Managing Complex Engineering Projects

New approaches are required to get the job done, and PMI Maine will get a good look at one May 15 in a presentation entitled An Introduction to Modeling and Analyzing Complex Product Development Processes Using the Design Structure Matrix.

Ali A. Yassine of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will be featured in the program at the Running Hill Road facility of Fairchild Semiconductor in South Portland. PMI membership is not required of those who wish to attend, but they are asked to register with Tom Carbone at t.carbone@ieee.org.

The projects referred to in the presentation require the efforts and collaboration of hundreds of participants from diverse backgrounds, resulting in complex relationships among both people and tasks. Many of the traditional project management tools (PERT, Gantt and CPM methods) do not address the inherent problems. Such tools allow the modeling of sequential and parallel processes, but they fail to address

interdependency (feedback and iteration), which is common in complex product development projects.

As a result, a tool called the Design Structure Matrix has evolved. The May 15 program will cover the basic method and its applications in improving the planning, execution and management of complex product development projects.

Ali Yassine, the presenter, is a research scientist at the MIT Center for Technology, Policy and Industrial Development, and a former project manager at Chrysler Corporation.

His research involves managing the development process of complex engineering products, design process modeling and IT-enabled concurrent engineering methodologies. He is a frequent consultant for the automotive and telecommunications industries.

The May 15 session is a joint meeting with the New England IEEE chapter. The meeting will open with pizza (available at $5/person) at 5:30 p.m., followed by IEEE and PMI announcements at 6 p.m. and the program at 6:30.

Eight prospective PMPs completed PMI Maine's PMP Exam prep course April 27 and May 4.

The 14 hours of training gives the participants practice and advice to help them pass the Project Management Professional Certification Examination of the Project Management Institute.

The recent presentation was the third Spring scheduling of the course, which is presented by PMI Maine members Mike Curran and Jim Milliken, both PMPs. Sixteen people completed the course in 2000 and 2001, and have registered a very high success rate in passing the exam. Nationally, 40 percent of first-time takers fail the exam.

The PMI Maine prep course is available for on-site delivery for organizations with a sufficient number of candidates. Fall open-enrollment scheduling will be considered if there is interest.

The PMI Certification Exam is a four-hour multiple-choice test delivered via computer. It determines the candidate's competence in nine knowledge areas of Project Management, plus Professional Responsibility. Information is available from Jim Milliken and at www.pmimaine.org.

-- Jim Milliken, PMP
 

September 11 changed the way the U.S. Navy and the Department of Defense look at security for facilities and ships around the world. One result has been a team effort at Brunswick Naval Air Station that moved from a "science fiction" concept of personnel security to reality in a relatively short time, overcoming many risks and much resistance along the way.

Navy Capt. Carl Gruenler, who described the project for PMI Maine at its April meeting, has been managing it at Brunswick.

Gone will be the days of simply showing your green Navy ID card to a guard at the gate, Captain Gruenler said, and in will be the "Smart Card" that will identify positively who you are, and establish whether you should be there.

The system will use information stored on a micro chip on the smart identification card, biometrics 

(e.g. finger prints and cornea recognition) to determine if you are the person identified on the card; and a wireless computer network to determine if you are authorized to be at that site.

The project has required improving on the latest technology in smart cards, physical security, biometrics and secure wireless computing; as well as soliciting the support of stakeholders throughout the world affected by the new systems.

To handle the challenge, Captain Gruenler and his team first came up with a compelling description of what the future could be. This "Desktop to Desktop Self Service Vision" described the technology and security information necessary at any desktop in the world, to provide security clearance. The system is now in the testing phase at Brunswick, after which it will be implemented throughout the Defense Department.

 PMI Maine Meetings 2002

Meetings are at UnumProvident Headquarters
Building 1 at 2211 Congress St., Portland,
unless otherwise specified. They open at 5:30 p.m.

MAY 15 – Product Development Processes
(Tom Carbone, Host)
JUNE 12 – Project of the Year Project
(Jim Milliken,PMP, chairman)
Website Updates
(David Johnson,PMP, chairman)