Thinking Lean: Strategies for Project Managers Across Environments

Journey forward to project management success

Project managers encounter the ongoing challenge of optimizing processes while delivering value amidst uncertainty. Regardless of the work environment, integrating Lean thinking principles can significantly enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

Streamlining processes identifies and removes unnecessary steps or bottlenecks in workflows to promote streamlined operations. It fosters a culture of continuous improvement, where team members actively seek opportunities to refine processes.

Prioritizing value ensures project goals are aligned with customers' and stakeholders' needs to deliver meaningful outcomes. Avoid engaging in activities that do not directly contribute to value creation, focusing efforts on high-impact initiatives.

Embracing and adopting Agile practices such as Scrum or Kanban to facilitate iterative development and rapid response to changes allow teams to deliver value incrementally and enhance collaboration.

Reducing waste involves optimizing resource allocation, minimizing excessive documentation, and eliminating activities that do not add value to the project. Encourage team members to adopt lean thinking principles to identify and eliminate waste effectively.

Empowering cross-functional teams to make decisions autonomously and take ownership of their work cultivates an environment of open communication and collaboration to foster accountability and teamwork.

Measuring performance to monitor project progress and identify areas for improvement will help ensure alignment with project objectives and drive continuous improvement.

Promoting a culture of continuous learning and growth within the team provides opportunities for professional development and training to equip team members with the skills needed to thrive in any environment.

By integrating Lean thinking principles into everyday approaches, project managers can effectively navigate challenges, drive operational efficiency, and deliver greater value to customers and stakeholders across diverse work environments.

Keep Moving Forward,

Joseph Phillips

PMP, PMI-ACP, ITIL, PSM, Project+, CTT+

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PMI-ACP Exam Prep

I found this material to be very informative, intelligible, convenient, and affordable. Joseph Phillips is a project management expert who can smoothly deliver all the wealth of information needed to prepare for the certification.

The videos in his course are well designed to grasp key information, and they are typically short in duration, with the few longest ones being less than 20 minutes long.

Ultimately, think of this preparation course not as something strictly useful for verifying your training hours but rather to review over and over in the way of mastering key terms and contents for the exam.

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Lean Project Management:

Principles, Benefits, and Implementation

PM TIP: Establish clear project objectives, milestones, and deadlines from the outset. Regularly review progress against these benchmarks to stay on track and adapt plans as needed for successful project completion.

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begin with scope.”

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TRIVIA TIME

What fundamental concept in Lean thinking emphasizes the elimination of waste and the continuous pursuit of perfection in processes?

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The correct answer to last week’s trivia question: The degree to which a stakeholder is seen as having a valid or rightful claim on the project.

  • In the stakeholder Salience Model, legitimacy refers to the perceived validity or rightful claim that a stakeholder has on the project. This legitimacy is based on factors such as legal rights, contractual agreements, social norms, or moral obligations. Stakeholders with high legitimacy are those who have a recognized and accepted role or interest in the project, often stemming from their direct involvement, authority, or vested rights. Recognizing and acknowledging the legitimacy of stakeholders is crucial for effective stakeholder management, as it helps ensure their needs, concerns, and expectations are appropriately addressed throughout the project lifecycle.