Owner: Reforming Project Management URL:http://www.reformingprojectmanagement.com Join Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2006 14:55:31 -0500 Rating:1 Site Description: Reforming Project Management (RPM) is a magazine for those of us who are unsettled with common practice. The current focus is on AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) projects, however we call on the best of project management from all discipl Site statistics:Click here
Green Pays Off in Green for Adobe 2006-10-11 00:09:06
Most of us know Adobe
for its Acrobat PDF software. Did you know that the firm is green? Business 2.0 calls them The Green
est Office in America. And their efforts pay off. For a cumulative $1.1 million investment Adobe enjoys annual savings of almost $1 million. You won't get those returns in the market.
Lean thinking is closely tied to the green movement. The authors of Natural Capitalism claim lean ideas are the theory from which we can build a sustainable environment. Some of The Best 19 Pages on Lean Thinking are offered up in their book. Have a look. And when you're done, how about replacing one or two incandescent bulbs with CFLs?
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Deans of Design 2006-10-10 04:01:46
Design is hot! The subject has been in numerous publications in the last month. Even US News and World Report has led with stories on design. In the Oct 2 issue they reported on IDEO's influence on new product developement and general design influences, The Deans of Design.
Design is important to all of us doing projects. Tom Kelley, principal of IDEO, claims, "We approach (design) from the point of view that the answer is out there, hidden in plain sight, so let's go observe human behavior and see where the opportunities are." Given that projects are usually one-off creations, design continues throughout the project. We need to get comfortable — anticipating design changes — with the process.
Participating in prototyping can make a big difference in the success of the project. Sometimes I see teams acting like they are at effect of design. They even say, "These guys still don't know what they want us to build." That's not good for anyone, particularly the cli
Pay Attention to the Business when Doing Projects 2006-10-01 22:27:19
Software implementation projects in the business setting can confront a company's business processes. When the project team fails to examine the current business processes the project often fails. Writing in CRM Magazine, Barton Goldenberg warns readers, Business
Processes Must Precede Technology. (You'll find the same advice reading The Toyota Way, by Jeffrey Liker.) He urges teams to avoid just adopting the business processes inferred by the software. He goes on to say, Unfortunately, too many organizations depend on CRM software vendors to supply needed business processes. As an alternative, Goldenberg recommends a two-step approach to getting CRM efforts off to a good start:
Pay close attention to the specific business situation for your project.
Document the key as-is business processes (e.g., using swim-lane techniques) and make sure to note where they fall short.
Review best-practice business processes…that help address these shortfalls and then agree to move a Read more:Projects
, Pay Attention
Johanna Urges You to Plan for Unanticipated Events 2006-09-30 20:18:58 It wasn't a happy time for Johanna
Rothman this week. She hurt herself in the kitchen making tea. She needed to visit the ER for 4 stitches on her head. She seems to be all right. Typical of Johanna, the injury produced a project lesson, Unanticipated Events Screw Up Schedules. Reading only the subject I thought of the local paper reporting Dog Bites Man. I almost skipped her posting. Glad I didn't.
Always knowing where you'll find response capacity is critical to being able to keep your project commitments.
In the winter in the Northeast we can anticipate snow, sleet, and ice. We don't know exactly when it will occur, but except for the most unusual winters, we know we will incur weather that leads to delays. While we don't put snow "on the schedule", we can add a contingency for snow somewhere "in the plan".
Then there are events like needing 4 stitches that we don't anticipate. In some settings these unanticipated events can have serious impacts on our schedules. Wh
What's Driving Toyota? 2006-09-25 19:06:21
While Toyota
is in 3rd place in the US behind Ford and GM, it ranks 2nd in sales worldwide and 1st when it comes to profitability and value of the company. It seems everyone is paying attention to Toyota and their lean ways. Toyota made the cover of the September issue of Baseline Magazine, What's Driving
Toyota? Baseline is a Ziff Davis publication catering to IT professionals. (ZD also publishes PC Magazine and eWeek.) While there is a decidedly IT bent — read the Baseline executive summary1 — author Mel Duvall shows himself to be quite the student of the Toyota Production System and The Toyota Way. You won't read a better 11-page description of what makes Toyota the world's best manufacturer.
While we can be fascinated with Toyota, we better get started on our own lean path.
