Feasibility Study

Project Management

Project Managers use feasibility studies to determine potential positive and negative outcomes of a project before investing considerable amount of time and money into it.

Conducting a feasibility study is always beneficial to the project as it gives the promoter and other stakeholders a clear picture of the idea.

The benefits of feasibility study are

• Gives project teams more focus  and provides an alternative outline.

• Narrows the business alternatives.

• Identifies a valid reason to undertake the project.

• Enhances the success rate by evaluating multiple parameters.

• Aids decision-making on the project.

It also helps to analyze the constraints like Internal Project Constraints, Internal Corporate Constraints and  External Constraints. Understanding the project objectives, deliverable, scope, risk, cost, approach, etc. are the most important aspects of successfully managing a project.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar says

ஒல்வ தறிவது அறிந்ததன் கண்தங்கிச்

செல்வார்க்குச் செல்லாதது இல்  (472)

साध्य कार्य को समझ कर, समझ कार्य हित ज्ञेय ।
जम कर धावा जो करे, उसको कुछ न अजेय ॥ (४७२)

Explanation by Scholars:

There is nothing which may not be accomplished by those who, before they proceed, make themselves acquainted with their own ability, and with whatever else is (needful) to be known, and apply themselves wholly to their object.

ஒரு செயலில் ஈடுபடும்போது அச்செயலைப் பற்றிய அனைத்தையும் ஆராய்ந்தறிந்து முயற்சி மேற்கொண்டால் முடியாதது எதுவுமில்லை.

SWOT Analysis

Project Management     

SWOT analysis is a study undertaken by an organization to identify its Strengths and Weaknesses, as well as its external Opportunities and Threats. 

By using SWOT analysis  company's Strength can be assessed, Weakness  can be corrected,  Opportunities can be exploited and Threat can be countered.

2000 Years ago Aiyan Thiruvalluvar envisaged the importance of SWOT Analysis

வினைவலியும் தன்வலியும் மாற்றான் வலியும் 

துணைவலியும் தூக்கிக் செயல்( 471 ) 

निज बल रिपु-बल कार्य-बल, साथी-बल भी जान ।
सोच-समझ कर चाहिये, करना कार्य निदान ॥ (४७१

Explanation:

Let (one) weigh well the strength of the deed (he purposes to do), his own strength, the strength of his enemy, and the strength of the allies (of both), and then let him act.

செயலின் வலிமையும் தன் வலிமையும் பகைவனுடைய வலிமையும் இருவருக்கும் துணையானவரின் வலிமையும் ஆராய்ந்து செயல்பட வேண்டும்.

வினைவலியும்= Potential & Weakness of the project (Weakness)

தன்வலியும்= Own Strength (Strength)

மாற்றான்வலியும்  = Strength of the opponents (Threats)

துணைவலியும்= Strength of Partners (Like Partnership, JV)(Opportunities)

தூக்கிக்செயல்= Evaluate and Proceed

Planning

Project Management

The worst part about a failing project is that, the project leader is unaware of it happening until it is often too late. Some project leaders live in denial mode while others are unaware of their mistakes.

At the beginning, project managers must clearly link projects to their company’s goals. For a project to be successful, the management and the team members must agree on the project goals. 

The project manager and team must develop a clear plan to achieve project goals.  The plan establishes responsibilities for the various phases of the work and sets milestones that serve as deadlines and demonstrations of progress.

Team members must play an important role in determining project milestones and completion dates. They often have a better idea than the project manager of how long it will take to achieve milestones. A good plan also provides the framework for estimating the resources necessary to accomplish each milestone. 

The project managers should determine the most likely points at which something could go wrong and prepare contingency plans to fix it. In project management, the worst project plan is no plan. If the objectives and scope of the project were not clear, it is impossible to measure if they were accomplished.

But if there is no plan in a project, there is no way to improve it. It means, there are only people doing whatever they have understood to be done, and no way to compare and contrast at the end if they completed what was required.

A project road map or timeline with identified milestones will help everyone to gauge progress toward the final goal. Team members will feel more committed if they can meet intermediate, short-term goals that are clearly related to the project’s overall success. The most common reason for failure is unclear goals and goals that fail to meet organization vision.

Promising achievement of an unrealistic goal will damage the project manager’s credibility with team members and reduce their commitment to the project.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar says

தெளிவி லதனைத் தொடங்கார் இளிவென்னும்
ஏதப்பாடு அஞ்சு பவர். (464)

अपयश के आरोप से, जो होते हैं भीत ।
शुरू न करते कर्म वे, स्पष्ट न जिसकी रीत ॥ (४६४)

Explanation by Scholars

Those who fear reproach will not commence anything which has not been (thoroughly considered) and made clear to them.

