Expert Insight: Sorting it Out
By Cliff Holste
Date: Sept. 15, 2008

Logistics News: Looking for a Materials Handling Project Champion

Essential for Success, they are Sometimes Hard to Find; Building a Vision for What the Completed Project will Really Be

It has been said that a materials handling improvement project is like some types of chemical reactions.  It often needs a catalyst.  All the ingredients may be present to bring about change, but the most important element is the change agent, i.e., the Project Champion.  A Project Champion can appear at any level in the organization.  However, the Project Sponsor, who could also be a Project Champion, is usually a part of upper management with P&L responsibility.

I have met many material handling project champions over the years. They tend to be people who are passionate and enthusiastic about their cause.  They are up-to-date on emerging technologies and trends. They have skills like planning, patience, persistence, and a certain amount of discipline and toughness. They have the ability to think creatively and to be innovators, and maybe most important of all, they have a vision of what the completed project will look like.  It’s kind of surprising how few people there are that know what the end should look like.

When you think about it, it takes a lot of effort, self-discipline, and as you would imagine, some self-sacrifice to successfully champion a project over the many hurdles one can expect to encounter on the way to realizing the end result.  While many people will find that they have some of the qualities needed, a successful project champion would have all or most of the following qualities:

  • Common sense and the courage to use it
  • Credibility and trust
  • The ability to work with teams of people both inside and outside the organization
  • A wide range of business knowledge with some general management experience
  • The ability to do unstructured work
  • Creativity - the ability to custom design processes to meet the goals of the organization
  • Self-confidence balanced by humility
  • Facilitation skills
  • Design skills.
  • Coaching skills
  • A love of innovation and new ways of doing things
  • A spirit of caring
  • The ability to inspire others, and bring out the magic within every individual and every team

And, with all of that it doesn’t hurt to have a sense of humor and a sense of fun.

Dealing with the Inevitable Challenges and Conflicts


I don’t know who it was that said there are 3 kinds of people – those that make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened, but, I think he or she got it right.

Every project needs a champion.  Perhaps, now is the time for you to put your arms around that project which you have been thinking about for years and know will increase productivity and lower operating cost.  If you decide to step up to the plate and become a Project Champion for your organization, here are a few “heads-up” ideas that may help you to overcome some of the typical challenges:

  • Deal with conflicts - by inviting those who may disagree with the project to join in the discussions.  In order to “sell” change, you must first understand the objections.  Try to minimize the time you spend in intellectual discussions.  Your associates will respect you more for your clear thought process and rationale than for your easygoing manner.
  • Disown the project – although you own the project initially, look for ways to make it an organizational endeavor.  Light many fires.  Spreading the ownership increases everyone’s commitment.
  • Educate before training – be ready for people to tell you that they only want to know how their jobs will change, not the overall concept.  Customize each educational session to your audience.  And remember that the ‘silent majority’ must buy into the changes.  Absolutely include line managers.  There hands-on process knowledge will insure project success.
  • Anticipate plateaus – a few weeks/months into the project skeptics may try to subvert the effort.  Resources will be stretched tight, nerves frayed, and management may be impatient.  The second plateau generally occurs after the cutover of the new system.  The users have been told to expect change, but they now are beginning to actually experience it and need help.  The third and usually final plateau occurs after the new methods/system is in use for a period of time and complacency settles in.  You may need to refocus people’s energies on the tasks that remain.

I hope you will give it a shot, and if you do be sure to keep your helmet and flak jacket on, and keep charging forward.

Agree or disgree with our expert's perspective? What would you add? Let us know your thoughts for publication in the SCDigest newsletter Feedback section, and on the web site. Upon request, comments will be posted with the respondents name or company withheld.


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profile About the Author
Cliff Holste is Supply Chain Digest's Materials Handling Editor. With more than 30 years experience in designing and implementing material handling and order picking systems in distribution, Holste has worked with dozens of large and smaller companies to improve distribution performance.
 
Visit SCDigest's New Distribution Digest web page for the best in distribution management and materials handling news and insight

Holste Says:


When you think about it, it takes a lot of effort, self-discipline, and as you would imagine, some self-sacrifice to successfully champion a project over the many hurdles one can expect to encounter on the way to realizing the end result. 


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