Expert insights. Personalized for you.
Agile is a methodology which is getting more and more traction in the IT industry, to the point where the word is agile is thrown around out of context and with incorrect capitalisation. There are many variants, but a feature now common to many is the idea of a daily Scrum meeting to manage the work. In our experience, how this meeting is planned and executed will set the tone for the entire project, and how effectively they embrace the true Agile approach. MORE
Let’s say you’re well-qualified in your technical skills—be it Java, programming languages, infrastructure, networks or system administration. Qualifications take time and effort, but as well as learning useful skills, you’re also building confidence—your own and the others’ confidence in your ability to do a great job. But what if you’re switching from a purely technical role to one that involves managing projects? MORE
In part 1 of this article series, we accepted that Projects sometimes need to be cancelled. In part 2, we look at how sometimes the Project being worked on is no longer the right Project. In this part 3, we will look at the other cause of cancelling: the Project isn't being done right. A classic way to consider project performance is via the triple constraint of scope/cost/time, often with quality thrown in the mix. MORE
Let's talk Dependencies. A Dependency is a relationship between two activities, and is most often encountered in the Project Schedule. In this case they are used to structure the order of tasks, to help you plan the Project. Logically, there are four type of Dependency relationship - shown in the diagram below: F-S: Finish to Start - When the first task finishes the second can begin. MORE
Training has always been an important part of working as a project professional. Training presents a prime opportunity to expand the knowledge base of all project professionals. If we follow the 70-20-10 rule we know that 10% of our development should come in the form of formal training. MORE
In part 1 of this article series, we accepted that Projects sometimes need to be cancelled. In this part 2, we look at one of the two reasons we identified: it's no longer the right Project. Projects are often part of a Programme, a wider organisational structure that looks at the bigger picture and the long term business strategy across many years. Individual Projects on the other hand tend to come-and-go,the way, maybe lasting a couple of years at most. MORE
Lean Six Sigma, a management buzzword that seems to persist and many don't understand. But what is it and how is it related to Project Management? Lean Six Sigma is an approach for Process Improvement Projects, combining many different conceptual tools depending on the situation. Essentially Lean Six Sigma is a fusion of two ideas: "Lean" and "Six Sigma": Lean Lean is a approach that seeks to eliminate Waste during a production process; it originated in Japan on the production lines of Toyota. MORE
Delivering projects is a tricky business, achieved by skilled practitioners in their field – be it software development, events management, construction, oil & gas etc. It is the wonderful individuals who work on projects who deliver the output that will ultimately mean the project meeting its business case. MORE
All projects—especially large, complex projects—need clear priorities. Easier said than done. You can count on technical projects, no matter how well-planned, to involve change orders, re-prioritization and the regular appearance of surprises. It’s just the natural order of things. But still. Knowing how to prioritize work affects the success of your project, the engagement of your team, and your role as a leader. MORE
In part 1 of this article series, we accepted that Projects sometimes need to be cancelled. In part 2, we look at how sometimes the Project being worked on is no longer the right Project, and in part 3, we looked at the other cause of cancelling: the Project isn't being done right. In this final part 4, we will look at how Projects should be cancelled. MORE
In our Precious Blog entry we reflected generally on Project Lessons Learned. Now let us spell out a structured Process that we suggest: Plan Lessons Capture - Lessons Learned (L.L.) need to be pro-actively orchestrated by the Project Manager, they won't just happen by accident. A specific effort must be made in the same way as all other project activities. MORE
We all make Assumptions every day, mostly without thinking about it. The reason we don't think about it is because we are so confident they are true; be it how something will turn out, what someone will do or what something is like. They are the bedrock of day to day life, and we just don't notice them. Project Management is exactly the same; we make many Assumptions in planning our Project, things that we almost take for granted. MORE
Here's the thing about Lessons Learned: you're not learning them. In our experience, most organisations at best identify them - but is anything actually learned? Is changed behaviour ingrained into the lifeblood of the organisation? We have our doubts. A few reflections we have on Project Lessons Learned activities: Does your organisation have a Lessons Learned repository? If not then how do you hope to record and implement them? MORE
Du ring the Project Start-up and planning phase, projects will execute detailed planning processes to produce a Performance Measurement Baseline of Cost/Schedule/Scope and an associated Project Management Plan. The project schedule will then steer the project through the foggy waters of its lifecycle and eventually help it to find its way to delivery and closedown. But what about the planning phase itself when the schedule doesn't exist yet? MORE
Mike was a functional project manager in an organization where I managed a PMO. He was winsome and a hard worker. But his projects were trending in the wrong direction and his manager was not happy with Mike's performance. MORE
