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About admin

Project Manager based in Manchester UK

Its a risky business…..

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transparentOnce the plan is in place & agreed the project then moves into the execution phase. This is when things really start happening and, if the planning has been done properly, things should proceed according to plan – right ?……Wrong !!

No matter how good the planning, in reality, things rarely proceed to plan. This is where the skills of the Project Manager come into play.

Each stage of the plan will have obstacles, some minor and some major, which need to be overcome in order for the plan to proceed. These obstacles may be referred to as RISKS and it is part of the Project Managers role to identify those risks, quantify them and mitigate against them.

It is useful to create a Risk Management log (normally in spreadsheet form) which should have the following headers as minimum:-

RISK , MITIGATION,  EXPIRY DATE,  SEVERITY,  TREND

Other factors may also be tracked but the principal is to log all the risks in severity order so that they may be prioritised and addressed accordingly. This should be done by the team and the results published to the wider business so that everyone is aware of the situation. The Risk log should be reviewed periodically and any new risks added. Any which are deemed closed will be marked as such.

So, by addressing the project risks in a structured way their impact may be minimized and the project kept on track.

If the Critical path is extended at any point the whole project delivery will be impacted so the structure of the plan should be reviewed to see if any tasks may be shortened to pull in the overall timescale.

If this is not possible then the end customer (external or internal) must be informed of the change to delivery date so that their expectations are not adverse to reality. This may cause some short term pain but it is always better to get the bad news out early if the alternatives have been exhausted.
Remember:-

all projects have risks, its how you manage them which counts.

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Want performing ?…… you need storming…..

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argumentEver noticed that, in teams, there are always arguments & some individuals always seem to disagree with everyone else ?
This is perfectly normal and studies have shown that Teams go through a number of key phases. In fact, in order to operate effectively, successful teams MUST go through these key phases before they can function effectively. Bruce Tuckman described this phenomenon in 1965.

Forming – this is where the team is chosen and first comes together, there is little consensus and the Leader must set direction.

Storming – this phase may be very disconcerting to the leader if she is not aware of the Psychology at play. During this stage team members vie for positions, opinions will be strongly expressed, leadership may be challenged – expect a rocky ride. It is however ESSENTIAL that this phase of the process is negotiated and all views aired. The Team Leader MUST seek the opinion of less vocal members of the group who may have important points to raise but may find it less easy to come forward and express their view. This is when all the dirty linen is washed in public.

Norming – this phase is a successor to the first two. This is where a consensus is agreed. Everyone has had their say, got it off their chest and at this point OBJECTIVES should be set for the whole team. I will devote a separate topic to objective setting but they must be clearly expressed, written down and concise. The objectives will be born from the Storming process.

Performing – with a clear set of objectives in place around which the whole team agrees then real progress can be made. This is the performing stage for the team. This doesn’t mean that no one should disagree with anyone else but the whole team should have bought into the agreed objectives and should be heading in the same direction.

If the Storming phase is not allowed to run its course and all views aired then discontent will rumble on into the following phases & factions will form affecting the overall performance of the team.

Recognition of the Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing stages of Team performance allows the leader to control and direct the final outcome leading to a successful and productive team.

If you want Performing you’ve got to have Storming !!!!

chris@projectsguru.co.uk
www.projectsguru.co.uk

In the bleak midwinter……

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winter 006

In around 5 months time the people of the U.K will go to the polls to elect the Government for the next parliamentary term.

Over the last 13 years of Labour government manufacturing output has declined dramatically from around 20 % of GDP to around 11% today.

The Economy has become grossly inbalanced in favour of the Financial Services and Property sectors. This has proved disastrous and has contributed to the deepest recession we have seen in a lifetime.

To rebuild a robust economy we need a mixed economy in which manufacturing plays a major and significant part.

It’s easy to be cynical about Political parties but it’s interesting to visit the main parties websites to find out what their policies are towards the Economy and manufacturing in particular.

You may be surprised by what you find.

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Fancy a change ?……….

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managingchange

If your Organization is embarking on a major change program the methods you adopt to bring about the change will determine the level of success achieved.

The change management process is well defined and comprises the following key stages:-

• Identify the key thing which needs changing – the change object.

• Identify the key reasons for change.

• Communicate the change.

• Force Field Analysis, identifying the forces for and against change.

• The change process.

• Freeze the change.

Chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Effective Project Management

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Effective Project Management.

What is a Project ?

A project may be large or small, simple or complex but all projects share three common attributes:-

• Specific Outcomes – the project is set up to deliver some specific results or outputs.

• Defined Start & End dates – The project starts and finishes on pre-defined dates.

• Budget – the project has a pre-defined budget which it should not exceed

What is the Project Management process.

There are a multitude of definitions of the project management process but all of them share the attributes shown below:-

PMprocess

The Role of the Project Manager.

The role of the project manager is a challenging one. Often he or she will be coordinating the activities of technical highly skilled people and liaising with internal and external parties all critical to project delivery. Project Management is a highly skilled professional role and the Project Manager will normally need several years experience in order to be successful.

