Here’s a thought to ponder: when is guessing estimating and when is estimating guessing? It’s a conundrum addressed well by Glenn B. Alleman in his excellent blog, “Herding Squirrels.” As I’ve openly admitted in the past, I first latched on to Glenn’s blog simply because of the name. In my...
As business becomes increasingly more complex and as competition in the marketplace heats up, people who have the necessary skills to manage projects and who can execute upon the overall strategy of their organizations are at a distinct advantage. Having only the technical skills just doesn’t cut it anymore. Let’s...
There’s a mounting volume of businesses that have to get projects done more quickly and with greater efficiency. In instances where these organizations have to overcome common slowdowns and team collaboration problems, it’s best to have tricks and tools in place that can help speed up other aspects of the...
No matter what type of project you’re managing, you’re going to need the right team to support your efforts and ensure overall success. The right team members will help foster a smooth, successful project, but the wrong members on your team can spell defeat before the project even gets underway....
The project management process requires considerable communication with a wide range of individuals including stakeholders. Stakeholders have a vested interest in the project, and you’ll find that you have to deal with them in myriad ways, on an almost constant basis. Keeping your stakeholders happy is vital, not just for...
Why do you use a project management methodology? You might not have given it much thought – it’s simply something mandated by your department and you follow the processes because they are generally a good thing and because you have to. However, this is the kind of question that researchers...
There’s a step in the project methodology that says ‘Identify success criteria’. So how do you know where to look and how to identify them? Before we look at identifying success criteria it’s probably a good idea to define what success criteria are. Success criteria are basically statements that set...
When a project wraps up, you hope to take away several things. Experience, new knowledge, at least the estimated value of the project –those are all common expectations. However, there are many other things that can be taken away from a project, no matter whether it ended on a positive...
As a project manager, it can be easy to lose sight of the core elements that make up any project. Each of these elements ties into the others, and together, they form the fabric that is your project. Understanding what these are and how they interrelate can help make you...
