News and Events

Author: Toni Grabinger Nosbush

A brilliant product idea and design are necessary, but insufficient to achieve commercialization.  Equally important is a credible plan and a leader that drives to successful execution – especially when a development goes off-track.  This paper describes a business practice that leads to recognition and correction of a troubled development.

Key to getting a troubled product development project back on track is recognition that it is off-course.  Symptoms of an unhealthy project include:

• Missed deadlines
• Many surprises
• Dropped functionality
• Demoralized team
• Unhappy investors

One of the most common causes of a project not going according to plan is ambiguity.  Ambiguity is the enemy - it will cause certain failure.  Frequent forms of ambiguity include:

• Inadequate Definition: Poorly defined product requirements; lack of defined risks and inter-dependencies; or misunderstanding of the roles and responsibilities that lead to a single outcome – all team members are working on a “different” project.
• Misaligned Expectations: Stakeholders – e.g. management, suppliers, regulators, investors, team – have a different assumption of what defines a successful conclusion.
• Poor or Over-optimistic Planning:  Guesswork, top-down pressure, lack of detail, and failure to account for risk can lead to financial disaster for companies of all sizes.
• Scope Creep: Uncontrolled addition of extra, often minor, requirements delays the schedule – often it renders the final product unrecognizable from the original concept.

It takes courage to call a timeout for an unhealthy project. You must objectively assess where in the process you really are; identify the causes that took the project off-track; and set a course correction.  The steps to drive recovery are:

• Impartially define where the project is today
• Define a successful outcome  » Review and gain agreement of stakeholders
• Assess the gap i.e. what is the difference between today and a successful outcome
• Prepare a predictable schedule
• Detail measurable, manageable tasks
• Define known risks and their implications
• Add buffer for unknown risks
• Articulate assumptions and their implications
• Allow for opportunities
• Review and negotiate schedule with stakeholders » Express options in terms of trade-offs  and benefits
• Secure agreement with all stakeholders  » Lock the definition and schedule
• Commit and execute

Planning and executing a predictable product development is crucial to satisfying stakeholders and maintaining credibility.  Ideally, the first plan works, but in the environment of complex developments, this is rarely true.  Recognizing an unhealthy development and taking the steps to drive recovery will get the project back on track with minimal pain.

Author: Toni Grabinger Nosbush
A principal at Project Leadership Services, Toni Grabinger Nosbush combines vast expertise in project leadership with the ability to apply the project management process across a wide variety of industries, including medical devices, medical instrumentation, communications, high-tech, non-profit and business process development.

Contact Toni | 763.536.8988 | Linkedin | Toni@PLS-Team.com

Registrations Now Being Accepted for Project Leadership Services Training Class

May 21, 2012 – Minneapolis, MN – Project Leadership Services (PLS), a leading provider of business consulting services, is now taking registrations for “Effective Project Leaders = Successful Projects”. This one-day class provides leaders with a unique opportunity to enhance their ability to learn and to lead. This focus on leadership methodology includes creating an environment that allows the whole team to drive toward a common goal and ensure success.

Project leadership skills and tools are the focus of the class rather than pure project management or administration tools. The class is highly interactive, providing everyone the opportunity to both learn and to share their experiences and knowledge.  At the end of each topic, the class identifies key points that can be taken away from the class and productively used the next day.

"I found the project leadership class led by PLS to be extremely helpful in developing my skills in program management. Unlike other courses I’ve taken, the PLS class focuses on actionable skills rather than abstract theory. Those skills are reinforced with group work on case studies throughout the class. The group left energized and ready to go apply this new knowledge back on their various projects," commented a recent participant.

The target participant for this class include moderate to experienced project leaders and managers from manufacturing, logistics, marketing, product development, quality assurance, IT, finance, and other domains. This is a great chance for project leaders to interact with peers from other domains and better understand shared issues and challenges.

“Effective Project Leaders = Successful Projects” will be held at the Minneapolis Marriott West in St. Louis Park, Minnesota on Thursday June 21st (8:00 AM - 4:30 PM). Secure early bird registration by June 14, 2012. Discounts are offered for groups of four or more. Seating is limited.

Register today for Effective Project Leaders = Successful Projects or call 612-940-6168.

For the fourteen years Project Leadership Services (PLS) has been providing consulting services, we have recruited only top-notch professionals who have the ability to deal with complex, multifunctional, high-impact problems. Our sweet spot is the intersection of a technical problem and a business issue. Doing business only via word of mouth, we have worked with more than 70 clients on over 400 diverse projects. www.pls-team.com

PLS taught their one-day Effective Leaders = Successful Projects on the opening day of PMI-MN.  The attendees gained useful knowledge about leading teams and the softer side of project management.  The class was highly rated including this summary from one participant: "This was likely the most effective and applicable topic and presentation on the (conference) schedule.  Very useful information delivered in a matter-of-fact approach."