October 2007
By David R. Jones, industry specialist, Buckman Laboratories of Canada Ltd
"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." This famous quote by poet Robert Burns reminds us of the fact that no matter how well we plan, something could always go wrong. We have all heard of Murphy's Law and we know it is always waiting to trip us up. So, why make a plan? If we do not plan, things can go wrong more often than they go right. The importance of making and following a well thought out, complete, documented plan for a project is that you maximize your chances for success. The more complete the planning process, the less chance there is of Murphy's Law coming to call.
Make a plan
A good plan always starts by clearly identifying the goal or goals of the project. These goals must be clearly understood by all involved and it is important that these objectives are quantified. If you want to increase paper machine speed, how many feet or meters per minute will be required to give the project a positive return on your investment? In the same vein, the goal must have a clear objective. A goal such as "improve paper machine efficiency" is not defined enough. How will that be accomplished? Certainly by reducing breaks, cutting down the time it takes to thread the sheet, etc. This may all sound very simple but we all know that goals are not always clearly defined. This is especially true when there is a crisis.
13 steps
Once the goal is clearly defined and quantified, then the planning can start. It is vital that all players involved have some involvement in planning. At Buckman, there is an evaluation plan workshop program. The process is broken down into 13 steps that cover all of the aspects of a complete plan. This gives a roadmap for the development of a complete project plan. The process starts with a kick-off meeting where the process is introduced and the goal agreed upon. Then a team interviews all of the involved personnel to document all opinions, concerns and input. The interviews are not long – in most cases 15 to 20 minutes per interview. All of the information is brought together in a plan that is presented to all of the players. Individuals then have time to review the plan to ensure that their input has been accurately recorded.
The project plan needs to cover all aspects of the project. Before the start of the project, what equipment is required to be installed, what is the lead-time of the equipment and details of the installation? Another thing that may be included in the pre-evaluation plan is testing; you may need to establish a baseline. It is important to clearly agree on and document who will do the testing, how often and how the data will be captured and recorded. The testing aspect extends into the evaluation or project phase. What parameters will be measured and how often? All of this should be agreed upon and clearly detailed in the project plan.
Now we come to the evaluation plan. Whether it is a grade development trial or a retention aid evaluation, a step by step plan is essential. There may be certain criteria that must be met or certain paper machine conditions before the start. In addition there may be targets that must be hit before moving on to the next step. Again, clear documentation is the key.
Contingency plans must be included. If the evaluation is not progressing as expected, what will you do? Who will make the decisions on the next move? This all needs to be decided and included in the plan. Knowing who the decision makers are is key, especially as they may change from shift to shift.
Equally as important as the final document is ensuring that everyone involved has a copy of the plan and is given ample time to provide feedback before the start of the project. If there are mistakes in the plan or misinformation, you will want to find out before, rather than after, the start of the evaluation.
Most organizations have some form of planning procedure. It is always a good idea to take a look at one of the recent project plans to see if all of the above is covered, that all concerned players were involved in the planning process and that everyone was aware of their role in the project.
Dwight Eisenhower once said, "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." It is not the final document that is most important, it is the process that brings in all of the various players to give input and suggestions. At the end of the planning process you will not only have a clear detailed document, but also a team of informed and committed people who are the ones who will, in the end, make the project a success or a failure.
I will leave you with the words of Alexander Graham Bell. "Before anything else, preparation is the key to success."
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