Project Workflow
Projects move through the same steps every time. I saw this in my professional life as a design engineer.
Scope Meeting – During the scope meeting, you would determine the scope of the project. That is, what needs to removed, what needs to be installed, when does it have to be done (deadline), how much will it cost.
If we can’t afford it or it can’t be done by the deadline, then we need to rescope the project.
Planning & Design – This was my primary role. Here we determine how to tackle the project; create assembly drawings, wiring drawings, site plans, and other documents that detail what actions need to be taken. This also includes determining how many people are needed and what skills they should have, as well as what tools are needed. This stage may also include research. We may, perhaps, be installing a machine we’re unfamiliar with so we need to learn more about it. In my experience, Design and planning are the largest part of any project, of course I designed systems that fed power to entire cities, so there’s that too.
Purchasing – Here we purchase what is needed. This includes the tools, raw materials (wood, metal, fasteners, electrical connectors, etc.) and labor (the people who need to be hired)
Production – Here is where we build the thing or do the work. We may need to provide tools and materials to outside laborers and let them do their job, they are professionals after all.
Commissioning – In this stage the work is inspected and tested then either approved or corrected. After corrections are make, the work is inspected and tested again. This cycle continues until everyone is happy with the finished product.
Post Commissioning – This is the final stage in the project cycle. Here we receive documentation from the tradesman showing how the project was actually built. No project is perfect, so changes are often made during production or commissioning. These changes are then sent back to so that the planning materials can be updated to provide a reference should the project need servicing in the future. Many companies don’t bother with post commissioning. This is why we see videos of manhole covers being launched high into the air while spitting sparks. Either the installers didn’t document the last repairs they made, or engineering didn’t think it was important to update to record the changes. The latter was more common in my experience.