Planning and control
(Originally published on the OUBS Blog)
In essence this part is about “making things happen�. It should help set a plan and ensure that it is followed.
You need a control loop:
Set Objectives -> Plan, identify markers and carry out tasks -> Monitor progress -> Act on results of monitoring (from there adjust tasks or do nothing or revise objectives)
To identify the tasks efficiently, several different techniques can be used:
\- Mindmaps
\- Task Breakdown Chart
If you want to display these tasks and put them in a specific sequence, other tools should be used:
\- Gantt chart (a form of bar chart)
\- Network Analysis aka critical path analysis
\- Key events list
Next you need to monitor the progress by involvement and observation or regular reporting or exception reporting or questioning and discussion or by keeping records and routing statistics.
Monitoring without acting on the results is obviously stupid, so you need to either revise the objectives, make changes to tasks or do nothing.
All this is a learning process and you should reflect on what you are doing to improve the planning next time.
Next we need to deal with complexity, which means that the context in which we do our planning is changeable and complicated. Things are not simple.
It is only when you begin planning and assessing the work involved that the feasibility of objectives and timescales becomes apparent. You need to plan ahead:
\- Potential Problem Analysis (What could go wrong?, How likely is it? How serious could it be? -> Prevent)
\- Contingency planning (What if …?; where could extra resources be optioned; which are the serious dates; know your plan; keep people informed; learn; get more detail; overlap; pre-empt problems; leave some slack; bring tasks forward)
If you have a tight timescale then you should try not to think in absolutes. Do the tasks be in that set order or can some be brought forward? Overlapping tasks. Cark and Fujimoto showed in 1991 that Japanese firms too 20% less time than British ones because of that model.
Good communication is key!
This actually warrants more points to be made. Think from all points of view, who will loose? What can you do to make them happy?
Use a communication matrix to do that and expand on is as you learn more.