The Buyukkonuk Eco-Tourism Association received a grant, which is the basis for experimenting with the PDPM approach.


This "project" is to build sustainability for the association by increasing knowledge and experience of members in staging festivals, weekly markets, other fund raising activities, as well as training in many aspects of eco-tourism.

The community of members meet weekly at a "Coffee morning' to discuss the last week's activities, plan the next event, and discuss longer term questions. This is evolving into "progress meetings" using the deliverables matrix. The hope is for the team to be more efficient by creating procedures for 'repeat job' or requirements that are necessary for each event.



This can help to encourage participation in the money making activities while at the same time allowing for easier understanding of the costs associated with staging the event - both financial and time/energy. Success in these areas will build increasing skill and confidence to tackle bigger issues of legislation, regulation, and cooperative efforts.



The executive team is working with the PDPM approach to organize the many efforts and events that they are undertaking. The effort is led by Ebru Deniz Tekman, supported by local consultant Ali Tuzunkan and expert Mari Novak.

Visit their website here.

Project Update: Akcaba fiber Optics

The Akcaba Fiber Optics project is equipment acquisition and set up of a new manufacturing plant to produce fiber optics pigtails and patchcords. Based on the previous project deliverable of defining a new logo, the new manufacturing business is now known as FOPPEX.


In February, local consultant Cigdem Aksu facilitated a follow up map day meeting with Faize Akcaba (Managing Director and manager of this PDPM project) and her team. Team members got to cross off the deliverables they had completed on the original deliverables map, before defining the details of the next project horizon which includes deciding where to site the new plant and publishing tenders. It was clear that by conducting the meeting mostly in Turkish, the team was able to participate more fully.



Faize has traveled to China since the first Map Day to tour existing pigtail and patchcord plants. Her thorough documentation of this trip is helping the team envision their new plant and define the details of the plan.


A risk on this project has been the uncertainty of whether the Minister of Industries could provide a suitable site for the new manufacturing plant. To date, one property has been viewed, but a decision has not been made. Akcaba has a property it could use as a default if a better one is not offered. This critical decision will need to be made soon.

Faize is also seeking the first new employee of the manufacturing plant. There were no responses to the first job posting. However, a second posting in Turkish has yielded 5 candidates so far.

Project Update: Erduran Laboratories

Erduran Laboratories is using PDPM to manage their food testing lab equipment acquisition and modernization project.

Hasan Ustunel is the lab's food test engineer and manager of this project. A key challenge for Husan is to manage the project and keep up with responsibilities to serve his existing customers. So far, so good.

One new piece of lab equipment has already arrived with more pieces expected shortly. One of the previously noted risks for the project was that the new building where the lab is located needed to be re-insulated due to wet weather during construction. Hasan reports that his floor of the building will be ready on time to accept the equipment. Hasan and his Director still need to decide how to best handle the EU visibility requirement.


In the last meeting, with assistance from local consultant Cigdem Aksu, Hasan identified sub-deliverables for getting an EU plaque in place. The grand opening of the new Erduran building is scheduled for May or April, but Hasan expects to have the new lab equipment tested in March, so he can begin the process of the EU final report.

PDPM Program MId-Point Progress Report

The audio / slide briefing below outlines the main program elements and achievements through February 2010.

Building Tourist Guide Skill and Knowledge

The Improved Training for Tour Guides effort started in November last year and runs through May 2010.



This program, managed by Suna Evran of CDP, focuses on several specialized areas of guide expertise.





The courses are led by senior guides Richard Skinner and Iris Barry of the U.K.

The overall program goals:

• More specialized & professionalized Tourist Guides
• Increase tourist guides’ capacity to match the international standards
• Increase interest in the TCC tourism product
  
• Create better tourist experience
• Word of mouth – more tourists in TCC

Working with 4 groups of 12 guides, the emphasis is on Medieval Cities and Nature tourism. The training is hands-on with numerous on-site practice as well as video feedback.




In the current phase of the program, a team of guides has been selected for a train-the-trainer course.

