Project managers are never short of things to do, but the most successful – the ones that consistently bring in projects on time and on budget have mastered the art of executing by focusing on the few critical elements that make a difference. Here are five things to watch: 1. They Avoid Multi-tasking Even though many …
5 Surprising Habits of Successful Project Managers Read More »
Project success: everyone wants it, yet completely successful projects are rare. Why? Everyone has an opinion, but what if that opinion is baseless? Organizations will spend millions on improving processes that will make no difference, or worse, harm the performance. My firm commissioned an independent research study to identify what is really making a difference in …
A Brilliant Strategy Without Operational Excellence is Doomed Production is an Engine for Profit The production function can be a potent profit-generating machine. Traditionally, managers have regarded the production function as a necessary evil, a prerequisite to the real business of making money. This perspective is widely echoed in textbooks: the goal of production is “to …
In part 1, I wrote about governance. If the owners of the project are not governing the basic behaviors to execute well, your risk of delivery is rising. If you haven’t read it, please do. You’ll understand what I’m talking about here. Just a short reminder: I’ve written before about the most important measurements in projects and the behavior …
Spot Project Delivery Problems Early Part 2: The Fundamentals Read More »
“Productivity is the act of bringing a company closer to its goal. Every action that brings a company closer to its goal is productive. Every action that does not bring a company closer to its goal is not productive.” Eliyahu Goldratt The Theory of Constraints (ToC) challenges you to build your company to last – to …
A Framework for Strategy; The Ever-Flourishing Company Read More »
The Gestalt of ToC “Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.” – Isaac Newton The Theory of Constraints. What sort of management strategy is that? Who calls a management approach a “theory”? And “constraints”; isn’t that the same thing as a “bottleneck”? If you’ve read Eliyahu …
Decision Making – Focus on the Goal Almost every manager is aware of Pareto’s law, the important few – the trivial many which is often thought of as the 80/20 rule. 80% of results are generated by 20% of the actions. To improve your effectiveness, one only need to focus on the 20% and you’ll get …
In part one, I said time is not equal to money. Most of the time. Project managers and managers in general must know the difference. In that post, I highlight when time is not money. In part 2, I’ll explain when time is money. Let’s suppose your teams are delivering one project every other month; that’s …
The Gestalt of ToC “Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.” – Isaac Newton The Theory of Constraints. What sort of management strategy is that? Who calls a management approach a “theory”? And “constraints”; isn’t that the same thing as a “bottleneck”? If you’ve read Eliyahu …
Theory of Constraints & Strategy – An Introduction Read More »
“I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely, in your thoughts, advanced to …
Spot Delivery Problems Early – Part 1: Governance Read More »
We’ve all heard the expression that time is money, but is it true? I don’t think so. What does it truly mean? Does time equal money in my project? If I lose time, I waste money? or If I delay, I get the money later? If it’s the first definition, you are saying, money is like time. If …
So many of us have often heard that “a failure to plan is a plan to fail,” so we grow confident that successful planning leads to successful project completion. The old adage isn’t necessarily untrue. Having a plan is crucial. But research shows that the common approaches to project management fail to produce the outcomes that …
Top 4 Project Management Challenges & How to Solve Them Read More »