களங்கத்துக்குப்  பயப்படக்  கூடியவர்கள் தான் விளைவுகளை  எண்ணிப்  பார்த்து  அந்தக்  களங்கம் தரும் காரியத்தில் இறங்காமல் இருப்பார்கள்.

Project Planning

Project Management                 

Considering five factors ie., Project Capital, Machineries, Project Schedule, Action Plan and Suitable Location a project should be devised. These are to be evaluated to see whether the project will be successful or not.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar identifies five factors to be considered while Project Planning

பொருள்கருவி காலம் வினையிடனொடு ஐந்தும் 
இருள்தீர எண்ணிச் செயல். (675)

धन साधन अवसर तथा, स्थान व निश्चित कर्म ।
पाँचों पर भ्रम के बिना, विचार कर कर कर्म ॥ (६७५)

Explanation by Scholars:

Do an act after a due consideration of the (following) five, viz. money, means, time, execution and place.

வேண்டிய பொருள், ஏற்றக்கருவி, தக்க காலம், மேற்கொண்ட தொழில், உரிய இடம் ஆகிய ஐந்தினையும் மயக்கம் தீர எண்ணிச் செய்ய வேண்டும்.

பொருள்= Project Capital         கருவி =Machineries        காலம் = Project Schedule

வினை=Action Plan         இடம் = Suitable Location

இருள்தீரஎண்ணிச்செயல்=Evaluate properly before Action

Decision Making

Project Management

Decision Making is the thought process of selecting a logical choice from the available options. When trying to make a good decision, a person must weigh the positives and negatives of each option, and consider all the alternatives.

Decision Matrix, T-Chart, Decision Tree, Multivoting, Pareto Analysis, Cost-benefit, Conjoint Analysis are different techniques and tools are used to make a decision now a days.

Aiayn Thiruvalluvar Says

எண்ணித் துணிக கருமம் துணிந்தபின் 

எண்ணுவம் என்பது இழுக்கு. (467)

होना प्रवृत्त कर्म में, करके सोच-विचार ।
‘हो कर प्रवृत्त सोच लें’, है यह गलत विचार ॥ (४६७)

Explanation by Scholars:

Consider, and then undertake a matter; after having undertaken it, to say "We will consider," is folly.

செய்யத் தகுந்த செயலையும் வழிகளை எண்ணிய பிறகே துணிந்து தொடங்க வேண்டும், துணிந்த பின் எண்ணிப் பார்க்கலாம் என்பது குற்றமாகும்.

எண்ணித் துணிக கருமம் = Think & Take Bold Decision to proceed for action

துணிந்தபின் எண்ணுவமென்ப திழுக்கு= Decisions during the course is disgrace (shame), the project will fail.

Decision Making & Concept of Priority

Project Management      

Each and every decision has its own consequences. The problems should be boldly faced and wisely solved. We should not attempt to go back once we made the decision. It is harmful. 

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar says

சூழ்ச்சி முடிவு துணிவெய்தல் அத்துணிவு

தாழ்ச்சியுள் தங்குதல் தீது.( 671)

निश्चय कर लेना रहा, विचार का परिणाम ।
हानि करेगा देर से, रुकना निश्चित काम ॥ (६७१)

Explanation by Scholars:

The Resolve is counsel's end, if resolutions halt in weak delays, still unfulfilled, it is grievous fault.

சூழ்ச்சி = Plan or Action              
முடிவு துணிவெய்தல் = Taking bold decision

அத்துணிவு தாழ்ச்சியுள் = Attempt to go back 

தங்குதல் தீது = Delaying (decision) is harmful

Concept of Priority

If several activities need solution, then delay the actions which are not important and don’t delay the actions which are urgent.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar advises to adopt the Concept of Priority 

தூங்குக தூங்கிச் செயற்பால தூங்கற்க

தூங்காது செய்யும் வினை.( 672)

जो विलम्ब के योग्य है, करो उसे सविलम्ब ।
जो होना अविलम्ब ही, करो उसे अविलम्ब ॥ (६७२)

Explanation by Scholars:

Slumber when sleepy work's in hand: beware thou slumber not when action calls for sleepless care!

