One key tenant of project management is to train project managers to focus on managing scope. In manufacturing, the training is focused on maximizing equipment use and running times. Although scope is a key concept, the problem arises when this becomes the only focus for a project. Like maximizing equipment use, other, more important things like quality or customer requirements come in a far second place.
Consider any project that will run more than a short time. The market changes as does the overall business environment that the original decision was made. This ever changing world demands we consider being flexible within a project to allow for development of processes that will create precuts that are actually wanted in the market.
Managing only to a few measurements or expectations at the cost of ignoring others is simply short sighted. Keeping a project within the bounds of the originally defined scope at the expense of providing benefits to the company creates a situation where the measure is sub optimized in relation to the overall project objective. Remember that the objective of a project is not an end to itself. Rather, it’s a method to attain benefits and net positives for the business. Project management needs to take into account that although scope is critical, the need for flexibility is also essential.
The idea of rework in production is very well established. We build product, test it, and return a certain percentage for re work if it isn’t acceptable. The idea of doing something right the first time is actually quite foreign to many US based businesses. Our focus on a continuous improvement philosophy without regard to the quality of the product has damaged our credibility in the marketplace.
Good project management solutions will work to drive the re work shop and mentality out of the business. By designing processes that are error proofed, we can effectively lower the inspection rate and rework. This may require sub assembly testing to identify defects in parts and processes before product is actually made. Out of spec should be the catalyst for change in any forward thinking business.
Doing it right doesn’t mean we should not make changes once the product or process is idealized. Rather, the process should be flexible enough for the business to adapt to the changing market conditions as noted in a previous rule.
Once again the project manager is challenged to drive the right behavior in the company. At issue here is that the costs of poor quality increase by several orders of magnitude as a product continues to be created. A defect is easier and cheaper to fix at the design level than at the manufacturing floor. And cheaper to fix in manufacturing before a customer get it and the support issues ensue. The problem for even the best project manager is that the cost to fix a problem is clearly seen while the future cost to fix the problem can be ignored or minimized by management- at least for awhile
Quality seems to be the holy grail of the business world. Everyone wants quality but few understand what quality actually is. The truth is that quality is different for different people. This should drive all companies to understand what quality means to the people that matter, the customer.
By developing a set of requirements based on customer needs, a project manager or product development team can focus on delivering what the customer perceives as a quality product. That is, a product that meets their needs.
The key to effective requirements development is to use an iterative or repetitive approach. A clear understanding of core features and functionality can be used as a base to build the requirements. By having a good understanding of the basic features, the business can then move on to the more detailed requirements a customer may demand or expect as essential to quality.
Requirements also change over time. It’s necessary to recognize that customer’s expectations change as they’re provided additional benefits from the product. A good example is air conditioning in an automobile. 30 years ago air conditioning was considered a high value product and a trait of quality cars. Today, the expectation is such that it’s almost impossible to buy a car without air conditioning. This is due to the changing expectations and requirements of the customer. Over time, features move from the “nice to have†to the “absolutely must have†column.
Good project management will recognize that the customer has changing expectations. These demands are not a hindrance to running a successful business but are an opportunity to gain market share and long term success.