Angotti
Product Deveopment Newsletter
Volume
1, No. 1 (Click
Here for Text Version)
"Helping You
Accelerate Your High-Tech Development
Projects"
Welcome to the
first ANGOTTI PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT email newsletter!
The newsletter's
goal is to help you accelerate your development projects
by sharing some of the many tips, techniques and
strategies we've honed during our two decades of
providing high-tech consulting services.
This issue
discusses a simple, commonly overlooked way, to shorten a
project schedule by many days or even weeks.
WHEN
IS A DAY WORTH MORE THAN A DAY?
Ever notice how a
day at the end of a project seems more valuable than a
day at the beginning? We hardly notice a slip of a day
(or even a week) at the beginning of a year-long project,
but as the ship date nears, every day seems precious and
any slip sounds off warning bells. It's often said that
we slip projects a day at a time. If this is the case --
and let me assure you from long experience that it is --
then a day at the beginning of a project should be viewed
just as valuable as a day near the end.
Actually, these
early days are often more valuable than any later period
since it is during this time that the project is planned.
Numerous studies have shown that a good project plan is
the single most significant factor in determining a
positive outcome for a project.
Momentum often
gathers slowly during the early phases. This can lead to
what I call "Early Project Drift". The team wonders: Is
the project underway? How would anyone know it? Is there
management focus? If so, where? Worse yet, the team isn't
even aware the project is actually started, so team
members work on other, pressing, tasks.
AVOID
EARLY PROJECT DRIFT BY STARTING OFF WITH A BANG - AND A
GOAL
What can be done
to improve the "slow startup" situation? One factor is
certain, there is very little focus on the project at
this time, so there must be some method introduced to get
focus on the project. Some practical ideas
are:
1.
Get Early Management
"Sponsorship"
- Make sure
you get a solid commitment from management. Probably the
most important management commitment is a clear business
objective that can be turned into clear development goals
for the project. Another key commitment is resources --
people, space, money and equipment --to make the project
successful. Don't kick off a project (and start the clock
running) until you have negotiated these
commitments.
2.
Have an Explicit, Written, "Project Team
Process"
- This written process should especially include what is
appropriate early in a project, including the formal
definition of the roles of the project leader during this
time.
3.
Rev Up Yourself and "Core" Team
Early
- This requires the use of self-motivational and
public relations skills.
Many
technically-oriented project managers don't use these
approaches because they consider them disingenuous. But,
without some formal acknowledgement, the project can
wander about and not get started properly. This is
especially true for development projects that are not as
glamorous - such as derivative designs. New platform
designs often get more management attention
automatically.
This is where
such items as a good, viable, focused initial plan and
business case can be combined with project "T" shirts,
mugs, pens, etc. These are presented to core team members
to help them to identify with the overall project name
and business goals. It could also include a special kick
off lunch, beer bust, or other approach. The goal is to
create a memorable situation, that is different from the
normal everyday experience for the "core" team that is
needed to move the project forward.
4.
Hold a Team Kickoff Meeting
- Nothing
beats a good, formal, kickoff meeting to get the entire
team to focus on a project. Often, this can be combined
with the previous suggestion in #2 above, but the meeting
now involves the wider team. It usually can include a
formal portion where planning and initial design can
begin. It is often valuable to hold these meetings
offsite, to really create a focus on the project, free of
distractions.
5.
Set an "Early - On", Very Visible, Project
Milestone
- A good one would be the completion of such items as the
specification, system block diagram, major code flow
charts, user interface document, the formal plan, etc.
This is a good place to schedule the earliest design and
management reviews.
These management
reviews might be broken down into two parts, one
involving the work up to the planning stage, then a
second one after planning is complete. Be sure all of the
critical team members, the critical functional groups
outside engineering and the project sponsor attend these
meetings. It can be very ineffective if these meetings
are not attended by all of the parties. This will pick up
"holes" in the design, plan or testing.
This article was
an expansion of the first of our "12 Best Strategies for
Keeping Engineering Projects on Track". For more
information on the "12 Best Strategies", visit
www.angotti.com/12strat.html.
THE
NEXT NEWSLETTER
The next
newsletter in this series will cover the topic "Generate
a Detailed Specification and System Block Diagram". This
is the second of the "12 Best Strategies" article
available at www.angotti.com/12strat.html.
FEEL
FREE TO FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO YOUR
ASSOCIATES
If you
think this information would be valuable to others,
please feel free to forward this newsletter to your
associates. I would appreciate it if you would not alter
its contents.
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forwarded this e-mail, and wish to subscribe, please send
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MORE
FREE MATERIAL ON PROJECT MANAGEMENT
For more
FREE Project Management tips, techniques and strategies,
and to learn more about the services available to my
clients, be sure to visit the ANGOTTI PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
website at www.angotti.com.
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