Dave Garrett recently wrote on the concepts expressed by Aaron Shanhar in his book, Reinventing Project Management. The gist is that the common triple-constraint model of managing cost, schedule, and scope is not enough. As I like to put it and in Goldratt’s words, necessary but not sufficient. I have not yet read Shanhar’s book, […]
Hello everyone! I’m sorry it has been so long since my last post. I have been going through a job change, and the last month has been hectic with getting things shored up at my previous company and (trying) to get up to speed at the new company. I recently listened to my favorite podcast, […]
This point speaks to the need for (1) commitment from top management and (2) commitment from everyone else in the organization. Quality is everyone?s job, and if any implementation is not total, it will not fulfill its full potential. In project management, I see this point alluding to executive formation and support of a company-wide […]
In order for continuous improvement to become organizational culture, it must also become a personal goal for every employee. Self-improvement should not be limited to immediate application, that would be an example of short-term thinking. Employees are the most important assets of an organization, and therefore require effort to retain and enhance them. On project […]
Deming claimed that the sense of having helped other people is the most significant motivator and source of job satisfaction. It is one of the biggest enablers for pride of workmanship. Of the projects you have worked on, think about the ones you are most proud of. What is it that makes you look back […]
This may be the most controversial point, but in my opinion it is aligned with the rest of Deming?s philosophy nicely, and I agree with this point totally. In the US especially, Management By Objectives (MBO) is very much the status quo. I?ll give a short explanation of my opinion from an operational standpoint first […]
This point consists of two elements as I see it. (1) Walk the talk, and (2) hold systems accountable. Walk the Talk Slogans are phony. The word slogan has a connotation of something that is not real. It sounds like an advertisement, and not something you can really trust in. In a project management organization, […]
Many processes are cross-functional. The same is true of projects. This point is about dissolving the ?us versus them? scenario that so often exists in one form or another within organizations. In most projects that I work on, there are individuals from departments such as operations, central services and other support functions, MIS, IT, Service […]
Fear encourages short-term thinking. One of Deming’s classic stories was about a foreman who didn’t stop production to repair a worn-out piece of equipment, because he feared that stopping production would mean missing his daily quota. Instead, he let production continue. When the machine failed, it forced the line to shut down for 4 days. […]
It is the age-old distinction that usually merits much lip service and little true implementation. There is supervision/management, and then there is leadership. Project managers can either be supervisors or leaders, regardless of their job title. Supervising/managing is simply overseeing and directing work. If you know everything about PMBOK and other methodologies, but practice project […]
Don't keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. It takes practice to capture lessons learned and to make use of those lessons as we move forward. What could you do better?