Category: Pm expert

As a project manager, possessing analytical skills for successful projects is the absolute core of required skills.

Analytical thinking can help you explore complex problems, make decisions and find solutions effectively.

So let’s take a closer look at the definition of analytical thinking and why it is so important.

What are analytical skills?

Analytical skills are those competencies that allow you to observe, investigate and interpret data in order to develop complex ideas and solutions.

You can apply analytical thinking in virtually any situation, such as in project management or in relationship problems, customer needs and more.

Analyzing a topic means having a strong understanding of it and being able to discuss it with some level of expertise.

People with strong analytical skills can often analyze a situation, topic or problem quickly and often work well in a team environment.

The analytical thought process

The application process for analytical skills usually involves the following steps:

1. Issue or problem identification
2. Information collection through observation
3. Possible solutions developed after a thorough understanding of the topic
4. Test solutions or new ideas based on what you understand
5. Post-analysis or review of what solutions worked to evaluate and apply new learnings

A key element of analytical thinking is the capability to quickly identify cause and effect correlations; this means understanding what might happen during the problem-solving process and examining how new ideas relate to the situation.

Why are analytical skills important?

Analytical skills are important soft skills because they allow you to find solutions to common problems and make well-informed judgments about what action to undertake next.

Understanding problems and analyzing the situation to find feasible solutions is a key skill in every position and in every industry.

Developing this skill can improve to achieve business goals and support personal career goals.

Using analytical skills in daily work demonstrates an ability to think reliably and pragmatically, with decisions made based on analysis of meaningful data.

Analytical skills examples

Here are some examples of analytical skills for successful projects:

1. Critical thinking

Critical thinking is a major skill in any job position, from managers to CEOs, from contractors to the freelance workers. This way of thinking provides the ability to question an idea, assertion or opinion.

For example, if told that a certain task can’t be done or a certain goal can’t be achieved, critical thinking skills require asking deeper questions so you can understand why and what the causes are. Critical thinkers take the time to fully understand a problem in order to develop a feasible solution.

2. Data and information analysis

Data and information analysis is one of the major parts contained in the analytical skills. After identifying a problem, it is important to know how to review and analyze the available data or information that will be essential to its resolution. To collect and analyze the proper data, it is important to first know the right questions to ask.

For example, if you are evaluating the performance of a work team, you might ask yourself: ‘What factors influence productivity?’, ‘What are the bottlenecks in current processes?’ or ‘Which tasks take longer than expected?’.

If instead you analyse customer behaviour, you might ask yourself: “Which products sell the most at given times?”, “What are the common characteristics among the most loyal customers?” or ‘Which marketing channels generate the most conversions?‘.

Asking the right questions helps to focus on the most relevant information and gain useful insights for strategic decision-making.

3. Research

Research is an integral part of the analytical thinking process. Once a problem has been identified, it is important to conduct the necessary research for a solution. This can be as quick and easy as asking a co-worker who may be more knowledgeable or as laborious as searching through official channels.

The research process involves knowing what information is valuable or essential to solving the problem.

4. Communication

It is crucial to constantly be in communication with stakeholders as problems are identified, solutions are developed, research is conducted, and results are discussed.

Once a problem or solution has been identified, communicating it effectively to stakeholders is essential to achieving the end goal. Transferring this information clearly and completely is a key skill in the analytical thinking process.

5. Troubleshooting

After a problem, situation, or area for improvement has been determined and the research has been completed, it is important to find a solution. Analytical skills are then used to sort and organize the data discovered during the research phase to find a reasonable and effective solution.

How to improve analytical skills

Improving your analytical skills can help you achieve various goals not only in your career, but also in your personal life.

You can improve your analytical skills by following some of these tips:

• Undertake a leadership role that requires using critical analytical skills.
• Practice key analytical skills in your current role.
• Attend classes and trainings that boost the use of analytical thinking.
• Take part in activities that require the use of analytical skills.
• Ask for advice or mentoring from industry professionals known for their analytical skills.
• Improve subject matter knowledge, which is crucial for faster problem solving.

One trick is to also consider what analytical skills you possess and those in which you have room for improvement and potential.

Take note of specific times when you have used analytical skills to improve something or solve a problem, either at work or in your personal life, helps identifying strenghts and weaknesses.

This is clearly a process that evolves and grows throughout life.

Analytical skills can be learned and improved over time and through the right exercises.

Ultimately, analytical skills for successful projects are often defined as the capability of breaking down problems into parts to see connections or interdependencies.

Project managers who have these skills can plan efficiently and then drive projects to success.

