How Does a Drillship Work?
2017-May-15
Project management is all about reducing risk. Designing and building a new ship is a big complicated thing, full of risk. Active project management works to mitigate the risks. Turn big problems into small problems. Warn you of big problems well in advance before they happen. Some of the tools that project manager will use.
- Develop a project schedule. Also called a Gantt chart.
- Develop a list of project risks.
- Plan contingencies for project risks.
- Develop a project budget.
- Monitor the project budget and schedule as the project progresses.
- Use earned value management to check if your project is on track and on budget.
- Monitor the project team for signs of stress.
- Keep everyone focused on task and productive.
- Make sure you have enough people when you need them.
Project management can be large or small. And everyone has their own different styles and tools. The most important thing is that the project management style works for the team you are using. And make sure it works for you. Ask your project manager about this. Here are some good questions.
- How will you monitor my project? What tools will you use?
- How often will you update me on my project?
- How will you control the project risks?
These are vague, open-ended questions. But you should get some answer from them. And if they are really good, you will get more questions from them. A good project manager will customize their management style to you. As the client, you are part of the team. A very important part.
Budget
The project management cost is usually based on a percentage of other project costs. This can be anywhere from 5% to 30% of the total project budget. When you look at the project costs, be careful to ask what is included in that cost. For example, many project managers (PM’s) may consider project management to only be the planning and tracking of the project. That doesn’t include all the meeting time. All the communications with you, the client. That all takes time and adds to the cost.
Schedule
The schedule for the project management should be slightly longer than the life of the project. The PM work starts right at the proposal stage.
Client Inputs
One thing you should be very clear about is how often you want project updates and in what format. Do you want a phone call? An email? In-person meetings?
