Checklist Management Discipline

Introduction

Humans are terrible at remembering things. We are easily distracted. It has been said that the human mind was built for having ideas, not holding them. It makes sense, that in the time before writing was universal, and paper and writing implements were inexpensive and readily available, that we invented mnemonic devices; techniques to improve the ability to remember something. The ancient Greeks would use these techniques to memorize epic stories and poems, which is how we ended up with the works of Homer and others, once writing was developed. 

Everyone I know who is really successful has a system they use for making a list of the things they need to do, and they refer to that list often throughout their work day and week. But why? It seems like the short list of what any individual needs to do in a day should be amongst the simplest thing in the world. Why are the most successful people compelled to use checklists to make sure they don’t forget to do what they need to do? It’s not like any individual workday is near the complexity of coordinating 20-50 businesses in constructing a big building; or assembling a car or smartphone; or analyzing a complex litigated matter with 10 to 100 parties and hundreds of allegations across thousands of locations, and then writing a near-perfect report that’s hundreds of pages long. It’s just 2 or 3 or 15 things to do that day! And yet, this daily “To Do” checklist is invaluable for success. 

The Use of Checklists in the Modern World

1. Daily To-Do Lists

2. Pilots

3. Modern Medicine, especially in surgery

4. Contract Scope of Work

5. Project Management

6. Job Descriptions

7. Building Inspectors

8. Construction Contractor’s “Punch-Lists”

9. Quality Control / Management Systems of all kinds, especially in complex manufacturing where nearly zero defects are expected.

10. Risk Identification & Management

11. Event Planning

12. Hiring / Human Resources in Business

13. Workplace / Jobsite Safety including Hazard Identification, Ladder Safety

14. Building Maintenance including Cleaning Checklist

15. Vehicle Inspection

16. Training

17. Marketing

18. Behavioral Assessment

19. Skills Assessment

20. Operational Procedures like assembling a piece of furniture or machinery

Checklist Manifesto and Extreme Complexity

“The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right” (2011) by Atul Gawande, who is a seriously amazing human, is a book about dealing with the "Extreme Complexity" that has become a part of so much of our working lives. The bottom line is this: Whether you are a surgeon, a pilot, a builder, a lawyer, or the manufacturer of a complex product, the world is now so complex that elimination of errors is virtually impossible without checklist discipline. 

Use of Checklists by Pilots

from The Checklist Manifesto.

In October 1935, US Army Air Corps brass gathered at an airfield in Dayton, Ohio. They’d come to see two aircraft builders pit their planes against each other in a series of trials, with the best-performed aircraft getting its builder a lucrative contract for new long-range bombers. In theory, the two rivals, Boeing Corporation and Martin & Douglas, had an equal chance of winning the contract. But in reality, the result seemed a foregone conclusion.

The smaller Martin & Douglas plane just couldn’t compete with Boeing’s bigger, more powerful Model 299. This imposing aircraft boasted a 103-foot wingspan, four engines (the norm was two), five times the specified number of bombs, and twice the range of its predecessors. Rumour had it that the army had pretty much already decided to order 65 of what one newspaperman had dubbed ‘the flying fortress’.

The Model 299, carrying five crew members, made for an impressive sight as it taxied onto the runway and then roared off to rise gracefully into the sky. But as the army chiefs and manufacturing executives looked on, the plane stalled at 300 feet, tipped sharply and crashed to the ground. Two of the crew were killed, including the pilot, Major Ployer P. Hill.

An investigation found that Major Hill had been preoccupied with the many procedures required to fly the complex new plane, from monitoring the variable oil–fuel mix in each engine to adjusting the pitch of the constant-speed propellers. Because of this, he’d forgotten to release the rudder and elevator controls. But while the tragedy was blamed on ‘pilot error’, the implication was that the Model 299 was too complicated to be safe – as one reporter put it, it was ‘too much airplane for one man to fly’. The army contract was awarded to Martin & Douglas; Boeing’s business was ruined almost to the point of bankruptcy.

But some in the Army Air Corps still thought the Model 299 was the better aircraft. So a group of test pilots got together to work out how further accidents could be avoided. They ruled out more training – Major Hill had been in charge of flight testing and couldn’t have been more experienced. Instead, they came up with a stunningly simple idea. Previously, flying a plane had been fairly easy for a pilot to manage. But aeronautical advances now meant there were too many things going on in the cockpit for one person to handle. What was needed, the test pilots decided, was a checklist.

The pilots kept their checklist straightforward but comprehensive, including even the most obvious actions – release the brakes, close all doors and windows, unlock the elevator controls, and so on. Everything a pilot needed to remember was there, on a single index card. And it did the trick. Using their checklist, the pilots flew the Model 299 for a total of 1.8 million miles without incident. The Army Air Corps subsequently ordered thousands of the flying fortresses, renaming them B-17s and using them to devastating effect during World War 2.

Brown M&Ms

I grew up in the late 1970s and early 80s. In the days before the internet there were “urban legends” that are now WAY to easy to debunk using Snopes.com or some similar site. So of course, there were urban legends about the rock band Van Halen, because they were as big as bands get. The rumor was that they were such fussy prima donnas that their contract called for silly things like having M&Ms candy in a bowl with all the brown one’s removed. Crazy, right!? And the legend went that if the band showed up and there were brown M&Ms in the bowl, they would tear the place apart in a rage! Now who would bother to make someone remove the brown M&Ms!? And who would care about a detail so small as forgetting to remove the brown M&Ms? So, at that time, we all assumed it was just one of the many exaggerated urban legends that was not true. But it wasn’t an exaggeration! It was all true!! 

We got our hands on 11 pages (of more than 40) of the infamous 1982 Van Halen contract and "rider," or instructions that dictated all the brown M&Ms be removed. The instructions (or rider) portion that we have is 7 pages, pages 35 to 41, of 41 total pages. Page one of the contract portion states clearly: "All provisions are spelled out in great detail in order to prevent any misunderstandings and to present to your customers the finest in contemporary entertainment," as well as "All provisions must be adhered to strictly." Of the 7 pages of rider we have, there are more than 200 distinct instructions. If the previous pages were similarly dense, then there were between 1,000-1,500 distinct instructions. The infamous M&M's instruction says "(WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES)." This in instruction is the 41st instruction on page 40 of the rider. Page 40 contains a total of 62 unique instructions. 

From interviews with the band many years later, this is one of the quality control functions that would, if not followed, warn band members and management that the promoter did not run a organizationally mature business, capable of following the really important instructions in putting the stage, electrical, and lighting together in a way that was safe for the band and the audience. They were touring with many giant trucks full of staging and other equipment that if not handled with care and professionalism could easily cause injury and death. So they needed a simple way to judge the quality of the organization. If they saw brown M&Ms, they knew they needed to quality check 100% of the safety related tenants of the checklist. And they claim that there was a close relationship to the quality of the work by promoters who had organizations who could follow the checklist close enough to make sure the brown M&Ms were removed, to those that also quality checked every aspect of the safety requirements in that same document. 

Sensible Lists

I have an entire post and an absurd number of trainings related to making sensible lists. Let me just say that making a sensible checklist that generally conforms with the rules of a work breakdown structure makes Checklist Management Discipline MUCH easier. The point is that all of the to-do items should be in a sensible order, in sensible categories. And if you tell me that “sensible” is way too subjective, then you may have already been fired ;-) It’s not that subjective. And since we now test every employee on the way in to verify they can make a sensible list (people who can make them are REALLY surprised at what a large percentage of the population cannot do so), you’re going to be fine. 

But just to refresh your memory, copy Section 2 of this training (The Use of Checklists in the Modern World) into a project note on your Training Project. Now make this a "sensible" list. 

Quality Management

Anyone who started driving in the 1980s or earlier remembers that cars used to break down; a lot. Or they would not start when you went out in the morning. It was just a fact of life. Getting stuck on the side of the freeway, and using a call box to summon help, was just not that big a deal because it was common. But now, I can’t remember the last time my car would not start or that I was stranded. I can’t even remember the last time I had a flat tire! And the difference is the application of quality management principles. The names of this collection of quality tools has evolved over time, and are now generally referred to as Lean Six Sigma. 

FANCY NAMES AND TOOLS ASIDE, ALL QUALITY CONTROL SYSTEMS ARE QUITE SIMILAR: 

1. Figure out the best way to do something.

2. Make a simple checklist of that process.

3. Teach everyone who works the process how to do what needs to be done.

4. Continuously verify conformance with the process by looking at the checklist. The best companies take that event further:

5. Continuously measure and report on the process.

6. Try to improve the process.

7. If improvement attempts succeed, then make a new checklist.

8. Teach everyone who works in the process how to do what needs to be done.

9. Continuously verify conformance with the process by looking at the checklist.

10. Repeat steps 5 to 9 forever.

“Lean” is a tool kit for removing waste from processes (doing only the right things). “Six Sigma” is a set techniques intended to decrease variability from the standard (doing the right things right) and reduce the probability of error or defect down to a maximum of 3.4 defects per million opportunities. It is used by virtually all manufacturers of our favorite products (Apple, Samsung, every airplane and auto manufacturer, etc.).

