Posts in category Project Management

PMP Training and Information Technology Application

Sep27
2010 1 Comment Written by elroyking

Project Management is applying industry best practices (including project management best practices) to the current subject or technology. Information technology can present quite a challenge because it is constantly changing and updating. Kathy Schwalbe hits the nail on the head when it comes to project management. Although her focus is in Information Technology, the project management training in this text is based on the PMBOK version 4. It is perfect PMP training material, and it includes specific Microsoft Project 2010 training as well.

Information Technology Project Management, Revised (with Premium Online Content Printed Access Card) is the text to own. It covers all of the PMP knowledge areas, and focuses on real world application.

Rita Mulcahy estimates that 50% of those who fail the PMP exam do so because they don’t have project management experience with the PMI methodologies (see page 2 of PMP Exam Prep, Sixth Edition: Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam). Much of the PMP exam, although knowledge based, is focused on application of the PMI principles and methodologies. Here is your chance to see those principles in operation and applied to an interesting and challenging field.

Pick up your copy of Information Technology Project Management, Revised (with Premium Online Content Printed Access Card). It makes the perfect companion to any PMP Prep Text, supplying the principles and the application of those principles in and understandable and complete way.

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The Planning Process Group

Sep21
2010 3 Comments Written by elroyking

The Planning Process Group contains all of planning processes. The results of the planning processes is the creation of all of the documents needed to produce the total scope of the project, define firm objectives, and develop the actions required to reach those objectives. One of the most important parts of the Planning Process is to put together the Project Management Plan. This plan will be the guiding document that lets all project participants know how the project will be planned, executed, monitored, and controlled.

The nature of project management is multidimensional, as more features and characteristics of the project are gathered, more detail is known about the project. Repeated planning for additional knowledge and requirements may be needed. This repeated planning process is known as “rolling wave planning.” It is ongoing and repetitive. The project management plan and the project documents will address all aspects of the project, cost, schedule, quality, communication, risk, and procurement. Updates to the plan that come in the form of approved changes through a change request system, must be made to the original documents in the form of a base line update.

A definite end to the planning stage must be set by a procedural process and be recognized by stake holders so that the planning stage can come to a close, and the final project documents can be produced. The project must be performed according to the documentation. If the features are not in the documentation, they should not be in the project. The following processes are found in the Planning Process Group:

* Develop Project Management Plan
* Collect Requirements
* Define Scope
* Create WBS
* Define Activities
* Sequence Activities
* Estimate Activity Resources
* Estimate Activity Durations
* Develop Schedule
* Estimate Costs
* Determine Budget
* Plan Quality
* Develop Human Resource Plan
* Plan Communications
* Plan Risk Management
* Identify Risks
* Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
* Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
* Plan Risk Responses
* Plan Procurements

The project manager should be involved as early as possible in the project, he should be assigned to the project before any of the project planning processes are begun (the PMBOK guide specifies selecting a Project Manager in the Create Project Charter process.

For detailed information about the Planning Process Group see A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: (Pmbok Guide) (Paperback) version 4 chapter 3. Rita Mulcahy talks about the processes in PMP Exam Prep, Sixth Edition: Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam, she also talks about the project management process, and has some very useful activities covering the subject.

Elroy King

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What Is a Process? (PMP definition)

Sep15
2010 6 Comments Written by elroyking

From A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: (Pmbok Guide) (Paperback) version 4

“A process is a set of interrelated actions and activities performed to achieve a pre-specified product, result, or service.”

The Project Management Institute (PMI), in the forth version of the PMBOK guide, outlines 42 processes that make up best practices for project managers. In preparing to take the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam, it is important to understand how the PMI views a process. Each process has a set of inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs that can be looked at as a complete package. The project manager and project team must evaluate those processes to determine which ones will be applied to the project. Some processes will need to be applied several times in an iterative fashion that progresses the project in a manner that is explained by the term “Progressive Elaboration.” This term explains that the project is defined a little more at each iteration and the details become more firm and concrete as it is elaborated further.

