Project Take Off and Landings

The way that we plan the initiation of our projects, as well as the way we intend to complete them can make a huge difference to their performance. For many improvement projects there needs to be a flurry of activity at the start and the end in order for the project to be delivered effectively.

Many projects start slowly. They don't really gather pace until people have figured out what they are doing, usually several weeks into a project. This lost time means that the back end of a project is then pressurised. Corners are often cut and either the project misses the mark, or it overruns due to the need to make up lost time.

This 'take off' and 'landing' of project isn't dissimilar to how aeroplanes behave. To take off and gain altitude they accelerate hard. Once they have reached altitude they cruise, before planning their descent. Depending on how the aircraft is designed they may also power up the engines to use their thrust reverser to slow the plane down upon landing. In summary they increase their activity to take off, they cruise for the middle part and then they are engaged in focused activity again to help with landing. Translated to projects this means that we need to spend more detailed time with the first part of the project after it is launched. The project can cruise for a pre-determined duration in the middle (when everything is on track) and then detailed attention can be paid once again to ensure that the project closes out properly.

Checklists are a great tool to help with both the take off and landing parts of a project. A little bit more time invested at the start of a project can make a massive difference to how a project winds up at the end. They may take a little bit of time to prepare, and may seem a little boring to use, but they are a really effective business tool that's for sure.

Many improvement projects fade away rather than close down, so a proper 'landing' for a project is vital. If you're struggling with projects working properly then perhaps it is time to take a leaf out of an aeroplane's book.

Giles Johnston
...optimising MRP systems and re-engineering business processes

Kamishibai Boards

Available to purchase here. Some tools are incredibly simple to use, and also deliver some amazing results. Kamishibai boards are a great example and are superb when you want some visual control over routine tasks. By the way Kamishibai is pronounced "come-e-she-bye" in case you were wondering! As simple as you could want it, a Kamishibai board is a T-card system that has red cards glued to green cards (so that each T-card has a red side and a green side). The red cards are for the incomplete tasks, where as the green cards symbolise that the work has been done. See the photo below of a board in use. On the red side of the card you write the name of the task that needs to be completed, and if appropriate you can include details of how the task is to be completed. This is not expected to replace standard operating procedures, but can be a good opportunity for an aide memoire. The boards can be organised for daily, weekly and even monthly cycles. They are g

Kamishibai Boards: A Visual Management Tool to Improve Discipline and Workplace Habits

If you need to increase your effectiveness in the workplace and need a visual tool to help with day to day task management then this short guide is for you. Giles Johnston, a business improvement consultant for small to medium sized businesses, takes you through the steps needed to implement a low / no cost solution to your day to day management problems - a 'Kamishibai' board. A Kamishibai board can help to improve discipline within the workplace and ensure that the working days / weeks / months are more effective. Common within businesses that use 'lean' methods to improve efficiency and performance (and very effective to use when implementing 5S), a Kamishibai board can be used in its own right, in any kind of business, whether you are going through a lean transformation or not. Click here to view on Amazon.com. Smartspeed Consulting Limited Taking the frustration out of on time delivery.

What is 5S and how does it help to improve the performance of my business?

Many businesses have heard of 5S; it is a simple workplace organisation system that is designed to make workplaces more effective and more efficient, as well as safer. Many businesses also try and fail at implementing 5S . It might be simple, but as you will know, anything that involves changing the behaviours of your staff isn’t always straightforward. If you haven’t heard of 5S before there are five basic steps, all beginning with ‘S’. They are: Sort – clearing out the clutter and re-distributing other people’s belongings. Set in order – optimising the workplace so that everything you need frequently is close at hand. Shine – cleaning the workplace to an appropriate level. Standards – defining what good looks like and how you will keep it that way. Sustain – forming the habits to retain the benefits of an organised and disciplined workplace. So, how does 5S improve the performance of your business? From a safety perspective, fewer accidents means less downtime.

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