Overview

Managing multiple projects that rely on shared resources requires highly skilled capabilities.

For those who work in organizations that are multi-project environments, where resources are shared across a number of projects, there are usually a lot of things that need to get done. An environment of many projects typically generates competing priorities for project resources and managers alike and can make it difficult to know which project task should be given priority.

Scope And Deliverables

One of the common problems faced by project-oriented organizations is having too many projects relative to their capacity. Therefore, one of the first things that needs to be done is to determine what can be done is to determine what should be done . . . and what should not be done.

An appropriate priority process can be described as one that identifies projects that best support the organization’s efforts for increasing its ability to achieve its goals.

One of the key challenges of multi-project or program management therefore revolves around the avoidance of pressures on resources to multitask and the ability to assess and direct the most beneficial use of resources when there is apparent contention for their attention. To the extent that these can be addressed, a multi-project program will minimize the pain that is encountered in the interaction of projects fighting for shared resources.

Systematically providing clear priorities and minimizing the workload queue faced by shared resources optimizes overall organizational performance – providing highest throughput and minimal overall project cycle times.

After implementing a system for synchronized project scheduling using this TOC-based program management thinking, then we begin to work on the organizational constraints.

Every organization, at any point in time, has some primary source of limitation – a primary constraint – impeding its ability to do more of what it’s trying to do. Even more important is the fact that this constraint usually influences the policies, practices, and resulting problems found throughout the organization.

One false step taken by many organizations is undertaking improvement efforts spread all around the organization, addressing process symptoms and strengthening all of the links in the overall value chain.

The problem with this approach is a significant waste of time and attention, because only those efforts that address the constraint (the weak link of that value chain) are worthy of being called real improvements. Improvement is not related to local changes in the individual links, functions, or processes, but only to the ability of the organization – the entire chain to deliver more throughput. Improvement only comes from the ability of the organization to achieve more of its goals.

The first step is to identify the organization’s primary constraint and an appropriate direction for an organization-wide strategy for dealing with it.

TOC provides a process for quickly identifying the organization’s real constraint and aligning the individual functions with the efforts required to address it. This process is based on identifying the top functional problems and putting them in context with that constraint.

We’ll then help you to establish project management performance measures, such as project plan approval and design work completion. These KPIs are tied to performance indicators and often to bonuses for project managers.

What We Will Do

• Conduct a detailed analysis of your key Project and Program Management business processes.
• Determine overall process constraints and bottlenecks, with special emphasis on those that concern your customers.
• Provide guidance on implementing TOC-based Project Management and Program Management thinking.
• Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) for each of the relevant business processes.
• Identify who needs what kind of information, at which frequency, and in what format.
• Construct the relevant performance reporting mechanisms.
• Provide coaching to all relevant employees on a closed-loop management control system that ensures that appropriate corrective actions are taken if the actual performance deviates from the desired target.

What We Need You To Do

• Provide us with access to all relevant processes.
• Ensure availability of key process managers to establish the critical performance indicators.
• Provide access to company IT systems, and IT area personnel.
• Purchase identified software (if appropriate).
• Ensure timely review and approval of submitted documents.
• Implement TOC-based Project and Program Management as recommended.
• Ensure availability of relevant resources for training.
• Provide a suitable venue for the training activity.

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