She had wanted to get an early
start for the monthly construction status meeting. The day would be long and cold
and a cup of coffee would help out. The
diner was across from the project site in New York City. She could see her truck from the booth and
Charlie was in the back. Charlie was her
assistant. Charlie didn’t drink
coffee.
In fact, Charlie didn’t drink or
eat. Charlie was her latest robotic
project manager assistant marketed by Google under the brand name PMBot
6.0. The Google marketing department called it the most advanced project management assistant in the world (". . . decentralized, flexible and mobile for rugged project environments . . . connected, responsive, and informed for project management at mid-century . . ."). She sipped her coffee and checked
her watch. She understood that Charlie
was one of the key technological inflection points that engineers face in their careers. She didn’t take a gloomy view of robotic
artificial intelligence. She fully
understood that Charlie gave her enhanced capabilities and capacities on her
projects.
Charlie was scheduled to launch the
Boeing CRGSIS (Construction Real-time Ground Surveillance Imaging System)
quad-rotor drone in five minutes. The
drone would provide video for the monthly construction status meeting. She had spoken with Charlie the previous day
and Charlie had updated the drone request in the Intelli-Master Schedule. As the drone departed, she knew the video
feed would be broadcast at her company’s board of directors meeting this
morning. The staff of Governor Ivanka
Trump had also requested a link to the video feed. As she started out the door of the diner she
eyed another drone landing to collect and transport a sample of the nanobiocrete
back to the laboratory for seven days of observation.
She called Charlie over and they
walked across the road to the field trailer for the progress meeting. Charlie handled two important tasks in these
meetings. The first was the
mundane. Charlie’s voice recognition
module and MinutesMaker software allowed for a real-time transcript of the
meeting. The second was more complex and
valuable. Charlie was an expert at modeling the outcomes of proposed project
decisions. Compared to Charlie, she knew she was
operating at a self-imposed information disadvantage. Technology was outpacing her ability to use
it. Without Charlie, she was constantly
challenged to turn data into decisions and decisions into data.
The project had over 45,000 separate tasks in the schedule. Charlie’s new goal-seeking algorithm provided her with the
opportunity to think and reflect on critical decisions. With Charlie supporting the link between
sensing and knowing, it provided her the opportunity to focus more on the key project management
questions. Charlie allowed her to integrate the tasks of scope, time, cost, quality, risk, and procurement management into a more complete and accurate package for an increasingly complex project environment. Working with Charlie, she was
able to generate more ideas to solve problems and could implement them more
swiftly. Charlie gave her the ability to
quickly discard the ideas that did not work for a particular problem or issue.
She was concerned about two
issues. The first was the weather
forecast over the next week. Her firm had
a horizontal network of partners collaborating in real-time on this
project. One of the partners was a
private weather forecasting firm that had loaded their most recent forecast
with Charlie last night. The
Intelli-Master Schedule scenario algorithm had provided her with a range of
outcomes and probabilities based on the new weather forecast. Charlie and the other new project management tools were professionally disposed against the workings of chance.
The other issue was the availability of a critical project component from a Canadian manufacturer. Her firm was one of the first organizations to utilize STAs (Supplier Transparency Agreements) to monitor the entire project supply chain. The STAs allowed Charlie to reach deep into production activities and logistics of critical suppliers for key information and status updates. Charlie was part of the “Coalition of the Connected” where groups of project management assistants worked on common problems and issues. The key was the development of seamless forms of engagement that allowed her to collect and use data in the field and in real-time.
The other issue was the availability of a critical project component from a Canadian manufacturer. Her firm was one of the first organizations to utilize STAs (Supplier Transparency Agreements) to monitor the entire project supply chain. The STAs allowed Charlie to reach deep into production activities and logistics of critical suppliers for key information and status updates. Charlie was part of the “Coalition of the Connected” where groups of project management assistants worked on common problems and issues. The key was the development of seamless forms of engagement that allowed her to collect and use data in the field and in real-time.
