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Author: Lisa Anderson

Project Priorities for the New Year

Written by Lisa Anderson on . Posted in Articles. 9 Comments on Project Priorities for the New Year

As we think about the New Year, we should review our projects. Since projects are the lifeblood of most organizations (as their success or failure impacts customers, profit/ loss and or cash flow in almost every client), why wouldn’t we take this opportunity to make sure we are focusing on the “right” projects to move our organizations forward rapidly? In essence, take stock of projects.

One area that all of my clients have in common is that they have too many projects going at the same time – without exception. Since the marketplace is changing rapidly, it feels as though everyone is playing catch-up while simultaneously trying to grow the business and manage costs. Thus, to be successful, focus is required. How should we prioritize projects? I’ve found a few simple guidelines to work: 1) Fit with strategy. 2) Impact 3) Urgency 4) Change

  1. Fit with strategy: Although this seems obvious, it is often overlooked. The New Year is a great time to take a step back and make sure the projects absorbing scarce resources are a fit with your strategy. Has the strategy changed? If so, have you re-evaluated your projects? You must!

    For example, if your strategy is to grow your international sales, a quick check of your projects will give you a pulse. Are the vast majority of your projects focused on internal to U.S. needs? If so, they should be re-evaluated. Your top strategic goals should drive the majority of your projects. Ideally, you’d postpone the rest. After all, they will likely drain resources needed for your top priorities. Logical; however, it is often hard to implement. Stopping projects is strangely harder than starting them. Obviously, from a mechanical viewpoint, stopping a project is easy; however, from a people viewpoint it is less clear. Don’t just send an email, “Your project has been cancelled.” Instead, explain why the project is on hold or cancelled, re-allocate your best resources to those projects aligned with the strategy and re-engage project teams. You’ll achieve an easy win.

  2. Impact: It probably goes without saying that the return on investment (whether financial or otherwise) should be examined. Do you throw good resources after bad? Not on purpose. However, if we are spinning your wheels and dedicating project teams to small returns (even if they are pet projects), isn’t that what you’re doing?

    Use the New Year as an opportunity to take stock. Re-analyze your impacts. How are you progressing? Has the impact changed? Just because it used to be a large impact doesn’t mean we should continue to dedicate resources to one that will not achieve the expected returns. For example, when gas prices were high, the cost of materials such as poly and plastic were higher. During that timeframe, the executives might have dedicated substantial resources to minimizing the amount of plastic in products. However, with the price decreases, although still a “good idea”, it might have moved from position 2 to position 15 in terms of impact. Should you still tie up resources on a 15th priority?

  3. Urgency: This speaks to whether a project addresses an urgent need. For example, in our home life, if the dog is going to run into the street after the handsome dog across the street with cars driving close by, it is an urgent issue – no time can be wasted on analyses. In work life, if your #1 customer dictates that if you are not live with a vendor managed inventory program by the end of the first quarter, you’ll lose the business, it becomes urgent.

    There are often urgent issues which are not impactful or even a fit with strategy – and vice versa. The key is not to be in perpetual firefighting mode dealing with urgent issues and ignoring non-urgent yet highly impactful items. Take a fresh look at your projects from this perspective.

  4. Change: In this case, the question is whether the outcome the project addresses will get beter over time if nothing occurs, or whether it will get worse or stay the same. If the outcome gradually improves on its own, it would be a lower priority. On the other hand, if it gets worse with each passing day, this type would receive a higher priority. For example, if you have a leak in the roof of your manufacturing facility in a rainy state, it will get worse over time if nothing is done. Thus, it would be prioritized in a higher category for this reason.

In the New Year, take a step back to re-evaluate your autopilot mode. Are you working on the “right” projects? If not, it won’t matter if you achieve them, you’ll company will still decline. How are you determining if they are the “right” projects? This simple act of focus will drive quick progress and success.

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Avoiding Top Project Pitfalls

Written by Lisa Anderson on . Posted in Articles. 4 Comments on Avoiding Top Project Pitfalls

Project results drive business performance! In my experience in working with countless companies ranging from small to multi-billion dollar ones, I’ve yet to run across one that wasn’t dependent on project results to meet critical company objectives. Actually, quite the opposite is typically the case – too many projects with too few resources are vital to performance. Thus, those executives who find ways to ensure project success will outpace the competition.

For example, one of my significant manufacturing aerospace clients is experiencing delivery challenges. Thus, there are several projects which are geared towards improving the order fulfilment processes to improve delivery performance. If they do not deliver results, customers will leave. What could be more important than that?