Analytical skills are important not just for effective project management but also for advancing personal career goals. They enable you to validate your data analysis skills, proving your competence through professional certifications. These credentials signal that you possess the analytical capability to break down complex projects efficiently and effectively. Such validation can accelerate career advancement by demonstrating your robust problem-solving techniques and critical thinking abilities in handling real-world issues.

Furthermore, they can accurately predict outcomes and develop plans to achieve goals and objectives.

How a project management software can help?

A software like Twproject can guide you in breaking down the wbs of your project, in defining the dependencies between the various phases and in the analysis of the durations. In addition to this, constant and lasting use will make evident the real effort spent and will allow you, over time, to refine this breakdown also highlighting repeated criticalities that can therefore be avoided.

The wbs can also be further refined up to the insertion of all the daily activities (attached to-do lists), to help, not only the project manager, but also the whole team to manage the activities in an organized way.

Try Twproject and discover how it can help you improve your data analysis and optimise your project management.

What do you do when you have an important decision to make? Draw up a list of pros and cons? Flip a coin? Do you postpone hoping someone else will end up making the decision for you?

Certainly there are many ways to make choices, for example we have already discussed collaborative decision-making process, but when it comes to taking into account objectively all the important factors that are part of the decision, there is a method that prevails above all else: the decision matrix.

Many people are intimidated when it comes to applying the decision matrix. However, I can assure you that, once you understand the mechanisms and fundamentals, its use is actually simpler than you imagine.

When should you use a decision matrix (and when not to)?

A decision matrix is an extremely useful and versatile tool. It can help not only to make complex decisions, but also to prioritize activities, solve problems and build reasoning to defend a decision already made.

We had already spoken about the criteria for prioritizing projects,  but here we will talk about an ideal decision-making tool if we are discussing between some comparable solutions that each have multiple quantitative criteria.

The decision matrix process is best used when deciding something that is not related to an emotion, because it is a rational tool.

It is therefore preferable to use a decision matrix when it is necessary to evaluate a situation from a logical point of view and to have sufficient comparable variables to make a weighted analysis.

The matrix can be used alone, but also in combination with other decision-making tools and techniques.

What exactly is a decision matrix?

A decision matrix is a chart that helps to show a clear winner among the different options.

To create the matrix, you need to determine which criteria are important in making the final decision and then assign a weight or value to each criterion.

This allows you to prioritize factors that matter most and, as a result, to identify mathematically which of the options is the best one.

Let’s see in detail what are the key steps to use a decision matrix in the best possible way.

How to create a decision matrix?

A decision matrix is a simple but powerful tool for tackling complex decisions in a structured and rational way.

Through a series of guided steps, this method allows you to compare different options based on objective and weighted criteria.

A decision matrix template allows you not only to clearly visualise the available alternatives, but also to assign a concrete value to each factor involved, helping you to assess which choice is actually the most advantageous.

Imagine you have to choose between three different suppliers for a key project. Each has advantages and disadvantages. With a decision matrix, you can put everything down on paper, weigh up the factors that really matter to you, and choose with confidence.

Let’s take a step-by-step look at how to build one.

1) Clarify the problem

The first step is to insert the decision to be made or question in the decision box. This statement must be specific and clear for everyone.

Let’s have a practical example and imagine, for example, that you have to make the choice between reconditioning an old machine or buying a new one. Formulate the correct question and put it in the decision box!

2) Assess decision factors

In this step you will need to make a brainstorming about the selection criteria for the decision to be taken.

In short, the question must be answered: what are the factors that will help to make the right decision? Or, what are the critical success factors that need to be met?

In the example chosen in the previous step, the factors that would have a great impact on the decision are:

• How quickly can we get a return on our original investment? Obviously, the quicker, the better!
• Cash flow – How will each option affect cash flow at the bank?
• Timing – how much time “is lost” in each scenario?

3) Add options

Now it is time to compare the different options available. These are, in other words, the solutions to the problems.

In our example we have two options:

• Revise the old car
• Buy a new car

4) Give a weight to each decision factor

It is evident that in any decision, some factors will be more important than others, and for this reason, you need to create a pondered score.

Each individual decision factor is then given a score from 1 to 5 (1 is the minimum importance, 5 is the maximum).

It is absolutely important to try not to give each decision factor the same weight, otherwise the whole analysis cannot be carried out.

If you have difficulty in finding different scores, one solution is to extend the scale from 1 to 10, in order to help assessing each factor even more thoroughly.

5) Add scores for each option

The same process that was done previously is now being done in regard to each option.

