Autor: Diethard Engel

KPIs in a Project-driven Business: Schedule Adherence

Following profitability and resource utilization, schedule adherence is the third critical KPI for any project-oriented business.

Project planning usually identifies a series of milestones, plotted on a timeline. Project Schedule Adherence tracks the project’s progress in meeting scheduled milestones and deadlines. It includes metrics as percentage of tasks completed on time, variance in project schedule, and overall project timeline adherence, and is usually fed by a project management software, but might also be calculated manually.

Best practices to effectively manage project schedule adherence include:

  • Detailed Project Planning
    A well-defined project plan sets a strong foundation for managing schedule adherence. Investing time and effort in thorough project planning will improve the chances of success. The project plan breaks project down into smaller tasks, estimate durations, and establish clear dependencies and milestones.
  • Realistic Deadlines
    Deadlines for each task and milestone should be realistic and achievable. Overly optimistic or aggressive timelines lead to schedule slippage (and potentially to financial risk).

  • Project Management Software
    Application of project management software allows for efficient scheduling, resource allocation, and tracking of tasks. These tools can provide visibility into project timelines, critical paths, and potential bottlenecks, enabling effective schedule management.

  • Monitoring Progress
    Progress monitoring against the planned schedule, involving regularly tracking, and updating of task status, identification of deviations, and promptly addressing issues or delays will help in identifying schedule risks early and taking necessary corrective actions.

  • Critical Path Analysis (CPA)
    CPA determines the sequence of tasks that set the overall project duration. Focusing on managing tasks on the critical path and ensuring their adherence to the schedule will avoid delays, which would directly affect the overall project timeline.

  • Communication and Collaboration
    Maintaining open and effective communication channels with the project team and stakeholders drives transparency and team commitment. Project schedules, deadlines, and expectations should be regularly communicated to team and stakeholders. Fostering collaboration among team members to address schedule-related challenges will improve the quality of identified solutions in many cases.

  • Change Management
    Successful project managers deploy a structured change management process to manage scope changes effectively. They evaluate the impact of requested changes on the project schedule and assess their feasibility before making adjustments. Changes require proper documentation and approval.

KPIs in a Project-driven Business: Resource Utilization

Next to project profitability, resource utilization is generally viewed as the most important KPI for project-oriented businesses.

Resource utilization-metrics track the efficiency of resource allocation and utilization in the project, but also across the entire business. They include KPIs like resource utilization rate (identifying “the bench”), availability of key resources, and resource allocation balance.

Measuring resource utilization is an ongoing process. Month-end visibility is helpful to assess overall performance – project work, however, is executed concurrently. Therefore, it is important to establish clear metrics, track them consistently, and analyze the data to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement regularly (at least weekly if not daily). Effective resource utilization metrics can optimize resource allocation, improve project performance, and maximize the efficiency and productivity. In the following, I am taking a closer look at some important related aspects of resource allocation – bread-and-butter for any project-driven business.

Time Tracking
Implementation of a time tracking system or software allows project team members to record the time spent on different tasks and activities. Effective time tracking will help identify how resources allocate their time across projects and specific tasks, providing insights into their utilization. Activity buckets should reflect the nature of the project and its breakdown into meaningful task-subsets. They usually include direct time spent on

o Project Management,
o Contract Management,
o (Pre-) Engineering and Planning,
o Software development and PLC programming,
o Installation,
o Testing,
o Other relevant activities like Procurement (if linked to a project directly).

Resource Allocation Rate
RAR measures the percentage of time that resources spend on project-related activities compared to their total available time. This metric indicates how effectively resources are allocated to projects and helps identify any potential over or underutilization on individual basis.
Individuality is particularly important if project success hinges on availability of one or just a few key people with specific skills or capabilities, for example in project management or in specific IT environments.

Resource Availability
Resource availability defines the availability of key resources and their capacity to take on additional work. This can be done through a resource management system or even spreadsheet where you maintain information about resource availability, including vacations, training, and other non-project-related activities.

Utilization Ratio
This metric compares the actual time spent on project work to the available time. For example, if a resource worked 30 hours on project-related tasks out of a total available time of 40 hours, the utilization ratio would be 75%. This metric helps assess the efficiency of resource allocation, past and future.

Projection of utilization rates is essential for planning timelines for new projects. Creating cross-business visibility of actual and projected resource utilization could systematically identify underutilized resource, thus unlock further benefits.

