Leading Special Projects

Teams utilize many different talents
(courtesy 2013.igem.org)

Leading a operations team is an experience everyone should do as often as the opportunity arises. Some people always look for leadership possibilities and thrive on nearly every task they manage. Others think they are leaders and quickly prove to everyone around them that they have no clue as to what is going on and how to get the most from team members.  Still a third group seeks to avoid leadership opportunities and is content to be a role player.  To be an effective leader on a special project that requires fast answers and execution, here are a few tips:

• Utilize the group's strength.  Early in my career on Boeing's portion of the F-22, I was tasked to lead a team of engineers and operations folks to help build a test box for a live fire test to ensure survivability for the wing.  Since the first test failed miserably there was a high level of concern to get the right answer quickly. During our meetings to plan our next test, I utilized the members of our team by engaging them in conversation about all engineering, manufacturing and operations parameters.  They were far more experienced than I was at the time, so it would have been foolish of me to try to "fake" my knowledge.  Instead I let the experts help guide us to the optimum solution and I served the group as a facilitator.  The next tests were ultimately a success and the program passed an essential milestone for survivability.
• Do what is necessary for success.  This seems obvious but many people feel that they only need to do their assigned tasks and let others do theirs.  Sometimes others get pulled away onto something else, have trouble executing, or simply just don't have a sense of urgency for a special project.  Then you have to forge ahead and do what they haven't done.  I did this one time in my Boeing career when I had to do layouts of an area another engineer was supposed to perform.  He kept procrastinating the job until it was getting close to jeopardizing the program.  I stepped in and started the job.  It caused some conflict with him but the job had to be done.
• Give credit to those who help.  Often during a busy project, you have to ask people to go above and beyond what is expected of them.  This includes after hours and weekend work to get the task done.  At the least, you can send them a thank you note or let their manager know how much they helped you.  It is the right thing to do and helps ensure they will be willing to help you again in the future.

(courtesy agilebacon.com)

Stand Up Meetings

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There is nothing like a meeting to prevent real action or progress on an issue.  Most people can attest to the fact that meetings often go off on tangents or don't conclude with any real decisions.  Many meeting invitees are not really necessary, only attending because the boss is requiring them to go.

The stand up meeting is different.  It is usually a daily meeting held in the operations area (i.e. factory floor).  It is usually held early in the morning as the first (day) shift is starting operations.  It is successful for the following reasons:

• It is held with all meeting participants "standing up".  There are no chairs or tables to rest or get comfortable.  
• It is short in duration (usually 5 - 10 minutes) depending on the topic.  By standing the entire meeting, it ensures the meeting will not go too long.
• The meeting involves different functional groups and brings them together to work issues.  No waiting for someone to answer an e-mail or leave another meeting.  Collaboration happens immediately.
• The meeting happens early in the morning before people get pulled away to solve other emergent issues,

If you haven't done so already, consider having a stand up meeting to improve focus and get real results

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Transferable Skills

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With many out of work or looking to find a better position, it is one of the busiest hiring periods in recent times. Those working in Human Resources (HR) know all too well that the sheer volume of resumes for just one position can reach well over one hundred resumes.  So in order to narrow the possibilities, the HR professionals word the job posting so that no one really has all the "minimum qualifications" that the hiring company is seeking to find.

Not to be overlooked are transferable skills.  Here are some of the common mistakes found in hiring and what fixes the issue:

• "No experience in our industry".  I was once told I didn't have any food industry experience for a manager's position at a local yogurt plant.  What I did have was many years experience in a manufacturing operation.  My experience was in a regulated industry (FAA) that is comparable to another regulated industry, food manufacturing (FDA).  So the skills I learned at Boeing (management, dealing with machines that go down, raw material issues, etc) are transferable to other manufacturing industries.  In fact an outsider may very well bring fresh new insight to the position.  In addition, the learning curve is not so steep that an experienced person can quickly get up to speed.
• "You aren't experienced in our 3D CAD system".  If you have had any training in one  3D CAD system, you can easily learn another.  The commands for doing operations are different but make sense once you get into the nuts and bolts of the CAD system.  In fact with many icon based programs like CATIA V5, all that is required is to know the icons.
• "You have never been a manager before".  Maybe not but every manager out  there was working at a staff level before being promoted.  They were not managers before either.  Many managers join a company with preconceived ideas on how things should be run in the new company.  Often it is better to take an inexperienced face and  mold that person into the leader your company deserves.

