Why did I chose this resource?
I have a lot of good ideas for the operations department and Finance & Accounting. The challenge for me is actually implementing them due to the constraints on my time and resources available.
What did you learn from it?
I learned that a simplified project management approach will help all team members, not just project managers, to take ideas from the conceptual or concept stage to the actual execution stage.
Key Knowledge
The book outlines three steps for taking a project management approach to implementing new ideas. This is called the “Action Method.”
- 1. “Action Steps” – specific actions you will need to complete to take your project forward (e.g., email, blog, phone calls, etc.). Action Steps require actions.
- 2. “References” – documents and other project assets that serve as your reference points along the way to completion (e.g., notes, meeting minutes, progress reports, updates, etc.). References will inform the activities you perform in the Action Steps.
- 3. “Backburner Items” – good ideas that might require some action in the future but not yet. Save them for another day – for the time being, focus on critical activities outlined in Action Steps and References that lead you toward your goal.
How are you using what you learned?
I’m utilizing what I learned in the following ways:
- Utilize our internal project management system, Delta, to list critical actions needed to move forward on initiatives.
- Creating and utilizing artifact templates for all client – and soon internal – projects. This standardizes the references for the Anant Approach and sets expectations for what checkpoints are needed.
- Every day, I reach out to each employee and ask them what tools, information, guidance and resources they need to be successful. This is a rudimentary form of putting employees first.
Key Changes and how we as a company can use this?
- Standardize the use of Delta across all projects – internal and external.
- Implement artifact templates in all responsibility and practice areas. This will standardize how we implement projects and create a shared language with respect to checkpoints.
Key Actions
- Create formal framework to execute “Employees First, Customers Second.”
- Create artifact templates (i.e., references) for all projects – internal and external.
Source
- Name : Making Ideas Happen
- Author : Scott Belsky
- Summary: Making Ideas Happen Summary
- DropBox: Making Ideas Happen Audiobook