One thing stood out for me. Toyota's go slow to go fast approach — nemawashi — is practiced throughout the enterprise. The author gives a number of project examples of how To
Lean Design Depends on Slacking Off 2006-09-25 03:54:09
Fortune Magazine has a special section on being effective in work. Anne Fisher (Ask Annie) writes the column. Back in March '06 Annie wrote Be Smarter at Work, Slack Off, a piece on the value of not being overburdened particularly when doing creative tasks. She wrote,
(I)t's really, really hard, if not impossible, for the human brain to come up with fresh new ideas when its owner is overworked, overtired, and stressed out. And in today's wonderful world of nonstop work, 40% of American adults get less than seven hours of sleep on weeknights.
"The physiological effects of tiredness are well-known. You can turn a smart person into an idiot just by overworking him," notes Peter Capelli, a professor of management at Wharton.
Capelli is not the only one offering that advice. 40 years earlier, one famed management theorist said something similar.
"All one can think and do in a short time is to think what one already knows and to do as one has always done."
Peter Drucker
Some compan Read more:Depends
C.R. Meyer First GC to Earn VPP Star Status 2006-09-23 06:19:47
Congratulations to the people at C.R. Meyer
for a safety record that has 50% fewer incidents than others doing like work. That record along with their safety program has qualified them for OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program's (VPP) Star status. This program has previously not been available to general contractors. In 2004, OSHA created a challenge program to bring the construction community into the fold. Let's look for more announcements of people achieving Star status.
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, Status
Wal-Mart Inspires Entrepreneur 2006-09-18 17:59:10
Wal-Mart gets a bad rep for a lot of their actions, particularly their influence on small businesses. Might that be changing? FCNow reports one company joining WalMart's CFL campaign.
How many companies does it take to change a light bulb? One. A few weeks back I wrote of Walmart's initiative to sell 100,000,000 compact fluorescent lightbulbs, Will Wal-Mart Change the World Selling CFLs? Let's Wonder…. It's an ambitious goal even for a firm the size of WalMart. However, to the extent they attract other players, 100,000,000 bulbs just might be a low hurdle.
Kristina Runciman, president of Lifeforce Glass, got inspired:
I was so inspired by the article by Charles Fishman on CFLs that my company is now sending one compact fluorescent lightbulb with every order. We are counting on each customer to try their free CFL and then replace their incandescent bulbs in their homes and businesses.
Great projects are invitiations for participation.
As a wholesaler of giftware, Kristina d Read more:Entrepreneur
Read Jim Womack if You Want to Avoid Ford's Fate 2006-09-17 17:16:34
"Ford needs to remake itself once more, this time in the image of the company that copied Ford's original system: Toyota."
James Womack is one of the key people1 who introduced the world to the dominance of lean approaches over conventional business approaches. He continues to engage company leaders in discussions inviting and imploring them to adopt lean approaches to their business. One way he does that is with his regular emails to Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) members2. In his latest email, The Lean Way Forward at Ford, Jim recounts Ford's historical contributions to lean and offers his opinion of how they came to their current fate. He finished that email this way:
"…my prescription for new Ford CEO Alan Mullaly is the same (as it was for former CEO Jac Nassar): Fundamentally rethink the supplier management system. Fundamentally rethink the product development system. And fundamentally rethink the production system from order to raw materials and from raw materials Read more:Avoid
When it Comes to Project Management Theory Can You Go by the Book? 2006-09-04 06:33:15
In PMI's September 2006 PM Network CareerTrack section Karen Bannan has an article titled, In Theory
: You can't always go by the book. (Sorry, it's not available online, even to PMIers.) Three things caught my attention. First, just a few weeks ago, Karen interviewed me for an up-coming article. Second, my friend Lauri Koskela was interviewed for this article. Third, the article was about the usefulness of theory in practice. I was somewhat surprised by what I read.
The article opened quoting Lauri Koskela, Ph.D., Univ. of Salford,
"Many of the methodologies taught in textbooks are idealizations. What project managers encounter in reality are plenty of stumbling blocks. This means that students or new project managers often find out that theories don't work for them in practice."
Karen goes on with quotes from Paul Hassels, CapGemini,
"It's always a balance between process and content. Getting too far carried away from either poses a risk."
After including a number of ot Read more:Project
, Management
, Project Management
Will Wal-Mart Change the World Selling CFLs? Let's Wonder… 2006-08-29 14:58:53
The editors at Fast Company think Wal-Mart is about to bring about a real reduction in the use of energy. In cooperation with GE, Wal-Mart has begun a year-long initiative to replace at least one incandescent lightbulb for each customer. That's 100 million bulbs that will go out of service. In their place we'll be screwing compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). Why am I writing about this? It's one ambitious project, that's why!