(courtesy:csuitementor.com)

Points of Contact

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In any operation it is essential to know who is the contact person in a different group than your own.  The bigger the company, the more important it is to know who to go find if you need help or have a question.  Otherwise you can spend many hours calling and asking around to find an answer to your question.

One of the best work features Boeing used was a making a points of contact list available for groups. Many work tasks or projects were  often specialized by one or two key individuals within a group.  These subject matter experts (SMEs) would often be the best sources for information available to others within a group.  So it benefited the entire organization to have contact information published in an easily accessible place, usually online.  If you had a question particular to that topic, all you had to do was call or e-mail the expert and could expect an answer in several hours at most.  Effective  groups would make sure the points of contacts name an contact information was current, since many people often shifted work assignments.

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I have also been in groups where there is no contact information published.  It is extremely frustrating and time consuming to have to try to find  the right person to talk to.  Many people often gave up in their search and would simply try it on their own.  Not a good way to run a business!

5 Whys

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The hardest part of fixing a problem is usually the root cause analysis.  It is the "Why?" that so many operational leaders and engineers fail to ask once a problem becomes apparent.  Instead they jump to the "How to fix it" step.  This is like treating the symptoms instead of identifying and correcting the cause of the issue.

The 5 Whys is a systematic approach to root cause analysis
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Fortunately using a structured root cause analysis, the 5 Whys method is what can quickly get you to identify the cause of the issue and take the necessary corrective steps.  It is simply a cause and effect diagram, Pareto chart or any other type of graphical representation.  Starting on the left side of the chart, you ask the question, "Why did this problem happen?".  You then answer the question to the best of your ability.  You keep asking "why?" until a root cause is determined.  It may no take asking Why 5 times (hence the title).  You may find an answer in 2 or 3 Whys.  But it forces you to dig into the analysis and really understand what happened and not just assume you can fix the problem.


An exmple of 5 Whys:

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One of the biggest problems I faced at Boeing was a high number of passenger seat  rejections on the 787 program.  After starting a formal root cause analysis program involving the entire operation, we determined there was not enough engineering checking in the process.  We recommended that management approve a more rigorous  checking process to help catch the errors earlier rather than later.  However the management  said this would be too costly and didn't approve the recommendation.  

So even though management's view  was short sided, the tools are valuable to really get to the heart of the issue. It can save a great deal of time and money if everyone is on board and understands what is going on.

On Loan Work Assignments

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At some point in your career you may be asked by your manager to work outside of your assigned work group as a loaned out employee.  Although these assignments are usually short term to help out another group, you may feel a little put out by the request,  You may feel that your current work contributions are  deemed inadequate or you are as valued as an employee,  However there are several advantages to accepting (or perhaps volunteering) for this type of assignment:

• Get to know other teammates  - Once you report to your new team you may know some of the members but not all.  What better way to network than to work side by side with new people who could perhaps enhance you career down the road.  Or  you may be able to help them in their career.
• Learn a new part of the organization -  You may have a little knowledge of the new group but chances are you will need to know more.  A broad  understanding of your industry will only help you move laterally and upward as well as you progress  in your career.
• Other managers will get to know your work -  Probably the best part of working in a new group is the opportunity to showcase your skills for the new manager.  You will be under the microscope for a little while, so make the best of it and exceed expectations.  Once pay raises come out, the more managers that know of your good work the better chance you will have of getting a stellar raise.

(Courtesy: uthmag.com)

Performance Reviews

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With the end of the year comes the dreaded performance reviews that large companies put their employees through. Many companies require their employees to rate their performance over the past year in a variety of categories.  Many  of these categories are vague and so naturally it is difficult to rate yourself objectively.  From experience here are a few tips that help with the process:

• Keep a log of important accomplishments during the year -  Starting with January list all important job related activities by month in a log or journal (electronic or paper - it doesn't matter).  This helps you remember all you did during the year to verify you met or exceeded expectations.  Management is quick to forget much of the good you do so it is essential to help strong documentation to bolster your review.
• For any areas you think are weak or below par, address them with an action plan -  Chances are that if you think your are weak in a particular area, your manager may be thinking the same thing.  If you know why your performance was below standard, own up to it in the review meeting.  Then show a plan of how you are going to get better,  Bosses will be impressed.
• Ask for new assignments, responsibilities, or training -  Performance reviews are not all about how you can do better.  It's also about asking for opportunities and getting managements commitment to help you.  Management is responsible for helping develop employees to their potential.  Some managers need to be reminded of this.

Performance reviews can be positive if they are treated as a tool for communication and not a punishment.  Going into a performance review with areas addressed will go along way to moving forward.

(Courtesy Scott Adams)