Project Plannability

Research Theme: Process Management

Design project planning is problematic due to the high uncertainty concerning events that can take place during project execution.

The simulation analysis of both real-world and hypothetical design process models can provide insight into the way in which different uncertainties affect process plannability. Such insights can be beneficial to project planners and managers in industry.

Motivation

  • To address an industrial need for improved project planning and risk assessment of processes.

Objectives

  • To better understand the planning needs of industry
  • To develop a tools and/or techniques to meet this need
  • To determine how different uncertainties affect process plannability
  • To evaluate results against industrial data

Method

To meet these objectives, a process model generator was created and the resulting hypothetical models were simulated using the signposting framework; extensions to the latter were developed to realise enhanced functionality and better visualisation of simulated results.

An extensive industrial case study was also undertaken as part of this research, at first in order to better define planning problems in industry and subsequently to evaluate the proposed solution.

Findings

The simulation analysis showed how different uncertainties and errors are likely to influence project behaviour. The use of hypothetical models allowed abstract consideration of process properties in a manner that is not possible for real world projects. The research also showed how some industrial barriers to simulation can be surmounted, highlighting when concerns about validity are justified and in what context results are trustworthy.

Acknowledgements

Support for this project was provided by the Cambridge European Trust, the Isaac Newton Fund, Perkins Engines Company and the EPSRC.

Selected Publications

  • FLANAGAN, T., ECKERT, C.M. and CLARKSON, P.J. (2003) "Parameter trails" inICED03, Stockholm, Sweden, 71-73
  • FLANAGAN, T., ECKERT, C.M. KELLER, R. and CLARKSON, P.J. (2005) "Robustscheduling of design tasks using simulation" in ICED05, Melbourne, forthcoming