk register Methods for dealing with risks Insurance Unique properties of aviation insurance Obtaining project insurance Planning for crises and emergencies References 18 Contracts and Terms of Payment Contracts Contract payment structures The timing of payments for contracts with external customers Financial viability of participating organizations 19 Purchasing—Part 1: Principles and Initial Ordering Introduction to aviation project purchasing The purchasing cycle Requests for quotations Bid receipt procedures for high-priced goods and services Bid evaluation procedures Terms of trade used in international business (Incoterms) Purchase requisitions and orders Purchase orders Timing of orders and deliveries 20 Purchasing—Part 2: The Supply Chain Simplest supply chain organizations Complex supply chains in international project purchases Expediting Shortages Receipt of purchased goods and equipment Purchase order amendments Stores administration 21 Managing Project Start-up Preliminary organization of the project Correspondence and other documents Engineering standards and procedures Physical preparations and organization Getting work started Issuing detailed planning and work instructions References 22 Managing Progress Progress management as a closed loop control system Progress management styles Updating drawing and purchase schedules and records Updating the project network diagram and work schedules Collecting progress information Statistical checks Managing the progress and quality of bought-in materials and equipment Managing sub-contractors and agency employees Routine priority allocation in manufacturing projects When the news is bad Corrective measures Meetings Progress reports References 23 Managing Changes Special reasons for managing changes in aviation projects The impact of changes in relation to the project life cycle Origin and classification of changes Authorization arrangements General administration of project changes Forms and procedures Version control for modified drawings and specifications Emergency modifications 24 Managing Project Costs Establishing and maintaining project cost budgets Principles of cost control Controlling direct costs Controlling fixed costs and overhead cost recovery Additional cost control factors The total cost approach A checklist of cost management factors Transactions in foreign currencies Cost collection methods Audits and fraud prevention measures Conclusion 25 Managing Project Cash Flows Understanding cash flows Cash flows for internally funded projects Methods for scheduling cash flows Case example: scheduling cash flows for the Loxylene aviation fuel project Using project management software to schedule cash flows Conclusion 26 Reporting Progress and Costs Milestone analysis Earned value analysis Case example: Using earned value analysis on a project to renew perimeter fencing at an airport Effect of project changes on earned value analysis Predicting and reporting profitability for a whole project Post-mortem Case example: ATM project 27 Project Closedown Reasons for closing a project Formal project closure Authorizing post-project expenditure Final project cost records Disposal of surplus materials Final project as-built definition: the end of a continuous process As-built records of ground-based projects As-built condition of a project that is interrupted before completion Additional as-built record requirements for flight-based projects Traceability Bibliography Index