Project Management in History Series:

Transcription

1 Project Management in History Series: THE FIRST JEEP Presented by PAUL R. BRUNO, PMP, PgMP

2 PAUL R. BRUNO, PMP, PgMP Background & C.V. 26 years in state and local government information technology, 13 years as a project manager 4 college degrees: MBA, Masters in History, BS Computer Software, BS Management Holds 2 certificates and an advanced certificate in IT project management Graduate of PMI Leadership Institute Masters Class and Class Advisor Volunteer with PMI at both Global and Local level

3 OVERVIEW Show How A Structured Project Management Process Was Used to Create The First Jeep Process included the following phases: Project genesis General requirements Project kickoff Specific requirements Bid, contract Build Testing/Acceptance

4 THE SITUATION German victories September 1939 June 1940 Poland Denmark/Norway The Low Countries France Japan on the march in Asia Great Britain stands alone against Nazi s German Blitzkrieg tactics demonstrate use of combined arms (Army/Air Force), use of tanks in massed formations and advances in hitherto unseen ranges of mobility

5 KEY STAKEHOLDER: THE UNITED STATES ARMY Army saw that German Blitzkrieg tactics clearly underscored need for increased mobility United States Army without a vehicle between the ½-ton truck and motorcycle with sidecar and no plans to procure one in May 1940 Using mule to transport troops and light payloads Need for this vehicle ran across many using branches of the Army including Infantry, Cavalry, Ordnance and Field Artillery Numerous stakeholders and competing requirements U.S. Army procurement process in state of flux in 1940 adding complexity

6 KEY STAKEHOLDER: THE AMERICAN BANTAM CAR COMPANY Founded in 1929 as American Austin Car Company Sir Herbert Austin brings Austin vehicles from Great Britain Austin 7 a very popular vehicle in Europe Located in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA (30 miles northeast of Pittsburgh) American Austin bankrupt 1933 American Austin assets bought in 1935 by Roy Evans and renamed the American Bantam Car Company Premier, and only, builder of small vehicles in United States

7 KEY STAKEHOLDER: THE AMERICAN BANTAM CAR COMPANY American Bantam Car Company bankrupt in 1940 Key company players, Evans, Francis H. Fenn, President, Harold Crist, Plant Manager Fenn assigns Charles Harry Payne to Washington D.C., in February 1940 to procure military business If military business not obtained American Bantam Car Company disappears

8 THE FIRST JEEP S LINEAGE GREAT GRANDFATHER

9 THE FIRST JEEP S LINEAGE GREAT GRANDFATHER GRANDFATHER

10 THE FIRST JEEP S LINEAGE GREAT GRANDFATHER GRANDFATHER FATHER

11 THE FIRST JEEP S LINEAGE BUT WAIT! DON T FORGET ABOUT ME GREAT GRANDFATHER GRANDFATHER FATHER

12 THE FIRST JEEP S LINEAGE 1926 AUSTIN AUSTIN ROADSTER 1939 BANTAM ROADSTER

13 Cavalry PROJECT GENESIS Extensive Research Conducted During the 1930s by Key Stakeholders Light Command and Reconnaissance Car Infantry mobile weapons carrier Howie machine gun carrier Tested numerous vehicles for this purpose in late 1930s o Marmon-Herrington ½-ton 4x4 best fit The various using arms knew what they needed, but were not working together in a coordinated manner Quartermaster Corp bungles procurement of Marmon-Herrington for Infantry in 1939 issue in 1940

14 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Developed in Late May Early June 1940 Charles Payne able to connect with Infantry branch Infantry branch rejects American Bantam vehicles as unsuited for military purposes Infantry branch has a vehicle in mind and willing to develop a set of general requirements that American Bantam and other manufacturers can consider General requirements developed in two weeks by the Infantry branch and encapsulated in a memo dated June 6, 1940

15 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Requirements included: minimum height 36 inches; maximum weight 750 1,000 pounds; adequate cross-country ability; carry.30-caliber machine gun; crew capacity of two men; armored face shield for driver; low ground clearance; 4-Wheel Drive Armored face shield for driver added to keep procurement from being spearheaded by Quartermaster Corp, but by the Ordnance using arm due to bungled Marmon-Harrington 1939 procurement No individual requirement new, but the sum never combined into one vehicle Concept vehicle named the truck 4x4 light

16 PROJECT KICKOFF June 19 20, 1940 Butler, Pennsylvania, USA Initial support for project obtained from Cavalry and Ordnance June 8, June 15, 1940 On June 15, 1940, influenced by Charles Payne's meeting with Sec. of War Stimson, Ordnance requests a visit to Bantam to further develop vehicle requirements Visit takes place June 19-20, 1940, at Butler, PA, Factory Fleshed out general requirements into a concept for a vehicle that could be then refined into specific requirements Key project risks Identified weight and front axle Developed initial concept drawing for vehicle

17 CONCEPT DRAWING FOR TRUCK 4 x 4 LIGHT

18 SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS Concept and General Requirements Evolved into Detailed Requirements to Which a Manufacturer Could Bid Developed over 3-week period June 21, 1940 July 10, 1940 Procurement shifted from Ordnance to Quartermaster Corps o QMC: Using arm that procures for the Army o Driver s armored face shield removed as a requirement o Removal of shield requirement re-classified vehicle as general purpose, thus shifting responsibility for procuring the vehicle from Ordnance o Procurement would be centered at Army Vehicle Center, Camp Holabird, outside of Baltimore, Maryland, USA

