Tag Archives: Process Improvement

PROJECT-CHARTER-TEMPLATE-SHORT.docx

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PROJECT CHARTER

 

What is a Project Charter?

A Project Charter is a must-have in any project, as prescribed by the PMBOK® Guide and other methods. It is a document that summarizes the key information about a project and that announces to the world, aka, your organization, that there is a new project on the block. The Charter appoints a project manager for the project and assigns it the authority to proceed.

 

Why do I need one?

Do not underestimate the value of a project charter as just yet another management document! The main reason why you need a Charter is because without a Project Charter, your project exists only in your dreams, my friend.

Having a project charter provides your project with the following benefits:

  • Formally authorizes the project
  • Creates a vision and a shared understanding about the project
  • Empowers the project manager to lead the project
  • Identifies the high-level objectives and scope of the project
  • Defines what will success look like
  • Enables support for the project to be gained
  • Ensures that key stakeholders are aware of the project
  • Secures budget and resources for the project
  • Serves as a point of reference for the project team

 

What should it contain?

While most project management methods and frameworks prescribe the use of a project charter of some sort – either called one-pager, charter, or mandate -, there is no defined composition for its template. However, a principle to consider is that any good Project Charter will help you clarify the What, Why, Who, When and at What Cost of the project. According to the PMBOK® Guide, these are covered by the following sections in a Project Charter:

  • Project Information: includes the ID and name of the project, name of the project manager, and project sponsor
  • Business need, problem or opportunity: what is the main driver for this project to exist? What is the context from which it was born?
  • Project Objectives and Benefits: what are you trying to achieve with the project? Try writing your objectives as SMART objectives – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bounded
  • Project Organization: describes the governance of the project, including key roles for its management and direction
  • High-level project scope: at a very high-level, the project charter should be able to outline the boundaries of the project, i.e., what will be in scope and out of the scope of the project, as well as key deliverables to be created by the project
  • High-level project timescale: at a very high-level, the project charter should be able to list the key stages and estimated duration for the project, as well as its key milestones
  • High-level project budget: at a very high-level, the project charter should be able to identify the budget requirements of the project, including capital and revenue expenditure forecast
  • Key assumptions: main assumptions that may impact the project if proven false
  • Key project risks: main risks that may impact the project if they materialise
  • Success criteria: key measures to assess the success of the project

To make your life easier, I’ve produced a simple project charter template that you can download here. Ready to use!

 

Best Practices when Writing a Project Charter

Writing a Project Charter can be time-consuming, particularly if not done properly, thus, here’s a couple of tips to help you steer your project towards success from its very beginning:

  • Keep it brief: trust me, the more pages a document contains, the less chance it will get read. Try to keep your Project Charter simple and brief. After all, it should capture key, high-level information!
  • Be explicit: no one cares or is enthusiastic about a vague summary of a project. Get to the point as early as possible and make it explicit.
  • Build it with your sponsor: while theory advises that the Charter should be handed-over by the project sponsor to the project manager, in reality it is often the project manager to writes the Project Charter with the support of the Sponsor. Whatever the model, the involvement of the sponsor is fundamental.
  • Get it signed-off: until you get the Charter to be signed-off by your sponsor, the project is not formally authorized. No Charter, no project.
  • Share it: one of the main benefits of a Charter is that you can gain support from the project and ensure that there is a shared understanding of what the project is about. Be proud to share your Charter with your team and key stakeholders!

 

The Project Charter is the key document in the Initiation phase of a project and is the first opportunity that the project manager has to build the right foundations for the project. Grab the chance to cause a great first impression with a great Project Charter!

Professionally-Designed-Free-Printable-Fax-Cover-Sheet.docx

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Free Fax Cover Sheet in Word, Excel, Google, Image Format

Free printable fax cover sheet is designed professionally so that you can download and print them as per your requirement. There are several ready-to-use options for you to choose. Most importantly, there are several formats such as PDF, Excel sheet, Word, Google sheet and Image. They are completely customizable which gives you complete freedom of customization in fax sheet as per your requirement.

