One way of illustrating the unique nature of project work is in terms of the project life cycle. Some project managers find it useful to use the project life cycle as the cornerstone for managing projects. The life cycle recognizes that projects have a limited life span and that there are predictable changes in level of…
Category: Project Management
What is a project? Definition, Elements, Stages
From what I have experienced so far, there is a lot of confusion related to what is a project and what is not a project. So I just feel that I should write down a few ideas to clarify it. So let’s start at the outset and zoom in on the issues. What do these…
PRINCE2 Process Model, Graphics and PDF
The British government has honed their project management methods for years, cumulating with PRINCE2 in 1989. An acronym for Projects In Controlled Environments version 2, PRINCE2 throws sprints out the window, and instead approaches a project as one big sprint and stresses quality of delivery—like a traditional project management version of Six Sigma. The PRINCE2 process…
Project Management: Guide to Agile, Scrum, Kanban and Waterfall
Humanity has a great track record when it comes to serious project management. From the Great Pyramids to the moon landing, our greatest endeavors required people working together on common goals. And that means intricate project management. PMI estimates there will be more than 15 million new project manager positions added to the global job…
Three planning pitfalls (and how to avoid them)
Planning can make the difference between a project that gets done right and on time, and a project that goes down in flames while you wonder what went wrong. The problem is that, because of the way our brains work and the way we communicate now, we’re just not set up for planning success. But…
Close-Out Reporting, This Is How You Proof That The Project Is Over
The most neglected project management activity is the close-out reporting. The reports and accounting tasks associated with close-out reporting just aren’t as exciting as developing the product, and on many projects they are completely ignored. This is unfortunate because these activities can bring a very high return to the project manager’s firm. The end of…
Stressed When Communicating With Management and Customers? No More!
Communicating with management and customers plays an important part in project success. These words are worth repeating: “Successful projects meet stakeholder expectations.” This mantra for project managers bears repeating, with this addendum: Of all the stakeholders to satisfy, customers and management top the list. The communication plan should detail the strategy not only for informing…
How to Establish Project Control Through Effective Communication
Establishing project control involves discovering and solving problems while they are still small, measuring progress, and ensuring continued agreement on goals and expectations. The key to accomplishing all these things is communication—making sure that the right people have the right information at the right time. Strong communication among all stakeholders is what allows a project…
The Building Blocks for Writing a Proper Status Report
One of the most important pieces of project management is communicating about the status of your project. The status report can be an effective tool to help you communicate with others, near or far, about the timeline, budget, progress, and other details during the lifetime of your project. The status report also help you to…
Gain Perspective: Identify Project Stakeholders (Project Sponsor)
Stakeholder roles: Project Sponsor Many projects are organizational anomalies. They cross department and corporate boundaries; they staff up for short periods, then disband; they may span a portion of a budget cycle while drawing funding from multiple groups within a company. The temporary, ad-hoc nature of projects can create major problems for project managers because…