Adoption of Microsoft Project in IT Versus Construction: Different Animals, Same Cage?
The application of Microsoft Project as a scheduling tool within the construction industry is limited, although it is growing. Historically, Primavera (now Oracle Primavera) has dominated the construction scheduling industry, while Microsoft Project has gained much greater acceptance in the IT and Product Development marketplace.
I wonder about the difference in adoption rates between these two dominant software tools for project controls and scheduling. I was told by a senior Microsoft Executive that MS Project is a billion-dollar-a-year business for Microsoft, with over 40,000,000 copies in circulation. I also wonder what percentage of these licenses are accessed on a regular basis, and about the underlying quality of schedules developed using MS Project.
In both IT and construction, there’s a body of knowledge describing the proper methods to use when planning a project and creating a schedule. However, while it is common practice in the construction industry to create a detailed baseline critical path schedule, it is not common practice in IT. In all of my interviews, I found the application of critical path scheduling to be minimal in IT projects and ubiquitous in construction projects. Scheduling seems to be one of the areas of project controls which differs greatly between the two industries, which begs a deeper analysis. Why is a tool which is considered essential in planning and reporting progress on construction projects virtually unused in managing IT projects?
Why I’m Dumping my iPhone 5 for the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear
I’ve had an iPhone since the first one came out. I’ve said for years that the iPhone would be the one tech device I would keep if I could only keep one. Apple definitely raised the bar on smart phones with the first iPhone. But, they have not kept up the pace and Samsung has overtaken the iPhone in terms of functionality and value.
|
Feature |
iPhone 5 |
|
|
Device in General |
||
|
Battery Life |
Great |
Poor and unpredictable |
|
Screen Size |
Great (baby boomer…) |
Small for my old eyes |
|
App Stability |
Great |
Really poor |
|
Expandable Memory |
Unlimited |
No |
|
UI |
good |
Good |
|
Device Reliability |
Great |
Poor and unpredictable |
|
Platform Reach |
Wide |
Narrow |
|
Amazon Integration |
Great |
What? |
|
Google Integration |
Great |
What? |
|
Music |
Good |
Good |
|
Voice Command Integration |
Great |
Good |
|
Samsung Gear (wrist watch) |
||
|
Answer Calls and talk |
Yes |
Na |
|
Know when you walk away from your phone |
Yes |
Na |
|
Receive and respond to text messages |
Yes |
Na |
|
Get alerts from Facebook |
Yes |
Na |
|
Get alerts from twitter |
Yes |
Na |
|
Fitness integration |
Yes |
Na |
|
Integrated Camera |
Yes |
Na |
|
Integrated Voice Memo |
Yes |
Na |
|
Specific Apps I use |
||
|
Google Music v iTunes |
Good |
Good |
|
NPR |
Great |
Unreliable |
|
MapMyRun |
Great |
Unreliable |
|
Kindle Reader |
Great |
What? Can’t see it… |
|
Kindle Audio Books |
Great |
Available |
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The biggest issue for most iPhone users switching to Android / Samsung will be losing iTunes. I thought this would be a big problem but it turned out not to be. One of the great features of the Galaxy is the mini SD slot. I bought a 64 Gig mini SD card from Amazon Prime (on my note 3 browser) and got it the next day for $50. I copied by iTunes library onto the SD card, plugged it into the Samsung and opened up my Google Play Music App, it saw the music right away.
I also love the Android swype keyboard. It is so fast and intuitive. I still need to figure out how to spell words with two letters in a row. Although the voice recognition is great as well, come acoustic surroundings preclude the effective use of voice recognition.
A Comprehensive Standard in Project Planning – Theory of Constraints
Project planning presents the first opportunity to identify and address bottlenecks and constraints. We have to be a little careful in using the term “constraints” in the construction and planning industry, because this is also a term of art in the world of scheduling. When creating a schedule, the scheduler or planner can set a time constraint on an activity. For instance, a SNE constraint requires that an activity can “Start No Earlier” than the date specified by the scheduler. Because of the algorithmic limitations of CPM, constraints must be used to hold a date later than the calculated early start date. While each of these constraints should be considered in light of a TOC project evaluation, they are only one small aspect of the application of TOC in construction projects.
Goldratt’s theory is comprehensive – it holds the overall project to a higher standard. In TOC, the ultimate measure of system effectiveness is throughput. What is throughput? It depends on the organization’s goals. For a manufacturing company, throughput is how efficiently product has been designed, produced, and sold and paid for, and at what cost. For a professional services firm, the equation is a little different, because in the world of professional services, the work cannot be produced and sold, but the consultants are inventory (a very costly asset when not productive, or, more cruelly, meat with an expiration date at the butcher counter).