Tag Archives: leadership

10 things which make for Project success……#pmot

Posted on by

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 ?

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Follow projectsguru on Twitter

 

View Chris Robinson's profile on LinkedIn

 

Projectsguru.co.uk

Promote your Page too

10 tips to minimize cost at the Design stage….

Posted on by

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

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Follow projectsguru on Twitter

View Chris Robinson's profile on LinkedIn

Projectsguru.co.uk

Promote your Page too

 

 

Why #innovation will fail in China

Posted on by

chinese-workersThe Chinese Government is pouring millions of yen into R&D in an effort to stimulate innovation in industry to stimulate growth in it’s internal markets.

This effort is aimed at increasing added value and moving China away from being the assembly shop of the world – and it’s doomed to fail miserably unless it is accompanied by sweeping political reform which, in itself, is extremely unlikely.

In order for innovation to thrive it is necessary to have a culture which allows open debate, which allows the challenge of pre-existing dogma & beliefs. It encourages the active participation of workers at all levels of the organization from the cleaner to the CEO. Innovation requires an open culture which values individualism.

All of this is impossible in a system which is strictly hierarchical, which jails political dissidents & artists & where the Party has the ultimate say in everything. Innovation is impossible in a culture of fear.

Unless the Chinese State Communist Party embraces democracy & undergoes serious reform any efforts to stimulate Innovation will fail miserably.
chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Follow projectsguru on Twitter

 

View Chris Robinson's profile on LinkedIn

 

Projectsguru.co.uk

Promote your Page too

email – are you busy doing nothing ?………….. #leadership

Posted on by

emailEmail is a great way to waste time and avoid responsibility. Think about it – how often do you use email to avoid doing something or push the responsibility to someone else ?  Take a look around the office – how many of those ‘busy’ individuals are just busy doing nothing ?

So here’s a challenge – for one day only forget about email. Answer every question you receive by email with a phone call. Even better – go and talk to the person face to face. You will probably be surprised how much this personal interaction improves your productivity – and if it works for one day why not try it more often.

Email is great for communicating complex data or visual imagery but is no substitute for a conversation.
chris@projectsguru.co.uk

If you need project management support feel free to call me on 0775 172 2603

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Follow projectsguru on Twitter

View Chris Robinson's profile on LinkedIn

Projectsguru.co.uk

Promote your Page too

If you want more #Engineers give your children this…….

Posted on by

How many times do you hear “we can’t get enough Engineers” from Industry & Academia. A recent visit to a Children’s History Museum made me realize how important ‘Meccano’ was to my career in Engineering.

MeccanoI learned so much from this self assembly kit of parts & fasteners. How to join parts together with nuts & bolts, how gears work, the principle of levers, product design, worm gears, pulley systems, motors, drive systems, how to interpret instructions & so much more.

All this was fundamental to my understanding of basic engineering principles.

If we want to encourage more young people into Engineering we should give them all a kit of Meccano before their 10th birthday – FREE – as part of the Schools budget.

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Follow projectsguru on Twitter

View Chris Robinson's profile on LinkedIn

Projectsguru.co.uk

Promote your Page too

Bentley – made in Crewe, England

Posted on by

The News from Volkswagen Group this week that Bentley’s new luxury SUV will be built in Crewe, England is welcome news indeed, not only for Bentley Motors Ltd but also for the North West of England and the area’s supply chain.

Volkswagen Group (owner of Bentley) is investing over 800m GBP in the new SUV and creating around 1000 jobs in Bentley & the local supplbentley-suvy chain.

This illustrates the Group’s faith in the Engineering & build quality of Bentley as it was rumored that it could be built in Brataslava alongside the Audi Q7 & Porsche Cayenne.

It is likely the car will enjoy a facelift as the EXP9F prototype received mixed reviews at the Geneva Motor Show.
chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Follow projectsguru on Twitter

View Chris Robinson's profile on LinkedIn

Projectsguru.co.uk

Promote your Page too

When persistence is not always good…………………….#pmot

Posted on by

Project Managers are generally encouraged to be persistent and this characteristic is normally seen to be a “good” thing and something to be encouraged.

listeningSometimes, however, being persistent can bring “bad” results.

Consider the case of a Project Manager who has a preconceived agenda & seeks to impose it on a meeker member of the team. Despite the initial objections of the Team member the Project Manager persists and “badgers” the other into doing what She wants.

