With all of the demands that the fast-paced world of business places on a hard-working individual, meeting all of your goals can seem like an intimidating task. But even seemingly insurmountable tasks can be made more manageable by approaching them in an intelligent, strategic manner. Here are some ways that you can improve workflow to take care of your responsibilities and meet your goals most effectively.

First Things First: Improving Workflow Where It Matters Most

Taking Inventory of Your Challenges

The first step in improving your workflow is gaining an understanding of the full scope of your responsibilities. Take a moment to gather up all of the tasks that you have to get done into a single list. Everything, from the most basic and mundane to the highest importance tasks, should be included to give you a full sense of the workload that you’re responsible for.

Understand How to Prioritize Effectively

Once you have your task list written out, it’s time to start thinking strategically about how to turn that list into an effective workflow strategy. Tackling the extensive responsibilities that you have in front of you and achieving long-term goals comes down to your ability to prioritize tasks. Otherwise, you may simply spend your time doing tasks that have no real bearing on your ultimate goal, resulting in wasted time.

Take a look at each item that you came up with on your list of responsibilities. See if any of the broader, larger goals can be broken down into more manageable, time-related goals. Once you’ve done that, assess each of the tasks for their urgency, the estimated time they would take, and how they move you towards your ultimate goal. Once you’ve identified what the most important tasks are, start setting yourself realistic deadlines so that you aren’t working indefinitely.

Constantly Review and Set Realistic Goals

Improving your workflow isn’t a one-and-done process. You need to constantly keep an open mind and review your task list as the demands placed on you change. Develop your skill at realistically assessing how much effort a particular task will take.

Update your workflow plan as you go, taking into account your performance, the resources available to you, and other changing variables. Set goals that push your skills but that are realistically achievable so that you aren’t spending all of your time stressing over the insurmountable workload you have.

Find Tools That Help You Improve Workflow

Managing your own workflow is a complicated enough process, but even more variables are introduced when you need to manage the workflow of an entire team working on a project. Both of these processes can benefit from having the right project management tools on your side. With a clear and concise division of labor and a unified list of tasks and objectives, everybody working on a project can be on the same page.

Having the right tools on your side is essential, and our project implementation solutions will give you everything you need to improve your business’ workflow. Contact Project Genetics today for more information!

Every business can be boiled down to a sequence of small tasks. A group of tasks for a specific purpose is called a process. Tasks and processes truly are your business. Without them, there is no product, no service, and no end result. Nevertheless, businesses often ignore process development. Managers tend to zero in on the tasks with a micro-level approach, while executives focus on outcomes. As a result, processes can be messy, even in top organizations. Process optimization is necessary.

The Many Benefits of Process Optimization Consulting

Faster Operations

The order in which we perform a set of tasks can greatly impact the time it takes for other tasks or processes to be completed. Imagine if a pizzeria threw dough into the oven without any toppings, and then every two minutes, pulled the pizza out, added a topping, and put it back in. Repeat until ready. This approach, while certainly novel, is completely illogical and would add unnecessary time to the process. Your organization is far more complex than a pizza. Yet many of your processes have been born, not out of careful consideration and experimentation, but out of necessity. When businesses are in their infancy, they develop processes organically to address immediate needs. As businesses grow, these processes buckle under the weight of increased demand and complexity. However, everyone is so used to the way you do things that they cannot see a problem. An outsider can.

Adaptability

Another reason to consider having a consultant review your processes is that they can become more flexible with the right adjustments. We strive to inject agility into organizations because an agile approach gives your company the ability to change tactics quickly in the face of new circumstances. As we’ve all seen, life can throw events our way that can dramatically disrupt standard operating procedures. A well-designed process always accounts for the worst and has a plan B ready to go. Fail safes and versatile technology ensure quality without limiting your freedom.

Improved Onboarding

Better processes are easier to understand, and therefore easier to teach. Onboarding is always a challenge, but it can be streamlined considerably when your processes are intuitive and easy to comprehend. This all begins with your process documentation. Do you have a manual that tells employees how to execute their tasks? Have you outlined your processes? When you bring in a consultant, one of the first things they’ll do is review your process documentation. We often find that processes on paper don’t accurately describe what really happens in the workplace. This disconnect needs to be resolved. From there, we can look for ways to better communicate your processes.

