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What is Project Management?


More specifically, what is a project? It's a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.



A project is temporary in that it has a defined beginning and end in time, and therefore defined scope and resources.



And a project is unique in that it is not a routine operation, but a specific set of operations designed to accomplish a singular goal. So a project team often includes people who don’t usually work together – sometimes from different organizations and across multiple geographies.



The development of software for an improved business process, the construction of a building or bridge, the relief effort after a natural disaster, the expansion of sales into a new geographic market — all are projects.



And all must be expertly managed to deliver the on-time, on-budget results, learning and integration that organizations need.



Project management, then, is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.



It has always been practiced informally, but began to emerge as a distinct profession in the mid-20th century. PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) identifies its recurring elements:



Project management processes fall into five groups:



•Initiating

•Planning

•Executing

•Monitoring and Controlling

•Closing

Project management knowledge draws on ten areas:



Integration Scope Time

Cost Quality Procurement

Human resources Communications Risk management

Stakeholder management



All management is concerned with these, of course. But project management brings a unique focus shaped by the goals, resources and schedule of each project. The value of that focus is proved by the rapid, worldwide growth of project management:



•as a recognized and strategic organizational competence

•as a subject for training and education

•as a career path

Quick Links•See the benefits of a PMI membership

•Join a PMI chapter or community of practice

•See featured articles and resources in the Knowledge Center

•What can project management do for your organization?

•Take advantage of PMI's professional development opportunities

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5 Basic Phases of Project Management


Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI) defines project management as "the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements of a particular project." The process of directing and controlling a project from start to finish may be further divided into 5 basic phases:



1. Project conception and initiation

An idea for a project will be carefully examined to determine whether or not it benefits the organization. During this phase, a decision making team will identify if the project can realistically be completed.



2. Project definition and planning

A project plan, project charter and/or project scope may be put in writing, outlining the work to be performed. During this phase, a team should prioritize the project, calculate a budget and schedule, and determine what resources are needed.



3. Project launch or execution

Resources' tasks are distributed and teams are informed of responsibilities. This is a good time to bring up important project related information.



4. Project performance and control

Project managers will compare project status and progress to the actual plan, as resources perform the scheduled work. During this phase, project managers may need to adjust schedules or do what is necessary to keep the project on track.



5. Project close

After project tasks are completed and the client has approved the outcome, an evaluation is necessary to highlight project success and/or learn from project history.



Projects and project management processes vary from industry to industry; however, these are more traditional elements of a project. The overarching goal is typically to offer a product, change a process or to solve a problem in order to benefit the organization.

http://www.projectinsight.net/project-management-basics/basic-project-management-phases

All About Project Management


Project management is a carefully planned and organized effort to accomplish a successful project. A project is a one-time effort that produces a specific result, for example, a building or a major new computer system. This is in contrast to a program, which is 1) an ongoing process, such as a quality control program, or 2) an activity to manage a series of multiple projects together. In some countries, the term "program" refers to a software tool and the term "programme" can mean a TV or radio show.



Project management includes developing a project plan, which includes defining and confirming the project goals and objectives, identifying tasks and how goals will be achieved, quantifying the resources needed, and determining budgets and timelines for completion. It also includes managing the implementation of the project plan, along with operating regular 'controls' to ensure that there is accurate and objective information on 'performance' relative to the plan, and the mechanisms to implement recovery actions where necessary.



Projects usually follow major phases or stages (with various titles for these), including feasibility, definition, project planning, implementation, evaluation and support/maintenance.



NOTE: There are many software tools that make project management much more effective and efficient. Software Tools to Do Project Management Process lists software resources. The reader might best be served to read about the overall project management process in the section, "Foundations of Project Management" below, and then review some of the software tools. Another approach is to review the tools as the reader progresses through each phase of the project management process. (Thanks for Kevin Lonergan for contributing to this description.)

http://managementhelp.org/projectmanagement/

Google search:project management tip

You have to be a bit of a renaissance person to be a successful project manager. You need skills and natural abilities that range from being a tactical problem solver to reading the nuances of human behavior. If you’re just getting started as a project management professional, then hat’s off to you! To help pave your way to a brilliant career, here are 11 tips for new project managers.




1. Listen and engage. You can’t learn if you don’t listen, and this is a time to soak everything up. Pay attention to the landscape of your team; study your clients and customers; start to recognize the strengths of your teammates (an important skill for successful PMs). Then, take all that great listening, and engage with your team members and stakeholders in ways that matter to the project’s success. The more people you can get on your side from the beginning of the project—and your career—the more success you’ll have. Listening gives you material to use in building relationships.



2. Be a problem solver. Sometimes junior PMs (and senior ones) rush into the doing of a project before analyzing all the dependencies and identifying all the risks. See how much preemptive problem solving you can do up front to contribute to your team. And if you experience a project that goes awry in any way, put on your Private Investigator hat and find out the why-what-where-and-when of what caused the project to fail. The best lessons come from mistakes. But they’re only valuable lessons if you apply the learnings.







3. Be an effective team player. You want to both serve your team in your project’s best interest, and learn how to optimizing your team members’ expertise. Being a team player also means asking for help when you need it. You don’t want to be the person who waits too long to let others know there’s a problem brewing. Be a transparent problem-solver and let your team know the minute you spot trouble on the project. Be a pre-emptive thinker.



4. Know your project management tool. Whether you’re the one overseeing the project schedule, or you’re using collaborative project management software, make sure you know how to use the tool inside and out. Find ways to optimize the platform and encourage team members to participate fully, if applicable. If you think there’s a better way, take the lead to find a product that serves your needs better. Such initiative could win you points.



5. Know your customer. While it’s important to know who exactly you’re working for, it’s even better to know who your customers are as individuals and as an organization. Understand what your customer’s goals, vision and mission are; identify what they care about and how they like to communicate. Learn how they deal with change and project turmoil, or how they like to face conflict and solve problems—that kind of stuff. If you can react to your customers and clients in the most appropriate and meaningful way for them you could hear “promotion” before you know it.



6. Learn how to read people. AKA emotional intelligence, some people know how to read the mood of a room, but people skills can be learned. Learning about human behavior is (hopefully) a life-long process, but if you’re really good at it, or work really hard at developing your emotional IQ muscles, you’ll stand out among your peers in a big way.







7. Find a mentor. Mentorship is becoming a well-regarded and much-practiced path to career growth. There are many theories on what makes an appropriate mentor, but here are some options for mentor possibilities: co-workers, managers and former bosses, family members, teachers, friends, and a formal mentorship program. Or, in place of an official mentor, find someone whose working style you can model.



8. Enjoy taking on responsibility without full authority. One day you’ll be the person making all the big decisions—but don’t rush it. These are the golden days of opportunity, when you can take chances and learn in a forgiving environment without having to take the bit hit of responsibility. Savor it; your time will come.



9. Embrace change. Uncertainty is part of every project, so there will be many unexpected surprises in your project management career. You need to be flexible, adaptable and improvisational. Be the person who is ready for change and comes armed to the emergency meeting with strong solutions.



10. Get your PMP certification.Getting credentials can be an asset to any career. However, receiving your PMP has pros and cons. If you have the time, interest and company support it could be a great way to go.



11. Be kind, be honest, have a sense of humor. Being in charge doesn’t mean you have to take on a dictator’s personality. Treat people the way you’d like to be treated—with respect and as sense of humanity. After all, we’re all in this together.

http://www.liquidplanner.com/blog/11-tips-for-new-project-managers/


20 Tips for Project Management Success


by Sid Kemp, PMP

What will it take to make your project successful? Get the top 20 steps to success and learn the 5 things to avoid in this excerpt from The Ultimate Guide to Project Management for Small Business by Sid Kemp.



Focus on Success!

