Execution Excellence Manifesto
The Execution Excellence Manifesto
We are fans of the Theory of Constraints (ToC). It is a wonderful tool for accelerating processes and reducing throughput times. However, in some situations such as knowledge work, it hits some barriers. Where the ToC Shines ToC is excellent for production processes. And it works well in multi-project environments where all projects follow a […]
This post is inspired by a LinkedIn post by Moritz Hornung, in which he argues that when it comes to changes in organizations, instead of always doing more, things should be reduced or, better yet, omitted altogether. So one should not only ask: “What should be done to improve things?”, but very explicitly also ask […]
Starting projects later so that they can be finished on time? Admittedly, that sounds paradoxical. However, in multi-project environments, this is the key to efficiency and productivity. In organizations that manage many projects and initiatives simultaneously, we often know from experience that employees are not as available as desired. Therefore, new projects are launched as […]
Executives and project team members often have very different perspectives on the current state of the project landscape. Individuals that are constrained to their own perspective can easily lose sight of the bigger picture. That leads to inefficiencies, misunderstandings, and conflicting goals. But there is a simple solution: Ensure transparency, following the “Visualize the Portfolio […]
Without the right metrics, companies can easily lose track of their project landscape’s progress. The “Manage by Metrics” principle from the Execution Excellence Manifesto helps maintain full control at all times. The Challenge of Complexity The more projects running in parallel, the higher the complexity within the project portfolio. Risks such as resource overloads, schedule […]
Lean Portfolio Management promises enormous efficiency gains in strategy execution. But how do you get started in the first place? Here is a step-by-step guide for implementing the “Start Quickly” principle. Review Your Capacities The first step is to get an overview of all available capacities for project work. Determine how many person-days or full-time […]
The Starting Point Having too many projects running in parallel inevitably leads to inefficiencies and performance losses. Multitasking, constant interruptions, and overloaded resources are the consequences. But how do companies find the right balance? The answer lies in the “Focus on Less” principle. The Fallacy of Parallelism Companies often fall into the trap of trying […]
The top management has developed and announced the new corporate strategy. But soon it becomes clear: implementation is stalling, and the strategy is in danger of failing. A more than frequent situation in companies across all industries and sizes. What is the reason? Five common pitfalls cause strategies to fail in realization: Pitfall 1: Too […]
Trust is often dismissed as ‘woke’ mentality: ‘After all, we’re not living in a fantasy world. We are a success-oriented company. And that means rigorous controlling and a focus on results.‘ Trust is good, but control is better? Sounds good. Unfortunately, it is questioned too rarely. But maybe you’ve also wondered: I still see no […]
You need your employees to run the business. And you also need your same people to change the business. Many companies tend to separate ‘Run-the-Business’ and ‘Change-the-Business’. This also means you have to separate upfront how much capacity goes into ‘Change-the-Business’ and how much goes into ‘Run-the-Business’. This is often done once a year in […]
