I work as an [tag]Engineering[/tag] [tag]project[/tag] [tag]Planner[/tag]. I plan, schedule and coordinate activities for a task force of 60-80 engineers. Primary responsibility of my work is to monitor the [tag]schedule[/tag], resolve the bottlenecks and make sure the tasks are executed on time. Here is a typical conversation between a lead engineer from Mechanical Engineering (LE) and me.
Snapshot from ‘[tag]Primavera[/tag] Project Planner (P3)’… P3 is the software all planners swear by. ‘Microsoft Projects (MSP)’ comes next.
Me: Can you release the technical recommendations by Monday?
LE: No.
Me: Why not? We have received the final offers for all the pumps.
LE: Your schedule says Friday.
Me: The schedule is indicative. If the offer receipt is delayed, don’t we extend the duration for tech recos accordingly? Similarly here…
LE (interrupts): But I can’t allocate [tag]manpower[/tag] all of a sudden.
Me: Let’s allocate XYZ to this task. Currently he is working on the Blowers, which are not [tag]critical[/tag]. (The planner is usually aware of what the engineers are doing.)
LE: But I still can’t proceed. I have to get inputs from Process Engineering.
Me: What inputs?
LE: I just spoke to the Project manager. Ask him.
Me: Is it a major issue? Tell me again please.
LE: It’s regarding pump hydraulic network calculations.
Me: Oh, I already spoke to Process Engineering about it. Surely not all pumps undergo hydraulic loop checks. How many are the critical pumps?
LE: umm 5, I guess
Me: So can we work on the balance 20? (I try to bring him on my side by saying ‘we’)
LE: Ok, but I will need 2 clear days after I get the calculations for the balance pumps.
Me: Fine. So can we target Monday?
LE: Ok Monday is fine. The critical ones may be a day later.
Me: Okay. I’ll issue the [tag]forecast[/tag] schedule with those dates. Thanks
See, the problems are simple to address at a local level instead of dragging them into the interdisciplinary meetings. Half of these would never arise should the concerned people speak to each other. But they never do.
Here’s another situation.
LE (utterly frustrated): Is this planning?
Me: uh… what’s wrong?
LE: The schedule says I have to finish piping study by Friday next week. But the [tag]Project Manager[/tag] says I’m holding up Civil Engineering work, and I should finish it a week early.
Me: Oh. Is that possible? You are also working on the Layouts simultaneously, isn’t it?
LE: Yes. That’s the philosophy we agreed with.
I rush to the PM with him.
Me: Sir, the Piping LE says…
PM: Yes, he is working on the studies too slowly. We should finish it earlier; else it will delay Civil work.
Me: Sir it won’t. The civil contractor mobilization at site is not until next month. The site will require the foundation drawings at least a fortnight after mobilization starts. That’s a long time away.
PM: But he can finish early, can’t he?
Me: He is doing some other activities parallel to the studies.
LE: I’m also working on the layouts simultaneously. Although this is slow, it will avoid the rework at a later stage.
Me: Plus, we have sufficient time with us. Even if the guys finish a week later, we keep a 10 days [tag]float[/tag] for civil activity.
PM: Then why not give them another week?
Me: That would affect the 3D model work which is already on the [tag]critical path[/tag], and also passing of loads to Civil for preliminary column and beam calculations.
PM: Okay then Let’s stick to the schedule.
People sometimes have this nasty habit of interfering in others’ work. If my schedule has been checked thoroughly and approved, let me handle it from there. I may not know the invoices, costing and client relations – something that the PM looks after, or technical engineering work – which the disciplines do, but I know what goes in, what goes out and the sequence of operations surrounding any activity in the project.
Ah how dearly I am going to miss these wonderful days.
The coffee vending machine has become a necessity of life. Also, coffee from different machines tastes different. So let me correct the statement to – ‘The coffee vending machine which is on my floor has become a necessity of life’. Yeah that’s better.
So the other day, this machine failed to work. Probably because the whole office got salary raises, while this poor thing was left out. Human Resources department can be lousy at most of the times. How could they spare the coffee machine? No wonder the little thing revolted. However machines on other floors did not cooperate, instead they agreed to work overtime and serve coffee in lieu of this broken machine.
Now it was the employees’ turn, and we rejected that coffee instantly – frankly, it tasted awful. Talk about loyalty of the staff towards a machine and this may sound as the greatest example in history of coffee vending machines.
Ok, now don’t blame me for making you read this crappy write up. I haven’t had my coffee since morning, what else do you expect me to do??
I spend sixty hours in office (including Saturday) this week and someone asks “Was it for work?” Yeah mate, I don’t fancy going to the office unless it is required… Ten hours work in a day is normal, but it is the two-and-half hours a day commuting in Mumbai that isn’t.
So all I did this week was to go to office at 7am, come home at 10pm to eat and sleep. That’s all.
Marriages! It feels as if the whole city is getting married this season. 3 marriage parties were enough for breaking down my digestive system and I declined to go to the fourth today.
Paused reading Arthur Hailey’s “The evening news” and almost finished with Khushwant Singh’s “Train to Pakistan”. What a masterpiece! Review coming up shortly.
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