What makes a good plan?
A good plan maps out the steps to get something done, builds in mechanisms to accommodate risk and paints a picture of how to do things better.
Why make a plan?
A plan shows you how to get things done, despite things going wrong and with an eye to continual improvement.
On a philosophical level:
A good plan is an exercise in optimism and an expression of our belief in our ability to always move ahead.
Manufacturers in the retail supply chain are under increased pressure by retailers to cut costs. This is coming from Wal-Mart and other competitive big-box retailers.
One way to improve costs is to manage the production cycle with project management techniques.
I’ve seen creative departments radically improve their cycle-times, efficiency and responsiveness to customers by having a project plan in place for each creative process. It has reaped huge benefits: upwards of 2x increases in productivity and speed.
Designers can do upwards of twice as much work.
The creative department can deliver finished product in half the time.
When a customer says “go” on a concept you’ve shown them, the project plan assures that you can hit the ground running.
More responsiveness, higher customer satisfaction, faster production with lower costs, these are the exact items demanded by competitive retailers. And these are exactly the items project management can deliver for manufacturers in the retail supply chain.
