PDPM Project Updates: Akcaba Communications

Akcaba Communications is an established fiber optics company since 2005. They have chosen to use Performance Driven Project Management (PDPM) to manage creating the capability for local production of currently imported fiber optic pigtails and patch cords. This will allow them to meet their customer’s need for custom made patch cords.

Faize Akcaba is the company’s Managing Director and the project manager of this project. Faize involved her entire team in the project Map Day early in December. Faize and her local consultant, Cigdem, have met 3 times since then to review progress and keep the plan up to date. As of last week, Faize and her team had completed 18 of 19 deliverables that were planned to be completed so far. This is an excellent result, especially for this large scope project.

One of the lessons learned early on was not to try and make commitments too far out in advance (plan in detail for the near horizon only). Some of the dates from the Map Day needed to be reset in the first status meeting, but now the team plans out only as far as they can see with some certainty.

PDPM Schedule Update

Dear Colleagues,

Please note that the dates for the onsite training in February are:

Workshop: Feb 4/5 (Thursday and Friday)

LC Seminar: Feb 9 (Tuesday)

We will be in contact with you in the next days to set up the individual coaching meetings - one prior to the workshop and at least one after the workshop. Please contact your assigned expert with any questions.

Study #1 Assignment Summary

The following is a short video podcast on effective execution for managers by London Business School Professor Donald Sull.

Please go to this link and view the video and be prepared to answer the following questions:

1. What 3 types of management is Dr. Sull contrasting in the video?

2. In what ways is Dr. Sull's advice similar to what we teach in PDPM? (hint: there are several)

3. Are there any new ideas in the video you can use?

The link is http://www.donsull.com/media/ft_lectures/execution_culture/

In case this link does not work for you, a different version of the lecture is located here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3193486164939366032#

Dr. Donald Sull is a Professor of Management Practice in Strategic and International Management, and the Faculty Director of Executive Education at the London Business School.

Sull is a global authority on how companies compete effectively in turbulent markets. He has been identified as a leading management thinker by The Economist, the Financial Times, and Fortune which named him among the ten new management gurus to know.

Managing from personal commitments

Timm Esque gives a short briefing on the advantages of including your team members in setting deadlines and committments. He has an illustrative tale of the high increases in performance that can result with proper use of this method.

Overview of PDPM Methods

This informal 15 minute podcast provides highlights to the PDPM approach.

Further project meetings completed

Above, local consultants Ilke Dagli and Cigdem Aksu discuss with Director Kazim Ongen specific details of the "map day" sequence of deliverables for the operational improvements at Legnar Import Export Ltd.

Below, the final map after an ambitious plotting of action for the new product planning and preparing the production line for Akcaba Ltd.






Hasan Ustunel of Erduran Tibbi Tahlil Laboratory adjusts the timing on an early deliverable with his equipment modernization project. Cigdem Aksu and Timm Esque provided "map day" coaching and consultation.

Initial Coaching Ongoing for Project Managers

Starting in early December, the Experts and local Consultants began meeting with Project Managers to help refine project definitions as an application of PDPM methods. This includes completing both High Level and Interim Horizon identification of deliverables using the process known as "Map Day". This data is entered into the Deliverable Tracking Excel Sheet which allows for automatic creation of PAC (Performance Against Commitment) graphs.






Above a project manager ponders the many parallel lines of deliverables for a complex project while the project coordinator assists local consultant Memduh Erismen to load data into the DTS software.

Below Project Manager Niyal Ozturk (CTCI) and her assistant view the mapping results for a very ambitious business training program funded by an EU grant.



Local consultant Sevim Ozkurac and Project Manager Nergis Yilmar (below) display the deliverables chart for the CDP Food and Hygiene Safety capacity building effort.



The target for all Projects to be uploaded into their tracking sheets is 15 December. Once this is done, it becomes very easy to monitor progress by use of the deliverables list and the PAC chart provided to all the participants (see below)














Coaching will be ongoing during the next 6 weeks to familiarize the Project Managers with the tools and techniques.