Lean Design - Exerpt from book by Ron Mascitelli (2)

Introduction - A Note to the Reader

“I’m working to improve my methods, and every hour I save is an hour added to my life.”

Ayn Rand

        What could be more valuable to a project team than saving time? Imagine that you were suddenly imbued with wizard-like powers over the temporal realm. A wave of your wand and you could bring your project schedule back from oblivion. A few incantations and a new product would reach the market twice as fast. You could work a bit of magic and expand your firm’s capacity to handle new, revenue-generating projects. Gross margins would fall under your spell, so that your actual labor hours would always be less than your original estimates. Needless to say, with powers such as these, your firm would achieve unheard of competitiveness (and you would have more job security than the CEO).
        Well, the methods of lean project management can enable you to accomplish the above prestidigitation, without the need to become a master of the dark arts. The techniques presented in this book constitute a flexible toolbox for slashing the waste from project execution. Whether your business involves contract work (in industries such as aerospace, engineering, or construction) or the development of new products, you will find practical ideas that can be implemented tomorrow to immediately improve the productivity and schedule performance of your project teams.
        The intended audience for this book includes anyone who wishes to become more time-efficient. Project managers are at the front of the line, along with team leaders, functional managers, and improvement champions. Individual workers can also benefit from these methods, either to enhance their careers, or to relieve schedule pressures so that they can spend more time with their families. Virtually anyone in business will find value in these waste-slashing ideas.
        To accommodate such a broad target audience, I’ve chosen a light writing style that I hope will engage you, and (dare I say it) actually entertain you. This reflects my belief that interest is a prerequisite for learning. To hold your precious interest, I’ve enlisted a number of literary ploys, including case examples, fictional vignettes, question-and-answer sessions, step-by-step instructions, and even a bit of irreverent humor. Please don’t take these attempts to conquer your attention span the wrong way. There is nothing trivial or lightweight about the concepts in this book, as the extensive footnotes and references will attest.
        Every method presented herein has been successfully employed in dozens of firms spanning multiple industries. Many of the ideas have been distilled from practitioners just like yourself, who have attended my professional workshops over the past five years. Practical, understandable, deployable…what a concept!
        Consider this your official welcome to the world of lean project management. I hope you enjoy the conversation we’re about to have (even though I’ll be doing most of the talking). My wish for you is to gain back time, and in so doing be able to enhance both your work performance and the quality of your life. So prepare to open your mind, engage your neurons, and enjoy the intellectual ride.

Ronald Mascitelli
December 2001