Glossary · Engineering, integration and validation
Project management
Also known as: PM
German: Projektmanagement
In engineering, project management is the planning, organizing, directing and controlling of resources, schedule, cost, quality and risk to achieve the objectives of a project. In automation projects it coordinates mechanical, electrical, software, testing and documentation work up to acceptance.
- Validation
In one sentence
Project management plans and controls scope, schedule, cost, quality and risk to achieve a project's objectives, from specification to acceptance.
Example
The project manager schedules the software FAT two weeks before shipment and makes sure the draft operating manual is ready for review at the FAT.
How it applies
- Planning: Automation projects follow phases such as specification, design, implementation, Factory acceptance test (FAT), installation, commissioning and Site acceptance test (SAT). The project plan defines milestones and deliverables for each.
- Coordination: Project managers coordinate interfaces between disciplines and suppliers and track changes, open points and risks.
- Quality: Test and review activities, including the Release decision, are planned rather than squeezed in at the end.
- Documentation: Documentation is a deliverable with its own schedule and resources. Project managers should plan documentation reviews at the FAT and handover and make sure the documentation team is informed about changes.
Project management vs. systems engineering
Project management focuses on achieving the project's goals within time, cost and resources. Systems engineering focuses on defining and realizing a system that meets its requirements. Both work closely together; ISO 21502 gives guidance on project management, ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 on system life cycle processes.