Consultation & Litigation

PPI provides consulting services on project management and process management. A normal PPI consultancy starts with PPI conducting an evaluation of current business practices and processes. This evaluation often entails comparing the processes to industry standards or benchmarks. An improvement path is selected based upon the client's strategy and business environment. Then the appropriate projects, training, and systems needed to progress down the path are identified.

Business improvement and changes are usually implemented through projects. When providing project management consulting, an evaluation of the current business maturity using a Capability Maturity Model is used to determine the current state of the business' project management methodology and the appropriate improvement path. When conducting New Product Development project management consultancy, PPI uses a scorecard for evaluating current business practices. The scorecard has been developed based upon the PMI Project Management Body of Knowledge and industry best practices for product development. PPI has assisted in the establishment of Project Management Offices (PMO). In establishing these, business practices and processes are changed or introduced that are compatible with the corporate philosophy of project management. All project management consulting is consistent with the Project Management Institute's Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).

Excellent process management is a core competency for sustained business performance and improvement. Whether the process is taking an order, manufacturing a product, conducting administrative processes, or any other business process, process management is needed to sustain the business. PPI's process management consulting focuses on understanding the business process of interest through process mapping, value stream mapping or value creation mapping. With the process understood, improvements are made at the required points and measurements are established to provide continuous real-time information on the process health. Depending upon the nature of the process, techniques such as Lean Manufacturing, Statistical Process Control, Advanced Problem Solving, Six Sigma or Constraint management are applied.

Since most improvement efforts require some level of organizational change, change management and leadership issues are typically addressed. The cycle of change and situational leadership are used to identify the organizational and personal issues that are essential to a successful implementation of the new initiative or product.

Consulting engagements can be contracted for either by the project or on a time and material basis. Recent consulting clients include Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Instrumentation Laboratories, Kaman Aerospace, Dominion Power, Varian, General Electric, and Harvard Clinical Research Institute - a division of Harvard Medical School.

Litigation

PPI's president, Ray Sheen, has testified as an expert witness in federal proceedings. He is a seasoned professional with expertise in product development and business systems management, in particular with regard to military weapon system development projects and electrical product development projects. In addition, he has served on industry standards committees for electrical products and was the Chairman of the industry-wide task force charged with developing the standards and certification process for the arc-fault circuit interrupter, a new line of commercial electrical products. Ray has earned the Project Management Professional certification through the Project Management Institute.

He is able to provide consulting services at all stages of the legal process, from pre-filing to discovery to trial. He can analyze project and business records to assist counsel in determining potential causes of action and potential recoveries. He is able to assist in developing and responding to interrogatories and other discovery requests and critiquing opposing expert analysis and issue reports when needed.