All PMs face the need to solve problems. What is your favorite tool for VETTING the potential ideas that could solve the problem? Part 2 - How were you trained on this tool? Saving Changes...
1. A bake-off - resource permitting, let the originators of ideas have a timebox to pursue their individual ideas in parallel and at the end the team reviews & selects the best approach. Benefit is that no good idea is discarded and you limit the investment in exploring options.
2. Dot voting - Quick and easy and captures the wisdom of the group
3. A scoring model - Harder to setup objectively and can be "gamed" but captures the thought process of the group for audit purposes.
Usually with a bake-off, it would be a post-bake-off discussion within the team to identify the solution which will be pursued.
A simple scoring model will include attributes such as cost, ease of implementation, completeness of addressing the problem, volume or magnitude of side effects and so on.
A Pugh Matrix which is often used in Lean Six Sigma projects is one way of doing this...
Kiron
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1 reply by Teresa Lawrence, PhD, PMP, CSM
Sep 10, 2017 5:20 PM
Teresa Lawrence, PhD, PMP, CSM
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Love it.
To push a little, my work is on supporting development on tools. So, forgive me for asking again, what tool might they use for evaluating the potential of ideas and for exploring their potential for development vs choosing an idea to implement?
When I can, I use a simple table for executive decision-makers, with 4 proposed options: Perfect, Minimal, and Middle-of-the-ground. The 4th one is the "Do-Nothing" option which I always like to include. For each of the 4, I choose the key evaluation criteria that will allow an apples to apples comparison. E.g. risks in the execution, value delivered (financial and intangible, as applies), depth of scope, schedule implications, etc. Such a comparison method might als be applicable in the project team. However, I would then ask the team to develop the four options to enable a consensus decision.
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1 reply by Teresa Lawrence, PhD, PMP, CSM
Sep 10, 2017 5:22 PM
Teresa Lawrence, PhD, PMP, CSM
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Do you ever look to develop and explore ideas further or does your process look at ideas/solutions at face value?
Usually with a bake-off, it would be a post-bake-off discussion within the team to identify the solution which will be pursued.
A simple scoring model will include attributes such as cost, ease of implementation, completeness of addressing the problem, volume or magnitude of side effects and so on.
A Pugh Matrix which is often used in Lean Six Sigma projects is one way of doing this...
Kiron
Love it.
To push a little, my work is on supporting development on tools. So, forgive me for asking again, what tool might they use for evaluating the potential of ideas and for exploring their potential for development vs choosing an idea to implement?
When I can, I use a simple table for executive decision-makers, with 4 proposed options: Perfect, Minimal, and Middle-of-the-ground. The 4th one is the "Do-Nothing" option which I always like to include. For each of the 4, I choose the key evaluation criteria that will allow an apples to apples comparison. E.g. risks in the execution, value delivered (financial and intangible, as applies), depth of scope, schedule implications, etc. Such a comparison method might als be applicable in the project team. However, I would then ask the team to develop the four options to enable a consensus decision.
Do you ever look to develop and explore ideas further or does your process look at ideas/solutions at face value?
Plausibly, even if evaluation criteria are set, there should be room for ideation. But I (think I) understand your thought: no doubt is there a risk to curb innovation when decision-making is placed into a format. Not every problem needs a framework. Saving Changes...
Tony YangPM Leader| a manufacturing companyZhongshan, China, Mainland
if there is a problem, the professional people solute the professional problem, other people just give a brainstorming for the problem. we will give two solution method for the problem. one for temporary solute method, other is forever solute method. every tool choice must build on what the organization you face and what tool you good at.
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1 reply by Teresa Lawrence, PhD, PMP, CSM
Sep 11, 2017 8:38 AM
Teresa Lawrence, PhD, PMP, CSM
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Yes - knowing the technique of any tool will help you get the best result as well as using an appropriate one for the task/challenge.
if there is a problem, the professional people solute the professional problem, other people just give a brainstorming for the problem. we will give two solution method for the problem. one for temporary solute method, other is forever solute method. every tool choice must build on what the organization you face and what tool you good at.
Yes - knowing the technique of any tool will help you get the best result as well as using an appropriate one for the task/challenge. Saving Changes...
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