Lean Project Management Recommendations

Now, that you may be considering Gant Charts, Pert, Predecessors, Resources and even Subordinating task, I want to tell you a secret. You still are not managing your project. You are scheduling your product and giving yourself tools to visualize the management of your product.

I have for years followed the Ten Step Project Management philosophy for Project Management.  It is a well thought out and is a proven method of Project management. Out of all the books that I have read on the subject and use,the one I would recommend starting with is  Lean Project Management: Eight Principles For Success by Larry Leach(Amazon Link).

Benefits of the lean project management approach 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 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.

If you choose to just to learn a little about Project Management and the Terms used in this field  Click here to download a free ebook!

Technorati Tags: Project Management,Lean,Lean Sigma,TenStep

Basic of Project Management for Lean Marketing

The last several posts have discussed several products and resources for project management. Good project management has to occur throughout your organization to be successful. Your company probably has a great deal of knowledge and is already using a software package for scheduling such as Microsoft Project. I want to reiterate the point I made before Scheduling is not Project Management.

I use Microsoft Project Standard 2007 for a very simple reason. I started using it, it was the 2nd program I ever bought, when it was furnished with two- five and a quarter floppies. I have upgraded through the years and currently using the 2003 version. It is a great package, and I have been very well pleased. However, it is $600.00 and many organizations will not use the full functionality of it. There are numerous packages both on-line and off-line that are very competent, and I recommend you evaluate each based on your individual needs.

An Affiliate resource of mine, Systems2win has a very unique set of Project Management tools that are templates for Microsoft Excel. They are part of his Kaizen Bundle offering, and if you understand Kaizen you understand why they are bundled there.

Below is a minimum outline for Project Management in a Marketing Process:

Calendar: Yes, we still could use a graphical list. Some people just have to see it that way to understand it.

Gantt Chart Project Plan: A graphic way for a Project Leader to manage tasks assigned to team members. This is an important tool to and the way I view project 90% of the time.

Project Cost Estimate Worksheet: To estimate project costs.

To Do List: A simple way for a Team Leader to manage tasks assigned to team members. Meeting Agenda & Minutes template: To prepare for and get the most from team meetings

Priorities Consensus Worksheet: To evaluate & prioritize strategic initiatives

Decision Matrix (with Impact Effort PICK Matrix): Provides a visually graphic depiction of the trade-offs between the impact that an alternative will probably have toward resolving the problem, and the effort required. I love Matrixes.

Issues Worksheet: To organize and resolve issues faced by a project or team and to identify and approve potential software customizations

Organization Chart: To define both formal and informal work group structures

Ground Rules for Working Together: Covenants for mutual respect and productive work habits

Change Management Worksheet: To prepare a Communications Plan and other approaches to help people embrace change

Team Members, Roles & Responsibilities: A concise way to summarize who is responsible for what.

Team Support Roles: Clear responsibilities for the Teams that support various project teams

Project Team Facilities Worksheet: To identify facilities needed, and track status of providing them.

The descriptions of these items were furnished by Systems2win. Their Project Management templates included each one of these and more in a Microsoft Word or Excel Template.

Small Project Management: As you become familiar with Lean and the Lean Marketing concept, you will learn about A3 reporting. An A3 Report is a single-page storyboard that is used to systematically identify problems and stimulate creative problem-solving. It is also used for proposals and guidelines for the work that needs to be done. It could also serve as a small project management form if so constructed. However most of the time it will consist of several of the items above embedded into one sheet.

There is so much to learn in project management that I have chosen to create numerous resources in lieu of blogging about the basics.

Related Posts:

The Death of the Marketing Calendar – Part1

Replacing the Marketing Calendar with Project Management

Technorati Tags: A3 Reporting,Marketing Calendar,Microsoft Project,Project Management,Scheduling

Why Social Media is so Lean

 

Wikpedia: Lean is basically about doing the right things, to the right place, at the right time, in the right quantity while minimizing waste and being flexible and open to change.

Lean actually got its name from the best selling book, The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry. This management classic was the first book to reveal Toyota's lean production system that is the basis for its enduring success. The next book on Lean, Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated by Womack and Jones, introduced five core concepts:

1. Specify value in the eyes of the customer
2. Identify the value stream and eliminate waste
3. Make value flow at the pull of the customer
4. Involve and empower employees
5. Continuously improve in the pursuit of perfection.

 

These concept have stood the test of time and are still used as the foundation in Lean thinking through out the world. But as I review these concepts look how readily they apply to social media and marketing today.

