Project Management

• Most Topular Stories

• What to Do When You Can't Do Enough

    BradEgeland.com - Blog

  6 Jan 2012 | 10:46 am

  Have you ever had that project customer where no matter what you do, it seems like it’s never enough?  No matter how hard you try, they’re always looking for something more or something different?  I’m not really talking about being constantly dissatisfied with your service or project management expertise or really the engagement itself.  It’s more than that.  It’s almost like “they’ll know it when they see it,” yet they never seem to see it.  There are usually two types of these customers: 1)    You do…

• The real value of project management paperwork.

  Ron Rosenhead

  Ron Rosenhead

  3 Jan 2012 | 4:46 am

  “I don’t like all this paperwork,” said one of my course participants ” “OK, so would you like to tell us your reasoning?” I asked him. “Well, it will slow the project down if I have to all of the things you mention. I want a quick delivery and I won’t get it this way” “Let’s examine this with the … Read More >

• Too Tired to Care? Regain Your Perspective With 5 Proven Practices

  Project Management Articles | Project Smart

  20 Jan 2012 | 1:18 pm

  Kimberly Wiefling's story of her journey from "too tried to care" to a better balance in life by adopting five common sense practices that have helped her regain her perspective, reduce stress, and optimise the results she gets from time invested in her work. Make some changes for the better before you're carried out on a stretcher!

• Project Management 2012: What's Coming... Part 1

  Business And Project Planning And Management

  DOUGLAS E. CASTLE

  18 Jan 2012 | 1:09 pm

  Project Management is rapidly changing, in terms of the availability of consulting contracts ('employment opportunities'), the expanded nature of the exceptionally good (i.e., eminently desirable) PM, and the new areas of special expertise which will require study and skill-sharpening. The field, and the nature of both the character and skill sets required of the best of breed Project Managers and Business Strategic Planning Officers has changed radically. Get informed and prepared NOW! Our old standby pals, Agile and Scrum, will no longer get us through the decision maker's filter...neither…

• 20 Questions All Project Managers Should Ask

  Project Management Articles | Project Smart

  16 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pm

  One of the many skills required of a project manager is the ability to ask searching questions and persevere until a clear answer is obtained. Many of the pitfalls in projects could be avoided if questions were articulated fully and if the answers were given clearly and in detail.

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  Computerworld Project Management News

• Paul Glen: IT cares, but business people have trouble reading our enthusiasm

  23 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  Business people expect their colleagues to express enthusiasm openly, and they don't recognize hard work as an expression of commitment to their goals.

• Self-service IT: Are users up for the task?

  9 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  Sure, today's end users are pretty tech-savvy, but do they have the technical and business chops needed to take full advantage of self-service technologies?

• Auditor: Big Aussie SAP project behind schedule, over budget

  7 Dec 2011 | 10:38 am

  A major SAP ERP project being conducted by the New South Wales Department of Education and Communities has hit a rocky patch, with projected costs for the first phase ballooning from $157 million (U.S.) to $215 million (U.S.), according to a new report by the Australian state's auditor.

• Intacct goes for ERP trifecta with Salesforce.com, Clarizen

  5 Dec 2011 | 11:05 pm

  Intacct is hoping to build on its stake in the cloud ERP (enterprise resource planning) market via a three-way integration with Salesforce.com's CRM (customer relationship management) application and project management software from Clarizen.

• Paul Glen: 'Nothing but the facts' approach just won't work with business people

  5 Dec 2011 | 5:00 am

  The reason techies' presentations to business people often bomb is that we make the mistake of believing that they think like we do. (Insider, registration required)

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  The Project Shrink

• The Project Story Circle. Talking About Transitions.

  Bas

  12 Jan 2012 | 2:49 am

  “Once a photograph of the earth, taken from the outside is available, a new idea as powerful as any in history will be let loose.” – Sir Fred Hoyle in 1948. What do you draw when you are visualizing a project on a whiteboard? I draw an arrow from left to right that represents a timeline. Not always. But many times. The way you visualize, determines your focus. I’ve been playing with the simple but powerful concept of a Project Story Circle. The project is represented by a circular arrow and is divided in half with a horizontal line. The idea behind it is the following:…

• Dropping Pebbles. Facilitating Sensemaking.

  Bas

  8 Jan 2012 | 7:43 am

  When I enter a room to facilitate a two hour workshop, eyebrows are raised. I look like my old aunt that packed for a weekend to visit relatives. Two large suitcases full of clothing. Just in case. You never know what the weather might turn out to be. Or if we decide to go to a fancy restaurant. So. I enter a room looking like my old aunt, only because we both carry way too much luggage for such a short period of time. I carry two plastic bags with post-it notes, index cards, colored paper of different thickness, permanent markers, white board markers, color markers, and tape. Yes. I know.

• Sensemaking: Turning What We Know Into What Must Be.

  Bas

  5 Jan 2012 | 7:11 am

  When Columbus set out to discover America, he didn’t have a map that had America on it. That was the whole point of discovering it. Centuries ago people were sailing the world with incomplete maps. Some knew that the earth was a sphere. A globe. A ball. A round thing. Some maps were created representing the world as a sphere, without having all the information available. This is important for people working together in uncertain and ambiguous situations. The coin dropped when I read this story by Cynthia Kurtz where she talks about reading the book “Maps: Finding Our Place in the…

• Embarking The Beagle. Hello 2012.

  Bas

  1 Jan 2012 | 12:47 am

  Twelve years ago some of my colleagues celebrated New Years Eve in the office. The world of IT was braising itself for The Millennium Bug. I was partying like it was 1999. Actually it was. I spent half of the first hour of 2000 stuck in an elevator. Not because of a software bug, but because 8 friends and me were in an elevator that had a capacity of four. When we switched from 1999 to 2000 we really expected a change. There was going to be a difference. There was a reason we had to do things before January 1st. You know. The big “division by zero” scare. When computers would use…

• Best Shrinkonian Blogs Of 2011.

  Bas

  6 Dec 2011 | 2:33 pm

  I did become Emperor of Shrinkonia. I realized I need a different language for writing about projects. I realized I need embarrassing drawings to express my thoughts on projects. I know projects are about humans. Heck, it has been my tagline for many years. But how can I talk about people stuff when the tools I have to communicate with are technocratic, cold and impersonal? You see why I need Shrinkonia? So. I turned 40, started drawing and became emperor of my own imaginary state. Go figure. Shrinkonia: a place where project teams find connection and flow, so they can create amazing things…

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  Pawel Brodzinski on Software Project Management

• In Defense of Difficult Decisions

  Pawel Brodzinski

  25 Jan 2012 | 4:18 pm

  I made quite a bunch of difficult decisions in my professional life. I underestimated their negative impact a few times. I received a lot of flak for making them in the first place. And I would probably make vast majority of them again if I had a chance. I also restrained myself and didn’t make a few harsh decisions. Sometimes I wanted to do it but couldn’t, sometimes I could but didn’t have guts and sometimes I just didn’t want to deal with consequences. Given the chance I would likely act differently in these situations. It seems I’m a bit gung-ho when it comes to fighting status…

• Why You Should Ask: “Why?”

  Pawel Brodzinski

  12 Jan 2012 | 3:27 pm

  David Joyce shared a short story on Twitter how a team was told by a coach to switch from Kanban to Scrum and they eventually got back to what they’d had initially. It seemed to that the team had been operating pretty well in the first place so I was curious why they were told to change. It seems that coach’s argument was that they weren’t agile. Ouch. I think I should start with a few disclaimers. Yes, you can officially consider me a Kanban proponent. No, I don’t think that Kanban, in general, is superior to Scrum (or any other specific approach). Yes, I like Scrum and witnessed it…

• How Much Time You Add Value?

  Pawel Brodzinski

  10 Jan 2012 | 2:07 pm

  I was running a workshop on estimation recently. One of things we discussed was how much time people effectively spend on working on tasks which are assigned to them. How much time do they spend creating value? Let’s take average software developers. What do they do? They code. But not all the time. They probably have some kind of warm up when they come to work. Then standup. And a couple of coffees. A meeting here and a meeting there. Handful of emails requiring attention or answer. A foosball match to break monotony of a day. A bunch of people asking about something either coming to a…

• Effective Standups around Kanban Board

  Pawel Brodzinski

  30 Dec 2011 | 11:53 am

  You can hear here and there that Kanban scales up pretty well. Actually one of Scrum issues, and I believe one that isn’t addressed neatly, is what to do in projects that take more people than a single Scrum team can accommodate. Definitely one thing which is surfaced pretty soon as Scrum team grows is standup meetings. As you go with three standard questions through growing team it naturally takes more and more time. Soon it can be a problem to fit into short time-box you have for such meetings. When team are adopting Kanban they usually leave standup unchanged. However it means that, at…

• Product Owner versus Product Ownership

  Pawel Brodzinski

  27 Dec 2011 | 2:29 pm

  Product Owner (capital letters) is a role known from Scrum. The role which is defined pretty well. Sort of. Actually, sometimes I think that there are almost as many approaches to Product Owner role as there are Scrum teams. In theory it is an ideal situation when PO is client representative working closely with a project team. That’s the theory. In practice I could hardly point any team that has comfort of such setup. More common scenario is PO on vendor’s side, a member of the team, who is acting as client’s advocate the best they can. However, for many teams it is still too good to…

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  Project Management Articles | Project Smart

• Management Consultants and PMO Failures

  21 Jan 2012 | 6:45 am

  Having worked in the (Middle East-North Africa) MENA region for a number of years, it is quite disheartening to encounter PMOs that suffer from acute identity crisis and are locked in endless battles with other departments to prove their worth. What is interesting to discover however, is the usual culprit behind PMO failures, the lack of executive support, is not the primary cause.

• Too Tired to Care? Regain Your Perspective With 5 Proven Practices

  20 Jan 2012 | 1:18 pm

  Kimberly Wiefling's story of her journey from "too tried to care" to a better balance in life by adopting five common sense practices that have helped her regain her perspective, reduce stress, and optimise the results she gets from time invested in her work. Make some changes for the better before you're carried out on a stretcher!

• 20 Questions All Project Managers Should Ask

  16 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pm

  One of the many skills required of a project manager is the ability to ask searching questions and persevere until a clear answer is obtained. Many of the pitfalls in projects could be avoided if questions were articulated fully and if the answers were given clearly and in detail.

• Who is the Project Manager?

  9 Jan 2012 | 2:39 pm

  A project manager's prime task is managing a project to success. The products of the project need to be picked up by the line organisation, and if this involves change in the organisation or ways of working, the changes must be made to 'stick'. By ensuring that the responsibilities for project management and business change are well assigned in a project there is an increased chance of success.

• How Accurate is Your Actual vs. Planned Time and Costs?

  7 Jan 2012 | 6:27 am

  With cost and efficiency dominating the corporate agenda in today's constrained operating environment, the ability to compare and contrast planned versus actual time and costs provides professional services firms with greater visibility and tighter control of performance in billable markets where time is money.

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  The Tao of Project Management

• 18: Taking Sides

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:18 am

  There is often a lot of pressure at key times in a project. The poor project manager gets caught up in this pressure and consequently looses sight of what is happening. The wise project manager recognises that he needs to make space and step back in order to observe what is going on. The WayThe way represents the single principle of how everything works. When we keep it simple and follow the path there will be harmony in the team and people get on with the project. When we leave the way the team will start to argue about what they should or should not have done and what might or might not…

• 17: Facilitation

  20 Jan 2012 | 8:29 am

  Lao Tsu tells us that there are four types of leaders or in our case project managers: Those that are despised are usually weak, ineffectual project managers that are not really leaders at all, just people promoted to their level of incompetence. They struggle to get anything done and are seen as losers. We can all agree that they are poor project managers.Next are those that are feared and who get their way by threatening and browbeating their team. They leave a trail of broken people in their wake. The good people take the hint and move somewhere they will be more appreciated. The bad…

• 16: Letting Go

  16 Jan 2012 | 9:13 am

  In project management there is no point trying to be perfect or admired as these are not things that make the team or the project successful. By letting go of all emotional baggage and just being part of the team we not only benefit the rest of the team and the project but we benefit ourselves. Poor project managers try to impress their management and may even achieve this, briefly. But it is short lived and they are usually brought back to earth by their own vanity. I recall one person who suffered from these faults and was universally despised by his colleagues and subordinates (he didn’t…

• 15: The Project Manager’s Teachers

  6 Jan 2012 | 10:15 am

  I’ve just finished the first draft of chapter 8 of ‘Agile Project Management in easy steps’, 3 or 4 more chapters to go but it’s all on hold for a couple of weeks while I pack up and move. A much more challenging project!Good project managers I have known have tended to be subtle, responsive and had a good knowledge of what was happening on their projects. Poor project managers I have known tend to rely on methods and techniques to try and stay on top of their projects but they have usually struggled. But who teaches the project manager?The WayReflection helps us to see how things…

• 14: Knowing What's Happening

  30 Dec 2011 | 4:54 am

  I am in the midst of selling, buying and moving house at the moment and that itself is a project and a half! I am trying to let the solicitor, estate agents and removers get on with things and not interfere. One sure sign of a poor project manager is one who doesn’t know what's going on in his project. He may keep questioning the team to find out, but that will only irritate the team members and it is not the way. We need to become silent and listen with our inner selves. If we don't understand something, don't strive to figure it out, step back, be calm and the way will become clear. A ski…

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  gantthead.com

• Leading Through Complexity

  25 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  Leadership gaps arise as projects trend toward higher complexity. It will take some significant new skills to succeed in complex near-future projects. When you succeed with the workforce, however, much of the complexity evaporates.

• Shut Down, Slow Down or Speed Up?

  25 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  Name the season and name the reason, but many firms schedule shutdowns of their facilities and staff during certain periods as a means to put a temporary stop in operations to control costs. But there are many in the workforce who prefer to exercise their own individual control over these down times in order to keep their industry active, carry on their work and remain effective contributors.

• Before You Know It...

  22 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  Unchecked and forgotten, minor difficulties are left alone until they bubble up and become real irritations. Having a systematic process in your customer service and support area--one that allows you to act proactively with clients to correct these issues--can set you apart from competitors and give your own project teams peace of mind.

• Strike While the Iron is Hot

  22 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  Rather than being half empty, maybe the glass is actually half full. One writer argues that the opportunities for project management to make inroads in an organization are actually better now than they have been for many years. Let's look at some different scenarios.

• Risk Analysis: Qualitative or 'Guessitative'?

  22 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  Risk analysis can feel like looking into a crystal ball to tell the future. Having a careful and detailed approach to qualitative analysis can stop the "guessitative" analysis.

