Facilitating a Major Program Startup
This little story describes the injection of project management
into the very successful start-up of a large comprehensive and complex
administrative program. The organization is large, with many administrative
and operational divisions, and conducts activities throughout our
province. The organization itself is not unfamiliar with project
management, as it has a project management division. However, this
division is primarily concerned with planning and implementing projects
of the bricks and mortar type.
The objective of the program would be to reduce by 50% all forms
of waste from the enterprise by the year 2000. This waste ranged
from paper, toner cartridges and other office consumables, to industrial
waste, construction waste, oils and paints, etc. Substantial research
and pilot studies had been conducted over the last few years to
establish waste streams, opportunities for waste reduction, technical
feasibility, and management strategies for tracking progress on
waste reduction. Now, however, was the time to bring in the key
personnel from all locations and commence serious implementation
of the program. I was invited to assist the program manager with
developing a startup plan and facilitate startup meetings.
We decided that a series of three startup meeting would be needed
and appropriate for such a high-profile and complex company-wide
program covering such an extended period. Each meeting would involve
people coming in from out-of-town and last five to six hours. At
the outset, although everyone would be from the same organization,
few would actually know each other.
In brief, the purpose of the meetings were to be as follows. The
first meeting would be to:
- Explain the program goals and rationale
- Identify potential projects within the program to support the
goals
- Suggest possible ranking and responsibilities
- Activate initial tasks
The second meeting would be to
- Present a brief but relevant project management training session
- Develop a WBS
- Revise priorities as appropriate
- Initiate development of project scope descriptions, and quality,
time and cost estimate proforma for purposes of funding, and
The third meeting was to
- Aggregate the proforma submissions into a consolidated fiscal
plan for senior management approval and special funding
In short, these meetings went extremely well, even though many
of those present were not familiar with project management. Though
skeptical and uncertain at first, everyone got to know each other
comfortably, became very enthusiastic, and enjoyed working together.
Perhaps the highest compliment came from the organization’s
Public Relations Manager at the end of the last meeting. He said
that one of his principle tasks was to improve communication within
and between the various arms of the enterprise. He was so impressed
with the spirit of cooperation and quality of the communication
going on back and forth at the meetings, especially since they came
from different units, that he could hardly believe that he was working
for the same company!
FICE, FEIC, FCSCE, FPMI
© 2001
|
Major
Airport Expansion