What could Possibly go Wrong?
|
|
| Freedom from
Project Surprises Newsletter - Issue #54 |
October 2009 |
|
|
|
I came across an article
this week that presented a concept that got me thinking about the risk
mitigation process - the project
premortem. What could possibly go wrong?
Answering this requires an understanding of the possible "what-if"
situations while
in the planning phase of a new project. It's about risk management and
the
ability to uncover a comprehensive set of possible negative scenarios
and
prioritizing them, dismissing some and mitigating others. Assessing
technical
risk is common; assessing project execution risk is far less likely to
be
addressed.
Jeff Jorvig, IC NPD Coach
|
|
News of Interest to New Product
Development Teams
 Poll Results - What do you consider as the greatest
contributor to IC project delays? Click on graphic to view
current results. I would greatly appreciate your inputs by clicking here to participate in the 5
second poll.
- EETimes 10 companies in trouble (revisited)
- Is synchronization
of
register information between firmware, design, verification
and documentation a huge headache? I have a solution that will remove
the pain - contact me for details.
- In need of a simple yet effective way to
develop, manage and monitor your new product workflow? Check out this web 2.0 based solution to managing your
NPD/NPI process here and be in control of your
development activities.
- Check out our quick
start instant downloads for managing design
projects.
Leadership Quote of the month:
"The final
test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the
conviction and will to carry on."
-- Walter J. Lippmann |
Uncovering Project
Execution Risk Areas
Risk
free - never. Risk conscious - absolutely essential.
The ability to determine, assess and mitigate risk is a requirement of
projects
that must display a higher level of predictability. The challenge is in
revealing
the risk areas that need further attention, the unknown hazards that
transition to reality and disrupt the project flow like hitting a block
wall.
Technical and business risks are typically addressed to a
reasonable degree; project execution risks by and large lack the
attention they
need. A good definition of execution risk would be areas related to the
people
aspects of a project such as information needs, expectations of each
other,
deliverable requirements and so on. I would also include the
thoroughness of
the plan and resource availability in the category of execution risk,
since these are also
people related.
 So how does one go about
finding the execution risks? Since
they are predominantly people related a good place to start would be to
ask the
team members. Some of the execution risk will be related to a specific
project
while the majority will likely be systemic risks that span multiple
projects.
People related risks tend to hide well; therefore good detective and
people
skills will be required to uncover them. A formalized discovery
activity will
provide a thorough assessment of the risk areas, particularly those
related to
project execution.
Where are all the project risks? The team has
valuable input on this; it is in the projects best interest to make
sure their
concerns are aired. Hold a project Premortem to provide a venue that
grants
the team a voice. Sift through the information that is gathered to find
the
golden nuggets of information that will make it well worth the time
spent.
Discover the unknown execution risks that quietly disrupt project flow
and
remove a large source of project unpredictability.
|
Using
the Project
Premortem to Identify Risk Areas
Last week I came across an article titled Performing a Project Premortem
written by Gary Klein
of Applied Research Associates. The commentary presented the concept of
a project Premortem to aid in identifying the potential project
roadblocks,
before they have a chance of derailing the project.  It is essentially risk
assessment, although with a procedural twist that holds merit. The
premortem
is a forum for airing the project execution concerns of the team.
Having always
been a fan of going in the trenches to ask the team what's not working,
this
aligned well with my strategy of discovering the unknown.
An unknown risk to a project will lead to an element of
unpredictability, if it becomes a reality. There would not be any
forethought
of the possibility; therefore there would obviously not be a mitigation
plan in
place. The team runs into a brick wall and then regroups to find a way
to navigate
around the wall. A well conceived plan is suddenly thrown off track
because a
risk was not identified during the planning stages.
Now back to the project premortem. The idea is to establish
an environment that allows the team ferret out all the possible risk
areas. The
premortem concept enables the successful identification of risk via the
following principals:
- Establish
a mechanism for soliciting inputs from a broad cross section of the
team.
- Seek
out the worker bees in addition to those in the management hierarchy.
- Create
a non-threatening environment that is comfortable for the team's voice
to be
heard.
- Listen
with an open mind, saving judgment for later.
Consider
hosting a premortem activity while in the
planning phase of projects to provide a regular opportunity to seek out
risks
and get them on the table. Through a routine emphasis on this risk
assessment process the team becomes confident there will be a place for
concerns to be aired and addressed, thus enabling them the opportunity
to optimize their project contribution. For your next project
utilize a premortem to find the answer to "What could possibly go
wrong?" and realize a new level of predictability in project flow.
|
| How I
can Help
"Providing solutions to the systemic project challenges that
quietly steal early revenue opportunity"
- If you need solid answers to "What could go wrong?" for a future
project, allow me the opportunity provide you the answers and work
through solutions with you.
- Development
Process & "Same" Practices Management
- If you are looking for a solution to project surprises, this is it.
Anywhere from design guide documents to a full web 2.0 interface can be
implemented to manage the who, what, where, when and how of a project.
The absolute clarity this provides will snuff out project surprises.
- Discovery
& Solution - Do
you need to find and remove the the barriers to a predictable and
streamlined new product flow? Maybe you need to understand the history
of past failed project activities. Our Discovery & Solution
services provide the results you need.
- Requirements
workshops
- I will facilitate the timely closure of a high quality set of
requirements for a specific product. If you have a complicated project
where requirements closure is critical, this would be an ideal
candidate for a workshop. More information can be found here.
- NPD team one day workshop to improve planning, execution and monitoring skills for
design projects.
- Web based NPD workflow management.
- Ready made downloads:
schedule, checklist, analog design guide.
- Increase management bandwidth via Virtual Design Manager.
- Full listing of common services here.
Contact me today via email, 480-895-0478 or
877-895-0478 |
|
Feedback
To increase the value of this newsletter for you I would like
to hear your comments.
- What do you like or not like about this
newsletter?
- What subjects would you like to see covered in
the future?
- How is the format?
- Ask me a question related to new product
development and I will anonymously post and answer it here in this
section.
Please email me here with any questions,
comments or suggestions that will help me better serve my readers. I
would enjoy hearing from you.
|
|
|