Less Workplace Conflict

Squabbles and frustrations build when processes have no clear ownership. When no one is in charge of a specific task, it creates headaches. Smooth processes are those that transition seamlessly from person to person. We can find those processes that cause conflict and iron out the kinks that generate problems for your staff. Every process has room for improvement. Optimize your processes: Contact Project Genetics to set up an appointment.

When you want your business to truly embody the agile spirit, you need a platform that can help you scale agile ideas throughout your organization. It’s not enough to simply have a few trained leaders; your whole company should operate on agile principles. With the release of Scaled Agile Framework 5, also known as SAFe, businesses are able to take an agile approach to every facet of their operations. This approach translates to some serious real-world benefits.

3 Benefits of a Scaled Agile Framework

Productivity Boosts

Productivity is notoriously difficult to improve with a single solution. As output depends on numerous variables, finding the right buttons to push can be challenging. However, SAFe tends to result in massive gains in productivity since it holistically transforms how businesses operate. That means that each variable gets just what it needs and the final output is much greater than what you would expect. Consider ZKH Industrial Supply’s example.

This company is one of the largest providers of maintenance, repair, and operations products. They move millions of consumable goods to businesses so they can keep working. Since they deal in such large volumes, one of the biggest bottlenecks was order processing. After adopting SAFe, they reduced their order processing time by a factor of 8! In addition, they formed interdisciplinary product delivery teams (a trademark characteristic of agile enterprises) and were able to address customers’ issues faster.

More Flexibility

Much of the Lean Enterprise mentality that accompanies the SAFe model is driven by a desire for flexibility. Your organization needs to be able to adapt to changing circumstances. If the last few years weren’t proof enough, consider how some companies have benefited when they were able to adapt. A great example comes from FedEx.

Not only was global shipping stopped dead in its tracks as many ports were closed temporarily as lockdown orders were issued, but FedEx found themselves with more orders than ever as PPE and other medical supplies needed to shuffle around the world. Add in all of the online shopping that emerged, and FedEx had to shift its business dramatically. Thanks to the use of SAFe and Agile, they were able to reroute shipments without sacrificing delivery times.

Better Teams (And Happier Employees)

Nokia’s massive size makes collaboration complicated. With nearly 100,000 employees and over 40 Agile Release Trains (ARTs) the company has proven that if you adopt an agile approach, you can synchronize your staff’s efforts. Nokia mixes up their teams periodically to help transfer expertise from one ART to the next. Each product they make has its own team, but they never use the same team twice.

Their employees are overall quite satisfied with their jobs. Most employee reviews highlight how great the staff is and how well they work together. Nokia is just one example of how SAFe adoption results in a 10-50% increase in job satisfaction and engagement.

Upgrade Your Framework

How you view your tasks will determine how you tackle them. With SAFe 5, companies can scale Agile strategies with ease. Contact Project Genetics to learn more about the Scaled Agile Framework and how it can help your business to thrive regardless of the circumstances.
 

Demand for cloud-based applications has skyrocketed in recent years with the proliferation of decentralized computing, thanks to systems like AWS. Businesses can gain major advantages by moving their operations into the cloud. Nevertheless, a successful migration is only possible if you plot out the steps you’re going to take. When it comes to Workday implementation, you’ll want to make sure you don’t skip any of these five steps.
 

5 Steps to Preparing for Workday Implementation

1. Define the Scope

All too often we find that companies know that there are benefits to be gained from switching to cloud-based applications, but they haven’t specified what benefits they hope to achieve. Workday specifically targets finance, HR, and strategic planning through analytics. You should first set goals in these areas. Are you looking to simplify reporting, or speed up HR processes? What will Workday do for you?

Once you’ve defined your objectives you can then outline a timeframe for your implementation. Take into consideration the time it will take to train people on the new platform. Don’t forget that Workday pushes updates twice a year and so you’re probably going to have a feature update during your transition. Finalize your budget before you proceed so that you can avoid going over in the long term.

