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When you show off a certificate proving you have completed a Project Management Training you prove several things and all of these confirm your credibility and worthiness to take on difficult projects for your company or small business.

Qualities Honed By Project Management Training

Everybody can be a manager, but not all managers have a certificate to show that they have completed a Project Management Training. If you are handling small projects for your boss, no matter how small or big it is, you are showing you manager potential. This potential goes to waste when the boss decides to choose a manager because the boss will get someone with formal training credentials as a guarantee of ability.  Read more...

Certified project managers are an asset to any organization, resulting in increased project success. Getting a certification not only benefits one’s organization but acts as a booster for your career advancement and self development. Your decision to get a PM certification is one smart choice that will pay off in the long run. PMP certification amongst the many other certifications available makes the most popular and valuable certification. But if the cost of getting the certification is bogging your decision then the returns it would get you like the salary increase greatly outweigh the cost factor.

PMP certification accorded by Project Management Institute (PMI) is by far the most recognized certifications and increasing number of Project management professionals go for. The PMP demonstrates advanced knowledge of and experience with project management concepts. This advanced certification is offered by PMI, a leading professional association in project management which administers a globally recognized, examination-based, professional certification program. This certification requires intensive Project Management Training and Preparation. Project Management Training refers to practical, real-world, hands-on experience for project managers in learning the principles and practices that lead to effective and successful project management.  Read more...

“An elegant solution to the wrong problem solves nothing.”
- Bryce’s Law

INTRODUCTION

Commercial Project Management systems (PM) have been available since the early 1970’s. As PC’s proliferated in the workplace, so did PM software, which also brought an ease-of-use element to project management. A multitude of PM products are now available on the market, some expensive, and some very reasonably priced. However, to say all PM packages were created equally would be a gross exaggeration. Each has a specific niche they address in project management or target a specific industry.

As I described in my article, “Why Does Project Management Fail?”, one of the main reasons for failure is because there is a lack of consideration for the magnitude and complexities of project management and, consequently, there is a natural inclination to attack it in piece meal. As a result of the bulletin, I have been asked as to what criteria I would use to evaluate a PM package. Consequently, I have developed the following checklist for evaluating a PM package it its pristine form. I hope it will be of benefit to you.  Read more...

Four periods in the development of modern project management.

[1] Prior to 1958: Craft system to human relations. During this time, the evolution of technology, such as, automobiles and telecommunications shortened the project schedule. For instance, automobiles allowed effective resource allocation and mobility, whilst the telecommunication system increased the speed of communication. Furthermore, the job specification which later became the basis of developing the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) was widely used and Henry Gantt invented the Gantt chart. Examples of projects undertaken during this period as supported by documented evidence include: (a) Building the Pacific Railroad in 1850’s; (b) Construction of the Hoover Dam in 1931-1936, that employed approximately 5,200 workers and is still one of the highest gravity dams in the U.S. generating about four billion kilowatt hours a year; and© The Manhattan Project in 1942-1945 that was the pioneer research and development project for producing the atomic bomb, involving 125,000 workers and costing nearly $2 billion.  Read more...

People Issues in Project Management

Project managers are often assigned as proposal managers and asked to plan and put an estimate to arrive at an acceptable proposal during the project proposal stage; and upon winning the project to manage the projects with little or no authority, dictated time frames and deliverables, and essentially told to just get the project done! The reality to remember is that project executions rarely fail due to technical problems but rather because of people problems.

Conflicting priorities, unclear expectations and roles, poor leadership, conflicts of interests, poor teamwork or lack of it, and little and no motivation all lead to project failure. Addressing the people management problems we all face as project managers and the best way to do it will require us to at least understand the many types of people we potentially meet and engage in project execution in the work place.  Read more...

Effective Project Management

(Lahore, Oct 16, 2006)

The dictionary meaning of project is: Any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted. In it there is no difference between a task and a project. However, in any project necessarily different tasks are undertaken. Therefore, project can be defined as: “an activity aimed at accomplishing certain goal involving set of different tasks ”. From this definition it is clear that any project is a goal, therefore it is vital to clearly explain it. This clarity of definition would help in, ascertaining the resources needed to accomplish it, approval of the authorities, tasks needed to be done, procedures for accomplishing it, setting time framework, people needed to execute it, training and motivating the staff, finances required for its completion, keeping check on it execution, evaluating performance and taking corrective action as required.

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“Having a Project Management system without a methodology is like attaching a speedometer to an orange crate; it measures nothing.”

– Bryce’s Law

The principles of Project Management have been with us for a long time. There has also been a number of Project Management software packages introduced over the years, beginning with mainframe based commercial packages introduced back in the early 1970’s. Some of it has been quite good, others are based on sheer quackery. Some people naively buy such packages in the hopes they will be some sort of panacea to cure all project woes; that projects will start to come in on time and on budget simply because a certain tool was purchased. Inevitably, they are puzzled when projects still go awry even with the latest software. I believe there are three reasons for this:

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Introduction

Project Management is a constant process during a software development project and is the responsibility of the Project Manager. It is of the utmost importance as it provides the interface for communication between the business side of a project and the technical side of a project.

Project Initiation

Project Initiation will start with an initial meeting with the Project Supervisor to formally to introduce the members of the Software Development team. This meeting will also be used to discuss the deliverables the Supervisor requires and to outline the project definitions.

This Terms Of Reference has been collated to show to the Supervisor that the project is feasible and worth the investment in both time and the costs of resources needed to complete the deliverables.

Approaching the Project

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Many people have used the term ‘Project Management’ without a real appreciation of what Project Management actually is. If you read the textbooks they will talk about projects as having a beginning, a middle and an end, which is the essential and obvious difference from normal business operations. Text books also talk about uniqueness, a timescale, using resources and carrying a budget. They may also talk about risk, issue and change management. But what does all this mean in practical terms?

Project management is essentially four phases – initiation, planning, execution and closure. 1)An Initiation/Start which is the stage where you decide you need a project 2)Planning is the stage where you plan the project and map out what is going to happen when 3)Execution is the stage where you implement the project and things start moving and 4)Closure is the stage where you decide the project is completed (and you pay the supplier).  Read more...

Project Management is of fast growing importance to organisations whether large or small because it deals effectively with the management of change. As a small business owner you know that your business environment is changing all the time. As a business owner that successful project managment is all about setting and achieving reasonable and attainable goals. In business, project management is an art, a skill, and a demanding full-time job. The fact of the matter is that project management is a human issue of people needing to work together. And you as the business owner are the leader when it comes to project management.

Project management is about being able to create transparency and build trust. It’s about finding solutions that help each team member be better in what they are doing while building teamwork. Project management tracks actual progress against the goals and timelines set forth before the project even began. This permits a better understanding of whether you should adjust your strategy, staffing, or timelines in light of the way in which the project is developing.  Read more...