The role involves the key tasks of planning, organizing and controlling. In complex projects planning project tasks often involves the use of software programs such as Microsoft Project which enables the Project Manager to schedule hundreds of tasks and manipulate their interdependencies in order to reduce the overall timescale of the project.

Organizing involves dealing with people within the immediate project team as well as third parties internal and external to the wider organization.

Controlling involves monitoring and measuring outputs and exerting influence to achieve the desired outcomes.

In order to be effective the Project Manager needs information, communication and commitment.

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Dubai gives the world the finger………….

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Burj2Dubai has officially unveiled  “The Burj” –  now the worlds tallest building at 828m & visible from over 60 miles away !

It cost a staggering $1.5 Billion to construct over the last 5 years using thousands of migrant workers.

Indeed the building was originally to be called “Burj Dubai” but has now been named “Burj Khalifa” in honour of the ruler of Adu Dhabi who recently bailed out the troubled emirate to the tune of several billion dollars.

Many will see this building as a great feat of engineering, a wonder of the modern world, a tremendous edifice and monument to Capitalism, the latest and greatest in a long line of stupendous architectural magnificences.

Others may see it as the biggest ‘white elephant’ ever built, a monument to excess, an obscene symbol of wealth built by the labour of the poor (mainly Indian & Pakistani labourers paid a few dollars per day) slaves in all but name.

A fitting monument to the “Noughties” decade of excess which imploded in the Worlds greatest recession.

The greatest  example of construction built on sub-prime mortgage the world has ever see.

Dubais magnificent finger rising from the plains and screaming “Up Yours World !”

Whichever way you view it you certainly can’t ignore  it.

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Chinese elves make manufacturing cheaper…

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father-christmas In a press statement released today at 21.oo GMT Father Christmas  announced that, from today onwards, all toys will be manufactured by Chinese elves due to the increasing costs of employing elves at the North Pole. This has been exacerbated due to the effects of global warming and the shrinking ice cap making Real estate in the Northern Latitudes increasingly expensive.

Santa denied that product quality would be effected stating that toys will continue to be designed by Northern elves. Only the manufacturing operation itself is being subcontracted to China.

No member of the Chinese Goverment was available for comment and Santa catagorically stated “…this has absolutely nothing to do with the recent Copenhagen event & ,despite rumours to the contrary, I was not a participant”

Sad for Saab…….

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saab93 Recent news that GM has failed to find a buyer for Saab leading to the imminent demise of this once great automotive manufacturer will sadden those of us who once owned one of these iconic vehicles.

The Swedish manufacturer has a tremendous tradition of innovation. They were the leaders in Turbo development which was incorporated into a range of models in the 1960’s.

The Duck-Billed shape of the 9-3 and earlier 900 series made their looks distinctive and original.  The Saab cockpit reflected the brand’s Aero heritage with its wrap around style and distinctive dash. Saab cars had headlight wipers long before anyone else and everyone who has driven a 9-3 or a 900 came to love the ignition being next to the handbrake (rather than next to the steering wheel) meaning the car had to be left in reverse gear before the keys could be removed – proving an excellent mechanical theft deterrent.

Let’s hope someone comes in at the last moment to rescue this iconic and innovative automotive brand.

The Blame Game……

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sugar It is common in Organizations to look for someone to blame when things go wrong. Some cultures are more prone to this behaviour than others but the temptaion to blame a member of the team when things go awry should be strongly resisted by the Project Manager.

Any individual criticism should be done on a face to face basis in private. The public apportioning of blame will greatly weaken Team morale and spirit and will often reflect back on the Project Manager.

Even if individual team members criticise the Project Manager this should be dealt with on a one to one basis avoiding public retaliation.

Successful Project Managers generate respect by treating Team Members as they would be treated themselves.

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

Shifting sands of Globalization…….

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dubai The recent events in Dubai, where the state owned fund “Dubai World” announced it needed an additional 6 months to repay some of its outstanding debt, caused shockwaves around the World echoing the problems of Lehmans 12 months ago. The impact was felt on stock exchanges from Hong Kong to Wall Street.

These issues illustrate just one of the impacts of increasing globalization. Undoubtedly there are many, many benefits – the ability to Outsource manufacture to cheaper locations brings down the price of consumer goods. Products once deemed exotic are readily and cheaply available in our Supermarkets.  Clothing is cheaper than ever before. International communication has allowed relationships to develop over all of the continents breaking down cultural barriers and suspicions.

However, like anything else, there are downsides.

Sovereign Wealth Funds, controlled by State Oligarchs, have immense wealth and power at their disposal. Their decisions made in conference rooms in Beijing or Dubai can have devestating and massive impacts on jobs and prosperity in the U.K or elsewhere in the globe. These insitutions are not democratic in nature and are not answerable to any electorate.

How we in the “liberal” democratic World control and resist their impact remains one of our greatest challenges.

chris@projectsguru.co.uk