Lean3: a new approach for a new decade

Welcome to the new Lean3, launched today, 3rd January 2020 at the start of the new decade.

Lean3 is a new approach to P3: Project, Programme and Portfolio management.

Two lost decades

It’s time for a new approach. Project Management has lived through two lost decades. In this period, two methods for Project Management have globalised (PMP® and Prince2®). This has created a worldwide training and certification industry. But it has not created any improvement in methods – if anything, it has slowed down improvement. A million people are certified in Prince2, but few of them use it. The methods are global but not good enough to use.

In the last two decades, Agile has arrived on the scene, to the bafflement of Project Management. Agile and Project Management are worlds apart. The world of Project Management doesn’t know what to do about Agile (there are few hybrid methods). And the world of Agile generally ignores the world of project management.

Lean3 arrives to answer this double challenge: How to improve P3, and how to integrate Agile into P3.

How to improve P3?

To improve Project Management, Lean3 searches for inspiration from the factory. Lean3 brings Lean to Project Management.

Lean is a manufacturing concept. Lean factories work efficiently. Lean manufacturing uses well-defined processes and constant process improvement to drive efficiency, to lower costs and to deliver quality.

Lean3 brings Lean Manufacturing ideas into project management. Lean3 uses simple processes and procedures. These enable repetition, project by project. When each project uses the same processes, we create a project factory. We can drive improvement by embedding and improving those processes, and deliver repeated project success.

How to integrate Agile into P3?

Lean3 provides a platform to integrate Agile into P3. Agile and P3 are not two worlds. We need a hybrid approach, which keeps the best of traditional Project Management but uses Agile where necessary and appropriate. Lean3 opens the way to hybrid P3.

Watch this space

Today, Lean3 is relaunched. A new solution for Project, Programme and Portfolio Management.