Six Steps to Creating Your Project Budget

- article by Helena Lui in Quality Digest

Disguised as simple but by no means simplistic, this is a practical, high-view "Project Budgeting For Dummies." The author is a consultant at IBM and an instructor at examspm with a master’s degree in business/commerce from Queen’s University.

Her six steps are:
1. Look through lessons-learned documents
2. Know your cost
3. Roll up individual activity costs (where Lui makes a very important point!)
4. Add contingencies
5. Monitor your progress and resources (where the author makes the point that, "Project budgeting is not a set-and-forget activity, but rather a continuous activity that requires your daily attention.")
6. Communicate changes to stakeholders

It's a quick read which novice and less experienced project managers can refer back to periodically with regard to project finances. Some stakeholders will also find this helpful.

Read the full article here.

Simplify Clarify Control

The banner maxim for my company, tcmc Quality Management Services, is Simplify Clarify Control. This is not just meant to look good as a catchy slogan: it is what I really try to help my clients achieve and the way I operate and do what I do.

Simplify

You simplify by having a standard process for each of the value-adding steps of your core operations, ensuring that these integrate into one system that provides defined products and services.If you can identify busy work that does not add value for your customers, try to eliminate it or minimize the impact on your organization's resources.
As importantly, simplify the work environment and resources by applying 5S:
Sort: sort everything into one of Retain, Return, Rid
Straighten:  a place for everything and everything is in its place.
Scrub: clean everything regularly.
Systematize: have maintenance schedules and systems to keep it this way.
Standardize: create a culture with new habits for keeping things simple.

Clarify

You clarify by ensuring that every value-adding process has assigned roles and responsibilities and that everyone in the organization clearly understands and takes pride in their own roles and responsibilities: who their customers are, who their suppliers are, why they do what they do and why that is important.
Customers and suppliers are not just external to the organization; in fact, for most employees, their customers and suppliers are within the organization itself: who is the first recipient of my work output? That is my customer. Who gives me raw material/components to assemble - whatever I have to add value to by transforming into something for my customer? That is my supplier. How do I get along with my own customers and suppliers? Is there good rapport and mutual respect?

Control

Senior management controls by measuring and monitoring the performance of key, value-adding operational processes, setting SMART objectives that align with the strategic direction of the organization and its stated policies and mission.
SMART objectives are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound.

Reap the reward - Quality

If you do the above for your organization - simplify, clarify and control - you should find greater predictability and quality in your products and services, less waste, improved morale and, most importantly, happier customers.

ISO 14001 - What is it? An Overview

My latest training video on YouTube (just 9 minutes long) gives a high level overview of all the requirements in this well-reputed international standard for environmental management systems.

ISO 14001 - What is it?

What is ISO 13485 for Medical Devices?

An eight-and-a-half minute, high-level overview of this international standard for organizations involved anywhere in the supply or service chain for medical devices.

What are the benefits to ISO 14001?

What is ISO 14001?

In a nutshell, ISO 14001 specifies the requirements for any organization to be able to claim that they have an environmental management system that conforms to a globally recognized international standard. The 2015 revision of the standard has a high level structure almost identical to ISO 9001 which makes it easy and desirable to integrate environmental and quality policies, objectives and processes into one management system.

What are the benefits to conformance or certification to the ISO 14001 standard?

• An organization can increase its control over its impact on the environment though responsible corporate stewardship.
• Corporate image and credibility as a green organization is enhanced by publishing an assertion of conformance to ISO 14001 or, better, certification of conformance by an accredited third party certification body.
• Customer satisfaction within the supply chain is increased through greater confidence in the organization's environmental management system
• Legal & regulatory awareness and compliance is enhanced throughout the organization
• Risk of noncompliance with environmental laws and regulations is reduced
• By developing a green and lean culture an organization regularly seeks to identify new opportunities for cost savings through green efficiencies, e.g. energy & water, raw material and waste disposal
• Formal risk management enhances the organization's physical & financial protection against environmental mishaps
• By combining with ISO 9001 there is increased management control through a single integrated & holistic quality and environmental management system
• There is increased staff awareness and involvement in care of the environment
• Last, but definitely not least, the organization contributes to a better environment locally, regionally and globally

If you would like to know more, I would love to hear from you. CONTACT ME HERE.

Regulatory Compliance is Not an Alternative to a Culture of Caring

This article appeared in today's Toronto Star:

Watchdog raises alarm over restraints used on children in care.

The article is on  a new report by Ontario’s Advocate for Children and Youth into the province’s (troubled) system of residential care with the subline: Confused, incomplete reporting of serious incidents makes it hard to know if guidelines on restraints followed, children’s advocate says.

Many people, both inside and outside regulated care organizations such as those for foster and group homes for youth, for people with mental health challenges and for seniors, confuse regulatory compliance with quality care. There is an assumption by outsiders, including governments, that enforcing regulations with inspections and a big stick will achieve the standard of care needed for vulnerable populations. Such people, and many inside these organizations - management and staff - who should know better, insufficiently grasp the important role of organizational culture for achieving a quality standard of care. Many managers and staff don't know or have forgotten why they're there and so, not being mindful of why they should do what they have to do, they take short cuts for convenience, defeating the purpose of the regulation or quality standard.

On top of it all, they are under-staffed and misunderstood which exacerbates everything.

Yes, we absolutely need adequate inspections for regulatory compliance, and getting further certification and accreditation to standards can also help, but we also need senior organizational leaders with vision who understand what Peter Drucker meant with his now famous quote, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." If changing the culture is not part of the strategy, the strategy is doomed.