From Entrepreneur Magazine's Ultimate Guide to Project Management



Order the Ultimate Guide to Project Management from Amazon.com



Author's note: If you're as busy as I am, it's good to have quick reminders of the right way to do things. This excerpt from Chapter 11 gives you 20 steps to success you'll want to take and 5 routes to disaster you'll want to avoid!



I hope you enjoy The Ultimate Guide to Project Management! Every one of these steps is covered in detail, and the CD-ROM includes tools and templates to ensure you Get It done Right!



The Top Twenty List



Twenty items may seem like a lot, but I’ve actually made five short lists: one for project planning, one for applying the nine knowledge areas, one for doing, one for using stages and gates, and one for following through.



Four key planning points:



1.Do the right project. Using benefit cost analysis or ROI, and looking at opportunity cost, look at the project that gives you the biggest value for your effort and is most aligned with your company’s strategy, moving you in the direction you want to go.

2.Define scope clearly and precisely.

3.Plan the whole project. Make a plan for each of the nine areas.

4.Do good architecture. Work with words and pictures to bring people with different perspectives onto the same page, contributing to and committed to the project.

Prepare your team in just two steps:



5.Get the right team. Using the WBS, define the skills needed, and get people with those skills. Be honest about gaps, and close them by taking time to learn to get it done right.

6.Get the expertise you need. Know that being expert in one area means not being expert in other areas—sometimes closely related disciplines. Recognize that project, being unique work, require learning from and collaborating with experts. Remember, hiring experts you can work with is less expensive than not hiring experts you can work with.

Cover all the bases with the nine knowledge areas:



7.Scope. After defining scope clearly, teach the cost of changes to reduce change requests, then manage all changes, adding to the project only when it is essential.

8.Time and cost. Use unbiased, accurate estimation techniques. Set up systems to gather, track, and analyze time and cost information, so you can keep them under control

9.Quality. Focus on quality at all three levels to ensure value. At the technical level, trace requirements and design checking and testing throughout the project to reduce errors. Then design a test bed, and implement the tests. At the project level, work to prevent error, then find and eliminate the errors that slipped through. Do as much testing as you can as early as you can. Allow time for rework and retesting to ensure you’ve eliminated errors without letting new ones creep in. At the business level, include customers in testing, and remember that the goals are customer delight and added value.

10.Risk. Plan for uncertainty; prepare for the unexpected. Perform risk management with your team every week of the project.

11.Human Resources. Help each team member step up in self-management and technical expertise. Teach everyone PDCA so that they can improve. Then teach them to work together, until you have a great team of great people.

12.Procurement. Get the supplies and resources you need. If your project involves contracts, be sure to keep the contracts in alignment with project value and specifications, not just generally associated with goals and work.

13.Communications. Have a communications plan, and follow it so that you are in touch with all stakeholders throughout the project. Make sure everyone knows what they need to know to make decisions and get work done. Analyze status information to create status reports. Be prompt and decisive.

14.Integration. Constantly direct corrective action. Evaluate all events that could change the project schedule, and all scope change requests. Review the effects of any change on all nine areas before making a decision, and then implement a revised plan with rebaselining.

Keep the project on track with stages and gates:



15.Use a life cycle. At a minimum, put a gate at the beginning to clearly launch the project, and then a gate after planning, a gate after doing, and a gate after following through.

16.Every gate is a real evaluation. Bring every deliverable—parts of the product, product documentation, technical documents, the project plan and supporting documents—up to specification. If a project can’t deliver value, be willing to cancel it.

Use feedback with your team and focus on scope and quality in the doing stage:



17.Use feedback at all four levels. Teach workers to stay in lane and on schedule; ensure delivery of milestones; manage project risk; and manage project change. Watch out for continuing problems that indicate a serious planning error, such as lack of attention to one of the nine areas or a poor architectural decision.

18.Focus on scope and quality. Get it all done, and get each piece done right.

Follow through to success:



19.Deliver customer delight. Seek to exceed customer expectations while leaving customers delighted with every encounter with your team. Use every success and every error as a chance to learn to do a better job.

20.Remember ROI and lessons learned. Compare actual ROI to planned ROI, so you can be honest about the degree of your success. Compile project historical information and lessons learned to make future projects easier.

Five Ways to Project Disaster



Success is a matter of moving ahead and steering clear of failure. Here are five fast tracks to failure, so that you can avoid them.



Five ways to get it done wrong, or not at all!



1.Scope-less is hopeless. Don’t decide what you are doing—just throw money at a problem.

2.Focus on time and cost, not quality. Get it done yesterday. Never let anyone spend money. Don’t waste time checking anything—just get it done.

3.Know the right thing to do. Don’t analyze problems. Don’t listen to experts. And—absolutely, above all, whatever you do—be sure to ignore the customer. You wouldn’t launch a project if you didn’t know everything, and what does anyone else know?

4.Don’t thank the team, push them harder. Don’t waste time with planning, People ought to know what to do. Just tell the team to get it done now—or else.

5.Avoid big problems. All of our projects fail. And we’ve got no time for them, either—we’re too busy putting out fires.

Excerpted from Entrepreneur Magazine's Ultimate Guide to Project Management: Get It Done Right! by Sid Kemp. Copyright 2005, Entrepreneur Press, all rights reserved

http://www.businessknowhow.com/manage/project-management.htm

11 Project Management Tips for Setting and Managing Expectations

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Project Management Definition and Solutions

17 Steps to Implement a Public Sector Big Data Project11 Ways to Improve Your IT Team's Productivityon IDG Answers

What can Project Tango be used for? Project management experts discuss the best ways to set, manage and adjust expectations to ensure that projects don't veer off course -- and they suggest what steps project managers should take if they do. By Jennifer Lonoff Schiff

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Feb 17, 2014 7:00 AM PT

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Project Management IT Organization Process Improvement Business Analyst Methodology and Frameworks PMO Project Manager Keeping projects on track -- especially in the face of constant change requests and additions -- is a project manager's greatest challenge. And when project managers don't properly set expectations from the start -- with senior management, the client or their team -- and don't have a strategy in place for dealing with scope creep or last-minute requests or changes, deadlines can suffer.

So how can project managers ensure that everyone shares the same goals and expectations? CIO.com asked dozens of IT executives, project managers and project management experts to find out. Check out their top 11 suggestions on how to successfully set, manage and adjust expectations to ensure deadlines are met and tempers don't flare.

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Project Management Definition and Solutions

17 Steps to Implement a Public Sector Big Data Project11 Ways to Improve Your IT Team's Productivityon IDG Answers

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[Related: 23 Signs Your Cloud Project May Be in Trouble]

Get involved early (during the planning process). "Expectations, especially for IT projects, tend to get set by senior management without consideration to the details it takes to deliver," says Diane C. Buckley-Altwies, CEO, Core Performance Concepts, a provider of project management courseware and training.

Therefore, it is critical to "take the appropriate amount of time to work with senior management during the planning process to define key measureable objectives that everyone can agree [upon]," Buckley-Altwies says. That way, "when issues arise, the project manager [can] always come back to those objectives and ask management if the issue affects [his] ability to deliver on the objectives."



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"If possible, be part of the sales process so that you know what is expected and discussed from the very beginning," says Abie McCauley, digital project manager, Nebo Agency, a web design and interactive marketing firm. "The more you know about the goals of the project, the better you can guide your team to success."

Involve all stakeholders, especially IT. "Whenever I have a project that is clearly IT heavy, I bring all the [IT] guys in the room, from the CIO to a junior programmer, to make sure everyone has input on the timelines and expectations," says Richard Bexon, COO, Namu Travel Group. "This way the guys laying the code or installing a new server 100 percent understand what the project is about and have buy-in."

[Related: Why Are So Many IT Projects Failing?]

Have a clear project scope with sign-off -- and set priorities. "Making sure that you have a very clear scope when starting a project is essential, as people will always try to creep things into the scope," says Bexon.