Again, you score from 1 to 5 and, if that is not enough, you can use a scale from 1 to 10.

6) Choose the highest score

Once the scores have been established based on all factors and for each of the available options, the next step is to select the highest score as the winner.

Decision matrix: Conclusions

Last but not least, the decision matrix makes it possible to measure options against what is important and, above all, to do so objectively and pragmatically.

This process eliminates the complexity of analysis and decisions are much easier to make when simplifying things.

In other words, the decision matrix allows you to focus on what really matters.

It is also important to keep in mind that a decision matrix is not the only decision-making tool available. For example, sometimes even a simple list of pros and cons will work.

However, for a decision where you have more options and different characteristics to consider, a decision matrix can clarify (objectively and mathematically) the best choice.

If you want to apply these principles to the management of your daily projects, Twproject offers you the right tools to make informed and shared decisions.

Even without a specific decision matrix feature, you can leverage capabilities such as SWOT analysis, risk management, and priority assessment to approach your decisions in a structured way, with team support and a comprehensive view.

With Twproject, you can:

• Analyse pros and cons objectively
• Identify critical points and opportunities
• Compare scenarios and make more informed choices
• Document and share the decision-making process with your team

Every project is made up of decisions: with the right method and the right tools, even the most complex choices become a shared, clear and manageable path.

The project manager for NRRP is a central figure for the success of projects related to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).

This professional’s skills in planning, coordinating, and monitoring efforts are crucial to ensuring that deadlines and strategic outcomes are met.

In this article, we will examine the NRRP and the essential skills a project manager must have in this domain.

What is NRRP?

PNRR stands for “National Recovery and Resilience Plan” and is arguably one of Italy’s most ambitious economic and social transformation projects.

The NPRRP is integral to the Next Generation EU program and aims to kick-start the Italian economy with investments and changes directed toward sustainability, digitization, and social and territorial inclusion.

More than 200 billion euros have been allotted for implementing this plan; therefore, its management must be precise and skillful to ensure that the funds are used effectively and truly perceived by the citizens.

Naturally, being a project approved by the European Union, the NRRP must meet certain basic requirements:

·  Compliance with EU regulations;

·  Strategic goals, such as infrastructure improvement to the digitization of public services; ·  Stringent deadlines, as funds must be used no later than 2026.

Le skey skills of an NRRP project manager

The NRRP is a remarkably complex project involving many variables that must be carefully dealt with.

This is why an NRRP project manager absolutely must possess certain essential skills, such as:

·   Understanding of the project and management of European funds: The first point is related clearly to understanding the dynamics of the NRRP, its objectives, and, broadly speaking, Europrojecting. The project manager must have in-depth knowledge of the requirements for accessing funds and the scope of the project.

·   Strategic planning: The skill of defining clear objectives, identifying risks, and planning each phase of this important project is vital to ensure deadlines are met and resources are properly allocated.

·   Monitoring and reporting: NRRP projects involve close supervision to ensure that set goals are met and that funds are used transparently. The project manager must be able to prepare accurate reports, check activity progress, and measure the impact of initiatives.

·   Leadership and communication skills: In such a massive project, stakeholders are many and may also play important roles within the EU. As a result, the project manager must be able to communicate effectively with people at all levels and possess negotiating skills to manage relationships with partners and funders.

·   Technical and digital expertise: As digitization becomes more prevalent, and since digitization is a key focus of the NRRP, the project manager must be able to use advanced software tools, which are imperative for managing complex projects.

Twproject: the project management software

Using good project management software becomes indispensable in a context as complex as NRRP.

Specifically, Twproject provides a way to facilitate the management of NRRP projects in the following ways:

·     Planning: One of Twproject’s key features is its capability to support project planning in a structured and intuitive way.

This software provides the option to create detailed project plans, including the definition of goals, timelines, and critical deadlines.

The feature of assigning tasks to team members is tremendously helpful in ensuring that every resource is deployed efficiently and that all deadlines imposed by the NRRP are met.

Moreover, visualization via Gantt charts makes it easy to understand project progress at a glance.

· Performance monitoring: Twproject allows tracking activity progress and monitoring KPI in real-time. This allows the project manager to act swiftly in case of delays or deviations, minimizing the risks of non-compliance with NRRP requirements.

·  Centralized communication: Twproject facilitates stakeholder collaboration, fostering transparent communication within the same environment. 

All project-related data are stored in a unique, easily accessible, and secure location, thereby preventing the information from being dispersed.

