Getting Organized
There is a current, popular trend called the “Konmari” Method created by Marie Kondo, which basically teaches you how to organize your possessions and life around you. This method, when put into practice, is designed to organize a person while keeping what is important and valuable and eliminating that of what is not. Overall, the message behind the method is about one key word – “Organization”.
Get Your Ducks in a Row
When on a project, organization is critical. When managing a project, it is important to have alignment upfront in order to avoid any issues during the project’s duration and to meet the project’s deadlines. Having a clearly defined scope will set the project on its way. Keep the important and relevant pieces of the scope intact and get rid of any fluff! Organize that scope!
Equally important to the well-defined scope are the members of your project team. At the beginning of a project, it is critical to have the project’s stakeholders identified. A new piece of equipment for example, should have the system owner and/or end user as a representative on the project team. Other stakeholders could be anyone that will be involved with that piece of equipment during its active lifetime, i.e. Manufacturing, Quality Control, Engineering, Facilities, Supply Chain, Validation, and above all else, a Quality Assurance representative. The appropriate stakeholders will help keep the project on task and provide the proper technical expertise and compliance. Organize your team!
With a clearly defined scope and a proper team assembled, the project can start to take shape. The robust scope will drive the team members to understand and execute their responsibilities of the project in a clear and concise manner – hence “Organized”.
Documentation, Documentation Everywhere …
In the world of Commissioning and Qualification, organization is key. And in that world, there will be documentation! More likely than not, a project for a new piece of equipment (in this case) will have multiple documents that are required to bring that piece of equipment to life. Some of the documentation required will be User Requirement Document/Specification (URD/URS), Functional Specification (FS), Design Specification (DS), execution documentation such as Installation Qualification (IQ), Operational Qualification (OQ), Performance Qualification (PQ), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Preventative Maintenance (PMs) just to name a few. That is quite a list of documents! Imagine not being able to have each document organized with detailed and accurate content? Projects can be derailed if improper or inaccurate documentation is present during any part of project execution. Documentation should be aligned, and flow properly so that the project can flow with it. Organize those documents!
The Three-Legged Project Table
Now there is much more to a project’s success than just scope, stakeholders, and documentation, but if these three elements of a project are left unorganized, than its safe to assume that the project is due to suffer at some point during its duration. Having an organized mindset and putting those skills into practice will keep the project organized and ultimately impact the project’s deliverables and deadlines in a positive way. Perhaps Marie Kondo’s methodology and mindfulness translates not only to personal living, but also industry…
If one can discard all that is considered unnecessary and recognize and focus on what is most valuable and important, a project will achieve its intended goal. So get organized!
