Hi Announcement in The Project Manager Network Resources & Links:

Hi Announcement in The Project Manager Network Resources & Links:

It’s been a great October here with the Hi Project Manager Network Tools! Hope everyone is closing out the month well and keeping their projects on track! Have a great week and please enjoy the weekly group updates below:  Project Management Resources:  - 5 Key Findings on the State of Modern Product Delivery -http://bit.ly/1FMjvAY - How to Scale Agile in Your Organization - http://bit.ly/1tRjbxR - Advance your PM Career - http://bit.ly/1pz4UC1 - Enhance your business acumen with an online MBA from Quinnipiac University - http://bit.ly/1vtrQon Reports and Downloads:  - Eye-Opening Report on Budgeting and Scheduling - http://bit.ly/1rvrtE5 - Enterprise-class Work Collaboration Project Management Solutions -http://bit.ly/1rj8I6x - Microsoft Project 2010 - Free Quick Reference Card -http://bit.ly/1aNUn0I - Stress Management For Dummies, 2nd Edition - eBook -http://bit.ly/1BJmPb8 - Web Marketing For Dummies, 3rd Edition - eBook -http://bit.ly/1wBm70i PM articles from Projectmanagers.net:  - 5 Open Source Project Management Tools to Consider -http://bit.ly/1wBmw2U - Taiga a New Open Source Project Management Software -http://bit.ly/1wBmw2W - Estimating risk - http://bit.ly/1wBmZC2 - How do different groups judge success? - http://bit.ly/1wBn0WG Career advice from Recruiter.com:  - Do You Always Come in Second Place at Job Interviews? -http://bit.ly/1wBlUdx - Learning to Acknowledge and Understand Other Cultures by Recognizing Your Own - http://bit.ly/1wBlUdy - Know the Major Differences between Private- and Public-Sector Companies - http://bit.ly/1wBlUdD - 5 Great Questions to Ask in a Video Interview - http://bit.ly/1wBlSlP - Take the Skills of a Sales Professional into the Job Hunt -http://bit.ly/1wBlSlT - Five Strange and Awesome Company Perks - http://bit.ly/1FwLrIX ProjectManagers.net Site Resources: Jobs: http://www.projectmanagers.net/jobs Reports and Whitepapers: http://research.projectmanagers.net Software and Services Directory: http://www.projectmanagers.net/directory

Hi Application note: Eight things to consider when choosing outdoor humidity instruments.

Hi Application note: Eight things to consider when choosing outdoor humidity instruments.

Hi ‘Eight things to consider when choosing an outdoor humidity instrument’;

Outdoor humidity and temperature measurement is essential for applications such as energy management and indoor climate control. Just one outdoor humidity sensor typically optimises the energy efficiency of cooling equipment. However, if this sensor is not accurate, both energy efficiency and human comfort may be compromised. This application note from Vaisala discusses using solar radiation shields; guidelines for installing outdoor humidity instruments; the elements of a good radiation shield; the most common humidity parameters used in free cooling; and more.

Click The Following Link Here To Download Or View & Save Below; 

Similar Further Reading; View Hi Ask An Expert Post Publication On 

Hi Case study: Air Handling Equipment offers accurate dew-point 

monitoring with Vaisala!!!.  Click The Following Post Link Here. 

Hi ENGINEERING EFFICIENCY/EFFECTIVENESS - KEY METRICS!.

Hi ENGINEERING EFFICIENCY/EFFECTIVENESS - KEY METRICS!.

Companies or organizations often misuse Engineering resources at the expense of accomplishing the goals for these technical resources.  

Measurement is key to identification of the activities and limit of the “leaks” affecting the department.  

It has been said “you can only manage what you can measure” and measurement is key to an efficient/effective engineering department or organization.

As a guiding principle, application of metrics should embody these characteristics:

• simple to record and track; minimize the total number of measures.
• meaningful in relation to the work at hand and practical.
• related to or in support of the business goals.
• kept active and accurate (revise as required).
• available at all times to key personnel responsible (post or distribute).
• reviewed periodically with all of the personnel (obtain feedback).
• management interest, involvement and support in achieving results.

The metrics applied should be tailored to the activity or department and documented using a meaningful frequency.  

Many of the metrics may stand alone or be plotted against hours, orders or project elements.  

For an on-going effort such as backlog or changes per a base number of features, a rolling average may be desirable in addition to a single time related value.

In other words, focus on the issues important to the business and activities key to success.  