Types of Fax Cover Sheet

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Read more…

Download all these templates at Techno-docs for absolutely free of cost. All templates available in different formats like word, excel, pdf, google docs, etc.  

Simple-Pareto-Chart-IT-Operation.xls

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This Excel Pareto Chart for IT Operations has a single tab to input the data and separate tab for the chart, which updates automatically based on the data entered.

Pareto charts contain a bar graph with a line where individual values are represented by the bars, and the cumulative total is represented by the line. The left Y axis is the frequency each instance occurs or another unit of measure. The right Y axis is the cumulative percentage of the total number of occurrences or another unit of measure. The values are always displayed in descending order.

Pareto charts are used to indicate the most important item among a large set of factors. This is sometimes referred to as the “80/20 Rule”. In the 80/20 Rule, 80% of the occurrences are caused by 20% of the possible factors.

5w2h.docx

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This is a document for 5W2H problem analysis.  The 5W2H is often used in lean and six sigma process improvement initiatives to help bring clarity to the problems and concerns with the current process.  It is also used in Problem Statement definition as a way to get alignment across stakeholders on the current situation.

5W2H stands for:

  • Who – Who is impacted?  Which people, groups, departments are involved?
  • What – What is issue/concern/problem is occurring?
  • When – What is the timeframe for which the issue has been occurring? When did it begin?
  • Where – Where is the issue/concern occurring?  Is it isolated to certain areas?
  • Why – Why is it a problem?  Why do we care about it?
  • How – How is this done today?  How do we know it is a problem?
  • How Many – How frequently does the issue occur?  Hourly?  Weekly?  Yearly?

The 5W2H is typically used at the beginning of a project. It should be completed before root cause analysis. The exercise of going through each item in the analysis is typically more valuable than the completed document. Often times, the result of the 5W2H analysis is a problem statement that can be used in the “head” of a fishbone diagram during root cause analysis.

Example-Cross-Functional-Flow-Chart-Diagram.vsd

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This is an example Cross Functional Flow Chart Diagram built in Visio.  Note that not all Microsoft Office installations come with Visio.

The flow chart includes the following shapes:

  • Rectangle for a process step
  • Diamond for a decision
  • Tube for start and end shapes
  • Annotation for comments
  • Rectangle with a curve for a Document
  • Rectangle with two vertical stripes for a pre-defined process (sub process)
  • Separator (vertical line) to distinguish phases of the process
  • A cloud shape to indicate unclear or uncertain steps in the process

This example is of an IT system release process and has three swim lanes. Additional lanes can be added as needed from the “Cross Functional Flowchart Shapes” stencil. Coloring has been added to the separators to help visually indicate when you are moving from one phase of the process to the next. Additional coloring suggestions include red for process steps that require attention, and yellow for the creation or update of a document.  

PICK-Chart.xlsx

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Most PICK Chart templates require you to manually place the idea onto the chart.  This template uses the Scatter Chart functionality in Excel to automatically place the ideas on the chart for you based on the the values you enter for Impact and Effort.  0 is the minimum value (low) and 3 is the maximum value (high)

The PICK Chart is a Lean/Six Sigma tool used to help prioritize ideas.  The X axis represents the Effort to implement an idea while the Y axis represents the expected Impact.  

Four quadrants are displayed in the PICK Chart:

  • Possible – ideas that are considered "low hanging fruit". The effort to implement is low, but the impact is also low.  These should only be implemented after everything in the "Implement" quadrant.
  • Implement – ideas that should be implemented as they will have a high impact and requrie low effort
  • Challenge – ideas that should be considered for implementation after everything in the "Implement" column.  The impact is high, but the effort is also high. 
  • Kill – ideas that should be "killed" or not implemented.  The effort to do so is high and the impact is low.  

A PICK Chart is typically used in a Lean/Six Sigma project after Problem Identification Waste Analysis and Root Cause Analysis.  

Cross-Functional-Flow-Chart-Diagram.vsd

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This is a template for a simple Cross Functional Flow Chart Diagram (also known as a Cross Functional Process Flow Diagram). Note that it is built in Microsoft Visio, VSD format.  Visio does not come with most Microsoft Office installations.