This feature is particularly useful for maintaining a detailed record of decisions made, updates provided, and any change requests, ensuring maximum transparency.

· Reporting: Reporting is one of the most crucial aspects of NRRP-funded projects, as it demands a high level of detail and accuracy.

Twproject massively streamlines this process, helping to generate customized and automated reports that include all relevant project data.

These reports can be easily shared with funders or regulators, ensuring complete regulatory compliance and transparent fund management.

As we have seen then, the success of an NRRP project depends first and foremost on the management skills of a skilled and qualified project manager.

In this context, project management software such as Twproject provides a strategic partner that can offer advanced tools to optimize operations and ensure maximum efficiency, thereby contributing to Italy’s recovery and transformation.

Flowchart is very important in project management – perhaps fundamental – because it improves work flow efficiency and makes the project transparent.

Lack of transparency is one of the main causes of inefficiency in any project.

Whether it is the lack of a clear domain for particular activities or a path not properly outlined from start to finish, this cloudiness hinders the project flow with unnecessary obstacles.

You can use flowcharts at every stage of a project, from initial planning to final evaluation, to ensure clearer, more efficient management that is shared among all team members.

Let’s take a look at what a flowchart is and why you should use them in projects.

What is a flowchart?

A flowchart not only helps you visualize all types of processes and work flows in a project, but also provides a shared language that improves team orientation.

But there’s more.

By using a flowchart to visually document your project, you can:

• Illustrate the sequence of activities required for its completion
• Highlight possible work flow issues
• Find out about areas where efficiency, quality or performance can be improved
• Show high volumes of information on a single screen thus allowing you to handle large amounts of information
• Assign different color schemes to different activities and processes, easing their interpretation

Also, another good news is that project management flowcharts generally are easy to create.

Each symbol in the flowchart communicates specific actions or decisions. Just use a standardized collection of symbols and shapes of the flowchart to view each step of the project, then connect them with linking arrows indicating the direction of the work flow.

Once completed, the flowchart is ready to help the project manager and team to analyze, edit, and implement specific project plans and objectives.

In other words, a flowchart is a graphical helper, designed to to provide a visual representation of the sequence of steps to follow during the project management process.

There are different types of flowcharts, each designed for different purposes: for example, high-level charts provide a general overview, while most detailed charts can provide step-by-step instructions for specific tasks.

Choosing the right chart template is crucial to ensure that the chart effectively serves its purpose, providing focus and guidance at all organisational levels.

Here are a couple of examples of flow diagrams:

1. Hiring process: a flow chart of the hiring process can start with the receipt of a candidate’s CV and follow the steps of selection, interview, assessment and recruitment. This helps HR to maintain a clear and standardised process.
   
2. Manufacturing sector: in a manufacturing context, a flow chart could illustrate the assembly process of a product, from raw material to final quality control. Detailed diagrams can help identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies.

With this guide running, the project team will know what comes next and the process can run as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

Why use a project management process flowchart?

The purpose of any flowchart is to help to visualize the required steps, which is especially useful when managing business processes and projects.

Each diagram includes actions, who is responsible for executing those actions and the inputs and outputs for each step.

Furthermore, in some cases, the flowcharts may also include a record of all project documents and other materials needed to perform the actions.

L’obiettivo del diagramma di flusso è la chiarezza e la trasparenza.

The goal of the flowchart is clarity and transparency.

The wording used must be simple and free of unnecessary or expert jargon; the steps must be clear to everyone, whatever their level of specialization and knowledge.

For the same reason, already at the beginning of the project a consistent agreement must be found on how to “build” a flowchart: for example, a square shape represents a process, a hexagon the end point, a diamond a decision, etc.

Shapes of the chart themselves thus provide information about the stage of the process, and a single glance can tell the reader what kind of operation is taking place at a precise point.

The same applies to colors: these can represent, for example, different resources.

Whatever encoding we agree upon, it will also be necessary to add a legend to the flowchart to identify the meaning of each shape and color, so as to avoid any kind of misunderstanding.

Once the flowchart has mapped the steps in each phase of the project and assigned ownership of responsibilities, everyone can fully understand their role and how they contribute to the whole.

How many types of flowcharts are there?

There are many different types of flowcharts, each designed to effectively represent certain aspects of a process or project. Here are the main ones:

1. Basic (or simple) flowchart

Used to represent the linear sequence of activities or operations in a process. This is the most common type and is suitable for mapping standard procedures.

2. Decision flowchart

Used to visualise the points at which decisions must be made, showing alternative paths depending on the outcome of a choice (e.g. yes/no). It is perfect for processes that involve branching or conditions.

