Task management refers to the process of overseeing, organizing, planning, and tracking tasks and activities within a project or daily workflow. It involves structuring tasks, assigning responsibilities, setting deadlines, prioritizing, and monitoring progress to ensure the timely completion of goals and objectives. Effective task management plays a crucial role in the success of any project or organization. With so many tasks to juggle and deadlines to meet, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and lose sight of important priorities.
The primary purpose of task management is to provide structure and clarity to individuals and teams in their daily work. By breaking down complex projects into smaller, actionable tasks, it becomes easier to prioritize and allocate resources effectively. Task management also helps in setting clear expectations and defining goals, which is essential for effective collaboration and coordination within teams.
Task management also plays a vital role in meeting deadlines. By setting realistic deadlines and tracking progress, individuals can stay on top of their tasks and avoid delays. This reduces the risk of missed deadlines and improves overall organizational efficiency. Additionally, task management allows for effective time management, enabling individuals to allocate appropriate amounts of time to each task. This helps prevent time-consuming tasks from overshadowing other important responsibilities.
By following these principles, you can optimize your workflow and accomplish your goals more efficiently:
1. Set Clear Goals: The first step in effective task management is to set clear goals. When you have a clear focus and know exactly what you want to achieve, you can prioritize your tasks accordingly.
2. Prioritize Tasks: Once you have defined your goals, it's important to prioritize your tasks. Not all tasks are created equal, and some are more important or urgent than others. Use a prioritization matrix or a to-do list to categorize your tasks based on their importance and deadlines.
3. Break Tasks into Smaller Steps: Large tasks can be overwhelming and can lead to procrastination. To avoid this, break down your tasks into smaller, manageable steps. Create sub-tasks or action items for each project, and schedule specific times to work on them.
4. Use Time-Management Techniques: Time management is a crucial aspect of task management. Learn and utilize effective time-management techniques such as the Pomodoro Technique or time blocking. The Pomodoro Technique involves working in short bursts of focused activity, followed by short breaks.
5. Delegate and Collaborate: Effective task management does not mean doing everything yourself. Learn to delegate tasks to others if possible. If you have a team, distribute tasks based on individual strengths and skills. Effective collaboration can also improve task management, as it facilitates the sharing of ideas, resources, and responsibilities.
6. Review and Reflect: Regularly review your tasks and reflect on your progress. Assess whether your current strategies are effective or if any adjustments need to be made. Take note of any bottlenecks or distractions that hinder your productivity and find ways to overcome them.
Delegation and collaboration play vital roles in task management, as they allow for the efficient distribution of workload and foster a spirit of teamwork among individuals. Effective delegation ensures that responsibilities are assigned to the most suitable individuals, whereas collaboration promotes effective communication and coordination between team members.
Delegation is the process of assigning tasks and responsibilities to individuals who possess the necessary skills and expertise to perform them effectively. It involves identifying the strengths and weaknesses of team members to optimize productivity and ensure the efficient allocation of resources. Proper delegation is crucial as it allows managers to focus on strategic decision-making and higher-level tasks while entrusting operational activities to capable team members.
Collaboration in task management offers numerous advantages. First and foremost, it promotes creativity and innovation. When individuals with diverse perspectives and expertise collaborate, they bring forth a variety of ideas and solutions that can help overcome challenges and drive innovation. Collaboration also improves problem-solving and decision-making, as multiple viewpoints are considered, leading to more informed and effective outcomes.
To effectively delegate and collaborate in task management, it is essential to establish clear goals, roles, and expectations. Managers should provide adequate guidance and support to team members, ensuring they have the necessary resources and information to fulfill their responsibilities. Regular communication and feedback sessions are crucial to address any challenges or concerns and provide recognition for a job well done.
In conclusion, effective task management is crucial for maximizing productivity and achieving goals. By implementing a comprehensive task management system, individuals and teams can prioritize tasks, set deadlines, allocate resources, and track progress. With the right tools and strategies in place, task management can streamline workflows, increase efficiency, and ensure successful project completion. Embrace the power of effective task management and unlock your full potential for success.
]]>Risk management is a systematic approach employed by organizations to identify, assess, and address potential threats that could hinder their objectives. It involves a structured process of recognizing risks, evaluating their likelihood and potential impact, and implementing strategies to either prevent, minimize, or transfer these risks. By proactively managing uncertainties—whether they arise from financial, operational, technological, or external factors—organizations aim to enhance their ability to navigate challenges, capitalize on opportunities, and safeguard their long-term success.
Risk management is so important is that it helps identify potential threats and vulnerabilities that may hinder the achievement of organizational objectives. By systematically identifying and assessing risks, organizations can proactively identify areas of weakness and implement measures to mitigate them. This not only helps prevent potential losses but also allows organizations to make informed decisions and take calculated risks.
Furthermore, risk management allows businesses to adapt and respond effectively to changing market conditions. By constantly monitoring and evaluating risks, organizations can identify emerging trends and adjust their strategies accordingly. This not only helps businesses stay competitive but also enables them to seize new opportunities and gain a competitive edge.
Lastly, risk management is essential for regulatory compliance. In today's highly regulated business environment, organizations must comply with various laws, regulations, and standards. Effective risk management ensures that organizations meet these requirements and avoid costly penalties or reputational damage.
The 7 key factors to consider when developing risk management strategy is as follows:
1. Identify and Assess Risks: The first step in developing a risk management strategy is to identify and assess the potential risks that may affect the organization. This can be done through a thorough analysis of internal and external factors, such as industry trends, market conditions, and internal processes.
2. Set Clear Objectives: Once the risks have been identified and assessed, it is important to set clear objectives for the risk management strategy. These objectives should align with the overall goals and objectives of the organization. Clear objectives provide a roadmap for the risk management process and help in measuring the success of the strategy.
3. Develop Risk Mitigation Strategies: After setting objectives, it is essential to develop risk mitigation strategies. This involves determining the most appropriate actions to minimize or eliminate the identified risks. Risk mitigation strategies can include implementing preventive measures, creating contingency plans, establishing crisis management protocols, and investing in insurance or alternative risk transfer mechanisms.
4. Communicate and Educate: A successful risk management strategy requires effective communication and education throughout the organization. All employees should be aware of the risks faced by the organization and trained on how to identify and report potential risks.
5. Monitor and Review: Risk management is an ongoing process that requires constant monitoring and review. Regular assessment of the effectiveness of risk mitigation strategies is necessary to identify potential gaps and make necessary adjustments.
6. Update and Improve: As the business landscape evolves, so do the risks faced by organizations. It is important to continuously update and improve the risk management strategy to adapt to changing circumstances.
7. Integrate Risk Management into Business Processes: Risk management should not be viewed as a separate function within the organization. Instead, it should be integrated into all business processes. By considering risk management at every step, companies can make informed decisions and minimize the likelihood and impact of potential risks.
The following 5 points are crucial in creating a robust risk management framework that safeguards against potential threats:
1. Identify and Assess Risks: The first step in implementing risk mitigation measures is to identify and assess the potential risks that may pose a threat to your organization. Conduct a comprehensive risk assessment to determine the likelihood and impact of each identified risk. This will help you prioritize your efforts and allocate resources accordingly.
2. Develop a Risk Management Plan: Once you have identified and assessed the risks, develop a comprehensive risk management plan. This plan should outline the specific measures and strategies that will be implemented to mitigate each risk. Consider both preventive and reactive measures that can be taken to reduce the likelihood and impact of risks.
3. Implement Controls and Countermeasures: A crucial aspect of risk mitigation is the implementation of controls and countermeasures. Controls refer to the policies, procedures, and mechanisms put in place to prevent risks from occurring. Countermeasures, on the other hand, are the actions taken to address risks that have already materialized.
4. Regular Monitoring and Evaluation: Risk mitigation is an ongoing process. It is essential to continuously monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of implemented measures. Regularly review and update risk assessment documents to account for evolving risks and changing circumstances. This will ensure that your risk mitigation measures remain relevant and effective.
5. Foster a Culture of Risk Awareness: Finally, fostering a culture of risk awareness is vital in implementing effective risk mitigation measures. Educate and train employees across all levels of the organization to identify and respond to potential risks. Encourage open communication and feedback channels to ensure that risks are promptly reported and addressed.
The key advantages of implementing effective risk management practices are as follows:
1. Protection of Assets: One of the primary benefits of effective risk management is the protection of valuable assets. By identifying and mitigating potential risks, organizations can safeguard their physical and intellectual assets, preventing any damage or loss.
2. Improved Decision-Making: Effective risk management enables organizations to make informed and data-driven decisions. By conducting risk assessments and analyzing potential outcomes, businesses gain a deeper understanding of potential risks and their potential impact.
3. Enhanced Operational Efficiency: Implementing effective risk management practices can significantly improve operational efficiency. By identifying and addressing potential risks, organizations can streamline processes, reduce errors, and eliminate unnecessary costs.
4. Better Financial Management: Effective risk management plays a crucial role in financial management. By identifying and assessing potential risks that may impact financial stability, organizations can develop appropriate financial strategies to mitigate these risks.
5. Enhanced Stakeholder Confidence: Stakeholders, such as investors, customers, and employees, place a high value on organizations that prioritize effective risk management. Demonstrating a commitment to managing and mitigating risks can enhance stakeholder confidence and trust.
6. Regulatory Compliance: Effective risk management practices ensure compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards. By proactively identifying and addressing potential compliance risks, organizations can avoid costly penalties, legal disputes, and reputational damage.
