A Generic Third Level Model In searching for a more detailed generic project lifecycle one important
fact must be borne in mind – that the model should be simple and
generic. This may sound obvious, but the implications are enormous. The
generic model is inclusive of all projects, with the exception of the most
basic, irrespective of their industry sector. Equally, because it is simple,
most commercial or large-scale projects will be more complex. Thus, projects
will follow the model in detail and in
principle, whilst each will have its own more complex lifecycle that should
be agreed at the outset. But
where can we find a model to start from?
The Chemical Process (CP) industry has a lifecycle model with seven
phases; Scoping, Approval, Design, Procurement, Construction, Commissioning
and Start-up.[5] Many people from other industry
sectors will no doubt find some similarities to the way the CP industry
conduct projects. However, the pharmaceutical sector uses an expanded version
of
this model that can be seen to split each of the C-D-E-F phases into a
further two phases each, something that is not immediately obvious from
the CPI model. Conceive — Discovery and Requirement
Define — Functionality and Design
Execute — Construct and Check
Finish — Review and Audit At this stage it is best if these terms are defined by an example taken
from a typical CP industry type project. The definitions are based on the
theory of how the pharmaceutical sector works rather than any definitive
practice.
In
addition, an indication of the typical stage-gates associated with each
phase is given.
Discovery is often perceived as outside of the project, but is
the point when the business finds there is a market for product 'A'. Program
Management might even be said to include a phase prior to this that proactively
identifies the need
for 'A', and this does exist outside the project. This phase is brief,
there are few decisions to be made and the stage-gate for this phase
is usually
the marketing department's gut feel. This phase is typically owned by the
sales and marketing department and in quality function deployment terms
is the "Voice of the Customer".
Requirement is when the business can write a User Requirement
Specification (URS), which states: "We need X tonnes per year of 'A'
at a cost of $Y/kg". The stage-gates here may include an assessment
of the technical feasibility of manufacturing A, the current market prices
and
potential profit margins. In the pharmaceutical industry, and others, there
is an R&D project to identify the means of manufacture of 'A', which
has a lifecycle of its own. This
phase is owned by the "business" as the senior representation
of the operations/production department.
Functionality results in the Functional Specification
(FS) that gives the means/route of manufacture of A and stipulates any
limitations this imposes, perhaps including preliminary equipment
selection. The stage-gates at this phase are usually very similar to those
for final approval of the project budget. This phase is the best for value
management and "optioneering", but is often "fast
tracked" and any potential saving locked out of the project. This
phase is often called "preliminary design/engineering" and may
involve significant expenditure on major projects. This phase is
owned by the R&D department and is the first point that the "Voice
of the Engineer" is heard.
Design is the preparation
of documentation of sufficient detail to allow the suitable equipment
for the manufacture of A to be
purchased and built. The stage-gate for the phase is full corporate
approval of the final project budget. This phase is the remit of the Design/Engineering
department and where the "Voice of the Engineer" is at its
loudest.
Construct is the purchase and installation of the required
items. It is notable that in the CP industry model, procurement and construction
are considered separate phases. This is probably an historic anomaly
based
on functional departments. The purchase and installation of all the items
on
the project's shopping list is the stage-gate for this phase. It is
especially important to note that if the project has been divided into
work packages then each work package can exit the construct stage-gate
individually. It is the
division of the project into these work packages that has the potential
to
add more phases to a particular project's lifecycle. Also, each work
package may be a project for a subcontractor, which enters the Discovery
phase for the subcontractor
during the main project's Design phase, but reaches its Technical
Completion (see later for an explanation of this term) by the end of main
project's Construct phase. This
phase falls under the auspices of the Project/Construction – clearly
a misnomer for the Projects department, as this lifecycle indicates. Check is called Installation Qualification (IQ) by the
pharmaceutical industry and involves ensuring (verifying) that what is
installed is what was intended to be installed as set out in the design
documents.
Also, that installation was done according to those design documents. If
all items are installed correctly then this phase's stage-gate is
satisfied. This phase does presume that the design is correct and is not
intended as a corrective process. This verification (meeting internal
performance targets – arising from the design) is a fundamental cornerstone
of the ISO9000:2000 standard and applies to both the Check and Review phases.
Similar to the Construct phase, separate Work Packages can exit the
stage-gate independently. Here
the Design department is often responsible again. Review is referred to as Operational Qualification (OQ) and
involves testing sub-systems, usually with a test material to ensure that
the intention of the FS is met. This phase tests collections of equipment
(systems) to the design intent rather than individual items, as well as the
interaction of associated systems. For example, can a heating system heat
the vessel contents in a set time?æ The number of interim stage-gates is
dependent on the number of levels in the WBS, if it has been formed on a
systems basis. Here the R&D
should retake responsibility, even if they do not carry out the activities.
Audit is
called Process Qualification (PQ) and Process Validation (PV), which
is complete when the project's product can meet the
stipulations of the URS. The project team decides when Audit is complete
and this is ultimately a function of customer satisfaction. When the
customer is satisfied to the mutually agreed standard the project is
complete. ISO 9000:2000
defines this as validation, where tests are applied to see if the
customer's wants are addressed in the "real world". Typically
there are two customers to keep happy, one is the direct user of the asset
the project constructs
and the other the consumer of the asset's functionality or product. At
this point the Operations department will receive the project at the
end of
the phase without the
exceptional technical support allocated by the "business".
These phases described here are the minimum a project lifecycle should
include. As alluded to above,
complex projects will need to sub-divide these phases in line with the
principles discussed below. This is difficult and the only guidance available
is that Design will have more sub-phases than Functionality which will
have more than
Requirement which will have more than Discovery. The same is true, but
in reverse for Construct, Check, Review and Audit and the basis of this
is explained below.
5. Jeffery,
S., P.E. Harding, "A Crash Course in Project Engineering", pg
118, Chemical Engineering, July 1995
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Introduction