Now think about even the simplest construction project. There are, at minimum, hundreds of moving parts. And much of the litigation we see is because of the mismanagement of this "Extreme Complexity." We, as testifying experts, need to be masters of what the people we represent have failed at. We need to be able to manage checklists containing hundreds of items, make sensible lists out of those hundreds, thousands, and sometimes hundreds-of-thousands of pieces of data (including documents), and then explain it all to my (Pete's) mom. 

We know from science and experience that "Human behavior is a function of it's consequences." We can talk and write until we are blue in the face about what to do and how to do it. But we know that if we don't "inspect what we expect," then we won't get what we expect. It's just a fact of life. And the best way to train people is to let them try doing a task, and then giving immediate feedback. So that is what we do. We all need to help each other to master these skills, and go offer constructive feedback immediately when we see work that does not conform with our super high standards. 

A Strange Phenomenon

People will mindlessly check a box, even if the action was not taken, or the prompt to think about something was not thought about. It’s deeply fascinating (maddening, really). I don’t know what to say other than, for some people, we have to “inspect what we expect” until they have proven to have the discipline to REALLY use the checklist every time. 

Using Checklists in Our Work

In our work, we often use these operational checklists:

1. Building Rehabilitation Process & Packages

2. Awesome Customer Experience - Claims & Litigation: All Projects

3. Awesome Customer Experience - All Projects: First 10 Things (Basic Analysis)

4. Building Performance Analysis Process

5. MAMA Meeting Management Method

6. OMMA-Goodness Project Management Method

7. Audits

8. Inspections

9. Reports

10. Our Quality Journey

11. Many more…

In general, our checklists and audits are a prompt to THINK. Virtually nothing in our work is just rote clicking or mindless data entry. Every click or sentence we write requires thought. So our checklists are used to make sure we think about all of the things that will give us the closest thing to a guarantee of success. 

OMMA-Goodness!™ Project Management Framework: In Brief

Successful management of projects is difficult, especially with lots of parties involved and more things to do than you can keep together in your mind, or even in your day-planner. A Project Management system is the closest thing we have to a guarantee of success. The OMMA-Goodness!™ Project Management Framework is a simple process that distills the fundamentals of effectively bringing people together to accomplish a project objective. You will not only succeed in accomplishing your objective, the people you work with will say “OMMA-Goodness!™, what a great project manager!”

“OMMA-Goodness!™” is a memory aid (mnemonic device) that stands for Objective, Method, Milestones and Actions. The OMMA-Goodness!™ Project Management Framework begins with a clearly stated objective and a one-minute summary, which are used to orient the team and help maintain focus. We step through a proven method in a project planning meeting to refine our project plan in multiple passes, keeping our critical data organized in the milestones section, and clarifying the scope with a Work Break-Down Structure. We then identify actions required to complete the milestones. From there we estimate duration and decide when and by whom actions will be performed, which gives us budget and schedule data. At the end of the project planning meeting we set the date and time for the first of our regular project status meetings where we compare progress to plan, which creates a natural feedback loop that leads toward success without relying solely on hope, the force genius, or on natural organizational skill. The method naturally lends itself to a built-in quality control mechanism using hold-points.

Planning Steps

Read straight through the steps. Return after reading the Example, referring to definitions of the Project Management Terms as you go.

1. Select a Project Manager (or Coordinator) who will accept full responsibility for management and execution of the Plan. Print, open or draw a Project Plan form.

2. Write your Objective; then “One Minute Summary” the basic project info.

3. Select a Method or use 7-W’s: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, and How Much.

4. Make a first-pass brainstorm of Milestones and Deliverables.

5. Quickly list Actions to complete the known Milestones; don’t linger in details yet.

6. Convene a Project Planning Meeting. Begin with the One Minute Summary. Update the Objective. Brainstorm more Milestones and Actions. Refine the Scope into a Work Break-Down Structure. Brainstorm the Schedule and Budget. Finalize Milestones, assign Actions and estimate durations. Set the Project Status Meeting date.

7. Following the planning meeting, update the Project Plan; refine the Objective, use the Method check-list to ensure the Plan is complete, update Milestones including Hold-Points, complete the list of Actions and assign “Priority, Who, When, Duration and Cost” for each.

8. Organize, lead, direct and manage execution of the Actions.

9. Compare progress to the Scope, Budget and Schedule in an Earned Value Analysis.

10. Conduct a Project Status Meeting; compare performance to plan; update the Plan.

11. Repeat steps 8-10 as necessary. The last “Project Status” is a “Project Close”.

Example

1. Carl’s Construction is planning their next Project, called Otto’s Outhouse, using their Project Management Framework. Pepe is a new Project Manager. To avoid the distraction of struggling with a technology-based solution, Pepe will use a new spiral notebook, which will also serve as his project diary, instead of a Project Plan form. He formatted the Plan on two opposing pages; Objective, Method and Milestones on the left, Actions on the right including columns for Description, Priority, Who, When, Duration and Cost.

2. Pepe modified the standard company Objective: “We will complete the Otto Outhouse as promised, within budget and schedule. We will earn referrals from the client and the planned profits.” (See attached Project Plan form)

3. Pepe’s used the 7-W’s Method. He summarized his project using each line in the method: (1.) Who: Owner = Otto. GC = Carl’s Construction. Roofer = Ron’s Roofing. (2.) What: New outhouse 4 feet square, 8 feet tall. (3.) When: Next Week. (4.) Where: 100 feet from existing residence. (5.) Why: Old one blew over. (6.) How: Two doors and one interior seat. Wood frame, wood siding, wood shingle sloped roof. (7.) How Much: Fixed price contract for $4,693.95.

4. Pepe’s first-pass brainstorm of Milestones and Deliverables was easy since he composed the estimate, Carl already signed the contract with the Owners, and the company always begins with a Scope, Budget and Schedule on the list. Estimate categories included: Grading & Excavation, Framing, Roofing, and Final Clean-Up so Pepe added these as Milestones. He also knew they needed to get a permit and have a final inspection.

5. Pepe listed Actions to complete the known Milestones, but didn’t linger in details yet.

6. Pepe and Carl met for a Project Planning Meeting and began with the One Minute Summary. They updated the Objective and brainstormed more Milestones and Actions, including adding the Estimate and Contract with the Owner both marked as DONE, as well as the contract with the Roofer that was not yet complete. They decided to use the list of Milestones as the Work Break-Down Structure which would serve as their Scope summary for what they agreed to in the Contract with the Owner. Pepe used the WBS as the outline for a Budget and Schedule. They set a date and time for the first Project Status Meeting which Carl insisted happen before construction started, so the meeting became a Hold-Point.

7. After the Planning Meeting, Pepe updated the Plan, refined the Objective, used the Method as a check-list to ensure the Plan was complete, updated the Milestones, and completed the list of Actions, assigning “Priority, Who, When, Duration and Cost” for each item.

8. Pepe organized and managed execution of the Actions, marking those completed as DONE.

9. Pepe completed all pre-construction activities, updated the Plan, Scope, Budget and Schedule, and prepared an Earned Value Analysis. He prepared an Agenda for his meeting with Carl.

10. As planned, Pepe met with Carl to compare his progress to plan in a Project Status Meeting. Carl was thrilled! They walked through the agenda and composed and prioritized a list of actions to move through construction, including: a Project Kick-Off Meeting, beginning and inspecting grading & excavation, beginning and inspecting framing, Project Status Meeting #2, beginning and inspecting roofing, final sign-off of the permit, final clean-up, Project Status (Close) Meeting #3 and sending all project documents to storage.

Example Project Plan

Objective

“We will complete Otto’s Outhouse as promised, within budget and schedule. We will earn referrals from the client and the planned profits.”

Method

• What: New outhouse 4 feet square, 8 feet tall.

• Who: Owner = Otto. GC = Carl’s Construction. Roofer = Ron’s Roofing.

• When: Next Week.

• Where: 100 feet from existing residence.

• Why: Old one blew over.

• How: Two doors and one interior seat. Wood frame, wood siding, wood shingle sloped roof.

• How Much: Fixed price contract for $4,693.95.

 Milestones & Deliverables

1. Pre-Construction

   • Estimate

   • Contract with Owner, including the Scope

   • Budget

   • Schedule

   • Permit: Get it.

   • Contract with Roofer

   • Agenda for Project Kick-Off Meeting

   • HOLD-POINT: Project Status Meeting #1

2. Construction

   • Milestone: Project Kick-Off Meeting

   • Grading & Excavation

   • Framing

   • Project Status Meeting #2

   • Roofing

   • Final Clean-Up

Project Close

• Permit: Final Sign-Off

• Application for Payment

• Project Status (Close) Meeting #3

Actions

Project Management Terms

1. Project: A temporary endeavor, that includes a beginning and an end, to create a product or service.

2. Project Management: The discipline of organizing and managing resources to deliver a defined outcome (Objective / Scope), within the constraints of the Budget and Schedule.