In conclusion, risk management is a crucial component of any successful organization. By identifying, analyzing, and mitigating risks, businesses can protect their assets and ensure long-term success. It is essential for companies to implement a robust risk management program that includes regular risk assessments, effective risk mitigation strategies, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation. By prioritizing risk management, organizations can minimize potential losses and make informed decisions that support their objectives.
]]>Change management is the structured approach that organizations employ to navigate transitions effectively. It involves methodical planning, communication, and execution to ensure that shifts in processes, technologies, or structures are implemented smoothly and embraced by the stakeholders involved.
Change management refers to the process of planning, implementing, and monitoring changes within an organization. It involves the systematic approach to transforming the way individuals and teams within an organization operate, ultimately leading to successful adoption and sustained improvement.
At its core, change management aims to ensure that the intended benefits of organizational change are realized by minimizing resistance and maximizing engagement from employees. It involves guiding individuals and teams through the transition from the current state to the desired future state, thereby reducing the negative impacts of change and facilitating smooth transformation.
To successfully manage change, certain key components need to be in place. Here, we will explore the key components of a change management process:
1. Clear Vision and Objectives: The first component of a change management process is having a clear vision and objectives. This involves defining what the desired future state looks like and why the change is necessary. It is essential to communicate this vision and objectives to all stakeholders, ensuring alignment and understanding of the change.
2. Stakeholder Engagement: Effective change management requires the active engagement of all stakeholders. This includes employees, management, customers, and any other individuals who may be affected by the change. Engaging stakeholders early in the process helps to understand their concerns, obtain their buy-in, and mitigate any resistance that may arise.
3. Change Impact Assessment: Before implementing any change, it is important to assess its potential impact on the organization. This involves evaluating the risks and benefits associated with the change and determining how it will affect various aspects such as processes, systems, and people. This assessment helps in developing strategies to manage potential risks and minimize disruption during the change.
4. Communication Plan: Effective communication is vital for the success of any change management process. A well-defined communication plan should be in place to ensure timely and consistent messaging to all stakeholders.
5. Training and Development: Change often requires employees to acquire new skills and adapt to new ways of working. Therefore, providing adequate training and development opportunities is crucial. This ensures that employees have the knowledge and capabilities to embrace and excel in the new environment. Training programs should be customized to each employee's needs and delivered in a supportive and inclusive manner.
6. Change Management Team: A dedicated change management team plays a critical role in facilitating the change process. This team should be composed of individuals with expertise in change management, project management, and organizational development.
7. Monitoring and Evaluation: The change management process should include mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the progress and effectiveness of the change. This includes tracking key performance indicators, conducting surveys, and collecting feedback from stakeholders.
8. Continuous Improvement: Change is an ongoing process, and continuous improvement is essential to ensure its long-term success. This involves regularly reviewing and refining the change management process based on lessons learned and feedback received.
Implementing the Change Management Process is as follows:
1. Planning and Strategy: Implementing the change management process in pointers starts with careful planning. This involves identifying the need for change, setting objectives, and defining a clear strategy. The strategy should outline the specific changes to be made and the expected outcomes. It is important to involve all stakeholders and gain their support to ensure a smooth transition.
2. Change Identification: The next step is to identify the specific changes that need to be implemented in pointers. This could be anything from fixing bugs, optimizing code, or introducing new features. By clearly defining the scope of the changes, it becomes easier to manage and prioritize them effectively.
3. Risk Assessment: Change management requires a thorough risk assessment. Pointers can be prone to memory leaks, null pointer dereferences, and other critical issues. A comprehensive analysis of potential risks associated with the changes helps in devising appropriate mitigation strategies. This involves analyzing the impact of the changes on the overall system functionality and identifying potential dependencies.
4. Change Implementation: With a clear strategy and risk assessment in place, it is time to implement the changes. Testing is a critical part of this phase, ensuring that the changes do not introduce any new issues or break existing functionality. Regression testing should be conducted to verify that the previous functionality is not affected.
5. Documentation and Communication: Documentation and communication are essential aspects of any change management process. It is important to document the changes made to pointers, including the reasons behind them and any specific considerations. This helps in maintaining a record of changes for future reference and ensures smooth knowledge transfer within the development team.
6. Training and Support: As part of the change management process, training and support need to be provided to the development team. This helps them understand the changes made to pointers and adapt to any new practices or methodologies. Providing ongoing support ensures that the team can effectively implement and maintain the changes.
1. Enhanced Employee Engagement: One of the key benefits of implementing a change management process is the increased level of employee engagement it fosters. Change can elicit fear and resistance among employees, leading to decreased morale and productivity.
2. Smooth Transition and Minimized Disruption: Change, when poorly managed, can disrupt the daily operations of an organization, resulting in decreased productivity and efficiency. However, a change management process provides a framework that enables an organized and structured approach to transition.
3. Improved Communication and Collaboration: Successful change implementation heavily relies on effective communication and collaboration. A change management process encourages open and transparent communication channels, allowing all stakeholders to stay informed about the changes taking place within the organization.
4. Increased Change Adoption and Reduced Resistance: Resistance to change is a natural human response, often fueled by fear of the unknown or uncertainty about the future. However, by implementing a change management process, organizations can effectively address and minimize resistance.
5. Optimized Return on Investment: Organizational change is typically initiated to improve performance, achieve strategic goals, or respond to external factors. By implementing a change management process, organizations can optimize their return on investment (ROI) by ensuring that the desired outcomes are effectively achieved.
In conclusion, implementing a well-defined change management process is crucial for organizational success. It allows businesses to effectively handle and adapt to changes, minimizing any potential disruptions. By following a structured approach, companies can mitigate risks, ensure stakeholder engagement, and ultimately drive successful outcomes. To establish an efficient change management process tailored to your organization's needs, consult with our professional team.
]]>As we approach the year 2024, it is crucial for project managers to stay ahead of the curve and be aware of the latest trends in the industry. The field of project management is constantly evolving, influenced by advancements in technology, changes in business practices, and shifts in project management methodologies. In order to effectively lead and deliver successful projects, it is essential to adapt to these trends and leverage them to our advantage. This blog explores the project management trends that are expected to shape the industry in 2024, providing valuable insights and guidance for project managers looking to stay ahead in their field.
Staying ahead of the game in project management has never been more crucial. In today's rapidly changing business landscape, project managers who are able to anticipate and adapt to industry trends are more likely to succeed in delivering successful projects. By staying ahead, project managers can identify new opportunities, anticipate challenges, and effectively navigate the complexities of modern project management.
In addition, staying ahead in project management allows professionals to gain a competitive edge in the job market. Employers are increasingly looking for project managers who not only possess the essential skills and experience but also demonstrate a deep understanding of the latest trends and methodologies.
By staying ahead of the curve, project managers can cultivate a forward-thinking mindset and create a culture of continuous improvement within their teams. This mindset encourages innovation, efficiency, and ultimately, better project outcomes.
In today's fast-paced business environment, where disruptions and uncertainties are commonplace, Agile offers a way for project managers to deliver results in a more efficient and effective manner. By breaking down work into smaller increments called sprints, teams can provide stakeholders with regular updates and feedback, ensuring that projects stay on track and align with evolving business needs.
Furthermore, Agile methodology encourages cross-functional teamwork and collaboration. Instead of assigning strict roles and responsibilities, Agile teams work together to solve problems, share knowledge, and deliver high-quality outcomes. This approach fosters a culture of ownership, accountability, and collective success.
Project managers need to embrace Agile and equip themselves with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively implement this methodology. As organizations increasingly adopt Agile practices, project managers who are well-versed in Agile frameworks, such as Scrum and Kanban, will be in high demand.
As technology continues to advance and businesses increasingly embrace remote work arrangements, project managers are adapting their strategies to effectively lead and collaborate with geographically dispersed teams.
Remote project management offers numerous benefits, both for project managers and team members. It allows organizations to tap into a global talent pool, enabling the recruitment of top-notch professionals regardless of their location. This not only enhances diversity but also brings in a fresh perspective and a wider range of skill sets.
Moreover, remote project managers must possess strong leadership and interpersonal skills to effectively manage and motivate team members who may never meet face-to-face. Building trust, providing clear direction, and fostering a sense of community are essential for remote teams to thrive.
As technology continues to advance at an exponential rate, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into project management processes is becoming increasingly prevalent. AI has the potential to revolutionize the way projects are managed, offering a range of benefits and opportunities for project managers.
One of the key areas where AI is making its mark is in data analysis and decision-making. With the ability to process vast amounts of data in real-time, AI algorithms can provide project managers with valuable insights and predictions. By analyzing historical project data, AI can identify potential risks and bottlenecks, allowing project managers to make informed decisions and take proactive measures to mitigate them.
AI-powered project management tools can also automate repetitive tasks, freeing up valuable time for project managers to focus on more strategic and creative aspects of their role. From scheduling and resource allocation to budgeting and progress tracking, AI can streamline these processes, reducing the likelihood of errors and improving overall efficiency.
Data-driven decision making allows project managers to make informed choices based on evidence rather than assumptions or intuition. This not only increases the accuracy of decisions but also reduces the likelihood of errors and improves overall project outcomes. By leveraging AI-powered project management tools, project managers can automate data analysis processes, allowing for quicker and more efficient decision making.
To embrace data-driven decision making, project managers need to cultivate a data-driven mindset, embrace new technologies, and continuously update their skills in data analysis and interpretation. They should also ensure the reliability and accuracy of data sources to make informed decisions based on reliable information.
