3.13.1 Building Good Project Plans/ PERTS All projects about to be released have PROPERLY detailed PERTs.
S
All relevant projects (projects which are not to be soon completed and the projects to be released in the near horizon) are considered in order to determine the generic projects.
Proper teams construct the templates per each generic project making sure that the resulting PERT will be PROPERLY detailed.
Per each relevant project enough uninterrupted time is devoted by the project-planning-team (the key people that constructed the template and the key project people), to PROPERLY modify the template to fit the specific project.
T
3.13.2 Building Critical Chain Plans 3.13.3 Staggering Project Portfolio The company uses
Critical-Chain-PERTs that enable on-time, faster project completion.
S
T
A CCPM workshop is conducted for all people participating in the
project-planning-teams.
For each relevant project the project-planning-team continues by following the Critical-Chain process to turn the initial PERT into a Critical-Chain-PERT.
The templates are finalized.
Projects are planned to ensure effective operation.
S
◆A proper team invests the time needed to emulate the VIRTUAL DRUM and to identify and correct the crucial data errors.
◆Actions are taken to ensure that
projects are released according to the plan (legs having different lead-times are released at correspondingly different dates).
◆Actions are taken to ensure that due
dates for new projects are committed ONLY according to the STAGGERING mechanism (or top management’s decision to postpone a specific existing project).
T
Flow is the number one consideration (it is not important to finish each task on time, it is essential to finish each project on time).
S
For all projects proper PERT networks are built (using templates where appropriate). The time estimates are cut in half and projects and feeding buffers are inserted according to CCPM. The projects are properly staggered.
Proper actions are taken to ensure that resources are aware that their estimates are regarded as just estimates - they will no longer be judged according to meeting their time estimates.
The resulting plan is used to properly release projects into operations.
The resulting planning ability is used to determine reliable and acceptable due-date commitments for new projects.
Figure 3e
1 Meeting Project Promises 2.4
Managing Execution
3.14.1 Task Completion Reporting The required data is always adequately available.
S
◆Proper explanation is given to all task managers: what is
required from them to report on a daily basis, how this information is going to be used and that they will, at last, be able to obey ONLY the formal priority list.
◆The company launches the daily reporting (by task managers - not by the resources) procedure and relentlessly enforces it.
T
3.14.2 Task Manager’s role in managing execution
3.14.4 Top Management role in managing execution Tasks are executed according to their
priorities. Preparations and corrective actions are taken in due time.
S
T
◆Following the priorities, task
managers assign the optimal number of resources to tasks.
◆Task managers review daily two lists of tasks (open and incoming) and according to the up-to-date priorities make sure tasks are effectively progressing. weeks) the projects’ status.
For projects whose progress is not
satisfactory, the recovery actions are examined.
T
Projects are actively managed to ensure their successful, rapid completion.
S
Critical Chain Buffer Management is the ONLY system used to provide priorities. Priority reports are provided in different forms to different management functions.
Mechanisms are set to enable proper usage of the priority information.
T
3.14.3 Project Manager’s
role in managing execution
S
T
Project managers are driving a “project buffer recovery” process for cross departmental actions and exceptions not handled by task management.
◆Project managers review daily the list of tasks penetrating the most into the project buffer and check if recovery actions are taken or required to ensure that the project is effectively progressing.
◆In extreme cases the project’s Critical Chain PERT (and even the template) are updated.
Multi-tasking and WIP 2.2
Figure 4
2.1 Reduce Bad Multi-Tasking & WIP
Necessary assumptions
u When too many projects are executed simultaneously many resources will find themselves under pressure to work on more than one task - bad multi-tasking is unavoidable.
u Prolific bad multi-tasking significantly prolongs each project’s lead-time.
Strategy Flow is the number one consideration (the target is not how many projects the Company succeeds to start working on, rather it is how many projects are completed).
Parallel assumptions
u The statement, “the earlier we start each project, the earlier each project will be finished,” is not correct for multi-project environments (not only the first elephant but also the last elephant will go through a door much faster if they go in procession).
u Vast experience shows that in multi-project environments, reducing the number of open projects can reduce bad multi-tasking without causing starvation of work and therefore significantly reduces the lead time of all projects - it increases the flow.
Tactic The Company properly controls the number of projects that are open at any given point in time
Sufficiency assumption Adjusting the amount of work is not enough. The company must also ensure that as time passes the proper amount of work will be always maintained.