Author Archives: admin

About admin

Project Manager based in Manchester UK

Are you a headless chicken?………………….#innovation

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You must be doing something really important eh ? running around like a headless chicken all day putting those fires out. You haven’t got time to headless-chickenthink about future products because your far too busy fixing the current ones!
But hang on a minute……if your not focusing on those future products where is your future revenue coming from when all the old ones become obsolete?

How do you escape this vicious circle ?

  • Keep a timesheet to find out how much time you spend fire fighting & how much on future products.
  • You will probably find it’s 80/20
  • To turn this around you need to gradually increase the time you spend on future product development  to 80%
  • Resist the urge to persist in fire fighting.
  • As time progresses the time you spend on fire fighting will decrease because you have put more effort into your future product development, getting it right first time and minimising the need for fire fighting.

so, are you a headless chicken ?
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Stage gate process aids product development #pmot

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ISO9001designprocessIn the Automotive# industry thousands of individual components are designed, developed, prototyped, tested and tuned silmultaneously to be brought together as a finished car which has to meet exacting standards for safety, perfomance and reliability.

An incredible feat of engineering and project management which is made possible by the effective use of a rigorous stage gate process based on ISO9001 . Here the output of one stage has to meet pre-defined standards before the project is allowed to move to the next stage.

The key to continued success is the fine tuning of the process itself based on ‘lessons learned’ from previous projects.
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Stuff doesn’t ‘just happen’……………#pmot

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stuff-happensDoes it drive you crazy when you hear people say ” It’s funny how stuff just happens” ?

I’ve got news for those people – nothing “just happens”………..well maybe evolution is an exception, and that takes millions of years to make noticeable change, so if we want to make stuff happen quickly how do we go about doing it. Here are some simple tips:-

  • Break a large task into smaller more manageable ‘chunks’
  • Arrange those ‘chunks’ into chronological order & do some in parallel.
  • Create a tracker.
  • Before asking people to do things make sure they’re resource is allocated.
  • Don’t just rely on email – talk.
  • If people won’t complete their allocated tasks on time – escalate.
  • Make sure they understand the importance of the task.
  • Most importantly – be persistent.

If you have some more tips on making stuff happen we’d like to hear them.

 chris@projectsguru.co.uk

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Don’t Panic……………..#pmot

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Dads Army – Don’t Panic

Have you ever felt a sense of panic at work when you feel overwhelmed by conflicting priorities and the need to complete a number of competing tasks. Most people find themselves in this position at one time or another angry-customerand there is one overwhelming truth – no task is performed better in a state of panic than it would be otherwise.

Panic is due to excess stress which excites our primordial instincts of fight or flight. When we can’t respond in this way we are conflicted and the stress hormones exhibit themselves physiologically by making us edgy, short tempered, irrational and emotional.

So how do we manage stress & minimise these unpleasant symptoms.

  • Take time out to prioritise your work – if necessary ask your boss to help you determine the top priotities.
  • Plan your day ahead before you leave work the previous evening.
  • Decline meetings which can be avoided.
  • If you have to visit different locations to complete tasks arrange to do them all at one location on the same day.
  • Learn to say ‘No’ – but always explain why.
  • Write an Action list in priority order.
  • Keep a notebook to aid memory.
  • Use Spreadsheets – they’re great for recording complex sets of information.
  • Take time out. Instead of having lunch at your desk go for a brisk walk.
  • Maintain physical fitness whch is essential to psychological health.
  • Don’t abuse drugs or alcohol – they are never the answer to you problems.
  • If you can – start work half an hour early – don’t worry about getting  paid for it, that extra 30 minutes getting your act together will be well worth it.
  • Remember – unless you really are a Doctor or an Airline pilot, nobody is going to die if you don’t complete that task before 5pm.

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What is #Quality ?….

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RolexQuality has a number of definitions, ‘fit for purpose’, ‘exceeding expectations’ ‘meeting specifications’. It can be a tricky thing to measure but we all know it when we perceive it.

Take a Rolex watch for example, the materials used in its construction, its finish, its mechanical integrity all tell us it is  a ‘Quality’ item – this is naturally reflected in its price.

Although lots of fakes exist it is impossible to replicate the original without investing the same levels of workmanship and materials into it’s manufacture. This gives us a clue as to the origin of the Quality of the object. It lies in the specification & manufacture of the object within a given set of tolerances.

This is reflected in the luxury end of the automotive industry where body panels are specified as beng within a tight dimensional tolerance which in previous generations of product may have been deemed impossible.

Such tolerances lead to a vehicle which is perceived as high Quality without the buyer neccesarily understanding why.

So, if we can capture the expectations of the customer & translate them into product specifications with tolerances we can design & build something which has increased added value & perceived customer Quality.

 

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#Lean empowerment……

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TPS

At the heart of the Toyota Production System (sometimes referrred to as #Lean Production System) is the principle of ‘Jidoka’.