By incorporating data-driven decision making into their project management processes, project managers can enhance efficiency, minimize risks, and achieve better project outcomes. With the increasing availability and advancement of AI technology, data-driven decision making will continue to be a crucial trend in project management for years to come.
Sustainability in project management involves integrating eco-conscious practices, social responsibility, and economic viability throughout a project's lifecycle. It encompasses minimizing environmental impact by adopting green technologies, reducing waste, and optimizing resource use. Socially, it involves engaging stakeholders, ensuring fair labor practices, and fostering community involvement, respecting cultural diversity, and enhancing societal well-being.
Moreover, sustainable projects factor in economic aspects, considering long-term financial implications, assessing costs over the project's lifespan, and striving for economic stability to ensure viability and resilience.
By embedding sustainability principles into project planning, execution, and evaluation phases, project managers can create initiatives that not only achieve their objectives but also contribute positively to the environment, society, and the economy. This approach aligns with global initiatives towards sustainable development and ensures projects leave a lasting, positive impact beyond their immediate goals.
In conclusion, embracing the future of project management is not just a choice but a necessity. With the rapid advancement of technology, the adoption of agile methodologies, and the focus on data-driven decision-making, organizations can enhance their project management practices and deliver projects that meet or exceed client expectations. By embracing the future, organizations can position themselves as leaders in their industry and drive success in an increasingly competitive marketplace. So, let us embrace the future of project management and unlock the potential for growth and success.
]]>
Project templates are an extremely asset for any business. There are a wide variety of different types of project templates that can be used in many ways. Project management templates help streamline day-to-day operations, create efficiencies with recurring tasks (such as expense reports or payroll), and provide consistency across projects. They also save time by reducing confusion during decision-making processes. With all these benefits, it's easy to see why they're such a popular tool for businesses looking to grow their services while saving resources at every step along the way.
We will explore some of the top project management templates that can be found how they work to find one that suits your needs perfectly.
1. The Project Planning Template: This template is excellent for the initial stages of planning a project. It will help you organize all your ideas and create an outline so that everyone involved in the project knows their role and how they can contribute. You'll be able to make sure that you've covered every base before moving forward with the complete plan!
2. Project Management Timeline Template: This type of template aligns with any timeline task list or Gantt chart. As soon as someone says, "we need a timeline," this template pops up on the computer screen almost automatically because it has become such an integral part of all the processes over time!
Project management is a tedious task because it involves careful planning and organization. However, they can be beneficial when you're working on large projects with many different stakeholders. If you want to ensure that your projects are completed on time, and within budget, then project management templates can be a big help!
Project management skills can be broken into three main categories: project planning, executing the plan, and control of deliverables. Project managers oversee all aspects when it comes to any given project. In addition, they're responsible for nurturing relationships with stakeholders, communicating goals and expectations within their team, managing scope changes throughout execution, and controlling quality standards. Here's what you need to know about each aspect so that your projects run smoothly from start to finish!
Project templates can be customized to accommodate your specific business needs, but there are some common advantages of using them in general:
1. Save Time: The time investment required to develop a project management template is much less than creating an entirely custom one from scratch. This means that you will save money on development costs and have more time to spend on other tasks related to your organization or business, such as marketing, sales, communication with clients, etc.
2. Keep You Consistent: Templates are pre-designed pages containing formatting, design elements, and sometimes content to create a cohesive look across your pages. This consistency will help you avoid having different page designs for each page on your site by using templates.
3. Repeatable Processes: Templates help with repeatable processes. There are different types of templates, such as Excel sheets, word documents, and PowerPoint presentations.
One benefit of using templates is that it saves time when a process is needed again in another situation.
Another benefit is that errors may be made at successive times through the same process, but these mistakes won't occur if all data has already been entered into the template.
Finally, one more plus point to using templates is to reuse content from other sources for marketing purposes rather than creating new ones.
4. Help with Estimates: Evaluating and estimating the cost of work or services is a key part of any business. However, it cannot be accessible without the right tools. Templates provide an easy way to estimate expenses for different projects, saving you time and money in the process!
Project managers are crucial to the success of any business. They manage projects that consist of many different tasks, such as assigning and delegating responsibilities, keeping everyone on task, ensuring deadlines are met, communicating with stakeholders, monitoring progress, and more! Project managers need to do their job well for a company's goals to be achieved.
Here are ways an effective project manager can help increase productivity and make your company successful:
Be accountable - Project managers should take responsibility for all outcomes associated with a project. This includes both successes and failures. In this way, they build trust among team members who know the PM has skin in the game too!
Know how to communicate effectively - A great PM can communicate their ideas and process to make it easy for team members to understand. You should understand both written and verbal forms of communication, as well as how your audience will receive them!
Ensure you know who is on your team before drafting any project management plans to reflect what each person needs/want best. It's essential, to be honest about deadlines and expectations from the beginning - no surprises later down the road! This helps ensure everyone has enough time available for other tasks while working towards completing these projects.
A great PM understands that different personalities thrive with varying work environments where some people are energized by collaboration, whereas others prefer doing things solo without interruptions or distractions.
Many different skill sets are needed to succeed in project management, including leadership skills, negotiation skills, and communication skills.
Project managers must work well with individuals who have varying experience levels in the field, from experts to newbies.
Regardless of how you define "project management," there are three critical areas that all successful projects share:
1) A clear definition of what success looks like.
2) A written plan for achieving that success.
3) Clear communication with team members about their responsibilities on the project.
A detailed outline of who does what and when to meet those goals. This includes tasks and milestones- items or events that need to be completed before moving forward on the project.
]]>Project management is a field that deals with the planning, organizing, and controlling of resources to achieve specific goals. It coordinates work within one or multiple organizations, especially to meet deadlines. Project managers are responsible for ensuring the successful completion of projects by managing all aspects of an organization's project from start to finish. It requires skilled professionals with both technical and soft skills to manage all aspects of a project for success. Project managers work across many industries, including construction, IT/software development, manufacturing, and education.
A project may be as small as two days long or as large as many years. Project management aims to achieve the desired results with the least amount of risk possible. Project managers are responsible for ensuring that the project meets its goals within budget and time constraints. It helps managers and project teams to plan, execute, track progress, communicate with stakeholders, and deliver products or services on time and within budget. There are many different types of projects that require different approaches to project management; the kind of project should dictate the appropriate level of complexity for your project management approach.
Project management is a set of skills applied to the planning, executing, and controlling of any project. The fundamentals are essential for setting up a successful project. They include creating a plan, gathering resources needed to complete the project, understanding risks involved, and keeping on top of deadlines.
Project management is one of the critical functions in any organization. However, it can be a challenge to make sure that project managers are on task and fulfilling their responsibilities while still meeting the organization's needs.
This can be done by implementing these three fundamental principles:
Project Management is a field that has been evolving since the Industrial Revolution.
We will discuss what Project Management Fundamentals are and how they work. The objectives of Project Management Fundamentals include:
The Project Management Fundamentals course will teach you the basics of project management to become skilled in this area.
The topics covered in this course include: understanding what projects are and how they work; the importance of planning your projects; developing quality plans; managing risks and problem-solving during projects; ensuring that your team has everything they need to succeed on their tasks; using proper communication techniques when working with other people (i.e., stakeholders); conducting meetings with stakeholders and team members effectively; understanding different types of organizations or companies? Needs for project management.
This course will help you with all aspects of project management, including managing budgets, timelines, and stakeholders while maintaining a high level of quality. The course discusses what it means to manage projects and why this is important. From there, you will learn how to plan your project - including timeframes, budgets, work breakdowns, and more. Next, we will discuss executing your project with strategies that ensure the desired results on time and within budget.
Finally, we will cover how you can control your project once it has been completed with methods that include quality assurance measures and risk mitigation techniques. By the end of the course, you should have an understanding not only of how to manage projects but of the concepts that underpin successful project management.
The Project Management Fundamentals training course is designed for anyone who wants to become a project manager or advance their existing project management skills. The course covers the fundamentals of project management, including managing change and risk, communication strategies, and best practices in scheduling tasks. The fundamental topics are applied through practical exercises that give you hands-on experience working with your projects!
This free online course is designed to help project managers understand the fundamental concepts and terminology in project management. The system will also introduce how to create a project plan, handle risks, and manage scope creep.
The Project Management Fundamentals training course is perfect for:
]]>
At this stage, benefits are identified and assessed against the organisational strategic objectives
At this stage is all about ensuring that there is a robust plan for the delivery of the benefits, with defined timescales and responsibilities
At this point, benefits start being measured, monitored, and reported against the targets set in the plan.
Project managers have a lot on their plate, so organizing a lessons learned meeting isn't always the most important task. However, this is an essential step in any project's lifespan that should not be overlooked. In this blog post, we will discuss how to organize and run your lessons learned meeting from start to finish.
The purpose of the meeting is to evaluate what went well and what did not go so well in a project. It's also an opportunity for you to learn about how your team would like future projects managed differently, if at all.
This meeting should be scheduled before the end of the project but must take place within 90 days of the project's completion.
The meeting should be attended by as many stakeholders and team members that are possible but can also include people who were not originally on the project to hear their thoughts. It is important for all perspectives to be heard in this type of meeting because it's an opportunity for you and your company to grow from past mistakes or successes.
In general, there are a few don'ts when organizing lessons learned meeting: You must carefully prepare what will happen during the meeting; make sure everyone that needs to attend knows about the project background and is briefed on the meeting agenda and be aware of what questions are appropriate to ask during the lessons learned meeting.
