Building Tools by F3X (or F3X for short) is a widely known building tool created by GigsD4X. The tool contains 14 default tools for creating, editing, and deleting parts in-game and in studio. Each tool has its own purpose, which allows lots of customization when used. 1 Tools 1.1 Move Tool 1.2 Resize Tool 1.3 Rotate Tool 1.4 Paint Tool 1.5 Surface Tool 1.6 Material Tool 1.7 Anchor Tool 1.8.
- Tool Time was the handyman show-within-a-show in Home Improvement. It was hosted by Tim 'The Tool Man' Taylor (played by Tim Allen) and Al Borland (played by Richard Karn). The sponsor of Tool Time wasBinford Tools. The show was said to be played on Channel 112. Tool Time was said to be the 4th most popular cable-based tool show in all of Michigan. An episode of the third season of Home.
- Tools are almost as ancient as humanity, and they have played a great part in the evolution of mankind.From building carriages to big aqueducts, they have helped shape the world as we know it. This is the main reason why it's so important to introduce this topic to the little ones, both for native English learners as for children learning English as a second language.
In recent years, project management has become more and more important. The reason is that very often for modern enterprises it is vital to respond quickly and flexibly to new requirements.
- 4Project Organization
What is Project Management?
When a business has to address a completely new task it is usually necessary that specialists from very different areas and corporate sectors work together. Here the definition of a project would make sense: It ensures a higher degree of flexibility as it goes beyond day-to-day operations. Project work provides the benefit of finding common solutions rapidly and effectively.
It Tools Wikipedia Definition
On the other hand, success of the project is not guaranteed, since its content is always new, contrary to business operations which are repetitive and have long been practiced in the company. Even when several approaches have been developed to achieve the project goal, the result is often incalculable.
For these reasons, it is essential to have access to reliable project planning, concrete commitment of the necessary resources and, most important, clear rules for the project work (see: templates, checklists and tips for project management).
All these activities are summarized under the term 'Project management':
Project management encompasses organization, planning, control and monitoring of all tasks and resources required to achieve the defined project goals and objectives.
Project management is a managerial task and must be distinguished from the practical tasks of the operational project work.
What is a Project?
Frequently, a task is misleadingly classified as a 'project'. As a rule, the following general conditions should be fulfilled for tasks to be completed in the form of a project:
The task
- is unique, i.e. no routine task to be completed as part of the day-to-day operational business,
- is a novelty,
- is subject to constraints by timescale, funding and staff,
- has a complex technical and organizational structure,
- has clear performance targets with regard to the agreed specification and quality,
- is implemented in teamwork, generally by cross-disciplinary and cross-hierarchy project teams.
Success Factors
A project can be considered 'successful' if the output as defined in the project order has been delivered within the scheduled time frame and budgets and with the planned resources.
But careful: Due to the fact that a project is unique and complex, it also bears the risk of not yielding the desired results.
The Band Tool
However, the risk of failing can be considerably reduced through rigorous project management ensuring that
- the various people involved act in a co-ordinated way,
- the complexity of the tasks is reduced through structuring,
- the project contents are subdivided into meaningful units to ensure clarity and ease of handling,
- the goals are achieved and
- neither deadlines nor financial limits are exceeded.
Ultimately, very different factors contribute to the success of a project. These factors range from technical issues to organizational agreements and interpersonal aspects.
Project Organization
So as we can see from the above, a project cannot be executed as part of the usual day-to-day business, but has its own rules.
An appropriate project organization helps minimize frictional losses and delays in the project. Ms paint drawing image.
It serves to
- assign authority, tasks and responsibilities clearly,
- manage the co-operation, communication and co-ordination of all people involved in the project,
- ensure rapid response to changes in the general conditions or the project goals and objectives.
Organizational Structure (Definition of Project Tasks and Responsibilities)
When it comes to multidisciplinary and multi-department teams working together on individual tasks for a limited period of time, it is essential that the organizational structures in the company are flexible, e.g. to allow direct co-operation between specialists. The inclusion of people from different areas of expertise, organizational structures and hierarchical levels raises the issue of clearly defined project responsibilities. Moreover, a rapid flow of information and close communication is required.
When working together on the successful completion of a project, it is therefore necessary to determine right from the beginning who will participate in the project. It must be defined what their respective functions, responsibilities and competencies will be. Likewise, the information flow between the members of the project team must be determined.
Communication within the project team is often taken for granted; people tend to assume that this will function more or less automatically. However, guidelines may be helpful, here too, and may in the long run help to considerably reduce the amount of time which the members of the project team invest in the project.
It has proved useful to define distinct tasks and responsibilities, i.e. project roles in an organizational structure:
- The executive is the person or group of persons who allocates funding to the project. He is the key decision-maker and is ultimately responsible for the success of the project.
- The project board (often referred to as Steering Committee) represents the executive and, as the highest-level body, is responsible for providing guidance on the overall strategic direction of the project. It makes the most important decisions with regard to the goal and the scope of the project.
- The project manager is responsible for the operational management of the project.