Initiate one or two metrics per area of interest or product type.  

Begin with a few immediately and grow into the desired full set.

The following list is broader than needed but it provides an indication of the types of metrics that can be applied.  

This list assumes a business that supplies a product or service per customer request or potential multiple selection of model sizes or custom features.

STAFFING:

• Hours spent (or % of total) for submittals, sales orders, product development, manufacturing support, change, or “other” support. 

ORDERS:

• Total number of active orders per product group over time.
• Number of submittals in process vs active orders (backlog).
• Schedule performance, actual vs estimated, or % on time.

SUBMITTALS:

• Estimated hours per order vs actual hours per order.
• Number of sales orders in process and hours required.
• On time (schedule) release to next group (release to design).
• Average drafting hours per order or per estimate of project.
• Available man-hours per product vs backlog hours per product.
• Number of changes: pre and post release per order or project.

DESIGN/DRAFTING:

•  Estimated hours per order vs actual hours per order or project.
• Number of sales orders in process and hours required.
• On-time (schedule) release to production (days missed included).
• Average drafting hours per order or per project element.
• Available man-hours per product vs backlog hours per product.
• % errors vs total number of drawings per order, time period, project.
• Number of changes pre and post release (per order, project, etc.).

DESIGN/ENGINEERING:

• Proposals won vs total submitted.
• Estimated hours per order, project vs actual expended.
• Number of sales orders in process and hours required.
• Available man-hours per product vs backlog hours per product.
• Number of changes, pre and post release.
• % of corporate revenue from products developed in last 4 years.

ENGINEERING/PRODUCT QUALITY:

• Warranty expense as a % of shipped $.
• Field or customer complaints vs total items shipped.
• Retrofit or rework $ as % of shipped $.
• Engineering hrs addressing complaints vs total available.
• Product or component MTBF (mean time between failures).

Hi Mining Top Tips Double!! WHAMMY!

Hi Mining Top Tips Double!! WHAMMY! 

Hi Six Tips for Business Improvement in Mining:

Throughout the years, the concept of ‘business improvement’ has evolved from a cost-savings initiative to a process that has driven efficiency and raised productivity across numerous industries. 

From companies like Toyota to Rio Tinto, it has been tweaked and adapted for any imaginable scenario and there’s a big markets out there seeking business improvement advice.

 

Business improvement can be a timely and costly process, but it can yield great dividends. 

To ensure your organisation will benefit from it, here are some simple steps for those in mining who are considering business improvement.

 

Needless to say, these tips won't be applicable to all mining companies, so pick and choose the appropriate ones & leave a comment on what other tips you have.

1. Examine your culture(s);

At the heart of any business improvement initiative is change management. 

Whether it’s new machines for steel workers or implementing an offshore payroll system, culture is at the core of what businesses do, and to change this requires great effort. 

To make it easier for you and your teams down the track, it’s important to examine the corporate culture.

 

It is critical to understand who will be affected by corporate changes and consider how to communicate the vision of change to relevant parties. 

Of course, different parties will have different views on how to adopt change and improve processes.

 

Also, notice we said cultures, not culture. 

One frustration for many business improvement projects in mining is that because mine sites are so remote, employee culture varies from each mine site, so it’s worthwhile to spend time upfront to understand each of them and draw up a plan of attack specific to the site.

  

2. Communicate, communicate, communicate;

Too much has been written about communication and its role in business improvement, so we won't go on. 

Whether it’s communication between the Business Improvements department and the rest of the organisation, or board-level members to employees, communication is a fundamental part of business improvement that should be both transparent and clear.

 

3. Accurate Planning;

 

Whether it’s meeting production targets or reducing carbon emissions, accurate and realistic planning can be difficult in mining.

 

As Ivan Woolridge, Principal Business Excellence Advisor at Newcrest Mining observes, 

- “There remains a culture in mining where human effort and ingenuity are pitting against the randomness of nature”.

 

There will always be unforeseen circumstances when working with nature, and sometimes ‘nature’ can be used as excuse when teams fail to meet production targets.

Whether or not this is an adequate reason depends on the organisation.  

In mining, targets are perceived as guidelines instead of fixed goals, leading to missed targets, delayed timelines and waste.

4. Have a clear vision;

Effective business improvement involves cross-departmental teamwork and a clear vision from leaders who are driving the change.

