Steve Beeler

You have a goal…I have a way to get you there.

Gantt chart

Capacity Expansion

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I am providing fractional leadership on a capacity expansion project. What are the key deliverables in the initial workplan?

Capacity Expansion

The project is likely to have a 12 to 18 month timeline. Therefore, it is essential to build a solid foundation with basic project management tools: a project plan, a Gantt chart, and a punch list.  For a capacity expansion project, there are a few additional early deliverables.

Project Plan

A project blueprint to fully define what must be accomplished is an absolute requirement.  What are the must haves and nice to haves?  What are the strategic considerations?  Who is on the project team?  What are the success metrics?  What are the volume and mix forecasts?  When must the added capacity come on-stream?  What is the investment budget?

I like to outline my project plans in Word.  Outlines are fast.  🙂

Current State Analysis

In addition to adding capacity, it would be a great thing to improve operationally.  A current state analysis will find waste reduction opportunities that can be incorporated into the capacity expansion.  The two primary analysis tools are process maps and spaghetti diagrams.

Capacity Model

Future demand is uncertain.  How do machine and labor hours scale across volume and product mix scenarios?  What is the best location for the production constraint?

capacity model

These clearly are very important questions.  Building a capacity model is another essential step towards a robust capacity plan…and a successful capacity expansion.  Now before the first shovel is in the ground is the time to properly size machines and strategically locate the production constraint.

Blue Sky Plant Layout

What does the ideal plant look like?  It is far too early for a detailed CAD drawing but not too soon to be thinking about orientation and location of major plant elements: receiving, production departments, maintenance, shipping, etc.  If there are “monuments” that must be worked around, now is a great time to know.

Blue Sky plant layout

The blue sky plant layout should be covered in notes.  What are the assumptions behind this “ideal” plant?  Use it to capture process improvement and automation opportunities and any other operational changes to reduce incremental headcount.

Resource / Skills Gaps

As the scope of the capacity expansion begins to come into focus, assess skills and resources. What gaps need to be filled?

Most likely there will be a need for fractional leadership to manage the capacity expansion work bubble.  If there is new technology in the blue sky plant layout, it will take time to get the organization ready for it.

Milestones and Deliverables

Big projects benefit from careful design.  Pull decisions and “risky” tasks (anything requiring an invention, regulatory approvals, etc) as far forward as possible.  Establish milestone reviews with defined deliverables to keep things moving forward.  Ideally, the second half of the project will be all about execution.

Gantt Chart

A Gantt chart is a picture of the project.  What are the key events?  What independent activities can be done in parallel?  What dependent activities must be done in sequence?  When are key events due?

Punch List

Right from the start of the initial workplan, there will be a growing list of assignments across the organization.  A punch list captures assignments, due dates, and outcomes.

capacity expansion

In total, these initial actions will deliver a solid project plan and will prevent many headaches going forward.  For more on the basic project management tools (including how to build a Gantt chart and set up a punch list), click HERE.

Managing projects, big and small, is a big part of my day job as a Professional Engineer.  Visit my Project Management page for methods and case studies.

Steve Beeler on forklift

Project Management Tools

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Project Management

Project management is a mix of art and science. Here are three project management tools that you should have in your toolkit. None are complicated and together they provide breadth and depth in project definition, design, and control.

Project Plan

A critical early (if not first!) step in project management is to paint a picture of the project: who, what, where, when, and how. The more complete the picture, the more likely is success.

The project plan describes the project in its entirety: deliverables, timing, people, market and financial analyses, etc. This document goes by a variety of names. A business plan for a startup. A product direction letter for a new gizmo. A statement of work for software installation.

I outline my project plans in Word. Outlines are fast. Fast to write. Fast to read. Fast to edit. Fast to change.

What differs from one situation to another are the main project headings.

Fourteen headings were needed to paint the picture of the FF50th, a large event that a I recently managed: Objectives, When and Where, Leadership Team, Car Eligibility, Tire Rules, Driver Eligibility, and so on.

Another set of headings were needed for a cleantech startup: Executive Summary, Market Opportunity, Technology, Product, Competition, Management Team, Business Model, Manufacturing Plan, Financials, Risks, etc.

Now that everyone sees the big picture, the next tool is a Gantt chart to break the project down into sequential and parallel workstreams.

Gantt Chart

A Gantt chart is a great way to visualize project tasks: start dates, end dates, what can be done in parallel, what must be done in sequence. Here’s how to build one:How to Build a Gantt Chart

A Gantt chart is a matrix of tasks and time. As few as two dozen tasks are often enough. Depending on project duration, time increments can be in days, weeks, or months.