Utilization ratios allow for several secondary KPIs, for example:

– Resource Over-allocation identifies instances where resources are allocated more work than they can handle within the given timeframe. Over-allocation can lead to project delays, decreased productivity, and increased stress for team members.
– Bench Time measures the time when resources are idle or not actively engaged in project work. Bench time indicates under-utilization and can be costly for the business.
– Workload Balance: Resource allocation rates and resource availability enable a business to analyze the workload distribution among resources to ensure a balanced allocation. Uneven workloads can lead to resource bottlenecks, burnout, or under-utilization. Workload balances support assessing the distribution of tasks and workload across team members to optimize resource utilization by entity or across the group.

Any project-driven business should consider a few key metrics related to resource allocation and resource balancing to increase efficiencies, manage project risk and thus improve profitability.

Project Tracking – KPIs and Best Practice in a Project-driven Business

Identification of the right Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is essential for measuring success and progress of projects, for management and the shareholder. The industry typically assesses various aspects of project performance to provide valuable insights for decision-making and improvement. In a series of contributions on the subject, I discuss a set of typical KPIs used in project-driven businesses, with a focus on resource utilization, schedule adherence and risk management.

Project Profitability & Cash Flow

In measuring the financial success of a project, several KPIs such as gross margin, net profit margin, return on investment (ROI), and cash flow specific to individual projects, hinge on accuracy and availability of relevant data. Relevant data will be sourced from financial systems, but also include a project manager’s assessment of future project expense.

Project Profitability routinely also evaluates how well the project is managing its budget. It includes metrics such as actual project costs compared to the budgeted costs and calculates a cost variance.

Diligence and effectiveness of these KPIs might vary across entities, locations, or groups, unless governed by a strict process that would describe how to measure and assess risk. Common understanding of the corporate approach to estimate future cost and resource needs is essential for a weighted and balanced presentation of a project’s outlook. The result of the process drives PoC (Percentage of Completion), thus is relevant (and auditable) input for the business’ financial results.

False Prophets in PMI: Costly Layman’s Advice

Maybe you have contacted a consultancy firm you are working with, or reached out to an agency supposedly specialized in providing the exact right candidate for your post-merger integration project. That’s great – because you have already internalized one of my nine key rules for a successful post-merger integration, namely

Rule #4: Resource your program with top people.

Gladly, I receive calls from those consultancy firms and agencies very regularly (I mean – c’mon, that’s my business model) because it is not them who will support you, but people like myself: The true experts.

Let me give you an example: Recently, I have been called with a project inquiry. The agency read a project brief to me, but couldn’t say whether the target would be acquired in full, or whether we were talking about some sort of limited investment. Moreover, the request was for a three-month integration period, phasing out the consultant gradually towards the end. Yet, there was no clear picture of what the target operating model should look like, let go the investor had an integration plan. Clearly, neither client nor agency had a realistic view on complexity and implementation timeline for a project like this. Oddly, more than half of the conversation was circling around terms and conditions, including my daily rate and potential travel expenses, indicating the agency was a lot more concerned with making their cut than with helping the client solve a problem of strategic dimension.

It took me five minutes to understand the client was setting up himself for failure, and that he needed profound consulting from someone seasoned with the experience of several PMI projects, from design to execution. More concerning, it took me only two minutes to comprehend that those supposed to provide the client with expert support had no clue what they were talking about.

A failed PMI project is not only costly, it can take down an entire business, alongside with its management. So please, dear potential clients, be sure to hook up with someone who takes a genuine interest in your business, and demonstrates at least a basic understanding of the challenge you are facing. At times, this might not be the consultant or agency you (or your procurement department) are used to work with. Google is your friend.

For your needs in post-merger integration or carve-out, you don’t even have to google – the expert is right here, at your fingertips.

Project Management: Sitting on a Beach or Managing Exposure?

If I had a crystal ball to foresee the future, I’d sit on a beach and sip a cocktail. Well – I don’t.

In fact, very likely at the time I can lay my hand on the proverbial crystal ball, everybody else would have one, too. So, in a way, I am glad there are no crystal balls helping me or anyone else to predict what is going to happen: It would destroy my business model as a consultant and project manager, as I manage my clients‘ exposure to risk.

Project Management = Risk Management

Mostly I lead transformation, carve-out and/or post-merger integration projects. Such projects are very complex, and high complexity generally translates into high risk. Many a thing can happen in the course of such programs: System failures, resource issues, a pandemic breaks lose, loss of key people, roadblocks with the works council, unforeseen regulatory hurdles…. You name it, I’ve been there.