The digitization of the project
management process even extended to the conference room table. The Microsoft Smart Surface Table was a critical
tool for absorbing and processing information.
For example, she had been concerned about the installation of a critical
pump at the project site. The discussion
of this particular pump by the project team had alerted Charlie’s MindReader
software. Charlie could think ahead and
anticipate future needs and requirements based on voice recognition and the project decision support software.
MindReader gave Charlie the ability to search for key information
relating to the pump issue and potential problems. This allowed the project team to consider alternatives more completely and timely. Decisions that normally took days or weeks to research and review could be orchestrated via Charles during the monthly project meeting.
The Microsoft Smart Surface Table interfaced directly with Charlie and the complete network of project RFID devices and project sensors. These tracked everything from the location of construction material, the status of equipment, health and safety monitoring, environmental indicators, and field personnel. The project table combined with Charlie allowed the team a more complex, accurate, and timely picture of the project. Data become information which became knowledge (in the context of individual, team, and institutional knowledge) on the spot at project team meetings.
As a project manager, the tool associated with the smart table she found the most valuable was the augmented reality (AR) feature. Historically, project management was a two dimensional endeavor in a world of three dimensional projects. The quantification of a project status with the physical world had always been a challenge for project managers. The combination of droning technology and Charlie allowed for a higher level of understanding on project progress while viewing the smart table. The 3-D AR temporal based graphic display of what should be completed was integrated into a 3-D graphic model of what actually was complete allowing for a powerful project status representation to the team. She had come to the understanding that project information needs to be physical and the new AR tools allowed for this goal.
As a project manager, the tool associated with the smart table she found the most valuable was the augmented reality (AR) feature. Historically, project management was a two dimensional endeavor in a world of three dimensional projects. The quantification of a project status with the physical world had always been a challenge for project managers. The combination of droning technology and Charlie allowed for a higher level of understanding on project progress while viewing the smart table. The 3-D AR temporal based graphic display of what should be completed was integrated into a 3-D graphic model of what actually was complete allowing for a powerful project status representation to the team. She had come to the understanding that project information needs to be physical and the new AR tools allowed for this goal.
Her company had a long history of
establishing project and program management as a discipline. She was well trained in the five project
management groups that her firm deemed critical. These were: (1.) Initiating Process Group –
defines or authorizes the project, program, or phase, (2.) Planning Process Group
-– defines and redefines the objectives and plans and the course of action
required to attain the objectives and scope that the project was undertaken to
address, (3.) Executing Process Group – integrates people and other resources
to carry out the project/program management plan for the project or program,
(4.) Monitoring and Controlling Group – Regularly measures and monitors
progress to identify variance from the project management plan so the
corrective action can be taken when necessary to meet the project objectives,
and (5.) Closing Process Group – formalizes acceptance of project, services or
result and brings the project, program or project phase to an orderly end. Charlie helped in all five areas.
Charlie and the other tools permitted the project manager of 2030 the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of his or her project and operating environments. Enhanced tools and robotics allow project managers and organizations to focus on a simple fact - one of the problems with management in the Age of Hyper-connectivity and Big Data is not about what; it's about which. Project management in 2030 is driven by somehow finding what's significant in a world of thick and expansive information networks. Projects in 2030 will be based on the flow of information in interconnected systems. Charlie will be a unique tool for project managers in holding systems and processes together while having a role in determining how they operate.
Welcome to 2030.
Charlie and the other tools permitted the project manager of 2030 the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of his or her project and operating environments. Enhanced tools and robotics allow project managers and organizations to focus on a simple fact - one of the problems with management in the Age of Hyper-connectivity and Big Data is not about what; it's about which. Project management in 2030 is driven by somehow finding what's significant in a world of thick and expansive information networks. Projects in 2030 will be based on the flow of information in interconnected systems. Charlie will be a unique tool for project managers in holding systems and processes together while having a role in determining how they operate.
Welcome to 2030.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.