"Scope containment is the Achilles heel to project management," says Bill Gaffney, corporate development, Applied Robotics. "Even minor changes can accumulate and cause scope creep," he says.

To avoid or at least manage scope creep, "the scope of the project and the strategy(s) to accomplish that scope/strategy must be clearly defined," he says. Similarly, "the potential risks and mitigation actions must be identified and addressed. [And] changes from the baseline plan must be rigorously evaluated for impact to schedule and cost, no matter how insignificant they may appear at the time."

In addition, "ensure that all projects and enhancements are assigned an LOE, ROI and priority level," says Samira Mahjoub Tapia, cofounder and head of product at Chippmunk, a savings search engine. And make sure all members of the team understand the priorities.

"Having the team review this list weekly forces us to keep our focus and ensures that precious development time isn't spent on projects that don't move [us] forward towards our goals," Mahjoub Tapia says. "It also allows the dev team to see upcoming projects and feel like empowered members of the team."

Be realistic. "From the very early days of a project, it is critical to set realistic completion dates [to] ensure accurate forecasting," says Hernan Clarke, CEO, 4Sight Technologies, a company that specializes in developing and supporting software for project management.

"Meeting deadlines and keeping projects on time and on budget requires commitment from all parties involved. This means a representative from the client, management and project team should always be involved in the process of setting expectations and target completion dates to ensure agreement and buy-in from every perspective," Clarke says.

Make sure everyone (including senior management) understands his or her role and responsibilities. "Set realistic expectations with everyone from the very beginning about what their roles and jobs are for the project," says McCauley. "Make sure each team member has a clear vision of how they fit in the overall success of the project, so that they understand how all the many aspects tie together."

[Related: 15 Ways to Screw Up an IT Project]

"PMs must be clear about the time and activity they will require of team members and executives," says Robert Kelly, managing partner, Kelly Projects Solutions. "This may be even more important with respect to executives as their calendars often fill up weeks in advance. Everyone must know exactly what meetings will be held, when and the purpose of those meetings."

Above all, make sure everyone has a good "understanding [of] goals, timelines, KPI's, etc.," says Eugene Slobodetsky, project manager, Lyons Consulting Group. "Managing expectations is important, and in order to do that, there needs to be agreement across all parties on what the expectations are." Ask yourself, "What are the goals of the engagement, the expected (and realistic) timelines and measures for success? Many times, the mistake is in not communicating these clearly, and having both sides 'singing to a different tune,'" he says.

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Make sure team members communicate with each other. "Assumptions can kill your team, work and deadlines," says Jim Shulkin, vice president of marketing at Daptiv, which develops project portfolio management (PPM) software.

"Developing a communication plan that errs on the side of over-communication [is] critical to the success of projects and work objectives," Shulkin says. A successful communications plan "usually outlines scope of work, owners of each task, deadline against each task and status updates," and who to notify when issues arise.

[Related: 13 Tips for Keeping IT Projects Under Control]

Try to identify potential pain points. "There are a lot of variables going into every design project and even with infinite preparation, every aspect still wouldn't be known," explains Dan Bodenstein COO, Boulder Engineering Studio. "Being clear about this upfront sets an expectation for the unknown. However, trying to identify points along the development cycle where surprises are likely at the outset helps relations with the client, positions them to respond quickly and can keep projects closer to schedule."

Set up calendar reminders for milestones. To keep projects and team members on track, "set up calendar notifications, alerting the team when steps should be completed and due dates," says Alexis Chrzanowski, account executive, Sales & Marketing, Innovative Facility Solutions. "Setting up these notifications keeps everyone's mind in the right place and right stage of [the] project.

Have an escalation strategy. "Nothing ever goes exactly to plan," says Joseph Czarnecki, vice president, Product and Sales Support, IPS Learning. "To keep expectations [in] check, work with management to develop clear guidance on what needs escalating and what does not need escalating because not everything will," he says. "Then discuss that guidance with your team regarding what and when issues need to be escalated and how to escalate, giv[ing] your team the accountability (and responsibility) to solve what they can at their level."

Hold regular status meetings -- and set up reminders to ensure everyone attends. "We have regular client bi-weekly reviews either via a conference call or a face-to-face meeting," says Paula Tompkins, founder and CEO of ChannelNet, which delivers digital customer acquisition, retention and conquest services.

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For these meetings to be productive, however, "it's important to be open, honest and inclusive," she says. "Direct communication between all concerned parties is the best and most efficient way to deliver a quality project, based on our 29 years of experience," Tompkins says.

"We make sure that we have daily scrum meetings [Agile] with all stakeholders so that everyone knows where everyone is," says Bexon. "This allows us to communicate and overcome any roadblocks or issues that exist and to work as a team."

Don't be afraid to communicate bad news -- and adjust expectations. "If anything happens that will affect the deadline of your project, let all stakeholders know immediately," says Mike Vitale, CTO at TalkPoint, which specializes in browser-based audio and video webcasting. "Nothing good ever comes from trying to hide a problem. Always be clear and concise when communicating issues, and get to the point quickly."

"All projects will have roadblocks," says Clarke. The key is "to disclose the problems promptly and as honestly as possible," he says. "More often than not, the client and management will appreciate being brought into the loop earlier rather than later."

And when presenting bad news, be sure to also present options for dealing with roadblocks to minimize delays and frustration.

Jennifer Lonoff Schiff is a technology writer and a regular contributor to CIO.com. She also runs a marketing communications firm.

Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline, Facebook, Google + and LinkedIn.

http://www.cio.com/article/2378680/project-management/11-project-management-tips-for-setting-and-managing-expectations.html

Project Management Tips
http://pmtips.net/

10 Tips for Project Management Success


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By University Alliance TweetShare on reddit

When it comes to project management, there are many challenges to keep each project on track and within budget. There are several factors to consider, as well as internal and external elements that may cause a project to derail. However, by taking a few precautions and having an excellent plan in place, you can lead your project to success. Here are 10 project management tips and tricks to help ensure your project will move along smoothly:



Tip 1: Nail Down Project Details

Before you ever start the project, make sure that it is based on a solid foundation and that you have the buy-in from all key stakeholders. Understand their interests and expectations and be aware of how they will determine whether or not the project is successful. You will also need to ensure that the project scope is distinctly identified, including the roles and responsibilities of the various project team members. Develop the project plan and verify that the goals of the key elements are clearly defined and closely aligned. You should also establish measurable and trackable success criteria, including accomplishing tasks on schedule, achieving budget targets, confirming product functionality is satisfactory to the customer, and ensuring government and/or industry regulations are met. Take care of all the details to lay the groundwork for your project’s success.



Tip 2: Identify Project and Team Requirements

Once you have a strong plan in place, you can start implementing it by assembling an effective project team. As noted in an article released by ITToolkit.com, “The project team is a working unit of individual parts, sharing a common goal, achieved through the structured application of combined skills.” The article also states that, “The first step to team success begins with initial organization: to assemble and organize available resources capable of working together as a whole through the integration of individual skills, talents, and personalities.” As a project manager, you’ll need to align those skills, talents and personalities with the appropriate project needs. Make sure that each individual working on the project is clear about their task and what they are providing upon completion.



Tip 3: Be the Project Leader

A key role in project management is the project leader. In this position, you will need to cultivate good and positive team dynamics and act as a coach and/or mentor to all team members. You will also be the leader when it comes to getting input from the project team and major stakeholders, as well as getting their buy-in. As a project leader, you are essentially the captain of the ship. That means you will need to ascertain the rough waters that may be ahead. In addition, you will need to inspire your team to follow you through the turbulent times, as well as the calm times. If you don’t have effective leadership skills, you may not be able to prevail over the challenges facing your project. Take the helm and lead your team to success.