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  IT Management & Trends Blogs

• Robert Heinlein, Makerbot, and the Pirate Bay

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:15 am

  Back in the 1960’s and 1970’s one of the interesting items in the Robert Heinlein universe was an item called a “Universal Pantograph” that would replicate almost any physical item you could think of. Makerbot Industries makes a 3D printer that will replicate just about any object that it has a CAD/CAM drawing for. The Pirate Bay has now started sharing/releasing public domain 3D drawings that will

• No more Danger Will Robinson

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:56 pm

  This is really dating myself now but growing up as a child one of the most influential shows I watched was Lost In Space. That show captured my imagination and was the main reason I became interested in space and science/fiction. I never forgot that show and even revisited that series as an adult and watched the whole series again, every show, to make sure I didn't miss out on any episode :) It

• Great Statistics Book for "Data Science" Self-Learner

  25 Jan 2012 | 4:26 pm

  A "Head First Statistics" book is an easy read and a great starting point for learning of the fundamental Statistics topics, and it is best suited for those interested in learning on their own.                                                   

• Project Management Lite: Model for Project Team Organization

  25 Jan 2012 | 4:20 pm

  Typically an organization chart is used to create the design and reporting structure of a project team.  It identifies the roles that may be required within a project, as well as the areas within the consulting service provider that can provide ...

• The Case for and Against Using Multiple ERP Systems Across Your Organization

  25 Jan 2012 | 5:32 am

  When most people think of ERP systems, they think of a single system. The common thinking behind enterprise software is that executives are generally looking for a single solution to integrate their entire business operations, processes and technologies. They want their entire employee base on a single system, a single

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  Project Management Articles - PM Hut

• Keys To Successful Postmortems - Part I: Setting Up the Meeting

  PM Hut

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:47 pm

  Keys To Successful Postmortems - Part I: Setting Up the Meeting By Mark Calabrese Part of closing out any project, outage, service restoration team effort or any initiative whether successful or otherwise (and it’s even more critical on the “or otherwise”) is the postmortem. Too often, this milestone in the ‘Closing’ phase of a project is either [...]

• What IT Managers Can Learn From the Failure of a British IT Project

  PM Hut

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:20 am

  What IT Managers Can Learn From the Failure of a British IT Project By Jim Anderson Note: This article also applies to IT Project Managers, that’s why PM Hut elected to publish it. The one thing that everyone in IT has learned is to stay away from projects that we just know are going to fail, right? It [...]

• Agile Project Charter

  PM Hut

  27 Jan 2012 | 7:56 am

  Agile Project Charter By Terry Bunio With the current project I am working on we discussed how we can make the Project Charter or Project Kick-off activities much more Agile. We are proposing to use new Agile methods and want to enhance our communication and allow team members to easily understand what they would be doing on [...]

• Lead, Follow, Or Leave

  PM Hut

  26 Jan 2012 | 1:59 pm

  Lead, Follow, Or Leave By Simon Jackson It was Thomas Paine who said we should lead, follow, or get out of the way. Following is rarely considered a leadership skill but I think is one of the most important. Leadership is not the same thing as management, direction, or control. Leadership is a state of mind, not [...]

• Project Management: Fix the “Fail to Plan” Syndrome

  PM Hut

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:57 am

  Project Management: Fix the “Fail to Plan” Syndrome By Carol Dekkers You’ve probably heard the popular saying: No one plans to fail, but often we fail to plan! Did you know that the most common method of software development today (according to author Steve McConnell) is “Code & Fix”? Code and Fix is the method whereby requirements are [...]

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  Journyx blogs

• Pitfall! Or The Importance of Understanding the Contract

  Stephen Panico

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:00 am

  Guess what? Gaining a contract with the defense industry is indeed a lucrative process. At least, it is when the business who wins the contract understands all of its terms. One of the most important terms to determine, especially at the outset, is what it means to have a fixed price contract. Sometimes, a business will overestimate its ability to deliver on a project, possibly because they are used to acting as “yes men” for their standard customers, promising they will deliver just about anything the customer wants and opting to iron out the details later. However, the federal…

• Meet Neil, New Member of Our Account Management Team

  Claire Augustine

  20 Jan 2012 | 7:16 am

  We have a new face on our Account Management team, Neil Penberthy!  To let people get to know Neil better, our Marketing Specialist thought it would be a great idea to create a video of Neil.  Below is the finished product: This way, our current customers can feel more comfortable with Neil on their accounts.  I love that Neil incorporates the company dart board in his video.  The dart board has been a big hit with the Journyx Sales and Development team.  Around 4pm, you can find them taking their daily dart break and competing with each other.  It’s healthy and fun competition…

• Having Trouble Running Timesheet Cube Reports?

  Erin McCaffrey

  18 Jan 2012 | 3:00 pm

  Some Journyx customers have come across issues trying to run Cube Reports in Timesheet. Outlined below is the standard solution for Cube Report issues. If you've been upgraded to MS Office 2007 or 2010, you will have to request that your IT person go out on the web and find Microsoft Office 2003 Web Components Service Pak 1 (SP1) for the 2007 Microsoft Office System. This can be found on the Microsoft web page under downloads. Note that Cube Reports can only be viewed in Internet Explorer. The first thing you need to check is to make sure your Office Web Components version matches your…

• Ok, Fine. Let's Talk About SOPA.

  Stephen Panico

  18 Jan 2012 | 10:00 am

  It’s all over the internet. Major sites, such as Craigslist, Google, Wikipedia, and many others have put up personal appeals to stop the passage of SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act). Meanwhile, those supporting the bill are equally voracious, stating that it is not the internet apocalypse that its critics are making it out to be. In fact they propose it as the logical next step to halt abuse of internet commerce, much in the same way security cameras and other anti-shoplifting devices secure physical retailers. As far as I can tell, the vast majority of complaints on both sides do not actually…

• Government Lovin' For Small Business

  Stephen Panico

  16 Jan 2012 | 10:00 am

  While it’s not a cakewalk for small businesses to win a government contract, there is good news: it is getting easier. The U. S Government, as of November 2, 2011, has modified its FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation) rules and now requires contracting agencies to consider setting aside a portion of their task and delivery order specifically for small and disadvantaged businesses. Now, now, I know what you’re thinking: “It requires them to consider placing a portion of their orders aside? What kind of weak ruling is that?” Well, fortunately, trends in contracting show that more and…

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  Project, Program and Portfolio Management

• This Year's Most In Demand IT Jobs and the Skills That Will Help You Advance

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am

  Randstad Technologies/IBM Study reveals an IT skills shift towards Project Management, Security and Architecture. TORONTO, Jan. 26, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Wondering what the most in demand IT jobs are, and which skills will best advance your IT career? According to a recent survey of Canadian business decision-makers commissioned by Randstad Technologies and IBM Canada, companies in 2012 are looking for IT professionals with project management, security and architecture skills, as well as strong interpersonal abilities. According to the results, for both large and small companies, Project…

• GeoPlace Wins Best Project Delivery at UK Public Sector Digital Awards

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am

  GeoPlace is honoured to be one of two winners of the Best Project Delivery category at the 2011 UK Public Sector Digital Awards for the development and delivery of the National Address Gazetteer Database. GeoPlace was presented the award alongside Surrey County Council for their separate e-safeguarding project.

• Black Fire project suspended

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am

  Black Fire Minerals (ASX:BFE) in an update in relation to the Kangeshi Copper Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo says that on Thursday it was advised by the Project Manager, Rift Valley Minerals, that Rift had received an unexpected letter from the DRC Ministry of Mines instructing the immediate suspension of all exploration activities on the Kangeshi licence pending the potential establishment of a new "forestry nursery" within the Kundelungu Plateau area. Rift has advised that as it understands it, the letter is not a cancellation of the Kangeshi licence.

• Call to adopt environmental protection measures in construction work

  20 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am

  The speakers at a workshop which was organized by the Sindh Water Sector Improvement Project (WSIP) on Thursday underscored the need of following environmental protection measures in the projects which involve construction activity. Participated by the officials of Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) and WSIP, engineers and consultant groups, the speakers at the workshop also shed light on the fallout of the projects which did not consider environmental safety.

• Quintiles opens BPO centre in Dalian

  18 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am

  18 January 2012 - Biopharmaceutical services provider Quintiles said on Tuesday it had opened a business process outsourcing (BPO) and project management centre of excellence in the city of Dalian in northern China.

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  The Project Management Podcast

• Health Update... BPPV

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pm

  Listen Now:{audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/bppv.mp3{/audio}A quick health update from me to all my listeners. The diagnosis is BPPV and I'm on the road to improvement. However, I'm still not able to publish regular, weekly episodes.

• Episode 204: The “New” PDU Categories and Structure

  21 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pm

  Listen Now:{audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_204_2012_01_20_-_PDU_Categories.mp3{/audio}This episode is sponsored by The PDU Podcast:If you are a certified PMP then you know what the acronym PDU stands for. It stands for Professional Development Units. Every PMP needs to earn 60 of these PDUs every 3 years in order keep his or her certification. The idea behind having to earn these PDUs is a simple one. PMI wants every PMP to continuously learn. Just like doctors or pilots who have to take classes regularly and practice new skills in order to keep their license, PMI wants…

• Taking 2 Weeks of Medical Leave

  5 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pm

  Listen Now:{audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/two_week_break.mp3{/audio}I've been fighting an inner-ear infection since December. I won't be able to publish PM Podcast episodes for the coming 2 weeks until the infection has run its course.

• Episode @#$!!!: No Bloopers This Year

  30 Dec 2011 | 6:00 pm

  Listen Now:{audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_203b_2011_12_31_-_NoBloopersThisYear.mp3{/audio}Seriously... there are no bloopers this year. So don't bother looking for any.Move along now... no bloopers to see here. Or hear here.Now really... why are you still here? Go to another episode now.

• Episode 203: Overview of the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) Certification

  21 Dec 2011 | 6:00 pm

  Listen Now:{audio}http://traffic.libsyn.com/pmpodcast/PM_Podcast_203_2011_12_23_-_PMI_ACP.mp3{/audio}This episode is sponsored by The PDU Podcast:This is another interview recorded at the PMI North American Congress in Dallas Fort Worth. My guest is Rory McCorkle who is the PMI Product Manager - Credentials (and he will tell you himself at the start of the interview what exactly that means). The reason why I’m talking to him is bring you the latest information about the new PMI-ACP certification - that is to say the PMI  Agile Certified Practitioner Exam.Here are some topics that Rory will…

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  Better Projects

• All Models are Wrong (Part 1)

  Craig Brown

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:18 pm

  You've heard the phrase "All models are wrong: Some are useful," by George Box, a chemist who taught himself to be a statistician.  My takeaway from this is that all models - and that is everything written down in all management texts and training manuals everywhere - is that the model is a lens to look at a problem through. When I was an undergraduate at university studying marketing we were discussing the Marketing Mix.  "When launching or developing a product..." the lecturer said, "pay attention to Price, Promotion, Product and Place..." I sat there thinking.  I didn't have…

• I Called It!

  Ted Hardy

  23 Jan 2012 | 3:00 pm

  Back in June of last year, I wrote a post entitled A new Facebook Use Case where I suggested that what FB really needed was a translation utility for comments. Called it.

• Obsession Times Voice

  Ted Hardy

  18 Jan 2012 | 8:14 pm

  One of the members of my QA team recently said something about me that made me smile. It wasn't that the comment was some kind of over the top suck-up or a snarky jab, but something that was a subtle reminder, in the midst of a sentence on an only vaguely related topic, of why I get up and go to work every day. He said I was the only person he knew who loved their job. The sad part is, I don't think he's far from wrong. I do work with several people who I know do love their jobs and it is clear from my daily interaction with them that their passion for what they do comes through in every…

• What is the Origin of the term "Functional Requirements"

  Craig Brown

  12 Jan 2012 | 12:32 am

  I have been over editing Wikipedia again.  This time on Functional Requirements. Yes, it's the poor quality that revolves around the Requirements and analysis topic that drew me in.  Wikipedia's content in this space is a classic example of the plumber with leaky pipes syndrome.  Each time I see it I just can't help myself.  I have to edit. But this time I am stuck. My question for you dear reader is this; Where does the idea of the Functional Requirement (as opposed to just a plain ol regular requirement) come from?  What is the origin story of this mystical term?

• Stakeholder analysis

  Craig Brown

  10 Jan 2012 | 11:53 pm

  Stakeholder analysis tends to be an underdone activity in most projects.  There seem to be a number of reasons for this including social and technical ones. Next month we are going to have a lunchtime session at work on stakeholder analysis so I did a little research on the topic and came up with a list of useful ideas.  They are posted below with some links. I am thinking about: What does stakeholder mean? What boundary conditions help define who is and isn't a stakeholder Why analyse stakeholders? Techniques for identifying stakeholders? Techniques for analysing stakeholders?

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  Project Management

• Re: What Online Project Management Tool Do You Use?

  gdawson

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:32 am

  We are using http://www.happytodos.com/ here in our office.

• Re: Hosted management project software

  Lucian Ioan

  18 Jan 2012 | 8:45 am

  RationalPlan Server might solve your problem.

• Goal-Oriented Decomposition - What Is It?

  Ronda Roberts

  30 Dec 2011 | 3:51 pm

  How does goal-oriented decomposition differ from standard composition in project management? We'll explain what this term means and discuss when it should be used. Goal-oriented decomposition is decomposition that looks at goals rather than deliverables to break a project down into the smallest tasks required to achieve progress. This metho...

• Re: What Online Project Management Tool Do You Use?

  chriscarter1980

  28 Dec 2011 | 12:52 am

  Not only can you get a number of resources of project management software online but also get project management training resources amounting to project management diplomas. Check these out at www.amacademyonline.com

• Dealing With Change: Have You Planned for These Common Obstacles?

  Jean Scheid

  19 Dec 2011 | 8:39 am

  Projects change and with those changes you need some controls. Along with those controls you also need to be able to recognize the depth and complexity of the change. Too often leaders, organizations and stakeholders miss the important elements, causing planned or expected changes to go awry. Stumbling Blocks Because alterations or modifications ar...

