Ten misunderstandings of logistics project management

The project management system was introduced into the logistics industry in the past five years or so, but it has been recognized by the logistics industry in the past two years. At first, the logistics company only had a vague understanding and understanding, and did not fully understand it. Manage logistics projects according to the concept and process of project management, and even stay in the original marketing management or traditional management mode. There is no project management function and setting in the organizational management structure of most logistics enterprises. Without the project department, the overlapping and vertical (pyramid) organizational structure is the biggest obstacle to the development of project management. Project management requires the flattening and horizontalization of the organizational management structure, so it fully reflects the humanization.

Logistics project management requires the project manager to have various knowledge and abilities, be familiar with project management concepts and processes, understand the essence of the project, and be able to develop the advantages of project management (horizontal flat management can fully develop each project member The ability to mobilize the enthusiasm of each project member, and can fully reflect the unity and cooperation of the project management team).

Project managers should have the following relevant knowledge and abilities:

1. Professional theoretical knowledge of project management, and one or two successful project management cases and experiences;

2. Professional theoretical knowledge of logistics management (be able to complete the Production of logistics solutions) and logistics for more than 3 years, with more than three successful cases and experience in logistics projects;

3. Logistics operation experience and on-site management experience, logistics project managers must have actual logistics operation experience and ability, able to Mobilize resources from all aspects and be familiar with all aspects and processes of logistics;

4. Familiar with the process and operation methods of the logistics information system, and be able to optimize and integrate the logistics process;

5. Have certain organizational management capabilities and personality Charismatic;

6. Strong communication skills and relative marketing skills, and business sensitivity;

7. Strong professionalism and professional ethics.

Of course, there are many more, all of which are the qualities a qualified professional manager should possess.

The author has been doing project management in the logistics industry for many years. From some enterprises and some logistics projects, I have summarized and analyzed some misunderstandings that are easy to fall into in the ideological concept of logistics project management. and discussion.

Myth 1: If other companies can do logistics project management, so can I.

Analysis: This is a rather wrong idea. Whether or not the project management system can be implemented depends entirely on the nature of the enterprise, its organizational management structure, and even its corporate culture and management philosophy. As far as the current domestic private logistics enterprises are concerned, the time is not yet ripe. Although quite a few bosses want to try, most of them end in failure. As a result, they seriously doubt the ability of project managers and even professional ethics. The boss must have this advanced management concept and have a certain determination. If the enterprise does not reach a certain scale, does not go out of the family model or does not have a full understanding of the current logistics market, it is difficult to implement the logistics project management system. At present, some large-scale logistics enterprises have been quite successful in the application of project management, which is an example for other logistics enterprises to learn from.

Myth 2: If marketers are project managers, they can be project managers.

Analysis: Whether marketers are project managers and whether they are fully qualified for the role of project managers can be understood by comparing the capabilities of the above project managers. In fact, the practice of most logistics companies is that when a marketer finds a logistics project, he becomes the project manager of the project. Of course, it would be great if he could have this ability. In fact, the project manager is determined by the company's senior leaders through collective research and has certain authorization. Its power is second only to the general manager or the leadership of the board of directors, and has the power to allocate resources such as talents and funds.

Myth 3: The logistics project is the project manager's business, or the marketing department manager's business, has nothing to do with everyone, and has nothing to do with other departments.

Analysis: This in itself creates "artificial" disharmonious factors within the enterprise, which is even more unfavorable for communication. Project management is a cross-departmental and cross-functional team, and its project members are distributed in various departments. It is composed of elites in various positions. Logistics project management is everyone's business, the entire company's business, not one person's business.

Myth 4: The simplification or direct omission of the logistics project demand analysis stage.

Analysis: Project requirements analysis is the first and most important part of the project process and cannot be simplified or omitted. Some logistics companies rush quotations while obtaining a logistics project, without doing a scientific and detailed comprehensive analysis, which eventually leads to misjudgment of the logistics project. The earlier the quotation of the logistics project, the earlier the death. The tender logistics project should not be too eager to quote, and the logistics company should also be given sufficient time to integrate the quotation system. Bidding projects for the sole purpose of price, or not.

