Partnering and Alliancing are focused on the development of an environment of trust and cooperation where continuous improvement is a measurable benefit. It is the case, however, that this very productive environment is used to resolve the problems of the project and therefore real and continuous improvement rarely takes place.
Once this trusting environment has been removed the status quo returns. The result is a lack of sustainable benefits even though the partnering or alliancing are seen to have been successful.
These continuous improvement workshops are aimed at looking for the areas of sustainable benefits which will work for your organisation for the years to come and collectively will set your company on the road to excellence.
There are root causes of problems in industries and in projects just as there are major areas of potential improvement and finding them both is the subject of the first initial workshops. Once the identification of the real issues are identified we can start the process of evaluating how improvement can take place and how it should be measured. This is a difficult process as everyone will have their own ideas and there will be discussion on how much technology should be introduced for example. An understanding of what might be best practice will help to advance this issue sustainably.
This is not just about looking at what we do and doing it better it is about doing it differently and in some cases completely differently. This is the process of evolution and starts by challenging our current working practices and the consequent improvements to the systems, tools and technology and as this evolution takes hold so we may change the way we run our business or our projects and this in turn will move us towards excellence and prosperity.
Here are a few suggestions:
Negotiations
Many books have been written on this subject. It is an important subject because we all use this skill in our daily lives and often not very well! We need to arrive at the best solution possible whilst leaving both sides sufficiently satisfied that they can continue to work together. A good negotiator is respected by both sides.
Meeting Management
Many of us spend considerable time locked up in meetings which are run badly, do not focus on the meetings objectives and simply waste time. The management of meetings requires good planning, discipline and a good degree of people management skills. Meetings are often considered to be one of the most wasteful areas of anagement.
Productivity Management
It all starts and ends here - productivity. Not easy to manage but without a good productivity control it will not be possible to properly control quality, cost or time - the three basic project objectives. People work best when in a measured productivity regime. Why - because most productive people simply want to do a good job and to be credited for their contribution. It is easiest to evaluate a persons contribution in a controlled environment.
Skills Improvement
So many skills have been lost over the last few years, especially trade skills. As a consequence we have seen a reduction in the quality of our projects and in our project teams. Projects need skilled people who have pride in what they do, who are prepared to do that little bit extra and to be accountable for a job well done. Skills are what identify people and separate the excellent from the mediocre.
Information Flow
Often the subject of mapping the information flow within an organisation is often complex and largely undocumented. When it is documented there is always plenty of room for improvement. There are many benefits derived from improving this area of the business.
Time Management
Less than 2% of projects finish in the time specified! This must be a good reason to change the way we plan and the tools we use? We need to analyse the information we work with and catagorise it so as to manage it ppropriately. The focus needs to be on the quality of the information we use and not the tools we use. The need for continuous improvement will drive new methods, the use of systems which and the abandonment of systems which don't work.
Best Practices
The best of the bunch. A major deliverable from the process of Benchmarking. A documented and measured process demonstrably better than others in its field.