Project Plan - Project Charter - Project Scope - Communications Plan

I'm going to steal some other ideas from Ken, "The Lean Guy", and comment on them.
Ken has been working here at Genoa for approximately six or eight weeks now, and the focus for the last six of those weeks has been on an analysis of our historical data, in order to try to draw a relationship between our efforts and the particulars of the vessels we complete. The first couple of weeks were spent on some high level planning, determining that we would develop a five year program, and then communicating this intention to the everyone here at Genoa. I believe everyone was pleased that we were starting over in our Lean journey, and intending to change to approach as a more gradual and planned and step by step process, rather that the Tasmanian Devil Kaizen "All Hell Breaks Loose" approach, which tended to lack a plan for sustainment.
Ken mentioned yesterday evening that if he were staff here at Genoa, he would perceive Ken's efforts as hiding in a hole and doing detailed analysis and research, with no results or action to show to date. In order words, from staff perspective here at Genoa..."Here we go again".
This is a wakeup call.
I believe its time for some communication.
I believe its time for some action.
Ken has made progress with his analysis and determination of relationships between parts and volume and vessel type and hours and labour and takt time. I have made progress with a plan, and have a better idea how I would like to see the first two years of our 5 Year Lean program, and specifically the first year (being Genoa Seiri) will map out and what progress we can expect.
We have also finished some Kick-Off type project meetings, and the emphasis was on communications. Lessons Learned centred around poor communications plans.
I also recently attended the Annual International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) awards banquet in St. John's and listened to numerous communicators speak. Also listened to the "Communicator of the Year" speak...and guess what they talked about?
We have not communicatoed our intent to the staff lately. We have not communicated our most recent plan. In fact, we do not have a communications plan for our Lean Project?
I had to ask myself again why I have not handled this project like every other technical project that enters our shop?
Where was the Kick-Off?
Where is the scope document?
The Charter?
The Comm Plan?
In Scope? Out of Scope?
Project Goal? Can I define it clearly?
Time to regroup quickly and pull this all together before we launch into this project too fast, too far and too half-hazardly.
A meeting with Ken yesterday reinforced the need for all this.
Lets bring the goals forward into a visual format where everyone can see whats next, whats coming next year, and what the final expectation is. Lets draw up the charter, the scope document, the communications plan. Lets handle this project like every other that we start.
Refer to PIMBOK.
Refer to IABC for a perspective on communications.
Plan to follow....