What to be implemented at the early stage of a large-scale project

This paper addresses the importance of the actions to be taken before the project planning phases begin. The approach taken stems from the production planning paradigm, with emphasis on the product, rather than on the process. It is argued that a complete part list or product breakdown structure (PBS) is the absolute prerequisite for the design of a successful work breakdown structure (WBS) for a project. This process requires the definition of the design and configuration disciplines during the engineering phase. These critical issues of concurrent engineering and product development are also emphasized in the paper. The WBS is, in turn, needed to establish a suitable organizational breakdown structure (OBS or organigram) for the project. Finally, the assembly sequence and the related assembly breakdown structure (ABS) of the end product is required before commencing the project planning phase, which provides the schedules, resource allocation, progress control, and the like for the project management. Detailed definition of the product enables the definition of the work packages within the WBS, which combined with the installation information provide the means to structure the layout for the project organization. The result of the entire process, that begins with the product definition phase and ends with the completion of the planning phase, is called the project management plan. The procedure described in the paper will be used to design the project management plan for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a ten-year "ordeal" commencing at the beginning of the 1995, at CER

Engineering data management: a tool for technical coordination

This paper studies the basic motivations behind Engineering Data Management (EDM) in a decade long Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project with at least another decades operational period at CERN. The main argument is that without strict managerial principles to control engineering work the exploitation of EDM becomes impossible. Structured and organized configuration management is the absolute prerequisite for an effective integration of design, manufacturing and installation work. EDM is seen to provide all collaborating parties of the project with a coherent and up-to-date view of the product specifications together with other relevant information, such as products change log, responsibilities and status indicators during the products whole life-cycle. It is argued that by combining simple and commonly accepted managerial principles with an advanced EDM system the outcome supports the main phases of products evolution, i.e. design, assembly, operation and maintenance. The paper outlines the main tasks of the configuration management and the fundamental requirements of EDM in order to meet LHC-projects complexity, stringent budget, high quality and tight schedule constraints set by the CERN Council. Keywords: configuration management, new product development, project management, concurrent engineering, engineering data managemen

Towards the Extended Enterprise in Project Business

This paper studies the evolution of engineering information systems towards full support of distributed operations in project business. The results reported are based on an industrial project called Connecting Distributed Competencies (CoDisCo). With multiple industrial collaborators the project brings together project management, Internet and the construction of complex products. The aim of the project is to outline the best practices, both managerial and tool-wise, on how to connect distributed partners and their competencies in such a way that the end-product is delivered in time, with right quality, reliable documentation and within the planned budget frame. From the cases ranging from complex scientific instrumentation to traditional industries such as shipbuilding it becomes evident that modern communication systems can improve efficiency and reduce mistakes, yet they do not make well-allocated face-to- face reviews with collaborating parties obsolete. It is also reported that despite the sophisticated network applications the routines performed with them are trivial and that higher-level system integration between parties requires information to be structured in a coherent way. Introduction of formal data structures is laborious, but when completed project efficiency is improved. It is concluded that in order to turn project-oriented businesses into extended enterprises the deployment of Internet and WWW play a decisive role. Keywords: configuration management, document management, project management, Internet, World Wide Web (WWW), distributed product development, networking, one-of-a-kind manufacturing, complex products, supply chain management

Document management guidelines for distributed project networks

This paper provides the project engineer with guidelines or a checklist on tasks that must be considered, defined and documented before the project can successfully implement a document management system in geographically distributed project environment. Topics ranging from configuration management, approval process, document types, user administration and document naming are covered. The underlying cases of the paper are that of CERN (European Laboratory for Particle Physics) and its latest accelerator project, together with the Nordisk Industrifond -funded Connecting Distributed Competencies (NI#: 98082) project, with a focus on distributed shipbuilding processes. Keywords: distributed project management, product data management, networking, document management, virtual workspace

Results and recommendations from an intercomparison of six Hygroscopicity-TDMA systems

