Project Identification: Capturing Great Ideas to Dramatically Improve Your Organization

140 Pages·2015·3.195 MB·English

by  Charles A. Tryon Jr.

Business Management
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Most organizations recognize the need for formal project management processes. n
However, many are leaving out one of the most important elements of a project’s life
cycle—the origins of the project. Project Identification introduces a strategy that
can help organizations of every type remain relevant in their marketplace as they
strive to introduce new products and services at a rate that satisfies their customers.
In their search for fresh ideas, organizations often overlook the most significant
source of new thought—their employees.
Today’s employees are knowledgeable and able to see opportunities or solutions
to problems. Within the framework of the Project Identification process, this book
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explains how to transform “great ideas” from your employees into actionable pro-
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posals. It presents a simple, but powerful set of questions that has proven to deliver
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a never-ending stream of inspiration to an organization.
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E
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“How do people in your organization raise fresh ideas to your decision makers? In
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Project Identification: Capturing Great Ideas to Dramatically Improve Your

Organization, Chuck Tryon provides a road map to answer that question, ensuring I
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that all ideas are captured for future reference.”
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— Paul F. Williams, Chief of Police, Springfield (MO) Police Department N
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“I have worked with Chuck Tryon for over 20 years and he brings a wealth of infor- I
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mation on Project Management. His book on Project Identification addresses a topic I Project
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that is often overlooked or trivialized. His recommendations and templates will help
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you jump-start the recognition of new projects, increasing the potential for success.”
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—Brent Coussens, Director of Information Management, Williams Company I
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Identification
“Chuck Tryon was the first consultant I ever met who worked in the real world, N
the world where real projects take place. His approach is pragmatic, practical, and
effective. He brings real-world grounding to a field that too often is the stuff of fairy
tales and meaningless platitudes.”
—Sue Ratkowski, Director of Industrial Engineering, UPS (Retired)
Capturing Great Ideas to Dramatically
Improve Your Organization
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6000 Broken Sound Parkway, NW ISBN: 978-1-4822-6212-4
Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487 Charles A. Tryon, Jr.
90000
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K24320 mech rev.indd 1 2/23/15 1:25 PM

Project
Identification
Capturing Great Ideas to Dramatically
Improve Your Organization

Project
Identification
Capturing Great Ideas to Dramatically
Improve Your Organization
Charles A. Tryon, Jr.
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2015 by Charles A. Tryon, Jr
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
No claim to original U.S. Government works
Version Date: 20141112
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4822-6213-1 (eBook - PDF)
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Dedication
To Madeline, Landon, and Cailyn.
The best ideas I never had.
You make every day a fantastic adventure.
It is a joy and honor to be your . . . “Papa.”

Contents
Preface ..............................................................................................................xiii
Acknowledgments ...........................................................................................xv
About the Author ..........................................................................................xvii
Chapter 1 Completing the Project Life Cycle ..........................................1
1.1 Project Initiation.......................................................................................2
1.1.1 Formalize Project Governance .................................................2
1.1.2 Create a Project Charter ............................................................2
1.1.3 Craft a Project Plan ....................................................................3
1.1.4 Obtain Approval to Proceed ....................................................3
1.2 Project Execution .....................................................................................3
1.2.1 Create Detailed Plans ................................................................3
1.2.2 Track Progress against Detailed Plans ...................................4
1.2.3 Assess Each Component of the Project ..................................4
1.3 Project Completion ..................................................................................5
1.4 Project Identification ...............................................................................5
1.5 Final Thoughts .........................................................................................5
Chapter 2 Framework for Project Identification ......................................7
2.1 Endangered or Extinct ............................................................................7
2.2 Failure of Success .....................................................................................8
2.3 Idea Source................................................................................................9
2.4 Great Ideas Process ................................................................................10
2.5 Capture Candidate Projects .................................................................10
2.5.1 Store in a Repository ...............................................................11
2.5.2 Open Access .............................................................................11
2.6 Rank Candidate Projects ......................................................................11
2.6.1 Ranking Criteria ......................................................................12
2.6.2 Comparative Ranking .............................................................12
2.7 Evaluate Human Resources .................................................................13
2.7.1 Skill Types .................................................................................13
2.7.2 Resource Capabilities ..............................................................14
2.7.3 Resource Availability ..............................................................14
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viii Contents
2.8 Forecast Future Human Resource Needs ..........................................15
2.8.1 Anticipate Skill Needs ............................................................15
2.8.2 Create a Training Plan ............................................................16
2.8.3 Future Career Opportunities .................................................16
2.8.4 New Employment Profiles .....................................................16
2.8.5 Requirements for Contract Labor ..........................................17
2.9 Approve Projects for Initiation ............................................................17
2.9.1 Ranking, Not Priority .............................................................17
2.9.2 Respect Schedules....................................................................18
2.9.3 Assigning Initial Resources ...................................................18
2.10 Make It a Practice ...................................................................................18
2.11 Final Thoughts .......................................................................................19
Chapter 3 Defining a Candidate Project .................................................21
3.1 Everyone Has Great Ideas ....................................................................21
3.2 Stimulate Change ..................................................................................21
3.3 Key Players .............................................................................................22
3.4 Capture Your Idea .................................................................................22
3.5 Pick a Problem ........................................................................................24
3.5.1 Observe an Inefficient Process ...............................................24
3.5.2 Special Interest or Significant Research ...............................25
3.5.3 Needs of Others .......................................................................25
3.5.4 New Technology ......................................................................25
3.5.5 New Skills .................................................................................26
3.5.6 Collaborate ................................................................................27
3.6 Final Thoughts .......................................................................................27
Chapter 4 What’s the Problem? .................................................................29
4.1 Explain the Problem ..............................................................................29
4.2 Review the Source .................................................................................30
4.3 Define the “Real” Problem ...................................................................30
Chapter 5 You Want to Do What…? .........................................................33
5.1 Executive Overview ..............................................................................33
5.2 Possible Improvements .........................................................................33
5.3 Improvement Target ..............................................................................34
5.4 Improvement Type ................................................................................34
5.4.1 Faster (More Efficient) .............................................................34
5.4.2 Cheaper (Financial Impact) ....................................................34
5.4.3 Better (Higher Quality) ...........................................................35
5.4.4 Smaller (More Compact) .........................................................35
5.4.5 All of the Above .......................................................................35
5.5 New Capabilities ....................................................................................37
5.6 Final Thoughts .......................................................................................38