Tip 4: Define Critical Project Milestones

Identify defining moments throughout the project. You can provide a life cycle of the project by including the four main phases: initiation, planning, execution, and closure. Perform a real evaluation at the end of each phase. Make sure to examine every deliverable. From parts of the product to the technical documents to the project plan, you will need all of the elements involved to ensure the product is meeting the project specifications. The product needs to be aligned with the quality your customers are expecting. These milestones will not only help you to eliminate project risk and monitor project change, but will also alert you to any continuing problems and ensure that each piece is correctly completed.



Tip 5: Keep the Communication Lines Open

One of the most critical steps in the project management process is to ensure that the communication lines are open. As the project manager, you will need to be the operator of this communications system. Keep a communications plan and stick with it. Throughout the entire project, communication should be consistent, open, honest and clear. Make sure you keep in touch with all key stakeholders and team members during the project process. Ensure that everyone has the information necessary to make decisions and proceed with the project. You can also keep everyone on the same page by creating status reports based upon the project information and updates.



Tip 6: Attain Pertinent Documentation

From the initiation of the project to the milestones along the way, you should have documentation signed by the stakeholders. A recent ConnectITNews.com article recommended to “Make sure all documentation is in-line with your project management methodology of choice to ensure your project team is covered in terms of deliverables, and expectations.” Even with the best project management processes in place, it is not often that a project is completed on time and within budget, so you will need to have the appropriate documentation ready for the stakeholders and plan for any unforeseen events. However, you don’t want to overcomplicate the project management process with too much documentation that doesn’t add value to the project.



Tip 7: Manage Project Risks

There can be a risk at any time during the project. Your project management experience with similar projects can help guide you so that you may be able to foresee when risk is imminent and when corrective action needs to be taken. By having open communication, you should be able to understand what, if any, risks are approaching and manage them before they get out of hand. You will need to identify and control project risks before they control you. Since a risk is only a potential problem, you want to take care of it before it becomes an actual problem. As one of the most imperative best practices in the project management process, risk management is essential to project success.



Tip 8: Avoid Scope Creep

Managing scope creep in project management is another essential element to project success. Although some change is inevitable in any project situation, you will want to keep your project from creeping into chaos. In general, scope creep happens when new elements are added to a project that’s already been approved, but no consideration is given to increasing the budget, adding more time to the schedule and/or adding more resources to compensate for the revised project. If the project’s scope does need to be revisited, you can participate in the rescoping process. Make sure to have the proper documentation and have all stakeholders sign off on these changes before proceeding.



Tip 9: Test Deliverables

Deliverables should be tested at every critical milestone and the final product must meet the project requirements. Before moving on to the next phase of the project, you need to be sure that the product is coming along as planned. An ITToolkit.com article states that, “As a project evolves, various types of deliverables are produced to support project continuation, to measure progress, and to validate plans and assumptions … Results are expected and must be delivered at every stage of the project lifecycle.” At the end of the project, the deliverable must meet or exceed the customer expectations to be considered a success. The final phase of the project is closure. This grand finale is a sign of achievement for you as a project manager, as well as the rest of your team and stakeholders. Once the project is complete and the customer is happy, your mission is complete.



Tip 10: Evaluate the Project

What lessons have you learned along your project management process? Each project can be a valuable learning tool. You will want to review the project as a whole, as well as analyze various project components. What were the project victories? Where were there project disappointments? Make informed conclusions about the project’s quality and the product’s performance. Compare the planned return on investment (ROI) to the actual ROI as one way to understand the level of your success. You can use the lessons learned from each project to minimize future failures and maximize future successes.



How Can You Have a Successful Project Management Career?

Gain critical knowledge to lead successful projects with Villanova University’s online Project Management certificate programs. Ranked the #1 university by U.S. News & World Report in the Master’s category/North region for nearly two decades, Villanova University empowers professionals with essential skills and in-depth knowledge through convenient, video-based e-learning. Whether you’re looking to become a project management expert or want to prepare for industry-recognized certification, Villanova University’s 100% online project management certificate programs are ideal for you.

http://www.villanovau.com/resources/project-management/project-management-tips/

Six Time Management Tips for Project Managers


Get the PDF VersionBy Duncan Haughey, PMP



To be a successful project manager you must be able to manage your time well. The best project managers ensure they are productive for most of their time and avoid time-wasters at all costs. Here are some tips that can help you manage your time more effectively.



Create the Plan

What does this have to do with time management I hear you ask? Well, if everyone knows what they are doing and have a plan with regular milestones to focus on, you as project manager will spend a lot less time dealing with issues brought about through a lack of clarity.



Remember the 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule (or the Pareto Principle) is the idea that by doing 20% of the work you can produce 80% of the benefit of doing the whole job.



The value of this for a project manager is that it reminds you to focus on the 20 per cent of activities that matter. Of the activities you do during your project, only 20 per cent are important. Those 20 per cent produce 80 per cent of your results. Identify and focus on those activities.



Not Just Status Updates

It's best to avoid team meetings where you go round the room asking each person to give a status update. These meetings have little value and waste time. Instead, spend that time focusing on risks, issues and opportunities. Use the team to brainstorm solutions and create ideas.



Team meetings should have an agreed agenda that you stick to. If you schedule an hour for the meeting, make sure it lasts for an hour and no longer.



Take big issues off-line if they are likely to cause a meeting overrun. Don't make everyone sit through lengthy technical discussions that don't involve them. Setup a working group to focus on the issues and report to the team at a future meeting.



Stop Micro Managing

Avoid delving into the detail of the work. With software development projects, it's not necessary for the project manager to get involved at code level, leave this to the developers. You've selected the right team for the job. Let them get on with what they are best at, while you concentrate on steering the project to a successful conclusion.



Don't do the Work

Many project managers make the mistake of getting involved in "doing the work." Avoid this at all costs. Managing projects is a full-time job and taking your eye off the ball (even for a short period) can lead to problems. It may be tempting to carryout a few tasks when a deadline is looming, but leave this to others while you get on with managing the project.



Create a To-do List

E-mail fixation is a modern-day problem that can distract you from doing the tasks you need or plan to. Creating a daily to-do list keeps you focused on achieving your objectives. Scratching tasks from your list creates a real sense of achievement and drives further activity.



Summary

Time management is a basic skill for project managers. If you can't manage your own time, how can you expect to manage your teams? Ask each day what you did to move the project forward. Plan your next day, what will you do to ensure your project continues along the straight and narrow. Plan your time, manage your resources with a light touch and communicate effectively. With a little time management, project success should come easier.



We welcome constructive comments and approve any that meet our guidelines. It means providing helpful information that contributes to an article or discussion.

http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/six-time-management-tips-for-project-managers.php

11 Project Management Tips According To the World’s Leading Digital Project Managers


Stef Gonzaga

August 20th, 2014

by Stef Gonzaga on August 20, 2014

Ever wished you had a PM mentor watching over your shoulder as you work to get through the day with your projects in one piece?



We know how you feel. The stakes are high, there’s work to be done, and people are depending on you to lead them to on-budget-on-time victory.



Luckily, we ambushed 11 of the world’s leading digital project managers to get the scoop on their best project management tips to help you manage, lead, and successfully complete your projects.



Thankfully, they were more than happy to share with us their #1 project management tip that has made all the difference in their work and, essentially, their lives as well.



Take it away, guys!



1. Set expectations and never abandon them.

Setting and managing expectations is one of the most difficult things a project manager has to do as a part of the role. Many PMs start projects with several unknowns about goals, budgets, timelines, and most of all level of effort.



When you’re setting communications expectations with your team, it’s a good idea to also cover scope, timelines, and any other details that may play into how you will make a project successful. And, when you’re working with a client, it’s good to set the same expectations early on.



