One operational aspect that is common between all industries is the need to effectively manage periods of high workload. At Perception Engineering we understand that in this climate, we are all working hard to accept as much work as possible. So how do you accept work from your customers without increasing lead time and just adding their project to the end of the backlog?

We have seen our customers successfully control lead time when demand peaks by utilizing flexible resources. Specifically, adding dedicated Project Management as a contracted service has quickly increased team capacity. This addition can also add great value if you select a skilled provider.

Hiring a contract project manager allows teams to increase revenue production without extending lead times to their customers. Our customers specializing in high mix and custom manufacturing understand the positive impact of skilled project managers and see great success when their process workstreams are combined with a depth of industry experience to manage overflow projects.

Selecting a capable contractor will also allow your team to maintain focus on their projects or initiatives and minimize the training needed to onboard the resource. Below are a few thoughts on how project managers will be able to add value along with capacity to your team.

·        Project Managers can facilitate a launch process to be able to hit the ground running on day one.

·        Experienced contractors will manage assignments with parallel processes to identify the best opportunity to bring value to your workstreams.

·        Skilled project managers will evaluate the critical path of your project and work to effectively manage risk.

·        Experienced resources will focus on regular communication to project teams and supporting functions with frequent summaries of action items and critical path activity.  

·        Working with seasoned professionals, your team will benefit from a deep knowledge base and experience to bring fresh perspectives to your organization.

In the end, contract project managers can help increase revenue, while also helping to fill intermittent staffing needs as quickly as possible. More importantly, hiring skilled project managers should allow you to maintain your lead times to customers and increase value for your internal team.

If you are considering ways to manage your increases in workload, our team of experienced engineers, designers, and project managers are here to help. Reach out to us today if you are interested in learning more about working with skilled professionals for your industry.