3. Project Manager (or Coordinator): A PM (or PC) is a professional responsible for planning, budgeting, scheduling and managing all project resources, including personnel, to deliver the project Objective; one who executes and follows-up on the Project Plan and reports Project Status.

4. Project Plan: A document that defines the project Objective, Method, Milestones, and Actions; contains a list of documents that define 100% of the Scope, Budget and Schedule.

5. Scope: The Scope of Work is the sum total (100%) of all a project’s products and their requirements or features, including all labor, materials and equipment required to complete it; a Scope document is the written representation (100%-summary) of the scope, often best depicted in a Work Break-Down Structure.

6. Budget: An itemized list of expected costs or available funds for a project or specified Scope, often based on the Work Break-Down Structure. A control mechanism to compare to actual expenses.

7. Schedule: A list or graphic of activities and associated dates, often based on a Work Break-Down Structure; may include who is responsible and how activities relate to each other. Common forms are the Bar (Gantt) Chart or Critical Path Method.

8. Objective: A concisely written goal of specific, measurable outcomes including a 100%-summary of the Scope, Budget and Schedule.

9. Milestone: An event that marks the completion of a Deliverable, a Hold-Point on a schedule, or a flag in the Project Plan to highlight completed work; often used to ensure project progress.

10. Deliverable: A measurable, tangible item produced during project execution. Some are external and subject to approval, but some are internal only.

11. Action: A discrete, specific, measurable task, often performed by an individual, usually between 1/10-hour and 8-hours and rarely more than 80-hours.

12. Hold-Point: Milestone or critical stage in a project for verifying conformance with plan or quality standards.

13. Problem-Solving: A learning situation involving more than one alternative from which a selection is made in order to attain a specific goal (Objective); usually to move the situation from where it is to the best available alternative. One METHOD: (1.) Define the Problem (2.) Identify Options (3.) Identify the Best Solution (4.) Plan How to Achieve the Best Solution (5.) Evaluate Results.

OMMA-Goodness!™ Components

1. One Minute Summary: An A to Z, 100%-summary “restatement of the obvious” to describe “who, what, when, where, why, how and how much” (7-W’s), in 250 words or less to orient everyone to the bigpicture before emersion into the details.

2. OMMA-Goodness!™ Project Planning Form: Planning form with sections for writing the Objective, Method, Milestones & Deliverables, and Actions for a project. For use in Project Planning, Project Planning Meetings and Project Status Meetings.

3. Method: A problem-solving framework or check-list that we apply the specific facts of our project to, as an aid in Project Planning. Some Methods have a check-list or “Menu of Deliverables”. EXAMPLES: Scientific Method, AA’s 12 Steps, Deming’s 14-Points, PMI’s 9 Categories and even the 5-W’s.

4. Menu of Deliverables (or Milestones): A list of common Deliverables (or Milestones) associated with a specific problem-solving method or project type, used as a check-list during project planning.

5. Project Planning Meeting: A meeting to perform a structured Problem-Solving session. AGENDA: 1. One Minute Summary, 2. Plan Review, 3. Review Scope, Budget & Schedule, 4. Method and Menu, 5. Brainstorming and Update Plan, 6. Update Actions, 7. Arrange Status Meeting. PM (or PC) deliver complete Project Plan following meeting.

6. Work Break-Down Structure (WBS): A project management technique for defining and organizing the total Scope using a hierarchical tree structure. The first two levels (the root node and Level 2) define a set of planned outcomes that collectively and exclusively represent a 100%-summary of the project Scope. At each subsequent level, the children of a parent node collectively and exclusively represent 100% of the scope of their parent node.

7. Earned Value Analysis (EVA): Technique for measuring progress which combines measurement of actual performance of Scope, Schedule, and Budget, organized using a Work Break-Down Structure, and compares them to plan in an integrated methodology.

8. Project Status Meeting: A meeting for a structured review of project progress compared to plan. AGENDA: 1. One Minute Summary, 2. Plan Review, 3. Review Scope, Budget & Schedule, 4. Old Business, 5. Method and Menu, 5. Performance Analysis, 6. New Business, 7. Brainstorming and Update Plan, 7. Update Actions, 8. Arrange Next Meeting. PM (or PC) deliver complete Project Plan following meeting.

9. Brainstorming: An activity used to generate many creative ideas that have no right or wrong answers and are accepted without criticism.

Copyright 2008, Pete Fowler

The PFCS Weekly Planning Method

Who, What, and Why

Getting the right things done is hard. I have never met a professional who does not struggle with it. The pace of modern life and business has quickened, the margin for error is smaller, and the pressure to produce results has increased.

I have studied the subject of personal productivity extensively. Mostly because being focused and productive do not come naturally for me. I've joked since the 90s that "If it weren't for spell-check and my day-planner, I would have to push the hamburger buttons at McDonald's." FranklinCovey company has a great system for Daily Time & Task Management, and we have been sending our employees through their programs for almost two decades. But I have yet to find a fully "engineered" system for translating "big-picture" goals, project management milestones, and individual action steps, into a reliable system for getting the right things done in our business; so I created my own.

Living in a way that integrates our values, big picture goals, plans and projects with your daily time and task management system is hard. I hope this helps. It's the best I have come up with so far. 

Everyone should agree that it is better to do the right thing slowly rather than doing the wrong thing fast, but how do we know if we are “digging in the right place” or not? The answer is Weekly Planning and daily focus on that plan. I have found that the best time for me to do this is the weekend before the upcoming week (except for Sunday night right before bed, which is a terrible idea if you're really busy), but any regularly scheduled time is probably OK.

All PFCS staff are obliged to come to our Weekly Staff Meeting with the following information:

1. What you are doing during business hours for the following week

2. What you have due (Deliverables) during the next week or in the near future

3. How much time do you have available during the next week

How: Summary

Let's be clear: This is "a" system, not "THE" system. It is one way that works for some people. If it does not work for you, then this system should at least be some help in developing your own system that allows you to exercise dominion over your schedule, rather than being a victim to the million little pieces of our work lives that can enslave us. For PFCS, the measure of success is simple: Can you consistently show up to our Weekly Staff Meeting with a plan for the next week that includes a schedule of where you are going to be, a list of what you have due, and an estimate of your available time.

Definitions for Key Terms

• Milestone: An event that marks the completion of a Deliverable, a Hold-Point on a schedule, or a flag in the Project Plan to highlight completed work; often used to ensure project progress. 10.

• Deliverable: A measurable, tangible item produced during project execution. Some are external and subject to approval, but some are internal only.

• Big Rocks: The most important things you have to accomplish. If you have not watched the Big Rocks Video by Franklin Covey, do so. It's awesome and 10-minutes very well spent. See the link in Awesome Resources at the bottom of this article.

To use this weekly planning system, first set aside time to plan the week ahead, print the Weekly Planning form, and either print a Weekly Calendar or use your normal calendar. Quickly review and summarize your (1.) Values, (2.) Mission and big-picture (3.) Goals. (4.) Compile and review your previous Weekly Plan, calculate the percentage of success for the last period, Project Plans and (5.) Master Task List (MTL), adding critical activities, Deliverables and Milestones to your Weekly Planning form as you go. Make sure all your (6.) "Hard Calendar" appointments are blocked-out on your Weekly Calendar and calculate the amount of (7.) "Discretionary Time" available for completing your critical Deliverable and Milestone activities. (8.) Estimate the duration of time required to complete each of the Deliverables and Milestones identified on the Weekly Planning form, and prioritize each, first by categorizing with an A, B or C, and then sequentially numbering within each category. (9.) "Soft Calendar" (apply) each of the activities required to accomplish the Deliverables and Milestones identified on the Weekly Planning form, to the Weekly Calendar. Finally, exercise discipline on a daily basis to in taking (10.) action in working toward accomplishing what is most important.

How: More Details

1. Values: Same every week. Write Values as a weekly reminder.

2. Mission: Same every week. Write Mission as a weekly reminder.

3. Goals: Annual and Quarterly goals.

4. Plans: Project Plans and Goals / Plans with many Actions. Review the previous week's Weekly Plan. Calculate your percentage of successes based on completion of Milestones / Deliverables. Forward incomplete items to the Master Task List (MTL) for re-prioritization. As an example, you should have a Project Plan for every PFCS project under management. In addition, you might have a plan to get a certification or degree that has many incremental steps. You might have a Fitness Plan that has many steps. Any multi-step project that is worth doing is worth having a written plan. In order to make sure you decide well which tasks you will get accomplished, you need to collect all of your plans and review them from "above the game". Get perspective on where you can and should spend your valuable time.

5. Master Task List (MTL): Keep a separate list of all the tasks you need to complete. This is not the same as your Daily Tasks or the Weekly Plan.

6. Hard Calendar: Hard Calendar items are those which are set and would be considered unacceptable to miss. For us, hard calendar items are the Weekly Staff Meeting, a Quarterly Review, Inspections, Meetings, Testimony, etc...