3. Logical flowchart

Highlights the reasoning behind a process, rather than the process itself. It is very useful for analysing complex systems or planning algorithms.

4. Data flow diagram (DFD)

Mainly used in computer science and software engineering, it represents the flow of data within a system, indicating inputs, outputs, storage and transformations.

5. Functional (or cross-functional) flowchart

This divides the diagram into swimlanes, each associated with a department or role. This type is perfect for representing business processes involving multiple functions or departments.

6. Process flow diagram (PFD)

Widely used in industry and manufacturing, this shows the physical and chemical steps of a production process. It is useful for engineers and technicians.

7. Workflow diagram

Describes the activities and their order of execution within a workflow. It is used to improve the management of operational activities.

How to draw a flowchart

The first step is to think about all the different steps of a process.

It is a great idea to engage the whole team in this phase, as everyone can provide valuable input.

Second, you will think about the flow from one step to another:

• Are there any points where the path can split?
• What happens if an activity fails one of the steps, where is it postponed and how are the following activities managed?
• How to handle returns or bifurcations?

These are just some of the questions you will have to ask yourself in this step.

Next, you will assign property of each step. This is particularly important for audit or review phases that can only be performed by a single role or decision maker.

Lastly, you should make sure that your flowchart is consistent and easy to understand, perhaps asking for feedback before making it official.

Ultimately, the benefit of flowcharts is that they show the activities of a project, including decision points, parallel paths, branching loops, and the overall sequence of processing by mapping operational details.

A basic flowchart can help a project manager especially during the planning phase.

When you create a flowchart, this shows the method used by the organization to achieve a particular project goal.

This makes it easier for a project manager to go through the process of determining, delegating and planning each task to team members.

How to benefit by using software

If, as we have seen, the flowchart can be simple and intuitive to make, but if we use good project management software the process will be even easier. In fact, the software currently on the market allows the construction of customised flowcharts that can be adapted to the real needs of a project.

Some state-of-the-art software provides highly elastic and flexible Gantt charts that therefore translate into electronic form what can be initially conceived with pen and paper by the project manager.

Twproject is one such software. Its recent release of an ultra-advanced version of the Gantt diagram enables detailed and flexible project flow analysis, with many tools to optimise processes and avoid mistakes.

It is important to keep in mind, however, that certainly chart and diagrams are incredibly useful tools, but they are still one of the many cogs in what is the most complex project management “machine”.

Strategies such as monitoring project status or adopting a project management methodology are other ways to further improve work processes.

Creating a diagram with the help of software such as Twproject not only speeds up the process, but also provides a clearer and more interactive visual representation of the various operational phases.

Good software can also be used to integrate other essential functions, such as resource management, time planning and the division of responsibilities among team members. This allows you to keep track of the progress of the work at all times and intervene promptly in the event of critical issues.

Every useful tool for project management and execution is present in Twproject. Try its features for 15 days free of charge and we bet you will never go back!

The OKR methodology is a framework that has stood the test of time and has proven fit for organizations of all sizes and scopes, including startups.

All organizations set goals and engage their workforce based on their objectives.

Yet the OKR methodology is beneficial not only for large, digital companies; it can help Startups be agile and move swiftly, regardless of size or funding. This article will discuss why the OKR methodology works and how to implement it.

What exactly is the OKR methodology?

OKR stands for “Objectives and Key Results.”.

Andrew Grove invented this pioneering goal-setting framework, which John Doerr popularized through his book Measure What Matters.

According to OKR, goals are the key objectives you aim to achieve within a time frame.

Key outcomes are defined for each goal, and these are the achievable and measurable steps that can be accomplished to complete each goal.

Ideally, an objective should be clear and concise, and the key outcomes should be specific, measurable, and relevant.

The OKR methodology involves a top-down approach. In this approach, the company’s leadership defines main objectives that are broken down into crucial outcomes at each level of the organization. This methodology aligns all levels of the company toward a common goal, ensuring that all employees work to achieve the same goals. 

Moreover, measuring progress is a critical component of OKRs, allowing progress to be constantly monitored and corrections made if necessary.

Why is the OKR methodology great for startups?

The early years of any startup or small business are likely to be turbulent.

Work is dynamic, deadlines are sporadic, and there is a constant need to prioritize and reschedule activities.

In a scenario like this, the OKR methodology can provide much-needed clarity on the Startup’s purpose and progress. Startups usually hesitate to choose a goal-setting framework such as OKRs because they assume it is a methodology for established companies.

