There is much confusion over what roles a project management office (PMO) plays, and indeed the term is quite broad. But PMO's have undergone significant development in recent years and their roles have become more standardized. So whether you're considering establishing a new PMO or wondering what roles your existing PMO should play, use this comprehensive list to … [Read more...]
The Earned Value Management System
Earned Value Management is the secret to project success! If you are passionate about having projects finish on time, on schedule, and with all other project success criteria satisfied, you must learn how to use it. Earned Value Management is a project control technique used by project managers to keep projects on schedule and budget. Earned Value analysis gives the … [Read more...]
ACWP (Earned Value Analysis)
The real benefit of the earned value method is in the early warning signal it provides. In my previous life at a large engineering company, I saw many project managers get to a monthly billing cycle before they realized the project was behind, and even then they would rationalize it by deciding their project team was going to be more efficient in the next cycle. Suffice … [Read more...]
What is a Project?
The definition of a Project is: A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. The two most important keywords within that definition are: Temporary: A project has a fixed beginning and end. Because of this, there are two factors that come into play in virtually every project: Time (deadlines) and money (budgets). These two … [Read more...]
30 Roles and Responsibilities of a Project Manager
The project manager is the ultimate authority responsible for the successful completion of a project. They establish the critical success factors and take responsibility for achieving them. The buck stops here. Usually the project manager inherits requirements that the project must work with, such as budget, stakeholder concerns, and so forth. These are codified … [Read more...]
40 Project Success Factors
Most projects have a million things that can go wrong. Because a project is by definition temporary, it is inevitable that the budget and schedule factor prominently in project success. But it is a surprisingly common scenario that project managers think the project is going great because the variables they are concerned with are on track (usually the deadlines and … [Read more...]
Project Management in 5 Easy Steps
Like many things in life, project management is an art form as well as a science. But fortunately, a strong knowledge of the science helps you practice the art form with more skill. Although some people are naturally good at the art of project management, I believe that anyone can become a great project manager simply by learning and implementing the fundamentals of … [Read more...]
The Elements of Project Control
Assigning work is relatively easy, but how do you ensure that the deadlines will be met, the project will come in under budget, or that the quality level will be acceptable to the stakeholders? Fortunately, project management fundamentals contain techniques which are used to track and control the project. Earned Value Analysis Any discussion of project control … [Read more...]
A Critical Path Method Example
When you, the project manager, need to make sure a project finishes on time, there is a science as well as an art form involved. But the science tends to enhance the art, in other words, if you know the science you will be that much better at practicing the art form. In yesterday's post we outlined the critical path method which is the professional project manager's … [Read more...]
Project Planning
Planning is the single most important thing a project manager can do to ensure a successful project that meets its goals. The Project Management Institute suggests that planning should ideally consist of about 20 – 30% of the time required to perform the project work. This is substantially more than most project managers actually spend on project planning. … [Read more...]