 

When Rio Tinto used business improvement principles in its iron ore division in 2008, chief executive Sam Walsh said:

 

“This is very fundamental in the way that we structure our work… it’s not the senior management that implement the sort of significant improvement on the ground - it’s actually every single person working within Rio Tinto Iron ore and working within Rio Tinto.”

 

In this light, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) should be a top priority in a business improvement plan. 

By assembling as many of the project participants as practical in the very beginning of the project, it ensures all parties have a clear vision of the end goal in sight.

5. Don't lose focus;

Continuing from the above point, in day-to-day operations, it’s easy to forget that business improvement is ultimately a long term goal. 

When changes happen and budgets blowout, it can distract from overarching goals. 

In such situations, the appropriate action may be to take a step back and analyse how it will affect the overall project.

 

As David Long, formerly of Sutter Health Group notes, “Efforts to manage and improve performance are aimed at improving total project performance… it is more important than reducing the cost or increasing the speed of any one activity”.

 

6. Seek external advice;

Whilst a costly option, seeking third party advice from consultants and business improvement experts may prove worthwhile. 

Not only do they have a plethora of experience under their belts, but it’s likely they may have worked on mining projects similar to yours. 

It’s common sense to shop around to see what work an external provider has done and what feedback they've received to make sure they're a reliable source of advice.

*- "Do you have any other tips for business improvement for mining projects? Share them below in the comments section".

Want To Know & Learn More About This Topic? Download The Event "Mining Procurement and Supply 2014"

 

Brochure "Click Here".

Hi 5 Top Tips for Performance Managing Your Suppliers to Success:

A big focus that keeps coming up time and time again is that of supplier performance management and getting back to basics with what you expect from your vendors in the mining industry. 

Based on research with over 100 procurement and supply chain executives in the mining sector from companies such as Rio Tinto, MMG, BHP Billiton, Fortescue Metals, Thiess, St. Barbara, Orica Mining Services and many more, here are top tips for improving the results from your suppliers:

1.       Review all SLAs and contracts in place to identify core KPIs – many long-standing vendor relationships will be based on contracts that have been in place for years, or even decades sometimes. 

They are often drafted by people who have now left the company, so it’s important to conduct regular reviews of all SLAs and contracts to understand what agreement is in place on both sides, and to ensure the terms are still beneficial in changed market environments. 

If the terms are no longer relevant or suitable, then it’s time for a change! If they are, ensure they're actually being adhered to, measured and rewarded when achieved.

There’s no point in having great, structured KPIs if they're not then measured and acknowledged.

2.       Where applicable, using end to end category management to derive more value from your supplier expenditure – utilising market experts to drive ongoing savings without an “end point” in sight, can help extract significantly more from your suppliers. 

The sustainable results it can deliver actually go beyond simple cost savings, and can extend into additional value, opportunities and upgrades for organisations. 

E2E category management can also be used to better design the supply model and improve inventory management.

3.       Shortlisting vendors across all services and categories – having a permanent short list that you can review on an annual, or less frequent basis, can reduce a lot of wastage time for more transactional purchases. 

A clear list of requirements helps whittle down the applicants quickly, and safety standards should be top of this list in the majority of categories.

4.       Understanding your suppliers’ delivery cycles and inventory to minimise stockpiles and revenue sunk in assets – whilst the temptation is often to have excess inventory and equipment on site (rather have too much than risk too little and have production ground to a halt), this can end up in vast amounts of money sitting around in the form of assets. 

That revenue is very valuable to the GM of a Mine if it can be freed up.

5.       Involve your suppliers early in any system or project overhauls – bringing suppliers to the table early when there are any significant changes to your company workings is usually beneficial for all parties. 

As with any stakeholders, early involvement usually means more engagement in any changes. 

Bringing long-standing suppliers in early can also help with their expertise and ability to identify any problems or opportunities with system or project shifts.

* - "If you've got any top tips, let us know so we can share with our members!."

Hi 5 Top Tips for Performance Managing Your Suppliers to Success.!. & Strategic Sourcing.!.

Hi 5 Top Tips for Performance Managing Your Suppliers to Success.!.

Procurement and contracts professionals in the mining industry, between interviews, surveys and annual Mine Procurement and Supply conference, a big focus that keeps coming up time and time again is that of supplier performance management and getting back to basics with what you expect from your vendors in the mining industry. 

Based on research with over 100 procurement and supply chain executives in the mining sector from companies such as Rio Tinto, MMG, BHP Billiton, Fortescue Metals, Thiess, St. Barbara, Orica Mining Services and many more, here are top tips for improving the results from your suppliers:

1.       Review all SLAs and contracts in place to identify core KPIs – many long-standing vendor relationships will be based on contracts that have been in place for years, or even decades sometimes. 

