Category Archives: project management

Politically correct ? …..#pmot…..#in

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et tu Bruti

et tu Bruti

According to my Dictionary Politics is defined as “Social Relations involving intrigue to gain authority or power” so its not just Politicians who practice politics, in fact it is as old as human interactions.

Every organization has its own politics. Some are much more blatant than others but politics is present wherever humans interact.

Generally, the higher one goes in an Organization the more powerful the politics.

If you are a Project Manager & you hate office politics then you are probably in the wrong game.  Project Management involves a large degree of political manoeuvring and in order to get things done you have to ask people in certain ways which may involve putting your spin on the available information.

When you join a new organization spend the first couple of months observing the behaviour of your co-workers, call it awareness or paranoia it’s your best defence against being a victim rather than a victor.

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project managers and business consultants

Should have gone to Spec wavers..#pmot #in

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product specHow many times have you worked on projects where the product spec is not defined?

This leads to all sorts of issues as the customer tweaks the product spec and the designer responds accordingly, trying to keep the customer happy but at the same time disappointing her because the timescale keeps getting extended to accommodate the changes.  A vicious circle develops leading to frustration on all sides & a perception of incompetence which can lead to loss of all important business.

This can be fixed by adopting the following practice:-

1)      A milestone MUST be put in the plan, somewhere in the design phase, for product spec sign off by both parties.

2)      It should be clearly communicated and understood that any changes following this milestone will be under change control, approved by Senior Management and will impact the timing plan & probably have a cost impact.

This practice is good for both customer & supplier. It forces the customer to clarify what they want and leaves the supplier with no excuse for not meeting planned deliverables once the spec is fixed.

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project managers and business consultants

So what’s the plan…….#pmot #in

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project-planningAs a rough guide a Project Manager should put 70% effort into planning a project and 30% running it.

At first glance this statement may appear to be the wrong way round but experience shows that the planning phase of a project is by far the most critical one.

Here are some attributes of a well developed plan:-

* It should flow from start to finish.

* There should be a series of linked tasks from start to finish.

* Each task should have a named resource assigned to it.

* Everyone assigned to a task should have agreed and committed to the timescale.

* There should be a clearly identified Critical Path.

* The plan should be visible to key stakeholders in the organization.

* It should be reviewed and updated regularly.

Once all of the above has been fulfilled the management of the project becomes a relatively easy task.

If you need help planning your key project get in touch now

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project managers and business consultants

10 tips to get that problem project back on track #pmot #in

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1)       Create Space – nothing clouds judgement more than pressure to create a fast solution. Tell stakeholders you are assessing the situation and will provide an update in 1 weeks time.

2)       Talk to everyone involved in the project and get their perspective. Make it an informal chat, reduce the pressure and you will get more honesty.

3)       When you have identified what the problem is get the team together to Brainstorm possible solutions. Try an Ishikawa diagram to clarify whether the problem is with men (people) , machines, method, materials or environment (external factors)Ishikawa Diagram

4)       Pick the top three possible solutions and start experimental work to evaluate success.

5)       Implement the solutions in the timeline to evaluate timescales.

6)        Agree with the Team a primary solution and a contingency plan.

7)       Inform stakeholders of the revised timescale.

8)       Execute the plan, keep a close watch on progress and issue daily updates if required.

9)       On completion hold a “lessons learned”  meeting to minimize the chances of repetition.

10)    Celebrate Success – take  the team for a beer  or a sticky cake 😉

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project managers and business consultants

#Zen & the Art of Project Management* #pmot #in

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buddha Don’t ask me what “Zen” is.

I am not qualified to answer such a question. All I can say is that anyone who studies Zen applies it to their daily lives and work.

As a project manager I apply Zen in the following ways:-

1) When constructing a project plan  I think of the plan as a river flowing to the sea.  It never goes uphill and avoids major obstructions. It has a natural rythym to it with everything happening in the right order.  I check it once, twice, thrice then I get the Team to review it.

2) When allocating timescales I ask the person who is actually doing the task. I might push them to do it quicker but I need timescales which are aggressive but realistic. I need that person’s commitment.

3) I never lie to the customer. I always keep them appraised of progress even if its bad news. Once trust is lost it’s gone forever.

4) I always offer the customer options. If my timescale has slipped I offer alternative solutions.

5) I am neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic.

6) I tell Senior Management the bad news. They dislike obfuscation even more.

7) I never allow myself to be bullied into giving unrealistic timescales. What’s the point, I will only look stupid when we can’t meet them.

8) I am open & honest with my team and expect the same in return.

9) “Best laid plans of mice & men gang aft agley” – say no more!

10) Calmness in the eye of the storm is either a sign of great leadership or incredible stupidity.

* Recommended reading: Robert M Pirsig – Zen & the art of motorcycle maintenance.

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project managers and business consultants

Are you earning your value ? #pmot #in

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earned-valueEarned Value is a term which allows us to determine where we are in a project in terms of progress against plan. If we talk about expended cost at a particular moment of time we have no idea whether we are ahead or behind the plan unless we measure the amount of work done and the time expended doing it.