Companies like Intel and Google use OKRs to follow a growth trajectory; however, if used correctly, OKRs can be as effective and rewarding for startups.

Companies like Google have chosen OKRs early on in their growth trajectory.

In a nutshell, why do OKRs work with startups?

• OKRs set clear and measurable goals, providing a compass for the organization. All teams and team members know what to focus on and how their work contributes to the big picture.

• OKRs build common ground for alignment, ensuring that everyone is rowing in the same direction. OKRs’ transparency fosters collaboration and communication between teams and departments.

• OKRs promote setting ambitious goals while remaining realistic. Breaking down goals into measurable key outcomes allows progress to be monitored and changes to be made as they are implemented.

• Startups operate in a constantly changing environment. OKRs allow them to quickly adapt their goals and plans to new challenges and opportunities.

• OKRs are not merely business goals but a story of the “what” and “how” success is achieved. This clarity inspires and motivates teams, increasing their commitment and productivity.

OKR example for a startup

An example of OKR would be:

Goal: Boost brand visibility online

This goal is critical for many startups trying to succeed in a competitive marketplace. Boosting brand visibility means reaching more people, improving reputation, and attracting more customers.

Let’s examine a detailed example of how this goal can be broken down into key measurable outcomes.

Key Outcome 1: Grow follower count on social media by 30 percent within the quarter.

• Motivation: Having more followers on social media increases the potential audience for brand content and improves the perception of credibility and popularity.
• Strategy:
• Plan a social media marketing campaign that includes high-quality content, regular posts, and follower interactions.
• Collaborate with industry-relevant influencers to broaden the reach of the message.
• Use social media analytics tools to monitor growth and engagement metrics.

Key Outcome 2: Post 10 high-quality blog articles by the end of the month.

• Motivation: High-quality content increases organic exposure in search engines and attracts interested visitors to the website, thus improving SEO and brand reputation.
• Strategy:
  • Identify and research topics that are relevant and appealing to the target audience.
  • Outsource content creation to experienced writers or engage industry experts for guest contributions.
  • Optimize articles for search engines (SEO) and promote them through social channels and newsletters.

Key Outcome 3: Achieve 100,000 unique website views by the end of the quarter.

• Motivation: A large unique view count means good traffic to the website, suggesting a growing interest in the brand and its content.
• Strategy:
  • Implement search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to improve ranking in search results.
  • Leverage online advertising campaigns (Google Ads, Facebook Ads) to bring in targeted traffic.
  • Implement Google Ads funnel analytics to track and optimize your ads performance.
  • Create a content marketing strategy that involves distributing content across multiple channels (blog, social media, newsletter).

Objective: improve the customer experience

Customer experience is a crucial factor in the long-term success of a startup. Improving the customer experience can lead to stronger loyalty, positive reviews, and word of mouth. Here is how this goal can be articulated in key outcomes.

Key Outcome 1: Reduce customer service response time to less than 2 hours by the end of the quarter.

• Motivation: A short response time increases customer satisfaction and reduces frustration, helping to improve the perception of the service provided.
• Strategy:
  • Implement a request management (ticketing) system to track and respond quickly to customer questions.
  • Train the customer support team to improve the efficiency and quality of responses.
  • Monitor response times and implement continuous improvements based on collected data.

Key Outcome 2: Achieve a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 70 by the end of the quarter.

• Motivation: A high NPS suggests that customers are satisfied with the service and will likely recommend the brand to others.
• Strategy:
  • Conduct periodic customer satisfaction surveys to collect feedback and identify areas for improvement.
  • Implement improvements based on customer feedback, focusing on identified critical areas.
  • Communicate regularly with customers to keep their satisfaction and loyalty high.

Key Outcome 3: Grow the percentage of returning customers by 20 percent by the end of the quarter.

• Motivation: A higher percentage of returning customers shows that customers are satisfied with the products or services and choose to continue using them.
• Strategy:
  • Implement fidelity programs or incentives for customers who make repeat purchases.
  • Improve the quality and range of products or services to meet customers’ needs better.
  • Use targeted marketing campaigns to keep existing customers engaged.

OKR Best Practices for Startups

As we have seen, the most important factor in the OKR methodology for startups is to define goals that will really make an impact.

So, here are the best practices:

• Focus on priorities: Startups can work on many different tasks, but leaders should choose those goals that have the potential to have the most significant impact. Goals such as revenue growth or brand building are good starting points.

• Include the SMART approach: Key results closely resemble the SMART goal setting methodology. Key outcomes must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. A key outcome should be modified or scrapped if it does not follow these rules.