The do's for a successful lesson learned meeting include: create an organized format that will guide people through each section of questions being asked, make sure participants feel comfortable in asking questions if they don't know anything about it, taking notes is important because you'll need them later when reporting your findings back to management or other stakeholders.
It is also recommended to have someone take photos and record the meeting so those who weren't able to attend can hear or view everything that happened at their own convenience.
The agenda should include the meeting's objectives, who is in charge of leading the meeting, and what are their qualifications. This way people know ahead of time what to expect from the meeting and will be prepared with questions or topics they want to discuss. If you're not sure about setting a format for your lesson learned meetings, there are many templates available on google that can help out!
Do: create an organized format that will guide people through each section of Qs being asked
Don't: forget how important it is to take notes because you'll need them later when reporting findings back to management or other stakeholders. It also recommended having someone record and/or taking photos so those who couldn't attend could hear or view everything
Give everyone a chance to present their feedback about the project. It is important to keep the conversation going and to maintain a high level of engagement
Do: take turns with other people in your lessons learned meeting. It is important that each person get their fair chance to offer feedback about what they observed or experienced during the project.
Don't: Assume you know how others feel without hearing them out first, this could lead to miscommunication which will cause friction between different stakeholders who should be working together for better outcomes all around
Keep these tips in mind so you can have productive and insightful lesson learned meetings!
you are not biased as this could lead to miscommunication. You should not be biased as this could lead to miscommunication.
Do: take turns with other people in your lessons learned meeting. It is important that each person get their fair chance to offer feedback about what they observed or experienced during the project.
Don't: Assume you know how others feel without hearing them out first, this could lead to miscommunication which will cause friction between different stakeholders who should be working together for better outcomes all around
Keep these tips in mind so you can have productive and insightful lesson learned meetings!
It is best to make sure before you assume about a person's thoughts and feelings.
Do not assume you know how others feel without hearing them out first, this could lead to miscommunication which will cause friction between different stakeholders who should be working together for better outcomes all around
Keep these tips in mind so you can have productive and insightful lesson learned meetings!
The key is taking turns with other people in your lessons learned meeting. It's important that each person gets their fair chance to offer feedback about what they observed or experienced during the project - ideally everyone takes a turn before the discussion begins. If there are only two people at the table, discuss one topic before switching topics. Also, make sure that no one dominates the conversation by cutting off speakers when it isn't their turn:
It will help you remember later when you're trying to recall specific details about someone's comments in the meeting.
One more thing to remember is that everyone's feedback can be valuable. While some suggestions may seem like common sense, others could point out a problem you otherwise would not have been aware of - either way, it will help you and your team improve in the future!
The key is taking turns with other people in your lessons learned meeting. It's important that each person gets their fair chance to offer feedback about what they observed or experienced during the project - ideally everyone takes a turn before the discussion begins. If there are only two people at the table, discuss one topic before switching topics.
If someone says something you don't agree with, just let them speak their mind and then respond accordingly when they finish talking and they will respect you for it.
“The Do's and Don'ts of Lessons Learned Meetings" The key is taking turns with other people in your lessons learned meeting. It's important that each person gets their fair chance to offer feedback about what they observed or experienced during the project - ideally everyone takes a turn before the discussion begins. If there are only two people at the table, discuss one topic before switching topics.
Don't get defensive if someone says something you don't agree with, just let them speak their mind and then respond accordingly when they finish talking and they will respect you for it."
When companies cannot handle the project management challenges, it leads to wastage of money and project delays. Studies have provided evidence that 1 out of 6 projects cost around 200% more than its estimated cost. Apart from that, about 70% of the IT projects experience project delays, and they fail to deliver them on time. Given below are some of the challenges that a project manager will encounter.
When it comes to the successful completion of a software project, clarity stands out as an essential requirement. When there is no presence of clarity it will lead to unwanted management issues. Studies have shown evidence that about 39% of the software projects fail because it doesn’t have proper planning. As a project manager, you must look for solutions to quantify project progress through quality tests and milestones.
32% of the experts have claimed that communication stands out as the biggest problem in project management. Miscommunications will not just cause conflicts between team members but also have a massive effect on their teamwork. For such reasons, you need to conduct effective communication within project management so that the outcome is positive.
There are many project managers out there who believe that financial issues are one of the biggest challenges within a software project. This was proved with a survey conducting 2017, which showed that 39.7% of the managers agree that budgeting is the biggest issue under project management. You must opt for efficient cost management, which will help you prevent certain complications and strive for quicker and better results.
The scope creep stands out as an expected and natural phenomenon within a software project. On several occasions, it might be beneficial, but many times, the cons surpass the pros. Clients who do not know what they require and have vague requirements are the biggest challenge for both the team and the project managers. To handle this situation, you need to become proactive and make proper planning. You must understand the needs of each of your clients. Doing so will help you deal with scope creep effectively.
When all the members of a project team feel responsible, it will enable them to complete a project successfully. They will also try to fulfill the role they are given with hard work and dedication. When you assign each of your team members with work equally, it will help you complete the project within the given time frame.
When it comes to completing a software project, it's not that easy to complete everything in time. Project managers will experience many challenges, and they should know how to handle them by taking the right approach.
Project Cost and Management are key task for a project manager. In this article, we will look at how you can track resource costs, how you can estimate the project budget and write a cost management plan for your project.
Based on MS Excel so you will not need any other software. Both the budget estimation and tracking is done in the same spreadsheet. It has two sections - one for human resources or project team and one for other resources. Resources are allocated on a weekly basis. Resource rates can be set on a daily rate basis. Considers real-life situations like vacations and adding contingency. Highlights when the actual spend exceeds the estimated spend.
The excel template contains two sheets - Budget - Estimation, and Budget - Actual. The budget estimation sheet should be updated before the project starts and NOT changed once the project starts. After you are confident about the estimation you can update the Budget Actual sheet with the same numbers as an estimation. You also have the option to copy the estimates sheet and create an actual sheet but then the formulas and conditional formatting will not work.
The first section in each of the sheets is the Project Team Section. In this section, you need to have the name of resources and their daily rates. Then you have to enter their availability on a weekly basis. By default, everyone is considered to be working full time which is 5 days a week. If you have someone working for 50% time then you would enter 2.5 days or if someone is working for 80% then you would enter 4 days.
After the data is entered the sheet calculates the cost for each of the resources and then displays a total for each week as well as a grand total. The Other Resources Section is similar to the project team section but can be used to calculate costs for other resources required for the project. At the bottom of the sheet, there is a Totals Section which displays the key totals of the project which include - Human Resources Costs, Other Resources, Other Expenses and then other totals. There is an option to enter a Contingency.
Depending on the standards followed in your company you may select 10%, 20% or a different number. In case of the Actual sheet, there will be an additional column to the totals section which will indicate what the estimated value. The process of estimation and tracking is simple. During the estimation process always use the Budget Estimation Sheet. After the estimation is complete you should not make any changes to the estimation sheet.
As you progress with the project you should update the Budget Actual sheet with the actual time spent by the resources. In some cases, a resource might spent less time which will save money. But if the time spent is more then the project budget can go up. When updating the Actual sheet keep an eye on the Totals Section. So, if a team member takes leave for one day then the total days worked in that week will be four. If someone work for one day additional then the total days for that week will be 6.
“Total Costs”: This sheet is the bottom line of the estimated budget, and presents the total costs of the other three sheets. It also includes the basic info of the project (Date of submission, planned start and end date of the project, PM’s name and the project’s name).
“Labour Costs”: This sheet needs to outline all the costs of human effort which are associated with the projects’ scope. The tasks are broken down according to the WBS, thus ensuring that 100% of the effort is outlined. Then the teams are required to estimate the number of work hours that are needed in order to complete the task. Any other costs associated with employment, which vary according to the country the employee works in. Then the cost of the hour is multiplied by the estimated hours needed to complete the task, and the result is the cost of completing the task. The rows highlighted in green are the top tier activities of the WBS, and the total cost is derived of the aggregated total cost of the tasks under each one.
“Materials Costs”: This sheet outlines all the costs of the resources needed for the project, which are usually tangible resources (Servers, equipment) but may include licenses of software. The number of servers is derived by the estimated number of end-users and required response time. The licenses needed are according to the employees. The office equipment depends on the number of employees and is derived according to past expenses, plus 5-10% to adjust for inflation.
“Other Costs”: This sheet includes all the expenses which aren’t associated with the other two sheets. These are usually on-going expenses, which are needed for the “flow” of the project. The air expenses are derived from the estimated number of employees which will be required to conduct site/client visits. On top of that hotel and meal costs are added; according to the location (Sydney is more expensive than Bratislava).
The office space is calculated according to the number of employees when each employee requires X square meters for a work station. If many employees are planned to conduct site visits throughout the project’s timeline, then less office space is required. Refreshments and customer hospitality are derived according to the number of employees, planned customer visits and past costs of the same. The insurance costs are also derived from past costs, and these usually don’t change drastically.
PCM (Project Cost Management) is a method used to measure the productivity and the cost of projects, throughout their full lifecycle. The goal of the method is to complete the project on budget. The main challenge is estimating the needed budget for the project, and this method aims at using historical data to estimate the needed budget. As the project progresses actual data is used to measure how close the estimation was, and to update it if needed.
