After project planning is complete, and a strong project plan is in place that manages the stakeholders' expectations, the project work must begin. The resources are acquired, the people are trained and the project moves into the execution phase. At this point all of the project plans are put into motion, and any changes must... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
The japanese language contains a word that is so powerful and expressive that it has gained widespread acceptance in the manufacturing industry: muda. Muda means waste, but it's more than that. It embodies the full essence of inefficiency, uselessness, and squandered potential. The word muda has become a cornerstone of lean manufacturing, which originated in... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
Poka Yoke, a cornerstone of lean manufacturing, is a powerful strategy for eliminating errors in the production process. By designing systems that make mistakes nearly impossible—think of a square peg that won’t fit a round hole—Poka Yoke ensures high-quality output from the start. It involves inspecting each task for defects, identifying root causes when issues... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
Sometimes you come across one of those very simple, yet amazingly effective tools that most people who have adopted it wonder how they ever did without. Today is one of those days. Kanban is a task scheduling method originally developed by the Toyota Production System in the 1960's to track inventory levels. Although it is being... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
Although it isn't in the dictionary, the project management industry uses the term deliverables almost daily. I must say, I am tired of MS Word underlining it as a spelling mistake. Deliverables are the products, services, and results that a project produces. Thus, they are the cornerstone to project success. Every project has to produce something.... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
Project scope issues are the number one reason for unhappy clients and customers. Human nature is such that unauthorized tasks will always want to slip into a project unannounced, thus project scope management is just as important as the more visible aspects of project management like scheduling and budgeting. For that reason, effective project scope... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
There is no universal definition of project success. Since the very definition of a project is temporary (Project Management Body of Knowledge, 6th Edition), virtually all projects must meet a deadline and budget. But some projects must satisfy certain stakeholders. Others must meet regulatory criteria. Still others must achieve a certain return on investment. For these reasons,... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
The definition of a Project is: A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. The two most important keywords within that definition are: Temporary: A project has a fixed beginning and end. Because of this, there are two factors that come into play in virtually every project: Time (deadlines) and money (budgets). ... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