• Be cooperative: In the early stage, leaders might take a top-down approach, but over time, through feedback and team reviews, they should be able to involve all people in the hierarchy. This involvement will stimulate camaraderie among team members and give them a shared goal. Sometimes, a bottom-up approach works best because it helps to assess the skills and commitment needed to achieve goals properly.

•   Focus on duration: OKRs for startups should be drafted with a short duration in mind, ranging from one month to one quarter. Setting short-term OKRs will help the team stay flexible and adjust to changing scenarios. Additionally, short-term OKRs provide ongoing motivation when the team sees goals achieved month after month.

• Ensure that your team is aligned with the OKRs: You may have spent time and money creating outstanding OKRs. Yet, it is vital for the team to be aligned and understand that their goals must be tied to the organization’s priorities.

Twproject: the ultimate tool for following an OKR methodology

Although OKRs can be designed in a simple program, these won’t become a reality just by writing them down and keeping them as a reference.

The actual value of OKRs will be accomplished when they are monitored, and progress is constantly updated to correct the direction if necessary.

Thus, a good project management tool like Twproject becomes necessary.

Twproject helps to identify and monitor OKRs in the most correct form.

This system will allow you to monitor and complete your startup goals efficiently and collaboratively.

By using Twproject for your Startup, you can benefit from a structured and systematic way to set goals and monitor progress.

It helps to focus on the right things at the right time, helping your Startup prioritize its efforts and adopt required changes, make data-driven decisions, improve collaboration, and streamline business operations.

Twproject simplifies business operations by helping Startups focus on the right things at the right time, improving time and resource management, and making it easier to achieve goals.

Analizing the quality and trying to improve it, is probably the main purpose behind the continuous improvement of business processes.

This philosophy of process improvement comes from a very important person, William Edwards Deming, a statistician, often defined as a philosopher of science.

Deming’s goal was to reapply the scientific method to business process management systems, which he actually did with the so-called Deming Cycle, or Plan Do Check Act (PDCA).

Deming’s approach is not just about improving processes, but can also be about improving an entire organization in general.

What is the Deming Cycle

The Deming cycle (also known as Deming wheel) is a model of continuous quality improvement which consists of a logical sequence of four key phases:

• P – Plan, or planning
• D – Do, or the execution
• C – Check, ie the test and control
• A – Act, which is the action

Deming’s experience as an engineer gave him an overview of industrial processes and the real attempt to standardize operations in order to ensure large-scale operation.

By studying mathematical physics, he found himself in a position that allowed him to contribute to the growing science of statistics.

Deming’s sampling techniques, for example, are still in use in the US Census Department and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The key points on which Deming was working are:

• Having a system for continuous quality improvement
• Reducing errors and defects through higher levels of quality uniformity
• Understanding the meaning of quality in the context of business management

Let’s look at the four phases of the Deming Cycle in detail.

The phases of the Deming Cycle: Planning

The first goal of the Deming Cycle is to plan ahead in order to understand what you want to achieve based on the expected results. It is a both practical and theoretical step.

Here, we are dealing with business processes, where we intend to improve something within the organization.

At this stage, you will have to test and analyze what is currently wrong with the product or process and how this can be improved.

Also here, one tries to understand what changes can be made to tackle the problems or to achieve something better.

 The phases of the Deming Cycle: Execution

Execution begins first with a small-scale test and in a limited context.

Here, the changes are implemented to test the different variables and each step will be documented.

Instead of simply deciding to make a change and suddenly reviewing all the operations, it is essential to make changes slowly and iteratively during the hypothesis test.

The use of studies that can be measured with respect to control groups, allows to better understand the data received, allowing not only to improve the output, but to understand exactly why the output has been improved by the changes made.

For Deming, this phase should be like a model of a scientific experiment.

The phases of the Deming Cycle: Test and Control

In this phase, the results and findings are studied and collected.

For Deming, the results of the planning and execution will be shown at this stage.

Do the results coincide with the forecasts? In what ways do the results differ, and why?

This phase of study should teach us to draw conclusions exactly like a scientist does after an experiment. Instead of simply asking the question “Did it work?”, for Deming you will have to ask “Why did it work?”.

The phases of the Deming Cycle: Action

This phase is the final one of the process and the first phase of the next cycle.

Here, the recommended changes have been implemented and the process is finalized. Now that we have learned that the output can be generated by executing action X, this action will be performed in each relevant situation.

This phase can include both the implementation of improvements in the company as well as the implementation of new knowledge within the organization.