• 

  project-management « WordPress.com Tag Feed

• How do you manage your projects?

  rivaaayeung1027

  24 Jan 2012 | 2:28 pm

  How do you manage your projects? Project management is a huge impact on all your tasks, assignments & your attitude towards life. Recently we just got a package to review on project management, and the different characteristics of project management. Through this unit/package, i learned that there are 6 phases, Initiation, Definition, Planning, Control, Implementation & Review. Initiation is identifying the main concept of the whole project (the cost, time, and destination). Definition is identifying the risks, purpose (using documents) and the budget of the project. Planning is…

• Cartoon of the Day - RMS

  anayansigamboa

  24 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pm

  Revenue Management Systems by various Cartoonist

• PMP "Marathon" Completed

  davidjkearney

  24 Jan 2012 | 12:51 pm

  After many hours of study, I successfully completed the PMP exam.  I have heard many questions from PMP aspirants (including from my younger self) regarding costs, classes, time, and other resources that are needed (obviously, after meeting PMI’s experience and application requirements) to prepare for the PMP.  There is not just one road to follow.  Although I probably spent too much money and studied too much, basically taking the long way, I did accomplish what I set out to do on the first try.  Here is what worked for me and the money, time, and resources I invested: Costs:…

• Lead Users, Agile Development, and ITSM

  itsm_alexander

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:58 am

  Lead Users You know the main point of this blog is really so I don’t forget things I come across or ideas I have. I am sure, that if I didn’t right this one down, I’d forget about it and then “rediscover” it about a year from now. Anyway, what is a Lead User? And how did I find out about it? I did some reading on Professor Von Hippel’s site (and of course Wikipedia). The ‘lead user’ is the person who is using your product/service in a way that the majority of people are not yet. They are trying to solve a problem that the rest of the world…

• The Perfect Project Plan

  Solutions2Projects, LLC

  24 Jan 2012 | 9:33 am

  The perfect project plan is perfectly accurate for a nanosecond before it is no longer accurate.  The hours of discussions and effort to create tasks and dependencies, assign resources, add durations, and determine the overall timeline are not completely wasted.  The effort of bringing everyone together to understand the overall objectives and subsequent details is priceless.  The perfect project plan provides a framework for the overall project. It takes into account past experience, expectations, and reality and combined together is a guidance document for the overall project. …

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  Project Management Tips || Project Management, Collaboration and Knowledge Management Blog

• Turn Down Projects but Retain the Customers – Part 1

  Brad Egeland

  28 Jan 2012 | 1:09 am

  This is a tricky one, but it does happen.  A client comes to you with a need or a problem to resolve or work that just needs to be done.  They may be a past client or they may be a completely new potential project customer.  At any rate, for the focus of this article let’s assume they are approaching you with work that you eventually decide isn’t the right work for your consulting business or project management expertise.  How do you do it?  How do you say, “It’s not you, it’s me.”  And mean it.  How do close this chapter of the relationship without ending the relationship?

• Walking into a Trainwreck – Part 2

  Brad Egeland

  25 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  In Part 1 of this two-part series on walking into a project customer mess where their plans and expectations don’t meet the real project need we looked at how this happens, how to recognize it, and planning for how to respond.  In this Part 2, let’s examine three response scenarios for the customer’s problem. Scenario #1 – The right solution will cost more / take more time. This particular scenario usually won’t sit very well with the customer.  It’s basically like bringing the customer a change order on a project.  Finding out they underestimated and that the real solution…

• Walking into a Trainwreck – Part 1

  Brad Egeland

  24 Jan 2012 | 5:00 pm

  You know the scenario.  You sign up a client, have some initial discussions and are handed some high-level requirements for what it is the client wants you to lead or implement for them.  Now it’s time to meet with the end users and other subject matter experts (SMEs) to gain further insight into both the problem or issue that is to be resolved and what their actual needs are for the project. And when you do this, the bottom drops out…. The big picture problem The customer has brought you in, expects to spend ‘x’ dollars on ‘y’ number of hours to implement their planned solution…

• Are you creating project leaders on your team?

  Elizabeth

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:05 pm

  Project managers are responsible for teams, and that means we have a responsibility to develop the people in those teams. Project leadership is a hot topic at the moment and as project managers we should also be aware of the leadership responsibilities that come with working on projects. Unfortunately, in a project environment we can’t be everywhere at once. Sometimes project managers need a holiday, or are just involved in off-site meetings or workshops that mean they can’t answer the phone instantly. Sometimes we leave our phones at home by mistake. “Leaders cannot leave…

• Watch Out for Warning Signs

  Brad Egeland

  22 Jan 2012 | 4:36 pm

  I don’t like to ask for help.  I consider it a sign of weakness.  I’m an IT project manager and consultant…I should be able to figure it out on my own.  If I made a mess, I should be able to clean it up on my own.  When I was preparing to go in for rotator cuff surgery, I knew I would have my left arm in a sling for six weeks before starting rehab.  So, for three weeks before my surgery I practiced doing most of my daily tasks with one arm – even daily chores like making the bed and folding laundry, etc.  My wife thought I was crazy, but she was glad when she didn’t find me…

• 

  ThE pM sTuDeNt

• Monetary Bonus Incentives Make Knowledge Workers Less Effective

  Josh

  25 Jan 2012 | 6:32 pm

  I have found this to be true in my own experience. The way to really engage teams and get them motivated to do great things is to empower them, build trust with them, and help them recognize they are awesome and doing awesome things. I got a bonus in my paycheck this year. Meh. It doesn’t motivate me, and neither do the annual performance reviews. What I REALLY care about is what my customers think of me, what my team thinks of me and how they are doing, and that my management and company care about and value my efforts. Watch this and comment! What are your experiences with monetary…

• Project Management Myths Debunked

  Josh

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:19 am

  Oh yes, let’s have fun with this one, shall we? I want your myths in the comments, bucko! Good Project Managers Make All Decisions By Themselves While it’s true that project managers do have to make the final decisions in many cases on a daily basis, we certainly should not make them by ourselves. We utilize a portion of our daily stand-up meetings on my teams for discussion topics. These can be technical decisions or issues someone has run into which need to be addressed, or sometimes it’s just a new idea someone had about how to make our product better. There are cases…

• How to Find the Right Organizations For Your Project Management Career

  Josh

  18 Jan 2012 | 7:34 am

  What’s the hardest part of landing a new role to advance your career? I asked this question in a poll recently on the Career in Project Management LinkedIn Group. The top answer was that finding organizations and jobs seems to be the toughest challenge, at least from the people who responded to the poll I put up. It seemed to me this was the case too from conversations I have with the community on the LinkedIn group and in the comments here. Research Organizations, Not Jobs The most important point on this topic I can stress is that it’s a much more important and productive use of…

• Project Management Classes and Subjects To Study

  Josh

  12 Jan 2012 | 11:27 am

  If I had only started sooner, I would be much further along in my own project management career. I’m sure you probably feel the same way. Here is someone just getting started who reached out to me for guidance. If you are starting out in your project management career (most of us are probably well past high school age!) you will find the information below helpful as well. Josh, I am interested in becoming a project manager. What subjects are required in starting this career since I am just coming from high school? Kerdel Great question and I’m glad you are thinking about this…

• The Value of Professional Intuition in Project Management

  Josh

  4 Jan 2012 | 5:11 am

  Should we trust our intuition? Find out in this guest post by Shim Marom Common wisdom will tell you that Intuition is an internal perception of reality that is not directly associated with any reasoning process. If you are a project manager early in your career you will most likely seek guidance and mentoring from more experienced project managers. And as you observe their conduct there is a good chance that along the way, when inquiring about this decision or another, you will get a response suggesting that their decision is based on gut-feel, i.e. their intuition. There is a powerful body…

• 

  Keeping the Peace

• Sending and Receiving

  admin

  23 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

  “But communication is two-sided – vital and profound communication makes demands also on those who are to receive it… demands in the sense of concentration, of genuine effort to receive what is being communicated.” Roger Sessions What a great reminder that there is a sender and a receiver involved in communications. There is someone who is sharing information and therefore sending a message and there is someone who is the receiver. Certainly when you are sharing information you want to do everything in your power to ensure the message is clear. You want to use the best…

• YOU are a Risk

  admin

  16 Jan 2012 | 11:24 am

  Each day you bring strengths and weaknesses to work. You walk into the room (virtual or otherwise) with what makes you unique. Or as the saying goes, wherever you go, there you are. That is a good thing. It is all of the elements that make you, well you; that differentiate you from others. You cannot escape yourself, but you can GROW yourself. Remember that the definition of a risk includes both positive and negative events that impact the success of your project. Let’s update that in terms of what it means to you: Your risks as a leader include both the positive and the negative behaviors…

• The Problem with Problems

  admin

  13 Jan 2012 | 4:20 pm

  You know that things do not always go smoothly. Why be surprised when issues arise, when instead you can be prepared when issues arise?

• The Only Thing I Said

  admin

  10 Jan 2012 | 8:50 am

  The only thing I said is what you heard. I can’t take credit for this expression because I learned it in a coaching skills course a few years ago. Once I took a minute to process the sentence, (because my mind had one of those ‘Hey, wait a minute, what are you saying?’ moments); it really resonated with me. It is an excellent reminder that when you communicate, you have a responsibility to make sure that your intended message is received. I know for a fact that when I was new to the workplace, I was often afraid to let people know I did not understand everything they told me. I would…

• It’s Not a New Year

  admin

  3 Jan 2012 | 9:02 am

  (If you keep doing the same old things) You have probably heard or seen the expression, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This expression has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein and others. For the purposes of our time together, it does not matter who said it or how many times you have heard it.  What does matter is how you apply this to your life and to your professional relationships. It is a new year and you are probably assessing what you want to stay the same and what you want to improve.

• 

  Ron Rosenhead

• Leadership development + project management training = real difference

  Ron Rosenhead

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:52 am

  The weather at Heathrow airport was awful and for the first time ever, I felt dizzy on an aeroplane; and it was on the ground. When I looked at the wings, I understood why I felt so ill. The wind was moving the body of the plane and you could see the wings going up and down. As soon as … Read More >

• What are your project management New Year’s resolutions?

  Ron Rosenhead

  17 Jan 2012 | 4:33 am

  She told me directly; “I made this New Year’s resolution and I was good, really good for a week and then, it simply slipped away…” I  started to think about New Year’s resolutions that some project managers may have made: to focus on the risks that my projects may well face and how to manage them to ensure that changes … Read More >

• Clients want practical project management training….

  Ron Rosenhead

  12 Jan 2012 | 4:40 am

  I work with many professional staff whose exposure to projects has thus far been low or non-existent. They can be a marketer, a social worker, IT specialist, in HR to name but a small few. Many of these people are given ‘substantial tasks’ and find themselves needing help and support and training. This is where I come in. We normally … Read More >

• The real value of project management paperwork.

  Ron Rosenhead

  3 Jan 2012 | 4:46 am

  “I don’t like all this paperwork,” said one of my course participants ” “OK, so would you like to tell us your reasoning?” I asked him. “Well, it will slow the project down if I have to all of the things you mention. I want a quick delivery and I won’t get it this way” “Let’s examine this with the … Read More >

• The definitive guide of who should go on a project management course

  Ron Rosenhead

  15 Dec 2011 | 4:15 am

  I run project management courses for many different organisations and it never ceases to amaze me that people who come along to one of our courses do not know why they are on the course or they are wondering when they will pick up their first project. Just last week I had two people on the course who asked me … Read More >

• 

  Karol Zielinski�s Blog - all kind of stuff around the web

• What a small company can do in one year?

  Karol Zielinski

  26 Jan 2012 | 9:38 am

  Our company – PayLane, after first year of hard working. Have a look at this anniversary infographic. Hope you like it. Full infographic could be found here: What a small company can do in one year? (anniversay infographic)

• Zappos and managing data breach [good article]

  Karol Zielinski

  24 Jan 2012 | 4:07 am

  Several days ago Zappos (well-known online shoe retailer with brilliant reputation) announced the data breach in their systems/databases. How did they do it? In an email from founder and CEO Tony Hsieh. Let’s have a look at the great example of managing data breach. Really good article: Zappos is giving us a lesson on managing a data breach

• Top ten reasons why large companies fail to keep their best talent [good article]

  Karol Zielinski

  4 Jan 2012 | 2:07 pm

  Large companies always had a problem with keeping their best employees with them. There are lots of reasons why. Here you can find some of them. Honestly I need to agree with most of them. Really good article: Top 10 reasons why large companies fail to keep their best talent

• Credit cards in numbers

  Karol Zielinski

  20 Dec 2011 | 7:35 am

  Great infographic about payment industry (specifically about credit cards). I really love it. Brought to you by Across the Board & PayLane

• Design blogs that I’d love to subscribe, but I won’t

  Karol Zielinski

  21 Nov 2011 | 4:26 pm

  There are so many great design blogs around the web. I used to subscribe some of them for a long time. However I had to quit. Not because I don’t like them anymore. It’s because I don’t have a time to look at all these great design projects. Let me recommend some of these sites. behance.net Behance Network, the leading online platform to showcase and discover creative work youthedesigner.com You The Designer is a graphic design blog that strives to be on the cutting edge of design news, tips, trends, tutorials, resources, and much more! 990px.pl In Polish, but so what. It’s about…

• 

  Dot Connector

• Inspirational Quote about Growth [via Viktor Frankl]

  Regis Hadiaris

  22 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  “Between stim­u­lus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” - Viktor Frankl

• Inspirational Quote about Being Unreasonable [via George Bernard Shaw]

  Regis Hadiaris

  15 Jan 2012 | 6:00 am

  “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.  Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” - George Bernard Shaw

• Are You Rising to the Level of Your Own Ignorance? [13 Questions to Use]

  Regis Hadiaris

  12 Jan 2012 | 7:26 pm

  “We rise to the level of our own ignorance, Regis.” My godmother told me that when I graduated from high school.  At the time, I’m sure she was using it as a subtle reminder to ensure I was going to college (I did). But way better than that, the quote has stuck with me ever since.  And, it’s been a fantastic lens through which I see my world. 12 Questions to See If You Are Rising to the Level of Your Own Ignorance What am I not thinking about right now, but I really should be? What bias and opinion am I bringing to the situation because I simply don’t have the…

• Inspirational Quote about Mystery [via Albert Einstein]

  Regis Hadiaris

  8 Jan 2012 | 6:00 am

  “The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious.  It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.  He who knows it not and can no longer wonder, no longer feels amazement, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle.” - Albert Einstein

• New Year’s Resolutions 2012 [Includes Templates to Use]

  Regis Hadiaris

  3 Jan 2012 | 6:55 am

  Ability is what you’re capable of doing.  Motivation determines what you do.  Attitude determines how well you do it. - Harvey Mackay Have you created any New Year’s Resolutions for 2012?  If not, or even if you have, I recommend checking out these articles and tools on Dot Connector that can help you.  I use them to set my resolution (see below for that), and refer to them whenever I need to re-evaluate or redesign my approach. Here’s a quick overview: New Year’s Resolutions: Looking Back and Looking Ahead Dot Connector Article: New Year’s Resolutions: 27…

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  ThousandtyOne! - .NET, Life and Logical Thoughts By Rajiv Popat

• Geek Awesomeness: Deep Intellectual Conversations.

  Rajiv Popat

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:31 pm

  Geeks aren’t wired like the rest of the race. Even their awesomeness is different from the rest of the race. While you might love to party, your geek craves a deep intellectual meaningful conversation with just a couple of friends around small table in an open air food joint serving wholesome food. No loud music. No distractions. No Dance. No risk of bumping into that socially awkward moment. That and a topic that is deeply intellectual and very intimate. That or just a ruthless battle of wits. If socializing is what makes your geek more human, deep intellectual conversations with near and…

• Leadership Tip: Let Go Of Your Pettiness.

