Question

Briefly describe one of the most impressive or intricate projects that you have been involved in. Give examples of the following as they pertain to the project: the work breakdown structure, tasks, subtasks, and work package. Were you on the critical path? Did it have a good project manager? Or were you a good project manager? If so, why?

Answer 1

One of the most impressive or intricate projects that I have been involved in was a Solar energy project. What made the project intricate was that it required the designing, procurement, and construction of six new Solar plants at six different locations within a very stringent timeline.

I was working under the Project Manager for the project. The Project Manager did a very good job and was able to complete the project within the timelines.

He first prepared the work breakdown structure of the project into 6 sub-projects. He allocated team members from various departments like Design, Procurement, etc so that all the 6 projects were worked upon simultaneously. He also held several meetings with suppliers to ensure all the required material was delivered at the 6 locations in parallel. Further, for the execution of work at the 6 locations he contacted multiple construction contractors.

So, in the planning stage, the Project Manager was able to highlight each and every activity and resource required for the project. The major tasks for the project were designing the solar plant for each location, procurement of all required material and location wise delivery, and finally the solar plant installation work at each location.

The project manager gave clear instructions to every individual to strictly follow the timelines. He had meetings with the Design team and Procurement team twice a week to ensure that the progress was on track.

The critical path for the project involved the supply of Solar Panels. These panels had to be manufactured in China and the lead time for the delivery was a minimum of 8 weeks. Since the project timelines were very stringent, the Project Manager had to ensure that the lead time for the Solar Panels did not exceed 8 weeks. He was in constant touch with the manufacturer to be updated on the manufacturing progress.

The procurement team utilized its resources to ensure that the materials(other than solar panels) were delivered on time to the 6 locations. A different construction contractor was deployed at each location, to ensure there was no shortage of manpower. The project manager also deployed 6 experienced engineers to all the locations, to monitor and supervise the work. It was planned to complete all activities which did not require Solar Panels, to be executed first. So, before the delivery of the Solar Panels, all other work at each location was completed.

With the Project Manager's efforts and rigorous follow-up with the Solar Panel manufacturer, the panels were delivered at the 6 locations right in the 8th week. So, the critical path of the project did not go beyond its planned duration. Immediately after the panel delivery, the installation of the panels started at all locations. The work at all sites was completed within the next 2 weeks.

The overall project was completed 1 week before the scheduled date. It was a big success for the Project manager and the entire project team. The Project manager made sure that each activity was given importance and he allocated different team members for the same. There was always someone to ensure that the ongoing tasks were monitored the upcoming tasks were well planned. It was a great team effort that made the execution of the project a very smooth process.