7. Discretionary Time: Calculate the number of work hours you have available, subtracting Hard Calendar items. For example, if Monday of next week is a holiday (40-8=32), you have an inspection all day Tuesday (32-8=24), a half-day meeting on Wednesday (24-4=20) and the Weekly Staff Meeting (20-1=19), you only have 19 hours of discretionary time.

8. Milestones: Milestones, Deliverables or "Big Rocks" as Stephen Covey says: Add them to the Weekly Planning sheet. Include an estimate of how much time this task will take. Once you have all of the items you think you might be able to accomplish in the week, during your discretionary time, prioritize them; first with letters A, B or C. A is critical and you should not do any thing else until this is complete. B is a really important milestone or deliverable and should be completed but the world would not stop spinning if you did not. C would be really great to do, but not until all of the A and B items are complete.

9. Soft Calendar: Put blocks of time (in pencil) on the Weekly Calendar to complete the activities from your Weekly Plan list of Milestones / Deliverables / Big Rocks.

10. Action: Exercise the discipline to return often, at least once daily, to the Weekly Plan. Stay focused on the tasks as you prioritized them.

Weekly Planning Forms

Milestones/Deliverables/Big Rocks & Planning Steps

Weekly Calendar View & Daily Tasks

Sample Milestones/Deliverables/Big Rocks

Weekly Calendar View

These tools operate as both sides of a valuable coin. The Weekly Planning Form is a simple task list with columns for prioritizing Milestones or Deliverables and a place to estimate the time needed to accomplish the desired end. The Weekly Calendar View is for blocking out time so that we avoid the dreaded “over promise and under deliver” syndrome that so many of us suffer from today. The Weekly Calendar View is best for Weekly Planning but if you have a planner with a calendar, then respect the fundamental planning rule of “use only one calendar.”

Practice

The 10 Weekly Planning Steps

These steps are repeated weekly and daily.

1. Values

2. Mission

3. Goals

4. Plans

5. Master Task List (MTL)

6. Hard Calendar

7. Discretionary Time

8. Milestones

9. Soft Calendar

10. Action

How: Deeper Thoughts on the Planning Steps

Remember: The Weekly Planning process is iterative.

1. Values

• If you have been through the Franklin Covey Focus course, then this will be easy; just review your list of personal values.

• Everyone will come face-to-face with difficult situations. Sometimes we have to tell people no. Values help us to make hard decisions. Making explicit our values makes the decision making a little easier. We all have values that we will not violate for money or career advancement. What are yours? The funny thing is, we earn more respect in the end for making hard decisions that are consistent with our values.

• Consider reviewing PFCS Core Values.

2. Mission

• Why are you here (both in general and here at PFCS)? This is the question that is answered with your mission and purpose.

• If you have been through the Franklin Covey Focus (or similar) course, then this will be easy; just review your Personal Mission.

• Naturally, almost every person and business will have to spend some significant amount of time doing the work that “pays the bills.” For some, this is directly “on-mission” but for most, we have to squeeze in the work of moving closer to the fulfillment of our mission. When we have a written mission, we can look at our Weekly Plan and decide if we are dedicating enough time to the fulfilling our mission. We are more apt to take the many steps in our 1,000 mile journey toward fulfillment of our mission if we revisit that mission every week.

3. Goals

• If you have been through the Franklin Covey Focus (or similar) course, then this will be easy; just review your Personal Goals.

• Some of your Professional Goals with PFCS have been identified already in your Job Description and KPIs: Project Planning and Management, shipment of Deliverables, Billable Hours, Training Milestones, etc… Keep this list handy and review it every week during your planning time.

4. Plans

• For each Goal or PFCS Project you should have a Project Plan that identifies the Objective, Method, Deliverables / Milestones / Big Rocks, and Actions required to achieve it (see PFCS Project Planning for a step-by-step method).

• Review and prioritize your Plans.

• Add Deliverables / Milestones / Big Rocks to the PFCS Weekly Planning Form

5. Master Task List (MTL)

• You will or should have a Master Task List (MTL) in your planner for things that you need to do which are not on a Project Plan.

• Review and prioritize your MTL.

• Add items from your MTL to the PFCS Weekly Planning Form.

6. Hard Calendar

• Hard Calendar items are items blocked out on your calendar for things like meetings with clients or other activities with firm dates and times (also see Soft Calendar items below).

• Review your Hard Calendar items and confirm them.

• This includes standing meetings.

• These items are time specific and relatively inflexible.

• Include travel time in your calendar.

7. Discretionary Time

• Discretionary Time is working hours that are not consumed with Hard Calendar items.

• Calculate Discretionary Time by adding up your working hours that are not consumed with Hard Calendar items.

• This is time you have available to work on Deliverables / Milestones / Big Rocks.

8. Milestones

• The milestones should come from the Deliverables section of your Project Plans, Life Plan, Annual Plan, Quarterly Plan, and from your Master Task List (MTL).

• Deliverables / Milestones / Big Rocks are what you need to accomplish this week.

• When you see house movers load a truck, they always put the big stuff in first (i.e Big Rocks) and then fill in the truck with the smaller items. If done in reverse, the big stuff simply won't fit very well, if at all. Don’t put the small stuff in first. That is how life and success works too.

  • A = Critical and Must Be Completed

  • B = Really Important

  • C = It Would Be Great

• Within each category (ABC), assign a number corresponding to the chronological order things need to happen in.

9. Soft Calendar

• Soft Calendar items are time you block out of Discretionary Time to work on Deliverables / Milestones / Big Rocks that you need to accomplish this week. This is in contrast to Hard Calendar items, discussed above.

• If something critical comes up, it is easy to re-shuffle Soft Calendar items, as long as the deadline is not too close for that that Deliverable / Milestone / Big Rock.

• These are items that are time-flexible; that is, they don't need to be done at the time set on the calendar.

10. Action

• Exercise discipline in keeping to the plan.

• Refer to and revisit the Weekly Plan and Daily Task List many times per day and throughout the week to help you stay focused.

• If something comes up that makes you vary from plan, then change the plan.

• Document what you spend your time on.

• This is really hard.

Schedule Crashing

"Crashing is the technique to use when fast tracking has not saved enough time on the schedule. It is a technique in which resources are added to the project for the least cost possible. Cost and schedule tradeoffs are analyzed to determine how to obtain the greatest amount of compression for the least incremental cost."

So what if we plan our week, but we realize that we don't have enough Discretionary Time to accomplish what needs to get done? Do we just use "The Prayer Method"? I had a great mentor who used to say to me "Pete: Hope is not a strategy." My smart aleck retort was always that "hope" IS a strategy; it's just a terrible one! So our choices are limited if we realize we don't have enough Discretionary Time to accomplish what we need to get done:

• We can decide to just lower our expectations;

• we can work overtime;

• we can renegotiate our way out of other "Hard Calendar" obligations to free up Discretionary Time; or

• we might "add resources" (a project management term and strategy) by delegating some of the work to others.

What ever you decide, neither The Hope Method or The Prayer Method are acceptable. 

Planning and Managing a Life 

Components of A Life Planning & Management System

1. Life Plan: A document that memorializes your Values, Mission & Life's Goals

2. Annual Plan

3. Quarterly Plan (Optional for personal, MUST have for business)

4. Individual Project Plans with SMART (Specific, Measurable, Assertive, Realistic, and Timed) Milestones

5. Master Task List (MTL)

6. Calendar

7. Weekly Plan: Without this, you can get lost in the forest of daily planning.

8. Daily Task List: This is on our Weekly Planning Form, but if you don't use it, you'll need a permanent place that you look to often throughout your day to keep focused (or in my case, to constantly re-direct myself back to the plan).

9. Journal (Permanent record that's carried with you virtually everywhere you go)

How I Do This Now

This material was originally written and published as an internal company training back in 2007, or maybe even before. So of course there are changes in technology. Also, my role has been evolving from individual contributor, with a BUNCH of little tasks that needed to be accomplished, to the leader of a larger group. As the leader of a larger group, it's become more important that I accomplish a small number of critical things, compared to my role as an individual worker. 

Components of MY Life Planning & Management System

1. Life Plan

   • I have a written Life Plan in Google Docs that gets updated every few years (It's 3 years old right now.

   • I have done this many times throughout my life.

   • The more I plan and the more I revisit my plans the more successful I am. During the times in my life that I have not looked at or updated my Life Plan, I have been less successful.

   • I highly recommend using Keith Ferrazzi's 6 Steps to Set Your Goals for Success.

2. Annual Plan

   • I have a Daily Meditation that I review often, although not daily. When I find myself off-track, reviewing this every day is a great way to get me focused.

   • I used to spend some time between Christmas and New Year's to review the previous year's plan and update the plan for the year to come. I am going to get back to doing this.

3. Quarterly Plan

   • I have sometimes done this for my personal planning, but I get too busy to update them every quarter.

   • For business, we create Quarterly Plans for the Business, Marketing & Sales, and Information Technology, each with a list of the 3-9 Big Rocks from the previous quarter on a single PowerPoint slide and how we performed compared to those goals, then we list 3-9 SMART Big Rocks for the current quarter on a single PowerPoint slide, then each of the Big Rocks gets it's own individual presentation slide with sub-items, actions or milestones that will lead or contribute to accomplishing that objective.

