Project plans too often resemble shopping lists, detailing every single activity
that is to be performed. We then find that it takes hours of our valuable time
to just keep the plans up to date, not to mention that we focus more on
completing individual tasks rather than managing the various components of the
project to deliver the end result.
“Shopping Lists” or “To Do Lists” add
no value to project management, so abandon them! Develop a project plan that is
outcomes focused. Each activity should result in a tangible outcome that
contributes to achieving the overall project objective and realising the benefits. Contact
us to learn more about outcomes based planning.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
How to catch busy fools
We all know those individuals who are always “so busy”. They often book 50-60 hours in their weekly timesheets. However, when we look at the details, it turns out they are spending 50% of that time on “Misc Admin” activities, whilst their target is to work on projects 90% of the time.
And, what about those ‘clever” ones who regularly over-record the project hours in order to increase their utilisation results. Well, they probably don’t realise there is a cost associated with every hour they record in their timesheets. These costs add up against the project, and if the value of the work completed (Earned Value) turns out to be less than the timesheet cost (Actual Cost), assuming the project cost comprises of labour costs only, then the project Cost Performance Indicator (CPI), sometimes referred to as Realisation, will highlight the poor performance against the project’s efficiency target.
So, what is the hint here? 1. Have appropriate tools in place to effectively measure and report utilisation and performance indicators for cost and schedule 2. Educate your team on the consequences of overbooking “project” time 3. Develop a process to constructively address variances to target
And, what about those ‘clever” ones who regularly over-record the project hours in order to increase their utilisation results. Well, they probably don’t realise there is a cost associated with every hour they record in their timesheets. These costs add up against the project, and if the value of the work completed (Earned Value) turns out to be less than the timesheet cost (Actual Cost), assuming the project cost comprises of labour costs only, then the project Cost Performance Indicator (CPI), sometimes referred to as Realisation, will highlight the poor performance against the project’s efficiency target.
So, what is the hint here? 1. Have appropriate tools in place to effectively measure and report utilisation and performance indicators for cost and schedule 2. Educate your team on the consequences of overbooking “project” time 3. Develop a process to constructively address variances to target
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