Archive for Project Management
Replacing the Marketing Calendar with Project Management
Posted by: | CommentsI believe that many Marketing projects do not conform to good solid project management techniques and practices. It’s not surprising, seldom does anyone invest in the proper training to develop the skills needed. To do list, due dates without properly define scope, and assigning responsibilities does not constitute project management. Scope, Managing Risk, Variation and Resource Planning are just some of the necessary parts of a solid project management structure. Even your Marketing budget could be identified and tracked by a Project Management System. A calendar is to simple to manage the complexities of today’s marketing. Developing good Project Management techniques is imperative.
A single blog post cannot describe the intricacies of Project Management and the framework in developing a structure to make it successful. These AFFILIATE links are just the best of the processes and information I have used in developing a solid Project Management background.
I have for years followed the Ten Step Project Management philosophy for Project Management. It is carefully thought out and is a proven method of Project management.
Out of all the books that I have read on the subject and used, the one I would recommend starting with is Lean Project Management: Eight Principles For Success 
A quick Summary of Larry’s First Principle:
It’s the system! You must design and implement an effective project delivery system appropriate to your projects, organization, and environment.
The project system consists of people, process, and the product, and the relationships between them.
Some of the basics of project management are essential to all projects, but few are necessary for every project.
The project leader must sort out what matters most for the project at hand.
Any project worth doing is worth doing fast.
Critical Chain Project Management gives you the tools to do projects, in half the time, all the time.
The Lean Project Management approach will include:
More successful projects (satisfied customers and project team, full-scope, on-time, under-budget).
Faster project completion.
Simple project status.
Reduced unnecessary project paperwork.
Clear signals on when to take action on the project.
Reduced pressure on project team members.
Reduction of the waste that causes project delays: multi-tasking, queuing, Student Syndrome, Parkinson’s law.
Learn more and download a free chapter if you go to the E-book section in the TenStep Store for templates, eBooks and many other project management products., under the title Lean Project Management: Eight Principles for Success.
Are you ready to give up your Marketing Calendar?
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s not working, it’s that simple. You are assigning responsibilities, deadlines and tasks, but it is just a headache to keep up. The most apparent problem: tasks are not getting handed off well or at the wrong time to others. Another problem may be, everyone’s priorities seem all mixed up, and one or two people or departments seem to be a enormous bottleneck. A project management system is not a cure all, but it certainly is a start.
An excerpt from the TenStep Project Management Ebook on Options for Obtaining a Methodology:
To successfully implement a project management methodology, first convince yourself that there is value if the process is applied and utilized correctly. In fact, all projects use a methodology of processes, procedures and templates. If you don’t think you have one, it really means that you have a poor and informal one.
If you need a good project management methodology, there are two major sources.Build one yourself. You can build a custom methodology that perfectly reflects the philosophy and best practices of your organization. Many companies continue to do this today.
Buy one. If you build a methodology, you might be surprised to learn that it ultimately looks similar to most other project management methodologies that people use. No matter how you structure it, you still need to plan, build a workplan, manage scope and risks, communicate, etc. Therefore, many companies choose to buy or license a pre-existing methodology. These pre-built methodologies usually have everything your organization needs to be successful.
Of course, if you buy a methodology, you still may need to customize it to meet the specific needs of your organization. This gives you the benefits of option 1, while also taking less effort and cost, which is the major benefit of option 2.
TenStep, Inc.©
The TenStep website is one of the most content driven websites on Project Management. It is great place to learn the basic, intermediate and advanced structure and terminology of the business.
Learn more about the Ten Step Management Process at the TenStep Store for templates, eBooks and many other project management products.
P.S. I am an affiliate of this product.
Related Post: The Death of the Marketing Calendar – Part1
Your Value Stream Map is not your Project Plan
Posted by: | CommentsValue Stream Mapping comes from the Toyota process flow improvement tools and involves identifying all the steps both value added and non-value added currently involved in providing a product or service. It will create a visual representation of that value stream or the work in process. It establishes a common language among us and provides a blueprint for improvement. However, it is not a project management system and should not be considered.
Depending upon the scope of the team responsibility, they should be part of creating the implementation phase which would include a detailed project plan or schedule. The purpose of the plan is to coordinate activities and resources and form a baseline from which to manage the project. This gives everyone involved the same reference point.
In marketing it always amazes me the lack of project planning. Most marketers resist the idea, misunderstanding the role of detailed planning for marketing projects. They assume that the purpose of a detailed plan is the same as it would be for other repetitive activities like manufacturing. The purpose of a project plan in marketing is to coordinate many of the uncertain activities that happen. Maybe more importantly, a good project plan will coordinate the activities of your resource requirements. Not everything will be predictable but even if we can make some of the predictable, predictable we will increase the likelihood of success.
Photo courtesy of Systems2win.
Within a project plan we can establish over all and individual process metrics. We will need metrics to produce information quickly so that they may be acted on in the middle of a project rather than at the end. The value of these types of metrics is that will allow you to take action during a project where you can still influence its success. These metrics should already be identified in your value stream map. Measurability is perhaps the most important feature of the project plan.
Once a schedule is completed it should be posted or made available to all stakeholders of the project. Constant updating should appear and be visible to all parties. This is an active document, and should be used to manage the process. A schedule is the translation of the project plan into individual tasks, identifying durations, responsibilities, start and finish dates, resources, flow and milestones. It is very easy for a team to want to jump straight in, generate a schedule and get on with the project. There is more to project planning than this.
Project management is the whole aspect of planning, which leads to a realistic schedule, which in turn requires control. If you have completed your Value Stream Mapping Process, a project plan will be relatively easy to complete.
Related Posts:
How much Planning is enough – Use Lean and Standardize