   • In 2018 we will have quarterly plans for each of the following: Business (over-all), Marketing, Finance, Operations Management, Technical Management, Information Technology.

4. Individual Project Plans with SMART Milestones

   • See Quarterly Plans above.

   • We have a very structured project planning method and set of electronic tools.

   • See OMMA-Goodness!™ Project Management Framework: In-Brief by Peter D. Fowler Copyright 2008.

5. Master Task List (MTL)

   • I am using SimpleNote (simplenote.com). See notes in Weekly Plan below.

   • I am seriously considering going back to a paper journal

6. Calendar

   • I now use a shared Google Calendar.

   • For many years I used a paper calendar, and if I were working alone and the calendar did not need to be shared, I would return to it.

   • I have gone back and forth from electronic to paper planning and back many times. I don't know that I will ever stop going back and forth. I think I might just be a person who needs something new from time to time.

   • When I am using a paper journal, I screen shot and print the weekly view of my Google Calendar and tape it into the paper journal on the page opposite my Milestones/Deliverables/Big Rocks page.

7. Weekly Plan

   • Right this minute I am using SimpleNote (simplenote.com). It synchronizes with cloud so I can open it as a tab on my desktop or laptop, as well use it from any hand-held device (I use an iPhone). It's like a really slimmed-down version of Evernote. It's text only, and I like it that way. I have had a couple instances where I lost some data due to synchronization problems, but I think those qualified as "Operator Errors." The point is that it, like any other system, is not foolproof.

   • My Weekly Plans and Daily Task Lists are in the same page or file in SimpleNote.

   • This is not ideal for me, and I am seriously considering going back to a paper journal, because paper is more visual and my learning style is to write things out and look at them.

   • When I was last using a paper journal, I would purchase various hard-bound journals with lined pages. I draw the Milestones/Deliverables/Big Rocks & Planning Steps on a full page and I screen shot and print the weekly view of my Google Calendar and tape it into the paper journal on the page opposite my Milestones/Deliverables/Big Rocks page.

8. Daily Task List

   • I am using SimpleNote (simplenote.com). See notes in Weekly Plan above.

   • I am seriously considering going back to a paper journal.

9. Journal

   • I am using SimpleNote (simplenote.com). See notes in Weekly Plan above.

   • Each month gets it's own Journal page/file/document in SimpleNote.

   • I number each note I take throughout each day. The second note I take on the 15th day of each month would be numbered "15 b." So if I write down thoughts about a new blog post, and I want to make a note in my MTL for easy reference I would write "Blog Notes: See 2017-10-15 b." And I would know to go to the second journal note from 10/15/2017.

   • I am seriously considering going back to a paper journal.

Awesome Resources

This is in no particular order (which is SO unlike me!). 

1. Weekly Planning and Weekly Calendar Forms (Blank)

2. How to Plan Your Week video from Art of Manliness (This is REALLY good)

3. Getting Things Done from Ivy Lee via Mary Kay

4. Dr. Stephen Covey's Big Rocks Video. (FranklinCovey keeps having this video removed so if the link does not work just search YouTube)

5. Big Rocks Video from Art of Manliness

6. The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker. Drucker is the Godfather of management theory, and this book is his seminal work. If you're a manager or trying to be more effective as an individual, and you have not ready it, then you're not trying hard enough. Here is an interesting 7-minute summary video.

7. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Covey

8. The Ten Natural Laws of Time and Life Management by Smith

9. First Things First by Covey

10. What Matters Most by Smith

11. Time Management from the Inside Out, Second Edition: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule -- and Your Life by Julie Morgenstern

12. Getting Things Done by David Allen

13. The ONE Thing by Gary Keller

14. Keith Ferrazzi's 6 Steps to Set Your Goals for Success

15. Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses: If you're a business owner, I HIGHLY recommend this program. I have done lots of executive education and it's the best so far; and it's FREE! The conclusion of the 4-month program is that you compose a business plan focused on growth that they call your "Growth Plan."

16. One-Page Personal Plan (OPPP) from Scaling Up and Verne Harnish.

17. To Do Doing Done by G. Lynne Snead and Joyce Wycoff. I love this book and think it's awesome.

How To Write by Meyer & Meyer

I have been inspired significantly by this book called How To Write by Meyer & Meyer. It’s excellent and the paperback can be purchased for as little as $1.99 or downloaded to your Kindle for $5.49 on Amazon. I assure you: This is the very best ROI on an investment in yourself in human history. Buy the book. Read the book. Do what the book says to do.

The Meyer & Meyer Writing Process

1.0 Preparation & Organization

1.1 Choose your format

1.2 Identify your points

1.3 Collect data regarding the points

2.0 First Draft

2.1 Compose your theme (Introduction)

2.2 Draft your outline (from the points identified in 1.2)

2.3 Write first draft

3.0 Polishing (make multiple passes to improve the previous draft)

3.1 Be accurate

3.2 Be precise

3.3 Be consistent

3.4 Be brief

3.5 Be Fair

3.6 Keep a steady depth

3.7 Keep a steady tone

3.8 Use an established layout (corporate look & feel)

3.9 Use good grammar

Here is My Book Summary

Writing is critical. Writing is a process. The writing process is always the same 3 steps (organize, draft, polish). Don’t try to do step 2 until you have completed step 1. Some of the steps in writing involve not writing. Figuring out the theme (in a few short sentences) is a critical step and might require some time. Writing takes tenacity. We are entitled to our own opinions but not our own facts. Be clear and concise and cut unnecessary stuff. Use an established layout. Read the work out loud to check for grammar. If there is time, always review the work one more time. Communicating your intended meaning to the reader is the most important thing.

Recommendation

Buy this book. Read it. Use this process as a checklist when you write. Literally: Print out the list and tape it to the wall at your desk. 

Making Drive Time Productive: Getting Your iPhone to Speak to You

Introduction

Are you getting tired of listening to the same silly pop songs on the radio while you're stuck in traffic on your way to and from work? So were we! Ever since one of our employees discovered the "Speak Screen" feature on the iPhone, sitting in traffic has never been the same.

To make the best of time spent commuting (and to keep yourself from having to look down at your phone while driving!), have your iPhone read out loud to you. By enabling the setting called "Speak Screen," your phone will read the words on your device out loud.

Speak Screen

Follow these step-by-step instructions to enable your iPhone to read aloud to you:

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Step one:

Open the Settings application on your iPhone. It looks like the image on the right.

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Step Two:

Under Settings, click General, located at the bottom of the page.

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Step Three:

Under General, click Accessibility, located towards the bottom of the page.

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Step Four:

In the Accessibility folder, click on Speech. It is located in the middle of the page.

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Step Five:

Finally, to get your iPhone to read to you, turn on Speak Screen. All of the settings within the Speech folder will help to adjust the speed and tone of voice your phone will use to speak aloud.

Final Step

Last, but not least, close out of Settings and navigate to a page with text (ex: a web article, your text messages, etc.). Drag three fingers from the top of your screen and your iPhone will begin to read to you.

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Other Applications for the Car

Audible

Audible is an Amazon application that allows you to download and listen to audiobooks, radio and TV programs, and audio editions of newspapers and magazines. To use Audible, make sure you have an active Amazon account. Then, simply download the Audible application to your phone or computer and browse the shop – the first 30 days are FREE!

Pocket (the iPhone App, not your pants)

Pocket is an application that our president, Pete Fowler, swears by. This app was originally intended for desktop computers and went by the name "Read It Later." Once you have downloaded Pocket, it allows you to search for articles across the internet that interest you. The best part is that you can save the articles to read at a later time (hence, Read It Later...) or as we prefer – to listen to later!

Pocket has features to adjust the size of the text for easy reading, but more importantly, it can play the articles aloud for you.

Why We Care

Using your phone and driving is dangerous. Using Speak Screen or applications like Audible or Pocket keep you entertained while your eyes remain on the road. Next time you're in the car and need something to listen to, sign in to PFCS Client Access and tune in to one of our past webinars!

50 Coffees

Thinking about making a really big adjustment in your life? Then you owe it to yourself to have coffee with 50 people. In a recent article, Peter Thomson discusses a technique he has used to help him with major life decisions.

Summary

Each time you decide you want to make some sort of major life change, whether it be raising investment for a start up, moving to a new city, or changing careers, you should have coffee with 50 people to get their views on your plans. Setting a precedent of having coffee with 50 people forces you to be clear about your goal, makes it stronger, and makes you commit to the move you want to make. You also will receive great input from smart and interesting people.

Thomson first came across the idea while reading the book, What Colour is Your Parachute?. Although he was not the first to come up with the idea, he realized the hidden insight in it, in that the biggest changes in your life will only happen through the people that you meet and conversations you have. Humans create and convey meaning through stories and conversations. If you change the conversations that you’re a part of, then your life changes automatically.