I do Gantt charts in Excel. List tasks down the left in start date order. If two or more tasks start on the same date, use end dates to break ties. Simply fill cells between start / finish dates with the color of your choice to illustrate task timing.

Write Gantt chart line items in a “do something” format: design logo, assemble prototype, etc. Pairing an action with an object provides clear, concise task definition. Building in milestones or touchpoints is a great way to keep everyone focused on project deliverables and moving forward.

The depth of a Gantt chart in a time period indicates how many tasks must be worked on simultaneously. If your Gantt chart goes vertical, spread out the work.

Any line item on the Gantt chart that requires an invention, regulatory approval, or some other significant uncertainty must be managed carefully. I pull risky line items as far forward as possible to provide extra time. No Rube Goldberg stuff on my critical path!

Next tool: a punch list with detailed who, what, and when assignments.

Punch List

Like a Gantt chart, a punch list is a matrix with tasks down the left. That’s where the similarity ends. While a Gantt chart provides big-picture visualization, a punch list captures specific assignments. Here’s how to build one:How to Build a Punch List

I also do punch lists in Excel. List tasks down the left. Order is not important…the tasks will be sorted many times as the project moves forward. Write punch list line items in a “do something” format to provide clear, concise task definition. Punch list tasks will be much more specific than the workstreams on your Gantt chart.

Each line item will have columns to capture its status, who it is assigned to, and when it is due. The comments capture recent actions, next steps, agreements, decisions, and other news. This is the project’s memory…write good comments and update them frequently!

A risk column can highlight higher risk tasks. Uncertainty demands extra attention. Get an early start on these items and watch them like a hawk.

I like a countdown to the project’s due date front and center…the clock is ticking!

A punch list can grow unwieldy with additional line items as a project moves forward. Color coding and sorting help highlight what needs attention and when.

Project Management Tools

Turn your project management into more science than art with these three project management tools.  Fast and nimble, you can always know where you are and what you need to be working on next.

Do you have a project to manage? Click HERE to ping me. I will be happy to help you set up your project management tools.

Event Management

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What makes an event a special project management challenge? Everything has to be ready in the first minute! In automotive, there is a “Job One” date when the first car rolls off a new assembly line. After Job One, production ramps up as problems are solved. In event management, there is no such luxury. When the gates open, it is go time.

I recently completed a two-and-a-half year adventure in the planning and organization of Formula Ford’s 50th anniversary celebration at Road America. The FF50th was a very complex five day event with a full slate of racing and off track activities The FF50th was not perfect but it was pretty good.

FF50th Group Photo
A timeless image of an historic occasion (courtesy Jay Bonvouloir)

Keys to Success

Here are some keys to successful event management:

First, write a business plan that paints a picture of the event. Thoroughly think through the who, what, where, when, and why. I outlined the FF50th business plan. Outlines are easy to edit and can be read quickly by busy people. Eleven headings fully scoped the FF50th: Objectives, Where and When, Sanctioning Body, Leadership Team, Car Eligibility, Driver Eligibility, Race Groups, On-Track Schedule, Surprise & Delights, Communication Channels, and Budget.

Next, start thinking about the how. That’s where the “traditional” project management tools come into play, first a Gantt chart followed later by a punch list. The timing plan should pull decisions as far forward as possible to provide more slack time for all the little details. Remember: an event has a hard deadline…get ready for it!

Event Management Gantt Chart
FF50th Gantt chart

The Gantt chart defines blocks of work and timing at a “big picture” level.  The punch list gets into the nitty gritty of who and when at the task level.  It is also a good place to capture decisions and other project data.  The Gantt chart is updated infrequently.  The last revision to the FF50th’s Gantt chart was made eight months out.  One the other hand, the punch list changes about every time something happens.  In practical terms, that means daily (more on this below).

FF50th Punch List
First page of FF50th punch list

With the picture painted and a work plan taking shape, the next step is to recruit people to work on the event. No doubt the right people are the single most important key to successful event management (and anything else I can think of, for that matter). Find people who will start with your picture and then surprise you daily with something better.

The last key to successful event management is a new project management trick that I learned while doing the FF50th. About six weeks out, the world was spinning just a little too fast for my punch list…all the little details! To slow things down, I drew up a short list of twelve deliverables that had to be done right and on time. Then frequently during the day, I reviewed the list asking a simple question: Is there something that I need to do NOW to make this deliverable happen? If the answer was yes, then that e-mail was written or that phone call was made right then and there.

Event Management Short List

The short list eventually grew to nineteen deliverables. Even so, the world slowed down and the “must haves” all fell into place.

Steve Beeler

So there you have it, an event management road map. Now go out there and deliver an epic event!  Click HERE to let me know how you are doing.