Author Archives: Peter Frans

Effective Project Close-out

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The practice of project close-out finalizes all project activities completed across all phases of the project to formally close the project and transfer the completed or cancelled project as appropriate. The purpose of project closeout is to assess the project, ensure completion, and derive any lessons learned and best practices to be applied to future projects. However, in multi-phase projects, the close-out practice may be applied at various stages of the project; upon deliverable completion, upon phase completion, upon iteration … Continue reading →

HR Management Planning Tools

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HR MANAGEMENT PLANNING TOOLS HR professionals are constantly looking for new tools. Below is a list of pro-active HR planning tools that might help you to improve your companies competitive advantage. Corporate Head count “Fat” Assessment Plan Ever wonder why the decision that we need layoffs seems to come up as a surprise? Why not establish a set of assessment tools that will let you know in advance where head count and overhead costs are excessive. Redeployment / Agility Plans … Continue reading →

An Effective Leader is Decisive !

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Decision-making is a basic ingredient of leadership. It is not important whether the leader actually comes up with the proposed actions or simply endorses them. The key is that the leader does make decisions. He or she overcomes the fear of failing or being second-guessed. A leader gathers as many facts as possible, consults with stakeholders and then decided on a course of actions. Once the decision is made the effective leader does not waste time on second thoughts. The … Continue reading →

Problem Solving & Decision Making

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INTRODUCTION You most probably have heard the old cliché “there are no problems, only opportunities.’ This might sound like pie-in-the-sky optimism to anyone stuck in the middle of a difficult puzzle or a stressful people problem. However, by using the proven, logical problem-solving and decision-making system, you indeed can create opportunities from problems. Additionally, the biggest problem-solving mistake is dealing with the symptoms of a problem rather than its “root causes.” Sometimes, even the “experts” don’t find the fundamental reason … Continue reading →

Human Relations & Motivation

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Anton, a technical specialist at a Pharmaceutical Company, left his manager’s office and walked back to his desk. He sat there quietly for a moment staring at the window wall that faced the area he shared with several other technicians. Suddenly, Anton picked up the heavy urn that held the dozens of colored pens he used in his work. As his colleagues looked up from their desks, Anton dumped the pens on the floor and smiled at them. He stood … Continue reading →

Why Organizations Are Struggling

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Most organizational structures have evolved over many years under a variety of executives. Structural adjustments were made to accommodate new strategies, technologies and services, special projects, and occasionally to handle personal career issues. Periodically, job descriptions and working relationships were changed as cyclic pressures for centralization and decentralization were felt. The resulting organizational structures seemed reasonable at the time, but now they may, in fact, be haphazard and dysfunctional. The purpose of an organization is to process more variety than … Continue reading →

Project Initiation

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The objective of a project initiation is to take the ideas and intentions of a group of people who see the need for a project in their organization and convert them into a formal, planned, resourced and funded project, in a way that : clearly and explicitly defines the objectives and the overall scope of the project, develops an overall schedule of activities and resources (project plan) required to carry out the whole project, develops a detailed schedule of activities … Continue reading →

The Problem Of Fragmentation

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In my practice assisting organizations to plan and implement Change , we often encounter organizations with ‘fragmentation” problem. They continually fragment problems into pieces; yet the challenges they face are almost always systemic. According to Senge & Deming, this fact may have its roots in early childhood. Since our first school days, we learn to break the world apart and disconnect ourselves from it. We memorize isolated facts, read static accounts of history, study abstract theories, and acquire ideas unrelated … Continue reading →

Developing Innovative Organizations

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Innovation rarely, if ever, just happens. It requires imagination, coordination and a sense of purpose. Sad to say, a great many boardrooms lack some or all of those qualities. So it’s not that surprising that some companies find it hard to innovate. Before we look at how you – as chief executive or as an ordinary manager – can create an environment where innovation will flourish, we should first demolish several common and highly pervasive myths. First Myth The first … Continue reading →

How to get strategic plans implemented

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People are often reluctant to commit time and resources to a planning process because of the fear of the plan “ending up in file number 13.” This article addresses a key question regarding the strategic plan: What can I do to ensure the plan does not end up in file number 13? There are three main areas that must be addressed to ensure that the planning process and resulting strategic plan are valuable and useful for the organization: The process … Continue reading →