There comes a time in the life of a project in which the PM will find himself having to answer the fateful question: “where are we?” At the dawn of my activity in this field, many years ago, the main purpose of the PM’s job was summed up by the creation of a huge Gantt … Continue reading “Measuring Project Progress”

In project management, evaluating the work load that insists over the resources shoulders plays a fundamental role for the project Happy Ending. In an ideal world where you work with infinite resources, projects are always in-time. In the real world, on the other hand, we often have to deal with teams simultaneously involved in multiple … Continue reading “Projects and workload: what you need to know”

It’s essential to streamline workflows on projects to be more productive and efficient. CONTENT What are workflows in projects? How to Streamline Project Workflows Streamlining workflows: Defining success factors Streamline workflows: Documenting workflow Streamlining workflows: Choosing a point person Simplifying workflows: Start small Streamline workflows: Choose a time interval In addition, by simplifying, chaotic situations … Continue reading “Streamline project workflows”

A project management software like Twproject, to be really effective, has to be used by all the team, so, how can we valuate if and how much the software is really used? The question is apparently simple, but it hides some pitfalls. Twproject is a PM software used by different user profiles: Project managers, Workers, … Continue reading “Motivate and monitor the use of a tool: user scores”

Managing the project workload means assigning the right amount of tasks to each team member. On the surface, this would seem like an easy task, but it is one of the most critical tasks a project manager faces. Countless pitfalls hide behind the project workload, dangers that must be avoided at all costs if the … Continue reading “Project Workload”

Project calendars are a great way to share project timeline information with all team members. With that in mind, project planning calendars are a bit more complex than those you use in everyday life. Although their format is familiar, they include a much more comprehensive range of information. Let’s take a look at this article … Continue reading “Project calendars”

A “to-do list” is a primal yet powerful tool for organizing. We make lists for all occasions. You start as a child with the wish list for Santa Claus. You are growing up and your list becomes a shopping list,  a travel list or a documents list necessary to open a bank account. Even at … Continue reading “ToDo’s become adults?”

Kanban, is a Japanese words which means + or- sign or tag, it is part of a production organization method (called TPS) adopted in the 1950s at Toyota factories. In project management, the use of Kanban has become a real methodology that is perfectly reflected in the principles of the Agile Methodology. The Agile movement … Continue reading “Kanban software for project management”

Ensuring the final outputs of the project, can become challenging for a project manager, especially considering the many moving parts during the life cycle of a project and the many people involved. CONTENT What is a project output? Factors for getting the most out of final project outputs 1. Define outputs 2. Involve stakeholders 3. … Continue reading “Final project outputs: how to get the best out of them”

Often, producing a project initiation document may appear unnecessary when you have already received your client’s approval, completed your planning and secured your resources. CONTENT What is a project initiation document? How to create a project initiation document in 6 steps 1. Provide context 2. Define project parameters 3. Define specifications 4. Define your project … Continue reading “The Project Initiation Document”

The WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) is a “hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables”, at least that’s how PMBOK5 defines it.   This approach allows you to scheme-out complex projects starting from a “macro” level and gradually breaking down … Continue reading “Manage projects with WBS (Work Breakdown Structure)”

Quality communication is paramount to managing client requests in your projects. This means: understanding who the client is, what they need from the project, how to set reasonable expectations, and establishing criteria for successful delivery. CONTENT Identify your client Identify your client’s needs Always engage your client Getting client feedback Managing changes by your client … Continue reading “Managing customer requests in projects”