Myth 5: I don't think it's necessary to start a logistics project.

Analysis: This fully shows that the project management system is not implemented within its enterprise, but only a slogan. I feel that the project is the business of the marketing department, and I don't need other departments to know or help. This is the biggest reason why the project fails at the beginning. Project approval is a key part of the project. It is necessary to make the company pay attention to it, so that the company has a sense of honor and fighting spirit, and understand the vision of the company's development.

Some company leaders are afraid of leaking rumors and project-related information for fear of letting their competitors know. This is a wrong and low-level idea. Logistics project information is already the most public information in the logistics industry, not to mention a lot of online searches. Customers themselves want to let good logistics providers in the logistics industry know this logistics information, and customers in the same industry have long been nothing. It's a secret, not to mention the logistics companies themselves are still promoting the customers they serve.

Myth 6: I think it is not necessary to do research on the logistics needs of logistics projects.

Analysis: Or worried that the customer will not cooperate, they will say that it is the business secret of the company. In fact, as long as you become his logistics supplier, you are already a part of their supply chain management, and you have penetrated into their enterprise and learned a lot of their corporate secrets. If the manufacturing company interprets it in this way, it is only the reason and method for it to reject the logistics company. Logistics projects that do not conduct logistics demand research are doomed to fail, and they cannot provide scientific and reasonable logistics solutions, let alone report reasonable prices, so they cannot enter a state of cooperation at all.

Myth 7: Thinking that a logistics project can be done well by writing a logistics solution.

Analysis: The solution is very important, but the three links of the early stage logistics project demand analysis, logistics project project establishment report, logistics project field research and data collection are equally important. Only by being close to the customer can it be suitable for the customer, and the implementation plan and quotation of the logistics project in the future can be carried out smoothly.

Myth 8: Thinking that logistics solutions and implementations are for logistics experts.

Analysis: The result of this thinking is that the program is not suitable for customers after it is introduced. The plan is beautifully done, but the client does not accept it. Some people think that it is the logistics project manager's business. In the end, the project manager spends a lot of time on writing the plan, which delays the overall management and planning of the project. This has forgotten the essence of logistics project management. The reason why project management is advanced is that it can fully reflect the spirit of teamwork, can exert everyone's ability, and can mobilize everyone's enthusiasm. No management model can be as good as project management. Management is so advanced.

Myth 9: The project contract is signed and nothing happens.

Analysis: This is only the first step in a successful logistics project. Logistics is a service industry. The contract signing of a logistics project ranges from one year to several years. This is a continuous service process, and the management and control of the project in the later stage is more important. An important reason for the failure of most logistics projects is that all the links in the early stage of the project are well done, but once the project is successful, the project manager is put aside, and the project manager has really become a marketer. This is a very wrong idea and practice, but the bosses of some enterprises do not realize the seriousness of this practice, and it is a stumbling block that hinders the development of enterprises.

Myth 10: Don't feel bad about losing a project manager, or get a raise in order to keep some projects.

Analysis: This is still the practice of treating project managers as marketers, and the loss of project managers will eventually affect the entire marketing system. Although it seems that it does not affect the company's development or operation, and it does not affect the delivery of goods every day, but one day there is no delivery of goods, and it will be difficult for marketers to search for business everywhere. Once this phenomenon has an impact in the logistics industry, it will cause such consequences: good and experienced project managers cannot be recruited, and those recruited are not qualified project managers or inexperienced students. After hard training, they didn't keep it, and eventually they changed jobs.

Of course, doing a good job in a logistics project is far from enough to only do the above-mentioned aspects. The situation of each logistics company is not the same. Only by keeping pace with the times and complying with the development of the logistics market can it be done.

This article is a contribution from the author.