தூங்குக = delay,   
தூங்கிச் செயற்பால = If not urgent

தூங்கற்க = don't delay

தூங்காது செய்யும் வினை = actions/ decisions which cannot be delayed (urgent)

Measuring Decision Effectiveness

Project Management             

Good, fast decision making and quick execution produce good financial results.  

High-performing organizations make high-quality decisions, make them quickly, and implement them effectively to win more contracts, get to market faster and beat out rivals.

Example

Google launched Gmail, Google+, the Android operating system, and Google Apps etc. But others are struggling to decide on priorities in these areas. Such dramas play out on a smaller scale in every company every day.

Organizations that decide and execute better and faster than their competitors will win the race. 

Many companies do not even measure their decision effectiveness.

People need to know how well they perform on all of these elements—decision quality, speed, yield and effort.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar's concept on “Measuring Decision Effectiveness”

கலங்காது கண்ட வினைக்கண் துளங்காது

தூக்கங் கடிந்து செயல். (668)

सोच समझ निश्चय किया, करने का जो कर्म ।
हिचके बिन अविलम्ब ही, कर देना वह कर्म ॥ (६६८)

Explanation by Scholars:

An act that has been firmly resolved on, must be as firmly carried out without delay.

மனக்குழப்பமின்றித் தெளிவாக முடிவு செய்யப்பட்ட ஒருசெயலைத் தளர்ச்சியும், தாமதமும் இடையே ஏற்படாமல் விரைந்து நிறைவேற்ற வேண்டும்.

குறள்வழி நடந்து புதிய உச்சத்தை தொட்ட

Thiru. Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google Inc அவர்களை வாழ்த்தி வணங்குகிறேன்.

Execution Methodology

Project Management                  

Using a systematic methodology to approach projects is a key to successful execution.

Project Management Methodology is a combination of logically related practices, methods and processes that determine how best to plan, develop, control and deliver a project throughout the continuous implementation process until successful completion and termination.

Typically, a methodology provides a skeleton for describing every step in depth, so that a project manager will know what to do in order to deliver and implement the work according to the schedule.

A properly defined and strictly followed methodology for managing a project provides a firm guarantee that the job will be done on time, budget and client specification.

It is the straight forward way to guide the team through the development and execution of the phases, processes, methods and tasks till completion of project.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar says 

ஆற்றின் வருந்தா வருத்தம் பலர்நின்று

போற்றினும் பொத்துப் படும். (468)

जो भी साध्य उपाय बिन, किया जायगा यत्न ।
कई समर्थक क्यों न हों, खाली हो वह यत्न ॥ (४६८)

Explanation by Scholars: 

The work, which is not done by suitable methods, will fail though many stand to uphold it.

ஒரு செயலை, செயல்முறை அறியாது தொடங்கினால், பலர் சேர்ந்து துணை செய்தாலும்,  அச்செயல் கெட்டுப் போகும்.

Effective Execution

Project Management        

Despite the obvious importance of good planning and execution, relatively few management thinkers have focused on what kinds of processes and leadership are best for turning a strategy into results. This lack of expertise in execution can have serious consequences.

The gap between expectation and performance is a failure to execute the company’s strategy effectively. The biggest factor of all may be executive inattention. Plans are often simply agreed to and then forgotten.  Ignoring failure makes it much harder to identify execution bottlenecks and take corrective action.

To overcome these issues:

• Develop a model for execution
• Choose the right metrics
• Don’t forget the plan
• Get more real-time feedback
• Assess performance frequently.

Performance monitoring is still an annual affair at most companies. The performance monitoring cycle should be from quarter-by-quarter to month-by-month instead of keeping as an annual affair. The strategy only succeeds when it is integrated into operations.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar says

முறைப்படச் சூழ்ந்தும் முடிவிலவே செய்வர் 

திறப்பாடு இலாஅ தவர். (640)

यद्यपि क्रम से सोच कर, शुरू करे सब कर्म ।
जिनमें दृढ़ क्षमता नहीं, करें अधूरा कर्म ॥ (६४०)

Explanation by Scholars: 

Those who are destitute of executive ability will fail to carry out their projects, although they may have contrived aright.

முறைப்படித் தீட்டப்படும் திட்டங்கள் கூடச் செயல்திறன் இல்லாதவர்களிடம் சிக்கினால் முழுமையாகாமல் முடங்கித்தான் கிடக்கும்.

Abandoning a Project

Project Management

Our lives are constantly evolving with new interests, inspirations, and opportunities. Starting a new project is like falling in love. It’s exciting, emotionally arousing, infused with the natural motivator of novelty.