Earned Value allows us to make a measured judgment and may be defined as “The value of work performed expressed in terms of the the approved budget assigned to that work for a scheduled activity” – PMBOK

Earned Value Technique integrates the time, cost and work done.

EV = Earned Value – Estimated Value of the actual work completed.

AC = Actual Cost – Actual cost charged for the work done so far.

CV = Cost Variance – Difference of Earned Value minus Actual Cost.

CV = EV – AC

A positive value means UNDER budget.

A negative value means OVER budget.

Earned Value Technique is a useful tool for measuring progress against plan and for helping to control budget effectively.

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A Merry Christmas to all……….. #pmot #in

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projectsguru-santaPrior to volume launch of a product it’s always a good idea to review the project paperwork.

Check the risk log to ensure all have been mitigated against.

Check the project plan, no outstanding tasks to be completed.

Check Design and Process FMEA’s to make sure all concerns have been addressed.

Review Project costs, making sure they are they on track.

Then call the Chinese Elfish subcontractors and thank them for their efforts. The adoption of Lean manufacturing techniques certainly helped  to reduce costs and improve efficiencies and the product quality is certainly a damn site better, with SPC now in place on key processes we should expect ppm level failures on all toy manufacturing lines next year.

OK, the Reindeers are now fed and watered, breath visible in the cold still air, hooves pawing the frozen ground in anticipation, antlers glistening  and clanking together.

The sledge is loaded, harnesses in place. Presents and parcels of every shape bulging  out like walnuts in a sack.

The air is still and crisp, the stars twinkle in the deep, deep blackness of night. A faint tinkling of bells.

A last puff on the pipe, the long beard as white as the virgin snow against the deep red of the cape.

A crack of a whip and the sleigh begins to move across the hard ground, faster, faster increasing pace as the icy breath of the wind rustles through fur and fleece.

At last the hissing of the sleighs runners fades as it lifts into the air, the white landscape recedes and the sky gets even blacker, the stars shine like crazy diamonds.

“Now, Dasher!  Now, Dancer!  Now, Prancer,  and Vixen!  “On, Comet!  On, Cupid!  On, Donder and Blitzen!”

A faint cry echos across the frozen landscape…….

“A Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night !”

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10 tips to ensure project delivery….#pmot #in

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On target delivery

On target delivery

As Project Managers our business is project delivery. However some external suppliers are more reliable than others so here are 10 tips to ensure success:-

1) At the first sign of trouble arrange to have a face to face meeting with your supplier. It doesn’t matter if they are on the other side of the world, clear a space in the diary, book the flights and get in front of them. It will be worth every penny.

2) Raise your concerns in an open, honest none aggressive manner. By all means express your irritation but don’t blow your top – you will make yourself look foolish and unprofessional.

3) Identify the key stakeholders within your own organization who share an interest in the project.

4) Identify the key stakeholders in the supplier organization who share an interest in delivering the project.

5) Break the task down into manageable chunks and identify responsibility for each sub-task.

6) Insist the supplier provide a daily report of activity to be delivered at a specific time. This report should include a simple graphical representation (such as a bullseye chart) to indicate days ahead or days behind schedule. It should also stipulate actions required and responsibility. This report should be circulated to all key stakeholders. Accept no excuses for late or none delivery of this key report.

7) Following the face-to-face have a daily conference call. Do this whether there are any issues or not. 2 minutes passing the time of day reminds the supplier they are uppermost in your mind.

8) Identify Carrots and Sticks. What penalty clauses can you invoke ?  What are the opportunities of new business ?  Identifying them gives you additional leverage.

9) Make it easy for them – have they got a spec, is it up to date, is it comprehensive enough, do they understand exactly what is required ?

10) Don’t assume everything is the fault of the supplier, have you communicated clearly and concisely what your expectations are ?  Have you paid each milestone on time ? Is the SOW & Contract clear ?

Some suppliers are always easier to deal with than others but employing the above tips should help. Have you got any more you could share ?

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pmot# Dealing with awkward buggers………

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awkwardFirst of all please let me apologize for the use of the word “buggers” which some of you may find offensive but I just couldn’t think of another term (apart from an even more offensive B term) to describe those people who are just plain damn awkward.

You know the ones I’m talking about, they just won’t “play the game” or “go with the flow”, they have to disagree with everyone and cause a row about the slightest thing, in fact they “create a bloody mountain out of a mole hill” the awkward buggers.

And you know what, a lot of these people are Engineers. They are so damn clever they just won’t go along with what I want them to do without causing an almighty row about it.

They won’t sign the project through to the next stage because they’re not happy with some bloody thing.

They won’t put that product into volume production because they think we could improve some damn thing no-one even cares about.

And they want to keep improving the product performance even though it already meets the bloody customer spec !

So how should we deal with them ?

I’ve had a few ideas over the years, involving rat poison, sawing through brake pipes and accidents on the stairs.

But you know what I’m going to do now ?

L-I-S-T-E-N

that’s right listen.

Because I’ve come to realize some of those buggers are awkward for a good reason, and I want to know what it is

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