Increasingly, we use metrics and data analytics to inform our decision making. Analytical tools are useful and provide us with the ability to objectively assess situations. As project managers, we also need to use evaluate project decisions from a strategic (and external) viewpoint and leverage competitive information. Some questions we may want to ask are:
Should we make or buy a service or product?
Are we utilizing organizational resources in a way that will make us more competitive?
Are we sacrificing long-term supply chain relationships for short-term gains by enforcing contract terms?
Is the information we have about technical interfaces current or stale?
Do we have a solid understanding about customer expectations?
Is this understanding based on reliable information?
Are we reliant on very few suppliers for critical components? Could this reliance compromise our ability to obtain competitive pricing and contractual terms?
Is there a risk that we will engage in supply contracts that will lock us into proprietary technologies and raise life-cycle costs for the owner?
Are we using information technology to: achieve cost reduction, effective coordination, schedule reduction and increased quality?