The project sponsor is a very important part of the project management organizational chart. In fact, every project has a sponsor. The project sponsor is one, and only one, level above the project manager. They do not manage the day to day operations of the project but they ensure the resources are in place, promote... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
The Project Management Institute's (PMI) definition of a project is considered by many to be the official definition: A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Two words within that definition are the key to understanding what a project is and isn't: Temporary: A project has a distinct beginning and end. The muddier... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
The difference between a successful project and an unsuccessful one can usually be narrowed down to one word: Planning. The Project Management Institute (PMI) reports that only 64% of projects meet their intended goals, and from my experience working for a large engineering company, this is probably not too far out. But there is a... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
Putting out fires is rarely a good project management strategy. Project controls are where the project manager earns their wages. Assigning work to someone is relatively easy, but how do you ensure the quality of the work is acceptable, or that the deadlines will be met? Fortunately, project management theory contains techniques which are used... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
There is no universal definition of project success. Since the very definition of a project is temporary (Project Management Body of Knowledge, 6th Edition), virtually all projects must meet a deadline and budget. But some projects must satisfy certain stakeholders. Others must meet regulatory criteria. Still others must achieve a certain return on investment. For these reasons,... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
According to the Project Management Institute, less than two thirds of projects meet their intended goals. The other one third are projects that end up with a drastically different scope than they began with, sometimes with different deliverables, or even get canceled outright. The project managers of these projects are not doing any favors for... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
The way project managers define success is not always the same as the way the project sponsor does. In fact, 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 while being oblivious to an unhappy project sponsor that is... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
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 within... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
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). ... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
It's amazing how many projects do not know their true status until near the end, when there is little that can be done to ensure they finish on time or budget. The proper time to rigorously track project status is at the beginning, not at the end. This is when project risk can be managed and... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
