The project kick-off meeting is hosted by the Project Manager. Attendees typically include a Sr. Engineer, Implementation Supervisor, Purchasing Agent, and Project Coordinator. The purpose of the meeting is to officially introduce the project, distribute contract information, discuss the system equipment and scope, schedule milestones, and air concerns.
At the start of a project, equipment purchases are strategic and controlled by the Project Manager. The order and timing of equipment purchases are decided on many factors including delivery lead times and importance to the system assembly process.
Purchasing uses the project manager's Master Equipment List file to create the Bill of Materials (BOM). The BOM is used to purchase equipment, but purchases must be authorized by the Project Manager.
The main difference between the two lists is the sorting method and choice of columns displayed or hidden. The BOM is typically sorted by manufacturer and model number and displays more columns. The master list is usually sorted by common function and/or facility area. Many Purchasing related columns are hidden to focus the report on project management needs. Both lists are developed from the same master template.
Following (and based partially on input from) the project kick-off meeting, the Project Manager re-evaluates the project budget and schedule and generates new “working” versions. The “working” budget and schedule will not necessarily match its counterpart in the client’s System Sales Agreement. The budget and schedule included with the System Sales Agreement may be rounded and discounted to meet certain total budget objectives. The “working” budget and schedule is more accurate; it contains information and detail that can be transparent to the client but is vital to prosperous and timely project completion. The working budget and schedule is also used as a scale to measure project team performance and management’s ability to accurately estimate jobs. The project “Contact List” provides a sample of a typical listing of some of the key project personnel and their phone numbers.
Design Reviews are optional meetings. Small (simple) projects may not ever have a formal design review meeting. Large (high risk) projects may have three or more meetings.
Design review meetings are typically hosted by the project manager or senior engineer and called for various reasons. The agenda may be to determine current status and future direction within the Sony project team or it may be to status the client and to double check understanding and direction. Attendees will vary by the meeting’s purpose but client meetings typically include appropriate Sony Systems Integration engineers and management, the client (and selected staff), software engineers (if necessary), and any appropriate subcontractors.
At project initiation, you should receive the following listed documents from the Project Manager.
Router and Switcher programming manuals are needed almost immediately. These are often essential in assigning Abbreviations/Mnemonics.
The client’s initial Request for Proposal can sometimes provide additional useful information.
Study the preceding documents listed and any additional documents available to get a clear concept and scope of the system. The system size, types of equipment used, and over-all complexity will dictate which drawings (and how many) will be needed.
The contract needs to be reviewed for the "Scope of Work." This is usually part of the proposal and contracts generated by Marketing; it lists all of the tasks that are required by the SI, (e.i., Technical Consulting, Project Management, System Engineering and Design.) Engineering does not do any work that is not in the contract, unless authorized by Project Management. The "Scope of Work" should also specifically state what work is to be done by others.
This preliminary list is based on the equipment list that is part of the proposal and contract generated by SI Marketing. It defines what equipment is provided by Sony and what equipment is Purchaser Furnished Equipment (PFE). Future equipment that the customer has contracted SI to design into the system is also on this list and must be designed into the system. If this list is not provided with the contract, it must be created. The Final Equipment List can only be generated when the final detailed system design and Synoptics are completed.
The Program Document, Software Functionality Document, Abbreviations List, and the Preliminary Equipment List, must be sent to the client for comment, approval, and sign-off. Be sure to ask for them back by a specific calendar date, and never use the term "ASAP"; it's too vague.
These items provide operation, configuration, power, mounting, and I/O information for the system equipment. Always check the cut sheet and/or installation manual of unfamiliar equipment; incorrect guessing could result in lost time and extremely expensive rework.