The performance of six custom-built Hygrocopicity-Tandem Differential Mobility Analyser (H-TDMA) systems was investigated in the frame of an international calibration and intercomparison workshop held in Leipzig, February 2006. The goal of the workshop was to harmonise H-TDMA measurements and develop recommendations for atmospheric measurements and their data evaluation. The H-TDMA systems were compared in terms of the sizing of dry particles, relative humidity (RH) uncertainty, and consistency in determination of number fractions of different hygroscopic particle groups. The experiments were performed in an air-conditioned laboratory using ammonium sulphate particles or an external mixture of ammonium sulphate and soot particles. The sizing of dry particles of the six H-TDMA systems was within 0.2 to 4.2% of the selected particle diameter depending on investigated size and individual system. Measurements of ammonium sulphate aerosol found deviations equivalent to 4.5% RH from the set point of 90% RH compared to results from previous experiments in the literature. Evaluation of the number fraction of particles within the clearly separated growth factor modes of a laboratory generated externally mixed aerosol was done. The data from the H-TDMAs was analysed with a single fitting routine to investigate differences caused by the different data evaluation procedures used for each H-TDMA. The differences between the H-TDMAs were reduced from +12/-13% to +8/-6% when the same analysis routine was applied. We conclude that a common data evaluation procedure to determine number fractions of externally mixed aerosols will improve the comparability of H-TDMA measurements. It is recommended to ensure proper calibration of all flow, temperature and RH sensors in the systems. It is most important to thermally insulate the aerosol humidification unit and the second DMA and to monitor these temperatures to an accuracy of 0.2 degrees C. For the correct determination of external mixtures, it is necessary to take into account size-dependent losses due to diffusion in the plumbing between the DMAs and in the aerosol humidification unit.Peer reviewe

A study of the link between cosmic rays and clouds with a cloud chamber at the CERN PS

Recent satellite data have revealed a surprising correlation between galactic cosmic ray (GCR) intensity and the fraction of the Earth covered by clouds. If this correlation were to be established by a causal mechanism, it could provide a crucial step in understanding the long-sought mechanism connecting solar and climate variability. The Earth's climate seems to be remarkably sensitive to solar activity, but variations of the Sun's electromagnetic radiation appear to be too small to account for the observed climate variability. However, since the GCR intensity is strongly modulated by the solar wind, a GCR-cloud link may provide a sufficient amplifying mechanism. Moreover if this connection were to be confirmed, it could have profound consequences for our understanding of the solar contributions to the current global warming. The CLOUD (Cosmics Leaving OUtdoor Droplets) project proposes to test experimentally the existence a link between cosmic rays and cloud formation, and to understand the microphysical mechanism. CLOUD plans to perform detailed laboratory measurements in a particle beam at CERN, where all the parameters can be precisely controlled and measured. The beam will pass through an expansion cloud chamber and a reactor chamber where the atmosphere is to be duplicated by moist air charged with selected aerosols and trace condensable vapours. An array of external detectors and mass spectrometers is used to analyse the physical and chemical characteristics of the aerosols and trace gases during beam exposure. Where beam effects are found, the experiment will seek to evaluate their significance in the atmosphere by incorporating them into aerosol and cloud models.Recent satellite data have revealed a surprising correlation between galactic cosmic ray (GCR) intensity and the fraction of the Earth covered by clouds. If this correlation were to be established by a causal mechanism, it could provide a crucial step in understanding the long-sought mechanism connecting solar and climate variability. The Earth's climate seems to be remarkably sensitive to solar activity, but variations of the Sun's electromagnetic radiation appear to be too small to account for the observed climate variability. However, since the GCR intensity is strongly modulated by the solar wind, a GCR-cloud link may provide a sufficient amplifying mechanism. Moreover if this connection were to be confirmed, it could have profound consequences for our understanding of the solar contributions to the current global warming. The CLOUD (Cosmics Leaving OUtdoor Droplets) project proposes to test experimentally the existence a link between cosmic rays and cloud formation, and to understand the microphysical mechanism. CLOUD plans to perform detailed laboratory measurements in a particle beam at CERN, where all the parameters can be precisely controlled and measured. The beam will pass through an expansion cloud chamber and a reactor chamber where the atmosphere is to be duplicated by moist air charged with selected aerosols and trace condensable vapours. An array of external detectors and mass spectrometers is used to analyse the physical and chemical characteristics of the aerosols and trace gases during beam exposure. Where beam effects are found, the experiment will seek to evaluate their significance in the atmosphere by incorporating them into aerosol and cloud models

CLOUD: an atmospheric research facility at CERN

This report is the second of two addenda to the CLOUD proposal at CERN (physics/0104048), which aims to test experimentally the existence a link between cosmic rays and cloud formation, and to understand the microphysical mechanism. The document places CLOUD in the framework of a CERN facility for atmospheric research, and provides further details on the particle beam requirements