Specify value in the eyes of the customer: Social Media has brought on a wave of content marketing. As a result, we have more FREE information available instantaneously today than ever. Social Media is about supplying value to the customer. The essence of Social Media is the interaction and discussion. Book Recommendation:  Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust

Identify the value stream and eliminate waste: To be effective in Social Media, you have to understand your value stream and do what is important to your customers. If you try to do everything, you will be quite ineffective and realize very little results, if any. Book Recommendation: Get Content Get Customers: Turn Prospects into Buyers with Content Marketing

Make value flow at the pull of the customer: Costumers find you in Social Media by your activity, not by your bombarding of messages. Book Recommendation:  Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs (The New Rules of Social Media)

Involve and empower employees: Social Media is about transparency and authenticity throughout are entire organization. More people are communicating with each other at all levels of our organizations then ever before. We have no barriers. World Wide Rave: Creating Triggers that Get Millions of People to Spread Your Ideas and Share Your Stories

Continuously improve in the pursuit of perfection: The bar is raised for us everyday. The people that are falling behind in Social Media may not recognize the world tomorrow. Do you have to jump in and spend vast amount of time in this world. No, not at this point. however, you need to have you not only your toe but a rather large portion of your foot in testing the waters. If you are participating in Social Media, the result of it will be continuous improvement. Shameless Plug: Duct Tape Marketing Social Media Pro hosted by Business901.

 

These concepts have stood the test of time and are still used as the foundation in Lean thinking through out the world. But as I review these concepts look how readily they apply to social media and marketing today.

Technorati Tags: lean,social mediam Marketing,value stream,duct tape marketing

Social Media is here to stay, be ready by the 1st of the year!

The Duct Tape Marketing Social Media Pro Training program has just launched. This innovative coaching program uses coaching, strategy, feedback and accountability functions aligned with a full set of online tutorials and training to deliver the practical, tactical know how so important to the success of the small business. It is only available through the Duct Tape Marketing Community. Complete program content as delivered by Business901 can be found at http://beonlinelearnonline.com.

The program is designed and delivered in a logical sequential order with each session revealed on a week by week basis until all five sessions are revealed. The strategy behind this form of delivery is that it allows both you the customer as well as the coach to focus on the current lesson and progress logically through the program without becoming overwhelmed.

Each lesson begins with an overview presentation of the material, action steps at the end of the lesson and a group of support videos and training that relate to that lesson’s action steps

The Business901 offering includes a Ning style website that will offer members a platform to discuss Social Media questions and to follow certain conversations, blog post and join discussion groups that interest them. It will offer an added learning experience in a small community group. The content of the new site will be user driven and allow members to visit, comment and add their own content.

Why another website, Joe Dager of Business901 was asked; “We can communicate on other platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook but to learn how to efficiently utilize these platforms is a mystery to many. We realized that there will be "How to questions." As a result, we created an open source platform, so that we could participate in the conversations and add information when necessary but so could everyone else. It will be a membership site, one that organizations and people can use as a resource.” Dager added, "I will be adding content as I see what discussions are taking place and what type of questions that I am answering. It will be much like an classroom setting where you can learn from each other, it will just be online."

Why Duct Tape Marketing: John Jantsch, owner of the Duct Tape Marketing organization is a marketing and digital technology coach, award winning social media publisher and author. Duct Tape Marketing - The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide" published by Thomas Nelson, with foreword by Michael Gerber, author of The E-Myth and afterword by Guy Kawasaki. His Duct Tape Marketing Blog was chosen as a Forbes favorite for small business and marketing and is a Harvard Business School featured marketing site. His blog was also chosen as "Best Small Business Marketing Blog" in 2004, 2005 and 2006 by the readers of Marketing Sherpa.

Why http://Business901.com: Joe Dager, owner of Business901 is a Certified Duct Tape Marketing Coach which substantiates his knowledge of the Duct Tape Marketing Principles. He is well versed in Social Media which is confirmed by independent firms such as Alexa that rates the Business901 Website in the top .25% worldwide by Alexa. Hubspot, a popular grading service consistently grades the Business901 Website above 98% and the Business901 Twitter account above 99%.

 

Technorati Tags: duct tape marketing,social mediam Marketing,facebook,linkedin

Using Value Stream Mapping Software

There is a lot of dispute about Value Stream Mapping software, and whether it should be used or not used. Most Lean practitioners will tell you that early introduction into converting your Value Stream Map into a computer generated document will hurt the overall flow of the procedure and be a detriment to the brainstorming process. They prefer using post-it-notes or pinning paper to a wall. Allowing as many people to interact is the whole point. I have a tendency to agree with the statement. Participation, interactivity is the key. In fact, when I build a marketing calendar for a company, I do the same thing. Even taking advertisements, direct mail pieces, etc. and pin them to a wall.

It works great except…many times it seems that I am explaining the process along the line. I end up teaching what a Value Stream Map or even a Marketing Calendar is and the purpose, we are doing it. Sure, I know that should all be done before hand but do we? Do we take the time? Many lean practitioners work hard to help an organization to improve their Lean skills. This is a slow, difficult and often frustrating part of the process. Computer-supported Value Stream Mapping may help Lean practitioners be more effective in this respect. Creating a simple mapping process for them to input into the software and through the use of the help section, both written and video supported, would not hinder the mapping but facilitate the actual process in the Value Stream Mapping Process. Explanation of the key concepts and how they are used would make the best use of everyone's time.

