WIX Archives
Catch-22
Posted by bdk on Mon Oct 28, 2002 05:21:55 PM
In reply top Re: Probably not much benefit - Response posted by PeterA on Sat Oct 26, 2002 07:17:02 AM
: 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 thi
: nk through all the tasks and have visiblity.
We used to do this with a list of tasks written on a piece of paper and taped to the side of the airplane (or component). It was there for all to see. When the task was completed, you scratched it off the list. I guess the trick then is to get the right person to draft the task list on the paper. Sometimes new tasks had to be added, but not often.
: These Warbird projects may be 'simple enough' but a surpri
: sing number in the UK have run into over budget/time probl
: ems, despite them being second and third time around 'Type
: ' restorations.
These second and third time around restorations are usually due to a moving target of each subsequent owner's differing expectations with regards to restoration standards. One guy wants to patch the bullet holes for a "combat veteran" look while the next owner wants a "factory new" aircraft with all the exterior skins replaced.
: This problem is typical of many small businesses and not c
: onfined to Warbirds.
Agreed. But if restoring an airplane was such a profitable venture (for either the owner OR the shop!), you would expect venture capitalists to be financing restorations left and right!
: Within the estimates it is all too easy to take the 'right
: first time' approach with minimal contingencies when hist
: ory and previous projects rarely support this, notwithstan
: ding the risk of losing the work to a lower quotation.
Wow! Without this "right the first time" approach any new owner would be an idiot to start a project he just purchased. It would cost way more than it was worth to finish. You might have to wait ten years or more for a project to be viable (due to appreciation). Any owner that wasn't stupid enough to "assume the best" and fool himself into buying a project would then be stupid to restore it... A true Catch-22! Yet it happens over and over. Don't let our little secret out or all the restoration shops will go out of business. :-)
: Whilst a dedicated part time Project Manager might look ex
: pensive on the original estimate, in my my experiance it i
: s usually a cost saving overall.
The project savings have to come from increased efficiency, i.e. elimination of duplicated effort and reduced span time. The problem is that you can't plan too much because the aircraft owners don't always keep up with the bills! That shoots your span time all to hell. You never know when a project will bog down due to finances unless you get all the money up front- but if that happened, the owner would be stupid for not just buying a flyer (Catch-22 again).
: PeterA
:
: : I have been involved in a bit of project management myse
: lf
: : (professionally). A warbird restoration is a simple eno
: ug
: : h project that I don't think you will see much if any be
: ne
: : fit. Project management works best for large and complic
: at
: : ed projects with defined processes, i.e. an assembly lin
: e.
: :
: :
: : You can look at historical data of restoration costs and
: j
: : ust do your estimate (both time and cost) empirically. O
: f
: : 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 project
: s
: : might be able to use Microsoft Project successfully in t
: he
: : ir own planning, but it seems to me that a shop with ten
: e
: : mployees restoring three airplanes concurrently, for ins
: ta
: : nce, would not see a benefit. I think that the size of t
: he
: : restoration shops are typically too small to find a mea
: su
: : rable improvement.
: :
: : If you were looking to create a new build aircraft busin
: es
: : s, I could see how that might be a different story. You
: ha
: : ve an assembly line and need component parts delivered o
: n
: : 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 ev
: er
: : 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 Te
: ch
: : niques Management Course Certificate
: : April 1998
: : (or so the piece of paper says...)