ProjectManagement.com - Projects - Perform - Planning

The Path to the PMP (Part 4)

Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

In the journey to PMP fitness, you have taken three decisive steps. But many PMs have not had the opportunity to participate in a suite of courses where most knowledge areas are explored from a combined approach of PMI theory and real-world application. While this can put you at a real disadvantage, it's still possible to be successful. In out latest installment, we cover Project Integration Management.

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.

You Wanna Be Starting Something?

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Determining the nature and scope of a project is essential to refining how the resulting effort will accomplish business needs. A crucial component of this is having the knowledge of the business environment and the demands it must meet.

Untangling the Project Organizational Chart

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Organizational charts can become a tangled mess of lines and overlapping boxes. The project manager must untangle this mess so the project can progress. Sounds like a little R&R is what we all need...

Governance: An Overused Word, or Something Worth Talking About?

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

"Governance" is one of those words that consultants and managers like to throw around to make it sound like they know what they're talking about. It is also one of the most widely misused words--if not concepts--currently employed in organizations. Why this is, what it means (and doesn't) and what it should represent are what this article explores.

Canceling a Project

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Ideally, every project ends in success, on time and on budget. In the real world, projects are canceled--and the project manager needs to be ready for this eventuality.

Recovering from Project Failure

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Major project failure can happen to anyone. What's important is to make sure that the organization can recover from such a situation, and that requires both advance planning (it's too late to start planning the recovery when the disaster has already happened) and strong execution. Is your PMO prepared?

The Challenges of Scaling Agile Teams

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

One team or a handful of teams may be able to deliver small systems with agile, but large complex systems require teams of teams to deliver significant features. How can companies benefit from "the team effect" at scale?

Whose Fault is This, Anyway?

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

While "blame" is not a constructive term to use in establishing where things went wrong, every element of a project should have clearly defined owners. If it isn't clear where that ownership lies, there's a fundamental problem in the way your project is structured. Here we look at how we can establish that ownership--and ensure that the model is applied effectively.

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

Managing Programs with Agile and Traditional Projects

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Imagine you are transitioning to agile. You are a program manager with a few agile projects and a traditional project. How do you manage the program? Here's some help in bridging the gap between two schools of thought.

Five Project Management Pathologies

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Since it's the cold season, we wanted to share a list of maladies that will take your project down if you aren't paying attention or fail to keep your guard up. Each are preventable, and as the old saying goes: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Analyzing the Project Resources

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:00:00 GMT

All of the project planning in the world will not help a project if the resources working on it are not able to do their work. A careful look at the resources of the project--before and after the project plan is loaded--will keep them engaged instead of driving them away.

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.

Contingency Planning for the Knowns

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Many IT project teams do a good job of identifying project risks and applying associated contingency reserve factors to the project plan. Unfortunately, project teams sometimes overlook the unique challenges that distinguish many applications and affect all projects undertaken in a specific application domain.

Business Case

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Mission-critical projects need to be well-justified, with clear goals that can be referenced throughout the life of the project. This business case template offers an excellent approach to goal-setting and a way to communicate those goals effectively.

Strategy-Focused Project Charter

Wed, 31 Aug 2005 04:00:00 GMT

This template outlines a classic Project Charter with a focus on project definition and strategic ties. Risks and stakeholder needs are covered, but not in granular detail. It is appropriate for fairly low-risk projects where the goal is to get everyone on the same page up front.

Project Sponsor Checklist

Wed, 03 Aug 2005 04:00:00 GMT

The project sponsor checklist describes ways for the project sponsor to provide commitment and project support in an effective, visible manner.

Risk Assessment Summary Checklist

Wed, 20 Oct 2004 04:00:00 GMT

This checklist is a quick and dirty way of weighing risk factors against project criteria to discover level of risk.

Risk Analysis and Contingency Plan Guidelines

Tue, 01 Apr 2003 05:00:00 GMT

No project was ever completed on time and within budget. Identifying risks associated with a project and mitigating them is a crucial activity of project planning. Managers need to not only analyze project risks, but also must develop contingency plans to address those risks.

ROI Calculator

Sun, 15 Sep 2002 04:00:00 GMT

The attached tool has been developed to assist you in generating some solid payback data to be used to evaluate the return potential of your proposed method. Not only will it help the gods of finance see the light, but will also help you to understand whether your project is a winner or loser before you ever put your signature on the purchase requisition.

Tips for a Successful Business Case

Fri, 20 Apr 2001 04:00:00 GMT

This excellent project justification guide will provide sophisticated advice to maximize the impact of your business case, making it accurate, complete and persuasive. In addition, learn some handy tips, techniques and strategies to complement existing procedures, templates and spreadsheets that you already use.

Project Concept

Thu, 08 Mar 2001 05:00:00 GMT

Finding sponsors to back your project is an art. Make a compelling case for the project to gain sponsor support when you are pitching your business case to executive management. Here is an example of a brief, direct project concept designed to lure sponsors into your camp.

Standard Business Case

Wed, 07 Mar 2001 05:00:00 GMT

Document a business case to persuade upper management to fund your project. Keep it short and succinct enough that the busy executive management audience will read and digest it. It should directly convey the information they need to know with salient, hard-hitting, supporting evidence that addresses the bottom line. This is a basic instructional framework of the information you should include in your business case. Enhance it as you wish!

Presenting Your Business Case to Management

Thu, 22 Feb 2001 05:00:00 GMT

Presenting a winning business case with the right amount of the right information for the right audience is the key to getting approval and funding for your project! Here is a presentation that will give you the fine points on how to do just that.

Application Development Risk Assessment Checklist

Tue, 02 Jan 2001 05:00:00 GMT

Building an application? This checklist outlines 52 potential risk areas in application development, defining low, medium and high risk levels for each. Classifying your project risk in each of these areas will not only guide you in forming mitigation strategies, but really help you focus your management attention during the course of the project.

Quick Project Risk Assessment Questionnaire

Mon, 18 Dec 2000 05:00:00 GMT

What's the first step in looking at the risks you face in delivering your project? Before performing a full-blow assessment, you may want to ask yourself a few simple questions. This 10 minute, 27 question worksheet will help you quickly identify a number of risk factors common to many projects. It's a great first step in looking at the risks you may be facing at a macro level.

Methodology Implementation Project Charter

Wed, 10 May 2000 04:00:00 GMT

This is a high-level example of a Project Charter for implementing a methodology, but the structure and approach will work for many projects. This example is heavy on risks and assumptions, light on budgeting, role descriptions and conflict resolution.

Business Case Planning Checklist

Fri, 28 Apr 2000 04:00:00 GMT

Formulating a business case and proposing your project to senior management for buy-in can be tricky. Don't dive right in and start writing. Begin with a solid checklist of guidelines to ensure a business case that's more than buzzword hype.

Project Sponsor Attributes and Responsibilities List

Thu, 27 Apr 2000 04:00:00 GMT

The project sponsor is your project's champion. This guideline will help you pick the right person for this important job.