For all you project managers in small companies with even smaller budgets consider the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program. It is a Federal program that funds about 60 centers throughout the United States designed to help small manufacturers and distributors with consulting in areas like lean, quality, and information technology. The Southern California center, California Manufacturing […]
My last post about a value assessment failure reminded me of a recent “failure” that required me to go into damage control mode. The experience reminded me of the value of quickly admitting the failure and following up with evidence of a process to correct it. People tend to forgive but they will not do […]
I used to manage value assessment projects that led to large business solution projects. These can be 2-3 month efforts designed to develop agreement on the business process change expected and to define the value of it to the organization. Hard dollar value, meaning savings that translated to bottom line profit, was the focus. In one situation we were […]
We’ve all had to deal with what I call the idea man. This is a person who has a lot of ideas but never gets anything done. Ideas are their forte, their passion, but they don’t seem to want to do anything about them. I’ve treated managing the idea man like a game amusing myself by […]
Here is some more from the fantastic experience of co-presenting with a leadership expert recently. We used a TV talk show format which resulted in an excellent roundtable discussion. Particularly relevant to project managers was the discussion about five keys to working with people:
1. Vision- enable people to see themselves in the situation you are developing
2. Learn […]
A conversation a few months ago with a VP of a large Los Angeles area home builder revealed they had done extensive lean continuous improvement projects but were definitely not starting any more soon. The market from their perspective had “crashed” causing them to get orders to stop large home building projects and also stop most training and […]
Virtual reality has always intrigued me. The idea of dream like worlds that you can step into and get lost in with other “people” is creepy to say the least. After all most of us operate in a dream like state in this world anyway. Businesses, both large and small, are making money in these […]
One role of a PMO is to provide information for a governance board to enable assessment and prioritization of projects. Another role is being talked about: driving innovation. Research to find the best of the best innovations, whether they are in the same industry or not, can become a vital function for PMs in a […]
Ok- I’m going to try something to increase traffic, which is what all good bloggers are supposed to do. Let’s try this- give me some of your toughest PM problems, things that have been nagging you for a long time, so we can start solving them with all the brain power that is linked to […]
We joked that we would be celebrated on billboards in Seoul: Gods of Consulting from America! Being a PM on a team hired to bring American thinking (along with an ERP system) to a Korean manufacturer was eye opening and fun. A new culture, new food, and new habits to learn! I recall proudly receiving […]
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