The bottom line is that project failure is not an option! Yet 0% of my clients have enough resources, and they are especially short on the right resources with the right skills to deliver these projects. Given this state of affairs, it is important to understand the top project pitfalls – and, of course, how to avoid them.

A few of the most common pitfalls include the following:

  1. Too many projects: If everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. I’ve yet to go into a client that didn’t have more priorities than they could meet successfully in the timeframes desired. Thus, something is bound to fall through the cracks.
  2. Too few resources: Often times, there are just too few resources to manage projects while keeping the rest of the day-to-day priorities moving. Since the recession, companies don’t over-hire; thus, staffing projects can be a quandary.
  3. Lack of skills: Even if they happen to have enough resources or can pull resources into key projects, it is rare that the people on the project team have the appropriate skills to ensure the timely delivery of results. People are moving jobs, retiring, getting promoted etc. Typically I find that high-skilled resources jump on the chance to be
  4. Lack of a plan: Because executives are focused on immediate results, they tend to “jump right in” and being doing without a plan to back it up. If there is no plan, how do you know if you are off track?
  5. Lack of focus: Is there a clear critical path? Is everyone on the same page as to the priority? If each project team member focuses on what he/she thinks is important and isn’t aligned with the team, there will be a lack of focus. This is not uncommon!

Given these pitfalls, a few strategies to ensure success include the following:

  1. Prioritize goals: If there are too many projects, it probably means you have too many goals. Go back to your strategy and objectives. What is most important in order to achieve your objectives? Pick only 3 goals. Then, determine which projects tie to those goals. Limit the number of projects.
  2. Reallocate resources: The great news is that if you start with too many projects, you’ll likely have resources available once you slash the number of projects to the essential few. Reallocate those resources. If you still have too few resources, look for ways to automate daily tasks so that you can reallocate additional resources to projects.
  3. Develop & outsource skills: Project management skills are not developed as an aside. Make sure to provide training and education to bring the skills up in your organization. It is likely you’ll still need additional skills. Bring them in! Projects are short-term needs. Find resources with the specialized skill required and bring them in as a temp, contractor or consultant. Supplement as needed.
  4. Make your first priority to plan: Resist the temptation to start doing. Take a step back and build a plan with your project team. If you receive push back from executives, explain the critical importance of flawless execution. A plan doesn’t have to take months to put together. Bring your team together, dedicate a day and do not the leave the room without a plan.
  5. Build a critical path: The best way to know where to focus is to clearly identify the critical path. Which tasks are dependent on other tasks? Which tasks are on the path which will impact project timing? Focus attention on just those tasks. Remind task owners on the critical path. Remove roadblocks.

In today’s new normal business environment, project results are of paramount importance as growth and profitability is cornerstone to success. Identify and remove project pitfalls are a top priority, and you’ll elevate your business performance.

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Uncommon Common Sense Project Management

Written by Lisa Anderson on . Posted in Articles. 8 Comments on Uncommon Common Sense Project Management

Why is everyone searching for the latest and greatest technology and fad when common sense will drive bottom line business results? It seems that it is an exciting conversation piece to talk about potentially intriguing technology or concepts such as agile, and so we all get caught up in it. However, when I look across the hundreds of projects implemented by my clients, the key to success boils down to uncommon common sense.

For example, one of my large manufacturing clients is running multiple projects simultaneously. They have been using lean techniques and bringing in consultants who are gurus in utilizing the latest technologies and processes. Of course, none of this is “bad” as results will occur; however, it doesn’t have the same impact as utilizing uncommon common sense.

In one area, there is an overload of work on specific machines which they can see by looking at the visual signals on the plant floor. If you go to the production board, you can see immediately which items and machines are overloaded because they are highlighted and obviously overflowing. After sifting through loads of system data to review the problem through the best and brightest analytical formulas, it was determined that a select few products were best to move to a new production area for focus on improving output.

Not surprisingly, output increased for those items! However, the items were moved to machines which were already overloaded and overflowing, and so although output increased, the already overloaded items were deprioritized for the select few products and past due temporarily increased. Uncommon common sense would say to review the production board which clearly showed this problem or ask the planner to avoid this significant roadblock on the path to success. It seems obvious in hindsight yet wasn’t obvious to the team in the situation – a perfect example of why common sense is not common!

If we can leverage uncommon common sense, it is likely we’ll surpass our competition. Thus, what do we need to do in order to utilize uncommon common sense? 1) Go back to basics. 2) Ask your team. 3) Think before leaping.

  1. Go back to the basics: A common theme for those clients who consistently perform at a higher level than the rest is a respect for the basics. Do you value the basics? If you don’t show it, your team will never focus on them. You get what you value and measure.

