Flexible Project Management for Rapid Product Development

Project management methods for chaotic development environments

This workshop can be customized to meet your needs, and is delivered at most locations internationally.

Contact us for more information.                   R&D Excellence Workshops

THE CHALLENGE OF CHAOS

Product development by its very nature is tumultuous. It is affected by changing technologies and customer requirements, global competitiveness, multi-site development teams and other factors.
 

Do you work in a chaotic environment? You do if you face challenges like these:

• An unplanned project is approved for immediate implementation.

• Project scope keeps changing, in spite of your best efforts to control it.

• The technology you’re using is changing, or is still under development.

• You constantly have to deal with layoffs, reorganizations and outsourcing.

• You must lead development in more than two sites separated by several time zones.

Developing new products that meet specs and arrive on time requires strong, specific project management skills and tools — plus the flexibility to achieve your business objectives in the face of turbulence.
 

SKILLS AND TOOLS THAT APPLY TO YOU

This course was developed by experienced product developers, and it’s designed to meet the specific needs of project managers, engineering managers, and engineering leads who must deliver results in challenging environments. You won’t spend time on irrelevant examples and tools, like generic project management courses. The focus here is directly on rapid product development.
 

In this highly interactive workshop, you’ll learn how to reduce cycle time by applying proven project management methods and tools to your product development process. And that includes strategies that are specific to the complex challenges of product
development — something you won’t find in standard project management courses.
 

Learn the skills you need to:

• Use flexible scheduling techniques to meet time-to-market demands.

• Build team momentum through effective kickoffs and charters.

• Proactively assess and mitigate risks to keep projects on track.

• Use debriefs and retrospects to improve your project results.

• Effectively communicate project status to managers and executives.
   

GET ANSWERS TO KEY QUESTIONS:

• What is the end-to-end product development life cycle — and why is it critical to my success?

• What does it take to be a proactive project manager?

• Why do I have to have both a charter and a well-planned project kickoff?

• How do I tame the proverbial “fuzzy-front-end”?

• What is the Bounding Box — and how will it reduce my stress?

• What are the Wiggle Chart and the Jogging Line?
   

• Highly interactive: Participants are continuously challenged by an instructor with ample experience in product development.

• Highly practical: Lectures are kept to a minimum.  Participants in small teams will learn by using every tool to ensure that they can apply the tools and techniques when they return to their offices.

• Immediately applicable: Every participant receives a 100-page guidebook with detailed explanations and references, plus the electronically enhanced CD version.  This highly rated CD makes every process, template and tool covered in the workshop fully interactive and cross-linked so that participants can immediately apply the materials and share with their teams anywhere in the world.

Who should attend?

This course is designed specifically for people who are responsible for delivering new products rapidly:

• Project and program managers who lead product development teams

• Engineering managers and engineering leads who must deliver results with tight timelines

• Product managers who must meet time-to-market deadlines

We understand that every organization has its own culture and business objectives. Thus, we can customize Flexible Project Management for Rapid Product Development to achieve your goals. For example:

• We can provide minimum to comprehensive training with a wide variety of modules

• We can work with your team on a specific product development project

• We can tailor the syllabus with the topics of special relevance to your teams

• We can offer the class in a single session, or break it up into several smaller meetings

• We can train your trainers and facilitators

Workshop Outline

Introduction and Opening Exercise
The “end-to-end” product development life cycle and project management
Time-to-market and time-to-profit -- the driving force
Defining value as your customers would
The Fuzzy Front End and how to tame it

Project Complexity (Taming Chaos)
The Diamond Diagram for mapping complexity

Preparing for success
Diamond exercise

The Beginning
Product Development Charters
Protocols for improved team performance
Using kick-off meetings to gain speed
Project scopes that drive results
The business plan and product proposals

Program Plans

The Bounding Box -- a way to accelerate development

Using a WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) for Product Development

Product Development Scheduling
The role of Gantt Charts in product development
Hierarchical schedules and milestone charts
Better schedule management: Wiggle Charts, the Jogging Line, and Slip Charts

Project Communication and Marketing
Advanced communication techniques that improve clarity

Reporting to management effectively
The Power-and-Interest Diagram: mapping your communication plan
Marketing your project to all your stakeholders
 

The Proactive Project Manager
Becoming the "activist"
 

Proactive Risk Management for Reducing Time-to-Market
Karnaugh Maps -- a fast way to prioritize risks
Using Running Logs and Risk Logs

Other proactive methods of risk management
 

Change Orders, New Features, and Other Modifications

The master process for managing change orders
Design changes

Marketing changes

Engineering Change Requests (ECRs, ECNs, ECOs)

The Power of Debriefing -- The Best Way to Improve Your Next Development Project
Effective project debriefs tools that improve productivity
Using knowledge management to improve performance
Dealing with denial and NIH (Not Invented Here)

Creating Your Project Management Toolbox
Draft the toolbox
Interaction with the class
Final version
Action plan for deployment upon your return to the office
 

Our Guarantee

If for any reason you are not satisfied, write to us within 30 days after attending the workshop and return the course materials and we'll arrange for you to receive a full refund - hassle-free!