In the previous season, we discussed the fact that load/capacity was perhaps not the best way to manage your project and your project portfolio.
Indeed, it is not by knowing the loads of each task, associated with each resource in each project, that we will be able to decide what to launch, stop, or restart. We associate this path with the world of the precisely false.
The path we advocate is that in all this load, there is actually a resource that governs the flow of the entire system. This resource can be likened to the bottleneck resource.
If this resource regulates the system, then the launch of projects must be regulated according to what is achieved by this resource.
Thus, what we will try to do:
- Build the pipeline
- Find the resource that regulates the system
- Establish the associated management rules
- Ritualize the process
There are two types of pipeline to start with:
- The pipeline that is close to a Kanban Board
- The pipeline that is linked to your project plan
1/ The Basic Pipeline
For the pipeline close to a Kanban Board, you will have to split the project portfolio into subparts:
- Non-started projects
- Projects ready to start
- Ongoing Projects
- Frozen projects
- Completed projects
In each of these columns, you create one post-it note for one project.
The advantage of this type of pipeline is its simplicity to implement but especially the pill of lucidity that it will force you to take. In fact, we recommend that you create an organization chart of your project organization and the number of key people: X project managers, Y people in R&D, Z people in control, etc.
We encourage you to count these people and highlight them from the number of projects in progress.
In the figure above:
- The first yellow post-it note indicates the number of non-started projects.
- The second one indicates the number of ongoing projects, knowing that each type of color represents a different project manager.
- The 3rd column indicates the completed projects.
- The 4th column indicates the frozen projects.
- Finally, the post-it notes on the right indicate the projects that we are unable to place in the pipeline.
2/ The Classic Pipeline (linked to the project plan)
When you created your project plan, you had to identify the big rocks in your projects. As we mentioned earlier, it is quite common for project plans to be similar from one project to another. Indeed, even if the content of the project changes, the way of carrying it out remains the same.
We will use this characteristic to lead to this pipeline. So you will always have the following common columns:
- Non-started projects
- Projects ready to start
- Frozen projects
- Completed projects
However, the current project column will be divided by large stones. Thus, you will create an additional column per large stone.
At first glance, the nuance may seem small but it will help in the search for the critical resource or step.
Indeed, as the critical resource regulates the whole system, there is a good chance that projects will be heavily clustered there. So if a lot of post-it notes are in the same column, it probably means that your critical resource is in this one.
But before we talk about the critical resource, let’s take a quick detour into what this visibility will do for you.
Indeed, over the past 5 years, we’ve learned that a pipeline is a tipping point in the change management of your organization.
So, check out episode 2 to learn more.