CFL sales are projected to reduce carbon emissions equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the road
The numbers are impressive. In FC's article How Many Lightbulbs Does It Take to Change
the World
? One. And You're Looking at It1, CFLs last anywhere from 8,000 to 12,000 hours. This compares to 1000 hours for an incandescent. That's 8 to 12 bulbs taken out of service for each CFL. Each CFL bulb uses about 28% the energy of an equivalent 60 watt incandescent. At a savings in energy of $0.46/month the CFL pays back in 5 months. (If you buy the
Five Necessary Actions for Organizational Change 2006-08-29 00:13:05
Last week I wrote Don't CRM Lean into Your Organization mentioning the difficulty companies have adopting organizational change. Adopting new behaviors on projects and in organizations is one of the toughest actions we take as leader-managers. This is especially true when it involves switching paradigms. At Lean Project Consulting we use a change approach1 based on five actions. The first thing to know is these are necessary but often not sufficient conditions. If you skip one of these actions you are assured of failure in the long-term. However, performing all five actions doesn't guarantee success. Very often a situation demands additional actions to ensure success, e.g., changes to systems or acquisition of new skills. The outline that follows can serve as a point of departure for planning your changes. Do the planning in a group and be open to multiple approaches rather than one "right" answer.
Be clear why change is necessary in terms that make sense to the individua Read more:Change
, Necessary
, Actions
Toyota's Innovation Factory 2006-10-23 03:55:18
There's a new kid on the block and from his early writing, I'll be paying close attention. Creativity Driving Innovation
in Business is a weblog written by Sanjay Dalal. (I learned about him from Chuck Frey, perennial innovation blogger.) One of Sanjay's first postings is titled Toyota
's Innovation Factory
. He offers a good summary of The Elegant Solution: Toyota's Formula for Mastering Innovation, by Matthew May, just published last week. I haven't read the book yet, but my order is in.
Sanjay describes each of the guiding principles and the blocks to innovation.
Guiding Principles for Driving Innovation
The Art of Ingenuity
Lean projects are characterized by innovation and learning.
The (relentless) Pursuit of Perfection
The Rhythm of Fit
Blocking Innovation
Swinging For Fences
Getting Too Clever
Solving Problems Frivolously
This looks like a book worth studying…not just reading. Sanjay finished his review this way:
"Toyota has become the dominant car maker tod
Bookmark this New Lean Blog 2006-10-23 16:22:10
Productivity Press has a blog…a good one. Lean Insider is written by Ralph Bernstein. His early postings have plenty of data along with some crisp opinions. In Ralph's posting The Real Problem with US Automakers he shares the results of a new study on the profitability advantage Toyota has over its competitors:
"Toyota has a profit-per-vehicle advantage over competitors ranging from $1,570 (over Chrysler) to $2,985 (over GM). The advantage over Ford is $2,165."
Lean Insider is just the fuel we need to create a big lean fire.
He goes on to share how Toyota produced that advantage and the role kaizen plays in the long term success. Ralph finishes with this opinion:
"(U)ntil Detroit's leaders genuinely become true believers in lean, they're going to have difficulty…design(ing) exciting cars and earn(ing) back a quality reputation."
Not only does Lean Insider make for good reading, but I suspect you'll be sharing Ralph's work with those on your project teams and wit Read more:Bookmark
What to Do when You're Slipping 2006-10-24 03:30:03
Create the situation on your project where people will speak.
Project slippages happen on all types of projects. Johanna Rothman, writing for Projects @ Work, offers advice in her article You're Slipping. As usual, Johanna offers practical advice. While she is writing about software projects, projects of all types are more alike than they are not. There's plenty to learn from software and from Johanna. Have a look.
Here's my additional advice: create the situation on your project where people will speak. In most cases, someone on the project has at least had an inkling that something was not going right. Too often the environment is not right for raising the concern…for whatever reasons. When we create the situation for speaking and then we listen we will get the most advance notice that some action is required. In the end it results in less slippage.
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This Isn't a (Project Management) Cookbook 2006-10-24 18:00:51
Whether you are doing construction projects, software projects, or any type, current common sense about succeeding at projects suggests going through a PMI certification process to learn the best practices. The agilists and leanies might disagree. However, there's one guy who offers recommendations — 15 of them — that just might produce better project results. His name is David Schmaltz, True North pgs, Inc. You might know him as the author of the fine book, The Blind Men and the Elephant, Mastering Project
Work. David is not your ordinary guy. His views on projects — and life — are unconventional. And those views will help you succeed on your projects.