Between deadlines, check in on the upcoming document or delivery and chat with the team about what each will entail. Are your deliverables changing based on previous work? Will that impact the scope and the timeline? Explain the benefits of check-ins and how their constructive, helpful feedback will make the end deliverable stronger. Remember when it comes to setting expectations, there is nothing wrong with repeating yourself as long as your repetition is meaningful and timed just right!



— Brett Harned, Vice President of Project Management at Happy Cog and the organizer of Digital PM Summit.



2. When in doubt, pick up the phone.

Most agency digital project managers have a client-facing role, even if their team also has dedicated account managers.



While the discipline of project management can live in Gantt charts, budget spreadsheets, scope documentation, and bug tickets, the best digital PMs realize that great communication and properly setting client expectations early will result in far more success than building spreadsheets or negotiating around the details of a statement of work when concerns arise.



Too many project managers tend to hide behind email when client concerns arise, resulting in misconstrued intent and even bigger escalations. Instead, take a deep breath, pick up the phone or hop on a video chat, and have a more personal, honest conversation. Better yet, meet face to face, which allows for interpretation of non-verbal communication cues and underlying emotions!



— Adam Edgerton, Director of Operations at Metal Toad Media



3. Always be honest.

As Digital Project Managers (DPMs) we’re always positioned between absolutely everyone: clients, bosses, teams, other DPMs and just about anyone else you can think of. This means we have to master managing multiple relationships and always have to be aware of everyone’s feelings and expectations, plus be respected enough so that everyone listens to what we have to say. What a career we’ve chosen!



In all my time managing digital projects and the people involved, ‘always be honest’ has been my golden rule and it’s been the most effective technique when managing people of all rank and types.



Being honest when most others would not be always surprises people. It’s not easy and takes courage, but to this day I’ve not experienced a single negative effect from it in the long-run. People are at first shocked, some are then not happy because you’re usually being honest about bad news, but then it all changes. Once the bad new ‘sting’ effect has subsided, people accept the truth and then they appreciate the fact that you had the guts to tell them straight up when others would have either lied or sugar coated it.



Always being honest shows people that you have integrity and it also demonstrates that they can trust you, and that is one of the most important factors for developing a positive working relationship with people.



— Sam Barnes, Development Team Manager at Global Personals



4. Put your team first.

As a PM, it’s easy to get caught up in client demands, scheduled milestones, and product delivery. That is, at it’s core, why our companies hired us: to deliver. However, the delivery of any project will be harder, more painful, and more exhausting if you don’t think about the team that makes this delivery possible.



My Kickass PM co-founder, Dina Fitzpatrick, recently said “Saying yes to your clients is like saying no to your team.” (copyright, trademark, patent pending.) The more you resist or negotiate outrageous demands, two things will happen. 1) Your clients will see that you (and your team) have your limits, and 2) The team will see that you have their back. Then the next time that you can’t negotiate a client need, your team will remember that time that you went to bat for them and take pity on you.



— Christine Holcombe, Project Manager at Design for Use



5. Remember that everyone’s work style is different.

At work your co-workers are like family. Most of the time you don’t get to choose who you work with and it’s clear that you each have your own quirks. As Digital Project Managers we are going to encounter a melting pot of work styles they do not always play well together in the sandbox. This means we need to adapt how we communicate to eliminate miscommunication, friction and even conflict among the team and align everyone together as one united front.



Every person brings different assets to the table, and taking advantage of their complementary strengths is necessary for success.



— Tera Simon, Head of Client Experience at Atlantic BT



6. Teach people how you want to be treated as a project manager.

Whether we are project managers or treat project management as “just another hat,” we teach others how to react. We set the pace of our projects, we determine whether or not our clients and teams will trust or lose faith in us, we teach them the dotted lines of expectations and the safety of roles.



Managing projects is just as much about being a scientist or improv artist as it is being a scheduler or bookie. It’s just as much about tending wounds as a doctor as it is managing resources and scope like a strategist. Like kids, we start our jobs by learning all the rules. As we become more experienced, we learn how to break them. We teach others that it is better to have tough conversations up front with a teammate or client than it is to send an email three weeks later. We teach that it’s more important to ask twice and get it right than it is to get it right the first time. Mistakes are okay. Not having all the answers is just part of the process.



When we teach others how to treat us, they realize that we’re more than what we seem; they can let go of the reigns and know we’ll get them to the finish line.



— Rachel Gertz, Lover of PMs and Co-Owner of Louder Than Ten



7. Hug your client.

OK, maybe you don’t actually need to physically embrace them, but at least pull them a little closer in terms of how you work on your projects. Truly make them a part of your team — and not just in a “we-collaborate-with-clients”-lip-service sort of way. This isn’t merely a philosophical exercise; it’s a very practical thing that affects every interaction and each decision you make on your project.



Small example: I recently had a situation where a server upgrade meant an old script stopped working properly. Should we make that fix for free? Surely we can’t be held responsible for things like this until the end of time. Should the client pay for it? It’s not really their fault, and perhaps we should’ve written our code in a more future-proof way. In the end, we felt like the right thing to do was to split the costs with them, which they were also happy with. All partnery-like.



When you apply this kind of thinking across the board, it means more open communication, joint decision making, and mutual concern for each others’ best interests. And this translates directly to good stuff such as elimination of “big reveals,” way fewer difficult conversations, and better overall results.



Bottom line: when we all have the same goals, success for our clients means success for us and vice-versa.



— Carson Pierce, Project Management Consultant, PMP, CSM



8. Un-requirements Gathering

Early on in my career, I wanted to make the requirements gathering process as painless as possible for stakeholders.That being said, we all know that avoiding difficult questions early on doesn’t make them go away; they always come back later and are much more painful to resolve at that point.



Assumptions are the silent killer to any project plan. Getting a stakeholder to say “No.” to a potential requirement is as important as a “Yes!” to a critical one. Pay attention to what your stakeholders say but also to what they are not saying. Explore all the options with your project team and then create a list as to what you are doing and what you are not doing. Include those lists in every important piece of documentation. This will help you define a complete structure to your project plan.



Once the entire team and stakeholders agree to the constraints of the project, it will be a smoother ride for everyone. Focus on being a project sherpa, not a task jockey.



— Kurt Schmidt, Director of Project Management at The Nerdery



9. You ARE an expert. Trust your gut!

Speak up. Whether it’s related to time estimates for your designers’ and developers’ tasks, a clients’ needs and perspectives, or requirements, there is a good chance that you as a project manager have a valuable perspective the experts on your team do not.



As project managers, we are required to have a broad range of knowledge across all disciplines in our field. Though our expertise in each discipline may not be as extensive as the practitioners, we need to trust our instincts on a project. We have the broad view. We are at the helm of both the client and team relationships, and it is our responsibility to stay ahead of anything that can negatively impact either.



On a recent project, for example, during our team’s internal design reviews I would think, “You know, I think the client might not like that aspect of this design…nah, it looks good to the design team, I think it will be fine.” Then, in our reviews with the client, our contact would point out the exact issue I’d internally identified as a potential point of contention. After a couple rounds of review, it struck me that I simply needed to trust my instincts and speak up in internal reviews. Even if we decided not to change the design, the team had at least had the opportunity to think through why it made that particular design decision and was prepared to engage in informative discussion with the client.



You are a project manager for a reason. You are good at reading situations, good at interpreting from one team to another, and good at deduction. Trust your gut!



— Abby Fretz, Project Manager at Happy Cog



10. Communicate more than you think you have to.

People need to hear an idea several times before they start to believe it. It helps to have the same message in a variety of formats and delivered by different people, and it’s a massive help to have people in senior positions like their boss and the project sponsor give the message as well as you.



With so much business communication these days, people do filter things out and skim read newsletters. Even though you think you’ve told your stakeholders about the project, they probably don’t know as much about it as you think they should – which is understandable as they don’t ‘live’ it in the same way that you, as the project manager, does. So make sure that your project communication plans include enough time to repeat your message without becoming annoying.