The PMBOK guide v 4 talks in great detail (chapter 4-12) about those 42 processes and how they apply to your projects. Remember that you don’t need to apply every process to every project, but at least go through them to see if they apply. Projects often fall apart in the details, don’t let your projects fall apart, manage them with the PMI processes.

If you would like to learn more about the PMI processes, try these great resources:

Get PMP certified, your career will blossom and your projects will become much more successful as you apply the PMI best practices!

Elroy King

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What Is The Difference Between A Project And Operational Work?

Sep07
2010 10 Comments Written by elroyking

Many project managers are faced with the question, is this a project? Or is this operational work? It can be difficult to distinguish the two because both types of work are performed by organizations. Both types of work will involve team members, and will be limited by resource and other constraints. Both types of work will be planned, monitored, and controlled. And both types of work will be performed to achieve the goals of the organization.
What makes the work project work and not organizational work?For the most part, it is the fact that project work produces a unique product and service and comes to an end at some point. Operational work will produce the same thing again and again. Project work will produce something different than the organization has produced before. For example: Setting up a manufacturing area or plant would be a project. The manufacturing that happens after the plant is set up and operational will be operational work. Operational work will often support project work, or will continue where the project left off, so there is often a lot of interaction between the project and the operational teams. Resources may be different from the project team to the operational team or may be shared by both. In fine, if the work has a definite beginning and end, and produces a unique product or service, it is a project. If the work has a continuing element about it, and it produces many of the same things again and again, it is operational work. Usually the design and development of a new product is a project, but the continued production of the product would fall to operations.I hope this definition and discussion will be helpful to you on your projects and on the PMP exam. Rita Mulcahy, in her text PMP Exam Prep, Sixth Edition: Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam has a more in-depth discussion about projects and operational work on pages 21 and 22, in the chapter on Project Management Framework. She defines many terms that you will need for the PMP exam including projects, program, portfolio, PMO, objectives, constraints, stakeholder management, and many more. Pick up your copy of PMP Exam Prep, Sixth Edition: Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam and begin your journey to being prepared to take the PMP exam and getting the PMP certification. You will be glad that you did.Elroy King

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Communications Plan Management

Aug27
2010 22 Comments Written by elroyking

If you manage projects, then you will know that to succeed, you need to communicate clearly with all of your project stakeholders. Otherwise your staff will lack clear direction, team morale will be low and your project may deliver over schedule and exceed its budget.

To make sure that your projects communicate effectively, we have described here…

How to Create a Communications Plan

Using the Communications Plan template , we have described how to create a bullet-proof Communications Plan for projects. We have provided a snapshot of this template here by listing the 10 steps you need to take to create a Communications Plan for your project.

Step 1: Situation Analysis
The first step to take when creating a Communications Plan is to perform a Situation Analysis. This is a fancy term for researching your existing communications environment.

Review the performance of all communications within your project and identify the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

Then identify any lessons learned from past communications exercises, so that the same mistakes made in the past are not repeated here.

Step 2: Communications Objectives
Great. So you know what your communications strengths are and where you need to improve. You are now ready to set out your communications objectives.

List the top three objectives that you want to achieve from your project communications. For instance, you might want to inform stakeholders of the project progress, boost management buy-in or improve your team productivity.

Step 3: Communications Guidelines
Then set out your communications guidelines for controlling communications within your project. For example, you may decide that:

* All messages will be distributed through pre-defined channels
* All critical communications will be pre-approved by management
* All communications will be tailored, based on stakeholder needs

Step 4: Target Audience
Now define exactly who it is that your team will formally communicate with. Remember, formal communications are a method for controlling the messages sent out by your team. They promote a single consistent view of your project to a specified audience so that “everyone has the same version of the truth”.

Step 5: Stakeholder Needs
Each target audience group will have their own needs. These stakeholders will require information that is specific to their role in the project. For instance, a Project Sponsor will need to be informed of high priority risks and issues, whereas a Quality Reviewer might need to be notified of the current status of project deliverables.