  Rajiv Popat

  15 Nov 2011 | 3:04 pm

  Famous dialogs from Godfather, which is one of my all time favorite books and movies, form the foundations of business and management. Take for instance this dialog for example spoken by the Drug Mafia, Sollozzo: ''I don't like violence, Tom. I'm a businessman. Blood is expensive.'' Taking the crime aspect of it out of the statement, the point, is a compelling one: when you grow, you give up stuff. The aspect of giving stuff up as you grow holds true in virtually anything you do, particularly management and leadership. Grow as a leader and you end up giving up stuff like: Drama (No shouting…

• A Humble Attempt At Helping New Programmers Or Non-Programmers With Programming.

  Rajiv Popat

  24 Oct 2011 | 3:42 pm

  There are hundreds of comments on the "why can't programmers program" post by Jeff Atwood where he talks about the fizz buzz problem being the stairway to heaven of programming and how most programmers cannot code it. While that's useful information, the real question is what are you doing to help train a better breed of programmers for tomorrow? Jeff's attempt is stack overflow. A place where programmers can help other programmers get better at their craft. Others are contributing their bit by answering questions there, but what are you, the person who has developed applications for ten…

• The Game Of Impulsive Publishing.

  Rajiv Popat

  21 Oct 2011 | 7:26 am

  Facebook and twitter were hailed as revolutionary because they brought instant publishing to every cell phone. The game is simple, you stare at an empty text box which says "what's on your mind", you impulsively write something and your tiny world responds back... equally impulsively. Science on the other hand believes that what makes writing so different from talking is that more of your prefrontal-cortex (the bit of your brain responsible for executive decisions) is involved when you write than when you think or speak. Put simply, the act of writing takes the impulsivity out of the problem…

• Understanding How Cloud Based Virtualization Can Hurt You.

  Rajiv Popat

  20 Oct 2011 | 12:27 pm

  Ted Dziuba's post on the pain associated with cloud based virtualization and how we continue to live with the pain even after Amazon service degradation bludgeons Reddit to death every few weeks is a must read for anyone who has hosted anything on cloud based virtual servers. Ted talks about the general issue of promises being made around cloud based services and virtualization. He explains: Amazon EC2 has a stated service level agreement of 99.95% uptime, yearly. As of right now, EC2's uptime is 99.23%, well below the SLA. Since computer programmers like to take a pathologically literal…

• 

  A blog about time tracking, task management project management, and other useful tales and tips, from the minds at Intervals

• Tracking the Untracked with Online Time Tracking Software

  John Reeve

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:41 pm

  Most of us using online time tracking software are already tracking the important stuff, like client work and internal projects. But there are plenty of other miscellaneous tasks we perform day-to-day that we don’t think to track, because they aren’t billable or directly related to any current projects. When we take the time to track [...]

• We’ve Improved the Intervals Search for Time, Tasks, Projects and More…

  John Reeve

  19 Jan 2012 | 3:09 pm

  We are quite happy about the fact that Intervals has been increasing in size and popularity since we first launched it six years ago. One of the “growing pains” we encountered was the challenge of providing a fast and relevant search for our customers as the amount of data in their accounts increased. Intervals’ customers [...]

• How Web Designers and Developers can Contribute to Open Source Projects

  John Reeve

  18 Jan 2012 | 3:02 pm

  Most Web designers and developers I’ve met use Open Source projects in some way. We design using free icons and develop on a LAMP stack. Popular MVC frameworks are widely used and supported. It’s rather difficult for a Web designer or developer to get very far without Open Source software. Most of the Open Source [...]

• Three Time Tracking Myths Debunked

  John Reeve

  15 Dec 2011 | 2:18 pm

  When it comes to time tracking, small businesses and freelancers alike either love it or hate it. On the love side are those who’ve embraced time tracking in a way that benefits their business, clients, and empowers individual team members. On the hate side, some track their time because they are required to, while others [...]

• UPDATE: The 2011 Secret Santa Name Picker Script

  Cameron

  22 Nov 2011 | 7:05 pm

  Last year, we published the source code we used to draw names out of our virtual hat to decide who would be giving a gift to whom as part of our annual t-shirt exchange tradition. However, a quick glance at that old code reveals its problems: 1. It’s inefficient. It uses brute force to match a [...]

• 

  Utpal Writes

• Was that confrontation essential?

  Utpal Vaishnav

  28 Jan 2012 | 4:28 am

  That’s the question you need to ask post each confrontation. Sure, it’s a powerful tool in bringing your team members to the next level but pausing and measuring the progress is even more important. Confrontation is more of a cost v/s benefits issue so measurement is required. And, the thing about progress is that the progress will be always positive if you let it. Key here is to look dispassionately at the whole set of confrontation events and take corrective actions whatever those might be. What’s the point of continuing an activity if there are no returns?

• Distinguish the Distinctions of Your Business

  Utpal Vaishnav

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:10 am

  …no matter what your business is. Leading a Business is unlike any other role of an organization, because it’s always dissimilar. Unstructured, unpredictable, atypical…a right brain activity. No predefined set of rules or guidelines are much of help because everyone leads their business differently, and what flourishing business leaders have in common is that they are flourishing. The only way you and your organization is going to make a difference in the market is the way you lead. Not by reading some leadership books, attending some leadership courses or following external…

• The Inordinate Team Member

  Utpal Vaishnav

  19 Jan 2012 | 3:11 am

  There are a few grounds to stand a team member who makes inordinate requests: You anticipated you would; His skills are peerless; He’s a great grapeviner – has good political influence that you think would help you one day; Consequences of informing the client that you’ve sacked him are much worse ; He’s indispensible… It’s probably worth sacking a team member if: He intentionally spoils inter-team relationships; Your project is suffering from him doing less than great work consistently; He’s politically unwise – makes you vulnerable; He diverts you from creating…

• Oh Yes!

  Utpal Vaishnav

  14 Jan 2012 | 4:01 pm

  Oh yes, that’s also a part of our service offerings (although it’s not explicitly mentioned) Oh yes, we must open three of new branches in new geographies this year (although my main business is not doing well) Oh yes, we should alter some of our principles to fit the need (although this will essentially kill the chief motive of the business) Oh yes, I’ll have a dinner with them (although my spouse has to be alone) Oh yes, you called me few minutes back (although I should do that important task instead, let me ask at least) Oh yes, I can solve your problem (although I don’t understand…

• Keep Delivering

  Utpal Vaishnav

  7 Jan 2012 | 1:42 am

  Often, Delivering is burdened with threats and perils. Every time you stand up, send a text message, write a piece of software code, publish a blog post or write a tweet, you’re exposing yourself to disparagement. Not just disparagement, but the possible negative consequences that come with your actions. It’s no wonder why most of us are afraid to deliver. It’s uncertain if you are provided with more options, though. A life spent in safe harbor of the known seems less risky, but in fact, avoiding change and living a passive life is the most dangerous home for a human. Considering the…

• 

  Project Management Templates

• The Project Lifecycle Leads to Success

  admin

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  The use of the project lifecycle methodology will make a large contribution to the success of your business. This is the approach many organizations use to lay out the path they need to follow when using a project as a source of revenue. The basis of the project lifecycle approach is to break it down into four distinct phases. There is the initiation phase followed by the planning phase. After that come the execution phase and then the conclusion to your project. The initiation phase of a project lifecycle is where the basic concept of the business venture is tested to see just how viable it…

• Project Management Resources

  admin

  26 Jan 2012 | 3:49 am

  The need for Project Management Resources is growing as more organization become more complex and demand more from the project management tools they use. Just having the proper tools around is not enough. You must be able to maximize their use on a regular basis for them to be truly effective. The accessibility of resources to help you use your project management tools is now available like never before. To help fit the needs of our clients, there are both informative videos along with the written word explaining in detail the most common questions involving our tools. By offering this online…

• A Business Case Example is a useful Guide

  admin

  23 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  The use of a business case example as a guide is one of the ways a project manager can save time and frustration when having to complete this detailed task. By having this type of guide in front of you from a successful project, the manager can easily see what format was used along with its content that has been acceptable to the stake holders in the past. The makeup of each business case example could be slightly different according to who made it and its intended purpose. If your organization uses a project management template to create this document, then you will have to forms of…

• Preparing an International Business Case

  admin

  19 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  In the preparation of an international business case, special considerations must be made because the nature of the business environment it will be involved with. Unlike the local or regional business cases that most project manager are use to creating, these will have an international flavor to them. The inclusion of a different government, their regulations and restrictions is what set the international business case apart from the typical business case. This can be problematic for many reasons. Not only do the cultural differences have to be considered, but also a language barrier in many…

• A Business Case Template is an Effeicent use of Time

  admin

  16 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  The use of a business case template is an effective and effeicent use of time by a project manager. This is a digital preformatted document that has only one purpose for existing. That purpose is to create an accurate and detail document about a business venture in the shortest allotment of time by the user. The way a business case template is set up allows for this to occur every time it is used. The document is set up in a format that will produce a professionally looking document when completed. It also has the necessary sections already predesignated for particular data to be entered. The…

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  Project Manager Tips and Hints

• Web Storage

  admin

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  With the increased use of web storage for data and documents by the business world, the need for additional space is being provided by the many active service providers around the globe. This has become a profitable business with limitless expansion possibilities. For many the use of the term web storage is for the storage of information about a user who is visiting a specific site on the internet. For the purposes of this article it is related to the way and reasons an organization might use the web as a storage facility for their data, documents and backups to their computers. The reason so…

• Online File Storage

  admin

  23 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  The online file storage availability of your organization is an important resource to have. Unfortunately at this time not every business has made the investment to acquire one yet. This is why some many third party suppliers of the type of resource are available online. To have an online file storage area only requires a server that is only accessible via the internet. For many of the third party vendors, they have more than one server where your data will be held. They will also have back up power supplies so the servers will still be accessible even when there is a power outage in their…

• Digital Document Storage

  admin

  19 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  The need for digital document storage has been around since the computer was first used as a tool. This type of document is in digital form so keeping it and filing it takes another path than the old paper counterparts of the past. The digital document storage units for temporary use are on the hard drives of the computer the person is using. This is acceptable to a point. In the business world with the crashing of computers and the accidental downloading of viruses, the need for a permanent and safe place for the organizations documents was needed. At first the use of backup tapes were used…

• Reporting Software Makes use of Monitoring Programs

  admin

  16 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  The use of reporting software makes the greatest use out of all the monitoring programs that are constantly watching a project. It is those monitoring programs that will have all of the data about the project while it is in its execution phase of its project life cycle. The leading difference between the reporting software and the monitoring programs is in their function. The monitoring software is where the daily and weekly updates on the progress of the components of a project are logged. This is done by the different project team members as they complete their assigned tasks. This is a…

• Creating a Project Report that is Useful

  admin

  12 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  Just creating a project report does not necessarily make it is a useful document for your organization to use. It must be accurate on just what occurred during all phases of the project along with being informative. You must include all the important information while making no assumptions that the reader knows anything about the project. If you make certain assumptions when writing the project report, you could be excluding information that is otherwise deemed valuable. As an example, if there was a milestone that occurred during the execution of the project, explain what the milestone was…

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  Project Management Methodologies

• Business Management Consulting

  admin

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  The use of business management consulting firms by most of the leading organizations today are there to fill a need. This is effect of using the lean methodology to its extreme where not all business processes are now employed by an organizing in a cost cutting manner. This is why the business management consulting operations are now becoming numerous. To be a member of this type of firm, most employees are past professionals with years of experience. They mostly also had been with an organization for many years involved in the business dealings of said companies as part of their position.

• Project Management Resources

  admin

  26 Jan 2012 | 2:36 am

  Using the right Project Management Resources to help you understand the methodology your organization is using will greatly enhance your project’s chances of success. To help you with this you have a choice of the right venue for you. There are videos that allow you to just sit back and absorb the information. There are also eBooks you can print out and use as reference material at a later date after you have covered the material. If you need more in-depth information on just how to best use the many project management tools at your disposal, they are here, ready to be accessed. These…

• Project Management Process can be Efficient

  admin

  23 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  The creation of a project management process can be done in an efficient manner when the project manager has the right tools available to them. To have such a process documented in the fastest and most accurate manner possible the use of project management templates is now the most common avenue to follow. For each project the project management process will be present to help manage and deal with the different items that a project manager must handle during the course of the project. These items include time management, issue management, cost management, tender management, quality…

• Methodologies are like a set of instructions

  admin

  19 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  Methodologies in the business world are used so there is a designated path for their projects to follow. These paths are set up in an orderly fashion so the outcome can be predicted. When it comes to the business world, known what to predict allows for a business to plan it future on along with the tasks that need to be accomplished. By picking one of the many available methodologies that are in use today in the business world, an organization will have a predicted path for their projects. This not only helps the business planning for the future but also so project will run more efficiently.

• Integrating a Project Management Methodology in your Organization

  admin

  16 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  Integrating a project management methodology into your organization is a process that is now seen as necessary so you can compete in the modern global business environment. By using this business tool as part of your organization, the path in which your project should follow are already laid out in advance so indecision is reduced and productivity is increased. The most common type of project management methodology to use in today’s business environment is the lifecycle methodology. This is a four phase program that includes every step and task that are essential to having a successful…

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  Perspectives on Project Management from Learning Tree International

• Motivation Challenges at Work

  lbarnardltre

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:08 pm

  If you have challenges motivating staff at work, then you have to watch this video by Dan Pink: If you need more help on these ideas, then you should check out Learning Tree’s Management Skills course. Larry T. Barnard, PMP, PMI-RMP, IISPM-Practitioner CEO & Principal Architect IISPM, International Institute of Sustainability Project Management larry@iispm.com

• Sustainability Products for Project Leaders

  jhanerltre

  25 Jan 2012 | 4:57 am

  There are countless ways that project leaders and the companies with which they work can be more sustainable. An organization that helps project leaders make sustainability a part of their projects is www.iispm.org. The goal of www.iispm.org is to “make project management sustainable  . . . one project at a time.” The electronic devices that make our lives easier also produce some unwanted side effects on the environment. Fortunately, many consumer electronics manufacturers are working to create products that keep us productive while reducing energy demands to lessen our impact on the…

• Three Steps to Managing Project Scope

  lbarnardltre

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:22 am

  Project management  has many challenges. One of the most challenging things is the management of scope. There are many challenges to scope. Within the life cycle of a project, I would like to focus on the initial development of scope. When do you develop scope, and how do you develop scope? Scope is developed in three main stages. The first stage of development takes place when you create the project charter during project initiation. This is the first key document created by the project. It’s used to outline the purpose of the project and get approval to start the project. Once approved,…

• Eliciting Project Requirements

  sweeseltre

  21 Jan 2012 | 4:55 pm

  Requirements elicitation targets gathering the right information to develop the project requirements.  The requirements for your project are the foundation for a solution that will be designed and deployed by the project and its efforts.  According to the BABOK® Guide, the tasks in the Elicitation knowledge area begin early in the project life cycle and typically peak during the more detailed requirements development phase of the project.  Actually, I have found that equirements can be elicited at any point in the project life cycle, either for the first time or as the result of changes…

• Three Key Issues for Leading Virtual/Remote Teams

  jhanerltre

  18 Jan 2012 | 7:43 am

  A Model for Effectiveness as a Virtual/Remote Working  (VRW) Leader Our model addresses three key issues: The focus of VRW management What successful VRW teams need Leveraging the opportunities and mitigating the threats associated with working apart 1. The focus of VRW management Task Level— ensuring the work is done Communication Level—managing communication Relationship Level— managing human and organizational relationships KEY POINT: VRW leaders need to pay attention to different things than managers in collocated situations. Many managers choose to focus on task, even when the…

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  AtTask Blog

• Three Keys to Help Manage the Queue

  Ty Kiisel

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:52 am

  Any group that provides shared services within an organization must deal with project sponspors who think their project is the most important thing happening and deserve priority treatment—even if it isn’t or doesn’t. What’s worse, in many organizations, they often go directly to individual team members to get their work done first—chewing up time that should be spent on priority projects. This distracts team members from their primary objectives, and they struggle to manage priorities. This is not only frustrating to project leaders, who soon realize that squeaky wheels…

• Who Are You? Do You Really Know the Team?