Now, this isn't supposed to be coffee with 50 total strangers. Most of the people will be friends/acquaintances, but you should also be open to meeting new people. Think one degree of separation. Ask the people you know if they know of anyone interesting you should meet and go from there. Try and find people with different backgrounds, you might meet some great people and make new friends!

The author had 50 coffees when he left law for design. He did it again when he moved to London, and most recently when he published a book. The 50 coffees idea had worked so well for him in the past, that he realized his best ideas came up during heated conversations because people tend to think better when they have an intelligent partner to debate with.

Tips to Make the Most Out of Your Coffees

• Be intentional and focused

• Be honest about what you want

• Don't ask for anything

• Think ahead

• Take notes

• Don't waste people's time

• Never steal time

• Pick a good place

• Make it a good time

• Be interesting and direct

• Travel to different places

Why We Care

Here at PFCS, we're always making improvements to our company in order to better serve our clients and the community. We may not always have 50 cups of coffee for every improvement, but we do conduct "team consulting sessions" over coffee with our staff when large improvements are considered. These sessions typically last 10 to 30 minutes or sometimes as long as an hour when several ideas and suggestions are brought into the mix. So, the idea in this article goes hand-in-hand with that thought process.

Kanban

Introduction

Everyone who was an adult before the 1990's remembers that cars used to breakdown regularly. Think back. It happened a lot. So what has changed? Why are we no longer using call boxes on the side of the freeway so often? Well... other than the fact that we all now have mobile phones ;) It was quality management in manufacturing that finally took root in America. Back then it was called Total Quality Management (TQM) and was taught to the Japanese after WWII by Americans like W. Edwards Deming and Joseph M. Juran.  It got bad for a while here in the U.S. In the 1970s and '80s Toyota and other Japanese manufacturer's almost killed the American auto industry with their inexpensive cars that used less gas and were more reliable. It took massive initiatives for the American auto industry to catch up. Ford had their famous "Quality is Job 1" campaign and there was even a popular and funny, but very serious, '80s movie called Gung Ho that told the story of the culture-shock American workers endured in making the change to a zero-defect mindset.

A lot has changed in the American economy and workforce since the 1980s. Far fewer of us are making things. Most people work in offices and type on computers all day. But much of what was learned about "quality management" is only now being translated and put to use in modern "knowledge work." Today's complex professional services businesses like software makers, attorneys, and "consultants" (like PFCS), are working on projects just as complex as automobiles or other manufactured products. But this modern work is being performed with a production system similar to the way old time craftsmen worked, relying on "judgement" and "experience" rather than engineered systems that include measurement of productivity and quality, with continuous improvement built in.

What Is Kanban?

"Kanban (看板 ?) (literally signboard or billboard in Japanese) is a scheduling system for lean manufacturing and just-in-time manufacturing. Kanban is an inventory control system to control the supply chain. Taiichi Ohno, an industrial engineer at Toyota, developed kanban to improve manufacturing efficiency." - Wikipedia

The fundamentals of a Kanban system: 

1. Visualize the workflow (i.e. Visual Management)

2. Limit Work-In-Process (WIP)

3. Focus on the Flow (Measure Cycle Time)

4. Defective products are not sent to subsequent processes. The result is 100% defect-free goods.

5. Start with the existing process

6. Agree to pursue incremental, evolutionary change and continuous improvement

7. Respect the current process, roles, responsibilities, and titles

8. Leadership at all levels (Lead with a team approach)

Toyota studied supermarkets with the idea of applying shelf-stocking techniques to the factory floor. The supermarket stocks only what it expects to sell in a given time, and customers take only what they need, since future supply is assured. A process is the customer of one or more preceding processes. The "customer" process goes to the store to get required components, which in turn causes the store to restock. Kanban aligns inventory levels with actual consumption. A signal tells a supplier to produce and deliver a new shipment when material is consumed. These signals are tracked through the replenishment cycle, bringing visibility to the supplier, consumer, and buyer. Kanban uses the rate of demand to control the rate of production, passing demand from the end customer up through the chain of customer-store processes. (Wikipedia)

By limiting the work in process (WIP) at each step in the process, Kanban naturally exposes bottlenecks. These previously hidden bottlenecks can be opened, thus increasing the rate of the system's throughput.

Around 2010 Kanban started being applied to software development. In manufacturing of physical products, "visual management" is easy, because you can see the work by walking to the work area and following the physical flow of the process. In knowledge work, the fundamental "Visualize the workflow" (i.e. Visual Management) is less natural, but creating a visual management system dramatically increases the ease of understanding of the process and progress toward the objective. The power of Kanban changes the game even more dramatically when processes can (or need to) run in parallel, and the work of multiple processes is combined at various points in the process.

Why We Care

We know that professional services (generally) can be delivered with a much higher level of quality than they currently are; that is, faster, better, cheaper, more consistent. We want to create a system for increasing quality, improving consistency (decreasing variability), and continuously improving. We are already a really good consultancy. But it's our intention to be a great one; truly world-class. Like a professional services "solutions factory" for building problems. We think this manufacturing facility analogy is perfect (take a look at this video of the Tesla factory). "Problems" come into our "factory" and "solutions" are the resulting product that is manufactured inside and delivered to the customer, defect-free.

We know from our studies in quality management (including TQM, Lean, Lean Six Sigma) that using Kanban to control the process flow is a tool that will work for us. It's our intention to make a kanban system for world-class delivery of professional services. In our system, the technical consultants are the "customers" that come to the supermarket and our project coordinators keep the shelves stocked.

A Simple Kanban Application

A client of ours is the owner and manager of a multi-family residential project who needed to hire and manage a new on-site maintenance person. In one sitting we created a system that solved many of their issues. See the "To Do, Doing, Done" Kanban Board at the top of this post. We recommended they create a 4-foot tall, 6-foot wide board with these 3 simple columns. The maintenance person creates a "Kanban Card" (Work Order) for every service call, email, or written request for maintenance.

Kanban Card (Work Order) Contents

• Work Order Number

• Start Date

• Called in By

• Building Element

• Location (Building & Location / Elevation / Unit / Room)

• Description / Scope of Work / Materials / Equipment / Hold Points

• Scope Defined By (Who or What Source?)

• Estimated Duration (hours)

• Estimated Cost ($)

• Assigned To

• Actual Duration (hours)

• Actual Cost ($)

• Completion Date

• Completion Notes

• Technician Signature

• Approved By Signature

This Kanban Card (Work Order) is placed in the To Do column of the big Kanban Board. The maintenance person prioritizes for the week and day by placing the highest priority cards at the top of the To Do column. Every day work orders are moved into the Doing column for the projects in process. At the end of the day, Cards are filled in with Actual Duration, Actual Cost, and Completion Date. All of these work orders represent 100% of the time spent by the maintenance person. At the end of the week the work orders in the Done column are scanned and saved in the personnel file and used for payroll. Critical building maintenance information is saved into the building maintenance files to create a record that a building maintenance expert (like PFCS) can use to continuously improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the work. 

Since the Kanban Board was placed in the maintenance office of the community clubhouse, it created a transparent communication system that addressed concerns of the people living in the community who could now see the priorities and what was in process. Community members now negotiate with real information about prioritizing use of this expensive and important resource (the full-time maintenance person). 

Resources

We used our not-patent-pending Proving the Obvious Using Google method to research this post.

Google Search Results: "Kanban"

1. Kanban on Wikipedia: This is good to read completely.

2. Kanban (Development) on Wikipedia: This is a must read.

3. What is Kanban by Xxxxx:

4. What is Kanban by LeanKit: This is a great read.

5. Image Search "Kanban" by Google. There are LOTS of great examples of kanban being applied to professional services, especially software development.

6. A Brief Introduction to Kanban by Atlassian: This is a great read.

7. What is Kanban by Everyday Kanban: This is a great read.

8. Kanban Flow: Lean project management simplified. This is a good "free" (you can pay to upgrade) software tool.

9. Kanban by Crisp: A basic introduction that includes visuals of a simple system, benefits, and lots of other resource references.

10. Personal Kanban 101: "The human brain however, simply does not respond well to the stress of juggling multiple priorities... That’s where Personal Kanban can help... allows us to visualize the amount of work we have..." There is a 7 minute video that demonstrates the basics of using a To Do, Doing, Done personal kanban board.

11. Here are the 10 links above, printed to PDF, and compiled as “Proving the Obvious Using Google: Kanban Research.”

Other Awesome Resources

1. Steve Jobs 1990 interview video about Joseph Juran and Quality. The first 11 minutes 10 seconds (not the full 19 minutes) are key. When watching this, I am not surprised that he changed the world with technology and created in his own lifetime the most valuable company in the world.

2. Theory of Constraints

3. The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. This is considered by many the best business book ever written. It is a parable of a factory and all of it's jobs saved by process improvement. The Theory of Constraints was introduced in this book.