Perhaps we even get obsessive about this new activity. We imagine it as “all good” and don’t pay much attention to potential obstacles, negatives, or challenges we may soon face. Then, after some time goes by, the activity turns into harder work than we expected.

It takes longer to complete than we’d hoped, or there’s some tedium and drudgery involved. We realize we aren’t sure about the next step. Stuck, we grind to a halt.

How to avoid getting stuck?

• Become aware of the pattern of starting and finishing.
• Do the researches more deeply into the project before jumping in. 
• Try to be realistic & Set achievable goals. 
• Make a time line or write out a set of steps toward achieving goal.
• Adding structure to plans can really help. 
• Ensure main motivation is intrinsic.

Abandoning projects will cause irremediable loss to all including stake holder, employees, lenders and society. They will abandon the person who took such decision.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar cautions

வினைக்கண் வினைகெடல் ஓம்பல் வினைக்குறை

தீர்ந்தாரின் தீர்ந்தன்று உலகு. (612)

ढीला पड़ना यत्न में, कर दो बिलकुल त्याग ।
त्यागेंगे जो यत्न को, उन्हें करे जग त्याग ॥ (६१२)

Explanation by Scholars:

Take care not to give up exertion in the midst of a work; the world will abandon those who abandon their unfinished work.

ஒருசெயலைச் செய்யும்போதே, அதைத் தொடர்ந்து செய்வது கடினம் என எண்ணிச் செய்யாது விட்டுவிடாதீர்.  அவ்வாறு விட்டுவிடுபவரை இந்த உலகமும் விட்டுவிடும்.

Dangers of unfinished tasks

Effective Execution - Project Management                     

The law of inertia tells us a body in motion stays in motion. The same is applicable for project execution also. When we interrupt a task, it can be difficult to pick it up again.

As per statistics, we are interrupted every three minutes and half of those interruptions are self-imposed. When we are working on something without a clear deadline, seeing it through to its end can be a huge challenge.

Think of those projects that were started and faded gradually before coming to an end or to stagnation. Think of those aspirations that never moved into actual conception.

One of the reasons people don’t finish tasks is their fear of being evaluated. Prolonging completion of a task could be one way of avoiding being harshly evaluated.

Every master procrastinator has figured out a reason to justify that delay in finishing.  It’s not that procrastinators are lazy.

More likely they busy themselves doing things other than what they are supposed to be doing. 

A most common reason given for unfinished job is the perfectionist card. Calling himself a perfectionist won’t get him out of the fact that he is not getting things done.

The unfinished tasks, if not monitored seriously, will lead to missing targets, time delay and project cost overrun which may ultimately result in shelving the project.  

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar cautions

வினைபகை என்றிரண்டின் எச்சம் நினையுங்கால்

தீயெச்சம் போலத் தெறும். (674)

कर्म-शेष रखना तथा, शत्रु जनों में शेष ।
अग्नि-शेष सम ही करें, दोनों हानि विशेष ॥ (६७४)

Explanation by Scholars

When duly considered, the incomplete execution of an undertaking and hostility will grow and destroy one like the (unextinguished) remnant of a fire.

ஏற்ற செயலையோ, எதிர்கொண்ட பகையையோ முற்றாக முடிக்காமல் விட்டுவிட்டால் அது நெருப்பை அரைகுறையாக அணைத்தது போலக் கேடு விளைவிக்கும்.

Project Failure

Project Management

Many times we have seen that even after a well-conceived project plan, the project was on fail mode if a manager does what he should not and fails to do what he should.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar says

செய்தக்க அல்ல செயக்கெடுஞ் செய்தக்க

செய்யாமை யானுங் கெடும்.(466)

करता अनुचित कर्म तो, होता है नर नष्ट ।

उचित कर्म को छोड़ता, तो भी होता नष्ट ॥ (४६६)

Explanation by Scholars:

He will perish who does not what is not fit to do; and he also will perish who does not do what it is fit to do.

செய்யக் கூடாதவற்றைச் செய்தாலும் செய்ய வேண்டியவற்றைச் செய்யாமல் விட்டாலும் அழிவு வரும்.

செய்தக்க அல்ல செயக்கெடும் = If a manager does what he should not,                                                                             the project will fail.

செய்தக்க செய்யாமை யானுங் கெடும் = If a manager  fails to do what he                                                                                          should, then also the project will fail.