Basic Principles of Project Management

RLDC 1Barry CorderoSHPE National VP

Principal Project Engineer, Medtronic Inc.Master Black Belt: Lean Six Sigma

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan”

Eleanor Roosevelt

Project Management

• Goals/Obj• Tasks/Owners• Resources• Deadlines

Plan

• Manage Critical Path

• Solve Problems• Adjust Plan• Phase Reviews

Execute • Control Plan

• Schedule

Control

Importance of Planning

The Project Planning Cycle

Background

Current State

GoalFuture State

Plan of Action

Other Project Cycles

Define

Measure

Analyze

Improve

Control

Plan

Do

Check

ActLeanSix - Sigma TPS

Essential Components of Planning

GoalObjectives

SMART

TasksSpecific itemsOwnersDeadlinesResources

Background

Current State

GoalFuture State

Plan of Action

DEFINING THE PROBLEM(BACKGROUND AND CURRENT STATE)

9

PM RoleIs the role of the PM to describe your ideas and plan in order…

-- to convince?

-- or to engage?

Convince means to “sell” or “get buy in”

Engage means to “become part of”-- to invite to take part in the thinking-- and the experiment based on it

What is our natural tendency?

Perception of a

Problem

The SOLUTIO

N

Impressions &

AssumptionsTheoryFACTS

BLACK

HOLE

How can we be more effective?Ask questions to help ourselves see:

What is Actually Happening?What do I actually know?

11

The Real or

Main Problem

A SOLUTIO

N

Impressions &

Assumptions

Theory

FACTS

FACTS

FACTS

FACTS

3 Common Mistakes in Problem Solving1. Assuming you know what the

problem is without seeing what is actually happening.

2. Assuming you know how to fix a problem without finding out what is causing it.

3. Assuming you know what is causing the problem without confirming it.

In other words - Not Grasping the Situation.

(And where do we grasp the situation? At the gemba!)

12

Maintain a Questioning Mind

• What do you actually know? How do you know it?

• What do you need to know? How can you learn it?

13

• Avoid acting on assumptions or jumping to conclusions.

Keys to a good problem statement

Purely a problemExplains why problem is relevant to business/chapterDoes not include a solution

Avoid “lack of” statements

Avoids assumptionsCan be visual

Example Bad Problem Statements

“lack of professional development opportunities causes low member retention”“Company x minority representation is poor.”“process z yield is low due to inattention to detail by process inspectors”

Example Good Problem Statements

“member retention is very low, minimizing the strength of networking and the ability to develop chapter leaders”“technical Hispanics at company x stay for an average of 3 years. This attributes to low Hispanic representation at all levels in the company.”“process z yield has dropped from 98% to 92% over the past year, resulting in increased cost of goods and additional labor”

CLASS EXAMPLE

EXERCISE: WRITE A PROBLEM STATEMENT

Writing your A3: BackgroundWhy are you solving this problem?

Why is this problem important? How is it contributing to the company’s need?

Keep it simple

DESCRIBING CURRENT STATE

Describe your Current State/Gap

Be visual Show process map Show graphs Show charts

“A Problem Clearly Defined Is Half Solved”

What do we mean by “clearly defined”?

• Gap between what is actually happening (current condition) and what should/needs to be happening described in performance terms.

• Gap broken down to concrete, observable conditions (smaller problems in the gap or in the related work processes) that are contributing to the Gap & can be investigated first hand?

22

23

CausedGAP

Created

GAP

A GAP: 2 types of Gaps

SWOT Analysis

Provides clarity as a boardProvides opportunity to reach out to your stakeholdersDrives your strategic planProvides platform for goal making

SWOT Analysis  Strengths Weaknesses

Internal

Factors

- Strong relationships with…..- Large membership base- Tradition of….- Only engineering society for Latinos

- Small Budget- Unknown Academic….- Programs are inconsistent

  Opportunities Threats

External

Factors

- Neighboring town X has high Hispanic population

- Company X,Y,Z has shown interest in chapter programs

- Partnership interest from NSBE chapter locally

-   

- Current sponsorships teetering- Economic environment- Programs are inconsistent  

