
Details and Plans
Abstract
Greg and Fred discuss why and how the triple constraints of a project: schedule, cost, and scope variances result in risks that can result in project failure.
Your Reliability Engineering Professional Development Site
Author/Editor of CERM Risk Insights articles, multiple books, co-host on Speaking of Reliability, and speaker in the Accendo Reliability Webinar Series.
This author's archive lists contributions of articles and episodes.
Greg Hutchins PE CERM is the evangelist of Future of Quality: RiskĀ®. He has been involved in quality since 1985 when he set up the first quality program in North America based on Mil Q 9858 for the natural gas industry. Mil Q became ISO 9001 in 1987
He is the author of more than 30 books. ISO 31000: ERM is the best-selling and highest-rated ISO risk book on Amazon (4.8 stars). Value Added Auditing (4th edition) is the first ISO risk-based auditing book.
by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment
by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment
by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment
This article is the eighth of fourteen parts to our risk management series. The series will be taking a look at the risk management guidelines under the ISO 31000 Standard to help you better understand them and how they relate to your own risk management activities. In doing so, weāll be walking through the core aspects of the Standard and giving you practical guidance on how to implement it.
In previous articles weāve looked at the core elements of the risk management framework, as well as the role of leadership and commitment, integration, design, implementation, evaluation and improvement more specifically. In this article, weāll be moving away from the framework and instead introducing you to the risk management process.
by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment
āToo many cooks spoil the brothā goes the Elizabethan poet George Gascoigneās proverb.Ā Although only written down in circa 1575 it had probably been around for many years beforehand.Ā It is still used today and, far from being archaic, itās become more and more relevant despite mankindās predilection towards efficiency and effectiveness.Ā But why?
[Read more…]by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment
The current state of the quality profession is affected by shifting business infrastructures and changing definitions of brand quality.
Businesses need to react and change against external pressures like increased frequency of consumer communications, the availability of big data, expanding regulations and standards, and the expectations to innovate quickly. The quality profession is at risk of losing its effectiveness in the overall business operations if it does not proactively change with the business.
[Read more…]by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment
When the COVID pandemic stuck in March 2020, many organisations struggled with business continuity. Many were caught out without business continuity strategies or plans to overcome the likely business disruption that was brought about by COVID.
Having worked with organisations on their business continuity planning, the key challenge many organisations face in developing their business continuity strategies and plans is the level of business continuity planning and effort required. Many business continuity consultants have adopted the ISO 22301 Business continuity management systems ā Requirements approach and have unfortunately over-engineered the approach as a one-size-fits-all.
[Read more…]by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment
The five in a 5S workplace organizational and housekeeping methodology refers to five steps ā sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain. Safety should be the honorary sixth āS.
Many manufacturing facilities have opted to follow the path towards a ā5Sā workplace organizational and housekeeping methodology as part of continuous improvement or lean manufacturing processes. The term refers to five steps ā sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain ā that are also sometimes known as the five pillars of a visual workplace.
[Read more…]by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment
This article is the seventh of fourteen parts to our risk management series. The series will be taking a look at the risk management guidelines under the ISO 31000 Standard to help you better understand them and how they relate to your own risk management activities. In doing so, weāll be walking through the core aspects of the Standard and giving you practical guidance on how to implement it. [Read more…]
by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment
In CERM Risk Insights #354 I discussed the risk management study of local governments in New Zealand. One of the cases in the study was Environment Canterbury Regional Council. The regional councilās focus and the increasing concerns about environmental risks by both the public and private sector represents a challenge to the common approach used by most of the New Zealand local governments, ISO 31000:2018 and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) more generally. This piece discusses this challenge to ISO 31000:2018 and its implications.
[Read more…]by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment
In project management we canāt always be in control of the environment around us. We can only forecast rather than predict risk and despite our āreasonableā or even ābestā efforts to mitigate risk; shit happens and emergencies ensue! Itās not just physical emergencies but also those related to time and cost; remember overbudget or late projects can create an emergency for shareholders and stakeholders alike.
Maybe itās because we tend to look at the ābig risksā or the ātop tenā after some semiquantitative assessment but then fail to consider that risks can change with time as more information becomes available.Ā Or, maybe it is because only those risks that can be clearly defined and are ālikelyā are communicated to the eyes and ears on the ground.Ā Those low probability, high impact risks can tend to slip under any risk radar.
[Read more…]by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment
Greg and Fred discuss keeping up professionally, which is a requirement these days to continue to be marketable.
į
Play Episode
by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment
āTrustā in AI decision-making is one of the most important public policy challenges facing the world. Some pundits place this on the same level as climate change and pandemics.
āTrustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) can bring many benefits, such as better healthcare, safer and cleaner transport, more efficient manufacturing, and cheaper and more sustainable energy.ā EU Communications [Read more…]
The majority of companies today outsource a major portion (up to 60-70%) of their work scope to subcontractors.Ā As a result, the subcontractors become a risk to your project because you have no direct control over them. For example, if they start to slip their schedule you cannot direct them to put more assets on the job to pull the schedule back. The other risk that is not obvious is that posed by your subcontractors major vendors or subcontractors. To illustrate this point, this article describes a story that I was personally involved in.Ā
by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment
Greg and Fred discuss form vs. function decision making.
į
Play Episode
by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment
Based on my career experience as a project manager, I have observed that promotions can come quicker in a small company compared to a large one. This is especially true after you have gained several yearsā experience. For some reason, many large companies are slow in giving promotions unless you are a rising star. If you are not a rising start and want to get a promotion, I suggest you look for opportunities in small companies to get the title you want (e.g., project manager).
Once you have the title, no one can take it away which means after several yearsā experience in a small company you have a much better chance of getting the same position but with more responsibility and pay in a large company. The challenge is-do you have the right stuff to succeed in a small company?
[Read more…]