In 1993 David wrote a little book(let) where he shares his best advice. He titled it, This Isn't a Cookbook
, The Elements of Project Style. I'll introduce you to the basic ideas. But don't stop with my commentary. Get his book; it's a gem.
"If you can't manage yourself, what business do you hav Read more:Management
, Project Management
OSHA's Top Ten Violations for 2006 — More of the Same 2006-10-26 05:06:19
Construction safety needs to be everyone's concern working in the industry. Great strides have been made by many companies. Yet people are being injured in roughly the same numbers as they have been for the last 15 years. OSHA issued these violations1 in the year ending September 2006:
Scaffolding, General Requirements (7895 violations)
Duty to Have Fall Protection (5746 violations)
Hazard Communication (5586 violations)
Respiratory Protection (3410 violations)
Lockout/Tagout (3068 violations)
Powered Industrial Trucks (2582 violations)
Electrical, Wiring Methods, Components, and Equipment for General Use (2396 violations)
Machine Guarding, General Requirements (2296 violations)
Ladders (2115 violations)
Electrical, General Requirements (1791 violations)
Trenching hazards, while not on this list represent an additional big problem for the industry. There is something you can do. Use the Last Planner System®2 on your project. Anecdotal evidence suggests safety incidents wil Read more:Violations
, Top Ten
Just (Not) Enough Project Management 2006-10-30 02:12:09
How many project management books are there? 1,000? 2,000? Would you believe 16,199? That's the number of unique results (use quotation marks around the term) I got at Amazon at 8:52 PM EDT last night. So how does anyone find a good book among that bunch? One way is to look at the sales rankings. The top book on the list is Scott Berkun's The Art of ProjectManagement
. It's a good book that I've reviewed on this weblog. Somewhere down the list is a book I read on the plane two weeks ago, Just Enough
Project Management, by Curtis R. Cook.
"You do not need (the PMP®) credentials to successfully manage the vast majority of projects."
Cook writes a primer targeted to the vast majority of people doing projects. Most projects involve no more than three people. They take anywhere from a few days to a few months. They don't require CPM schedules, let alone work breakdown structures. Project controls is what happens when we just can't seem to get traction on the project.
Hidden Project Factory 2006-10-31 05:42:40
The manufacturing world is quite familiar with the term "hidden factory"1. It points to the extra resources — people, material, energy, tooling, etc. — that are required to rework and repair the variances coming from the production process.
Project
s have plenty of variance. Much of it requires rework. Some work is inevitably scrapped. One source of rework results from work that gets out of sequence. One work step proceeds without the appropriate precedent tasks being completed. When the intended precedent task does complete the other task(s) must be reworked. Or, there's no budget available for rework, so someone on the team decides to make do. Or, there's no time available for rework, so someone decides to make do.
iSixSigma ran a cartoon today, HiddenFactory
, that got me thinking about what we can do about the hidden project factory. I've been Unsettled About Variation before. While I ponder in my unsettlement, I want to get you thinking with me.
What do you
Best Practices for Managing Successful Projects 2006-11-01 03:46:00
Awhile back I got a book in the mail with a polite request to review it. This happens about once a month. While I was curious about the title, Rainbows & Ratholes, I kept shuttling the book from bedside table to briefcase to the corner of my desk and back to my briefcase. As luck would have it, a 3-hour flight-delay coincided with the book being in my briefcase. I finished the book. Dan M. Kothari wrote the book as he says, "…to bridge the gap between theory and practice." It seems to be a common theme.
There is much to like in the book, starting with the introduction.
"Successful organizations embrace a projectized culture that is founded on the principles of customer focus, committed sponsorship, trusting relationships, outstanding teamwork, and continuous improvement."
Kothari offers good advice and distinctive perspectives throughout his book
I was struck that Kothari didn't speak about WBS, ROI, CPM, and risk management. But I didn't have to read far before tha Read more:Projects
, Best Practices
What Are You Doing on International Project Management Day? 2006-11-01 15:43:27
No, this isn't another ruse to sell greeting cards. The idea of an InternationalProjectManagement
Day was conceived to bring recognition and appreciation to project managers. The stated purpose is
"Increase the awareness of the value of project management within the large business, government, small business, and social communities and promote project management as a true profession and key business strategy. This includes, but is not limited to: construction, information technology, entertainment, government, aeronautics, health care, ecology, social, disaster recovery, community improvement, and quality of life projects."
Take the time to acknowledge or appreciate someone on your project, in your organization, or your circle of family and friends.