19 SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS American Bantam Subject Matter Experts Assisted Quartermaster consulted closely with the key using arms Infantry and Cavalry bringing specifications to life Chalk outline on floor Full cardboard mockup Wooden mockup actually test-driven Two deliverables: specification ES-475 (18-pages) and Quartermaster Drawing QM Z

20 QUARTERMASTER DRAWING QM Z (Unedited 34 w x 17 h)

21 QUARTERMASTER DRAWING QM Z (Extracted Details)

22 BID CONTRACT Negotiated Contract Versus Competitive Bid American Bantam Expected Negotiated Contract Quartermaster Decided to Put Vehicle out to Competitive Bid Specification ES-475 and drawing QM Z sent to 135 companies Key requirement build a prototype in 49 days Manufacturers given 10 days to prepare bids (July 11, July 22, 1940)

23 BID CONTRACT American Bantam Unprepared for Bid Had no engineering staff to develop proposal due to being bankrupt Detroit Engineer Karl K. Probst hired o Probst initially resisted going to Butler o Probst pressured by officials at the highest levels to assist Probst arrives in Butler by July 18, 1940 Probst and Fenn complete bid specification and drawing in two days July 18, 1940 July 20, 1940

24 BID CONTRACT Key Issue: Weight Requirement 1,300 pounds Fenn and Probst list weight on first cut of bid forms at 1,800 pounds 10 hours before presentation to QMC, midnight July 21-22, 1940, bid forms reviewed in Baltimore hotel room Charles Payne schools Probst and Fenn that they can not bid weight at 1,800 pounds or will be rejected Forms retyped through predawn hours to change the weight: listed as 1,273 pounds

25 BID CONTRACT Bid Awarded Bids received and processed July 22, proposers, only American Bantam had completed bid package o Two proposers refused to bid stating building a prototype in 49 day was impossible Willys-Overland Motors, Inc. initially awarded bid, but was rejected because they could not deliver the prototype in 49 days. They bid 75 days. Having agreed to deliver prototype in 49 days, American Bantam awarded contract

26 BID CONTRACT Project Charter and Contract Terms After award project reviewed at highest levels of the Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall signs off on project For remainder of the project his memo acts as charter and outline for contract terms Contract Terms Build Prototype in 49 days If late, financial penalty that could result in lost award Start date: August 6, 1940 End date: September 23, :00 PM If prototype accepted, order for 69 more vehicles Contract amount $175,000

27 BUILD Challenge Build Revolutionary New Vehicle in 49 days to Exacting Standards for a Client Who Will Test the Vehicle under the Harshest Conditions Prototype was one of a kind original never built before Established a small high performance team Fenn, Probst, Crist To complete core team, hired two hands-on subject matter experts, Chester Hempfling and Ralph Turner Had other staff available as needed Odds of their success by Detroit experts placed at 5-to-1

28 BUILD Challenge Build Revolutionary New Vehicle in 49 days to Exacting Standards for a Client Who Will Test the Vehicle under the Harshest Conditions Strategy inside-out engineering Build parts, then blueprint Use off-the-shelf parts whenever possible Handmade any part that could not be found off-the-shelf Key Risks Weight chose to ignore Front Axle Spicer Manufacturing o Only axle manufacturer who could produce the 4 wheel drive axle o American Bantam had been in discussions with Spicer about the front axle since project kickoff o Could they develop this axle in less than 49 days and deliver to American Bantam?

29 BLUEPRINT FOR CLUTCH SHAFT LEVER This and others which were found supposedly no longer existed.

30 BUILD Challenge Build Revolutionary New Vehicle in 49 days to Exacting Standards for a Client Who Will Test the Vehicle under the Harshest Conditions Front axle delivered on September 19, 1940 Decided on risky adaptation of a Studebaker axle 4 days to prototype delivery date Vehicle completed in 47 days by September 21, 1940 Vehicle christened Bantam Reconnaissance Car (BRC) One day to test and outfit vehicle September 22, 1940 Vehicle delivered on 49th day with only a ½-hour to spare at 4:30 PM

31 THE FIRST JEEP SEPTEMBER 21, 1940

32 TEST Goal of Army Vehicle Testers was to Break Any Vehicle They were Given Vehicle tested in any and all manner of operation Mud Hole only vehicles to make it through before prototype were large 6-wheeled trucks Total miles driven during tests 3,410 Ralph Turner on-site mechanic Vehicle did not break during testing

33 ACCEPTANCE BRC Accepted with Conditions 3 final test reports submitted Numerous changes and adjustments suggested Overall BRC vastly exceeded client expectations BRC accepted on October 18, 1940 and order placed for balance of 69 vehicles

34 TRIPLE CONSTRAINT FOR THE FIRST JEEP PROTOTYPE PROJECT

35 CONCLUSIONS Structured Project Management Used Identifiable Phases Identifiable Deliverables for Each Phase High Performance Project Team Both for the Army and American Bantam Despite the odds, project was On-Time, Within Budget, and Met Scope at a High Quality Level

36 Thank You for Attending! for More Information Visit: thefirstjeep.com Project Management in History: THE FIRST JEEP available at Amazon.com (paperback/kindle) and Barnesandnoble.com (paperback/nook) Footnote: All facts and information in this presentation came from material researched at the United States National Archives, College Park Maryland or used with permission. Jeep is a registered trademark of Chrysler Group, LLC, Auburn Hills, MI. Neither the presenter nor any contributors to this work have any affiliation with Chrysler Group LLC. If you have any questions on source material contact Paul Bruno at paulrbruno@cs.com