4. Lean Thinking

5. The Deming Institute

6. History of Quality by ASQ (American Society for Quality)

7. Limited WIP Society

8. Please send us more!!

Proving the Obvious Using Google

At Pete Fowler Construction Services, we work as expert witnesses in construction defect litigation, construction claims, and property related insurance claims. Sometimes in claims and litigation matters people say silly things. They do this to try to prove their point when they run out of sensible things to say that support their opinions. Often, these silly things that people say and write are surprisingly difficult to refute from a logic and critical thinking perspective. Sometimes, refuting silly assertions can come down to our word versus theirs. 

So, we developed our not-patent-pending exercise, "Proving the Obvious Using Google.” The thing to remember with this application is to separate the wheat from the chaff—the expert will still need to apply professional knowledge, judgement and experience in order to make this exercise successful.

Here are a few examples of silly assertions that we refuted using this deceptively simple exercise:

• An expert said that the "standard of care" in the building industry for a shower enclosure installer was that the shower enclosure should be completely 100% leak-proof and permanently sealed and no maintenance should be required. When we searched “shower enclosure standards” in Google, we found: (1.) “The Bath Enclosure Manufacturers Association is dedicated to raising consumer awareness of the advantages of bath enclosures as the quality alternative to shower curtains” (2.) That the ASTM committee, who composes the national standard, was not even addressing the issue of sealant use (3.) All sources we could find suggested inspecting sealant annually and maintaining nearly as often.

• We were hired by a plaintiff attorney after having represented the general contractor in a construction defect litigation matter that settled favorably to our client immediately following our deposition. The plaintiff attorney had taken an assignment of rights against the insurance company of another party and was pursuing a coverage claim, asserting that the building had not met the standard defined in the policy to be considered "collapsed." Ultimately, this was laughable, because when we entered the search term “building collapse,” almost none of the buildings on the first page of Google qualified as collapsed under the policy exclusions.

• In 2015, we had a case where the opposition argued that the interior of a multi-family residential repair project required three coats of paint (one primer and two top coats). Since there were many units, this made a significant difference in the cost. We searched "interior paint two coats versus three coats" and the results were virtually unanimous that under the vast majority of situations, with all but the darkest of base colors, two coats of interior paint were adequate.

• In 2016 and 2017 (two different cases) we were called to testify in construction litigation matters regarding the definition of "Fast Track Construction" and the impact of the concept on each of the projects. So, of course, we used our Proving the Obvious Using Google for "fast track construction" method. In the first case we were able to make clear the responsibility for the mess that had been made was mostly the responsibility of the Owner, Designer, and General Contractor for having started a project with an inadequate design. In the second matter, the Designer and General Contractor (owned by the same guy) argued as part of their defense that the project was being run as "Fast Track Construction." Unfortunately for the Owner (our client) they had no idea that the Designer-Contractor had thrust upon them responsibility for the risks inherent in Fast Track Construction.

How To: Step-By-Step

1. Google a simple search phrase like "shower enclosure standards," "building collapse," or "interior paint two coats versus three coats."

2. "Print" the results page to PDF and save the file with a name beginning with the date (ex: 2015-12-06), then the search term (ex: "Building Collapse"), then "00" so it sorts at the top of this set of files you're about to compile (Example complete file name: 2015-12-06 Building Collapse 00.pdf).

3. Open the first item in the organically returned list (non-sponsored listings). We like to open this link in a new tab in the browser by using the right-mouse-click. Print the contents of the link to PDF (or sometimes screen shot looks better… But later you’ll need to read and understand the contents so it needs to be complete). Save the file with a name beginning with the date (ex: 2015-12-06), then the search term (ex: "Building Collapse"), then "01" so it sorts after of this set of files you're about to compile (Example: 2015-12-06 Building Collapse 01.pdf).

4. Go back to the Google search page and open the second item in the non-sponsored list. Print the content to PDF and save the with a name beginning with the date, then the search term, then "02" (Example: 2015-12-06 Building Collapse 02.pdf).

5. Continue on with links 3-10.

6. Once the 11 files are compiled, save all of the files together in a single PDF file named 2015-12-06 Building Collapse 00 COMPLETE.pdf so that it will sort at the top of the list of these files. You can then delete all of the individual files.

7. Consider composing a memo summarizing the contents and offering commentary of "What This Means." Consider a 1-sentence to 1-paragraph summary for each of the 10 links. Then a 1-paragraph to 1-page summary of what you learned and how it’s applicable to your situation at hand. Read here for more on Communication of Complex Information on pages 6-7.

Google Mapping Made Easy

Google Maps provides a wide variety of functions for its users that go well beyond generating directions to and from the airport. In our office, many of our projects concern more than one location or address. “My Maps” from Google now allows you to map all of these locations in a super easy way.

One Minute Summary

Say you have a spreadsheet with a list of 50 addresses all in the same project and you would like to map these locations on the same map. Here’s a quick How-To: 

1.       Open “My Maps” in Google. You can do this by logging into Google, going to Google Maps and clicking on “My Maps” in the drop-down on the left of your screen.

2.       Click “Create a new map” or open an existing one.

2.      To upload a spreadsheet that contains your list of addresses, click “Import” in the box in the upper left hand corner. 

3.      Google will ask you to choose the column in your spreadsheet that identifies the placemarks (addresses) as shown below.  An identical box will open next prompting you to choose the column that identifies the information you want to label these placemarks. 

NOTE: Your spreadsheet can only have one row of headings. Abbreviations including Dr, Ave, and St will generally not work. You must spell them out

4.       Once the information has populated, you may format the markers on the map by color or object.

5.       To add a second layer to the map, select “Add a Layer.”

6.       Now you can select a specific address to stand out or add another spreadsheet of data.

Why We Care

Being able to instantly view a map of two, 12, 35 or 50 locations will not only save an enormous amount of time, it visually scouts an area of interest and can be easily enhanced to meet your specific criteria.

2016 Webinar Topics

"You guys without a doubt are the best in the biz with these webinars. Truly professional presentations that I can apply what I learn." -Senior Claims Technical Specialist for a Major Insurance Company

The Winners Are! 2016 Webinar Calendar

• 1/27/2016 Webinar: Landlord-Tenant Disputes by Pete Fowler & Paul Viau

• 2/16/2016 Allocation of Responsibility of Construction Defects by Pete Fowler & Mike Villalba

• 3/16/2016 Expert Qualification, Designation, & Declarations by Pete Fowler & Paul Kushner

• 4/14/2016 SB800 - CA Builders Right to Repair

• 5/31/2016 Document Management for Construction & Claims

• 6/21/2016 Analyzing Construction Defects by Alex Prokop

• 7/20/2016 Adjacent Property Disputes

• 8/18/2016 Mechanical Construction Defects by Matthew Philippe

• 9/13/2016 Evaluating Water Leakage of Buildings by Alex Prokop

• 10/19/2016 Terminating a Construction Project Before Completion: Dos, Don'ts, Claims & Litigation

• 11/10/2016 Understanding & Evaluating Construction Estimates by Jordan Scott & Mike Villalba

• 12/8/2016 Window & Door Installation by Alex Prokop & Mike Maples

Also see our PFCS Events page for a list of our 2016 webinars with registration instructions. 

The Survey

We host a monthly one-hour webinar series covering a wide variety of construction, insurance and legal industry topics. This year, we conducted a survey to find out your favorites from the past, interest for future programs we planned, and suggestions for programs that we haven't thought of yet.

Below is a complete list of all our presentations, broken into five categories. Below that is a list of "Old Favorites" (most popular), Key Learning (most important to us), and the list potential topics we considered covering this year.

The results are in! We published the webinar schedule for 2016 in January, and we are really excited about the content. Thank you all for the help in deciding. 

PFCS Complete Seminar List

Building Inspection & Evaluation

• Building Inspection & Evaluation (Property Condition Assessment w- E2018)

• Building Leakage Evaluation (Evaluating Water Leakage of Buildings ASTM E2128)

• Building Lifecycle Management

• Building Performance Evaluation & Budgeting 101 - Analyzing and Monetizing Defects

• Building Performance, Inspection & Testing

• Building Wall Inspection & Testing

• Mold Management

• Prioritizing Maintenance & Repairs on a Limited Budget was Deferred Maintenance

• Quality Control for Construction Maintenance, Repairs & Improvements

• Specifying Building Construction, Maintenance, Repairs & Improvements

Construction Claims

• Construction Claims Management

• Expert Witness Success

• Managing Expert Work and Costs

• Slip, Trip & Fall Analysis

• Trial Presentations

Construction Defect Litigation

• Allocation of Responsibility of Construction Defects

• Analyzing Construction Defects

• CD from the Plaintiff Perspective

• CD from the Developer & GC Perspective

• CD from the Cross-Defendant & Third-Party Perspective

• Common Construction Defects

• Construction Defect Life-Cycle

• Fire Resistive Assemblies

• Management of Construction Defect Claims (CALPASC)

• Random Selection & Extrapolation

• SB800 - CA Builders Right to Repair

Construction Fundamentals

• Building Codes & Standards

• Building Wall Design and Construction

• Building Walls - Stucco, Siding & Masonry

• Construction 101

• Construction Document Literacy

• Foundation Construction and Defects was Residential Foundation Systems

• Masonry Veneer

• Plan Reading

• Reading Plat Maps

• Roof Construction & Defects

• Structural Wood Framing and Defects was Residential Wood Framing

• Tile & Stone Installation

• Window & Door Installation

Construction Management

• Budgeting & Estimating Construction, Building and Property Maintenance, Repairs & Improvements

• Contracting 101

• Construction Contracts, Risks & Insurance

• Management 101

• Managing Construction, Building and Property Maintenance, Repair & Improvements

• Project Planning & Management

Special Collection: Building Lifecycle Management (BLM) Series

All of these programs are also in the section above.

