Agile Methodology It is not in doubt that for a project to run successfully, a considerable amount of time has to be spent on prior testing and piloting. Most conventional project management techniques have often emphasized on a formal approach towards piloting and testing. However, agile techniques usually employ a slightly different spin with…
Communication is vital component of the management of any project. One of the challenges is getting the attention of executive leadership and keeping them updated and informed on the project status. Say hello, to the Project Scorecard! The project scorecard is intended to be a simple visual illustrating the progress and status of a project. …
Continuous learning is an important in the development of the project management process. The project management process offers opportunities to learn from what could not have been planned and for what could have been better. When a project completes, the project manager should not lose the opportunity to gather feedback from the project team and…
Status reporting is a very important task for the project manager. Effectively communicating status to your project team and your stakeholders will keep everyone apprised of the health of the project including key risks and issues. It sounds straight forward, however, not everyone communicates effectively. Here are a few tips: Know you audience (stakeholders)…
Communication is key for all project managers. Project Managers will spend most of their time communicating with the project team, stakeholders and customers. However, when it comes to communicating with senior leadership or executive project sponsors it is important to remember a few key tips. First, it is always important to know your audience. Preparing…
Earned Value Management Managing the progress of your project is key to success. One of the key PMi methods is calculating Earned Value to show the progress of your project – good or bad. The earned value concept was developed in the 1960’s by the Department of Defense to track and report on the project…
Project Managers spend a good portion of their time communicating. Solid communication is key to a project’s wellness and success. As a project manager you will spend plenty of time sending emails, chairing project team meetings and briefing senior managers and stakeholders. In short, project communication is very important. Poor project communication can lead to: Unnecessary “noise”…
Understanding and agreeing to project scope is key to a project’s success. A key tool for a project manager in securing project scope is the project charter. The project charter document will be established in either the Initiation Phase or the early Planning Phase of the project lifecycle. The charter will identify the objectives of the project…
What Are We Building? Any Project Manager will tell you that one of the key success factors in managing projects is having solid requirements. What are you building and rolling out? Who will you need to complete the tasks? How long can it take and how much will it cost? Requirements is the key input…
Managing projects were vendors are playing a significant role can offer its challenges. When vendors are depended on to provide a design, infrastructure or software installation and configurations you will always have a risk you cannot completely control. As you would expect, some vendors are better than others. You have vendors that are well organized,…