Unfortunately, ambiguity lies in the nature my daily business, and dealing with it is one of my core challenges. Hence, I manage my client’s exposure to unwanted outcomes by predicting what might happen, and find ways to either prevent it, or at least prepare for it. The classic risk register is a simple, but proven tool to collect risk information, and hold a catalog of mitigation strategies.

Risks to the Project Timeline

Usually, I am working to a set timeline in my assignments. (If there was no timeline set by the client, I will set one: Swift implementation is a key success factor in PMI scenarios in particular. Procrastination never adds value – compare my article on the subject.) Since anything is connected to everything in transformation projects, understanding and management of functional dependencies is critical to project success: There are no ivory towers in my line of work, and if there were, they needed breaking down.

Since sequential task completion does not work in complex environments, many activities run in parallel; they are interconnected, and yet I have to give the project direction based upon incomplete information and projections. In the interest of time, I make assumptions of projected outcomes and schedule accordingly. Failing to do so, waiting for hard facts instead of applying probabilities to potential alternative events and outcomes will most likely lead to missing the overall timeline.

Conveying the concept of dealing with ambiguity, of being at the ready for a desired outcome, but at the same time prepare for the unwanted, is a project manager’s key competence. It takes conviction, persuasive power and a very good understanding of the project, functional interfaces and dependencies to succeed.

A regular, open and healthy exchange of information on progress, risks and new dependencies across functional workstreams will facilitate cross-fertilization, risk-flagging and early alignment. The good old stand-up meeting presents a great stage for key team members to report on their tasks ahead and challenge others. Be sure to make this a firm part of your team’s schedule.

Integration Pitfalls: Nine Simple Examples of What-not-to-do in Post-merger Integration

Learn from common mistakes in post-merger integration, and unlock the power of prevention strategies for your program’s success. Based upon real-life experience, I have summarized what can go wrong in design and implementation of an integration project, and how to avoid ever-the-same mistakes.

A must-read booklet for any program manager.

Click here for your free download. No sign-up – no obligation.

Follow These Nine Simple Rules Making Your PMI Project a Success

To unlock the secret success factors of post-merger integration, download my free guide right here.

On 19 pages total, I have pulled together best-practice approaches on setting up and running a post-merger integration project: Not overwhelming in terms of detail and process, but sufficient to give Management an initial handle. There is only nine rules to abide by. Following them will increase your odds for PMI success dramatically.

Join the community and build your own PMI expert know-how. Please reach out for a free consultation – confidential, non-binding, and no obligations:

Email:  info@de-mcs.de

Phone:  +49 1577 194 1164

PMI Program Director in Qualitest’s Acquisition of telexiom

Qualitest Group, the world’s leading AI-powered quality engineering company, has announced the acquisition of telexiom GmbH, a Cologne-based specialist in IT consulting and services. Qualitest is owned by Bridgepoint, an international private equity group.

I am proud to drive integration between Qualitest and telexiom in the capacity of PMI Program Director on behalf of Global PMI Partners, who have delivered several integrations for Qualitest in the past.

Click here for the corresponding press release.

PMI – Building Internal Capability

Following an acquisition, integration is no cakewalk. It is, in fact, much harder than signing the deal.

Unless you are a frequent acquirer, and have (successfully) completed a number of integrations, there is a high probability of being unsuccessful in realizing your strategic and financial acquisition goals: 50-70% of failed acquisitions (depending on who you ask) speak for themselves.

If you want to win a 10.000 meter-race, the keys to success lie in practice and creating the right conditions to excel. The same applies to acquisition and post-merger integration: A coach, training and repetition of the exercise increase the likelihood of a win tremendously.

If you are planning an acquisition, and view inorganic growth as an integral part of your strategy, internal capabilities will warrant a prosperous and rewarding program implementation. I will work with your M&A team to develop the right post-merger integration approach, and will train your team for future projects:

  • Development of the target operating model
  • Building and leading a strong team
  • Implement project governance and transparency
  • Drive cultural fit
  • Advise on internal and external communication
  • Identify the right KPIs for Controlling
  • Manage the timeline
Getting back on track is not easy, but not impossible either (original photo by Snapwire on Pexels)

Even if your project seems off track already, it is not too late to fix it: Doing nothing is usually not the best option.

I have successfully completed multiple PMI projects and can help you to get to the finish-line, too.

Based out of Germany, Diethard Engel is an independent consultant and interim manager, focused on Business Transformation, Post-merger Integration / Carve-out and Executive Finance. He has run multiple post-merger integration/carve-out projects for international businesses.