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... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
Projects don't manage themselves. Professional project management requires the development of a plan that outlines how it will be managed. According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (section 4.2), the project management plan fulfills this purpose. Although it includes any and all items that define the management of the project, there are certain standard items.... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
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
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
Knowledge Areas Project Cost Management Plan Cost Management Estimate Costs Determine Budget Control Costs Once the individual tasks have been estimated, the Determine Budget process is used to roll them up into an overall project estimate, which is communicated to stakeholders. In addition, the cost baseline, which is the periodic funding requirements of the project... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
Risk analysis is an often omitted area of project management, probably because you can't see its results in a direct way. On top of that, small projects just don't seem like they have the time and budget to justify the time spent. But I would argue that analyzing risk is one of the easiest ways... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
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... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
