How do you manage multiple PLC Programming projects simultaneously and prioritize your tasks?

One of the best ways to understand the requirements of a project, in my opinion, is whiteboarding. In other words, getting all the stakeholders into a single room (or virtual meeting) and to whiteboard what they're looking for. For simple projects, this should be a fairly straightforward exercise. For complex projects (ex: rolling out an entire line or plant) this could be numerous sessions, some research and outreach to OEMs to see what's feasible, etc.

Assess Project Requirements: Understand the scope, deadlines, and criticality of each project. Prioritize Based on Impact assessment: Evaluate the potential impact of each project on the overall goals and objectives. Allocate Resources: Ensure you have the necessary resources, including time, manpower, and equipment, to effectively work on each project. Break Down Tasks: Divide each project into smaller, manageable tasks or milestones. Set Deadlines: Establish realistic deadlines for each task and project. Monitor Progress: Regularly monitor the progress of each project to identify any delays or issues. Communicate Effectively: Keep stakeholders informed. Flexibility: Be prepared to adjust priorities based on changing requirements.

1. Understand the Scope and Requirements Before diving into any project, thoroughly understand the scope, objectives, and requirements of each PLC programming task. Communicate with stakeholders to clarify expectations and deliverables for all projects.

Make sure you fully comprehend each project's requirements and scope before you start. This comprises: Project Objectives: Clearly state each project's objectives and deliverables. Examine the complete specs, taking note of the hardware and software requirements. Stakeholders: Determine the expectations of the important stakeholders. Note any limits, whether financial, scheduling, or technological ones.

Too many of us want to jump into programming right away. Building an almost complete tag list prior to doing any programming and then importing the list to your programming software will save potentially days depending on project size.

2. Break Down the Project into Tasks and Milestones For each project, create a detailed breakdown of tasks and milestones. Identify the specific PLC programming requirements, such as logic development, testing, and commissioning. Divide each project into manageable components to facilitate better task management.

Use North Star metric! It allows for customer-centric approach with clear goal in mind. It helps prioritize tasks to include what goes towards your goal. Simplifies progress measurement and definition of success.

We plan everything with JIRAs Scrum Projects combined with the Tempo app. Therefore we have an overview over all projects and employees across the whole company. Very powerful and easy to use.

Estimate the time, resources, and skillsets required for each task within the projects. Consider factors like complexity, hardware integration, testing phases, and documentation needs. Ensure realistic resource allocation to prevent overloading.

Prioritize high-value and low effort while understanding your risk and high-value with high-risk to de-risk important system components at the beginning of the development.

Implement a prioritization strategy based on urgency and importance. Assess deadlines, project dependencies, and critical path tasks. Prioritize tasks that are time-sensitive or have a higher impact on project milestones and deliverables.

-Team collaboration helps to resolve complex issues and to complete the tasks in time. -Tasks are divided into team members according to their expertise.

I agree, I have witnessed exactly what Greg and Muhammad are saying when we were helping GM Tonawanda. The success was my manager realizing that there had to be one programmer who was the lead programmer to manage the overall project and as Muhammad suggested... tasks were then divided by sections of the line to various controls companies involved in the project ensuring smooth transitions between sections of the manufacturing process equipment when everything came together in the end.

Great point Greg P. Most time I have seen this is when the integration portion of the project hasn't been thought our thoroughly. What are the possible use cases, operating scenarios? How is each piece of code supposed to interact with other pieces of code?

If working in a team, delegate tasks based on team members’ strengths and expertise. Foster collaboration by establishing clear communication channels and project updates. Leverage team resources to efficiently distribute workload and accelerate project progress.

Use best of product teams. Build your cross-functional team based on skills and expertise needed and give them right tools and trust. Effort spent on creating the right team pays off quickly with exceptional results.

We use weeklys where we discuss the current tasks on a more technical level and compare the planned to the needed time. Once a week we make a sprint Review and planning where we react on our current time schedule. I really recommend JIRA and tempo for this.

Review and Adjust Your Plan Regularly Regularly review project statuses, milestones, and task priorities. Adjust schedules and resource allocations based on evolving project requirements or unforeseen challenges. Maintain flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances and optimize project workflows.

I keep a daily diary of everything I do, and I do it in a spreadsheet to search it easily and manage other aspects. For this particular topic, I highly recommend that when you are finished working on a program for one project, write down what you completed and what you need to work on next. This has been invaluable to me. Programming is an intense exercise requiring a high level of concentration. When you switch jobs/tasks, it is important to be able to shift gears and get your brain into that particular job, and notes on what you've done and what to do next has been critical for me.

In orchestrating multiple PLC programming projects, a methodical, analytical approach is vital. Start by thoroughly understanding each project's requirements, including goals, deadlines, and potential challenges. Prioritize projects using a matrix based on criticality, value, deadline, and resource allocation. Employ Gantt charts for scheduling and Agile methodologies for adaptive planning. Regular audits are crucial for tracking progress and adjusting strategies as needed. Clear communication with team members and stakeholders is essential for alignment and transparency. This strategic, systematic approach is key to successfully managing multiple projects concurrently.

Take the time to build an in-depth library of Objects, End-Devices, State Machines, etc. that are applicable to the majority of your customer projects. Will there always be the 1-offs? Absolutely! Can 90% of your end-devices, and your end-use cases be generically generated? Absolutely. Determine what works best for your industry. Determine the “best practices” for the use-cases in your industry. Develop solutions accordingly. Perform in-depth testing to ensure your solutions are solid and easily replicated. Copy and paste. Win. “Don’t kick your own ass.” Custom developing every solution is a productivity killer.

Functional Specification Design Above document is based on P&ID and Process Control Philosophy. Detailed process operation sequence, Digital safe start/shutdown and Analog controls with alarms and trip points are part of the above 1. Prepare the above document in detail with I/O listing 2. Arrange for detailed review by the Stakeholders 3. Update the above per recommendations of PHA, HAZOP & SIL Workshops 4. Prepare overall PLC program flow chart with functional subroutines 5. Name the subroutines as per Process/Operational requirements. This will help the Commissioning Engineer to tweak or modify the program in a fly 6. Prepare detailed I/O and Register allocation Table in Excel. Manage programmers and review progress

The appropriate tools and standards are crucial for managing multiple large PLC projects simultaneously. We utilize JIRA for project planning, breaking down each project into tasks and subtasks, and crafting a timeline with deadlines for key milestones. We use another app, Tempo, to plan resources and see the workload of each individual team member across all projects. Besides the project plans, we conduct monthly sprints followed by a review meeting. During this meeting, our team collectively assesses the progress of each project. Should any project lag behind, we have the flexibility to adjust priorities and reallocate tasks as necessary.