When you're starting a new project, you of course identify staffing requirements as part of your estimating. You start to "put bums on seats" as you ramp up the project towards the Execution phase and on-board your project team. You hopefully even have a Team Management Plan that describes how you manage the team; how you on-board, train, mentor and recognise staff. You do all of that and think "phew! That's another job done!" MORE
There's lots of talking on Projects; too much really. And so little of value said. People lurch from meeting to meeting, telecon to telecon, wear out the carpet on their mobile phones. People proffer opinions, half baked viewpoints, analysis and hot air. Next time they do that, just stop them and ask "What's your data point?". They won't know what you mean of course; but then it is a phrase we basically just made up. MORE
This is a new one for us - Book Reviews! Continued learning and development is important not just for Project Managers, but for practitioners in any field; this development needs to be a combination of new in-the-field experiences, and the theoretical grounding it is based upon. This particular book is the "Project Management Pocketbook", by Keith Posner and Mike Applegarth, and stands out on my Project Management Bookshelf both physically and conceptually. MORE
Projects create deliverables, which are simply the results of the project or the processes in the project. That means a deliverable can be something as big as the objective of the project itself or the reporting that is part of the larger project. MORE
Urgent requests: it seems like most requests we get are. I took over a role recently, and rather than a detailed Knowledge Transfer plan covering many topics over a number of weeks, it basically took half an hour. Most of what I do is respond to urgent requests". Well then, I thought, there's your problem. Urgent Requests literally hold us hostage for our time, and we never have any warning they are coming. MORE
Agile is an approach which is extremely prevent in the IT industry, to the point where unfortunately the word “agile” tends to be thrown around everywhere, often out of context. Agile is strictly speaking a mind-set, with four foundational values and twelve supporting principles from the Agile Manifesto. MORE
Project managers are pressured to deliver projects quickly. Sponsors think their project managers are magicians. And in a way, we are. Let us explore ways to compress project schedules and manage the associated risks. MORE
PRINCE2 is a popular UK Project Management methodology, that continues to gain traction in other locations around the world. Now managed by Axelos, it is part of a comprehensive and integrated best practice suite along side other methodologies such as Management of Risk (M_o_R) and Managing Successful Programmes (MSP). MORE
Risk is always present. This is true in life and projects alike. If we were to try and avoid all risks, it would be paralyzing—not to mention impossible. We couldn’t step out of the house, let alone embark on a project. There’s just too much that could go wrong! MORE
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, Project Managers (PMs) live and die by the Plan. The entire purpose of the Start-up Phase of a Project is to produce a comprehensive Plan for the Project; consisting of an integrated Performance Measurement Baseline (Time, Cost, Scope) and an associated Project Management Plan to monitor and control it. Once the planning is complete, the Project shifts into the main Execution phase which will form the vast bulk of the timeline. MORE
I see a common problem when reviewing project charters. The goals are activity-oriented, rather than results-oriented. And this can lead to misunderstandings about what the project team needs to achieve. Let's look at how to write results-oriented goals. MORE
Risk Management is one of the well established fundamentals of Project Management. Whatever system or tool you use, the basics of rating risks with some degree of severity and impact is well understood, and then doing something to stop it (because they usually are threats). But I have a challenge for you: look back over your last Project and consider - how many of the issues that occurred along the way were from impacted Risks that were identified on your Risk Log? I predict very few of them. MORE
Ka nban is something that features in both Lean Six Sigma and Agile software development. It descended from the Lean improvements of the Toyota Production System, and is a proven approach to optimise effectiveness of a production line system. How then can it be useful for a project manager, if it’s about production lines for motor vehicles I hear you ask? MORE
We regard Processes as the bedrock for successful Project Management. I think W. Edwards Deming said it best: " If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing" Our Project Plans should describe how we intend to leverage and operate our organisation's Standard Processes - which should (hopefully) exist above and beyond the Project. And not just our Project Management Processes (Schedule/Cost Management etc) but the technical delivery aspects also. MORE
Project Risk Logs are pretty well institutionalised, and we mentioned them in our last blog post. But what about Issue Logs? We've heard Issues defined as an impacted risk, an unknown question that needs answering, or just a general spanner in the works that will cause you to go off-plan. In our experience, Project Issues pop up so thick and fast that most never even get documented. MORE
We’ve all been there, a manager taking far too much interest in our every action at work, micro managing our day to day lives. We may have even fallen accidentally into this trap ourselves, spending far too much time in the detail. Either way, it should soon become obvious that this micromanagement approach is unsustainable and ineffective; this is where the Principle of “Manage by exception” comes from. MORE