  Ty Kiisel

  26 Jan 2012 | 9:59 am

  I love puttering in my garage. No matter what else I’m doing on Saturday, I usually wind up puttering around on some project or another in the man cave. My wife would tell you that I am not the most “handy” guy she’s ever known (and she would be right), but I do like the notion of being “handy” and she patiently smiles and allows me my fantasies. On the other hand, her father and older brother are two of the most “handy” guys I’ve ever known. They are highly-skilled carpenters and cabinet makers, but their skill with tools goes far beyond…

• 10 Tips to Effectively Communicate With Stakeholders

  Ty Kiisel

  26 Jan 2012 | 9:17 am

  Keeping an open and effective line of communication with stakeholders is important. A couple of years ago I stumbled on this list of tips for presenting to stakeholders, which is worth rehashing. Sometimes it seems like a thirty-minute meeting can be over in sixty seconds. Stakeholders sometimes have short attention spans, so if you don’t capture their attention in the first minute or two, they’ll start checking their email and watching the clock or worse—bail on your meeting. Anyone involved in project-based work has to deal with sponsors and stakeholders. With that in mind, here are…

• “Tuning” Post Implementation

  Kristyn Gunderson

  25 Jan 2012 | 10:51 am

  Having grown up in Colorado, skiing has always been a favorite past time in my family. While skis can be costly, my father taught me how to properly take care of them. It is just as important to tune and wax your skis periodically every year, as it is to buy the right equipment. Keeping up on the maintenance of a pair of skis is not only necessary for them to last longer, but also to help skiing performance. Just as tuning and waxing a pair of skis is essential to have high performance while skiing, it is necessary to continually “tune” the way you work. Post Implementation Consulting…

• A Personal Stake in the Outcome

  Ty Kiisel

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:53 am

  I recently finished reading Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. I included the subtitle because, Ries suggests, business leaders and project teams should consider themselves “entrepreneurs” and should be working to create the innovation that will make our organizations successful. Not too long ago, I asked if it made sense for project team members to feel a sense of skin in the game, I believe it does. Ries suggests, that people “…need a personal stake in the outcome of…

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  Project and Portfolio Management

• Three Keys to Help Manage the Queue

  27 Jan 2012 | 5:01 am

  Any group that provides shared services within an organization must deal with project sponspors who think their project is the most important thing happening and deserve priority treatment—even if it isn't or doesn't...

• 10 Tips for Effectively Communicating with Stakeholders

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:05 am

  Keeping an open and effective line of communication with stakeholders is important. A couple of years ago I stumbled on this list of tips for presenting to stakeholders, which is worth rehashing. Sometimes it seems...

• The 3 Roles In An Organization

  24 Jan 2012 | 6:07 am

  I recently posted a tweet saying that, there are only 3 roles in a business organization - project manager, program manager and project team member. So, what did I mean by that? This is a perspective view of an organization. A view that looks at the organization as a collection of various goals, all connecting with its mission.

• A Personal Stake in the Outcome

  24 Jan 2012 | 6:04 am

  I recently finished reading Eric Ries' The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. I included the subtitle because, Ries suggests, business leaders and project teams should consider themselves "entrepreneurs" and...

• Universal business computer 6: Gaining value

  23 Jan 2012 | 9:34 am

  This would be in direct competition with other well-established approaches - including nearly every web application technology.

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  projectsatwork.com

• Communications 101: Stakeholders

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  For any and all projects you lead, a constant mantra should be "keep the stakeholders involved." It will help you to get ahead of potential risks and changes to scope as your project moves towards completion, and it will be critical to its ultimate success. When in doubt, overcommunicate.

• Scaling Kanban

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  As Kanban is applied to longer projects up to three months in duration, the principles of visibility, flow, variability and improvement are still in full effect, but challenges must be taken into account, including larger teams and higher-level sponsors, increased uncertainty and complexity, and, by extension, greater organizational pressures.

• Agile Re-Transformation

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  There is a huge difference between using Agile practices and being Agile. Here, a chief engineer discusses his organization's strides in creating an Agile mindset and a customized approach to producing high-quality work in short time frames. The journey offers practical advice and techniques to those getting started or struggling with Agile transformation.

• Project Liftoff

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  A rocket won't overcome gravity's pull without the right trajectory and energy. Likewise, a project needs systems in place at launch to have a chance of soaring. In this excerpt, we set the stage for a successful liftoff, which requires a shared understanding of team roles and objectives. An agile chartering framework can help.

• 5 PPM Predictions in 2012

  22 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  As businesses enter the "new normal" era of economic uncertainty, program and portfolio management offices that remain tactically and administratively-focused will struggle. Successful PMOs in 2012 will move towards a strageic, holistic view that embraces agile methods and increases visibility for executives.

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  Nonprofit Capacity Building by

• Which Is More Important—the Means or the Ends? Process, Impact and Outcome Evaluations by Priya Small

  Priya Small

  23 Jan 2012 | 8:40 am

  One of my childhood memories is of my fifth grade English teacher posing this question to us as she analyzed a piece of classical literature:  does the means justify the ends?  She qualified her question with, “I know you are too young to understand this, but one day you will.”  I wonder how many of us ask ourselves that question while evaluating programs.  In a way, we’re also asking, “Which is really more important to us—the means or the ends, that is, the process or the outcome?” Today we will review simple definitions of 3 types of evaluations:  process evaluations,…

• Some Guiding Principles for Your 2012 Goals by Marion Conway

  Marion Conway

  13 Jan 2012 | 9:02 am

  At my blog,  Marion Conway – Nonprofit Consultant,  I have just posted my annual list of resolutions for nonprofit leaders with recommendations from seven nonprofit experts.  This is the fourth year that I have prepared such a post and it is interesting to see the tone being set at the beginning of each year.   This year I’d say the tone is clearly  “Be the best you can be.”   It is upbeat and forward looking  – very encouraging.  Every year I am amazed by the breadth of the wisdom offered from the philosophical to the down to earth practical.  And this year, the…

• Four Differences between Research and Program Evaluation by Priya Small

  Priya Small

  8 Jan 2012 | 10:46 pm

  Program evaluations are “individual systematic studies conducted periodically or on an ad hoc basis to assess how well a program is working1.” What was your reaction to this definition?  Has the prospect of undertaking a “research study” ever deterred you for conducting a program evaluation?  Good news! Did you know that program evaluation is not the same as research and usually does not need to be as complicated? In fact, evaluation is a process in which we all unconsciously engage to some degree or another on a daily, informal basis.  How do you choose a pair of boots?

• How to Address Others’ Fears about Program Evaluation–Creating a “Culture of Evaluation” (Part 2) by Priya Small

  Priya Small

  24 Dec 2011 | 6:37 am

  Previously we covered part 1 of this post. Step 4: “Be the Early Bird…”– Plan Evaluation Early The best time to plan an evaluation is before program implementation has begun.  Plan evaluation during the program planning stage. This helps reduce back-tracking and helps to create a culture of evaluation more naturally.  This also prevents having to come in with dramatic changes later.  People tend to resist change, and late changes can create even more resistance to evaluation.  Dealing with such resistance can be likened to trying to turn a huge ship whose course has already…

• How to Address Others’ Fears about Program Evaluation–Creating a “Culture of Evaluation” (Part 1) by Priya Small

  Priya Small

  10 Dec 2011 | 6:01 pm

  Now that you: realize a few of the benefits of program evaluation (see “How to Maximize Funding by Tapping into Hidden Potential: Program Evaluation”) and have begun to address any fears you may have about program evaluation (see “How to Address Fears about Program Evaluation”) let us move on to the next step.  In this post we will focus on addressing others’ fears about program evaluation.  These “others” may include administrators, partners, program staff and participants.  As you know, such fears can be harder to address, and there is no cure-all.  But consider using a…

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  Best Practices of Online Project Management

• Ask the Project Customer the Right Questions

  BradEgeland

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:43 am

  We start every project off in some sort of euphoric state, agreed?  Every new engagement – once you’ve actually landed the client – is a clean slate.  As I say, “You’re only as successful as your last customer thinks you are.”  So, each new project is a chance to prove yourself, improve yourself, or fix whatever you did wrong last time and do it right this time.  The key is to never go into a project with blinders on.  Never go into an engagement thinking you already have the right answers just because you’ve already mapped out a very similar project…

• How to Ensure that Every Project Customer is Referenceable

  BradEgeland

  16 Jan 2012 | 10:14 am

  The title sounds enticing, doesn’t it?  The truth is, there’s no way to ensure without a doubt that every project customer will turn out to be a referenceable customer.  Even if the engagement seems to be successful and you’ve hit on every requirement for the customer, that still doesn’t guarantee that the customer will give you a good reference.   Huh?!?, you say.  How can that be?  Oh, any one of a number of reasons could cause what should be a happy customer to be a customer who won’t give you a good reference even if no ill will was spoken. …

• Pitfalls of Managing Government Projects

  BradEgeland

  6 Jan 2012 | 12:35 pm

  Working on government contracts is great...seriously. I've done it in the roles of application developer, project manager, and IT consultant for more than 14 years of my 25-year professional career. It can be rewarding, very profitable, extremely structured, and fairly consistent. That said it, can also be boring, tedious, and bureaucratic.One thing it definitely comes with are obstacles you won’t find in private sector project management. While public sector project management consulting can be profitable and sometimes turn into very long-term engagements, it can come with several…

• Take Away the Risks

  BradEgeland

  3 Jan 2012 | 11:07 am

  I’ve run ‘projects’ both as a project manager working directly for an organization as an employee and as a consultant brought in to either lead a team or perform the work myself.  How you run these ‘engagements’ does differ somewhat based on your incoming status (employee vs. consultant) and the size of the effort (long-term software implementation vs. short-term consulting gig to implement new processes).  The upfront formal planning documents that we put together will differ, sometimes even the way we formalize and document requirements will differ.  But one thing…

• Should the customer be involved in every decision?

  BradEgeland

  27 Dec 2011 | 9:52 am

  In an open, honest, everything up front, good solid working relationship with your customer engagement it might seem like the obvious answer to this question is yes.  But let's think about this a little more.  Does our client need to be involved in everything?  Do you involve your customer by telling them every minute detail and asking for their input every inch of the way and on every decision?  Really?  And how is that working for you?Here's why I ask.  Your organization is the hired gun - the experts charged with making the project happen. …

• 

  Fear No Project - A Project Management Blog

• How to Help Management Make a Better IT Decision

  Bruce McGraw

  26 Jan 2012 | 3:12 pm

  Decisions that directly affect Information Technology (IT) projects or IT services within an organization are not always made in the IT (or Engineering) department. That is not bad thing; it is just the way things are and how business runs. Like what? Management decides it is in the company’s strategic interest to form a partnership [...]

• Project Manager Travel Guidance

  Bruce McGraw

  19 Jan 2012 | 4:08 pm

  I am sure there are people who enjoy traveling as part of their job, although I have not met any of them recently! Travel to current or potential customer sites, subcontractors, giving a conference presentation or receiving training is sometimes necessary for the project and the organization. Who knows, sometime you might even get a [...]

• Cognitive Science Insights into Decision Making

  Bruce McGraw

  12 Jan 2012 | 12:39 pm

  Those of you who know me understand how my company relies on cognition principles and experts to make our projects successful.  Dr. Karen McGraw, the founder of Cognitive Technologies, has said on many occasions that “Cognitive is the first word in our company name because if you don’t focus first on the way people think, [...]

• Asking for Help

  Bruce McGraw

  6 Jan 2012 | 11:41 am

  Do you ever ask for help or assistance?  I don’t know why so many people (And organizations!) feel like they cannot go get help when they need to.  Perhaps because people see asking for help as a sign of personal failure, they are reluctant to do it. Instead, they continue to struggle and hope for [...]

• Reflections on Fear No Project PM Blog

  Bruce McGraw

  30 Dec 2011 | 1:35 am

  I have been writing the Fear No Project blog for three years now — over 150 posts. When I began, I was not sure that I had all that much to say or that I would have the time to create the kind of blog I could be proud of and others would find useful. [...]