They are often drafted by people who have now left the company, so it’s important to conduct regular reviews of all SLAs and contracts to understand what agreement is in place on both sides, and to ensure the terms are still beneficial in changed market environments. 

If the terms are no longer relevant or suitable, then it’s time for a change! If they are, ensure they’re actually being adhered to, measured and rewarded when achieved.

There’s no point in having great, structured KPIs if they're not then measured and acknowledged.

2.       Where applicable, using end to end category management to derive more value from your supplier expenditure – utilising market experts to drive ongoing savings without an “end point” in sight, can help extract significantly more from your suppliers.

The sustainable results it can deliver actually go beyond simple cost savings, and can extend into additional value, opportunities and upgrades for organisations. 

E2E category management can also be used to better design the supply model and improve inventory management.

3.       Shortlisting vendors across all services and categories – having a permanent short list that you can review on an annual, or less frequent basis, can reduce a lot of wastage time for more transactional purchases. 

A clear list of requirements helps whittle down the applicants quickly, and safety standards should be top of this list in the majority of categories.

4.       Understanding your suppliers’ delivery cycles and inventory to minimise stockpiles and revenue sunk in assets – whilst the temptation is often to have excess inventory and equipment on site (rather have too much than risk too little and have production ground to a halt), this can end up in vast amounts of money sitting around in the form of assets. 

That revenue is very valuable to the GM of a Mine if it can be freed up.

5.       Involve your suppliers early in any system or project overhauls – bringing suppliers to the table early when there are any significant changes to your company workings is usually beneficial for all parties. 

As with any stakeholders, early involvement usually means more engagement in any changes. 

Bringing long-standing suppliers in early can also help with their expertise and ability to identify any problems or opportunities with system or project shifts.

Click Here To Download The .PDF Document For Mining Procurement & Supply APAC 2014.! Or View & Download Below.

Mining Procurement & Supply APAC 2014.!.

Hi Mining Extra Feature!

Hi Strategic Sourcing in Mining – What Skills and Characteristics Should Your Strategic Sourcing Expert Possess?

Strategic sourcing and end-to-end category management have both increased in popularity significantly over the last 6 – 18 months in the mining sector, due to the current pressures being place on procurement departments by the state of the industry.

Whilst historically procurement has been a financial qualifications driven department however, many are finding that some of the best category managers and strategic sourcing experts come from an operational background.

So what really makes the ideal candidate for a strategic sourcing role? We've got the views of many experienced procurement managers across the mining sector and compiled their input into a top skills and characteristics list:

1.       A hands-on understanding of the product/category they are responsible for. This doesn't have to directly come from working in an operational job at the coal face, but if their background is purely financial they should strive to work closely with operations, or the relevant department, to understand less tangible implications of purchasing decisions they will be making for that category. This can include aspects such as product quality, life cycle cost, customer service quality of the providers in the market, integration issues, or staff knowledge of different systems/products.

2.      They should have strong analytical skills and an ability to translate data into commercially applicable strategies for purchasing within their remit. 

This can stem from a deep market insight and knowledge, but it can also be an inherent trait that will only sharpen with an increased knowledge of the sector, players and products.

3.       Their ability to negotiate, influence and engage with suppliers should be advanced. 

The person can have the best product and market knowledge possible, but if they are not able to use this to influence results with suppliers (in terms of contract, cost, support etc. ), then it is rendered fairly useless. Finding someone who can be strong in both analytical and interpersonal skills can often be a challenge, so understanding which is more important for the particular category can be the critical difference.

4.       Intertwined with this, they should also be able to apply these skills internally, within the business, to get buy in and work closely with the key departments they will be engaging with. 

Being trusted by other departments to make the right purchasing decisions is incredibly important, and obviously this trust can be built quicker by people with the ability to approach, listen to and collaborate with other functions. 

This can also be achieved better by those with intrinsic leadership qualities, but that’s not mandatory. An ability to inspire is more useful here.

5.       For a contracting firm, rather than a mining company, position(e.g. an OEM, or a major contractor, or EPCM), an understanding of the client’s requirements and expectations is another important factor to be taken into consideration. 

This will obviously come partly from the client’s briefing, but an ongoing collaboration between the strategic sourcing executive and the client will ensure a higher level of client satisfaction throughout and at the end of the contract.