Step 6: Key Messages
Then list the key messages that need to be sent to each Stakeholder. Key messages may include project status, project issues, project risks, project deliverables or project resources. The next step is to define how you will deliver each message to them, through a delivery channel.

Step 7: Delivery Channels
There are a huge variety of ways in which you can deliver your key messages to stakeholders (e.g. emails, newsletters, meetings, conferences). For each stakeholder, identify the channel that you will use to deliver your key messages.

Step 8: Communications Schedule
Now you are ready to create the schedule of communications events, activities and actions that are required to deliver the right messages to the right people at the right time throughout the project. Create a detailed schedule of events and for each item listed, specify the timeframes for completion and any dependencies on other events in the schedule.

Step 9: Communications Events
For each event listed in your schedule, describe it in depth. Make sure that you define the purpose of the event, how it will take place and when it should occur.

Step 10: Communications Matrix
And finally, once you have listed the events and described them in detail, you need to identify who will manage them and who will review their effectiveness. Create a Communications Matrix which lists for each event who is accountable for the event, who will take part and who will review its success.

Once you have taken these 10 steps, it is up to you to get your Communications Plan approved by your manager and then execute it to deliver communications efficiently across your project.

And just one last tip – to improve your communications you need honest feedback on your team’s performance. Implement feedback measures such as questionnaires, feedback forms and surveys to learn how to continually improve communications within your project team.

To plan communications for your projects…

Download this Communications Plan template now.

Download the entire kit of Project Management templates

Elroy King

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Useful Quality Management Tools

Aug25
2010 3 Comments Written by elroyking

Method123 has just announced today the release of their newest full featured Project Management Template – the Quality Management Process template.
The Quality Management Process helps the project manager and team set up how quality will be handled and measured on the project. With the proper quality procedures in place, your customer will be assured of receiving a quality solution, quality deliverables and will gain significant confidence in your delivery team. Knowing their project dollars aren’t being left to chance will make them want to come back to your organization for more successful work in the future.
Indeed, project quality is difficult to measure and even harder to guarantee. With a Quality Management Process in place during the Project Planning project planning process, your organization will be able to boast to customers about the repeatable processes that are being incorporated into their projects across the board.
“Quality is something that should be ingrained in the Project Management Methodology throughout the entire engagement,” states Jason Westland, CEO and president of Method123 Ltd. “Our Quality Management Process template will help your organization setup the proper quality infrastructure to manage all of their projects for their customers. It’s an ongoing win for your organization, far beyond just your current project.”
With Method123′s Quality Management Process, an organization can create their own quality assurance policies and implement them smoothly so that positive progress is realized on all projects going forward. It will increase executive leadership’s confidence in the quality of your deliverables and provide great returns in the form of customer confidence and satisfaction as well as repeat business.
With the Quality Management Process template, the Project Manager and organization will be able to:
View data
– Define project quality goals to be met by projects and team members
– Plan for how performance against quality goals will be measured and reported– Identify corrective action to take on quality issues– Target areas for quality improvements– Create reports on overall project and deliverable quality throughout the entire project portfolio
– Define project quality goals to be met by projects and team members — Plan for how performance against quality goals will be measured and reported — Identify corrective action to take on quality issues — Target areas for quality improvements — Create reports on overall project and deliverable quality throughout the entire project portfolio
The Quality Management Process will help you:
– Define and perform quality assurance tests and checks
– Better prepare for acceptance testing and approvals
– Take certain quality control measures
– Identify areas for improvement and begin to take action

“In this economy surviving in the midst of stiff competition is difficult and never a sure thing. Any edge is a good edge,” says Westland. “Many companies are sacrificing quality to allow for price cuts. Customers still want quality and when they see companies taking great measures to ensure that, it can mean the difference between retaining customers and losing customers. Use our Quality Management Process to make sure you’re company is creating quality deliverables and outputs on their projects. The customer is important and this is one way you can really show them that and shine.”
The Quality Management Process template and the full Project Management Kit product offering are both available for purchase and download at Method123′s website.