Cost Estimate Table – In order to accurately estimate the needed budget, a table is used to break down the needed budget for all the required resources. Cost Change
Requests – As we all know all plans, projects’ scope, clients’ requests and standards change over the lifecycle. Budgets are no different, and the estimated required budget for one (or more) of the rows in the estimation table might need to be changed.
The process of requesting and approving a CR should include the following – The CR request is submitted in a standard form to the PM by the team lead. The PM analyzes the impact approving or denying the request will have on the project. The PM makes their recommendation to the client / main sponsor, who approves/denies the request. If the CR is approved: The estimation table needs to be updated.
Once the estimation is complete and the project starts rolling, the actual costs start to roll in in form of invoices. An invoice is a commercial document issued to the customer by the vendor, which relates to a sales transaction and usually indicates the agreed price, the number of products and quantities of goods/services. Each invoice needs to be allocated to one of the rows in the estimation table and aggregated with all other invoices. The aggregated actual cost is compared with the estimated one, while the overall completion of the row is taken into consideration.
As with any uncertain endeavor, planning for the unknown will protect the project when the actual is different from the plan. As stated above, the percentage of the contingency is normally 10%-30% and is dependent on the following 3 factors –
Any project will need to have public and project holidays which are applicable to the entire project. To add public holidays please click on Project Tab and then click on Change Working Time. After the change working time dialog is opened. Please make sure the drop down For Calendar is selected as Standard Project (Calendar).
If the Standard Project calendar is not selected then the changes will be applied to the specific person who's name has been selected in the For Calendar. Any Exceptions that you add here will be applied to the entire project. This is place where you should add public holidays based on the country you reside in.
If you want to apply a different set of settings for people working lesser time or on a part time basis then you can do by changing the working time. To change the working time you can open resource information by double clicking on the resource name in the resource sheet. You should see the Change Working Time button as highlighted in the Image 1 above. If you add a new entry and click on the details you should be able to add details for each day. Individual leaves can be added by entering a Name and then start and stop dates.
If you click on the Details button then you can add recurrence patterns or add flexible hours only for that day. After you click on the Change Working Time you should see the dialog which will allow you add Exceptions and Work Weeks. Please see image 2 above. Exceptions can be used when you want to add holidays or leaves for individuals. Work weeks allows you to define a different working pattern other than the default working time.
The main dialog shows the current exceptions and the calendar for the resource in question. This can be used to setup part time schedules for individuals. Please see image 3. You can select the exception to occur on a day, weekly etc. It is very similar to the outlook recurrence options. The work week option allows you to set the non-working or reduced hours per day for a week. Once the time or day is set to be different from the default setting the changes will affect all the weeks for that resource. This feature is very useful if someone in the team works only a few days a week or works different hours to the default setting.
You can setup the working hours per day and week by going to Options (Start up Menu) --> Schedule. You can also setup first day of the week, start time, end time and days per week. The settings selected here will apply for the entire project and all the resources.
]]>
# : The Approach - Start with the resource pool
If you have multiple project then this approach will work when you have a Master Project Plan and a Resource Pool implemented. If you have a single project plan then you can do the below configurations in your resource sheet.
For the resource views to work you will need that all the projects share the same resource pool. To start with we set the appropriate group for each resource in the resource pool.
Open the resource pool and set the group as per your needs - a group is generally a team name. I have used four groups - IT, OPS, Legal and Service.
# : The Resource Usage View
Go to your master project plan and under the Views tab select "Resource Usage". You should be able to see all the resources working on all the sub-projects in the Master Project plan.
Next select the Group By option and under the options select Resource Group. You should be able to see the view as below.
This view gives an overall idea of the work allocation sorted by team and then resource. You can display the available capacity by selecting what you want to display in the right side of the view.
You can also view the data at resource level or team level - which is a very useful feature. You can add additional columns like Project, Remaining Work, etc as per your reporting needs.
You can change timeline on the right to view tasks details on a daily or monthly or yearly level. You can use the daily view if you want to generate a daily status report.
# : Export your resource allocations
You can easily move the data in the Resource Usage view to excel which you can use to customize and publish to your team. This report will be the single document which the team can use to plan their tasks.
Follow the below steps to export to excel -
# : Some disadvantageous on this approach -
A Schedule Management Plan (SMP) is a document which outlines how the plan for a project will be created and maintained. It is basically a roadmap of how to plan the project, and how to maintain the plan once the project has started.
Maintaining the plan includes: identifying changes, analyzing their impact, documenting and communicating the change throughout the project (team members and key stakeholders).
The SMP is traditionally written by the PMO, while working closely with the key stakeholders and the projects’ management directorate. In many cases it is approved by the board of directors or CEO of the company.
This paragraph of the SMP defines how the schedule will be maintained after the project’s kick off. It covers the following areas –
This section of the SMP defines how the changes to the scope of the project will be made and communicated. It covers the following areas –
There are many different modules available in the SAP system, and since each company has different needs not all modules are used in each implementation. All the modules are customizable, but this requires writing code in SAP using the ABAP (Advanced
Business Application Programming) language.
Now we will look at the different Implementation phases in SAP Project Plan.
This is the first phase of the implementation, and the majority of the tasks include understanding the inputs & outputs of the legacy system (analysis), and planning how the new SAP system will be implemented (Blueprint).
The plan includes
software and hardware needs. It is wise to invest time in the plan, since it is cheaper to find mistakes here than when the implementation has begun.
The main milestones are –
This phase is mainly done by the implementer of SAP, and entails understanding the FS’s and dividing them into two categories –
The main milestones are –
TUT’s (Technical Unit Testing) are completed: This means that after the TDS is done, the SAP implementer tests it in the testing environment to make sure that the TDS was done according to the FDS.
This is a very important phase, and is done mainly by the testing team, with the assistance of the module teams. T
he testing is done in different environments, when the first tests are in the testing environment and the last are in the development
environment which simulates the actual production environment and is subject to QA regulations (each company has different ones). The main milestones are –
The goal of this phase is to Extract the information from the legacy system, Transform it to the SAP language, and Load it into the SAP. After the load is done, the team verifies that the information is accessible in the SAP system. The main milestones are –
Implementing a new system entails a big change, and the OCM team is in charge of leading the transformation. The main milestones are –
This team is the only one who handles the hardware, and are in charge of the servers, printers (mainly for parcel stickers), guns for scanning the barcodes, etc. The main milestones include –
Teaching the users how to work with the new system. The main milestones are –
The last phase of the implementation before the Go-Live, and is done by a dedicated team who assumes the responsibility for most of the tasks done in the period before the Go-Live. The main milestones are –
An over allocation solution offered by Microsoft Project is resource leveling: A load balancing technique which allows MS Project to alter the start / finish dates so that the resources will be able to complete all their tasks during the available business hours.
There are 3 ways to initiate resource leveling –
Automatic
Manual
Manual Resource by Resource
Step by step guide to Resource Leveling in MS Project
When any resource is over allocated, a small red icon of a man will appear in the ”Indicators” column:. In order to see which resources are over allocated, go to the “View -> Resource Sheet” ribbon. The resources that are over allocated will appear in red.
In order to initiate a manual leveling go to “Resource -> Leveling Options”, and the following menu will appear. Here you will need to set the leveling options –
Due to the control they offer, manual options are the preferred method while working with medium and large scale work plans which involve dozens of resources.
]]>
It is important that you initiate the project well. One of the ways of doing it is to capture all the key parameters which we will be discussing in this article and package it into a document. The document then can be sent to the senior management and
key stakeholders for sign-off. Some of the key checkpoints for initiation are below.
If you are able to answer yes to the above questions then you should proceed with estimating the work involved. Generally, the effort can be estimated in days or hours by the team who will do the task. My preference is to have the estimates in days as
it makes the scheduling easy.
You should then break down the effort into smaller chunks of work. I would recommend you have small chunks or units of work around 3 – 5 days each. Breaking it down into smaller components will help you in tracking.
It will also avoid situations where you come to know after 2 months that a task is not complete.
After you have the breakup of tasks you need to put them into a schedule. You can use tools like MS Project, MS Excel or any tool of your choice.
Basically, you need to assign tasks against resources and map the duration of task. You should be able to add dependencies between tasks. Putting a schedule together will give you an idea of when the project is likely to get over.
Please see
Creating Project Schedule using Microsoft Project article to understand how you can create a simple project plan.
The next key aspect is managing risk and issues. Every project will have its own risks and issues. It is important that as a project manager you keep track of risks and issues. Different organizations keep track of risks and issues differently using various
tools.
At a minimum you should have a spread sheet or document which has list of issues and risks with the following columns or attributes – sequence number, name, severity (catastrophic, high, medium, low), owner, date identified, mitigation
in place. Please my article Managing project risks and issues for a detailed step-by-step guide for managing risks and issues.
Change Management is a very crucial part of any project and is often overlooked within IT projects. The change management is an activity which analyses the impact of a given change on the organization and how to handle the change. You will need an
change management plan if you answer yes to any of the below questions –
Please see my article on Project Change Management Process for a detailed step-by-step guide.
The last and the most important aspect is budgeting a project. Different organizations have different way of looking at budgets. The bottom line is the amount of money you spend on the project which can be human resources, hardware, software and infrastructure.
The
bulk of the cost is always the human resources. Depending on the role and the organization standards I have seen two ways of budgeting a project – First, the cost of the resources is considered per day and then multiple with the number of days they
are on the project. Second, some of the organizations mostly servicing companies use hourly calculation as they have to charge their clients.
Stakeholder management is activity which you will end up doing through the project. One of the key things
is to keep the stakeholders updated throughout the journey as they are not directly involved in the project.