When setting initial assignments, don't require that a map be drawn but have a procedure to check off that the different nomenclature was understood. This will give most individuals solid footing for the meeting. You may want to do a webinar on VSM to facilitate the mapping process. Use the tutorials embedded in the software as a basis of discussion. This way there will be a reference point for everyone afterwards.

A better way, for those with both the technical agility and a suitably equipped classroom, is to do "live" mapping and update the actual process constructed on the wall every 15 minutes or so. Having a reference point can be very handy when you are taking down a stray path. This would also enable a wider audience as actual attendance would not be required. Especially in supply chain applications, you could have numerous suppliers and/or downstream and upstream customers participating from a distant. Another feature is that you may choose to schedule times when different participants would be available. Mapping in real time, can be difficult and beyond the scope of many organizations. However, if it is possible, it gives you instant documentation for the entire organization and a basis for a process that I would refer to as a true Value Stream Management process.

It should already be apparent that handling mapping can be a very different experience than is had when using the traditional method of post-it-notes. Value Steam Mapping represents information more densely and makes more information immediately available to the mind. It supports a wider range of interaction, which is ultimately what we are after. That said, these are the early days in computer supported mapping.  For now, there needs to be a balance, but it is changing. I predict that since it is not a technology issue but a policy constraint that it soon will be common place. If not, you may be the like an accountant dealing with a system of ledgers and manual entries and Turbo-Tax has largely replaced that group.

P.S. I market Value Stream Mapping Software on my Site.

Related Blog: Why would you use Value Stream Mapping?

 

Technorati Tags: Value stream Mapping,VSM,Policy constraint,Marketing Calendar,Mapping Software,Lean

Ever hear of the term Value Stream Marketing?

Neither have I, until I did a search and typed Value Stream Marketing instead of Value Stream Mapping. It was completely accidental, but it was exactly what I was thinking. If you think about it, do you have a value stream map for your customers? I am not just talking about a map showing the process of what you do, but a process on what value the customer receives from each stage of your marketing.

It’s a different concept that I believe is imperative to the future of marketing. Think of the touch points you have with a customer. Is each one of them creating value? As we walk through the process in the Duct Tape Marketing Hourglass, we create a value stream. When your customer moves from one stage to the next stage, is it value driven? Is he receiving more bang for his buck? If he doesn’t, he may decide to jettison you right there. The stakes are being raised, and you have to deliver.

My E-book on applying the Theory of Constraints to the Marketing Hourglass is a good example on how one part of the marketing process may be limiting your overall revenue. If you find that constraint what would you do with it? How would you improve it? I would first start examining what got the person there to begin with and then increase the value of your offering based on the previous offer. If you are not getting enough referrals or repeat customers, think about an offer you could create that would add additional value to them. Give them something that they can simply not refuse. What would shake them up a bit? 

Related Information:

Ebook: Using the Theory of Constraints to improve your Marketing Hourglass

Value stream Mapping

Designers, Marketers THINK BIG

The Eagles always understood!

Technorati Tags: Value Stream Mapping,Marketing,Duct Tape Marketing

Value Stream Mapping – Finding your Customer’s Need

Focusing on the customer NEED is essential to the success of any marketing. We should all recognize this idea. However, do we really embrace this idea? Do we really believe that such an effort can drive our marketing and improve the chance of a sell?

It is important that we understand and are able to express what is critical in satisfying that need. Starting out in the Value Stream Mapping process we first create a Current State Map. I use the Duct Tape Marketing Hourglass as a template in creating a current state map for each marketing segment. After the Current State Map is created, we must analyze this process. We must do this to ensure that we are working on the right things from the customer's perspective.

This is where we will start finding the true waste in our marketing process. Should we be happy with 2% direct mail returns or accepting the fact that we need to be in front of a customer 7 to 9 times before we get action. We need to ask whether we are making assumptions about what customers need. We need to ask our customers what they need and whether this is properly communicated throughout each stage of our marketing process.

An organization exists only to provide value to a customer. Are we supplying value in each phase of our marketing process? If you cannot, see how to re-create that phase in the process or it may be one that you need to stop. Everything you do should create value. If you do, your customers are much more likely to stay engaged.

In my Marketing your Black Belt Webinar, I discuss the lack of clarity as the #1 reason that professional service firms lose jobs. I also believe that your “fuzziness” may directly relate to a customer becoming disengaged.  Having clearly defined outcomes based on a customers need will prevent that and reduce your variation in the process. 

What does variation have to do with the marketing process? Variation creates uncertainty or a lack of clarity. The reason that you may be losing jobs. The lack of confidence in the ability of your marketing processes to deliver on your customer needs. Variation reduces the chances for the customer to trust you.

The simplicity of a single flexible marketing model will create clarity for your customers, staff and as a result better execution. Utilizing a process, you also will spend your time on your customer’s need versus continuously managing the process.

Shameless plug: The Ultimate Marketing System

Shameless plug: The Ultimate Marketing System

Why do The Pillars of the Lean Marketing House™ crumble?

Get Rid of Your Marketing Vision Statement and Address the NEED!

Technorati Tags: Value Stream Map,Duct Tape Marketing,Lean,Variation,Marketing