Your project success is determined by your planning toward it. Good planning not only make sure that your project gives the desired result, but also having it done within expected timeframe and budget. When you are planning a project, it is important to make sure that the project can be measured in order to make sure that the project has the aimed result. You or the project manager can work on planning a project by creating new milestones and tasks in the planning section. But before it's all done there are several things to consider to be included in your project planning:
Bringing organization to a project Planning a project and developing baselines Allocating resources across several projects Monitoring milestones and the earned value concept Creating Status reports and briefing all levels of management Project management support: Automated and administrative.
The reasoning behind this is that the human brain (even yours) can only take in and process so much information at one time. Managing Project Risk is a critical process within the Project Lifecycle. Again, very appropriate for all team members, in-house customers, marketing, and management, to learn how the process works and what their part in it is.
Schedule
Guesstimating schedules is notoriously difficult but it is helped by two approaches: - Make your guesstimates of the simple tasks at the bottom of the work - Break down structure and look for the longest path through the sequence diagram Use the experience from previous projects to improve your guesstimating skills.
Resources
You can show on an alternative schedule that the project could be delivered by the deadline if certain (specified) resources are given to you or if other projects are rescheduled. Another possibility is to apply a different strategy, or more resources, to such activities to minimise the disruption. Within this phase, the people, resources, finances, suppliers and tasks must be correctly scheduled, in order for the Project Manager to be able to monitor and control the project delivery effectively. Following the creation of a Project Plan, a detailed assessment of the resources required to undertake the project should be made. The Financial Plan describes the total quantity of financial resources required during each stage of the project. Project management tools such as Microsoft Project provide significant functionality such as development of Gantt charts (timelines), comparison of planned to actual results, development of PERT charts (network diagrams), definition of tasks, definition of dependencies between tasks, assignment of resources to tasks, and resource balancing. Each deliverable has associated with it a work flow template identifying the activities, resources, and other deliverables that will be required to complete this deliverable.
Step
In planning any project, you follow the same simple steps: if an item is too complicated to manage, it becomes a list of simpler items. As a manager you have to look far beyond the single project; indeed any individual project can be seen as merely a single step in your team's development. One idea is to start with the number of steps -guess that if you can. These can be found by identify stages in the development of a project which are recognizable as steps towards the final product.
Although it is accepted that extraordinary levels of quality improvement are possible only by a radical change in management philosophy, leading to change in organizational culture, the fact remains that the exercise of undertaking process improvement projects cannot be overlooked for actual change to occur. Projects are the bridge between two parts, comprising of planning and doing. Although apparently similar, project and planning are different in scope.
Project And Planning
The dictionary definitions of the word "project" describe it as being a scheme, plan, proposal or an enterprise requiring determined effort. As far as "planning" is concerned, it refers to the systematic execution of actions, aimed at attaining a particular objective. Therefore, while the project is a description of what is supposed to be done, the plan details how it is proposed to be accomplished.
It is possible to integrate both by using DMAIC. A comprehensive DMAIC approach comprises integration of the project schedule development and financial analysis along with Six Sigma tools, all of which are vital to accomplish success.
Success in Six Sigma is not based on complicated and high-tech procedures. It relies wholly on tried and tested systems, which have been in use for long. It simplifies things by reducing the many complexities that are the hallmarks of TQM (Total Quality Management). It takes just a handful from the plethora of tools and techniques that characterize TQM, and concentrates on inculcating high levels of proficiency in their application in a few technical leaders selected in-house, to turn professionals into sharp Six Sigma Black Belts.
Even when using the latest methods in computer technology, Black Belts use the simple define-measure-analyze-improve-control framework of DMAIC for the application of the tools. Anyone with exposure to the plan-do-study-act model of TQM would find DMAIC to be similar. The DMAIC framework can be portrayed as follows:
DEFINE: Define targets for improvement at various levels. These may consist of strategic objectives of greater ROI (Return On Investment) or market share at the highest level. Improvement goals at the production level may comprise of increased output in some particular department, whereas the goal at the project level may be an increase in the yield for some process or machine, or a reduction in defects. In order to identify improvement opportunities, the application of data mining methods are desirable.
MEASURE: Determine the current baseline by measuring the existing system, followed by establishing reliable and valid metrics, which would help to monitor progress towards established targets. ANALYZE: Use system analysis to identify techniques of gap elimination between current performance and desired target levels, for the process or system. Guide the analysis by the application of statistical tools.
IMPROVE: Find creative methods for system improvement that would result in cheaper, better, safer and faster ways of doing things. The new approach should be implemented through project management, and the application of other planning and management tools. Improvements should be validated using statistical methods.
CONTROL: Exercise control over the new improved system through institutionalization. Modify incentive and compensation systems, budgets, policies and procedures, operating instructions, maximum retail price and other systems of management. Correct documentation can be ensured through utilization of ISO 9000.
The DMAIC framework is an essential guide to process improvement projects used by Six Sigma Black Belts. The ease of implementation and high rate of success has made it find favor with management experts, as compared to other process improvement models.
Both Steven Moshe & Tony Jacowski are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Steven Moshe has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Improvement. Steven Moshe is senior consultant at . His blog on project building consultation can be found here:. Steven Moshe's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.
Tony Jacowski has sinced written about articles on various topics from University, Six Sigma and Information Technology. Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution's Six Sigma Online offers online and certification classes for lean six sigm. Tony Jacowski's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.