Work in Project Management long enough, and eventually you will come across everything - this will include having a Project you were working on cancelled. This can be a difficult process because we are often personally invested in Projects, and seeing all that hard work being seemingly be in vein can be difficult. In this article series I give some considerations to cancelling projects, discussing if it should be done, why it should be and how. MORE
On February 12 2002, US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld made a now famous remark that has since went on to be commented on widely by critics and thinkers. It would become so famous that it would become the title of his autobiography "Known and Unknown: A Memoir", and provides a superb basis to discuss our approach to Project Risk Management: ". because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. MORE
Are you guilty of using project management jargon and acronyms? Do your team members understand what you are saying? If not, perhaps you have fallen under the curse of project management knowledge. Can I be painfully honest with you for a minute? What I am about to say may not feel good. MORE
Project Health Check
OCTOBER 23, 2017
PRINCE2 is a popular UK Project Management methodology, that continues to gain traction in other locations around the world. Now managed by Axelos, it is part of a comprehensive and integrated best practice suite along side other methodologies such as Management of Risk (M_o_R) and Managing Successful Programmes (MSP).
Project Health Check
AUGUST 8, 2017
Du ring the Project Start-up and planning phase, projects will execute detailed planning processes to produce a Performance Measurement Baseline of Cost/Schedule/Scope and an associated Project Management Plan. The project schedule will then steer the project through the foggy waters of its lifecycle and eventually help it to find its way to delivery and closedown. But what about the planning phase itself when the schedule doesn't exist yet?
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Project Health Check
NOVEMBER 27, 2017
In part 1 of this article series, we accepted that Projects sometimes need to be cancelled. In part 2, we look at how sometimes the Project being worked on is no longer the right Project. In this part 3, we will look at the other cause of cancelling: the Project isn't being done right. A classic way to consider project performance is via the triple constraint of scope/cost/time, often with quality thrown in the mix.
Project Health Check
OCTOBER 9, 2017
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, Project Managers (PMs) live and die by the Plan. The entire purpose of the Start-up Phase of a Project is to produce a comprehensive Plan for the Project; consisting of an integrated Performance Measurement Baseline (Time, Cost, Scope) and an associated Project Management Plan to monitor and control it. Once the planning is complete, the Project shifts into the main Execution phase which will form the vast bulk of the timeline.
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Does your analytics solution work with your current tech stack and DevOps practices? If not, any update to the analytics could increase deployment complexity and become difficult to maintain. Learn the 5 elements of a DevOps-friendly embedded analytics solution.
Project Health Check
MARCH 12, 2018
Delivering projects is a tricky business, achieved by skilled practitioners in their field – be it software development, events management, construction, oil & gas etc. It is the wonderful individuals who work on projects who deliver the output that will ultimately mean the project meeting its business case.
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Project Health Check
SEPTEMBER 25, 2017
Risk Management is one of the well established fundamentals of Project Management. Whatever system or tool you use, the basics of rating risks with some degree of severity and impact is well understood, and then doing something to stop it (because they usually are threats). But I have a challenge for you: look back over your last Project and consider - how many of the issues that occurred along the way were from impacted Risks that were identified on your Risk Log? I predict very few of them.
Project Health Check
NOVEMBER 20, 2017
In part 1 of this article series, we accepted that Projects sometimes need to be cancelled. In this part 2, we look at one of the two reasons we identified: it's no longer the right Project. Projects are often part of a Programme, a wider organisational structure that looks at the bigger picture and the long term business strategy across many years. Individual Projects on the other hand tend to come-and-go,the way, maybe lasting a couple of years at most.
Project Health Check
OCTOBER 16, 2017
Agile is a methodology which is getting more and more traction in the IT industry, to the point where the word is agile is thrown around out of context and with incorrect capitalisation. There are many variants, but a feature now common to many is the idea of a daily Scrum meeting to manage the work. In our experience, how this meeting is planned and executed will set the tone for the entire project, and how effectively they embrace the true Agile approach.
Project Health Check
SEPTEMBER 4, 2017
When you're starting a new project, you of course identify staffing requirements as part of your estimating. You start to "put bums on seats" as you ramp up the project towards the Execution phase and on-board your project team. You hopefully even have a Team Management Plan that describes how you manage the team; how you on-board, train, mentor and recognise staff. You do all of that and think "phew! That's another job done!"
