Project Management

WE BRING PROJECTS TO LIFE

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Project Management – As well as specifying, designing and engineering your project, Prime Design is well resourced to be able to professionally manage the implementation. We are normally asked to project manage these projects and have had the opportunity to support many well-known international companies. 


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Project Management

What do you need?

"Our existing staff don’t have sufficient time to dedicate to the new project."
 

An important point to acknowledge. We can supplement your existing resources or provide a dedicated resource.

"We need to have the project managed properly but can’t justify a full-time role"

We don’t adopt an all-or-nothing approach but work on a scope and deliverables basis.


"It’s important that our production and operations teams are kept involved and fully integrated in the new project"

We see good communication and team building as an essential skill for the project manager.


"We need to know what’s included in ‘project management’"

Project management isn’t just a project manager. We will provide the right resources at the right time according to the demands of the project.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it better to manage projects in-house or hire an external project manager?

In-house project management can be very efficient. Internal project managers will know the business inside out and will have local organisational knowledge and industry expertise, however the project scope, i.e. the size and complexity of the project can help determine whether in-house or external project management is more appropriate. Smaller projects may be more efficiently managed in-house, while larger projects may require external expertise .

To run large projects, you need a professional project manager(s), familiar with how to run projects. Consider the expertise of your team members and whether they have the necessary skills to manage the project effectively. Otherwise, appointing an employee inexperienced in project management, can be very expensive. Not only will the risks of being late be greater, thus missing potential sales opportunities, but also the costs can increase exponentially.

The positive side to hiring an external project manager is that, overall, it costs less than keeping a permanent in-house project manager. The person will have lots of diverse experience, having run many types of projects for many years and will bring an alternative perspective to your project and will set up and run the project efficiently.

Consider too the time frame. If you have a tight deadline, an external consultant may be able to provide more efficient project management services .

When deciding between in-house and external project management, it’s important to consider the following factors:

The cost of project management depends on various factors, such as the project scope, required expertise and the length of time the project will take. There is no definitive answer.

A common way of calculating project cost is to allocate a percentage of the total project cost to project management, somewhere between 8% to 15%, depending on the project. When hiring an external consultant, this can be based on a daily rate or fixed fee.

These methods are not mutually exclusive and can be combined or adjusted according to the nature and context of each project. The key is to be realistic and transparent about the cost of project management and to communicate it clearly to all stakeholders

In many ways it is better to ask what value professional project management will bring to your project, rather than basing decisions on cost. If a project is not well managed, the overall costs of the project will run way over budget, potentially dwarfing the cost of project management.

When planning a project, there are many factors to consider. Here are some of the most important ones:

  1. Critical success factors: Define what a successful project looks like
  2. Project goals: Clearly define the objectives of the project and the deliverables you hope to achieve
  3. Project scope: Determine the boundaries of the project and what is included and excluded.
  4. Work Breakdown Structure: Identify as many tasks as possible in order to calculate schedules and budgets
  5. Project schedule: Establish a realistic schedule for the project, including milestones and deadlines.
  6. Project stakeholders: Consider everyone that will be involved in the project both the members of your project teams and others who will be affected by the project.
  7. Project organisation: Identify how the project will be run, the make-up of its teams and that roles and responsibilities are clear. Develop a communications plan
  8. Project budget: Determine the resources required for the project and how much it will cost.
  9. Project risks: Identify potential risks that could impact the project and develop contingency plans to mitigate them.

These are just a few of the many factors to consider when planning a project. 

Yes, mentors provide valuable guidance and support throughout the project lifecycle, from planning to execution to evaluation. Remember that mentorship is a two-way street. While mentors can provide valuable guidance and support, mentees also have a responsibility to be proactive, respectful, and receptive to feedback.

When selecting a mentor, it’s important to consider their experience and expertise. You should also establish clear expectations and boundaries for the mentorship relationship, such as the frequency and mode of communication, the scope of the project, and the roles and responsibilities of each party.

Prime Design can offer services to mentor your employees.

This is not the right question to ask! As mentioned in question two, it is better to ask what value professional project management will bring to your project, rather than basing decisions on cost. If a project is not well managed, the overall costs of the project will run way over budget, potentially dwarfing the cost of project management.

Further Information

Project Management

Some of our client’s also require support with project implementation. Our team has been successfully implementing manufacturing projects around the world since 1992.  Indeed, many of our repeat customers normally ask us to implement the schemes we have designed. We have recently delivered projects in: The UK, France, The Netherlands, USA, New Zealand, Ireland and China.
As with all of our assignments we take great care in understanding the client’s needs and the project specific details. This allows us to provide the best overall solution for the client whilst minimising risk. We pride ourselves on an inclusive approach to project management as in our experience, this invariably leads to the smoothest implementation. Our aim is to avoid unpleasant surprises!

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We have our own project management methodology which is based upon the Project Management Institute (PMI) framework. We can either adopt the client standard PM process of this is appropriate, our use our own:
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Prime Design is also sometimes requested to provide mentoring for a client’s PM team, to assist in  delivering the project successfully. This approach is quite popular as it addresses the current project requirement whilst developing in-house skills for the client’s future projects.
Prime Design is able to tailor the level of support to meet our client's needs.

2018 reference from Francois Musellec – Director of Industrial Projects (Synutra France):
We confirm that Prime Design helped us with the implementation of our new factory, here in Brittany, France, during 2016-17
The overall project was a very significant undertaking and Prime Design helped us with equipment specifications, layouts, integration, validation and initial ramp-up.
We found them to be very professional, experienced and helpful. Whilst working with them we came to know the team quite well and continue to maintain a very good relationship with them.

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