By Patrick Darnell
Managing Project X Opportunities and Risks
Introduction
Use of this Framework for the discovery of Innovation, Opportunity and Risks scan will help in deciding if the supply chain is full, or not, of opportunity and risk for improvements in risk management of Project X:
Uncover and prepare for opportunities/ risks
Understand opportunity/ risk
Identify opportunities/ risks
Evaluate new products and services
Assess internal capacities to excel in schedule, assembly and delivery (paraphrased, Power Decisions Group, Inc. Dec 2006)
Use tools such as:
Online, wireless local area networking
Phone, Mail, Surveys
Hybrid Methods, Focus Groups
Qualitative Methods
Quantitative Methods
"Services for the public are designed so there is one route to perform multiple tasks with different agencies.” Gary Robinson, Washington CIO
Discussion: Opportunities
Several opportunities stand out. The following list is made in hopes that savings can be multiplied throughout the whole Project X.
1. Assembly Revisions
Major Innovations discovered by work teams while assembling the prototypes may qualify as unmistakable revisions in the final builds. Savings from on job discoveries will be touted as major events of opportune and lead to earlier delivery of products, and greater ROI.
2. Internet Technology Advantages
Ripping out the wires and using wireless solutions to fulfill the gamut is today a security and networking management solution industry ideally situated for key providers.
According to a recent survey by Aberdeen Group, '88% of best-in-class service organizations view the connection between the field and back office as a top strategic priority. If your company doesn’t already have some type of communication solution in place — such as calling techs via cell phones or a scheduling and optimization field service data solution — it will soon. But your solution can be more than just connectivity between the field and the office. You can leverage complementary technologies to make the most of your investment" (Chapin, Khristen; October 2006).
3. Supply Chain
Unified just-in-time based delivery of piece parts and hardware can be the biggest opportunity to capture the imaginations of the work teams. In-the-field operations have opportunity to make a wish come true with the mobile voice over internet protocol, VOIP. More efficient onsite comm can boost the delivery of dwindling supplies, and ensure teams' efficiency when at the site of larger re-tools, or do-over’s, with VOIP.
4. Post PERT weighted averages analysis
After meetings to discuss worst case situations of major headings of the WBS, opportunity is abundantly portrayed in scarcity of resources. For instance if the total project is using up next years' entire supply of armored steel, what is available in the next two quarters of the next year. Then the major opportunity is to advise production of this condition. Opportunity does not always have to be dramatic. Many opportunities are simple good turn attitudes.
Discussion: Risks -- Let’s Call this Data Mining
Data mining -- finding gems of insight from sophisticated or basic analysis of your internal databases and WBS, and margin trend data -- is a key part in ...Development & Naming assignments, as well as New Project [Risk Management] Development.
(Power Decisions Group, Inc. Dec 2006)
The search for hidden risk elements is no less a savings when found. A dollar saved is a dollar return on investment. “Simply put, an analysis data mining effort searches for meaning and insight among the stacks of data and related data already within a project management organization. ...Thus, data mining is the search and the use of techniques that squeeze out meaning. Tools include advanced statistical tests and modeling, and the use of neural networks” (Power Decisions Group, Inc; Dec 4, 2006).
Consolidate the risks on a collaborative level and the “business as usual” in government contracts may be sarcasm of the past. Success breeds success in every knowledge base for Project X. Project management juggles expectations of states' and Uncle Sam and finally finds relief from more diverse companies' vying for a slice of government pie. Risk Management no longer means being locked in to particular vendors with only a self interest in pushing their own products, services or securities.
1. No Substitutions if untested, or not certified
In the search for austere methods for procurement of resources, there is a great risk in substituting materials. Testing may not be finished on some materials, or the testing is pending. Sometimes austerity may lead to incomparable solutions. The risk is in compromised performance, reliability and injury.
2. Security is at stake
With information being generated through the pipeline to executives outside the office, the underpinning of earlier wireless LAN was “vulnerable to security breaches and caused enterprises to be leery of the technology” (McAdams, Jennifer; November 7, 2006). McAdams reports: “’We’ve always believed management and security aren’t separate and distinct issues,’ Greg Murphy, AirWave Wireless.”
“’Balancing the needs of security and business-integration requirements is our biggest challenge,’ says Tom Jarrett, Delaware CIO" (Aitoro, Jill R; November 13, 2006). Jarrett says: “As more agencies want to collaborate, the data owners need a higher assurance of data [integrity] and its proper uses” reports Aitoro.
3. State of Distribution
While the state of distribution of products is “fairly status quo,” say the resellers and distributors, there may be hidden under radar, price creep due to fuel prices and other concerns that could bust smaller distributors, and Project X. For instance the often ignored distributors of the cutting-edge technology needed for Project X are not all-that-established. In fact the “up and comers” who provide innovative access to emerging technologies are small specialty distributors. These are the distributors to watch in the early deliverables of the high tech Project X defense systems.
4. Political Winds
“Regardless of what changes come with November elections, states are most likely to adopt proven success models” says Aitoro ...Such as “statewide data-center-consolidation initiatives” (Aitoro, Jill R; November 13, 2006). As government may struggle to appease the many stakeholders “influencing decisions, the change in political favor" is a major risk that could and will change the scope and funding of any federal or state projects. The best way to deal with political wind-shifts is to force the privates sectors to “do their homework, and take more time on risk issues, making for better partnerships” (Aitoro, Jill R; November 13, 2006, p15).
Collaboration by the companies that currently hold contracts, such as “McLean, Virginia based Northrop Grumman, San Diego based Technology Integration Group and Marketware Technologies in Sacramento” can move a project into completion by showing and proving cost savings of 30% in $100 million in contracts by these leading companies. That is a lot of risk management.
The idea is to circumnavigate the “bureaucratic process,” says Clark Kelso, CS CIO. “These were not just some general services that led to some leveraged procurements; we gave all agencies a chance to be involved in designing specifications and programs.” Surely, this will take the large out of the hands of the few.
References
Aitoro, Jill R; (November 13, 2006): By the time... government VAR, Feature, State of the states, P 9-12, GovernmentVAR com
Chapin, Khristen; (October 2006) Integrated Solutions, Three Steps to Field Service Success, retrieved date: 15 November 2006 WesP CorryPub %20PDFs ISM06
Kelso, Clark (November 13, 2006): By the time... government VAR, Feature, State of the states, P 9-12, GovernmentVAR com
McAdams, Jennifer; (November 7, 2006) Ripping out the wires, VARBusiness Tech Advantage Series, VARBusiness, article p 45-50, varbusiness com
Power Decisions Group, Inc. (Dec 4, 2006) San Francisco, Tools & Techniques