- The project team is in charge of the technical project work.
Operational Structure (Planning of the Project Structure)
It is proven practice to break down the project cycle into different stages. It is a planning approach that provides the possibility of obtaining measurable interim results during project execution, thus lowering the project risks considerably. Moreover, it is much easier to discuss and decide on the course to be set for the project if data regarding milestone results and deviations from plans are available.
The aim of stage planning is to make the project progress transparent.
Project Stages: Objectives and Tasks
| Overview: Operational organization of project processes Project stages: objectives and tasks | ||
| Project stage | Objectives | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Project initiation |
|
|
| Project planning |
|
|
| Project execution |
|
|
| Project closure |
|
|
Project Management Standards
The following three project management standards have been accepted worldwide:
- Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), Project Management Institute (PMI),
- PRojects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE2), a standard which, like ITIL, was developed by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC)
- the IPMA Competence Baseline (ICB) of the International Project Management Association (IPMA).
Links
[1] John S Stewart. 'Quick Guide to PRINCE2®'. -- Blog IBPI (The International Best Practice Institute) www.ibpi.org, February 22, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- is unique, i.e. no routine task to be completed as part of the day-to-day operational business,
- is a novelty,
- is subject to constraints by timescale, funding and staff,
- has a complex technical and organizational structure,
- has clear performance targets with regard to the agreed specification and quality,
- is implemented in teamwork, generally by cross-disciplinary and cross-hierarchy project teams.
Success Factors
A project can be considered 'successful' if the output as defined in the project order has been delivered within the scheduled time frame and budgets and with the planned resources.
But careful: Due to the fact that a project is unique and complex, it also bears the risk of not yielding the desired results.
The Band Tool
However, the risk of failing can be considerably reduced through rigorous project management ensuring that
- the various people involved act in a co-ordinated way,
- the complexity of the tasks is reduced through structuring,
- the project contents are subdivided into meaningful units to ensure clarity and ease of handling,
- the goals are achieved and
- neither deadlines nor financial limits are exceeded.
Ultimately, very different factors contribute to the success of a project. These factors range from technical issues to organizational agreements and interpersonal aspects.
Project Organization
So as we can see from the above, a project cannot be executed as part of the usual day-to-day business, but has its own rules.
An appropriate project organization helps minimize frictional losses and delays in the project. Ms paint drawing image.
It serves to
- assign authority, tasks and responsibilities clearly,
- manage the co-operation, communication and co-ordination of all people involved in the project,
- ensure rapid response to changes in the general conditions or the project goals and objectives.
Organizational Structure (Definition of Project Tasks and Responsibilities)
When it comes to multidisciplinary and multi-department teams working together on individual tasks for a limited period of time, it is essential that the organizational structures in the company are flexible, e.g. to allow direct co-operation between specialists. The inclusion of people from different areas of expertise, organizational structures and hierarchical levels raises the issue of clearly defined project responsibilities. Moreover, a rapid flow of information and close communication is required.
When working together on the successful completion of a project, it is therefore necessary to determine right from the beginning who will participate in the project. It must be defined what their respective functions, responsibilities and competencies will be. Likewise, the information flow between the members of the project team must be determined.
Communication within the project team is often taken for granted; people tend to assume that this will function more or less automatically. However, guidelines may be helpful, here too, and may in the long run help to considerably reduce the amount of time which the members of the project team invest in the project.
It has proved useful to define distinct tasks and responsibilities, i.e. project roles in an organizational structure:
- The executive is the person or group of persons who allocates funding to the project. He is the key decision-maker and is ultimately responsible for the success of the project.
- The project board (often referred to as Steering Committee) represents the executive and, as the highest-level body, is responsible for providing guidance on the overall strategic direction of the project. It makes the most important decisions with regard to the goal and the scope of the project.
- The project manager is responsible for the operational management of the project.
- The project team is in charge of the technical project work.
Operational Structure (Planning of the Project Structure)
It is proven practice to break down the project cycle into different stages. It is a planning approach that provides the possibility of obtaining measurable interim results during project execution, thus lowering the project risks considerably. Moreover, it is much easier to discuss and decide on the course to be set for the project if data regarding milestone results and deviations from plans are available.
The aim of stage planning is to make the project progress transparent.
Project Stages: Objectives and Tasks
| Overview: Operational organization of project processes Project stages: objectives and tasks | ||
| Project stage | Objectives | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Project initiation |
|
|
| Project planning |
|
|
| Project execution |
|
|
| Project closure |
|
|
Project Management Standards
The following three project management standards have been accepted worldwide:
- Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), Project Management Institute (PMI),
- PRojects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE2), a standard which, like ITIL, was developed by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC)
- the IPMA Competence Baseline (ICB) of the International Project Management Association (IPMA).
Links
[1] John S Stewart. 'Quick Guide to PRINCE2®'. -- Blog IBPI (The International Best Practice Institute) www.ibpi.org, February 22, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
[2] Axelos - Global Best Practice. 'PRINCE2® Introductory Overview and Business Benefits White Papers'; 'PRINCE2® Technical White Papers'. -- Axelos, www.axelos.com. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
IT Process Wiki: Project Management Templates
→ Proceed to: Templates, checklists and tips for project management
Notes
By: Andrea Kempter , IT Process Maps.
