"A well-executed, mediocre plan is far better
than a poorly executed, excellent plan."Lee A. Peters
Core Competency Skills of a Project Master require proficiency with time, cost, and quality. Masters relentlessly pursue excellence. They assure understood and clear agreements. Ambiguity is raked out of contracts. Be competent, be a master.
Instilling Planning Discipline – Participants look at a project from different points in time, from strategic, tactical, and operational references; to plan a project from all levels of reference; to schedule using linear and/or network techniques; and to utilize the plan, estimate, and schedule for executing and controlling a project.
Taming TimeSM – Use the Work Breakdown Structure to plan the project. Learn Precedence Diagram – Critical Path Method. Build Durations using six different techniques. Differentiate effort and duration. Calculate EST, LST, EFT, LFT, Total Float, Free Float, and Interfering Float. Understand Critical Chain theory. Build Buffers out of Float.
Estimating the Explosion!SM – Use Work Breakdown Structure in estimating. Translate Methods into effort into people cost. Understand levels of estimating and risk inherent in each. Identify risks within estimate. Define price risk, estimate risk, and productivity (people, tools, materials) risk. Estimate changes and cost of change. Differentiate between change in scope and change in practice (constructive) change. Build a budget from estimate.
Frozen scope and the abominable snowman are alike: they are both myths and they both melt when sufficient heat is applied.
Perpetual Improvement in Project QualitySM – Advocate a quality project environment founded on constructive values. Structure project quality initiatives extending into all elements of project delivery. Apply twelve quality concepts to the work of doing the project, to the project process, and to project management systems.
Negotiate the Project Management RapidsSM – Acquire commitment, support, and resources for project success. Define negotiation. Examine processes of negotiation. Establish and internalize values and principles of effective negotiation. Prepare, prepare, and prepare for beneficial results. Plan and practice excellent processes. Conduct productive project negotiations – internally and externally. Experience the interaction of responses during negotiation through simulations, exercises, and role-playing. Mentally game your responses and those of others during the negotiating process.
Project Diagnostic – A consultative workshop – a project leadership reaction course – designed for testing whether team members are ready to launch a project. Participants conduct an observed and evaluated simulation. Then generalize their experience to an upcoming project. This workshop would lead into Project Launch: Plan-to-Plan®, Plan the Project, and Plan the Project Management. The workshop is technology-neutral with evaluations formal, informal or 360°.
Firefighting?
Plan-to-Plan® prevents project fires!
Plan-to-Plan® - Projects! – Plan requirements at each level: Strategic, Tactical, Operational, Task, and Technology. Identify the issues: assumptions, definitions, information, opportunity, risks, imperatives, decisions, resolution, results, scope, and performance. Plan a Work Breakdown Structure for an actual plan