It is always a good idea to have daily a stand-up meeting with the project team for 15 mins to check the status. It can be done anywhere
– in the kitchen, pantry or even the hallway.
I hope I have given you the basic tools to kick start your project management experience. Please contact me if you need additional help.
Config
One of the challenges that many of us working in the project management field have to do is to manage multiple projects. In many cases it can be the same project team working in different projects.
Using a MasterProjectPlan concept with Microsoft Project 2013 to combine the reporting can be used in either scenarios above. If you need help with creating a project plan please see other articles Simple Project Plan or Microsoft Project Basics.
One of the key issues with managing multiple projects is, to be able to report the status of each project separately or together depending on the situation.
On the flip side you can be in situation where you are in a team of project managers with each manager having his or her own plan. In the situation with multiple project managers it is quite challenging to give a high level view of how the projects are progressing.
Please see the video which has a hands-on tutorial on creating a project plan with 3 sub-projects.
]]>
To see how we can use this feature from MS Project we will use a Project Plan with 4 sub projects - Alpha, Project Beta, Gamma and Whiskey. You can choose to use a single project plan with multiple projects or you can use a Master Project Plan.
You can add a task to the timeline by right clicking on the task and selecting the Add To Timeline option.
You can view the project timeline by clicking on View Tab and then checking the Timeline check box.
After you have added all the task for the projects the timeline will look like below. Frankly speaking this view is very cumbersome and does not give the reader any idea about the project phases or tasks. No one would like to see such a timeline.
Follow the below formatting to make it more attractive -
After doing the formatting changes the timeline should look similar to the below. Associating a color with each project makes it very informative and easy to read. You can now apply the above formatting changes to all the projects in the plan.
You can change color and font of the task bar by right clicking and selecting the font and other formatting options. Right clicking on the task bar will also give options to Display as Bar, Display as Callout, Remove from Timeline options.
Selecting the Display as Bar option will display the task as a rectangular block. It is the default view. You can display the task as Callout as well. (We have used Callout for Milestones in our example). Remove from Timeline will remove the task.
]]>
Traditional management style meant that each employee had one manager which was responsible to assign tasks to them, monitor their work and periodically give them feedback regarding their overall performance. This meant that their direct manager was in charge of their promotion, bonuses, raises etc. This style of management meant that each employee had one reporting line in the OBS (Organizational Breakdown Structure) diagram.
Matrix management began with the intention of employing an employee throughout multiple projects, while doing (more or less) the same thing for all the different projects. This approach was designed at utilizing each employee at a higher workload percentage, and also to replicate their best practices across multiple projects and disciplines.
The result is that each employee works on more than one project at any given time, and has responsibilities with multiple mangers (multiple reporting lines). Only one of those managers is responsible for evaluating the employee’s’ work, and is tasked with promoting that employee.
This manager is known as a “direct manager” or “people manager”, while the other managers are known as “indirect managers” or “matrix managers”. It is not uncommon that all of the employees work is done for indirect managers. Many times employees with similar skills are pooled together into one team, and then each one of them is tasked with working on a different project.
In a diagram the direct manager is denoted by a solid line, and the matrix manager(s) are denoted by a dashed line.
Mia Westin is a programmer in the SW team, and her manager is Ayan Nath who is the SW team lead. Project A needs Maya for 10 weekly hours to write their security code, and Project B needs the same for 25 weekly hours.
Since Maya is supposed to work 45 weekly hours, she also does QA work for her peers for 10 weekly hours. This results in the fact that she is employed for 45 weekly hours throughout 3 different projects, and has to report to 3 different managers.
Karen Smyth is a PMO in the PM team, and her manager is Svetlana Dyakov who is the head PMO. Karen splits her time evenly between project A and project B (22.5 weekly hours each).
Dan Choi is a server technician in the Engineering team, and his manager is Hana Bethel. Dan works on project A for 15 weekly hours, project B for 20 hours, and project C for 10 weekly hours.
The above diagram gives a visual depiction of the three employees outlined.
Like with any approach, the matrix management has its advantages and disadvantages. The following bullets outline the major ones.
A company that has decided to transfer to a matrix management style must understand that there is much more to it than simply restructuring its organizational structure. Each and every employee must change their perspective and shift their thinking regarding their loyalties and skill set.
Managers must understand that their authority doesn’t come from their position, but rather must lead the team members and motivate them by challenges rather than by promise of reward. Professionals must understand that they need to sharpen their skills, and use a different approach on any given project.
Many times this will be done on simultaneous projects. The entire company becomes “flat” with less hierarchy, and must become more dynamic in its thinking and reactions to changes in market and customer demand.
Matrix management entails quite a few challenges for the project manager, below are the main ones –
No linear hierarchy:
The team members of the project aren’t directly reporting to the PM, and this requires them to invest much more time in interpersonal skills. The PM must understand what motivates each team member, where their skills will be best utilized and how to harness these in order to deliver on-time. Developing interpersonal relationships with the team members will increase their commitment to the project (and the PM)
Multiple responsibilities:
Each team member may work on other projects in parallel, requiring the PM to understand how they should most efficiently utilize the team members allotted hours
Adaptation capabilities:
Since any team member may be removed from a project at any given time, the PM must be a dynamic thinker and adaptable to the changing resources at their disposal
Political capabilities:
Since many PM’s are interested in a limited pool of professionals, they must be able to convince the relevant TL why they should be allotted more hours than other PM’s
James is a PM, tasked with building a C&C (command and control) room which will be used in an airport. The project includes the actual building of the room, and also equipping it with all the needed furniture and infrastructure (electricity, sewer, internet, etc.). The project excludes the actual operating system of the airport security measures (cameras, smart fence, etc.).
This means that James will need to manage the builders, electricians, plumbers, sourcing experts, internet technicians, etc. All of which are employees of the same company as James. They are all members of different groups, and none of them directly report to James.
The project started on the 24th of July 2017, and is planned to be completed by the 4th of September 2017. James planned the required team members and their hours, and has secured assurances from their TL’s that they will be available.
A delay in completing the building caused a delay in the start date of the electricians’ (Mark) work. The electricians’ TL updated James that Mark needs to start work on another project, and won’t be able to complete his work on James’ project.
Furthermore, no other electricians are available to pick up Marks’ slack. James’ solution was to use the contingency fund in order to hire an electrician from outside the company. This resulted in the project going above the planned budget.
Another issue that James had was that the plumber he wanted for the project (one that he worked with in the past) and was promised to him suddenly became unavailable due to the fact that his TL shifted him to another (longer) project.
This required James to recruit a different plumber from within the company, one with less experience. James was forced to lengthen the timeline for the sewer connection, and receive assurances from the TL that he will be available to consult the new plumber. Fortunately the plumbing wasn’t on the critical path, so it didn’t cause further delays.
In order to add the “Project Summary Task” (row zero): Go to the “Format” ribbon, and check the “Project Summary Task” box. Unless changed, the name that will appear in the “Task Name” of row zero will be the name given to the MPP file. In the picture above, the gray bar at the top represents the entire span of the project, the black bars are the span of the summary tasks, the blue bars are the tasks and the gray rhombuses represent the milestones. On the right side of the blue bars are the resources allocated to the task, and on the right side of the rhombuses are end dates of the milestones. The summary tasks don’t have any information next to them.
In order to see the critical tasks, check the “Critical Tasks” box. Critical task = a task that its slack is zero days, and delaying it by X days will delay the entire project by X days. The critical tasks bars will appear in red. In order to customize the appearance of the Gantt chart: click on “Format”. You can choose between customizing the entire Gantt chart by clicking on “Bar Styles”, or just one bar by clicking on “Bar”.
“Name”: The name given to the group of characters which appear in the chart.
“Appearance”: How the objects (bar/milestone/etc.) will appear on the Gantt chart. The bottom half of the menu is where the user can change the appearance (in the “Bars” tab). It is possible to alter the start, finish and middle of each shape in regards to the shape itself, pattern and color.
“Show for…Tasks”: This is the filter of the Gantt chart. Here the user can set the parameters of which objects will appear.
For example if the following parameters appear in this column: “Active, Not Manually Scheduled”, then only tasks that are automatically scheduled and active will appear in the Gantt chart. “Row” the number of rows (basically the height) of the object in the Gantt chart. From 1 (the default) to 4.
“From”: Where the object will start to appear on the timeline. This is a drop-down menu of all the columns that exist in the MPP file. “To”: Where the object will stop appearing on the timeline. This is a drop-down menu of all the columns that exist in the MPP file.
In the bottom half of the menu, in the “Text” tab the user can choose which text will appear next to the object. For example for the “Task” row it is possible to decide that the start date will appear on the left, the end date on the right and the task name on top. All of the parameters are drop-down menus.
If the user will click on “Layout” in the format ribbon on the top, the following menu will appear –
Also if the “always roll up Gantt bars” is checked, then all the summary tasks will present the individual tasks that are under them. There are 3 other check boxes –
There are 2 ways to change the timescale of the chart –
Use the standard “Zoom in” “Zoom out” buttons that appear on the bottom right of the chart (like all Microsoft’s application). The more precise method is to right-click at the top of the chart (in the header of the timescale), and choose “Timescale”. The following menu will appear –
In order to customize the timescale, the user needs to choose how many tiers are needed. This is done in the “Show” drop-down menu (one to three). The next step is deciding what the “Units” will be for each tier (from Minutes to Years), what the date format will be for each tier, the alignment and if the tick lines will appear. In the “Count” drop-down menu the user can choose if each unit will appear, or will only every second, third, etc. For example if the user chooses “Month” as a unit and “2” as the count, then only every other Month will appear in the header (January, March, May…).