 According to Toyota “Jidoka means that a machine safely stops when the normal processing is completed. It also means that, should a quality / equipment problem arise, the machine detects the problem on its own and stops, preventing defective products from being produced. As a result, only products satisfying quality standards will be passed on to the following processes on the production line.”

But there is more to #Lean than this. The key component is the empowerment of the Operator to stop the process immediately a defect or potentialy defective process is discovered without referring the issue upward. The Operator can stop the production process without fear of retribution and is empowered to do so. This is a great responsibility and one which is not granted lightly, the Operator must be fully trained and the Organisation steeped in the culture of #Lean & #Kaizen (continuous improvement)

Granting  this autonomy is absolutely key to the success of the TPS philosophy & unleashes immense forces of creativity & quality improvement. 

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Climate Change cries out for a technological solution

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The International Protocol on Climate Change issued a comprehensive globereport this week which indicated that 95% of Scientists agreed that Global warming was as a direct result of human activity and that unless we take decisive and immediate action average surface temperatures will rise 2 degrees Celsius by the end of this Century resulting in catastrophic changes to our weather systems.

Only the most foolhardy or blinkered could ignore such a report but generating action is proving to be incredibly difficult.

It is no good for relatively wealthy westerners to criticize people in other parts of the world for wanting to grow their economies and as a result share in the increased wealth this brings. In the last Century we were doing exactly the same and, whatever the faults of free market Capitalism, there is no denying the wealth generating energies it unleashes.

What we need is a technological solution to Climate change which allows energy to continue to be consumed without the harmful effects of carbon dioxide generation from fossil fuels.

Vast parts of the globe are barren deserts which could be used for solar power generation. If we embarked on an International  Government backed enterprise to build a number of vast  solar arrays we could generate a massive amount of clean energy and at the same reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Of course this will not be easy and will bring massive engineering & scientific challenges (not to mention the political ones) but what could be more important than saving the planet on which we and our descendants live.

Allowing people to invest and profit from such an enterprise will guarantee success. This will allow continued economic growth without trashing the planet we all depend upon.

All it takes is some imaginative leadership from our Politicians, but maybe that’s asking too much ?

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10 things which make for Project success……#pmot

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consultants5There are several things which make for a successful project, here are some of them:-

1)
The product or service which is the output of the project can be clearly specified. This is easier said than done especially when the output is a software system or something which is difficult to define. However, this makes the product spec more not less necessary. If the project is to be deemed a success the output needs to be defined as clearly and thoroughly as possible.



2) The product or service has one clearly defined customer. It is always easier to meet the demands of one tough customer rather than the competing demands of several. It is important to meet the customer or their representative face to face to agree the spec.



3) The Project Manager has experience of delivering similar projects.



4) The Team has been through the Storming, Forming & Norming stages of Team development.



5) The Team is multi-functional & chosen for this specific project.



6) The project is planned properly – 70-80% of the PM’s efforts should be expended in the planning phase, the plan should be repeatedly reviewed by the Team, and proper contingency should be put in place to manage the risks.



7) The PM needs real authority in order to ‘get stuff done’



8) Regular Team meetings need to be held to review progress.



9) The team are located in the same building, even better the same room.



0) The PM is calm, assured & approachable

Could you suggest some more ?

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10 tips to minimize cost at the Design stage….

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Bizplan03All companies need to be mindful of costs & for those producing products this is best done at the Design stage. Here are some suggestions:-

 

  • Before beginning the design a Product Specification is essential, this needs to have been agreed at Senior Management level.
  • The product design needs to meet the spec and no more.
  • The material choice is critical, why make it out of gold if steel will do.
  • Use minimum thickness, as long as the design meets the spec.
  • Reduce the number of components as much as possible.
  • Re-use existing design components wherever possible – this gives Purchasing negotiating strength over suppliers and reduces inventory.
  • Consider Manufacturing by minimizing the number of process steps in manufacture.
  • Hold regular Design reviews & involve other parts of the Organization.
  • Build a prototype to test the design.
  • If possible test the Design using Computer Aided Modelling.

If you need help minimizing cost at the Design stage feel free to get in touch.
chris@projectsguru.co.uk

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#Insource is the new #Outsource

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workersA recent report from Deloitte suggests that bringing jobs back in house (Insourcing) is a small but growing trend against the much larger tendency to Outsource which has dominated western industry for the last thirty years.

Companies are increasingly realizing that Outsourcing is no longer the best value option. Anyone who has been involved in Outsourcing knows it is never as simple as it’s made out, often requiring intensive effort from Managerial & Engineering staff & extensive, frequent travel. Not to mention increased wage costs in China & India, increased shipping costs and numerous supply chain delays.

The biggest issue Western companies face with Insourcing is the lack of trained, skilled staff to deliver the service. Having made thousands of workers redundant in the pursuit of cheaper Outsource options this is somewhat ironic.

This need may be met by making good use of the highly skilled Freelance professionals who operate in the market to satisfy just such demand.
chris@projectsguru.co.uk

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