• Budgeting & Estimating Building Maintenance, Repairs & Improvements

• Building Inspection & Evaluation (Property Condition Assessment w- E2018)

• Building Leakage Evaluation (Evaluating Water Leakage of Buildings ASTM E2128)

• Building Lifecycle Management

• Building Performance Evaluation & Budgeting 101

• Managing Construction, Building and Property Maintenance, Repair & Improvements

• Prioritizing Maintenance & Repairs on a Limited Budget was Deferred Maintenance

• Quality Control for Construction Maintenance, Repairs & Improvements

• Specifying Building Construction, Maintenance, Repairs & Improvements

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Old Favorites (Most Popular Programs Ever)

1. Allocation of Responsibility of Construction Defects

2. Analyzing Construction Defects

3. Building Leakage Evaluation

4. Common Construction Defects

5. Construction Claims Management

6. Construction Contracts, Risks, & Insurance

7. Contracting 101

8. Random Selection and Extrapolation of Construction Defects

9. Roof Construction & Defects

10. Window & Door Installation

Potential New Seminar/Webinar List

• Adjacent Property Disputes

• Building Insurance, Inspections and Quality: Closing the Loop

• Construction Site Safety/Accidents

• Document Management for Construction & Claims

• Expert Qualification, Designation, & Declarations

• Flooring Issues

• "Open Source" Contracts for Construction, Maintenance, Repairs & Improvements: Contracting with Architects, Engineers, Construction Managers, General Contractors, Trade or Subcontractors, and Suppliers

• Terminating a Construction Project Before Completion: Dos, Don'ts, Claims & Litigation

• Understanding & Evaluating Construction Estimates

Key Learning

1. Building Performance Evaluation & Budgeting 101 - Analyzing and Monetizing Defects

2. Building Inspection & Evaluation (Property Condition Assessment w- E2018)

3. Project Planning & Management

4. Building Leakage Evaluation (Evaluating Water Leakage of Buildings ASTM E2128)

5. Analyzing Construction Defects

6. Budgeting & Estimating Building Maintenance, Repairs & Improvements

7. Managing Construction, Building and Property Maintenance, Repair & Improvements

8. Contracting 101

9. Allocation of Responsibility of Construction Defects

10. Building Lifecycle Management

11. Construction Document Literacy

12. SB800 - CA Builders Right to Repair

13. Random Selection & Extrapolation

14. Expert Witness Success

Happy Holidays!

2015 has been a spectacular year.  We've grown our team of experts and staff, we've worked hard on your projects and case work and we've made great strides in improving the processes and systems that we use to deliver that work to you.  From all of us at PFCS, we offer you a little holiday tribute.

We'd love to hear from you about what you're up to this holiday, either what you're drinking, your toasts to the new year, or where you'll be enjoying the festivities. Comment on this blog for more holiday happenings.

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A Toast to You...

Get started now for a round of Sun Liquor Egg Nog, which our Information Technology department (Dylan Markow works remotely from Dallas, Texas) prepares around Thanksgiving (the Seattle Times recipe suggests aging the holiday cocktail one month in advance), to enjoy on Christmas.

Then move onto one of Pete's favorite drinks, the Manhattan:

3/4 oz sweet vermouth
2 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey
1 dash Angostura® bitters
1 maraschino cherry
1 twist orange peel

Combine the vermouth, bourbon whiskey, and bitters with 2 - 3 ice cubes in a mixing glass. Stir gently, don't bruise the spirits and cloud the drink. Place the cherry in a chilled cocktail glass and strain the whiskey mixture over the cherry. Rub the cut edge of the orange peel over the rim of the glass and twist it over the drink to release the oils but don't drop it in.

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Under the Tree

"I will be literally “Rocking around the Christmas Tree” this year.  Santa is bringing my daughter a mini Torino Red Stratocaster guitar and Daddy a new amp.  We’ll be cranking it up! Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day. Go Spurs!"

Paul Kushner - Architect

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Cheers and Be Merry!

May your troubles be less,
And your blessing be more.
And nothing but happiness,
Come through your door.

"An Irish Toast – don’t have any Irish in me but I love their toasts."
- Gabriella Wittenberg - Project Manager

"Gratitude shouldn’t be an occasional incident but a continuous attitude."
- Sheila Comparan - Information Gatekeeper

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O'er the hills we go!

"In New Year's Eve's past, I've been in Times Square for the big ball-drop. And I've danced in the new year at the Nines Hotel in Portland. And this year I'll be rockin' the Hard Rock Hotel in downtown San Diego. Maybe I'll see you there. Cheers and all the best for 2016."

Pete Fowler - President

"For the Holidays, I will be heading up to Redding, California to visit my family. Friday we will celebrate Christmas morning at my parent's house and proceed to house hopping / crashing other Christmas parties until we end up at my grandparents' house for dinner. On Saturday, I believe we are going out to dinner to celebrate all of our birthdays (myself, my brother, and my dad all have the same birthday and my mom the following day). On Sunday, I will sadly depart back to Southern California where Monday morning shenanigans at PFCS will be waiting for me.  No New Year's Eve plans just yet!" 

Chase Henry - Project Coordinator

"Gather up your imperial forces, Christmas comes early this year for fans of the George Lucas mega-franchise that is Star Wars.  For any science fiction fan, nerd or child of the 70s/80s, the anticipation is exciting to say the least.  I'll be filling my flask with whiskey and lining up for the Star Wars movie marathon (7 films) punctuated with the new release of The Force Awakens.  I'll be dusting my action figure collection with glee this holiday, and maybe heading back to the theater for repeat viewings."

Whitney Woolf - Operations Manager

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Gridiron Greetings

Project Coordinator Carolyn Des Jardin has had a stranglehold on the PFCS League of Awesome since Week 1 of the fantasy football season.  As we cruise into the playoffs will she emerge the victor?  For those partaking in the pigskin this season, good luck to your team, and we're all tuned in to see what happens in the NFL this holiday and into the post-season.

Sherlock Holmes Quotes For Our Business

I was putting together a new webinar called Slip, Trip & Fall Analysis for delivery on 12/17/2015, and thought a couple Sherlock Holmes quotes would be nice. So, as I often do, I turned to "The Google." Google led me to another one of my favorites, Wikipedia, which had a great Sherlock Holmes page with a bunch of great quotes. So many of these quotes are remarkably applicable to the work that we do, including the building inspection and construction management services that we call Building Lifecycle Management (BLM), as well as our Construction Claims & Litigation work. 

Here are the 7 quotes that landed on the section-transition slides in our Slip, Trip & Fall Analysis seminar: 

• 1. INTRODUCTION: "Things must be done decently and in order." - Sherlock Holmes

• 2. METHOD: “To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to underestimate oneself is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one’s own powers.” - The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

• 3. INVESTIGATION: “We approached the case, you remember, with an absolutely blank mind, which is always an advantage. We had formed no theories. We were simply there to observe and to draw inferences from our observations.” - Sherlock Holmes in The Adventure of The Cardboard Box

• 4. ANALYSIS: “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” - Sherlock Holmes

• 5. CONCLUSIONS: “It is of the highest importance in the art of detection to be able to recognize, out of a number of facts, which are incidental and which vital. Otherwise your energy and attention must be dissipated instead of being concentrated.” - Sherlock Holmes in The Reigate Puzzle, 1893

• 6. PRESENTATION: "Nothing clears up a case so much as stating it to another person." - Sherlock Holmes

• 7. CONCLUSION: “There is nothing more stimulating than a case where everything goes against you.” - Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles

There were too many applicable and awesome Sherlock Holmes Quotes to use, so here's some more: 

• It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment.

• It is a capital mistake to theorize in advance of the facts.

• Work is the best antidote to sorrow.

• One should always look for a possible alternative, and provide against it.

• In solving a problem of this sort, the grand thing is to be able to reason backward. That is a very useful accomplishment, and a very easy one, but people do not practice it much. In the everyday affairs of life it is more useful to reason forward, and so the other comes to be neglected. There are fifty who can reason synthetically for one who can reason analytically.

• I never guess. It is a shocking habit — destructive to the logical faculty.

• You know my methods. Apply them.

• How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?

• You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear.

• The little things are infinitely the most important.

• Never trust to general impressions, my boy, but concentrate yourself upon details.

• There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.

• What one man can invent another can discover.

• We must look for consistency. Where there is a want of it we must suspect deception.

• We must not let him think that this agency is a home for the weak-minded.