What is proactive project management?

macegroup.com 1

What is Proactive Project Management?

Agenda

• Introduction

• Reactive VS Proactive

• What type of person are you?

• Last Planner

• Some Tips

• Q & A

What is Proactive Project Management? 2

Penny Hubbard-Brown

Deputy Regional Director APAC

Stephen Wong

Senior Project Manager

Introduction

3

Introduction

About Mace


Mace is an independent international consultancy and construction company,

offering highly integrated services across the

full property and infrastructure lifecycle.

HK $15.6bn

Both our consultancy and construction services span the entire property

life cycle to ensure that our clients can enjoy the benefits of the Mace

approach throughout their project or programme, wherever they are in

the world. This all-service approach is the key to our strength.

5

Introduction

Integrated Service Offer

What is Proactive Project Management?

Proactive VS Reactive


• Have you ever had the feeling that you are not in control of

your project?

• By 0930 you have 20 emails open and haven’t replied to any.

• You are awake at 4am!

• You generally feel a step or more behind!

• Short term busy periods happen but if this is the norm then

you will be in FIREFIGHTING MODE and only reacting to

present issues as opposed to long term planning.


Reactive versus Proactive Management

• Reactive Management – a situation which you can’t or don’t

plan ahead for.

• Many reasons for getting to this stage:

• A problem might have caused a quick change requirement.

• Your company might have pulled you onto a difficult project

to turn it around.

• You may just get a buzz out of working in this way.

• Even if you do enjoy working in this manner there are

issues with it for your team and the project:



• Reactive teams are likely to deliver lower quality work.

• You will miss things.

• Your team members will be constantly moved from one

problem to the next causing morale issues.

• Less likely to spot strategic opportunities till its too late.

• You can get very stressed – particularly at 4am!

• So how do you move away from reactive into a more

proactive management approach?



• TIME

– You need to create some urgently.

Create lists

Prioritise

Delegate

• PROCESSES

– Analyse information and communication flows

– What is taking so long?

– Can technology help?



• Understand and Manage Risk

– Identify and prioritise each risk

– Look at mitigation measures – start with high probability

and high impact.

• Moral

– Understand your team – its never too late!

• Keep going

– Encourage suggestions for how to continually improve

processes



• So what does Proactive Management look like?

• You are focusing your efforts and attention on long-term as

opposed to constantly being in the present moment.

• You work well with your teams and understand their

strengths and weaknesses.

• You constantly monitor the project risks and update and

alert key stakeholders and the team to potential changes.

• You carry out regular project reviews, ask for feedback and

investigate ways to optimise processes.



What type of person are you?


To introduce a colourful model of human behaviours that

will allow you to:

• Understand behavioural differences and needs

• Think about how your team may help or hinder stakeholder

management

• Consider how this knowledge may be used to manage change more

effectively by obtaining buy-in and commitment from your

stakeholders


What type of person are you?


The Insights – Color Energies

1. Read all the

adjectives

2. Decide what colour

is most like you,

based on the

adjectives

3. Order the others until

least like you.


On a good day…..

• Knowledgeable

and detailed

• Has an air of

competence

• Asks lots of

questions

• Very thorough

right to the end

• Quick to build

relationships

• Friendly and sociable

• Adaptable,

imaginative

• Can see the big

picture

• Love challenges

• Want to get things

done

• Confident of their

ability

• Influence others

• Builds deep

relationships

• Natural listener

• Sincere and warm

• Patient


On a bad day…..

Stuffy

Indecisive

Suspicious

Cold

Reserved

Excitable

Frantic

Indiscreet

Flamboyant

Hasty

Aggressive

Controlling

Driving

Overbearing

Intolerant

Docile

Bland

Plodding

Reliant

Stubborn

• We are a combination of ALL four colour energies

• We will have a preference for one

• Each energy has both strengths and weaknesses

• No one colour energy is better or worse than another

• We sometimes find our opposites difficult

• We must value differences if we are to build more

effective relationships

• The colours DESCRIBE our behaviour –they don’t

DEFINE us


Four Colour Energies: Key Learning Points

Last Planner


The Lean Transformation

• The beginning

• The journey

• The pay-offs


A Lean Tool

• Last Planner System

What is it

Why are we using it

When to use it

Where to use it

How to get started


BA Terminal 5, UK


Client:

Heathrow Airport Limited

Value:

Confidential

Role:

Facilities Management, Workplace Co-

Ordination

Services Provided :

• Future planning and strategic planning;

• Resource reporting monitoring;

• Redesigning and retrofitting office

accommodation;

• Site-wide space planning 20,000 SQ.M

of project office space

• Graphic design

• Project interface to the FM team;

• Project management and moves

management;

• Maintaining up-to-date CAD plans of all

exisitng accommodation.

• Feasability studies on proposed new

office space.

Some Tips

23

Being responsible sometimes means

upsetting the apple cart


Successful execution relies on the ability to

communicate well, in good clear prose, with

good graphics and good data… this builds

confidence. A questionable story destroys

confidence



Don’t fight technology. Embrace it, learn to

use it and then you can take advantage of it


Don’t be afraid to challenge the experts, even

in their own back yard


Your company doesn't really accomplish

anything. Plans don't accomplish anything.

Theory, processes and systems don't either.

PEOPLE do. So get the best you can.


Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.


Great Project Managers are almost always

great simplifiers, who can cut through

argument, debate and doubt, to offer a

solution that everybody can understand


Have fun! Don't always run at a breakneck

pace. Take leave when you've earned it. Work

hard and play hard


EVERY project needs a bit of this….


Q & A

34

Business

What is proactive project management?