— Elizabeth Harrin, Director of The Otobos Group and Founder of A Girl’s Guide to Project Management



11. Work smarter and not harder.

When I led a global PMO for a major organisation with over 100 project managers I noticed a significant fact. About half of the project managers were reasonably successful in delivering their projects (we weren’t perfect but we did do a pretty good job) and they were working, on average, a normal working week – 40 hours or so. Now projects are not flat in their time demands and so there were periods of peak activity and there were quieter periods but on average a normal working pattern.



Now the other half of the project managers were working significantly longer hours and guess what, they were being no more effective or successful.



Looking in to this in more detail it became apparent that the cause of this was something that I recognised from my early days in project management, lack of focus in the right areas and becoming involved in too much of the detail. The risk to new project managers is that they lack the trust to delegate to the project team, that they involve themselves in too much communication, and that they make themselves a bottleneck for decision making.



Work smarter and not harder. It is what I refer to as “productive laziness” or the intelligent application of your time and effort to deliver the best results, of the right project management approach for the greater good of the project and the project manager.



— Peter Taylor, Project Management Speaker, Trainer, Consultant, Coach and Author at The Lazy Project Manager



A huge thanks to our digital project managers for sharing their knowledge, stories, and experiences with us!

http://teamgantt.com/blog/2014/08/20/11-project-management-tips-according-to-the-worlds-leading-digital-project-managers/

Ten Tips for Being a Better Project Manager


Successful project management depends not only on what you do, but also on how you do it. A project manager's attitudes and behaviors toward people affect how they respond to that person. The ten tips here can help you win people’s support. So why not give it a little of your attention?



•Be a “why” person: Look for the reasons behind requests and actions. Understanding why helps you make sure you respond appropriately to team members, upper managers, and all other project audiences (which, in turn, increases people’s motivation and buy in)



First, look to understand the reasons behind other people’s requests and actions; then share your findings with other people.

•Be a “can do” person: Look at all problems as challenges, and do everything you can to find ways to overcome them. Be creative, flexible, and tenacious. Keep working at the problem until you solve it.



•Think about the big picture: Keep events in perspective. Understand where you want to go and how your plan will get you there. Recognize the effect your actions have on current and future efforts. Share your vision with other people.



•Think in detail: Be thorough. If you don’t think through your project’s issues, who will? The more clearly you describe your intended results, the more easily people can recognize the benefits associated with your project. And the more clearly you define your intended work, the more often people will ask important and insightful questions — and believe that they can perform the work successfully.



Clarity leads to increased personal motivation and reduced chances of mistakes.



•Assume cautiously: Take the time to find out the facts; use assumptions only as a last resort. With every assumption comes a risk that you’re wrong. The fewer assumptions you make, the more confidence you can have in your plan.



•View people as allies, not adversaries: Focus on common goals, not individual agendas. Making people feel comfortable encourages brainstorming, creative thinking, and the willingness to try new ideas — all of which are essential to managing a successful project. But viewing and treating people as adversaries can put them on the defensive and encourage them to become enemies.



•Say what you mean, and mean what you say: Tell people what you want them to know, what you want them to do, and what you’ll do for them. Don’t leave these details up to their imaginations. You may think that being vague gives you more leeway, but, in reality, being vague just increases the chances for misunderstandings and mistakes.



•Respect other people: Focus on people’s strengths rather than their weaknesses. In each person on your team, find a quality that you can respect. People work harder and enjoy their work more when they’re around others who appreciate them and their efforts.



•Acknowledge good performance: When someone does something good, tell the person, tell the person’s boss, tell other team members, and tell the person’s peers that you appreciate the effort and its results. Recognizing good performance confirms to a person the accuracy and value of his work; your praise tells a person that you appreciate his efforts, which motivates him to work with you and other team members on future projects.



When acknowledging a person’s performance, mention the quality of the results he accomplished as well as the effort he invested. Be specific — tell the person exactly what he did or produced that you appreciate. Be sure to provide your feedback promptly — don’t wait weeks or months before recognizing someone for his hard work.

•Be a manager and a leader: Attend to people as well as to information, processes, and systems. Create and share your vision and excitement with your team members, but don’t forget to share a sense of order and efficiency, too. Encourage people to strive for outstanding results, and provide the guidance and support to help them achieve those results.

 http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/ten-tips-for-being-a-better-project-manager.html

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Project Management Tips: 9 Ways to Get Things DoneApril 18, 2014 by Nick Gibson


Project management is rarely an easy task. Whether you’re designing new software or building the next great consumer electronics device, making sure your project is completed on time and to your desired quality level can be an incredibly challenging job.



Thankfully, modern project management software and collaboration tools make it easier than ever to successfully complete detailed projects. In this guide, we cover the nine most effective project management tips for completing projects on time.

Are you new to project management? Transitioning from an individual role into a leadership position is difficult for many. Enroll in our Introduction to Management course to learn the fundamentals of becoming an effective, inspiring manager.



Prepare a detailed, actionable plan before you start

Without a detailed, actionable plan, even the most qualified and experienced team is unlikely to meet its deadlines. Before you even start your project, you need to create a detailed plan that breaks your project down into smaller milestones.



A good project plan should clearly identify the scope of the project, lay down each of your team member’s responsibilities, and include measurable goals that you can use to determine how much progress is being made on your project.



The two key words here are actionable and measurable. Vague goals have no place in a project development plan. Instead, you need to focus on creating goals that you can measure using a binary yes-or-no approach to track your progress.



Do you need help creating actionable, measurable milestones for your project? Our course, The Basics of Project Planning, is designed for beginner managers that want to learn how to break down their projects and achieve their goals.



Break large elements down into small, achievable goals

Every successful project is broken down into small, achievable milestones. You may want to break down your project even further than this – into small, daily tasks – to more accurately track how much progress is made on a daily or weekly basis.



This is a particularly important aspect of technical project development, especially for software and web applications where small additions make a huge difference to the level of progress being made on the project.



If you’re outsourcing various aspect of your project, the importance of setting small, day-to-day goals becomes even greater. Enroll in our Business Process Outsourcing course to learn more about how to become a great outsourced project manager.



Focus on achieving one project milestone at a time

When you’re completing a large project, it’s easy to get ahead of yourself. Success in the early stages of a project can make you optimistic and inspire your team to move on to later aspects of the project before the fundamentals are completed.



In order to keep your team focused and driven, it’s vital that you approach a project on a milestone-by-milestone basis. Develop the backend of your software before the frontend, or the kitchen of your restaurant before you worry about the seating.



Being able to make progress on small goals while remaining focused on the greater picture is one of the most important skills in project management. Learn about the importance of big picture thinking in our course, Project Management Training.



Use project management software to keep track of things

It’s difficult to manage your projects without a centralized source of information for your team to access. Modern project management software like Basecamp or Trello makes it easier for your team to remain connected while working on your project.



Although web applications like Trello look simple, they can be used to manage an incredible range of projects. From web development to construction, using online project management software effectively can give you a huge advantage.



Have you never used online project management software? Our course, Project Management, teaches you how to use Trello – one of the most powerful online project management tools – to keep track of progress on your projects.



Be flexible, but don’t allow scope creep to delay your project

Scope creep is the bane of every great project manager. Also known as feature creep, the term scope creep refers to the growth of a project’s scale through the addition of new features and functions that weren’t in the original project plan.



Since you’ve probably determined your budget based on your original plan, even a small amount of scope creep can result in issues with project completion. A feature that wasn’t originally budgeted for can increase the cost of your project.



In order to combat scope creep, it’s important to be flexible when creating a budget for your project. You should also clearly define your expectations and objectives in advance to prevent new ideas from changing your milestones during your project.