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Embedding dashboards and reports aren’t enough. Futureproof your application by offering instant, actionable insights that will give you and your customers a competitive advantage.
|
Project Health Check
SEPTEMBER 18, 2017
Let's talk Dependencies. A Dependency is a relationship between two activities, and is most often encountered in the Project Schedule. In this case they are used to structure the order of tasks, to help you plan the Project. Logically, there are four type of Dependency relationship - shown in the diagram below: F-S: Finish to Start - When the first task finishes the second can begin.
Project Health Check
JULY 29, 2017
On February 12 2002, US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld made a now famous remark that has since went on to be commented on widely by critics and thinkers. It would become so famous that it would become the title of his autobiography "Known and Unknown: A Memoir", and provides a superb basis to discuss our approach to Project Risk Management: ". because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know.
Project Health Check
AUGUST 2, 2017
Project Risk Logs are pretty well institutionalised, and we mentioned them in our last blog post. But what about Issue Logs? We've heard Issues defined as an impacted risk, an unknown question that needs answering, or just a general spanner in the works that will cause you to go off-plan. In our experience, Project Issues pop up so thick and fast that most never even get documented.
Project Health Check
AUGUST 21, 2017
We all make Assumptions every day, mostly without thinking about it. The reason we don't think about it is because we are so confident they are true; be it how something will turn out, what someone will do or what something is like. They are the bedrock of day to day life, and we just don't notice them. Project Management is exactly the same; we make many Assumptions in planning our Project, things that we almost take for granted.
Advertisement
No one designs bad dashboards and reports on purpose. So why do so many applications have terrible analytics experiences? Download this ebook for secrets to creating dashboards and reports your users will love.
Project Health Check
FEBRUARY 19, 2018
We’ve all been there, a manager taking far too much interest in our every action at work, micro managing our day to day lives. We may have even fallen accidentally into this trap ourselves, spending far too much time in the detail. Either way, it should soon become obvious that this micromanagement approach is unsustainable and ineffective; this is where the Principle of “Manage by exception” comes from.
Project Health Check
OCTOBER 2, 2017
Lean Six Sigma, a management buzzword that seems to persist and many don't understand. But what is it and how is it related to Project Management? Lean Six Sigma is an approach for Process Improvement Projects, combining many different conceptual tools depending on the situation. Essentially Lean Six Sigma is a fusion of two ideas: "Lean" and "Six Sigma": Lean Lean is a approach that seeks to eliminate Waste during a production process; it originated in Japan on the production lines of Toyota.
Project Health Check
DECEMBER 11, 2017
Agile is an approach which is extremely prevent in the IT industry, to the point where unfortunately the word “agile” tends to be thrown around everywhere, often out of context. Agile is strictly speaking a mind-set, with four foundational values and twelve supporting principles from the Agile Manifesto.
Project Health Check
AUGUST 6, 2017
Here's the thing about Lessons Learned: you're not learning them. In our experience, most organisations at best identify them - but is anything actually learned? Is changed behaviour ingrained into the lifeblood of the organisation? We have our doubts. A few reflections we have on Project Lessons Learned activities: Does your organisation have a Lessons Learned repository? If not then how do you hope to record and implement them?
Advertisement
If you are looking to modernize your application to improve competitiveness, then one of the quickest wins you can have is to embed sophisticated analytics that will wow your existing and prospective customers.
Project Health Check
AUGUST 24, 2017
There's lots of talking on Projects; too much really. And so little of value said. People lurch from meeting to meeting, telecon to telecon, wear out the carpet on their mobile phones. People proffer opinions, half baked viewpoints, analysis and hot air. Next time they do that, just stop them and ask "What's your data point?". They won't know what you mean of course; but then it is a phrase we basically just made up.
Project Health Check
AUGUST 14, 2017
In our Precious Blog entry we reflected generally on Project Lessons Learned. Now let us spell out a structured Process that we suggest: Plan Lessons Capture - Lessons Learned (L.L.) need to be pro-actively orchestrated by the Project Manager, they won't just happen by accident. A specific effort must be made in the same way as all other project activities.
Project Health Check
MARCH 5, 2018
Ka nban is something that features in both Lean Six Sigma and Agile software development. It descended from the Lean improvements of the Toyota Production System, and is a proven approach to optimise effectiveness of a production line system. How then can it be useful for a project manager, if it’s about production lines for motor vehicles I hear you ask?
