Many companies recognize the tremendous benefit of transitioning to web based project management from less efficient methods, yet fail to make the transition successfully. Lean Project Manager was designed to dramatically increase the chances of success by providing software that is extremely easy to use while still delivering the main benefits.
A large number of organizations interested in transitioning to web based project management are currently using PM methods like excel spreadsheets, email, and decentralized or poorly organized document storage to web based project management choose software products that are too complex and difficult to use. It is easy for these organizations to get lured into thinking that it is better to make as large a leap forward as possible while management has the appetite for change. Yet our experience indicates that this thinking is most often the primary reason for failure. When we analyzed why these transitions fail we found the following:
Often workgroups expected to use the software were very diverse and included team members that would not tolerate any level of software complexity. These workgroup members existed at both on the front lines and in the top management office. Companies choosing products that included many features experienced the following negative impacts: resistance, confusion, higher training costs, higher administration and maintenance costs, and a lack of standardization. These negative impacts ultimately proved greater than management was prepared to overcome and the project either failed or produced less than the expected result.
Jim Womack, coauthor of several books about Lean Enterprise said it best in his most recent book, Lean Solutions, when he stated, “The problem with most process improvement efforts is simple. The people who perform the value-creating steps in a process do their tasks well only when three conditions are met: when they can see the whole process, when they understand the logic of the whole process and the need for the change, and when they believe in the virtue of the new process. The only way to achieve these three conditions is to involve the people actually touching the process in the analysis of the current process and the design of a better process.”
Based on the above statement it seems the answer is simple; form a team, convince them of the virtue of a new process, enlist their help to design a new process and then purchase software to match the new process. Unfortunately, our experience has shown that when it comes to web based project management, most people need to work with a product that is easy to use and provides the core benefits, to become convinced of the virtue of this new approach.
Lean Project Manager was designed to overcome these obstacles to a successful transition to web based project management. The product was designed to be part of a strategic approach to educate workgroups about the benefits of web based project management without being a burden to the users. This approach has proven very successful. Once customers make a successful transition they often request minor customization to make the product their own. We encourage customers to take advantage of the opportunity to have the product customized. Customization increasing the sense of ownership and firmly establishes the improved process.
Systemental, the company behind Lean Project Manager, is committed to the above strategy and stands ready to provide the functionality you need to get started; then, as required, to provide the exact functionality you need in the future through our approach of software development “delivered at the pull of the customer and the speed of engagement”. SysteMental, Inc. is dedicated to helping executives meet their most difficult objectives. We do not believe in false starts, shortcuts or rework. The company has built a successful track record by taking a strategic approach to process improvement success.
The marketplace is changing. Business executives are looking for the best approach to rapid business process improvement. The best approaches are designed to educate your workforce, engage them in the improvement process and deliver exactly the tools and functionality they need, when they need them. Systemental and the Lean Project Manager Support Team have the just such an approach for companies wanting to make a successful transition to web based project management – Start Simple, Engage Your Workforce, Improve.
