Project Management
Turn an ambitious design into a sequence a team can actually deliver.
Plan the work and its dependencies
Start with deliverables, then break them into manageable tasks. Identify predecessors, owners, durations, resources, and acceptance conditions. Include purchasing, safety reviews, fabrication access, and retesting. A bar chart without dependencies can hide the impact of delay.
Critical path and uncertainty
The critical path determines the shortest completion time in the modeled dependency network under its assumptions. Delays to a critical activity can delay completion unless the plan changes. Resource limits can further constrain the schedule.
For PERT-style estimation, one teaching approximation is \(t_e=(a+4m+b)/6\), where \(a\), \(m\), and \(b\) are optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic durations. The associated variance approximation is \(((b-a)/6)^2\). These estimates do not remove uncertainty or capture all correlated delays.
Free software worth considering
| Package | Where it fits | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| ProjectLibre Desktop | Dependency scheduling, critical path, resources, and costs. | The free desktop product is distinct from commercial cloud offerings. |
| GanttProject | A relatively approachable desktop schedule with task dependencies and resource assignments. | The desktop application is free and open source; optional services can differ. |
| OpenProject Community | Shared web-based project coordination for a university or organization. | Free self-hosted software still needs hosting, administration, and backups; hosted and enterprise products differ. |
For a small senior design team, start by evaluating ProjectLibre Desktop or GanttProject. Use OpenProject when shared web access justifies the additional administration. Check current download and edition information on the official sites.
A short scheduling exercise
Enter these teaching tasks into your chosen application:
| ID | Task | Duration | Predecessor |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Confirm requirements | 5 days | None |
| B | Develop concepts | 5 days | A |
| C | Analyze selected concept | 7 days | B |
| D | Order prototype components | 10 days | C |
| E | Prepare test procedure | 4 days | C |
| F | Assemble prototype | 5 days | D |
| G | Test and analyze | 4 days | E, F |
Ignoring weekends and resource conflicts, the chain A–B–C–D–F–G totals 36 working days. Add three days to ordering and inspect the propagated finish date. Then add a test failure and a redesign task: the original plan should change visibly.
Run a useful weekly meeting
Review completed evidence, upcoming milestones, blocked work, risks, and decisions needed from faculty or the sponsor. Update remaining durations rather than only reporting percentage complete. Record the owner and due date for each action.
Keep a baseline so the team can explain changes. A living schedule is a decision aid; it should not become a polished picture detached from actual work.