• 

  PM Power

• Stakeholder Analysis For Better Projects

  spverma

  16 Jan 2012 | 12:45 pm

  Managing a successful project needs a high level of stakeholder management on an ongoing basis. So who are stakeholders?  Stakeholder analysis is the process of identifying the individuals or groups that are likely to affect or be affected by the project outcome and sorting stakeholders according to their impact on the project and the impact the project will have on them. It is not only a critical process in the initiation phase of the project (best practice is to revisit it at least after each project phase if possible) but also sometime becomes factor for success of the project…

• Costing traps in IT Projects

  spverma

  13 Dec 2011 | 10:39 am

  One of the major challenges with large and complex projects (spanning several industries) is cost overruns from original budget making the initiative too expensive to be worth eventually. A noteworthy example is recently concluded Common Wealth Games held in New Delhi where the budget overran by large magnitude. While whole of that overrun may not have been due to pure project management but also governance issues but such events do compromise the position of lead Project manager and credibility of project management discipline overall. To avoid cost overruns one has to be very careful with…

• Why Corporate Culture Matters!

  spverma

  11 Nov 2011 | 10:03 pm

  What exactly is corporate culture? The dictionary defines culture as “the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions and all other products of human work and thought.” Jason Young, maintains in his article “High Performance & Corporate Culture” that it is not a set of core values developed by a small group of people at an off-site leadership meeting. It is not always what a chief executive describes in an annual report or shareholder’s meeting. In fact, corporate culture is not always what the leadership team of an organization says or thinks…

• Increasing Value of Project Management Office

  spverma

  3 Sep 2011 | 9:15 pm

  The PMO does not necessarily  manage projects, so in many organizations the PMO does not have a direct project connection or it is indirect. Hence, the value proposition for a PMO can be less tangible and more subjective. A centralized PMO makes great sense to ensure that all project managers have a core set of project management skills, common processes and templates. The PMO also acts as the owner of the project management approach and supports project managers to utilize common project management practices, procedures and process templates. In addition, the PMO will serve as a place for…

• Challenges in managing global programs

  spverma

  26 Jun 2011 | 1:04 am

  Communication:Nearly 70% of large projects and programs fail due to poor communication. Hence it is important that you tailor your communication plan by understanding communication needs of your stakeholders in terms of Who needs what information When will they need it From who Ensure that everyone part of the program understands their roles & responsibilities, program objectives and as some items may not be explicit. It may be possible to have different type of communication techniques for different audience e.g. sponsors & senior executives may only want executive summary with key…

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  TeamLab Blog

• Creating and Managing TeamLab Documents Collaboratively

  Elena

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:33 am

  Want to share and work collaboratively with documents? Need to edit spreadsheets, presentations or drawings shared with you online? Want to be notified as soon as you get access rights to a file, if the file shared with you has been updated or deleted? …and all that maintaining version history and being able to restore one of the previous versions of a file? You probably won’t believe it, but all these operations can be performed within TeamLab Documents right in your personal cloud office. It’s true! Imagine you have created a document using the ‘New File’…

• Teamlab Docs – More Options for More Convenient Work

  Nina

  23 Jan 2012 | 5:01 am

  Dear Teamlab users! We are glad to start this year with the important updates of Teamlab Documents Module. From now on you can enjoy the new interface and features which will hopefully make your document management easier and more efficient. Let’s now take a look at the main updates available in your Teamlab portals: By removing the side widget panel, we have extended your workspace that is now 1000 px wide. As a matter of convenience now 2 display modes are available: you can choose either standard or compact size. With the filter option you are able to search and sort the documents in…

• Sharing Option within TeamLab Calendar

  Elena

  20 Jan 2012 | 8:53 am

  The today’s post I’ll also devote to the calendar feature recently included into TeamLab. One of the options offered within TeamLab Calendar is sharing events added to personal calendars and the whole calendars with your colleagues who are also registered at your portal. Sharing Events Within TeamLab Calendar it’s possible to share events which belong to your personal calendars only (i.e. calendars situated in the ‘My Calendars’ section). If you want to share an already existing event with other portal users, follow these easy steps: 1. Click this event within…

• Breaking Language Barriers, or Portal for TeamLab Translators

  Elena

  13 Jan 2012 | 5:01 am

  As you already know, at the moment TeamLab is completely available in eight languages – English, French, German, Italian, Latvian, Russian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese – and partially in Greek, Polish, Turkish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Czech. The following languages are on the way: Ukrainian, Georgian, Slovak, Portuguese, Azerbaijani, Korean, Bulgarian, Traditional Chinese, Swedish, Romanian, Dutch, Croatian, Indonesian, Norwegian, Finish, Thai. All that has become possible thanks to our contributors who spare neither strength nor time in translating TeamLab using our Online Translation…

• Calendars in TeamLab Calendar

  Elena

  12 Jan 2012 | 8:06 am

  Within the last few weeks we received several questions concerning calendars which can be found in TeamLab Calendar, that’s why I decided to devote the today’s post to this topic. All of you surely know how to access TeamLab calendar – just click the ‘Calendar’ link on the start page (that appears after login where all the active modules are displayed) or at the very top of any page. After that TeamLab Calendar will open introducing all events from your calendars situated on the left side. All calendars are grouped under two sections: ‘My Calendars’ and…

• 

  Martin Webster, Esq.

• Product Based Planning

  Martin Webster

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:54 am

  Planning is essential regardless of the size or type of project. In my last guest post for the Tom’s Planner Blog – Why Plan | Project Planning, part 1– I explained how project planning helps us to predict and prepare for difficulties. Plan With Post-It Notes To recap, project planning is an essential management activity that provides everyone involved in a project with information – understanding – on: What is required How it is done Who does what When things will happen Read the complete article and let me know what you think: Product Based Planning | Project Planning, part 2.

• We Only Need to Be Good Enough

  Martin Webster

  25 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

  Complex Behaviour Governed By Simple Rules In my post Dolphins, Not Whales I talked about the role projects have when implementing beneficial change. I argue that sustainable change is achievable when people are engaged and urgency is increased. Dolphins, Not Whales is about encouraging quick wins – breaking large scale change into smaller manageable chunks. I’m engaged in a large scale endeavour that promises to deliver significant benefit to a number of organisations. It’s true that a lot of effort has gone into preparing the vision, strategic plans, business case,…

• Why the PID Is a Waste of Time | Project Initiation

  Martin Webster

  18 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

  The other day I had a brief conversation with a project manager who explained that their current project was nearly completed. He talked about the project initiation document. Apparently, it hadn’t been signed-off. In a whisper he confessed that it wasn’t finished. His comments had me thinking. Why do many project management practitioners and organisations place much importance on the PID? Why is the PID a prominent feature of project initiation? The project initiation document has become an end in itself not a means to an end. The PID Is a Means to An End The project initiation…

• Dolphins, Not Whales | Sustaining Change

  Martin Webster

  11 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

  Organisations must become increasingly able to change quickly and easily. The business must be flexible yet capable of implementing change. Change has to be built into the way businesses work. Dolphins... However, many organisations have problems with the way they tackle change. These problems are usually related to people, processes, systems, technology or structure. Change is complex. And the pace and scale of change today can overwhelm organisations. Projects are key to creating beneficial change. They are the vehicles for creating, managing and implementing change. Those organisations…

• 7 Tips for Team Leaders

  Martin Webster

  4 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

  Teamwork A new year signifies a new start for many. So why not take the opportunity to change or improve your leadership style? Leadership is less about you and more about the needs of the people you are leading. Adapt your style to suit the needs of the team and the situations it faces – also see 5 Models for Leading Change | Leading Project Teams. If you want to get the best from your team in 2012 I’ve got seven tips to get you started. As you review this list think about your behaviour and how this affects the people around you. A leader is defined by his followers. Happy New…

• 

  Vertabase Blog

• Unlock Talent by Being Less Patient

  Mark Phillips

  18 Jan 2012 | 7:05 am

  Another technique I’ve been using to increase Agility in our production process is to be less patient with team members when a customer’s need is not met.  This has shifted the focus of the team directly on creating value to the customer. Agile has breathed new life into this classic management principal, from Peter Drucker (perhaps because Agile ties it directly to project management and a production process rather than remaining an overarching corporate philosophy). Cultural boundaries have become less important using this approach. We operate in a culturally diverse environment.

• Decrease Certainty - Increase Agility

  Mark Phillips

  12 Jan 2012 | 9:08 am

  We’ve been adding more Agility into our production process here at Vertabase.  As product manager, I’m leading this effort.  One of the techniques I’m using is to push-back at the development team when they ask me questions, particularly about features. One of my favorite responses is “Do I need to make a decision on this now?” The urge to make a decision now is strong, coming from a plan driven background. But it unduly locks-up the team, our customers and our product. While it is comforting for the team to have me (or a customer, for that matter) make a…

• Keep Your Eye on the Ball

  Mark Phillips

  10 Nov 2011 | 10:58 am

  Bret Victor has a nice piece on the future of interactive design. He exhorts us to dream big and not just extrapolate. Amen. He then points to a direction for future dreaming, pushing designers to encompass everything hands can do.  This is a good starting point, but begs for further elaboration. Like him, I love hands. I’d like to jump on board and give him a hand to push designers further. Hands are not the central constraint in today’s interfaces (nor the future interfaces he describes). The central constraint is peeking up at us at 9 seconds into the video he references.  It’s our…

• Get Search Right and Improve Your Chances of Survival

  Mark Phillips

  1 Nov 2011 | 5:00 am

  We live in a period of continual disruption and competitive innovation. All too often, the processes we use to survive and win in this world, the tools employed to assess and develop the next generation product or service, are not well suited to the demands of the times. Categorization, card sorts, trained responses and procedures are the world of defined systems.  Search, intuition, adaptation and theft (on a micro and wide scale) are central characteristics of the world of improvisation and innovation. Progress and advancement, in fact survivability, in a world of continual disruption and…

• The Power of the Ugly

  Administrator

  27 Oct 2011 | 4:59 am

  Recently, it seems there has been an overflow of devices and software with good, well designed interfaces.  These have put powerful capabilities in the hands of many people, unlocking creativity. But there is an interface beyond design and chaos beyond channeled creativity. Design is an organizing principle. It is a construct for accessing capabilities.  It provides an interface and a context.  Way beyond good, intuitive design there is the ugly. We are in the early stages of the ugly. Intuitiveness is a function of how well an interface conforms to a person’s expectations. Great…

• 

  Project Management Professional Mentor-www.ritetracconsult.com.ng

• Project Manager Job in Lagos,Nigeria

  25 Jan 2012 | 6:49 am

  Organization:Weco Systems,Lagos Nigeria Position:Lead Project Manager (LAGOS) Summary Description: The LEAD Project Manager has overall responsibilty to plan,execute and finalize projects & implementation according to strict Timelines,Quality and within budget.This includes assigning resources and coordinating the efoorts of team members and third party contractors or consultants in order to deliver projects according to plans,coordinates other Project Managers. Qualifications and Experience: BSc/HND in engineering,computer science or other related discipline with a minimum of 6 years…

• Project Manager Job from UNDP Abuja,Nigeria

  25 Jan 2012 | 4:05 am

  Organization:UNDP Nigeria Post Title:Project Manager Level of Post:SB5(equivalent to NOC) Type of contract:Service Contract Full time Location:Abuja,Nigeria Duration: (One year) (with possiblity of renewal) Closing Date:7th February 2012 For details on the job description and application process,please visit http://www.ng.undp.org/jobs.shtml and submit your application. For further details on UN Benefits and entitlements,pleae visit http://icsc.un.org/sal_sab.asp The UN is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender,nationality and culture.Individuals from minority…

• e-PMP Study Guide Advertisement

  24 Jan 2012 | 8:02 am

  There is always something you can do right now to move in the direction of your goals. Today any positive action is much better than doing nothing! e-PMP Study Guide is designed for the Potential PMP® Certification test taker to help you commit to your goals via a structured guide to tackle the PMBOK™ knowledge base with a 10 week plan for studying that will enable the test taker to have the confidence to write and pass the PMP® Certification Exams on the 1st Try via our Email coaching directed by our experienced PMP® certified coaches! What will you get upon subscription?

• Project Management Job Opening as Head of Project Finance.

  24 Jan 2012 | 4:09 am

  Job Opening: Head of Project Finance Standard Bank - Lagos (Nigeria) Job DescriptionTo develop the bank's project finance financial advisory and lending business activities and ensure the department grows into becoming the leading project finance business in Nigeria.  To utilize the Project Finance business as an avenue for securing a range of ancillary business for the bank.    Desired Skills & ExperienceA minimum of a Masters Degree in a finance /business / economics related discipline would give you an advantage Strong technical skills; A minimum of twelve years project…

• Project Management Jobs in Nigeria

  18 Jan 2012 | 11:32 am

  Project Management Jobs in NigeriaProject Manager – Nigeria (Ref: DDG-R4D/PMN/10/11)Background: The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the position of Project Manager - Yam Improvement for Income and Food Security in West Africa (YIIFSWA) project. IITA is an international non-profit research-for-development (R4D) organization created in 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Our R4D is anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We…

• 

    BradEgeland.com - Blog

• Diskeeper Brings Critical Efficiency to IT

  23 Jan 2012 | 5:26 pm

  Diskeeper promise to keep IT organizations running at maximum efficiency by removing performance bottlenecks with its patented data optimization and fragmentation prevention technologies.  With over 40 million licenses sold and over 90% adoption at Fortune 1000 companies, small business to large corporations rely on Diskeeper software to provide unparalleled storage performance and reliability to their laptops, desktops and servers. Diskeeper Corporation further provides real-time data protection and instant file recovery with Undelete software. What Diskeeper is all about As the IT…

• Journyx ProjectXecute 8.7 Review

  17 Jan 2012 | 5:59 pm

  With the release of version 8.7, Journyx ProjectXecute combines cross-project resource allocation and financial forecasting with a full set of tools for maintaining compliance and audit trails for government contractors.  The new features in this version allow companies subject to the Defense Contractor Audit Agency (DCAA) to manage contracts from the planning and bidding stages to successful completion and post-mortem analysis. According to CEO Curt Finch, Journyx has many years of experience providing government contractors with the tools needed to automate compliant time management…

• Dooster - Your Get Stuff Done Project Toolkit

  15 Jan 2012 | 4:53 pm

  Takeaway:  Dooster is easy to use tool that is both powerful and flexible.  In my opinion, the average project professional can be up and running with Dooster faster than any other project management software tool.  I literally stumbled on this nice web-based tool after doing some online searching for project management and task managed tools.  As you probably already know, there are hundreds of options for PM software now, but I’m recommending this highly as a tool to check out for 2012. As soon as I logged into Dooster I felt comfortable, though I knew I was in for…

• What to Do When You Can't Do Enough

  6 Jan 2012 | 10:46 am

  Have you ever had that project customer where no matter what you do, it seems like it’s never enough?  No matter how hard you try, they’re always looking for something more or something different?  I’m not really talking about being constantly dissatisfied with your service or project management expertise or really the engagement itself.  It’s more than that.  It’s almost like “they’ll know it when they see it,” yet they never seem to see it.  There are usually two types of these customers: 1)    You do…

• Do I Really Need My PMO Director?

  27 Dec 2011 | 12:47 pm

  Have you ever been in a situation where you were reporting to a PMO director and you wonder what value this person brings to the table?  You romanticize about how much more productive you would be if you didn’t have to jump through his hoops.  Better yet, you consider how much better off you – and all the other PMs - would be if you were running the show.  Or at least if you got to handpick his successor.  Am I striking a chord here?  Of course I am. I’m going to state what I think a good PMO director needs to bring to the table.  I’m…

• 

  Jama Software Blog

• Five Challenges to Agile Planning: Part 4 of 5

  Jonathan

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:55 pm

  FOUR: Developing a “WaterScrumFall” Process The Challenge: As I shared earlier, management needs a roadmap, a schedule, a vision document, a plan. “But that’s not Agile!” says the Agile team. This is one of the main reasons that many companies either overtly or covertly create a hybrid of Waterfall and Agile. They use Waterfall to [...]

• Five Challenges to Agile Planning: Part 3 of 5

  Jonathan

  23 Jan 2012 | 4:54 pm

  THREE: Not Building in Real Customer Feedback Loops The Challenge: A major tenet of Agile from the Agile Manifesto is, “Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer.” However, let’s be clear. The Product Owner is NOT the customer. The people in marketing are NOT the customer. The CEO is NOT the customer. The only [...]