Ultimately, they will be able to work in the future to improve the skills of the more than 400 guides working in northern Cyprus.

Update on Legnar Equipment Modernization Project

The project team and PDPM consultants met at the Legnar citrus processing plant on February 11, just outside of Guzelyurt, for their follow up Map Day planning meeting.



Legnar is updating key parts of it's citrus packaging production line to ensure good fruit is not wasted and in hopes of creating more jobs during the packaging season.


Project Manager Ilke Dagli, led the meeting with the intention of identifying upcoming deliverables and any issues that will need to be addressed to keep the project on track. The deliverable of having the tender published had been delayed because of changing rules about how and where it could be published. With the key decision makers together at the meeting, and decision was made and a plan (with sub-deliverables) was made to get this deliverable done in the next 10 days.


The remaining key issue (in this case a risk) is whether the suppliers will be able to produce and install the new equipment without impacting the fall packaging season. This issue will be discussed again at the next follow up Map Day in April. After the meeting, Kazim (a Legnar Director) and Ahmet (Operations Manager) gave the PDPM team a tour of the production line and presented us with lots of tasty locally picked citrus!

Highlighting Food Safety and Hygiene Standards

Project Manager Nergis Yilmaz, supported by local consultant Sevim Ozkirac, is leading a project focused on improving the area of food hygiene and safety. Working with 18 local food engineers, the project has the goal to improve standards and operations, with a focus on eateries and processing plants.




International expert Dr. Mahmood Khan of Virginia Tech is training the engineers. The initial part of the effort is aimed at getting the engineers certified with the US ServSafe credential from the US National Restaurant Association.

Additionally, local standards are being developed in accordance with the TCC environment for application in these businesses. A group of 9 of the food engineers will be selected to become trainers of the final standards. In a projected 2nd phase, the other engineers look to develop an audit capability.

Notes on PDPM Project Management Consulting (Part 1)

Suggestions and observations on PDPM Project Management Consulting

by M. Mari Novak...

1. The KEY role of a manager is to allocate resources to project/process teams. This is little understood. Using PDPM you can understand the value of this perspective, as well as what that means for the manager. They have to understand and monitor what is going on – both for efficiency and asking the BIG questions: IS THIS GROUP PRODUCING THE RIGHT THINGS?? It also means that a supervisor/manager has to listen to the team to find out what they need.

2. There are 2 key elements to any good management oversight:

-- Are you doing things right? (efficiency)

-- Are you doing the RIGHT things? (effectiveness)

3. Very often people get into the habit of checking off a list of actions, tasks, or even deliverables….but miss the point of the overall objectives. This is a big difference between other approaches to project management, but it is a principle of ALL management. Checking off actions can take you WELL OFF THE PATH toward your goals.

4. We look at the easy and obvious instead of focusing on the objectives. How do you plan your management?

	URGENT	NOT URGENT
IMPORTANT	This is a crisis situation. It is not an everyday event (or something else is wrong)	Planning and focusing on the solution HALLMARK OF WELL MANAGED WORK TEAM
NOT IMPORTANT	Unfortunately, what most people spend most of their time on – and often, as directed by their managers!	Please schedule a time when you do random emails and other tasks that don’t add to objectives –this is down time

Determining if the deliverables that are due are done or not done, defining the key deliverables for the next couple weeks, and resolving issues that may prevent completing deliverables (meeting the objectives), keeps you focused on what is IMPORTANT.

5. USE JOB AIDS – these are self monitoring tools, and may also be checklists of steps or memory-aids. Pilots use them. Executives use them. Everyone can use them. USE THEM!! They assist with feedback so you know where you are at in comparison with your objectives!

6. Practice is part of the job…very few things are done RIGHT/PERFECTLY the first time. Presentations need to be practiced – these are performances (and a key skill in management/communications). It is not only ‘ok’ to practice….it is encouraged. This is part of clarifying expectations!!

Models are “iterative” – they have to be adapted and usually the application takes 2-3-4 attempts. No one is “born” understanding management tools and approaches!