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Lean3 Project Management

Lean Project Management for repeated Project Success

Jeff Ball

A ground-breaking book for Project Managers.

Find out how to apply powerful Lean Manufacturing concepts to Project Management, such as

  • Collaborative Design
  • Focus on the Flow of Work and the Flow of Value
  • Continuous Improvement

This is a practical book, containing a simple method with minimalist documents and procedures; and a sample project.

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About

About

About the Book

Lean3 Project Management is a ground-breaking book for Project Managers. It brings lessons from Lean Manufacturing into Project Management.

Lean Manufacturing was pioneered by Toyota in the 1950's and has transformed factories worldwide. The Lean Factory is flexible and efficient; and produces high quality products. Project Management needs the same transformation, so we can deliver repeated project success.

Read this book to understand how to transfer Lean concepts into Project Management.

For example

  • Toyota introduced collaborative design to fast-track the launch of a new car. Lean3 introduces collaborative Project Design into Project Management: a project should be designed, not just planned.
  • Lean Manufacturing has a emphasis on Value Streams; Lean3 brings an equivalent focus on the Project Flow, to optimise both the flow of work and the flow of value during the project.
  • Lean Manufacturing stresses Continuous Improvement, both on the production line and throughout the factory. Similarly, Lean3 explains, in practical terms, how to implement Continuous Improvement in Project Management. Each project helps deliver your Project Factory, which you improve year after year.

There's no Lean jargon in the book. No muda, mura or muri. No 5S, takt time or TPM. Just a set of pertinent lessons from Lean Manufacturing, crafted into a coherent Project Management solution.

This is a practical book for Project Managers. At its heart is a simple Project Management method, which becomes your starting place, your initial standard for Project Management. It's minimal. It's Lean.

The method is well explained, with lots of examples (a sample project), supported by simple documents.

Read this book if you want a new approach to Project Management, to deliver repeated project success.

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Author

About the Author

Jeff Ball

Jeff Ball is a Project Management specialist. Jeff lives in France. He is writing a series of books on Lean3.

A strong track record …

Jeff has delivered change initiatives in manufacturing, trading and banking companies

As ► Project Manager, Jeff has delivered end-to-end IT projects in challenging multicultural environments 

As ► Programme Manager, Jeff managed the worldwide Y2K initiative for NEC Computers 

As ► PMO manager, Jeff secured the success of a complex 10-country ERP programme with a 70-strong team, supported by a PMO of 10 people.

Innovative approach to methods… agility before Agile

Long before the birth of Agile, Jeff explored alternatives to waterfall methods

□ In the 80’s, Jeff built a commodity trading system using rapid prototyping methods. The system was deployed in two continents to manage multi-million-dollar portfolios.

□ In the 90’s, Jeff managed a global project, using time-boxes and MoSCoW prioritisation. The solution was rolled out to R&D labs in Europe, US, Australia and Asia.

Practical approach to methods… making them work

Jeff Ball has implemented gate-process methods for several major organisations

  • set up a European IT PMO introducing basic stage gate PM methods 
  • rescued a broken implementation of Prince2 and Clarity. Created a working, robust Project Management process 
  • created a clean PM process for a local government team, combining slim Prince2 with slim PM software.

Deep knowledge of PM software tools… he built one

Jeff created an enterprise software package called TrioProject to support gate-process methods. TrioProject was used in various sectors (healthcare, construction, chemicals). It was launched in 2004 and retired in 2013.

Contents

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

  1. Lean3: a new approach for a new decade
  2. Three ways to read this book
  3. Introducing the Lean3 principles for Project Management
  4. Introducing the gated Life-Cycle
  5. Introducing the Project Organisation
  6. Part 1 : Why Lean3 Project Management?

2. Third Generation Project Management

  1. Lean3 is inspired by Lean Manufacturing
  2. It’s time for 3rd generation Project Management
  3. Three generations of Project Management

3. Cynefin helps make sense of Project Management

  1. Cynefin helps make sense of the world
  2. Cynefin is about knowledge
  3. Existing Project methods are inflexible
  4. When the Project method generates disorder
  5. Use Cynefin to manage a hybrid Project

4. The Lean3 principles for Project Management

  1. Lean3 Principle 1: Design the Project
  2. Lean3 Principle 2: Focus on the flow
  3. Lean3 Principle 3: Use a Gate Process
  4. Lean3 Principle 4: Promote Continuous Improvement
  5. Lean3 Principle 5: Institute a PMO role
  6. Part 2 : The Project Management Process

5. Overview of the Gate Process: documents and procedures

  1. The main documents
  2. The main procedures

6. Stages

  1. Introduction to Stages
  2. Demand Management
  3. Start-up Stage
  4. Design Stage
  5. Delivery Stages
  6. Closedown Stage
  7. Part 3 : The Project Management Procedures

7. Gates and Gatekeepers

  1. Introduction to Gates and Gatekeepers
  2. Overview of Gate procedures
  3. The Project Board - gatekeepers
  4. The Gate Process uses Management by exception
  5. Procedure: Gate Preparation procedure
  6. Procedure: Gate Decision procedure

8. Project Design

  1. Introduction to Project Design
  2. Overview of Project Design procedures
  3. Procedure: High-Level Design
  4. Procedure: Outline a Deliverable
  5. Procedure: Collaborative Design procedure
  6. Procedure: Assumptions Review procedure
  7. Using Design Patterns

9. Delivery

  1. Overview of Delivery procedures
  2. Procedure: Produce a Deliverable
  3. Procedure: Monitor Delivery Status
  4. Procedure: Exception Management procedure

10. Other Project Management Procedures

  1. Introduction
  2. Procedure: Planning procedure
  3. Procedure: Risk Analysis procedure
  4. Procedure: Stakeholder Engagement procedure
  5. Procedure: Benefit Realisation procedure
  6. Part 4 : The Project Factory

11. Continuous improvement

  1. Introduction to Continuous improvement
  2. Standardise: Standards are the basis for improvement
  3. Do: Project Manager runs the project using standards
  4. Check: Get feedback, review projects
  5. Act: Take corrective action
  6. Procedure: Retrospective procedure

12. The role of the PMO

  1. Introduction to the role of the PMO
  2. PMO in the Project Life-cycle
  3. Procedure: Project Compliance Review
  4. End-notes

13. Documents

  1. Diagram: Deliverable Breakdown Structure (DBS)
  2. Diagram: Project Flow Diagram
  3. Document: Project Mandate
  4. Document: Project Brief
  5. Document: Business Case
  6. Document: Deliverable Brief
  7. Plan: Communications Plan
  8. Plan: Project Plan
  9. Plan: Stage Plan
  10. Register: Deliverable Checklist
  11. Register: Issue register
  12. Register: Risk register
  13. Register: Stakeholder register
  14. Register: Gate Decision Register
  15. Report: Deliverable Progress Report
  16. Report: End of Stage Report
  17. Report: Project Flow Status Report
  18. Report: Project Highlight Report
  19. Report: Benefit Realisation Report
  20. Report: End of Project Report

14. Example of Project Design

  1. Introduction
  2. Start-up Stage
  3. Planning Stage
  4. Delivery Stages

15. Final words

  1. Other Lean3 Books
  2. About the Author
  3. Free updates to the book
  4. Trademarks & Copyright
  5. Thanks

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