ProjectManagement.com - Projects - Manage - Time

The Path to the PMP (Part 5)

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

A few articles ago you committed to getting in PMP shape. Every muscle from head (Integrating) to foot (Closing) has been used. It's time now to start working very specific areas. Up first: Project Scope Management.

The Path to the PMP (Part 6)

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

As we continue our PMP workout, we look at the Project Time Management knowledge area--which involves six processes that interact with each other and are described as discrete and sequential, but in reality may overlap.

Can Risk Management and Project Management Work Together?

Mon, 20 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Risk management has been taking a backseat to project management. Finding an effective way to manage both processes harmoniously side by side has been a problem...until now.

What You Should Know About Kanban (Part 3)

Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

If Kanban works well on specific software projects, can it be scaled to facilitate Lean throughout an organization? Here we look at how Kanban can be thought of as a general purpose change management approach for your organization.

Keeping the Schedule on Track

Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

If the schedule only exists to track what happened, it is a fairly useless tool. It will be glad to talk to you about the project and tell you how horrible things are, but that is not what project managers need. Here are some ideas for using the schedule to help the project instead of just using it to document failure.

Topic Teasers Vol. 9: Story Points or Hours?

Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Question: My team prefers to work in Story Points, but it sometimes becomes hard to deal with the realities of how to estimate a first iteration and how to deal with the availability of the team members. How do experienced agile teams handle these realities?

A.	If you want to be agile, you must estimate in Story Points. Nothing else will really work for a team once they begin to do the work of the project.
B.	Neither is the correct approach. Estimate your Product Backlog in Ideal Hours, and then they will transfer over easily to the iteration work of the team.
C.	If you create software, use Story Points. If you use agile for any other type of project, estimate in work hours, which you can input into MS Project.
D.	Use Story Points for the Product Backlog, but actual hours for the Iteration Backlog.

Starting a Project Schedule from Scratch

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT

When creating a project schedule, most project managers use templates or old project plans that can be repurposed for the new project. There are times, however, when it is necessary to build a schedule from scratch--a task that is far more difficult

Diving into the Project Plan

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The project plan can be a strange environment of murky waters, but the adventurous project manager can see clearly if they dive in and explore the depths.

More PM, Interrupted

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Interruptions are one of the main battles we face each and every day. What can a PM learn from them about how to manage personal productivity in a world of digital distraction?

The Evolution of Annual Planning

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 04:00:00 GMT

It's inevitable--organizations will change the way that planning cycles are executed. For many organizations, this is a natural extension of the commitments that they are already making--EPMOs, strong and executive supported portfolio management, and results-focused execution. For others, this is a major shift. Here we explore some of the ways that annual planning can be improved.

Flashlight or a Flood Lamp?

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 04:00:00 GMT

There are many different methods a project manager can use to rebaseline the project plan. Unfortunately, the one most often used is reactive instead of proactive. Approach your rebaselining event in a careful and methodical manner to make it worthwhile and benefit the project.

The Bridge to Somewhere

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 04:00:00 GMT

In a world where there are many big challenges and all sorts of grand designs, there are massive projects taking place everywhere we look. What can a bridge halfway around the world teach us?

The Truth About Projects (Part 1)

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Welcome to "The Truth About Projects", a popular new show that helps save you from missed budgets, blown timelines and under-performing or under-delivering projects by answering your questions on all things project management! Caller, you're on the air...

Achieving Olympian Goals: Five Rings of Project Success

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 04:00:00 GMT

The Olympic rings are five intertwined circles that represent the elaborate and complex Games. Similarly, project managers can bring five rings of discipline together to manage very complex projects. Each of these rings builds upon the other--and they give the project manager a taxonomy by which to manage Olympian efforts

Get Smart: Decision-making

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Are you putting your PMO in the position to make the right decisions every time? While the PMO has many functions, one of the most important is to facilitate decision-making--either by senior project stakeholders or within their own teams as escalation points for project managers. In this article, we look at how to ensure that we are as effective as possible in that process.

My, What Big Projects You Have!