2. Review Processes

One of the biggest mistakes when moving into the cloud is to simply copy your existing process and try to duplicate it using a cloud-based application. Working in the cloud can often simplify your processes or even make some of them redundant entirely. Your goal should be to get more agile, more responsive, and ultimately more productive. Using the same old processes, even with better technology, won’t do that.

Give your processes a thorough review after you understand what Workday can do for you. You may want to consider bringing in consultants who specialize in process optimization to help you refine your processes and get them ready for the cloud.

3. Test and Refine

Another common error is to force everyone onto the cloud and then iron out the wrinkles as you go. If you do this, your staff will find the whole experience quite frustrating. Instead, consider working with a pilot group that is willing to test and provide feedback on the new tools. Ideally, your staff should get a turnkey experience. If they’re struggling with a broken system, they’ll be reluctant to embrace it in the future.

As you get up and running, test your workflow on Workday and continue to optimize your new processes.

4. Create New Documents

Once you’ve finalized your processes and have tested out the system, you’re ready to flip the switch. But before you do, document everything. You will need new manuals, new training materials, and new tutorials. If you can have these ready when you migrate, it’ll help staff adapt smoothly.

5. Migrate Data

Finally, all you need to do is migrate your data. It can be helpful to have experts on hand as redundancies can cause issues later. Likewise, migrations open the door to data theft, which can cripple your company.

If you want the best Workday implementation possible, contact Project Genetics to schedule an appointment. We can help you get it up and running and tailored to your company’s needs.  

Recently, it was estimated that 36% of business projects fail. Trillions of dollars are invested into projects every year, so that’s a lot of money being wasted. Most projects run into trouble towards the end of the project and it becomes challenging to right the ship. When it’s realized that a project is going off track, how do you recover it? Read on to learn the important steps for project recovery!

Back on Track: 4 Steps to Project Recovery

1. Create a Special Team

The first step is to create a special team tasked with recovery. This is a team composed of folks outside of the current project. Think of this team as an internal audit. Their goal is to do an independent evaluation of the project, conduct critical assessments, and execute the recovery process. As they will be stepping on toes, it’s important to have a good mix of personalities to minimize personnel issues. Buy-in from the current project team is key.

2. Start From the Top

Projects that follow the methodologies outlined by the Project Management Institute generally have a project charter with an outlined mission, objectives, and success criteria. These project artifacts must be reviewed and validated. It’s expected that some elements may need to evolve to match any new learnings since the project started. It’s also anticipated that any modifications will require approval.

3. Perform a Critical Assessment

A well-thought-out assessment is efficient, accurate, and minimizes project distractions. During the assessment, all critical project artifacts will need to be reviewed and project team members will need to be interviewed. Project artifacts in this step usually include the project plan, budget and associated metrics, estimate and pricing details, contract, and project organization chart.
The employees critical to the interviews include the project manager, sponsor, stakeholders, members of the project management office (if applicable), contractors, vendors, customers, and project team members. The goal of these interviews is to determine the exact status of the project, as well as any risks, issues, and opportunities. Interviews should emphasize confidentiality and open-ended questions.
Once the assessment is complete, the data should be analyzed and a list of findings and action items must be created. Then answer the most important question: is recovery possible? If so, move on to the next step.

4. Plan and Recover the Project

Once recovery is deemed possible, an extended team will need to be curated and the recovery process will start. It’s expected the focus now is on not failing. In addition, the recovery process will be subject to intense scrutiny, tight controls, and higher frequencies of communication and monitoring. The recovery plan must also take into consideration employee morale, personnel problems, and leadership issues. Patience, constant monitoring, and regular feedback are significant events during recovery.
Failing projects are recoverable. However, experience is necessary to turn them around. Do you need assistance in getting your project back on track? Check out Project Genetics today and meet with seasoned experts who can recover your troubled project! We help customers every day with project delivery. We are 100% committed to project success and can help you get your project back in line with your organization’s goals.

