What is the PDCA cycle? Definition of the PDCA cycle The initial letters PDCA stand for the four steps in a continuous improvement process (CIP, Kaizen): Plan-Do-Check-Act. The PDCA cycle, also known as the PDCA method, PDSA cycle (Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle), Deming cycle, Deming wheel or Shewhart cycle, is a four-step framework designed to improve processes through iterative testing, learning and refinement. Especially in quality management as well as in product development, R&D and software development, this method can contribute significantly to the optimization of processes and the impro ..read more

Technical debt in the project context The concept of "technical debt" originally comes from the field of software development. This debt arises when rapid completion is preferred to an optimal solution. The difference between the possible optimal solution and the solution actually implemented is referred to as technical debt. Finally, the project team incurs debt in the form of errors in the software that have to be paid for later. This is precisely the case when the deficits become apparent and adjustments have to be made in order to arrive at an optimal solution after all. The time that resu ..read more

Welcome to the world of process management, where the dreams of streamlined efficiency often clash with the harsh reality of poorly designed processes. Today, we dive deep into the hilariously tragic realm of the "Shit-in-Shit-out" (SiSo) principle. This principle, often whispered in hallowed business school corridors, is the bane of digital transformation. It's a simple concept: if you put garbage into a system, you'll get garbage out. But, as we wade through the digital swamp, let's explore how to turn this stinky situation into a fragrant field of efficiency. SiSo: The Digital Dumpster Fire ..read more

The kick-off of your project and its importance All beginnings are difficult. This is often the case with projects as well. Before the project starts, sometimes there is only a vague goal, for example a deficit that needs to be solved. How to get to the solution of the problem is often unclear. So the destination of the journey that your project represents is fixed. How you get there - on which route, with which means of transport, and with which travel provisions - is the question that needs to be answered in the next step. To get clear about the project and the corresponding plan, the 5W2H m ..read more

Why we need effective resource management in projects Resource management refers to the process of allocating resources in such a way that they provide the greatest possible benefit for the company or also for the project team. More concretely, it is concerned with which financial resources, which technologies and finally which people are assigned to a task for which period of time. Especially in more complex projects, resource management is anything but trivial. Limited resources must be deployed by a set deadline in such a way that the project goal can be achieved. In addition, care must alw ..read more

How do agile and classic project management methods differ? Projects are defined by the fact that they are always unique and complex in nature. Consequently, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to handling projects. A variety of common and less established methods exist. In principle, project management methods can be roughly divided into two groups: There are both agile and classic approaches. Although agility is on everyone's lips these days and has many advantages, classic approaches also definitely have their raison d'être. Which type of method is appropriate in which case is highly dep ..read more

The importance of responsibilities in the project Every project team brings with it a certain social complexity. Different people with different backgrounds and ideas come together. Without a certain degree of coordination, effective collaboration in this constellation is difficult to implement. To bring social complexity under control, a project organization is defined in advance of the project. Here, the project manager specifies the roles that are required for the respective project. For each role, requirements, tasks and competencies are defined accordingly. The person who later occupies t ..read more

Research and development, innovation management and new product introduction  On the way to becoming an innovative company and what role project management can play in this process What is remarkable about innovations is their multiple ambivalence. Instead of a clear definition of the term, there is a collection of innovation characteristics. The majority of organizations want to be innovative, but admit that they need to do more. Furthermore, there is a lack of implementation of innovations in the organizations. In the following, selected approaches to the implementation of innovations w ..read more

Know the risks in your project! Risk management plays an enormously important role in project management. The task here is to identify, analyze, control and ultimately minimize risks. Although some risks can be eliminated with a suitable solution strategy, certain risks can never be completely avoided in the project context. Consequently, these must be kept as low as possible. The better risk management is handled in your project, the greater the probability of success, all other things being equal. It should not be neglected that risk management is not the only decisive factor for project suc ..read more

In the first part of our two-part blog post, you learned that complex planning and a multitude of dependencies can make a project a very fragile construct. If a project fails, it always fails in its entirety. This is because the project only adds value after it has been 100% completed successfully. In this second part, we show to what extent the modularization of a project can provide a remedy for the problems mentioned, what is meant by positive and negative learning, and the relevance of modular project management in practice. Goal-oriented simplification through a modular approach The plann ..read more