Example

SHOW EXAMPLEEXERCISE: DEFINE YOUR OWN CURRENT STATE

Writing your A3: Current Conditions

Describe the current situation vs the desired situation and quantify the gap

SETTING MEASUREABLE GOALS

Write your Goal/TargetConsider SMART

SpecificMeasurable

• Numbers oriented, can tell if you achieved it

Attainable• Within you or your team’s scope of influence

Relevant• Related to the problem statement or gap

Timely• If you are ready, assign a date to it (by when?)

Avoid words like “Create, Implement, Develop”

Goals/Targets

What specific outcomes are required to close the gap?

What is the target condition?

Is your goal S.M.A.R.T?

Goal/Target

IS

SMARTAddresses a problem in performance“Will prevent the bearing from wearing out too frequently”

Stated as SMART as possible“Increase performance from 50 hours to 300 hours without wear 100% of the time”

Is NOT

Restating your solution“Workers will oil the machine daily”

A statement of a possible countermeasure“Implement standard work”“Implement Robust Design”

EXERCISE: WRITE A GOAL STATEMENT

ANALYZE THE PROBLEM

34

Choosing the right Analysis ToolWhat tool might you choose for:

Quality issue?

Delivery Issue?

Productivity Issue?Cost Issue?

Consider:

– SPC, Pareto, Six Sigma project guide

– VSM, Process Map, Flow Chart, PFM, SOE, Lean Project Guide

– Balance chart, pareto

– Pie chart, fishbone, swim lane

AnalyzeTechnical Problems

Perform hypothesis testingDo experimentsCollect dataDetermine root cause

Business ProblemsRoot cause analysisShare with stakeholders

COUNTERMEASURES

Problems and Solutions and Countermeasures

The Solution?

To solve = to find the answer…..the One correct answer

A Countermeasure?

To resolve = to find and try out an action that seems likely to reduce the problem condition (the GAP)• A temporary measure “fixes” a problem by blocking or

working around its impact• A permanent countermeasure eliminates a problem by

removing its cause 38

What to look for in Recommendations for Countermeasures

1. Do I see the link between your proposed countermeasures and the causes they are intended to address?

2. Do I feel you have considered all the options for addressing the causes?

3. Do your recommended countermeasures make sense as the way to address the causes and resolve the problem?

4. Am I confident these countermeasures will accomplish your goals and achieve your purpose for addressing the problem?

39

Countermeasure Evaluation

COUNTERMEASURES TO PROJECT PLANS

Drive backward: Networking Diagram

Each completed countermeasure as a milestoneUse mind mapping to determine predecessors to completed milestonesBuild dependenciesAdd in dates and task owners

Networking Diagram: Example

Professional Development

Workshops Monthly

Develop Program

Survey Members on needs

Place Bids

Acquire Location Survey members for free locations

Convert to Project Plan

Use MS Project if you wantOr use Excel

Excel ExampleDates: June 1-7 June 8-17 June 15-21 June 22-28 Jun29-Jul5 Jul 6-13

DEFINEAgree on charterGather more VOCDefine Phase ReviewEnter project in QTRAK

MEASUREDevelop Project StrategyMSABaseline CapabilityProcess Map / VSMFishbone (C&E Diagram)C&E MatrixXIAData Collection PlanCollect dataUpdate Charter, if neededOptional M Phase Rev.

ANALYZEAnalysis planVerify Key X'sFinalize CharterAnalyze Phase Rev.

IMPROVEDefine ImprovementsOptimize ImprovementsImplement ImprovementsOptional I Phase Rev.

CONTROLDevelop Control PlanProcess Owner sign-offFinal capabilityFinal ReviewClose project in QTRAK

The Plan In Place

Half of work should be done

Now it’s time to manage

Thank You

Questions?

Barry.Cordero@shpe.org

References

Lean Enterprise Institute“Managing to Learn” John Shook

Project Management Book of Knowledge (loosely)