• Five Challenges to Agile Planning: Part 2 of 5

  Jonathan

  19 Jan 2012 | 5:17 pm

  TWO: Clarifying the Role of “Product Owner” The Challenge: Another critical challenge that can cause short and long term angst is in selecting, defining, and empowering the role of “Product Owner” in your new Agile process. Let’s accept that this is one tough role. They are responsible for being “the voice of the customer,” the [...]

• Five Challenges to Agile Planning: Part 1 of 5

  Jonathan

  17 Jan 2012 | 3:22 pm

  How do you bridge the gap between development & the rest of the team? If you have experience with Waterfall or traditional “phase-gate” developmental processes, then you know why Agile has gained traction so quickly. It’s a nimble, collaborative way to work. But like any professional process, it takes new skills to gain the promised [...]

• Closing the books on 2011 – Record quarter and year.

  Eric

  12 Jan 2012 | 11:12 am

  2011 was a big year for Jama. In addition to record revenue growth this year, we pulled off the largest Q4 ever. It’s exciting to see the growing number of companies adopting Contour to help them execute on their projects. I’m proud of our team for accomplishing this growth profitably and without the need for [...]

• 

  Strategic PPM

• The Winner’s Curse And How To Solve It

  strategicppm

  16 Jan 2012 | 7:30 am

  The winner’s curse comes out of economic theory, but is very relevant to any project manager outsourcing work to vendors. Essentially if you are bidding out work where: The costs are uncertain You are going to pick the lowest bidder Then there’s a good chance the vendor you pick won’t make any money out of the contract. This is because if the cost of the work is uncertain, all vendors are essentially guessing at the cost, and that’s fine. The problem is that in picking the cheapest vendor you are choosing the one who’s guessed lowest. However, based on the wisdom…

• Book Review – The Dead Hand

  simonwmoore

  10 Jan 2012 | 6:43 am

  The Dead Hand is a wonderful historical narrative of the weapons of the Cold War and the negotiations to limit them. The term Dead Hand comes from the Soviet system to potentially automatically launch nuclear weapons in the event of attack. The book covers biological, nuclear and chemical weapons and is most interesting aspect is peeling back the layers of the Cold War negotiations, especially between Reagan and Gorbachev, demonstrating each sides’ perception of the other and what the reality was. The result is very interesting, showing how hard it is to read a negotiating partner…

• Best Books of 2011

  strategicppm

  31 Dec 2011 | 11:49 am

  Similar to last year, below are the top 5 books I’ve enjoyed most this year. They don’t have much to do with project management, but perhaps that’s a good thing. Matterhorn/What Is It Like To Go To War – Karl Marlantes is doesn’t pull any punches as a writer. He was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford when he volunteered to go to Vietnam and his two books are essentially different reflections on the same experience. Matterhorn is a hands on book about war in Vietnam, fictional, but obviously drawing on deep personal experiences. What Is It Like To Go To War is part autobiography,…

• VIDEO – 8 Factors That Lead To Success

  strategicppm

  27 Dec 2011 | 7:09 pm

  3 minute video based on interviewing 500 successful people on what made them successful. Now, to be truly scientific, Richard St John would have needed to pick a control group of less successful people to make sure they don’t have the same attributes. Nonetheless, this is worth 3 minutes of your time. And if you don’t have 3 minutes the list is: service, passion, work ethic, passion, focus. persistence, drive and perfectionism. But the video adds more color and comedy.

• Listen Better

  strategicppm

  13 Dec 2011 | 7:33 am

  Most people (including me on this blog) tend to talk about communications from the point of view of the person delivering a message or taking the active role. This 8 minute video is interesting, because it flips the perspective to that of the listener. And listeners don’t do a very good job, hearing 60% of what is said and retaining just 25%. This video provides ideas for ways to listen better and be conscious of the filters that we implicitly use to determine what we hear.

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  Project Management Tips || Project Management, Collaboration and Knowledge Management Blog

• Turn Down Projects but Retain the Customers – Part 1

  Brad Egeland

  28 Jan 2012 | 1:09 am

  This is a tricky one, but it does happen.  A client comes to you with a need or a problem to resolve or work that just needs to be done.  They may be a past client or they may be a completely new potential project customer.  At any rate, for the focus of this article let’s assume they are approaching you with work that you eventually decide isn’t the right work for your consulting business or project management expertise.  How do you do it?  How do you say, “It’s not you, it’s me.”  And mean it.  How do close this chapter of the relationship without ending the relationship?

• Walking into a Trainwreck – Part 2

  Brad Egeland

  25 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  In Part 1 of this two-part series on walking into a project customer mess where their plans and expectations don’t meet the real project need we looked at how this happens, how to recognize it, and planning for how to respond.  In this Part 2, let’s examine three response scenarios for the customer’s problem. Scenario #1 – The right solution will cost more / take more time. This particular scenario usually won’t sit very well with the customer.  It’s basically like bringing the customer a change order on a project.  Finding out they underestimated and that the real solution…

• Walking into a Trainwreck – Part 1

  Brad Egeland

  24 Jan 2012 | 5:00 pm

  You know the scenario.  You sign up a client, have some initial discussions and are handed some high-level requirements for what it is the client wants you to lead or implement for them.  Now it’s time to meet with the end users and other subject matter experts (SMEs) to gain further insight into both the problem or issue that is to be resolved and what their actual needs are for the project. And when you do this, the bottom drops out…. The big picture problem The customer has brought you in, expects to spend ‘x’ dollars on ‘y’ number of hours to implement their planned solution…

• Are you creating project leaders on your team?

  Elizabeth

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:05 pm

  Project managers are responsible for teams, and that means we have a responsibility to develop the people in those teams. Project leadership is a hot topic at the moment and as project managers we should also be aware of the leadership responsibilities that come with working on projects. Unfortunately, in a project environment we can’t be everywhere at once. Sometimes project managers need a holiday, or are just involved in off-site meetings or workshops that mean they can’t answer the phone instantly. Sometimes we leave our phones at home by mistake. “Leaders cannot leave…

• Watch Out for Warning Signs

  Brad Egeland

  22 Jan 2012 | 4:36 pm

  I don’t like to ask for help.  I consider it a sign of weakness.  I’m an IT project manager and consultant…I should be able to figure it out on my own.  If I made a mess, I should be able to clean it up on my own.  When I was preparing to go in for rotator cuff surgery, I knew I would have my left arm in a sling for six weeks before starting rehab.  So, for three weeks before my surgery I practiced doing most of my daily tasks with one arm – even daily chores like making the bed and folding laundry, etc.  My wife thought I was crazy, but she was glad when she didn’t find me…

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  Business And Project Planning And Management

• Project Management 2012: What's Coming... Part 2

  DOUGLAS E. CASTLE

  24 Jan 2012 | 9:45 am

  As promised In "Project Management 2012: What's Coming... Part 1," here is the technologically-oriented sequel. Instead of dealing with leadership, communication and interpersonal skills, we will just be listing the technologies and ideologies with which every Project Manager needs to be familiar in order to dominantly position himself or herself in the PM contract marketplace in 2012. If you have just stumbled upon this post, please be certain to read the previous post (Part 1) at http://businessandprojectplanning.blogspot.com/2012/01/project-management-2012-whats-coming.html, and then click…

• Project Management 2012: What's Coming... Part 1

  DOUGLAS E. CASTLE

  18 Jan 2012 | 1:09 pm

  Project Management is rapidly changing, in terms of the availability of consulting contracts ('employment opportunities'), the expanded nature of the exceptionally good (i.e., eminently desirable) PM, and the new areas of special expertise which will require study and skill-sharpening. The field, and the nature of both the character and skill sets required of the best of breed Project Managers and Business Strategic Planning Officers has changed radically. Get informed and prepared NOW! Our old standby pals, Agile and Scrum, will no longer get us through the decision maker's filter...neither…

• Planning: Maximum Acceptable Rate Of Failure.

  DOUGLAS E. CASTLE

  11 Jan 2012 | 9:30 am

  I am a fan of Mark Joyner and his organization (which is actually a school of thought), Simpleology. He teaches by using the examples and quotations of persons of great accomplishment. Project planning and management have a great deal to do with the notions of probability and efficiency -- the picture below, culled from Mark's collection, is a great way in which to begin our discussion of navigating the Laws Of Probability - with two different approaches. One approach focuses on precision, refinement and utter dependability (a qualitative approach), while the second focuses on redundancy and…

• Testing, Troubleshooting New Systems And Tools - Parallel Testing.

  DOUGLAS E. CASTLE

  4 Jan 2012 | 10:00 am

  As a business owner or a project manager you are constantly called upon to find newer, more efficient systems and procedures for accomplishing objectives. You evaluate the nature of the need, research alternatives, either select or build an alternative, and ready yourself and everyone affected with plenty of advance warning before taking the new system or process "live." You might request rapid and aggressive feedback from users about any bugs or glitches in need of repair during the beta phase of the implementation. The beta phase notification is not only a wonderful excuse in the event that…

• Scalability - Size Certainly Matters. [Business Planning And Project Management]

  DOUGLAS E. CASTLE

  28 Dec 2011 | 6:11 pm

  Scalability is one of the most popular buzzwords ever to be touted as a feature of software, hardware and all types of systems, solutions and resources. Scalability is a practical consideration for every project - in companies and projects, one size DOES NOT fit all. The challenge is to find the appropriately effective solution to address the volume or size of a particular business. And note that scalability does not just apply to IT: it applies to virtually every system which will be used in a business in order to help facilitate its operations. Thinking outside of the confines of geekdom,…

• 

  Ron Rosenhead

• Leadership development + project management training = real difference

  Ron Rosenhead

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:52 am

  The weather at Heathrow airport was awful and for the first time ever, I felt dizzy on an aeroplane; and it was on the ground. When I looked at the wings, I understood why I felt so ill. The wind was moving the body of the plane and you could see the wings going up and down. As soon as … Read More >

• What are your project management New Year’s resolutions?

  Ron Rosenhead

  17 Jan 2012 | 4:33 am

  She told me directly; “I made this New Year’s resolution and I was good, really good for a week and then, it simply slipped away…” I  started to think about New Year’s resolutions that some project managers may have made: to focus on the risks that my projects may well face and how to manage them to ensure that changes … Read More >

• Clients want practical project management training….

  Ron Rosenhead

  12 Jan 2012 | 4:40 am

  I work with many professional staff whose exposure to projects has thus far been low or non-existent. They can be a marketer, a social worker, IT specialist, in HR to name but a small few. Many of these people are given ‘substantial tasks’ and find themselves needing help and support and training. This is where I come in. We normally … Read More >

• The real value of project management paperwork.

  Ron Rosenhead

  3 Jan 2012 | 4:46 am

  “I don’t like all this paperwork,” said one of my course participants ” “OK, so would you like to tell us your reasoning?” I asked him. “Well, it will slow the project down if I have to all of the things you mention. I want a quick delivery and I won’t get it this way” “Let’s examine this with the … Read More >

• The definitive guide of who should go on a project management course

  Ron Rosenhead

  15 Dec 2011 | 4:15 am

  I run project management courses for many different organisations and it never ceases to amaze me that people who come along to one of our courses do not know why they are on the course or they are wondering when they will pick up their first project. Just last week I had two people on the course who asked me … Read More >

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  manage well

• Time to throw away your Talent Pyramid

  TV

  25 Jan 2012 | 11:24 am

  Ask any HR Manager on talent profile for their organization and you will get a ‘talent pyramid’ – an odd-looking ‘pyramid’ that is supposed to reflect the talent profile of the organization. Ask them further – what is the measure of ‘talent’ in this pyramid, and chances are 9 on 10 that the answer will be ‘experience’. This experience is typically the number of years of (supposedly relevant) experience in the workforce, and pretty much determines how roles, and consequently the compensation are derived out of it. Question is – is that the right measure of talent?

• Inexperience is the new Competency?

  TV

  19 Dec 2011 | 8:44 pm

  Past experience is often considered to be a proxy for future performance. After all, when there is no single perfect way to forecast someone’s future performance, the best you can do is to look at the past track record and extrapolate it! However, experience will only tell that if the given person were to undergo similar experience once again, would they achieve similar results? But, how do you know that experience is not really getting in the way of future success?

• Notes from 4th International PMO Symposium

  TV

  30 Nov 2011 | 4:26 am

  I had the wonderful opportunity to attend recently concluded 4th International PMO Symposium at the beautiful Loews Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando, Florida from 6th to 9th Nov 2011. I was invited there as a speaker. PMO Symposium is organized annually by the PMI PMO COP and is the largest and surely the best such event globally. This year saw over 435+ attendees – double from the last year!

• Seeking submissions on New Product Development and Product Management in Agile world for #AgileIndia2012

  TV

  27 Aug 2011 | 12:20 pm

  We are seeking perspectives, experiences, insights and groundbreaking ideas from practitioners and thinkers on how they have applied the spirit of agility to create new products that have led to unprecedented and extraordinary market success compared to their previous conventional practices. Specifically, we are looking for proofpoints from the marketplace to demonstrate how software team’s agility was directly visible in business results.

• What are the program management competencies?

  TV

  23 Aug 2011 | 6:33 pm

  Program managers are the glue that bring your best people and teams together to collaborate like never before. They crack the hardest problems by cutting through the red tape in your organization and aligning them to the single goal. Clearly, a lot depends on having the right program manager in place. How do you hire or groom good program managers?

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  Project Management That Works!

• CA's Clarity Version 13 - A New Standard in PPM Tools!

  Rick A. Morris

  5 Jan 2012 | 9:45 pm

  I finally have gotten what I have wished for!  The power of Clarity with an updated user interface. Many superstitious people think that 13 is an unlucky number.  Version 13 for CA's Clarity has been worth the wait. I run a technology agnostic company, but I am often asked for my opinion. I have been a longtime supporter of Clarity. However, the interface for the tool has become outdated and was the biggest outstanding issue. While configurations and portlets could overcome some of the issues, there were times where it was just cumbersome. Specifically, it was difficult for the project…

• Some Things Just Take Time.....

  Rick A. Morris

  7 Dec 2011 | 9:37 pm

  There is always the great debate about throwing resources at a project to try to pull off the impossible timeframe.  However, some things just take time.  When I train project managers, I use an analogy of what effort driven in Microsoft Project means.  I ask them, “Are you painting a fence or driving to Nashville?”  If you are painting a fence and it takes 8 hours to paint the fence, then it will also take the full 8 hours of time.  If you add a resource, it will still take 8 hours of effort, but will only take 4 hours of elapsed time since two people are…

• I don't acknowledge it....therefore it doesn't exist!

  Rick A. Morris

  8 Nov 2011 | 3:35 pm

  Is this a reality?  I overheard a conversation last night at dinner where a guy was explaining to his friends that he has not gotten a cold in the last 15 years.  He stated that his grandmother told him that there is no such thing as a common cold.  He believed her and ever since he has never gotten a cold.  One of his friends asked, “Do you ever not feel good?”  He said, “Sometimes my nose will be stuffy or I get a sore throat or cough.  I will feel run down and will stay in bed a couple of days……but it’s not a cold!  They don’t…

• Where Has Customer Service Gone?

