Project Management
Some words strike terror into the hearts of all right-thinking engineers, and two of them may be ‘project’ and ‘management’.
Managing a project is not a skill that comes naturally to people who are usually more comfortable with exploded diagrams and oily bits of machinery. On the other hand, people whose working lives involve managerial tasks may find themselves seriously out of their depth when dealing with engineering projects.
It is not surprising that both turn with relief to the experienced Project Managers at IES.
The Process of Project Management
Ideally, the Project Manager should be involved from the beginning. An IES engineer will look at a task, and see it in terms of where we are now, where we want to be, and the best way to get there.
This will almost certainly be the simplest, and shortest, and most efficient route to success. However, as with most skilled tasks, the simplicity of the approach masks the experience, the qualifications and the skills needed to achieve it. Project Management is far from easy.
Planning
This first phase of project management is in most cases the foundation stone, and it needs to be secure. Everybody involved in the project should understand its aims, and here the IES engineers use their team leadership skills to their best advantage. They work alongside the client’s own workforce in planning the strategy and the methodology of the project.
Scheduling
This is more than an exercise in time forecasting. The process of the project needs to be clear, and to be understood by all involved. Materials, time, labour and testing come into this part of the project, particularly where an industrial development is concerned. If the planning process has been carried out effectively, the scheduling should run smoothly from it.
Rescue
Sometimes a project goes wrong. It is behind schedule, the costs are escalating at an alarming rate, a vital piece of machinery is not functioning as it should, or as it had been anticipated it would. At this point, some clients turn to IES, and ask for help. Better late than never, and IES engineers have experience in rescuing projects that have run into difficulties. Stepping into a project that is half way to completion is not the best option, but it is not unmanageable, and IES has salvaged some that were on the brink of disaster. It requires a highly specialised skill set, initially to identify the problems, whether they are technical, logistical, or managerial. Blame is a pointless exercise, and a waste of time and resources; ensuring that mistakes are not repeated is a different matter.
Control
Implementation and testing, adjusting, checking the necessary certification and preparing for the work involved in obtaining it. Ensuring that the regulations governing the use of the new process have been correctly implemented. Checking and testing again, and making absolutely sure that everybody involved understands the procedures, and can work confidently and safely.
The project has reached its final stages. It is ready to be brought online.
It’s a very good feeling.