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Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:
Lean
Tip #691 - Nail Down Project Details First
Before
you ever start the project, make sure that it is based on a solid foundation
and that you have the buy-in from all key stakeholders. Understand their
interests and expectations and be aware of how they will determine whether or
not the project is successful. You will also need to ensure that the project
scope is distinctly identified, including the roles and responsibilities of the
various project team members. Develop the project plan and verify that the
goals of the key elements are clearly defined and closely aligned. You should
also establish measurable and trackable success criteria, including
accomplishing tasks on schedule, achieving budget targets, confirming product
functionality is satisfactory to the customer, and ensuring government and/or
industry regulations are met. Take care of all the details to lay the
groundwork for your project’s success.
Lean
Tip #692 - Define Critical Project Milestones
Identify
defining moments throughout the project. You can provide a life cycle of the
project by including the four main phases: initiation, planning, execution and
closure. Perform a real evaluation at the end of each phase. Make sure to
examine every deliverable. From parts of the product to the technical documents
to the project plan, you will need all of the elements involved to ensure the
product is meeting the project specifications. The product needs to be aligned
with the quality your customers are expecting. These milestones will not only
help you to eliminate project risk and monitor project change, but will also
alert you to any continuing problems and ensure that each piece is correctly
completed.
Lean
Tip #693 - Keep the Communication Lines Open
One
of the most critical steps in the project management process is to ensure that
the communication lines are open. As the project manager, you will need to be
the operator of this communications system. Keep a communications plan and
stick with it. Throughout the entire project, communication should be
consistent, open, honest and clear. Make sure you keep in touch with all key
stakeholders and team members during the project process. Ensure that everyone
has the information necessary to make decisions and proceed with the project.
You can also keep everyone on the same page by creating status reports based
upon the project information and updates.
Lean
Tip #694 - Test Deliverables Until They Meet or Exceed Customer Expectations
Deliverables
should be tested at every critical milestone and the final product must meet
the project requirements. Before moving on to the next phase of the project,
you need to be sure that the product is coming along as planned. At the end of
the project, the deliverable must meet or exceed the customer expectations to
be considered a success. The final phase of the project is closure. This grand
finale is a sign of achievement for you as a project manager, as well as the
rest of your team and stakeholders. Once the project is complete and the
customer is happy, your mission is complete.
Lean
Tip #695 - Each Project Can Be A Valuable Learning Tool
What
lessons have you learned along your project management process? Each project
can be a valuable learning tool. You will want to review the project as a
whole, as well as analyze various project components. What were the project
victories? Where were there project disappointments? Make informed conclusions
about the project’s quality and the product’s performance. Compare the planned
return on investment (ROI) to the actual ROI as one way to understand the level
of your success. You can use the lessons learned from each project to minimize
future failures and maximize future successes.
Lean
Tip #696 - Empower Your Employees by Giving Them Guidelines for Making Decisions.
Far
from relinquishing control of your business, empowering those who are closest
to the action to make decisions, can lead to the right result. Here's one
example of how this can be achieved. Laurie Benson, CEO of Inacom Information
Systems, implemented what she calls an "empowerment triangle" whereby
each employee is allowed to make any decision, as long as they consider the
impact of their decision on three things - the customer, the employee, and
profitability (hence the "triangle").
Lean
Tip #697 - Acknowledging Employees for What They Bring to the Table Will Help Integrate Individualists into the Team.
A
team is only as good as the sum of its parts, but sometimes egos get in the way
and disrupt the delicate balance of the team. But by recognizing and
acknowledging the intrinsic value of individual contributions, trust can follow
and egos can be checked.
Lean
Tip #698 - Form Common Skills Among Employees.
Be sure everyone has a common
skill base for communication, problem solving, giving and receiving peer
feedback. I find that teams who have these common skill sets are much more
productive than teams that don't. Technical expertise is only half of the
success quotient.
Lean
Tip #699 - Encourage Each Person to Do Better.
If
someone is not doing well, you need to take the time to retrain them or help
them overcome their obstacles. These situations should be viewed as an
opportunity to grow, as opposed to points where you assign blame.
Lean
Tip #700 - Let Team Members Solve Problems Together.
If
a problem develops, there is always an instinct to jump and try to give orders.
This will not give your team a chance to work together in a harmonious way.
Take a step back and allow each member to be part of the solution.
Lean
Tip #701 - Tell Staff What to Do, Not How to Do It
Effective
delegation is an important part of becoming a good leader. Understand that
employees are looking to develop their skills, so when you delegate, give them
an important task to accomplish. Then stand back and let them figure out how to
do it. When you tell employees how to do the task, they feel mistrusted and
perhaps worthless. It is difficult to trust a leader who can't let go.
Lean
Tip #702 - Be Available and Offer Help to Employees
Don't
just have an open-door policy; make time to talk with employees and ask their
opinions. Employees want to think they have the boss's ear and can come to you
when they have issues. No matter how busy you are, when you walk through your
work area and notice an employee who needs assistance, offer some. Step in and
get your hands dirty. It won't go unnoticed.
Lean
Tip #703 - Create a Welcoming and Positive Office Environment
Company
culture is the essence of your business and will determine how your employees
will act in the workplace. If your company culture is firm but fair, you can
expect your employees to work hard and respect the company.
Lean
Tip #704 – The Best Approach to Take With Your Staff is That of a ‘Coach’.
This
means that you give your employees the power and autonomy to perform the duties
of their job whilst providing them with the necessary support to achieve their
goals. Micromanaging your staff will make them feel like you don’t trust them,
or that you undermine their value.
Lean
Tip #705 - Practice Transparency and Encourage Honesty
Be
honest and open with your staff on matters that affect them and could
ultimately put their mind at ease. It is important that you involve employees
where you can with decision making to make them feel valued. As a manager, your
aim is to have an open and honest working environment where your staff feel
confident in coming to you with the truth about matters, whether they are big
or small.
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