Test each deliverable as it’s ready to find and fix problems

When you rush through a project, it’s easy to fail to notice mistakes until it’s too late – or too expensive – to fix them. This is particularly true in web development, where a small mistake can cost far more to fix after release than to fix prior to release.



Every deliverable in your project, no matter how small it may be, should be tested prior to release. This often means carrying out detailed alpha and beta testing as a method of finding bugs and glitches in your software, or issues with your product.



Are you developing new software? Effective pre-release testing can be the difference between success and failure. Our course, The Basics of Software Testing, guides you through the process of carrying out detailed tests to debug software prior to launch.



Remain in communication with the team you’re managing

The key to effective project management is communication. Unless you know what your team is working on and how this brings you closer to your milestones, you’re unlikely to finish your project on time and within your budget.



Are you completing your project online using a virtual team? Our course, Managing and Influencing Virtual Teams, shows you how to effectively manage employees and team members over the Internet, no matter where they’re located.



Ask for feedback from your team when you’re uncertain

It’s hard to be an expert in every aspect of your project. Software development, for example, can often require a diverse team with knowledge of design, development, product distribution, marketing, and more.



Because of this, you might feel uncertain about aspects of your project, from code to pricing. Smooth out your uncertainties by asking your team for targeted feedback in order to learn more about how each part of your project relates to the others.



Set realistic, achievable deadlines to encourage your team

Without deadlines, it’s easy for your project to bog down and end up in development hell. In contrast, setting deadlines that are too strict can compromise your project’s quality and result in a rushed, ineffective, and poorly received final product.



In order to create accurate deadlines, it’s important to communicate with each part of your team and understand their role in the project. One aspect of a project could require more time than another, resulting in expanded or modified deadlines.



One of the most important aspects of achieving deadlines is motivating your team to work together on important milestones. Our course, Effective Time Management for Professionals, offers detailed advice on achieving key milestones on time.



Are you ready to start your project?

Becoming a great project management takes time and experience, and transitioning from an individual role into a leadership role is always challenging. Using the tips in this guide, you can smooth the process and take an active role in your next project.



Would you like to learn more about project management? Our blog post on running projects efficiently offers more helpful tips and actionable tactics for succeeding as a project manager.

https://blog.udemy.com/project-management-tips/

project managementproject management, tools, process, plans and project planning tipsHere are rules, processes and tools for project planning and project management.


Large or complex projects in big organizations often require some sort of executive 'sponsorship' or leadership. This is commonly termed 'project sponsorship' (see the separate section about project sponsorship).

While project management skills are obviously important for project managers, interestingly the methods and tools that project managers use can be helpful for everyone.

A 'task' does not necessarily have to be called a 'project' in order for project management methods to be very useful in its planning and implementation. Even the smallest task can benefit from the use of a well-chosen project management technique or tool, especially in the planning stage.

Any task that requires some preparation to achieve a successful outcome, will probably be done better by using a few project management methods somewhere in the process. Project management methods can help in the planning and managing of all sorts of tasks, especially complex activities.

Project management is chiefly associated with planning and managing change in an organization, but a project can also be something unrelated to business - even a domestic situation, such as moving house, or planning a wedding.

Project management methods and tools can therefore be useful far more widely than people assume.

Project management techniques and project planning tools are useful for any tasks in which different outcomes are possible - where risks of problems and failures exist - and so require planning and assessing options, and organizing activities and resources to deliver a successful result.

Projects can be various shapes and sizes, from the small and straightforward to extremely large and highly complex.

In organizations and businesses, project management can be concerned with anything, particularly introducing or changing things, in any area or function, for example:

•people, staffing and management

•products and services

•materials, manufacturing and production

•IT and communications

•plant, vehicles, equipment

•storage, distribution, logistics

•buildings and premises

•finance, administration, acquisition and divestment

•purchasing

•sales, selling, marketing

•human resources development and training

•customer service and relations

•quality, health and safety,

•legal and professional

•technical, scientific, research and development

•new business development

•and anything else which needs planning and managing within organizations.

Successful project management, for projects large or small, tends to follow the process outlined below.

The same principles, used selectively and appropriately, also apply to smaller tasks.

Project management techniques are not just for project managers - they are available for anyone to use.

 http://www.businessballs.com/project.htm

Top Project Management Tips for Visual Management"Stop starting and start finishing with visual project management."








Ever feel like you start lots of projects but never finish any of them? Or that you're herding cats? Project managers have many amazing characteristics, like the ability to juggle 101 things at once and the seemingly extra-sensory power to squash issues before anyone else saw them coming. But the ability to say 'no' is one trait that continues to challenge project managers' need to get more done, faster. After all, it's a project manager's job to mange changes in a project, so pulling back and preserving a team's ability to get existing projects done can be difficult.



You Can't Manage What You Can't See

The only constant in life (and in project management) is change. Because project managers are responsible for change management among a team, they are constantly trying to simplify complex information related to how the changes will impact the work being done. Depending on the size of change and the size of the original project, changes can have a large impact, so many project managers use visual project management tools that help them communicate changes.



Visual project management can also help to streamline workflows. It is the job of a project manager to understand and determine priorities and to ensure each team member is aware of the prioritization of his/her own tasks, task dependencies and other factors that could delay the forward momentum of a project. If one piece of the project takes longer than originally estimated, the entire project could fail to meet the deadline. This cause and effect not only delays a project’s completion, it also increases the amount of money a project will cost.



Tools help project managers in a variety of ways, but there are some major areas which continue to burden project managers, including:



•Maintaining a project's timeline while keeping the cost under control.

•Overcoming barriers in communication.

•Getting more done with less.

•Meeting the expectations of a project's stakeholders.

How Project Managers Can Maintain Timelines and Budget

Project management means more than just managing and delegating tasks. Maintaining a project's timeline and budget is two fold:



1.Project managers must have visibility into the constantly moving parts of a project. This allows the project manager to provide updates and coordinate information in a way that keeps everyone on the same page with what's going on.

2.The project manager must be able to provide accurate forecasts for how much a project will cost and how long it will take. This forecast must be up-to-date based on the newest information available.

Visual Project Management

To get the most accurate view of a project’s status at any given time, a project manager should use a visual project management tool such as an online kanban board or online collaboration tool. Even if you don’t adopt the use of the Kanban work methodology, using visual project management allows everyone on the team to see the work as it’s being done. Kanban boards show work items and their relationships to other work items. Online collaboration helps distributed teams stay on top of what everyone else is doing and provide input without having to sit through hours of meetings. This not only helps team members stay focused, it also helps project managers easily identify bottlenecks in productivity and reallocate resources accordingly, keeping timelines in place and maintaining project cost.



Project Forecasting

Project managers must analyze whether a project is on target in terms of timeline and cost and provide estimates for how delays will impact the overall project. As things change throughout a project (as they inevitably do), a project manager must update the forecast to reflect the new information. Without a clear picture of a project’s status, a project manager would be hard-pressed to make an intelligent analysis.



Sucessful project managers look to the past to determine the future. Using historic data from other projects and advanced forecasting tools, managers are able to project more accurate forecasts than ever before. While project managers may have traditionally relied on estimates, or educated guesses, to predict the cost and timeline of a project, they are now using more advanced techniques for providing accurate project plans that save time and money.



Communication Breakdowns

Maintaining great communication in project management may seem like a no-brainer. The ability to inform someone what needs to be done via email, over the phone or, better yet, in person may seem like a simple thing. But when you multiply the amount of communications that must take place by all the instances of change throughout an entire project, while tailoring each communication to specific people receiving it, ensuring timely and accurate communication can quickly turn into a logistical nightmare if the proper work systems and tools are not in place.



