If I asked you how far behind your project was, could you tell me in quantitative terms? Most people know the basic status of various tasks: "Well, that report was a week behind and Johnny should've finished his analysis by yesterday." But that's not good enough. Project management standards dictate that the project manager knows... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
You've got a new project, and you're anxious to get it started. As nice as it may seem to jump right into the project work, your bosses, as well as the organization, could be well served with a few tasks to initiate and define the project. In fact, the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
After project planning is complete, and a strong project plan is in place that manages the stakeholders' expectations, the project work must begin. The resources are acquired, the people are trained and the project moves into the execution phase. At this point all of the project plans are put into motion, and any changes must... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
It amazes me that project closure is one of the most visible aspects of a project to senior managers and executives, yet it is also the phase that is most often skipped. I realize that project budgets are often used up (or seriously stretched) in the final phases and skipping closing activities is an easy... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
Project controls are where the project manager makes their money. It is relatively easy to assign someone work. But how do you ensure the quality of that work? That the deadlines are met? Or that the cost is reasonable? A project manager that can control these things is worth their wage in gold. The triple constraints... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
Kevin Payravi, Wikimedia Commons The Project Management Institute (PMI) reports that only 64% of projects meet their intended goals. The difference between a successful project and an unsuccessful one can usually be narrowed down to one word: Planning. Even small projects can benefit from a Project Management Plan. The following Project Management Plan checklist is... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), produced by the Project Management Institute, is the gold standard for the project management profession. It divides project management into the following ten Knowledge Areas: Project Integration Management The stuff that doesn’t fit in any other category, like developing the project management plan itself, making changes to the... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer
Project planning is immensely underrated. Everyone has a story of how they could have planned better to avoid a disaster, even if they didn't look back and realise it. 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... [Read More]| ProjectEngineer