Definition ›Success factors ›Project organization ›Project stages ›PM templates
Management tools, if they are used appropriately, can be powerful enablers of change and actions in companies. They can, for example, help define and execute the strategy, engage with customers and employees and monitor performance.
I am always interested to see which tools are most popular and how the popularity of the various management tools is shifting and changing. A great insight into this is provided by Bain's Management Tools and Trends Survey. This study conducted by Bain & Company gives us a global picture of the adoption and trends of management tools. It has been produced annually since 1993 and is now covering 12,371 respondents from North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America.
The results of the recently revealed 2013 survey show that the world's top five management tools are:
- Strategic Planning
- Customer Relationship Management
- Employee Engagement Surveys
- Benchmarking
- Balanced Scorecard
To see strategic planning on the list is not really surprising. It has always been important but when the economic climate is tough then making sure all efforts are focused on the most important things is vital. In difficult times companies haven't got the luxury of wasting time and money on things that are not really important and don't contribute to their strategy. While the strategic planning is getting better in most companies, the strategy execution isn't. Research finds that only 10% of strategies, even of those that are well formulated, are well executed. I find that the communication of the strategy is often poor and most mission and vision statements exemplify that. (See e.g. What The Heck is Wrong With Mission and Vision Statements?)
If strategy execution is a problem then it is good to see the Balanced Scorecard in the list of top 5 tools. In fact, it ranks as the number one tool in Europe, Middle East and Africa. The Balanced Scorecard can take the output from strategic planning and turn it into something the companies can execute. The Balanced Scorecard helps companies to execute their strategy by (1) creating a simple one-page strategy map that outlines the most important strategic objectives, (2) monitoring the strategy execution with meaningful and relevant Key Performance Indicators, and (3) ensuring the correct action plans are in place to deliver the strategic priorities. You can argue that the Balanced Scorecard follows on from strategic planning to ensure the strategy is turned into practice. And again, in difficult economic climates companies need to ensure and monitor that they are doing the right things. (See my recent post: What The Heck is a.. Balanced Scorecard?)
Benchmarking goes hand-in-hand with the Balanced Scorecard. Key Performance Indicators can only generate meaningful insights if they are compared with targets and benchmarks. Benchmarks can come from within the company by comparing departments and business units or can come from industry research or best practice studies. This is again a reflection of the current economic struggles many companies are facing. Companies need to make sure they stay ahead or close to the competition. Introducing some competitiveness into their systems with benchmarked performance goals and targets for everyone can boost productitivty. (See my recent post: What The Hell is a.. KPI?)
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is increasingly being used by companies as they try to drive up customer loyalty and maximise cross-selling opportunities and customer profitability. Most companies know by now that it is cheaper to keep existing customers than it is to acquire new ones. The data and insights that come out of customer relationship management systems can then be used to identify cross-selling and up-selling opportunities. Many of my clients are now using CRM systems to better understand customer life-time values and predictive customer trends. This in turn is useful information that should feed into the customer perspective of the Balanced Scorecard.
Finally, we have Employee Engagement Surveys in the list of top 5 management tools. After all, employees are still our most valuable (and often most expensive) assets. The global war for top talent is still raging and every company wants to hold on to the talent it has acquired or developed. Similarly to customers, it usually costs a lot of money to recruit and train new employees. We also know engaged employee are not only more loyal but also more productive. And every inch of productivity is vital in today's competitive global economy. Similarly to the customer information, the data from employee engagement surveys feeds into the people perspective of the Balanced Scorecard.
In my job I spend a lot of time helping companies improve their performance and for me, these five make an eminently sensible list of tools to use for any organisation today, be it a global blue chip, a small or medium sized company or a government agency. They all need solid strategic plans, a tool to execute their plan and ways to monitor and evaluate progress. At the same time they all need to ensure they manage their customers and engage their employees.
List Of Tools A Z
The Bain survey also finds that 4 out of the top 5 tools fall into the top quadrant for user satisfaction levels. The only one that lags a little behind is employee engagement surveys, which again is something I can verify from my own experience. In so many cases it is just a statutory process or a PR activity, rather than a true survey of staff engagement. Having said that, in practice I also see many problems with the other 4 tools, which are often implemented in a 'we should have this' and 'we have to follow this process' way. Instead, they are most effective when they are based on real buy-in and understanding and when they are customised to the specific needs of the company.
As always, please let me know what you think. Do you agree with this list and my interpretation of why they are in the top 5? Have you got any good or bad experiences with any of these? Any comments or lessons to share? Please do so..
------
Bernard Marr is an enterprise performance expert who helps companies with their strategic planning, balanced scorecards, KPIs and benchmarking as well as the development of customer and staff engagement analysis. Click 'Follow' if you would like to hear more from Bernard in the future.
You might also like to read some of his other recent posts:
