How to apply Lean to Project Management

1. Lean Project Management
John Bun

2. Scenario
Company ABC
The need
Improve IT service
request response
time

3. The How?
Cross Functional Teams
Interviews
Business IT Service Providers
Results
a request for service is a waste of time Lack of visibility of overall workload
Conclusion
We need a tool to register and follow up service requests
Start the project

4. The Project starts and delivers

5. Is this a successful
project?

6. Did the project take the
need away?

7. Causes projects are failing
• People tend to jump to solutions
• During the project, solution is not
challenged anymore
• Unanticipated events occur during the life
cycle of projects
• ………………….

8. Project management - definition
• A temporary activity undertaken to create a
unique product, service or result
• A project is goal oriented and consists of a
series of interrelated non routine tasks
• Timely execution of a solution to address a
need, opportunity, or problem
The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) provides a framework that
support central lean tenets including alignment, standard work, structured problem
solving and effective teams

9. Lean - Definition
• A management strategy to improve and
organize the operational activities of companies
• Goal is “Operational Excellence’” when each
and every employee can see the flow of
value to the customer, and fix that flow
before it breaks down (Kevin J. Duggan)

10. Lean project management - definition
Reinforce the effectiveness of project management
by emphasizing
iterative discovery,
problem solving,
value delivery, and
eliminating wasteful tasks,
resulting in improved quality, reduced total elapsed
Project time and reduced project costs.

11. Objectives (Promises) of Lean Project
Management
 Improved customer satisfaction
Focus during every project and project activity on Value for the Customer
 Shorter through put times
Smart standardized work processes,
 Project Cost Savings
Elimination of waste, remove non value added activities
 Continuous organization improvement
Focus on learning and critical attitude during project
 Professionalism and Quality improvement
Continuous feedback, empowered teams

12. Traditional Lean
Project Management Project Management
Project Preparation
Project Management
define Quality Management
design
develop
deploy
• Small projects (max 90 days) limited
Project Closure scope and specific milestones)
• More time is invested in defining the
project in terms of business value
and measuring and analyzing
business value

13. Lean project management – Critical Success
Factors
Traditionally Project Managers
• measure their success on delivery of a planned focus within time and budget and
are not used to measure their success on the benefits they deliver to their
customer
• are focused on the own project activities and act from build expertise it is difficult for
project team to let loose existing ways of working
• are resistant to scope change and do not keep an end to end focus therefore miss
opportunity; this results in suboptimal results and more unsatisfactory results
delivered at a faster pace
For Lean Project Managers the focus has to go to
• Flexibility
• Quickly delivering incremental value to internal and external stakeholders.

14. Lean
Project Management

15. Project Preparation
I
Principles of Lean Thinking Lean Approach
> Daily (short) stand up meetings Create an Obeya Room (project war room)
> Keep focus on business value
> Escalate sensibility to prevent waste
> Minimize project administration
>
Goals: speed up PDCA cycles
Keep Strategic Alignment
Team spirit, focus on collaboration
and communication Daily directive: value creation by problem solving
Shared visions and goals relieve project from redundant routines
Make decisions at the right time
Put improvement ideas in action

16. Visual Project Management
Ability to understand the status of a project in 5 minutes or less by
simple observation without use of computer or speaking to anyone

17. Define scope
I
Principles of Lean Thinking Lean Approach
> Every project needs a SMART Business
Further specify Business Case
Case
> Focus on root causes not symptoms Find root causes of problems,
> To speed up a project you must first slow
needs or opportunities
down
Goals
Correctly specify value for customer
Identify root causes by (inter)
team based problem solving

18. Measure and Analyze
I
Principles Lean Approach
> Do not mistake activity for productivity Current State Map (Measure)
-Define activities
> Identify and eliminate waste -Measure process times
> -Measure lead time
Management by facts
Envision potential improvements
> Empower the team (and select the one with most benefit)
-Develop a Future state map
-Set targets
Goals -Prioritise efforts Iterations
Define value added activities
Process times
Lead times
- Defined approach to analyze situation (based on
Value Stream Awareness delivery of business value)

19. Improve – Monitor and Control Improvements
I
Principles Lean Approach
> closed loop feedback, to measure Fast customer requirements implementation
the impact of improvements Encourages flexibility and iterative problem solving
> Create flow (non interrupted process) Focus on business process improvement
>
>
Goals Focus on A3 Thinking
Plan Do Check Act Problem
Solving
Flexibility in developing solutions
Lean Thinking Evolving benefits
Keep sense of urgency

21. Close and action
I
Principles Lean Approach
> Move beyond defending individual positions Consolidate lessons learned from
and ownership of ideas, serving the greater previous stages
> goals of the team, organization and its
customers
> Make adjustments to project
management practices –
> standardized work
Train and reinforce Lean Principles
Goals
Project is an opportunity to work on
process improvement while getting
Define lessons learned the work done
Take actions to deploy lessons learned
Manage towards perfection

22. Benefits of Lean Thinking in Project Management
• Deliverable generate value at each improvement cycle, rather
than only at the end of the project. Faster introduction of new
product (to increase market share)
• Improvement cash flow: shorten time between spending and
receiving money
• Agility and pro activity during project
• Focus on current problems
• Less risky
• More likely to succeed, which increases buy-in for subsequent
stages
• Less work in process, simpler coordination of tasks and
resources
• Effective team engagement in root cause analysis and iterative
problem solving