  Rick A. Morris

  3 Oct 2011 | 11:14 am

  As many of you know, I travel quite a bit.  I am extremely loyal to my brands often going out of my way or not taking the convenient path to maintain that loyalty.  For example, I drove 55 miles each way for a speaking engagement to stay in the nearest Marriott.  However, more and more, I am seeing customer service get worse and worse.  In this economy, it is even more important to retain your customer base than ever.  I try not to complain, but two situations that just occurred have led me to this post.  Unfortunately, I will not change the names to protect any innocents.The first…

• "I want a PMO!" - Validate What They Mean

  Rick A. Morris

  21 Sep 2011 | 10:35 am

  Clients will often state that they want me to come in and help them create a PMO. Unfortunately, that is all that they say. It is like me saying, “I want to be a better project manager.” It is a pretty vague statement. When the decision is made to create a PMO, there is some general reason why that is happening. It is important that you uncover those meanings.  For instance, a client had recently stated that a PMO was being created in a division and that all of the certain projects of a certain type would be brought into the PMO. At the time, there were 150 of these projects…

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  The Critical Path by Derek Huether

• Optimize the Whole

  Derek Huether

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:35 pm

  I know we talk about self-organized and empowered teams being at the heart of agile practices.  But sometime I see that focus from individuals and teams going a little too far.  Sometimes people forget about the big picture.  I believe everything we do needs to map back to organizational visions and goals.  If you can’t do that, what you are doing is wasteful.  For some organizations, everything needs to map back to increasing profits or lowering costs.  But we have to be careful not to fall into the “local optimum” trap. A local optimum of a combinatorial…

• The Dark Side of Agile Exams

  Derek Huether

  18 Jan 2012 | 11:18 pm

  This morning I read a very interesting post over at the AgileScout website titled Agile exams fact check. Peter Saddington (AgileScout) voiced his concerns about a PMI-ACP exam prep website called AgileExams.com.  Concerns ranged from questionable pass rates (97%) to testimonials from people who appeared to not be  PMI-ACPs. Now, I believe in capitalism.  I believe in building products that have value and can help people.  So, this morning, I went onto the AgileExams website and took a practice exam.  Per my involvement with the PMI Agile Community of Practice, my involvement with the…

• How One Group used Agile, Lean, & Scrum for Social Good

  Derek Huether

  16 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  Today I saw a link on Twitter that intrigued me. It was a video of WikiSpeed’s Joe Justice at TEDxRainier. Sure, the video is 10 minutes long. But, I guarantee it will leave you inspired. I get challenged all the time by people saying Agile is only good for Software Development. Well, watch this video and see if you don’t agree that the horizon has expanded. If you don’t want to click the link above, I’m adding an embedded video below. Related posts: Social constraints for your meetings Why Agile Might Not Work (Video) Blending Scrum and Kanban Free Drawings + Agile =…

• PMI Agile CoP Transparency

  Derek Huether

  15 Jan 2012 | 10:29 pm

  Back in December, the PMI Agile Community of Practice (CoP) leadership agreed we’d take steps to provide some transparency into what we are doing.  If you are curious about what we’re up to, I invite you to follow the link below. Here is the link to our board. https://pmiagilecop.leankitkanban.com Anyone can access this Kanban (read only): Username: AgileCOP@gmail.com Password:  GoAgile What do you think?  Is this enough transparency? Image Source: Pictofigo Related posts: Transparency Allows Better Discovery Getting PMI Agile PDUs Early Free PMI (Agile) PDUs LeanKit Kanban…

• PMI-ACP Proficiency

  Derek Huether

  9 Jan 2012 | 11:29 pm

  I received a notification that I passed the PMI-ACP exam.  But I was curious how well I did.  I logged into the PMI website and viewed my Exam Report.  It’s nice to know I am Proficient in both of the defined domains. How did you do on the exam?  I’d love to hear about it. Related posts: PMI Agile Exam Tools and Techniques My PMI-ACP Exam Experience Mapping the PMI-ACP Exam Agile Flashcards The Dark Side of Agile Exams

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  all pro

• Twitter Buckles to Government Censorships

  Chilton Tippin

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:29 am

  This time last year, Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak flipped the Internet kill switch in an effort to shut off sites like Twitter that were organizing and inciting a revolution. Cognizant of the Egyptian peoples’ plight, Twitter and Google defied the regime’s censorship.  They quickly created a product called speak-to-Tweet, which let people call into numbers and leave voicemails that would later be blasted out over Twitter. Others could then listen to the messages by dialing into the numbers. This was done in the spirit of justice. As Google put it, “to help people on the…

• How to Do More For Your Mental Health

  Maranda

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:02 am

  With the New Year, a lot of people decided that it was time to get their physical health in order. Resolutions have been made to lose weight or work out more often, but how many people decided to give their mental health a little more attention this year? Your mental health is just as important as your level of physical level of activity and we should make some changes that will help us take better care of our brains. Here are some things you can do that might boost your mental health. Try not to worry so much. Coming from someone who is naturally worrisome, this may seem easier said than…

• FBI Document Calls for App to Monitor Facebook, Twitter

  Chilton Tippin

  26 Jan 2012 | 1:18 pm

  The FBI recently revealed plans to mine social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for information to help it respond to crises, crimes and terrorism. The agency released a document on January 20 calling for developers in the IT community to submit data regarding a social media application that could “quickly vet, identify, and geo-locate breaking events, incidents and emerging threats.” Government agencies are usually reluctant to discuss such matters as they deal with the unpopular notion of wiretapping and tracking citizens’ data. While not yet requesting…

• Will a $99 Nokia Lumia 900 Redeem Windows Phone?

  Chilton Tippin

  25 Jan 2012 | 2:49 pm

  While Microsoft and Nokia have been lauding the Lumia 900 as their premier smartphone, a new report from AT&T suggests that their plan is to undercut rivals on price. According to Boy Genius Reports, an AT&T roadmap shows plans that the Nokia Lumia 900 would debut on March 18 for $99.99 with a two-year contract. In the past, Microsoft has struggled to gain traction with its Windows Phone 7 operating system. By and large, however, reviews for the Nokia 900 have said it is on par with some of the best smartphones out today. The price undercutting phones of equal caliber, Microsoft may…

• Apple Financial Results: $46 Billion Revenues, $13 Billion Profit

  Chilton Tippin

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:12 pm

  When Apple announced Q1 2012 results today, the company surpassed all predictions, and doubled since this time last year. For a company this size, doubling is unprecedented. The company announced $46.33 billion in revenues, up from $26.74 last year. Profit also doubled: $13.06 billion this year compared to $6 billion last year. For some context: Apple’s profits exceeded Google’s $10.6 billion in revenue for the quarter. Horace Dediu, from Asymco, pointed out that Apple added $38 billion in cash to its coffers, meaning they have $97.6 billion in cash and equivalents. MG Siegler,…

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  Project Accelerator News

• APMP for 100% of project managers at BAA Heathrow

  Paul Naybour

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:25 am

  Julian Foster, programme Directory at BAA, has hopes all the project managers at Heathrow  will hold an APMP qualification by the end of the year.  “The percentage of our staff that I see having APMP by the end of this year should be 100% of our project managers,” said Julian. In an interview with the Association for Project Management he recognised the important value the APMP plays in the development of project managers. “the fact that it is best of class, but more importantly is the fact that it is not just about a process, it’s about the tools and techniques. So we get that…

• Network Rail think HS2 could deliver faster, more frequent and less crowded trains

  Paul Naybour

  20 Jan 2012 | 7:24 am

  The west coast route, which is the busiest railway in Britain ‘could benefit from faster, more frequent trains, less crowding and better connections if the first phase of the proposed high speed rail line between London and Birmingham goes ahead as planned’. Network Rail and Passenger Focus have concluded today that the extra capacity on HS2 could significantly improve the experience for West Coast Passengers, releasing extra capacity on the 125 mph trains that currently service this route. Locations not served by HS2 such as Northampton, Milton Keynes, Watford Junction and London, would…

• APMP Exam Questions

  Paul Naybour

  20 Jan 2012 | 6:00 am

  Like an exam APMP Exam Questions not only test your knowledge of project management but also you ability to understand how the exam works. Our forum for APMP exam hints and tips has now moved and is now at click the button below to get advice and guidance on how to prepare for the APMP exam. Join Free APMP Study Group

• Top 5 things you must do to extract benefits from a project

  Fay MacDonald

  20 Jan 2012 | 5:27 am

  Many fail at the simple task of Benefits Delivery Many Projects, big and small, complex and simple fail to deliver benefits. Yet it is actually a pretty simple thing to do if the proper steps are followed. What are the Top 5 things to do? Start early: The work on extracting the honey [Benefits Realisation] needs to start up-front when scoping and planning the Project; Press the flesh: Assumptions need to be challenged. People from areas that will be impacted or relied upon for any part of the delivery need to be invited to comment; Clear understanding and clear articulation: If the Business…

• APM and CFA to help develop project managers of the future

  DaynerProudfoot

  16 Jan 2012 | 9:40 am

  CFA and the Association for Project Management (APM) have been successful in their bid for funding to develop a Higher Apprenticeship in project management. The aim is to create 775 higher apprenticeships in project management by 2016, with the support of a fund of nearly £800,000. This represents part of the £18.7m Higher Apprenticeship fund, announced by Business Secretary Vince Cable, which will support the development of 19,000 new apprenticeships in fields including human resources, construction, advanced engineering and financial services. With youth unemployment currently running at…

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  The Project Box

• Project Closure: What Questions To Ask?

  Bernardo

  13 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am

    Your project is finally at an end. The final deadline has been met; your product is complete. You might think that this is the ideal time to take a break – catch your breath, put your feet up and wait for the next project to come along. Actually, now is the perfect time to review all the events of the previous projects, and most importantly a time to compile a list of Lessons Learned. And it really is necessary to do this – you do not want to find yourself repeating the same mistakes as in the previous project. If you repeat the successful elements of your previous projects, while…

• Podcast #1005 | 8 Rules For Effective Feedback

  Bernardo

  6 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am

  In this iTunes episode of The Project Box Podcast, Bernardo Tirado covers his approach to providing feedback and shares 8 rules for effective feedback. Copyright © 2012 The Project Box, LLC This feed is for personal, non-commercial use only. The use of this feed on other websites breaches copyright. If this content is not in your news reader, it makes the page you are viewing an infringement of the copyright. (Digital Fingerprint: )

• Top 5 Holiday Party Mistakes

  Bernardo

  12 Dec 2011 | 8:50 am

  Over these next few weeks, organizations will kick-off their company holiday party.  And every year, there is someone that makes a big mistake they regret the next day.  Here are the top 5 big mistakes you don’t want to make during your holiday party. # 5:  Discuss Salary | I’ve heard and seen many times individuals talk to their boss about how unhappy they are with their salary or that they have a lot of debt to cover.  It’s a party and the last thing your leader wants to hear is about how dissatisfied you are with your pay in the hopes that you will get him or her to…

• Psychology 2.0: Social Media at Work

  Bernardo

  29 Nov 2011 | 8:46 am

  Social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, FourSquare, Google+, etc. were created as forums to connect people.  As a result, many of us have moved away from in-person networking to online networking.  The rise of smartphone usage has also enabled us to access these social networks anytime, anywhere. The question is:  What are the psychological implications when companies block access to social networking sites at work? To answer the question, one needs to understand why are social networking sites blocked in the first place.  Robert Half Technology1, a staffing provider of IT…

• Podcast #1004 | Special #PMChat: Team Personalities

  Bernardo

  10 Nov 2011 | 6:18 pm

      I had the pleasure of talking to Rob Prinzo and Robert Kelly, co-hosts of the #PMChat Pre-Game Show.  Today’s topic was Team Personalities.  To supplement what was discussed, I’ve created this podcast to help provide additional insights. Additional Insights include: Understanding Personality Types Questions PM should ask to assess who is a Blocker Tips to become a stronger PM For a limited time, I’m also offering my book Project X:  Maximizing Project Success Through Human Performance for $9.95 – typically a value of $49 to #PMChat followers.  Click…

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  Zilicus PM Blog | Project Planning, Tracking, Collaboration

• 10 Critical Factors For Success Of A Project

  Dhan

  23 Jan 2012 | 3:06 am

  Lack of clarity & communication can lead to project rework or failure As Complex As You Make It Planning and delivering a project can be a fairly complex process. Its complexity can be attribute to: changing project dynamics- scope, cost, resource requirement; the time & efforts required to tie a project team together to execute deliverables, making everyone understand what he/she is expected to deliver and what is the schedule of delivery, generally projects have interdependency of project activities, collecting feedback or trace progress of the project, also during lifecycle of a…

• Invention: Project that generate projects

  Dhan

  16 Jan 2012 | 3:18 am

  Electricity Printing Devices Bar Code Electronic Money Transfer Mobile Technology What is common in the indicative list? These inventions are – result of enduring intelligence and persistent efforts (Remember the work done by Benjamin Franklin, Bernard Silver, Marie & Pierre Curie, ) These efforts were meticulously planned for variations in experiments & executed patiently (Remember methods used by- FW Taylor, Henry Fayol, Henry Gantt ) When the world realized potentials of these innovations, in turn they have, generated tremendous opportunity for further innovations (commercial…

• Why does SaaS make sense?

  Dhan

  6 Jan 2012 | 5:27 am

  Let’s consider Project Management activities as a business operation for brief illustration: why does SaaS make sense! Come together: Collaborate with stakeholders without any boundary If your business operations are driven by project based methodologies, today entire project organization requires common software and dataset to work with. For globally distributed or ‘virtual’ teams – the need of an hour is collaboration: collaboration in the form of email, message communication – sharing of documents, sharing project plans – activities – timeline & relevant…

• Success of Innovation & Role of Early Adopters

  Dhan

  27 Dec 2011 | 5:35 am

  Have you heard of Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations? If not, here it is: Diffusion of Innovation (Ref: Wikimedia ) What Diffusion of Innovation depicts : If you introduce a concept or product to public/market, it gets dispersed through different society/cultures at different pace by different category of users. User category Characteristics Innovators (13.5%) They are the first ones to embrace new idea/innovation: Highest social class, Known risk takers, clear financial appetite Known for social nature & closeness other innovators Early Adopters (13.5%) They are next…

• Do you use spreadsheets to manage your projects?

  Dhan

  20 Dec 2011 | 12:40 pm

  Do you think managing project can be done well & easily with spreadsheet. Wait a minute and think about it: Benefits If you have been using spreadsheet to manage your project you might agree for following benefits of using spreadsheet: It is a multipurpose solution to various business & personal activitities not just Project Management It is a known tool & lets you format data as you need (DIY) If file size is within limits, it can ben shared with colleagues over email Ohh, you have issues – create a sheet named Issues. You have risks too – all right, create one more sheet for…