    In project management, the basics include understanding the objectives of your project (which can sometimes come in the form of a project charter), developing a project plan with cross-functional teams as appropriate, soliciting feedback and being willing to address potential roadblocks, and managing the critical path. It is far from complex; however, it is rarely executed. Make sure you do not divert from the basics.

  2. Ask your team: There is nothing more important than involving your project team in the compete process. Make sure they understand the value. Asking the right questions will lead them to this conclusion. Ask for input. Never ask and then beat a project team member up for alerting you to problems and roadblocks. It is almost as bad to ask and ignore. Make sure you request input, value the input and get back to them with whether it will be incorporated and why or why not. Simple common sense courtesy goes a long way to encouraging million dollar ideas which can be easily lost in the shuffle.
  3. Think before leaping: One of the keys to success in leveraging uncommon common sense is to take a step back from the daily grind. Remember what is to be accomplished. Think about the options for getting there. Identify the most direct path to success. As Occam’s razor says, the simplest path is often the best one. The bottom line is to think before leaping.

    Certainly uncommon common sense will also tell you to not do this alone. Bring your best and brightest together, provide the vision and involve them in the process. Make each person accountable for holding the other team members accountable for thinking of the simplest path to achievable the result before pursuing any path. It will seem radical at first; however, if you stick to it, results will follow.

In today’s new normal business environment, project results are of paramount importance as growth and profitability is cornerstone to success. Why not try uncommon common sense to not only simplify your project team’s lives but also to guarantee success. It boils down to becoming ultra-clear on the objectives, taking the step back and setting aside the appropriate time to determine how to simplify the project plan and path forward to only what is essential to success. Rapid progress and an acceleration of results will be your reward.

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

Is Customer Service Pivotal for Project Success?

Written by Lisa Anderson on . Posted in Articles. 4 Comments on Is Customer Service Pivotal for Project Success?

In today’s new normal business environment, customer service is pivotal in project management ONLY if you want to ensure success. According to my firm’s recent research report, Amazon Effect, which covered the role of customer service for manufacturers and distributors, 67% feel customer service gaps vs. Amazon-like offerings. Technical skills alone will no longer be sufficient; project managers must create an environment of customer service to accelerate results.

For example, one of my clients has several projects going at the same time. One of them is crucial to bring staffing to the levels required to meet customer orders. They have found that if the folks on that project team are not feeling their importance to the company’s results and to their end customers, they perform their job; however, it is not enough! Progress is too slow. On the other hand, once they felt included in the process and a key part of customer service, results picked up. Do you want to leave your most important priorities to chance? Or would you rather create a customer service culture?

No successful executives will choose the former. Thus, it is worthwhile to think about how to bring an element of customer service into your projects and project teams. A few strategies to achieving a customer service edge include: 1) Engage employees. 2) Involve your supply chain. 3) Provide tools & support.

  1. Engage Employees: You must start with an engaged project team. Little else matters. Have you ever seen unhappy employees with happy customers? Me either! It’s also likely you haven’t seen unhappy project team members with happy customers. Thus, start with your project team.

    Do you have a compelling vision? Why would they feel their part of the project is important? Are they involved in making a difference in some way? Do they know how they contribute to the vision? How do they add value? How do they know? Are you providing feedback? Do you appreciate progress? For example, when a milestone is achieved, do you recognize the team? Also, are you giving project team members opportunities to get on the projects they are excited about or can learn from? A lot goes into engaging employees.

    You’d be amazed as to how the most unlikely project team member can contribute to creating a customer service edge if included in the process. In my experience, I’ve seen engineers close a sale, I.T. leaders create customer intimacy, and supply chain employees create a customer service edge. The common ingredient is engaged employees. How important is service to you?

  2. Involve your partners: Now that your project team is on board, you cannot afford to stop there. A customer service edge can only be created by involving your project’s customers, suppliers and cross-functional partners – after all, how will you achieve your project objectives if your customers consistently change their mind at the last minute and your suppliers provide unreliable inputs to the process?

    For example, in one company, we implemented a vendor managed inventory program with our #1 customer, and we went from unreliable service levels to winning the coveted supplier of the year award. We started with our project team and expanded to involve our customers’ project members and other partners such as carriers and IT partners so that we could collaborate for success. We became more intimately involved with our internal and external partners by collaborating with R&D and engineering on packaging, collaborating with our customers on the use of their demand data and sales inputs for the forecast and collaborating with carriers on optimizing transportation lanes and associated costs. Success followed as the project team saw these partners as part of their extended team.