———————————————

Quality Management is one of nine project management knowledge area covered in the Project Managment Institute’s (PMI) Guide to The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK guide v4). For more info on the PMBOK guide see The PMBOK Guide.

You really can be ready for the PMP Exam with help from PMExamReady.com. It is THE place to get ready for the PMP Exam.

Pass the PMP exam the EASY way with the BEST PMP exam prep course from a PMI approved source — PMP Exam Prep Made Easy.

Elroy King

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Project Management Estimates: Analogues, Parametric, Three-Point

Aug13
2010 2 Comments Written by elroyking

What is your process for estimating time and cost on your projects? Are you like a lot of project managers, just guessing and crossing your fingers? Estimating is an art, and as a project manager it really isn’t your job to actually do the estimating, you need the experts involved to do the estimating, meaning those that are going to do the work should help you come up with the estimates. There are three types of estimating that might help you out here.

Analogues Estimates

Each project will be unique, without a doubt, but this project may be like one that your company has done before. You may even be a assigned a number of the resources that worked on the similar project. If this project is like the last one, but bigger–then you can take the actual time and cost from some of the activities and estimate what this one will cost by using the old numbers and multiplying them by the percent bigger this project appears to be. This is the concept behind analogues estimating and can usually pretty good depending on how similar this project really is.

Parametric Estimates

These estimates assume that you can break down the activity into single units. If you have an estimate for how much and how long putting down, say, 10 square feet of tile will take, then you can multiply that number by the number of square feet in the building to get a good estimate of time and cost. The key is to find a small unit that can serve as the base for determining the entire job.

Three-Point Estimating (PERT)

Three-point estimating is also popular. You go to your expert and ask what the optimistic estimate for time and cost would be, then ask for the pessimistic estimate, taking into consideration the worst case scenario. Finally ask for the most likely estimate. The formula for getting a weighted average from these figures is the following:

Opimistic + 4 times Most Likely + Pessimistic

6

By dividing by six, the sum of the optimistic estimate, the four times the most likely estimate and the pessimistic estimate create a weighted average that could be closer to the real time and cost for the activity.

Keep in mind that these estimates will have to be revised as time goes on. This process is called Progressive Elaboration. It simply means that we get more precise and more detailed as we progressively know more about the project and the details.

I hope this helps in the ever difficult art of cost and schedule estimation.

Elroy King

If you have any Project Management questions or questions about the PMP exam, leave them as a comment, and I will try to answer the questions.

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PMI Northern Utah Chapter Summer Morning Networking Meeting for August 2010

Aug12
2010 Leave a Comment Written by elroyking

If you are in Utah, visit the local PMI chapter and make some new friends.

PMI Northern Utah Chapter
Summer Morning Networking Meeting for August 2010

When: 7:00 a.m., Thursday, August 19, 2010
Where:
In Utah County – Einstein’s Bagels, 43 East Center Street, Provo, Utah
In Salt Lake City – Millcreek Coffee Roasters, 657 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, Utah
In Ogden – Jeremiah’s, 1307 West 12th Street, Ogden, Utah
Cost: No cost; however attendees are responsible for purchasing their own food and/or beverages.
Come enjoy an opportunity to network with project managers in your area. Bring any questions and issues you have relating to your current projects so ideas and solutions may be shared. And feel free to bring suggestions to the Chapter Board member(s) who will be in attendance.
We look forward to seeing you there!
PMI – Northern Utah Chapter

——————————————-

Are you up on your PMP Vocabulary?

PMI-isms — Indispensable Terms

Project Management Earned Value Terms

Project Management, What is it?

<a href="http://pmexamready.com/enterprise-environmental-factors.html"Enterprise Environmental Factors

Organizational Process Assets

Elroy King

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Project Team Roles and Responsibilities (Communications Management)

Aug06
2010 1 Comment Written by elroyking

The project manager often believes that everyone knows what they are supposed to be doing, once the goals and milestones are established, it usually seems that it should be obvious. Nothing could be further from the truth. As a PM you will have to request feedback from team member to assess if they understand what they are really responsible for and when they will need to deliver it. Having shared documents often helps, but opening a line of communication is the best way to deal with these communications issues.