Project Health Check
SEPTEMBER 11, 2017
This is a new one for us - Book Reviews! Continued learning and development is important not just for Project Managers, but for practitioners in any field; this development needs to be a combination of new in-the-field experiences, and the theoretical grounding it is based upon. This particular book is the "Project Management Pocketbook", by Keith Posner and Mike Applegarth, and stands out on my Project Management Bookshelf both physically and conceptually.
Advertisement
Selecting the right solution for your embedded analytics is crucial to the success of your application. But with so many solutions and vendors, how do you make this critical selection? Learn about the different approaches to analytics and the pros and cons for each.
Project Health Check
JULY 30, 2017
We regard Processes as the bedrock for successful Project Management. I think W. Edwards Deming said it best: " If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing" Our Project Plans should describe how we intend to leverage and operate our organisation's Standard Processes - which should (hopefully) exist above and beyond the Project. And not just our Project Management Processes (Schedule/Cost Management etc) but the technical delivery aspects also.
Project Health Check
NOVEMBER 15, 2017
Work in Project Management long enough, and eventually you will come across everything - this will include having a Project you were working on cancelled. This can be a difficult process because we are often personally invested in Projects, and seeing all that hard work being seemingly be in vein can be difficult. In this article series I give some considerations to cancelling projects, discussing if it should be done, why it should be and how.
Project Health Check
DECEMBER 4, 2017
In part 1 of this article series, we accepted that Projects sometimes need to be cancelled. In part 2, we look at how sometimes the Project being worked on is no longer the right Project, and in part 3, we looked at the other cause of cancelling: the Project isn't being done right. In this final part 4, we will look at how Projects should be cancelled.
LiquidPlanner
AUGUST 14, 2018
Let’s say you’re well-qualified in your technical skills—be it Java, programming languages, infrastructure, networks or system administration. Qualifications take time and effort, but as well as learning useful skills, you’re also building confidence—your own and the others’ confidence in your ability to do a great job. But what if you’re switching from a purely technical role to one that involves managing projects?
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How can project planning that stretches over months or years remain relevant and account for new ad-hoc activities that arrive every day?
Project Risk Coach
NOVEMBER 30, 2020
Are you guilty of using project management jargon and acronyms? Do your team members understand what you are saying? If not, perhaps you have fallen under the curse of project management knowledge. Can I be painfully honest with you for a minute? What I am about to say may not feel good.
ProjectManager.com
DECEMBER 2, 2020
Risk is always present. This is true in life and projects alike. If we were to try and avoid all risks, it would be paralyzing—not to mention impossible. We couldn’t step out of the house, let alone embark on a project. There’s just too much that could go wrong!
LiquidPlanner
OCTOBER 11, 2018
All projects—especially large, complex projects—need clear priorities. Easier said than done. You can count on technical projects, no matter how well-planned, to involve change orders, re-prioritization and the regular appearance of surprises. It’s just the natural order of things. But still. Knowing how to prioritize work affects the success of your project, the engagement of your team, and your role as a leader.
ProjectManager.com
NOVEMBER 23, 2020
Projects create deliverables, which are simply the results of the project or the processes in the project. That means a deliverable can be something as big as the objective of the project itself or the reporting that is part of the larger project.
Speaker: Chris Von Simson & Nat Venkataraman
Can your users get the data and analytics they need without leaving your application? Watch this webinar with Chris von Simson of Dresner Advisory Services as he shares why user enablement has emerged as the theme in today’s embedded analytics landscape.
Project Risk Coach
NOVEMBER 9, 2020
Project managers are pressured to deliver projects quickly. Sponsors think their project managers are magicians. And in a way, we are. Let us explore ways to compress project schedules and manage the associated risks.
Project Risk Coach
AUGUST 24, 2020
Mike was a functional project manager in an organization where I managed a PMO. He was winsome and a hard worker. But his projects were trending in the wrong direction and his manager was not happy with Mike's performance.
Project Risk Coach
NOVEMBER 23, 2020
I see a common problem when reviewing project charters. The goals are activity-oriented, rather than results-oriented. And this can lead to misunderstandings about what the project team needs to achieve. Let's look at how to write results-oriented goals.
Arras People
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
Training has always been an important part of working as a project professional. Training presents a prime opportunity to expand the knowledge base of all project professionals. If we follow the 70-20-10 rule we know that 10% of our development should come in the form of formal training.
Advertisement
This eBook describes the process of managing the project budget and its associated costs.
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