There are three primary problems related to communication that project managers encounter:



•Lack of communication

•Over communication

•Miscommunication

A project manager must ensure everyone is on the same page - without overwhelming the team. Maintaining a proper balance of communication can be challenging: Too little communication can create confusion, while too much communication can cause team members to freeze amidst the pressure of too much information. Finally, if all information is not properly conveyed during all phases of a project, miscommunication can easily occur, which leads to wasted effort.



For example, if a project manager over communicates to an already overworked software developer, that information may fall upon deaf ears in the midst of crunch time. While unsuccessful communication leads to over-communication by project managers, it can also cause the person receiving the communication to tune it out even more, a vicious cycle that is a common frustration for many project managers. However; if there is a critical change in the project that affects that same developer’s work, the project manager must ensure that he understands that change so as not to create wasted work.



To overcome communication breakdowns, project managers should adopt the use of visual project management software. Project management tools help to alleviate the complexities of communicating by putting into place a collaborative process that everyone can follow. This takes the guesswork out of communication and helps everyone stay on the same page.



How Project Managers Can Increase Effectiveness Without Overwhelming a Team

A project manager must balance the amount of work being delegated to an individual with that individual’s capacity to do the work efficiently and effectively. Another pain point of project management revolves around maintaining momentum around a project without causing burnout among individuals. Burnout is common among software developers working in a sprint or scrum environment because there are defined cycle times that rely on, and are relied upon by, other work cycles within the project.



Trends in workplace productivity suggest when an individual feels overwhelmed with too many tasks, productivity decreases due to task-switching. Decreased productivity due to task switching is the phenomenon that occurs when you take time out to mentally prepare to start one task, then you switch to a different task either because you are interrupted by someone or you realize you must do some other task first (prioritization). When you switch back to the original task, you must take the time once again to mentally prepare yourself to focus. Some call this “getting back into the zone.”



One way to overcome issues in productivity and task-switching is to choose a project management tool that helps team members prioritize the work and focus effort on key tasks all the way through to completion. Many project managers also use work systems such as Kanban, Scrum, Waterfall, Scrumban or a proprietary system of getting work done to manage projects. Most work systems are used along side project management software or tools to accomplish goals and meet milestones.



How to Meet Stakeholder Expectations

A stakeholder is anyone who is either directly or indirectly involved in the initiation, planning and/or execution of a project. A stakeholder may be a C-level executive who has ordered an initiative or project to begin, or it can be a business owner, vendor, customer or other impacted party either upstream or downstream who has built a business case and/or approved a solution to a business problem.



Although stakeholders are usually not the experts in how a project should be executed, they can be the most vocal advocates for, or against, the particulars of a project because they are so vested. Acknowledging input from stakeholders and engaging them in regular project status updates is a key responsibility of a project manager.



Stakeholders need to be kept informed during a project. For this reason, project management software is a valuable tool for project managers to strike a balance between keeping the stakeholders informed without getting bogged down in the minutia.



While stakeholder input can be valuable, too much stakeholder involvement can have a detrimental effect on a project. There have even been cases of stakeholders going rogue behind a project manager’s back, introducing new elements and considerations to team members and derailing the productive cycle times already established. While these stakeholders have the best intentions, their over-involvement in a project can lead to scope-creep and a general feeling of chaos.



To keep stakeholders informed with the right amount of information, project managers should be armed at all times with the tools necessary to provide accurate status updates in a format that can be easily comprehended without raising too many questions. Visual collaboration tools provide automated reporting and project snapshots (50,000 ft. overview) that project managers can share with all levels within an organization.

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Google search:project management instruction,project management steps
Project Management for Instructional Designers (PM4ID) is – as the name suggests – a book about project management tailored specifically for instructional designers. This book is a revise / remix of a pre-existing, openly licensed project management textbook which was donated to the commons by a benefactor that desires to be attributed as Anonymous.



PM4ID includes many new features and improvements to the original book, including:



■Alignment of book chapters with the PMBOK, which supports readers in preparing for the Project Management Professional certification,

■A series of video cases of project managers working in the instructional design area, integrated into every chapter,

■Multiple versions of the book, including HTML, PDF, ePub, Kindle, and a text-to-speech mp3 audio version of the book,

■New examples written specifically for readers coming from the instructional design perspective,

■and more.

The second edition of Project Management for Instructional Designers was created by students in David Wiley’s IPT 682: Introduction to Project Management class at Brigham Young University during Fall term 2012. The team included:



■Geri Clements

■Jeffery Drysdale

■Jenifer Francis

■Buck Harrison

■Joseph Rino

■Jared Robinson

■Aaron Snyder

The first edition of Project Management for Instructional Designers was created by students in David Wiley’s IPT 682: Introduction to Project Management class at Brigham Young University during Fall term 2011. The team included:



■Maya Amado

■Kevin Ashton

■Scott Ashton

■Jay Bostwick

■Vera Nan

■Tony Nisse

■Dan Randall

If you or your class would like to help improve Project Management for Instructional Designers, contact David Wiley at david.wiley@gmail.com.



License and Rights

Project Management for Instructional Designers is published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. This license states that:

You are free:



■to Share — to copy, distribute and transmit the work

■to Remix — to adapt, revise, and improve the work

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■Attribution — You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).

■Noncommercial — You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

■Share Alike — If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

When attributing derivatives of Project Management for Instructional Designers, please use the following attribution:



Amado, M., Ashton, K., Ashton, S., Bostwick, J., Clements, G., Drysdale, J., Francis, J., Harrison, B., Nan, V., Nisse, A., Randall, D., Rino, J., Robinson, J., Snyder, A., Wiley, D., & Anonymous. (DATE). Project Management for Instructional Designers. Retrieved from http://pm4id.org/. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike (BY-NC-SA) license.



The cover image for PM4ID is Let’s Fly! by Hamed Saber.

..Table of Contents

About PM4ID

1 Introduction to Project Management

1.1 Project Management Defined 1.2 Project Definition and Context 1.3 Key Skills of the Project Manager 1.4 Introduction to the Project Management Knowledge Areas

2 Project Profiling

2.1 Using a Project Profile 2.2 Project Profiling Models 2.3 Complex Systems and the Darnall-Preston Complexity Index 2.4 Darnall-Preston Complexity Index Structure 2.5 Using the Darnall-Preston Complexity Index to Measure Organizational Complexity

3 Project Phases and Organization

3.1 Project Phases and Organization 3.2 Project Phases and Organization

4 Understanding and Meeting Client Expectations

4.1 Including the Client 4.2 Understanding Values and Expectations 4.3 Dealing with Problems

5 Working with People on Projects

5.1 Working with Individuals 5.2 Working with Groups and Teams 5.3 Creating a Project Culture

6 Communication Technologies

6.1 Types of Communication 6.2 Selecting Software

7 Starting a Project

7.1 Project Selection 7.2 Project Scope 7.3 Project Start-Up 7.4 Alignment Process 7.5 Communications Planning

8 Project Time Management

8.1 Types of Schedules 8.2 Elements of Time Management 8.3 Critical Path and Float 8.4 Managing the Schedule 8.5 Project Scheduling Software

9 Costs and Procurement

9.1 Estimating Costs 9.2 Managing the Budget 9.3 Identifying the Need for Procuring Services 9.4 Procurement of Goods 9.5 Selecting the Type of Contract 9.6 Procurement Process

10 Managing Project Quality

10.1 Standards of Quality and Statistics 10.2 Development of Quality as a Competitive Advantage 10.3 Relevance of Quality Programs to Project Quality 10.4 Planning and Controlling Project Quality 10.5 Assuring Quality

11 Managing Project Risk

11.1 Defining Risk 11.2 Risk Management Process 11.3 Project Risk by Phases 11.4 Project Risk and the Project Complexity Profile

12 Project Closure

12.1 Project Closure

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http://pm4id.org/
Project Management for Instructional Designers