I think that team members don’t want to appear uncooperative or stupid when they ask questions in team meetings. Bring the topic to the forefront with some ice breaking, so to speak. You might start with, “I know some of you might be reluctant to ask questions, but I realize that we have covered a lot of ground, and we can’t be successful unless you are willing to be candid and help me understand what I need to go into more detail on.”

Let them know that it isn’t necessarily their fault if they didn’t understand the first time, and be sure to answer each question sincerely. That is the only way to create an environment that is open, where team members get on board and really succeed.

Elroy King

If you have any Project Management questions or questions about the PMP exam, leave them as a comment, and I will try to answer the questions.

You really can be ready for the PMP Exam with help from PM ExamReady.com. It is THE place to get ready for the PMP Exam.

Know what Enterprise Environmental Factors are? Get a quick refresher course at Enterprises Environmental Factors.

Don’t crash and burn on the PMP exam. Get prepared with the PMP Exam Simulation Software. 6000 unique PMP questions for less than most PMP exam prep texts.

Know those difficult PMI-isms when you sit for the PMP exam, by learning these Project Management Terms

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How Do I Apply For The PMP Certification?

Jul24
2010 2 Comments Written by elroyking

The PMI has an online application process that will allow you to check status during the entire process. There is a certification fee that needs to be sent in with your application, you can pay by credit card online.. The current fee is $405 for PMI members, $555 for non-members. This is your chance to get a one year PMI membership for free. Sign up for the PMI membership before you apply and the cost savings on the exam is more than the PMI membership!

The Application Process

The application can only be submitted in English, although the actual PMP® exam can be taken in several languages. You can download the printable application forms, to review what information you will need–but go on line to fill out the real application. You will also need to agree to live by the PMP Code of Professional Conduct. Your application may be processed within 48 to 72 hours.
Once you are approved, you will get an eligibility letter. That letter will contain an identification code and testing information. You will only have one year to take the PMP® examination, which begins from the date your application is approved.
The PMI audits 10% of applicants, to make sure the credential keeps it’s worth. Candidates that will be audited are notified electronically. You should just plan on being one of them. During the audit there is a formal verification of your employers and schools. So be accurate and honest with the information you supply in the application.

The PMI also requires candidates to document experience in leading/directing projects and performing tasks within all knowledge areas except Professional and Social Responsibility.

Be sure and include a current resume detailing work experience and educational background with your application and a copy of diploma or transcript for baccalaureate or equivalent university degree.

Filling out the Experience Verification Form

The Experience Verification Form is needed by the candidates for documenting and report ing project management experience. You will need one Experience Verification Form for each project within the eligible timeframe. On the form, you will be required to list the number of hours worked in each of the five process areas. ( Initiating, planning, executing, controlling, closing )

Then submit your form electronically.

You should be set to receive your approval to take the PMP exam, you will need to submit your fees at the time of submission.

Elroy King

If you have any Project Management questions or questions about the PMP exam, leave them as a comment, and I will try to answer the questions.

You really can be ready for the PMP Exam with help from PM ExamReady.com. It is THE place to get ready for the PMP Exam.

Don’t crash and burn on the PMP exam. Get prepared with the PMP Exam Simulation Software. 6000 unique PMP questions for less than most PMP exam prep texts.

Know those difficult PMI-isms when you sit for the PMP exam, by learning these Project Management Terms

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Posts in category Project Management

PMP Training and Information Technology Application

The Planning Process Group

What Is a Process? (PMP definition)

What Is The Difference Between A Project And Operational Work?

Communications Plan Management

How to Create a Communications Plan

Useful Quality Management Tools

Project Management Estimates: Analogues, Parametric, Three-Point

PMI Northern Utah Chapter Summer Morning Networking Meeting for August 2010

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities (Communications Management)

How Do I Apply For The PMP Certification?

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