WIX Archives

Re: Probably not much benefit - Response

Posted by PeterA on Sat Oct 26, 2002 07:17:02 AM

In reply top Probably not much benefit posted by bdk on Fri Oct 25, 2002 07:44:34 PM

Brandon
In my view Microsoft Project works just as well on 'making a cup of tea' as it does for getting the latest Ford down the production line. What you get is the dicipline to think through all the tasks and have visiblity.
These Warbird projects may be 'simple enough' but a surprising number in the UK have run into over budget/time problems, despite them being second and third time around 'Type' restorations.
This problem is typical of many small businesses and not confined to Warbirds.
Within the estimates it is all too easy to take the 'right first time' approach with minimal contingencies when history and previous projects rarely support this, notwithstanding the risk of losing the work to a lower quotation.
Whilst a dedicated part time Project Manager might look expensive on the original estimate, in my my experiance it is usually a cost saving overall.
PeterA

: I have been involved in a bit of project management myself
: (professionally). A warbird restoration is a simple enoug
: h project that I don't think you will see much if any bene
: fit. Project management works best for large and complicat
: ed projects with defined processes, i.e. an assembly line.
:
:
: You can look at historical data of restoration costs and j
: ust do your estimate (both time and cost) empirically. Of
: course this only works for restorers who have a few like r
: estorations under their belt. A Mustang restoration cost w
: ould be way less than an equivalent Thunderbolt or P-38 re
: storation for example.
:
: Maybe a very large shop with a lot of concurrent projects
: might be able to use Microsoft Project successfully in the
: ir own planning, but it seems to me that a shop with ten e
: mployees restoring three airplanes concurrently, for insta
: nce, would not see a benefit. I think that the size of the
: restoration shops are typically too small to find a measu
: rable improvement.
:
: If you were looking to create a new build aircraft busines
: s, I could see how that might be a different story. You ha
: ve an assembly line and need component parts delivered on
: a predetermined schedule. You will then need to develop st
: affing levels to meet specific assembly schedule targets.
:
: My guess is that the Me-262 Project might be able to use M
: icrosoft Project, but I doubt that Fighter Rebuilders ever
: would. That is not to say that you wouldn't use project m
: anagement TECHNIQUES (i.e. common sense), but I wouldn't p
: ut together a project management plan for my T-6.
:
: Brandon
: University of California, Irvine
: Project Management: Planning, Scheduling, and Control Tech
: niques Management Course Certificate
: April 1998
: (or so the piece of paper says...)

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