Cross Functional Flow Chart Diagrams are used to illustrate processes that are performed by two or more parties.  The process steps are separated by “swim lanes” designating which party performs which step.

This template uses the basic flow chart diagram symbols:

  •     Rectangle for a Process Step
  •     Diamond for a Decision Step
  •     Tube for the Start and End Steps
  •     Annotation for Comments

To make the chart larger, drag the edges to extend the working space to the amount needed.


An example of this template in use can be found here.

Flow-Chart-Diagram.vsd

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Flow Chart Diagrams can be used to illustrate business processes, system processes, and much more.  They are frequently used in process improvement initiatives and IT projects to show the as-is and to-be states of the process.

This is a template for a very simple Flow Chart Diagram (also known as a Process Flow Diagram). Note that it is built in Microsoft Visio, VSD format.  Visio does not come with most Microsoft Office installations.

This template only uses the basic flow chart diagram symbols:

  • Rectangle for a Process Step
  • Diamond for a Decision Step
  • Tube for the Start and End Steps
  • Annotation for Comments

For a flow chart with Swim Lanes, refer to a Cross Functional Flow Chart Diagram.  To make the chart larger, drag the edges to extend the working space to the amount needed.

SIPOC-Diagram.pptx

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This is a simple SIPOC Diagram Powerpoint Template. SIPOC stands for Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers.

A SIPOC diagram is often used in Lean and Six Sigma process improvement projects to:
– Define the stakeholders of a process (suppliers and customers)
– Define the scope and boundaries of the process
– Provide a high level overview of the process
– Understand how process outputs serve the end customer

It is typically used early in the project to gain alignment amongst the team and stakeholders.

How do you use it?

It is easiest to begin in the Outputs column. What does your process produce? It may be physical products, services, data/information, etc. List each output of the process in a cell in the Outputs column.

Next, move to the Customers column. Who consumes the outputs of your process? List each Customer in a cell in this column. A customer should be aligned with each of the outputs. Keep in mind that one Output may have many customers.

Complete the Inputs column next. What raw materials, data, etc must be fed into your process in order to get the outputs on the other side? List each input in a cell in the Inputs column.

Next, complete the Suppliers column. Who provides the inputs for the process? The suppliers can be individuals, companies, systems/databases, etc. Each input should be aligned with a supplier.

Finally, complete the Process column. Look at your Inputs column and determine what is the high level process to transform them into your Outputs. Note that the SIPOC diagram only includes a very high level view of the process. It should be summarized in 4-6 steps. A more detailed picture of the process can be created in a Process Flow Diagram. The process steps do not need to be aligned with the inputs and outputs.

SIPOC-Diagram.xlsx

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This is an Excel version of the SIPOC Diagram template posted here:  https://www.hitdocs.com/sipoc-diagram-pptx/.

SIPOC stands for Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers.

A SIPOC diagram is often used in Lean and Six Sigma process improvement projects to:

– Define the stakeholders of a process (suppliers and customers)

– Define the scope and boundaries of the process

– Provide a high level overview of the process

– Understand how process outputs serve the end customer

It is typically used early in the project to gain alignment amongst the team and stakeholders.


How do you use it?

It is easiest to begin in the Outputs column. What does your process produce? It may be physical products, services, data/information, etc. List each output of the process in a cell in the Outputs column.

Next, move to the Customers column. Who consumes the outputs of your process? List each Customer in a cell in this column. A customer should be aligned with each of the outputs. Keep in mind that one Output may have many customers.

Complete the Inputs column next. What raw materials, data, etc must be fed into your process in order to get the outputs on the other side? List each input in a cell in the Inputs column.

Next, complete the Suppliers column. Who provides the inputs for the process? The suppliers can be individuals, companies, systems/databases, etc. Each input should be aligned with a supplier.

Finally, complete the Process column. Look at your Inputs column and determine what is the high level process to transform them into your Outputs. Note that the SIPOC diagram only includes a very high level view of the process. It should be summarized in 4-6 steps. A more detailed picture of the process can be created in a Process Flow Diagram. The process steps do not need to be aligned with the inputs and outputs.