On autopsy after the end of a project (gold mining)
The start of many projects receives much attention. It is celebrated, installed, kicked-off, etc. In this article, I want to write a few tips about a stepchild in project management and that is the retrospective after the end of a project. The art & science of reflection is often an unpracticed area of management. That is a real shame because there is often so much gold to be found in terms of lessons for the future.
Best practices for approving time sheets
For any project-based service business, the tracking and recording of time spent on projects is crucial. Time tracking is the foundation of providing services to customers, who then pay for those services accordingly. Time tracking is the fuel on which an organisation runs. It literally puts food on the table for both the company and its employees. Understanding the completeness, accuracy and promptness of time tracking is therefore essential.
3 ways to secure your planning
Stolen data, leaked information, or leaving a company laptop in the car. Everyone has read about it, knows of someone who experienced it, or even experienced it themselves. The security of corporate and personal data is a serious issue and is a current issue to everyone. The loss of confidential data can result in major consequences, especially now that the updated European privacy regulations have been imposed on organizations.
What impact will the GDPR have on planning?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into being on 25 May 2018. The GDPR defines regulations for the protection of personal data throughout the European Union. This will impact on every service provider who facilitates the planning of projects and resources and therefore makes use of personal data. In this blog post we will look at the effect this new legislation will have on the planning of your employees and what needs to be done as a service
6 wastes in resource planning
Waste is around us everywhere, every day, including in projects. You have probably heard of the Lean method. This method was originally used only by production companies, but is now also being used in other business sectors. One of the priorities of Lean is to eradicate waste. In this blog we will look at how we can apply this in the world of project-driven service providers.
The truth and myth about a Gantt Chart
The Gantt Chart, a type of bar chart, is a specific method to make the project comprehensible in a graphic way. The question, however, is: when does it make sense to use a Gantt Chart and when doesn't it? When speaking to organizations, I have noticed that they are not always sure about this and therefore waste time or lack certain insights. In this blog, we will provide concrete guidance on the truth and myth of using the Gantt Chart.
The 80/20 rule in project & resource planning
The 80/20 rule, also known as the "Pareto principle", asserts that 80% of all outcomes are a result of 20% of the effort. Everyone knows about the example where 80% of all sales are a result of 20% of the customer base. Thus, by giving more attention to a small group of customers this leads to disproportionate revenue. In this blog post we'll look at how to use the principle within the 80/20 in regards to project & resource planning.
A process for planning your projects
Service providers who carry out projects for their customers generally want two things: on the one hand, a fast and satisfactory result for their customers, and profitability on the other hand. An optimal allocation of employees to the projects is crucial. Yet, we often see that project and resource planning is limited to a one-off activity at the start of the project. Shouldn't more attention be paid to this?
Plan the big projects first
If you look at the picture, you might be thinking there are more stones and sand in the first jar than in the second jar, but nothing could be further from the truth. The second jar contains the exact same amount of sand and stones, only the content doesn't fit in the first jar. That has to do with the order of filling the jar. If you first fill the jar with the large stones, then the smaller stones and
Do you plan your projects around margin?
For many organizations, they are only able to see in hindsight what the margin was they achieved for their project, which for many, leads to disappointment. The project ended not being as profitable as they had thought. Even while remaining within the budgeted number of hours. How is that even possible? An analysis showed that they, for example, relied on freelancers instead of internal staff on which the project was budgeted. Or that more senior employees were used, disproportionately, which