Project engineering

About: Project engineering is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 609 publications have been published within this topic receiving 8869 citations.

Computational Science Education Project

Abstract: The Computational Science Education Project (CSEP) was initiated in September 1991 by the Office of Scientific Computing at the Department of Energy. The goal of CSEP is to develop a syllabus and associated materials for teaching computational science at the beginning graduate or advanced undergraduate level. CSEP intends to introduce students from diverse disciplines in the pure and applied sciences to high-performance computing. The interdisciplinary nature of the project is intended to contribute to national technological competitiveness skills to operate effectively in high-performance computing environments. CSEP materials are in electronic format, for use in the classroom and computer laboratory. >

Full scale industrial project work, a one semester course

Abstract: This paper presents the motivations, design, outcomes, and lessons learned from a long series of project-oriented courses. The project is chosen to be similar to real industry projects and with a technical content that is at the senior or master level. The students will in the course follow the project from the initial requirement specification to a product during one semester. The first half of the semester also includes a traditional distributed systems course, but the second half is solely devoted to the project. The time each student is supposed to spend on actual project work is 15 effort weeks which, since the project involves between 15 and 20 students, means that up to 7 effort years are spent on the project by final year computer science students.

Assisting managers in project definition: foundations for intelligent decision support

Abstract: The authors are developing a knowledge-based software project management system called Watson, written in ART (Automated Reasoning Tool) and Common Lisp. Watson uses a robust conceptual model of the software project management domain as a foundation for assisting software managers in project definition and dynamic problem solving. They present three scenarios (illustrating how managers use Watson in defining project plans), describe the model of software project management constituting the system's conceptual framework, and examine the knowledge representation used to implement this model. The authors define three underlying reasoning processes Watson uses to maintain the integrity of a user's project data during project definition, and they discuss how Watson uses these foundational capabilities to provide more extensive support to managers by assisting in the automatic generation of project plan definitions. >

On some key requirements of mobile application software

Abstract: This paper first introduces and discusses a few considerations on some key requirements of mobile computing services In particular, the relevance of both dependability and adaptability to an effective distribution of the service is investigated Next, the paper discusses a novel structuring technique for the application layer of mobile software, as an example of an existing tool fulfilling those requirements Such technique has been designed in the framework of ESPRIT project TIRAN and is fully explored in the IST project DepAuDE

Capturing knowledge from lessons learned at the work package level in project engineering teams

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the knowledge management (KM) loop process in a work package (WP)-based project engineering management method. The purpose of the KM loop is the routine capture of learnings to improve work practices in both the project and the firm. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual model for a project KM loop is developed by researching various KM theories found in the literature and incorporating the most applicable concepts and bridging any gaps in an attempt to overcome the reported impediments to learning in projects. A specific WP-based project engineering method (the STBQ method) is chosen as the framework for illustrating the workings and advantages of the KM loop. The author’s experiential judgement is used in applying selected academic concepts to create a KM process particularly useful for consulting engineering firms engaged in the detailed design phase of heavy industrial projects notwithstanding the fact that it may be beneficial in other project environments. Findings Completion of a WP can be used as a natural point in time for the collection of lessons learned (LL). At post-WP debriefing meetings, intuitive learnings can be contributed by individuals and interpreted in the context of the recently completed WP. When seen to be applicable, the project engineer integrates this newly gained experiential knowledge into the project’s job instructions for immediate implementation on other WPs remaining in the project scope. Through the project manager, these new or revised job instructions are proposed as candidates for new or revised standard practices to the senior managers of the engineering firm who can institutionalize them by approval for use in other in-progress or future projects. Research limitations/implications The KM loop described here is specifically intended to be used with the STBQ method where the 100 per cent rule is applied and where each WP sub-team is tasked with the delivery of their WP safely, on-time, on-budget and with no quality deficiencies as the criteria for success of their WP. A research limitation is that capturing learnings throughout the project does not solve the problem of capturing post-project learnings from design errors surfacing during construction, in commissioning, or after start-up during on-going operations and maintenance. Nonetheless, innovative ideas and improvements can be found during the detailed engineering phase and the KM loop captures these for intra-project and inter-project use. Practical implications The extra effort of decomposing requirements into WPs not only helps control project costs, schedule, quality and safety but also provides an effective way to capture knowledge from project learnings for intra-project and inter-project use. Social implications The lessons-learned sessions held at the completion of each WP provides an opportunity to provide motivation and morale boosting to the WP sub-team members. Originality/value This paper contributes what is believed to be the first WP-based KM loop in project engineering management using a specific application of the 4I framework of organizational learning. In addition, when applied in the STBQ method or any other method that uses interim WPs for both planning and reporting, the LL sessions can be pre-scheduled and budgeted separately from the subject WP. This helps to overcome the problem widely reported in projects that not enough calendar time or person-hours can be spared to attend the LL sessions.