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 04:00:00 GMT

"Big" is somewhat defined in the eyes of the beholder. Beyond sheer size and mass, what makes big projects so daunting? Certainly as a project grows in size and scope, a number of things increase along with it--each adding complexity and risk to the effort. While there is no foolproof way to eliminate the risks associated to big projects, there are some things you can do to reduce those risks.

Agile Estimation: Key Principles and Practices for Successful Agile Projects (slides)

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 04:00:00 GMT

This webinar provides an overview of key principles and practices for effective Agile project estimating and planning that have helped many Construx customers greatly increase the accuracy of their project forecasts, enabling them to make better go/no-go decisions, increase the predictability of their projects, and deliver their projects successfully... on time, within budget constraints, and with the desired functionality.

Project HEADWAY: Scheduling: What Comes First?

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Alot of project management is wrapped up in the idea of scheduling. Many project management software packages put the management of schedule front and centre; for some, it's all they really actually provide support for managing. Project management courses emphasize the ideas of managing the critical path, building Gantt charts and analyzing PERT networks. Much stress is created about project schedules, milestones, dependencies and deadlines.

Project HEADWAY: Effectively Estimating Effort

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Your sponsor comes to you and asks how long your project will take and how many people you will need. You quickly grab your papers and your calculator, pull your basic numbers together, add some on-the-fly padding and voila!, your project schedule is built. This Project HEADWAY webinar will examine the different types of estimating, the key factors to consider when developing effort estimates, and some different tools & techniques you can use to ensure your estimates are more than pure fantasy.
This file requires the WebEx Player. It is 4.8Mb.

WBS Planning Worksheet

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 04:00:00 GMT

There is a lot riding on your project's work breakdown structure. Use this worksheet to help you plan the WBS smarter and better.

Effort Estimation for a Requirements Change

Tue, 10 Jan 2006 05:00:00 GMT

This list was created to help you estimate how much effort is required to implement and test a change request.

Effort-Based Project Forecasting Workbook

Wed, 07 Dec 2005 05:00:00 GMT

The attached workbook is useful for these many projects out there where no costing data can be used--or is not available--so the classic Earned Value Technique cannot be applied. It provides not only a progress tracking mechanism but also effort based project forecasting based on the above consideration.

PERT Effort Estimating Chart

Mon, 17 Oct 2005 04:00:00 GMT

This sample template performs a PERT based estimation for a project when you provide quality estimates. The tool performs all the required calculations (including graphical display of the destribution and probability functions).

Project Schedule Quality Control

Tue, 28 Sep 2004 04:00:00 GMT

Use this quality control checklist to identify all the ingredients of a healthy, flexible and dependable project schedule.

Using Special Situation Estimating Techniques

Tue, 22 Jun 2004 04:00:00 GMT

If you don't have any good metrics on which to base your estimates, what do you do? Reading tea leaves or dissecting the entrails of dead chickens won't cut it. This presentation will explain sound estimating techniques that really work.

How to Estimate Effort and Duration

Wed, 21 Jan 2004 05:00:00 GMT

No one can predict the future, but you as project manager will be asked to estimate the duration of tasks. You can get yourself a crystal ball, read tea leaves, or download this presentation for some real help.

Project Plan Reality Check

Wed, 03 Dec 2003 05:00:00 GMT

Before you submit your project plan for final approval, you'd better check it over. Learn the steps for cross-checking a project plan.

Calculating Earned Value

Tue, 25 Mar 2003 05:00:00 GMT

Earned value is a project technique you can use to monitor, track and report on the performance of any project. This document is a cheat-sheet of formulas you can use to confidently calculate earned value.

Developing a Schedule

Tue, 20 Feb 2001 05:00:00 GMT

If developing a schedule were easy, no project manager would ever have a problem with it. This presentation serves as a guide to the key points that must be mastered to develop realistic project schedules.

List of Common Schedule Risks

Thu, 17 Aug 2000 04:00:00 GMT

This list and overview of common schedule risks will help you maintain vigilance against pitfalls that can interrupt, stop or ruin your software development project.

Project Schedule Risk Assessment

Mon, 07 Feb 2000 05:00:00 GMT

How risky is your project schedule? This assessment template will help you catch scheduling risks and address them before they become problems.