Recently, it was estimated that projects have only a 64% success rate. In Australia alone, an average of $5.4 billion was being wasted on abandoned and poorly executed projects. The warning signs are there when a project is on rocky grounds. Yet, management is often the last to know that a project is headed for failure. What are the signs of project delivery failure and what can be done to stop this situation? Read on to learn more!

5 Signs Your Organization Is Failing at Project Delivery

 

1. Poor Communication

 

If core project team members aren’t talking to each other, that’s a bad sign. And if the project team is not talking to leadership or the stakeholders, that’s an even worse sign. Project status meetings and steering committee meetings can be scheduled to enforce communication.

A project manager with excellent meeting management skills is also key. In addition, it’s important to create an environment where negative news is accepted so participants are not fearful to relay issues and risks.

2. Disinterest

 

Does this sound familiar? People are late to or absent from meetings. Meeting attendees are quiet. People aren’t paying attention or distracted by their phones instead of focusing on the meeting. This is one of the earliest signals that your project is doomed to fail.

Healthy projects have active engagement, high participation, and a generally positive environment. This can be accomplished through robust project management and strong support and buy-in from leadership.

3. Overtime

 

A direct sign that a project is failing is when employees are working too much overtime. This indicates that the project has not been estimated correctly, too many unanticipated issues have been encountered, and the current project management style is not a good fit. A side effect of overtime is a decline in employee health.

A smoothly running project should have little to no schedule overruns. A change in project management and well-thought-out mitigation plans for project issues and risks will help resolve this issue.

4. Missed Milestones

 

One of the clearest signs that a project is in trouble is when a milestone is missed. Unfortunately, by this time it’s too late. While due dates can sometimes be missed, missing them in a big way (weeks off track) or missing too many milestones indicates the project is on the wrong path. If the first milestone is missed, it’s time to evaluate the current project management and leadership to see if a change is required.

5. Scope Creep

 

Another warning sign of project failure is when the project scope expands with no realignment to the project plan. This impacts project deliverables, due dates, and execution details. Scope creep is a common issue on projects and can quickly lead to other warning signs like overtime, poor communication, and missed milestones. It’s important to have an experienced project manager and effective decision-makers on the project to keep scope creep in check.

Are you concerned about your organization’s ability to execute on projects? Visit Project Genetics today to learn more about successful project execution! Our proprietary process puts the right person on the job from day one. Clients love our no-nonsense approach because we are 100% committed to project success. We get things done on time, every time, and on every project!

Recently, it was estimated that projects have only a 64% success rate. In Australia alone, an average of $5.4 billion was being wasted on abandoned and poorly executed projects. The warning signs are there when a project is on rocky grounds. Yet, management is often the last to know that a project is headed for failure. What are the signs of project delivery failure and what can be done to stop this situation? Read on to learn more!

5 Signs Your Organization Is Failing at Project Delivery

1. Poor Communication

If core project team members aren’t talking to each other, that’s a bad sign. And if the project team is not talking to leadership or the stakeholders, that’s an even worse sign. Project status meetings and steering committee meetings can be scheduled to enforce communication.

A project manager with excellent meeting management skills is also key. In addition, it’s important to create an environment where negative news is accepted so participants are not fearful to relay issues and risks.

2. Disinterest

Does this sound familiar? People are late to or absent from meetings. Meeting attendees are quiet. People aren’t paying attention or distracted by their phones instead of focusing on the meeting. This is one of the earliest signals that your project is doomed to fail.

Healthy projects have active engagement, high participation, and a generally positive environment. This can be accomplished through robust project management and strong support and buy-in from leadership.

3. Overtime

A direct sign that a project is failing is when employees are working too much overtime. This indicates that the project has not been estimated correctly, too many unanticipated issues have been encountered, and the current project management style is not a good fit. A side effect of overtime is a decline in employee health.

A smoothly running project should have little to no schedule overruns. A change in project management and well-thought-out mitigation plans for project issues and risks will help resolve this issue.

