DALE CARNEGIE TRAINING - ENGAGING IDEAS
A leader’s guide to increasing employee
engagement and creating customer engagement!
Process Improvement through Perfected Project Planning
Considering the ever-accelerating rate
of change in today's workplace, there may be no more important skill than the
ability to adapt successfully to change. Sometimes, adapting to change comes
easily.
You enjoy the challenge and opportunity that the change presents. Other
times you find yourself resisting change, focusing on what you might lose as a
result of the change, rather than on what you might gain.
Here are 8 Steps towards the goal of Perfected Project Planning:
Proper Project Planning = Direction and
Perfection
The ability to plan projects, both large
and small, simple and complicated, is essential in today's business
environment. Without the tools to do so, people tend to flounder, "wing
it," or wander off course, resulting in delayed success, missed deadlines,
or failure. Read on to learn about the steps you can take to plan a successful
project.
Step 1: "Should-Be"
Clarify the project scope and be sure
that the scope is aligned with senior management's initiatives. The
"should be" is a picture of what you ultimately want and who and how
this result will benefit all involved. Your team and senior management should
work together to ensure you agree on objectives. If you have not done a good
job of defining scope, it will be nearly impossible to plan the project.
Step 2: "As-Is"
This is the reality of the current
situation. Where are you today? What factors help and hinder your efforts to
carry out the project's scope?
Step 3: Goals
Define and set realistic goals to
successfully carry out the scope of the project. Without such goals, you and
your team will drift. Goals can be immediate, intermediate, and long-range.
Achieving day-to-day goals (immediate goals) contributes to the achievement of
intermediate and long-range goals.
Develop SMART goals:
S Specific processes
and resources
M Measurable by
objective data
A Attainable
R Relevant to your
vision
T Time-specific
deadline
Step 4: Action Steps
To achieve your goals, you must
establish specific priorities so that you can develop specific action steps. To
achieve your goals, your action steps should include:
-Job requirements
-Who will do the job
-Methods to be used
-How the different parts tie together
and fit into the big picture
-How the results will be communicated
(report, PowerPoint, etc.)
Step 5: Cost
Another aspect to planning is
determining the budget for, and cost of, each action step. Costs include:
-Personnel
-Materials
-Time
-Opportunity cost (what must be given up
to pursue a given action)
Step 6: Timetables
Set and communicate deadlines so there is
a clear understanding and so that immediate, intermediate, and long-term
targets can be met. When establishing timetables, be realistic. Work backwards
to determine when each phase should be completed, and put the schedule in
writing to avoid misunderstandings.
Step 7: Implementation
An important, yet overlooked, part of
implementing a plan is making sure that all involved understand their role in
achieving the established goals. Obtain the team's commitment to agreed-upon
results. As you monitor the implementation, you may need to modify the scope of
the plan and reevaluate your goals.
Step 8: Follow Up/Measurement
A critical part of the planning process
is to keep accurate records, analyze why deviations have occurred, and take
action to correct any challenges. Concentrate on those factors critical to
reaching the goal.
Your ability to adapt to workplace change is usually closely observed by leaders and team members, so it is important to adapt productively and positively, no matter how you might feel personally about the change.
Taking these 8 Steps will guide you to perfected project planning increasing employee engagement and creating customer engagement. For more engaging ideas for your team, contact Robert.Graves@DaleCarnegie.com
Regards,
Robert
Robert Graves, MBA, DCT
Director Business Performance Improvement
Dale Carnegie Training Tampa Bay
813-966-3058 direct
cell or text
813-667-6224 Executive
Assistant
http://www.linkedin.com/in/robertgraves
http://www.facebook.com/robertgraves2
http://dalecarnegieconnection.blogspot.com
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