Showing appreciation and acknowledgement is a good thing…a really good thing. It keeps us going both on the giving and receiving end. Let's take the time, not just on November 2nd, to let project managers, project teams, clie
Why Project Managers Can't Manage Projects 2006-11-03 04:33:17
Is project management even possible? David Schmaltz thinks not. He writes Why ProjectManage
rs.htm">Managers
Can't Manage Projects
. Just read it…please…for your sake. It's Pure Schmaltz!
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Do We Share A Common Language? 2006-11-03 03:56:05 Magnificent projects are underway throughout the world. China is getting more of my attention these days. The Chinese are showing quite a bit of lean practices in industry along with significant undertakings in the built environment. The photo of the Caiyunba bridge crossing the Yangtze river is the longest tied-arch span incorporating both rail and highway traffic, according to ENR.
Good projects connect people in ways that transcends difference while enabling connectedness
Will this project come in on time and on budget? Who knows. Will it address the community concerns of the people who want to cross the Yangtze river? Who knows. In fact, we can't know before the fact. I don't think on time and on budget are the point.
This bridge is a spectacular undertaking. It shows off a design sensibility that just might be timeless; it represents an ambition for the built environment that others will copy; and it is practical — all good design is practical. I love the Caiyunb Read more:Share
, Common
Lean Construction Congress 2006 2006-11-03 20:02:25
CConstruction
project management is changing. The Lean Construction
Institute (LCI) is behind it. Each year LCI has a conference that features industry people sharing what they have learned on their lean journey. This year it is in San Francisco. It's not too late to join us. But for those who will miss it, I'll be blogging throughout the congress on Wed and Thu. Expect a stream of postings throughout both days.
Listen to this podcast Read more:Congress
Kaizen Is about Making Small Change 2006-11-06 02:50:59
Projects are wonderful settings for learning and innovation. The challenges of a project along with the diversity of people on the project team lend to breakthrough opportunities for individuals, the team, and the client. Unfortunately, too many projects are taxing for the participants. With a dose of determination that can change.
kaizen is the habit of easing our life.
The kaizen approach can make a big difference for you and your project team. kaizen is about making small improvements (changes) to make ones work easier, to improve quality, and to bring more value for the customer, the team, and the firm. The big challenge is getting in the kaizen habit.
I've started reading a book by Susan and Larry Terkel, SmallChange
. I've only read the first 40 pages, but I've scanned the whole book. I like the whole-life approach the authors take. They cover everything from a healthy lifestyle to a successful work life. Many people don't consider this to be kaizen. For me, kaizen
Did the WSJ Get It Wrong about Lean and Taylor? 2006-11-07 04:27:38
Mark Graban thinks so. His impassioned editorial at the Lean Blog is a must read. Mark takes on the common sense of management thinking. That common sense threatens all project management. There is nothing I can find to say that Mark hasn't already said better. Read WSJ's Wrong
Conclusion on Frederick Taylor
.
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Where Are the Good Examples of Leadership? 2006-11-08 01:21:45 Where Are the Good Examples
of Leadership
?
Big initiative and big challenges require leadership…passionate determined leadership. We've seen some really bad examples of corporate leadership over the last few years. US News and World Report just published their 2nd annual special issue on leadership. America's Best Leaders profiles 20 leaders and their initiatives.
Two stand out initiatives are City Year and Teach for America. These transforming programs have equally transforming leaders behind them. Alan Khazei & Michael Brown are the leaders behind created a youth service program putting 17 to 24 year-olds to work in their cities. Wendy Kopp is the leader behind putting recent college graduates to work teaching in the toughest schools. These are just two examples profiled in the special edition. You'll also read about Sandra Day O'Connor, Wynton Marsalis, Frank Gehry, Warren Buffett, and 13 others. Enjoy the issue.
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A Look at Sutter Health's Lean Program 2006-11-08 17:47:36
Dave Pixley opened with a "state of the state" of the shifts that have occurred in the last year of their lean initiative. SOme of those highlights:
Willingness to experiment
The paradigm of "self protection" is giving way to "all for one and one for all"
Acknowledgement that the current model of project delivery may be broken
Other owners are asking for
Growth of P2SL as an "action learning lab"
Participation by the state permitting agency in the P2SL
Grass roots lean coordinators group of competitor companies to share what they've learned about lean construction
New commercial relationships and contract forms
Learning they've observed
New kind of leadership — from command and control to facilitation and empowerment
"Open Kimono" communication — situation of trust and relatedness to say what needs to be said
Road ahead — reduce the waste while increasing the value
Prototype Hospital Program
Built-in Quality Plans
BIM — an emphasis on people and proces Read more:Sutter
, Health
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