4. Missed Milestones

One of the clearest signs that a project is in trouble is when a milestone is missed. Unfortunately, by this time it’s too late. While due dates can sometimes be missed, missing them in a big way (weeks off track) or missing too many milestones indicates the project is on the wrong path. If the first milestone is missed, it’s time to evaluate the current project management and leadership to see if a change is required.

5. Scope Creep

Another warning sign of project failure is when the project scope expands with no realignment to the project plan. This impacts project deliverables, due dates, and execution details. Scope creep is a common issue on projects and can quickly lead to other warning signs like overtime, poor communication, and missed milestones. It’s important to have an experienced project manager and effective decision-makers on the project to keep scope creep in check.

Are you concerned about your organization’s ability to execute on projects? Visit Project Genetics today to learn more about successful project execution! Our proprietary process puts the right person on the job from day one. Clients love our no-nonsense approach because we are 100% committed to project success. We get things done on time, every time, and on every project!

Organizations are adopting the Agile project methodology to accelerate delivery and improve project outcomes. However, Agile can be difficult to learn and conquer without the correct training. It’s been told that up to one-third of small companies fail with Agile. And that number can increase to two-thirds with larger-sized companies and more complex organizational structures. Luckily, an experienced coach can be the key to success! Read on to understand whether Agile coaching is a good fit for your organization!

5 Signs Your Organization Could Use Agile Coaching

1. Your Team Is Stressed Out

The symptoms are obvious. People are griping, working overtime, unsure of their roles and responsibilities, and not communicating. And it seems like the entire team is running to stand still. Employees are ready to throw in the towel. Don’t give up! This is completely normal as a team learns the Agile ropes and adjusts to the process. A coach can step in, identify the gaps, and right that ship!

2. You Spend More Time Fixing Than Building

We’ve all heard the story. The fix list continues to pile up and there’s no end in sight. The development list falls to the wayside as the priorities shift. If you find yourself in a situation where you’re constantly delaying the delivery of new development, then something needs tweaking. An adjustment in work quality is needed to reduce the number of breakages. An Agile coach can help!

3. You Keep Missing Deadlines

Perhaps you missed one deadline. That’s fine, but then another one gets missed. And another. And pretty soon, you’ve failed to meet your customer’s or stakeholders’ expectations. Bring in an Agile coach! Usually, this can be fixed by creating better collaboration and matching proper skill sets to roles. An outside perspective can assist with these sensitive areas and put you on the right path.

4. Everything Seems to Be Moving Too Slowly

With Agile sprints, it can almost seem like everything is moving too fast or too slow. The Agile methodology is intended to tap into deep work and focus. Progress will seem to grind down as this happens, creating tension. This is normal. Agile requires a gradual adoption of the new mindset. An Agile coach can renormalize the team to move you towards a better cadence.

5. Your Team Feels Disconnected From the Bigger Picture

One of the goals of Agile is to break bigger project work into smaller chunks. This falsely puts the perception of work on a smaller scale. It can be hard to connect to the larger vision and strategy. If the team is asking questions that indicate they don’t understand the why of what they’re doing, then it will be hard for them to make good decisions about their work. Utilize an Agile coach to reconnect the team to the bigger picture!

Are you struggling with the Agile methodology or attempting to scale with Agile, yet running into roadblocks? Take a look at Project Genetics today to connect with an expert on project delivery! We’re a proven leader in project implementation and committed to your success. We’re passionate about project victory and can help you feel more comfortable with Agile!

Mergers and acquisitions are an excellent opportunity to improve your processes and streamline your operations. However, if you aren’t careful, confusion can consume both organizations. Process optimization during M&As is critical as it will determine the future of both organizations. How can you ensure that your M&As actually result in improvements for everyone? Here are some of the steps we take at Project Genetics to get the best results possible.

4 Keys to Process Optimization After Mergers and Acquisitions

1. Quantify and Contrast

Before you can even think about optimizing processes, you have to first understand how both organizations handle a given task. If both organizations involved have a similar process, you should quantify each step taken and map out the path each process takes through each organization. You may find that one is more efficient than the other, or you could discover an ideal middle ground that gets the best of both strategies.

