Project management is made up of processes. Project managers and their teams depend on them to ensure a project runs smoothly. But what about those processes? Are they chiseled in stone or can they be improved?
Frequently, processes are trusted as if they were perfect and untouchable. That kind of thinking is what will quickly sidetrack a project and possibly cause it to fail.
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Complacency has no place in project management. Constantly analyzing your processes is the best way to reach a successful end. The way to improve processes is through a technique called process improvement. Implementation of what is learned through process improvement is done by creating a process improvement plan.
In a nutshell, a process improvement plan is a document that describes how to improve your processes after identifying and analyzing them. Simply put, it's how you can get better at what you do.
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The process improvement plan is part of a larger overall project management plan. It guides the project team on how to analyze project processes and outlines where there is room for measurable improvement. It tends to be an iterative process that occurs throughout the project lifecycle.
The goal of a process improvement plan is to find weak links in the process chain or bottlenecks that are impeding work, and then find ways to rectify those inefficiencies. This leads to processes being completed faster, more efficiently, and with higher quality deliverables.
A process improvement plan will also help reduce wasted effort and keep teams working more productively. It helps reduce any friction that exists in the processes and ensures that the processes meet regulatory compliance standards when required.
Doing the work of identifying weak points in a process and doing nothing about it is counterproductive. It may seem like the effort to create and implement a plan is not worth the investment.
But if you think there are flaws in your process and you don't want to improve them, you're setting yourself up for a bigger problem in the future. Therefore, it is always in your best interest to respond to the problem and work to resolve it. To do this requires a plan. The process improvement plan can be broken down into these seven steps.
The first step is to get a complete overview of the process that needs improvement. Take that process and break it down into a map. You can use a work breakdown structure in software to painstakingly map each step of the process. This will help you get an idea of where the weaknesses are in the process.
Now that you have the process in question mapped out and each step clearly outlined, you need to analyze the process to see where the problems might be. Take a close look at each of the steps and see where there was a problem, such as delays, over-allocation of resources, too much money spent, inactive team members, etc.
Once you've found those trouble spots, trace the problem back to its source to address its cause and how to avoid it in the future. You can use tools, such as the root cause analysis method.
Once the cause of the problem has been discovered, it's time to redesign the process to improve it and avoid the problem the next time you use it. At this point, you'll want to bring in the entire project team.
After all, they are the ones with the most intimate knowledge of the process and the practical experience with it. They will make sure that no stones are left unturned and that everything has been documented in the process. They are an invaluable resource for process improvement and must be listened to.
Get their ideas on how to redesign the process and brainstorm with them for more solutions. Then, analyze all the solutions they offer you and discover which one is the best and most likely to improve the process. Now you'll want to think about the timeline and the risks that might be inherent in the redesign.
You have identified the problem and you have a solution, now you need to work on it. That means allocating your resources. The people you need to go to would be the team members who are affected by this process and its change. However, you may need to reach out beyond that sphere to other people in the organization with the required skill sets.
Once you've assembled a team, give them detailed instructions on how to redesign it and why it's important. You can use the map you created earlier in the plan to help with this step.
This is where the process improvement plan is put into action, which means creating a list of tasks and detailed assignments. This part of the process is like you would create any project plan, breaking deliverables into tasks and assigning each team member these tasks. Project planning software can help you.
You'll want to create a schedule with a timeline and add tasks, their duration, and any dependencies.
The better your communication, the better the project will be. Therefore, take the time to communicate the plan to the team and make sure they fully understand their part. Listen, it's important that you are open to feedback and make sure the team stays informed throughout the process. This creates acceptance and helps them adopt the new process.
Once the team is running the project, it's important to track its progress. Monitoring is not micromanagement. It provides a window into the project and allows for any adjustments to keep it moving on schedule.
Also, once the improvement has been implemented in the process, you should monitor the team to make sure they are following it properly. When problems arise, the process starts all over again.