  3. Provide tools and support: Last but not least, the best strategies fail in execution; thus, what can we do to ensure we beat the odds and create a customer service edge? Focus on execution – blocking and tackling. Don’t just dictate a customer service style of thinking on your project team. Explain its importance. Provide coaching. Support the process with systems. Build customer service into the project team members’ expectations and coordinate with the appropriate leaders to make sure it is part of the performance management process. Celebrate success. With a clear strategy and the appropriate support, customer service will thrive.

In today’s new normal business environment, project results are of the utmost importance as growth and profitability is cornerstone to success. Only those who create a customer service edge will thrive. Don’t follow the pack; instead, stand out from the crowd with a customer service edge for your project, and leverage the opportunity to leapfrog the competition.

Innovation is a Must for Project Success

Written by Lisa Anderson on . Posted in Articles. 4 Comments on Innovation is a Must for Project Success

In today’s new normal business environment, innovation is a must for project success! Often, I hear my clients think “I’ve designed this project for success; now I’ll hand it over to the worker bees to execute”; however, this approach is no longer enough. No wonder we have so many unfinished projects and disheartened project team members scattered throughout my clients! Instead, we must create a culture of innovation to ensure project success.

We must find a way for execution and innovation to live hand-in-hand in business, from the executive suites to the shift workers on the production floor. Certainly one possibility is to embrace the lean culture; however, I find there is almost more confusion than clarity among organizations in how to ensure all these “great” concepts yield results. Instead, think of innovation as deeply rooted in your culture. It is not complex or confusing. Innovation must start as culture change.

According to “Inside Steve’s Brain” by Leander Kahney, a book about the late Steve Jobs and creative innovation, innovation doesn’t have to be complex: “Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.”

Thus, innovation is not some complex, non-understandable phenomenon. In addition to pure creativity, it’s about re-packaging—literally and figuratively—by connecting the dots in a new way and seeing trends and hidden profit opportunities. Who is typically the best suited to find these types of opportunities? Not the executive suite! Not managers! Yes, it is the people who perform the work – project team members. Thus, why would we think it would work to give them “what is best”, tell them to execute and typically, although we voice support, we don’t support with our actions when it gets tough (such as cross-functional turf battles or ideas affecting month-end performance)?

So, instead of following this path to work hard yet leave many half-finished projects hanging around, we need to create and implement a culture of innovation. How do we go about doing that? There are three basic ways: 1) Focus on the customer. 2) Value your project team members’ input. 3) Support trials & failure 4) Encourage flexibility

  1. Focus on the customer. No project sponsor would say they aren’t thinking about the customer’s needs but do they? Are they doing what they think the customer wants or are they asking those closest to the customer (project team members) and the customers themselves? Instead of assuming you’ve completed this step, take a step back and talk with the project team members who interface directly with the customer and those which directly support customer needs. You’ll be surprised what you find.
  2. Value your project team members’ input. It might sound strange for a discussion about innovation; however, the best people will create innovative ideas, products, and services. Ask your project team members for ideas, input, threats etc. Do NOT ignore them when they push back. See your team members as your customers and dig into what they tell you. Listening is the 80/20 of creating a culture of innovation.

  3. Support trials & failure – One of the best ways you can show that you value the ideas of your project team members is to give them room to try them out. The quickest way to kill a culture of innovation is to encourage ideas but not follow through and support them. It is much harder to implement than it sounds! In my experience, the first time an idea fails and causes month-end issues or customer problems, innovation is stifled.

    To counter this, we must reward mistakes as it is a critical component of cultivating a culture of innovation. At best, I see this philosophy at 20% of my clients. If it were easy, we’d all have a culture of innovation. Give your employees the tools and knowledge and get out of the way. Celebrate failure. If they haven’t failed, they haven’t pushed the envelope far enough. This will encourage further innovation.

  4. Encourage flexibility: Do not become married to one idea, one product, one customer’s perception, etc. Instead, create solutions that build in flexibility — think of the nontraditional “and” of two, seemingly opposite ideas. For example, instead of thinking that shortening the project timeline will require an increase in resources for the project; consider thinking about ideas for achieving the “and” – shortening the timeline without requiring more resources. Perhaps there is an overlooked idea which can be uncovered if the project team brainstormed. What if you encouraged a devil’s advocate process to bring out potential roadblocks upfront? Ask your project team to think about how to build flexibility into the process. It will give you many more alternative paths to success when you run into an obstacle or the situation changes due to external forces (which happen daily in the vast majority of my clients).

Think about creating a culture of innovation, and you won’t be disappointed. No one can do it alone; why not get your entire team thinking of how to “win”?

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