However, you might be acquiring a company specifically because they can do something you cannot. In those cases, you should still break down the process to its key components. Perhaps there is something your existing infrastructure can do to improve it. You cannot transform what you do not understand, so process analysis is always an important first step.

2. Cull Unnecessary Redundancies

Optimization means you need to eliminate any unnecessary steps. In most M&A scenarios, there will be redundancies that can be removed. This could mean letting go of positions that no longer serve a clear purpose. You may need to reallocate human resources to other areas where they can be more useful. However, you need to be careful to avoid removing critical knowledge from your newly expanded organization.

Oftentimes the larger of the two companies will keep most of its personnel while shedding a significant number from the acquired organization. This may make sense if you intend to rely more on your organization’s processes. However, if you see value in the other company’s approaches, make sure you keep people who know that process inside and out. They will be valuable as you look to optimize later.

3. Implement Better Technological Solutions

M&As are the perfect moment to sit down and evaluate better solutions for your problems. Could your processes be improved by better tracking with data analytics? Has your merger necessitated cloud storage as a means to ensure smooth operation over long distances? Would a change in collaboration software help your new team integrate and speed up processes? Again, it’s important to take stock of what both organizations use and identify weaknesses that could be bolstered by a change in tools.

4. Unify Team Members

When two organizations merge, each knows something that the other doesn’t. In order to truly optimize your processes, the people on both sides need to come together and work in unison. Try to integrate new team members and encourage them to share knowledge with one another to reach that middle ground faster.

Projects depend on processes. Mastery of each small step in a larger process will lead to success for your grandest projects. If you need project delivery solutions and a more comprehensive understanding of your processes, contact Project Genetics to schedule a meeting. We’ll help your organization emerge stronger from M&As and prepare you for much greater success going forward.  

The Agile methodology that revolutionized IT project management has since made its way into other industries, with impressive results. However, not every organization has been able to implement Agile project management successfully. Any time you try to change the culture of an organization, you meet resistance. If you haven’t been able to transform your organization’s approach yet, Agile coaching is the solution. With expert support, you can overcome any obstacle in your way.

How Agile Coaching Can Transform Your Entire Organization

Benefits of an Agile Approach

Demand for Agile coaches has grown significantly, so much so that it was classified as one of 2017’s “Most Promising Jobs”. The number of Agile coaches has more than doubled since. Companies have found that it’s better to invest in proper training. You’re more likely to instill the Agile mindset correctly when you have coaches who truly embody the approach. Most failed efforts are the result of inexperienced managers who don’t fully understand what it means to be Agile.

Agile project management gives you control and flexibility, two concepts that many people see as mutually exclusive. The idea that your projects can be managed in small chunks by several teams can seem radical to staff that are more used to the traditional waterfall approach, where everything is mapped out in advance. However, the Agile approach delivers more predictability and allows for continuous improvement since the project can adapt to changing conditions.

The Need for a Coach

Companies want to reap the benefits of Agile quickly, but company culture doesn’t change overnight. Given that core concepts of the Agile methodology seem so foreign to many workers, it can be hard to get everyone on board. That’s where a coach becomes vital. When your staff works with an Agile coach, they get to see the Agile mentality in action. It’s much easier to believe in the methodology when you see it working.

Coaches from outside also enter the office without the biases that your workers already have towards your management. Even the best managers are hated by at least a couple of workers. Bringing in an outsider sidesteps those preexisting feelings and allows your staff to approach training with an open mind. So, not only can an Agile coach show your team the right way to work, but they’ll also be more likely to succeed at transforming your organization.

Agile Outcomes for Enterprises

With an Agile approach, your company will indeed become more agile. That means you can react faster when unexpected events occur. The last two years have proven that agile enterprises will thrive in the face of adversity. When your team is accustomed to dynamic workflows and collaboration, sudden changes are no longer feared. Businesses that had already invested in agile coaching found themselves in a much better position throughout the pandemic than those that had not made the switch.

If your business is struggling to implement the Agile methodology, or you have projects that you haven’t been able to bring to fruition, contact Project Genetics to schedule an appointment with our project management experts. We’ll help you find the right solution for your company.