This process needs to be done for each tier individually, using the tabs at the top of the menu. Please note that the tier units must be less than the units of the tier above. For example the user can’t choose “Months” for the Middle tier, and “Quarters” for the Bottom tier.
The critical path of a work plan is made up of tasks that together determine the overall duration of a project. Each task that is a part of the critical path has zero slack, and this means that a delay of X days in any one of these tasks will result in a delay of X days in the entire project. These tasks are called critical tasks, and deserve special attention due to their impact on the entire projects’ duration.
Using the “Total Slack” column in MSP, it is easy to see which tasks have available slack. These tasks should be delayed first if possible, and thus not delay the entire project. The “Total Slack” column should also be used when determining if any resources can be re-routed to a critical task.
The projects’ buffer should be calculated as X% of the critical paths’ duration. The percentage should change according to the following criterion –
The agreed upon buffer needs to be tracked & managed, and ideally the percentage of it that is used should be equal or less than the percentage complete of the entire project.
Negative slack is also possible, if a deadline was used in the project. If a deadline is set to 05-May for example, and the end date is 08-May, the slack for the task that is late by 3 days will show -3 (minus three) in the slack column.
Luckily for us, MSP automatically calculates the slack of each task, and if asked will also color the critical tasks red in the Gantt chart. Simply go to the “Format” ribbon, and check the “Critical Tasks” checkbox.
MSP will also determine the critical path, as long as the user doesn’t use any constraints. A constraint is a hard date that is set as a start / finish date for a task. The constraint is effectively a break in the path, and is set when the user chooses a date in the “Start” or “Finish” columns. Due to this, It is recommended to use only predecessors and duration to set the start / finish dates, and not to choose a date in these columns.
There are 2 ways to see if there are any constraints in the MPP file –
Once no constraints exist in the work plan, MSP will automatically determine the entire critical path. MSP will also display the available slack for the tasks that aren’t on the critical path. In order to use this feature, go to the “Format” ribbon, and check the “Slack” checkbox. Then in the Gantt chart, you will see black line from the end of the non-critical tasks to the end of their slack.
]]>
There are two fundamental reasons to have a resource pool - Resources are not maintained in a centralized location. Every project manager could have same resources defined with different names, different rates or different availability.
Implementing the resource pool can be done in two steps - creating the resource pool and then using the resource pool in other projects.At the end we will look at some of the maintenance aspects of using a resource pool.A resource pool is nothing but a Microsoft Project plan with no tasks but resources defined.
So you create a Microsoft Project plan like you create a normal project plan and then you add resources. You can name the plan as ResourcePool.mpp so that you don't confuse it with other plans.
You can add the resources as you would do for any Microsoft Project plan - please see How to Add resources and working time to understand how to add resources. After setting up the resource pool with the resources it is now ready to be used in any project plan.
Open the project plan for the project which needs to use the resource pool. Under the resources tab you should see the option for Resource Pool. Click on the "Share Resources..." pool option. Step 2 : After completing Step 1 you should see the Share Resources dialog. Select the second option to use resource from resource pool and select the resource pool you want to use.
Select the Pool takes precedence when option so that the resources are always taken from the resource pool. After completing Step 1 & 2 you will be able select resources from the resource pool when assigning tasks in the project plan.
Always keep the resource pool in shared location. Always save the project plan and resource pool after updates are complete. When you open any project plan that uses a resource pool Microsoft Project will ask if the resource pool should also be opened. Always select the option "Open resource pool to see assignments.....".
When you open the resource pool mpp you will get an "Open Resource Pool" dialog. If you want to see the resource plan without making any any change then select option 1. If you wan to make changes to the resource pool then select the second option.
You may sometimes want to disconnect a project plan from a resource pool. Open the resource pool and go to the resource tab. Select the "Resource Pool" option and then click on "Share Resources" option. You will then see a "Share Resources" dialog which will have all the projects using the resource pool listed in the "Sharing Links" section. Select the link that you want to disconnect and then click on the "Break Link" button. The dialog window will will close itself after you click the break link button.
Note : The link to the project plan will be continued to be displayed in the "Sharing Links"but the project plan will no longer point to the resource pool.
Change request or a.k.a CR is a request initiated in a project by one of the stakeholders or team members to formally change the scope of the project. Change requests can have varying impacts depending on the change. The change could include cost, additional resources, time and software. Typically, change requests cause changes to project timelines and can be a cause disagreements and conflicts within the project. Change requests are generally approved by project control committees or governing boards.
It should contain all the information required to make a decision. Basic details like project name, project manager name, date submitted and approved need to be recorded. Change description is also important to give the readers a high level overview of the change request.
Schedule – if there is any impact because of the change then that needs to be clearly stated. The decision makers need to know if the CR is going to cause one day, one month or one year slippage so you need to clearly state the delay in terms of days or years.
Scope – If there is going to be any change in terms of what will be actually delivered then that needs be stated.
This needs be high level so that it can make sense to the management. Avoid having low level technical details.
Budget – This is one of the key impacts management is interested in – it is all about the money. Again important to state the exact dollar amount.
Quality – Another key KPI. If as the result of the change the quality of the deliverable can be impacted then that needs to be stated. Again important to state the quantum of impact.
Any other impacts – This is a general catch – all type section. If the impact you are seeing does not fall into above categories then you can use this category. Examples are customer impact, server load impact etc. If there is no impact for any of the above then say “none”.
Options – the form also needs to contain options. It is a good practice to check if there are some alternate options.
The attached example presents how a Software project submits a Change Request.
The following fields are captured in the example (in the same order as the CR form) –
The template’s purpose is to allow those involved in the project to request a change to the initial design, timeline, budget or resources which were approved during the projects’ kick-off.
The following fields are captured in the template –
The change control process aims to ensure that all changes to any project or system are assessed, approved and executed in a controlled manner.
]]>
Agile is new norm of the industry and everyone in the tech industry is moving to agile. These set of tutorials and templates will help a scrum master or project manager to adopt agile. Agile is a methodology for the management of software project development. In contrast to a traditional sequential approach to software development, Agile focuses on the development of a series of incremental iterations of the product, each of which is functional and potentially can be deployed.
Agile projects typically involve small teams working in short bursts, with each of the bursts followed by a review process with the client stakeholders hence Agile is different from Waterfall model in a few ways.
Agile project management is not just another buzzword, and it’s not a superficial paradigm shift teams should make simply for the sake of doing so. Rather, agile project management allows for maximum productivity throughout a project’s lifespan, and keeps teams working to their highest potential at all times keeping project documentation to minimum.
Of the many differences between traditional and agile project management, perhaps most obvious are the shift in responsibilities members of the development team have in the completion of projects.
This section will describe the responsibilities of each of the following team members:
Keep in mind that, while each of these individuals or groups of workers have their own set of responsibilities, agile project management dictates they interact with each other throughout the process.
The ScrumMaster cannot simply sit back and ask his team to “tell him when they’re finished.” Instead, he must:
The ScrumMaster is most likely a former “boss” who has been looking for a way to manage his team more effectively but hasn’t been sure of the best way to do so. With an open mind and proper training, the right leader can become a top-notch ScrumMaster and lead his team to true success.
In addition to being able to complete their specified tasks efficiently, members of agile project managed teams also need to be able to:
For most developers, becoming members of an agile team is a dream come true. Rather than having to robotically go through the motions day in, day out - only to see their “boss” get credit for a job well done - agile team members can approach each project prepared to do their best work possible.
The Waterfall and Agile models for software development project management each offer advantages and disadvantages, and the best model for a given project depends on project goals, client priorities, and the strengths of the project manager and team. The differences in the models' structures lead to some significant differences in the way the projects run and the kind of final products they produce.
The two models lie at either end of a spectrum with predictability at one end and flexibility at the other. The correct model to choose for a given project depends on where on the spectrum the project's priorities fall.
A graphical presentation of a matrix, where each cell coloured differently and each colour has a different significance is called a heatmap. It can be used for various industries and to depict any number of different data sets, and was originally used for presenting financial data.
Today heatmap are used to present weather patterns, voting trends, electrical circuits’ temperature, etc. The cells colors can be either manually updated if numbers change, or dynamically updated according to the new numbers.
First create an Excel Table
First create an excel table with the relevant columns and rows, and insert the numerical numbers into the tables’ cells. The following example presents a table with different fruit types and their unit sales from 2015, 2016 and 2017. Now choose all the cells which contain a number, and click on “Conditional Formatting -> Colour Scales” in the “Home” tab. The following menu will appear – see above picture.
Conditional Formatting using Color Scales
Choose one of the nine available pre-set options. Each option has a different coloring scheme, and the top left possibility will colour the higher numbers in green, the middle ones in orange (middle = up to the 50th percentile) and the low ones in red. Select the “More Rules…” option and the following menu will appear –
In the top half of the menu it is possible to choose the rule type. For example: the top choice allows the user to set a colouring scheme which is dependent on the value of the numbers in the table. The bottom half allows the user to change the parameters by which the cells will be coloured. For example in the “Format Style” drop down menu it is possible to choose “3-colour scale”, and then change the colour of the lower / middle/ / higher numbers, the middle percentile percentage, If the minimum / maximum will be the lowest / highest number in the table or a set number and see a preview of the scheme.