Six months later the project hits a major hurdle and the Project Manager realizes this was exactly what She was warned about all those months ago but chose to ignore in order to bash ahead with her agenda.

The wise Project Manager always listens to her Team and is prepared to question her own agenda with as open a mind as possible.

Persistence is a great attribute of any Project Manager but not when it impedes good judgement.

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Follow projectsguru on Twitter

View Chris Robinson's profile on LinkedIn

Projectsguru.co.uk

Promote your Page too

Start your own Consultancy from scratch – practical tips

Posted on by

So you really want to start your own Consultancy business from scratch !?

ppt1Here are some tips I hope will help:-

  • Identify your key skills – if you want to sell yourself as a Consultant the first thing you need to identify is the skills you possess which people will be willing to pay for. If you can’t do this don’t give up your day job.
  • Develop a Business Plan – don’t put it off because you can’t be bothered or don’t think it’s necessary. If you want people to take you seriously as a Business you need to start thinking like a Business.
  • Identify your target market – who are you going to sell your skills to ? – your current or former employer perhaps ? Former customers or suppliers, ex colleagues, business partners etc etc
  • Network – Develop your contacts, LinkedIn is great for this but don’t forget about your address book & business card collection.
  • Have a look at the Professional Contractors Group website www.pcg.org.uk – it has a fantastic free downloadable guide for freelancers/consultants.
  • If you still want to take the plunge this is perhaps the hardest step of all – You will need a MINIMUM of 6 months income in the bank before you start. Do not plan to earn anything from your Consultancy business for the first six months. If you really want to succeed with your own Consultancy business you will find this money. If you see this as too big a hurdle then sorry but Consultancy is not for you.

Look out for my new book “Start your own Consultancy – Now!”

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Follow projectsguru on Twitter

View Chris Robinson's profile on LinkedIn

Projectsguru.co.uk

Promote your Page too

Why not start your own consultancy ?

Posted on by

As Chairman Mao famously said “we live in interesting times”.

Office6Millions of people live in daily dread of redundancy, working longer & longer hours to appease the boss in an effort to avoid the dreaded 90 days notice interview and ultimate dismissal. I know, I’ve been there once or twice myself and it sucks!

However, there is an alternative, and that redundancy payment can provide a great springboard to a new successful and rewarding career.

Any professional person with a skill to sell can start their own consultancy business but it does need a set of personal attributes which not everyone has:-

  • Persistence – you will need this in abundance to generate leads and pursue opportunities.
  • Flexibility – are you willing to travel or work away from home.
  • Pick up things quickly – can you hit the ground running & “add value” from the start of any assignment.
  • Positive Outlook – do you let things grind you down or do you react by seeking solutions to problems.
  • Uncertainty – can you live with not knowing what you will be doing in 3 months ?
  • Outgoing personality – if you can get on with people from different backgrounds & talk to the cleaner as well as the CEO you will do well, if you are a shrinking violet who prefers staring at a computer screen all day you will fail.
  • Embrace Change – if you love ding different things in different places you will thrive. If you prefer the routine then consultancy is not for you.

For more practical advice on starting your own consultancy look out for my next post.

Extracts from my future book ” Start your own Consultancy….now!”

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Follow projectsguru on Twitter

View Chris Robinson's profile on LinkedIn

Projectsguru.co.uk

Promote your Page too

 

10 great #Leadership traits….#pmot

Posted on by

All great Leaders share common traits, here are some of them:-

  1. Swim against the tide – if you want to be a great leader, don’t go with the flow. Great leaders invariably pursue their goals regardless of the opinion of the masses.
  2. Have a Vision – to be a leader you need to know where your headed.
  3. Be tenacious – strive for your goals & never give up.
  4. Maintain a sense of calm – no matter how bad things get, keep your cool (or at least look like you do!)
  5. Promote people who are cleverer than yourself – the great leader does not put his ego above success.
  6. Consult experts – it doesn’t matter how great you are, you can’t know everything.
  7. Achieve the impossible – don’t let anyone tell you it can’t be done.
  8. Be Positive – always moving forward.
  9. See the big picture – rise above the situation.
  10. Learn from mistakes – don’t seek someone to blame.

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Follow projectsguru on Twitter

View Chris Robinson's profile on LinkedIn

Projectsguru.co.uk

Promote your Page too