The menu below depicts a scheme in which the minimum value of the numbers is 5, the middle numbers are up to the 25th percentile, and the maximum numbers are according to the highest value in the table and are coloured blue. The higher the numbers, the darker shade of blue their cell will be. Same for the low numbers: the lower they are the redder they will be. The closer the number is to the 25th percentile, the more orange they will be. Clicking on OK in the above menu will close it, and a new menu will appear –
In this menu it is possible to see the colouring format, which cells it applies to and if there are any other colouring schemes in the Excel spreadsheet. Ticking the “Stop If True” checkbox will result in the next rule not to be used, in case there are more than 1 rules. Clicking “OK” will result in the rule(s) being used on the table, and the cells being coloured according to the outlined scheme.
Conditional Formatting using Icon Sets
Another option is to choose the “Icon Sets” in the “Format Style”, and then choose any set in the “Icon Style” drop down menu. The menu below will result in the following colouring scheme –
]]>
An incident report is something that everyone hopes they never have to fill in, and is used only in case of a major event (and not the pleasant kind). It is used for recording and documenting incidents, such as: hacking, accidents, injuries of any kind or any other unforeseen event. The Incident Report Template should be filled in as close to the incident itself, since human memory fades but documented ones don’t.
The main benefits of completing a report are –
The below attached Excel file contains the following incident report templates –
Used for all types of accidents, personal injuries and equipment malfunctions. Records the incident info, who recorded it and the name of the approver of the corrective actions required.
Used for all types of hacking attacks, and records the incident info, who recorded it and the name of the approver of the corrective actions required.
Used for any physical or verbal assault by any employee or visitor towards any employee or visitor. Records the details and witness statements of the incident.
Used for any incidents which involve an intern, and records what happened during the incident, and any actions which resulted from the incident.
Used for any incidents which involve an intern, and records what happened during the incident, and any actions which resulted from the incident.
This is my all-time favorite so it is the number 1 reason to use Microsoft Project and I make sure I use it when I get a chance. The timeline view offers a whole new way of looking at project phases. It gives the bird's eye view picture of the project which you can use in presentations to the executive management and the stakeholders. You can change the colors for different phases and select a few formatting options. You can easily display milestones, change the date format and align the tasks. Please see how to create a timeline in MS Project. It is very easy to add a task to the timeline. All that you have to do is right click on the task and then select add timeline. Microsoft Project has a "Copy Timeline" option which allows you to copy different sizes - for email, for presentation and full size for the same project timeline. I have always generated the timeline in Microsoft Project and then did bulk of the formatting in PowerPoint. The only feature I feel is missing in the timeline is that it does not display the % complete for the phases.
Microsoft Project 2013 has some amazing options for reporting. Some of the reports in the default range includes - burndown, project overview, upcoming tasks, resource overview , resource over allocation, costs overview, key milestones etc. There are about 15 out of the box reports which you can use in your presentations and status reports. The exciting part of Microsoft Project reports is that you can build a custom report by using a pivot interface which provides access to resources and task allocations data. Using Master Project you can also report on Multiple Projects. I have used the reports to generate team allocations and project dashboard views. Please see my articles below if you want a more detailed step-by-step guide for creating custom reports in Microsoft Project.
Master Project plan allows you to combine more different project plans into a single master project plan. It is very useful concept when you need to track multiple or a portfolio of projects. It allows your to generate reports across multiple projects and portfolio dashboards which can be presented to executive level in your organisations.
Resource Pooling allows different project managers to share a common set of resources. Resource pooling allows project managers to identify resourcing conflicts early in the planning phase. Resource pooling also allows resource information like vacation plans, availability and costs to be defined at a central location.
Implementing Traffic light indicators in a project plan allows you to communicate better with the team. It is a good option to indicate the status of various tasks in the project plan.
MS Project has resource views which in conjunction with groups can be used to generate task allocation reports for the project team. Not to mention the basic options for adding resources and maintenance of resources.
MS Project has some very convenient features like Filters, Highlights and Groups. The features which can be used to filter and highlight resources or tasks based on certain criteria. Groups can be used to group resources or tasks on certain criteria. You can create custom highlights, filters or groups. The filters and highlights can also be used to highlight late tasks in MS Project.
Base lining helps you to maintain a snapshot in the time. You can then later compare it to current plan or previous baselines to see how much the plan has changed. Baselines can also be used to measure progress. The baselines can be useful in the change management for the project.
Used by over 22,000,000 users and many companies need their project managers to have knowledge about Microsoft Project. As it is a widely used tool there is a lot of online content and courses available for Microsoft Project. A lot of the content is free and very useful for project managers looking to learn Microsoft project.
You can use Microsoft Project with Sharepoint and Project Server which are enterprise based solutions. Microsoft Project integrates with a lot of other applications and tools. To name a few JIRA using the Ceptah Plugin, Daptiv PPM etc.
MS Project offers a number of different views. The most commonly used are Gantt, Resource Usage, Task Sheet, Calendar etc. The views help a project manager to see the project data from different angles which allows the project manager can focus on certain areas.The views can also customized further.
You can add different types of custom fields - text,number, flag and then use formulas to populate the values. Using custom fields allows you to create fields like comments, team names, requirements IDs etc. Basically, you can add data specific to your team or organisations. You can also associate images or other graphics instead of text.
Best for the last - MS Project is very convenient and user friendly if used in right way. It has a very basic but sophisticated UI which a project manager can be trained on very easily. There are quiet a few formatting options which can be used to beautify your project plan. Tasks like adding holidays and vacations is also very easy to do. It can also help in identifying resource over allocations and scheduling conflicts.
Using MSP a PM can create tasks based on duration or effort and assign resources either full time or part time. MSP also allows creation and maintenance of multiple project plans.It also has features like highlight over allocated tasks. A project manager can use different view like Gantt, Calendar etc to see the same project plan in different angles.
MS Project has all the features required for project resource management. Microsoft Project allows a project manager to create different types of resources and assign costs to them. It also allows a project manager to allocate resources on part time or full time basis. Every project can have its own calendar and every resource can have a different working time.
Many organizations prefer to manage large scale projects in separate work plans, where each group has its own plan which is maintained by them (at times with the help of the PMO). The problem with this approach is that it is problematic for the management to see the whole picture, and see all the bottlenecks and red flags. Yes solution to this can be creation of master plan in Microsoft Project Plan.
In order to overcome this problem, MS-Project permits the creation of a master plan. This is a plan which contains multiple smaller plans, called sub -projects. The master plan automatically aggregates all of the information in its sub-projects: duration, workload, cost, etc., and allows the presentation of the whole project picture in one project file.
Creating a master plan in MSP is quite simple, once all of the sub-projects are ready. The following steps will lead to its creation –
1. Save the sub-projects in a designated location (desktop, shared folder, etc.)
2. Open a blank MS-Project plan which will serve as the master plan
3. Select the first row in the blank MS-Project (or any other row which the sub-project will be inserted into), and click on:
“Project → Subproject”
4. Choose the sub-project from the designated location in the menu which appears, and click on “Insert”
5. The sub-project will appear in the row, and will have an MS-Project logo in the “Indicators” column, indicating that this is a sub-project and not just a regular summary task.
When including a sub-project into the master plan, there a few options to choose from –
1. Linking the master plan to the sub-project. This is chosen in the menu when inserting the sub-project, and is done by checking the “Link to project” option. This means that any change which is done to the sub-project inside the master plan will change the sub-project as well. For example: after adding the sub-project into the master plan, the duration of one of the tasks is changed, then the change will also be done in the separate sub-project file. The opposite is also true: if the sub-project is changed, then it’s mirror image in the master plan will also change accordingly
2. No link to the sub-project: Un-check the “Link to project” option, and then the sub-project won’t be affected by the changes to the master plan. The result is that each sub-project will be a summary task in the master plan, and not a separate project file
3. Setting predecessors between tasks of different sub-projects: This is the big advantage of the sub-projects option: it allows linking between tasks of different teams, and seeing how a delay in one task affects the entire program / project. The simplest way to achieve this is in the Gantt chart, by hovering over the bar of one of the tasks and the “dragging” it to its predecessor. After this is done the predecessor column will show the task which pushes it (the link of the sub-project file)
4.
5. When pressing “Save” in the master plan, the application will prompt the user to save all of the sub-projects as well as the master.
Once a sub-project is inserted into a master plan, all of its resources will appear in the master plans’ resource pool. The result is that the master plans’ resource pool will include all of the resources which appear in its sub-projects. After this is done, then any resource can be allocated to any task in any sub-projects’ tasks.
The resource graphs and charts will present the overall picture of the work load on the resources, as if it’s a simple project plan. The resource leveling will also perform as if it’s a simple project plan, and the algorithm will perform as usual.
Also all of the other resource related fields will perform as usual: Cost, work hours, calendars, etc.
Using a master plan sounds good on paper, but the reality is that it isn’t utilized in many organizations. There are a few contributing factors for the low popularity of the tool, and the main ones are –
Cumbersome:
Once all of the sub-projects are inserted, it slows done the response times of the master plan
Visibility:
Not all of the teams like to share their plans, and have them in plain sight
No control over changes: If the owner of the master plan makes any changes, then the team’s sub-project will change subsequently and many people don’t like that
Too many details:
Not all of the program managers want to see the granular details of the projects, and prefer a high-level view
Older versions of MS-Project
had many bugs in the master plans, and although most them have been resolved the bitter taste still lingers in the minds of the veteran users.
]]>