Just as the results of repeated experiments create new useful knowledge, so these business results must be incorporated into new premises from which the cycle can be restarted.

The company continues to go through the cycle until the expected and actual results coincide and no further changes are necessary.

 The pros and cons

The Deming Cycle is a simple but powerful way to perform quality management and to solve new and recurring problems in any sector or process.

Its iterative approach allows the project manager and his team to test solutions and evaluate results in a quality improvement cycle.

The Deming Cycle establishes a commitment to continuous improvement, however small, and can improve efficiency and productivity in a controlled way, without the risk of making untested large-scale changes.

However, going through the Deming Cycle can be much slower and more time-consuming than a direct implementation.

For this reason, it may not be the appropriate approach in the case of an urgent problem or an emergency.

Moreover, this methodology requires significant “buy-in” by team members and offers fewer opportunities for radical innovation.

For Deming, the PDCA treats process experiments as hypothesis tests by asking the questions “did it work or didn’t it work?” And “Is the hypothesis true or is the alternative true?”

This is the cycle through which an hypothesis is developed, the experiments are conducted, the results are evaluated, and the hypothesis is reviewed and repeated.

In summary, its main advantages include:

• Iterative approach: allows constant improvement without sudden and risky changes.
• Increased efficiency: helps reduce waste and improve productivity.
• Data-driven methodology: decision-making is based on concrete and measurable analyses.

Some challenges include:

• Slow implementation: Following all phases of the cycle can take longer than other faster methodologies.
• Need for team involvement: To work best, it must be accepted and applied by the entire organisation.

In simple words, Deming’s approach, seems to want to remove our blinders.

We need to stop looking for only minor changes to eliminate process inefficiencies and instead start thinking big about how processes can be improved in order to increase quality.

For Deming, the same levels of scientific rigor that one would expect from the best researchers should be used in business. Let’s try then.

Twproject: the software for effective Deming Cycle Management

The effective implementation of the Deming Cycle requires adequate tools to manage projects, monitor the progress of activities and collect useful data for control and improvement.

In this context, Twproject proves to be an essential software for optimising business processes and ensuring continuous process improvement.

Twproject allows you to:

• Plan activities and assign specific responsibilities to each team.
• Execute projects in a structured way, with tools for collaboration and resource management.
• Monitor and control progress with customised dashboards and KPIs.
• Apply corrective actions in real time to ensure quality and efficiency.

With Twproject, companies can manage the Deming Cycle more effectively, digitising processes and improving quality management with advanced project management tools.

The RACI matrix is a very important tool that can help in the implementation and proper functioning of a process.

This matrix is mainly used to coordinate human resources within a process.

There are usually many different people involved in a process and each one has different responsibilities.

A RACI matrix provides explicit documentation and a reference which can help in different phases of the process.

What does RACI mean?

To understand what the RACI matrix is, it is necessary to understand the meaning of its acronym.

RACI stands for “Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed“. Here is the definition of each of these terms:

• Responsible: this is the class of people who are responsible for completing the work. This can refer to individual workers who perform the assigned task or could refer to a system if the activity is automated.
• Accountable: this is the class of people responsible for supervising and approving the work that is carried out. These are usually high level persons within the organization.
• Consulted: these can be people that must be consulted at the time of an exception, both internally and externally, the so-called “consultants”.
• Informed: it is the class of people who do not need to be actively involved in the project, but who in any case have an interest in its execution and must be kept informed. Informed people correspond to stakeholders.

Rules for using a RACI matrix

Let’s see what the general rules for the correct use of a RACI matrix must be:

One responsible person

it is essential that only one person is assigned to the roles of responsibility indicated by the initials R and A. Having more than one person responsible for the same task increases the ambiguity and the possibility that the work will not be carried out correctly.

Although this is the rule, having a single responsible person can, however, lead to other types of problems. If the responsible person is incompetent, for example, the whole process may not be done correctly. This is why there is often a hierarchy of responsible people.

Communication with the people consulted

There must be a two-way communication channel with the so-called “consultants”. The important aspect is that this communication works in both ways. Moreover, adequate follow-up must be ensured.

Each stakeholder involved in the process must be clearly identified in the assignment matrix to ensure that all stakeholders are informed and that their opinions are considered.

Each team member should be aware of who to consult and how to keep the consultants updated on project developments.

Furthermore, each member should be responsible for documenting and sharing feedback received from the consultants. This not only helps to keep track of consultations but also helps to ensure that all contributions are taken into account in the project phases.

Inform informed people, ie stakeholders

this is a one-way communication channel. It is usually a control metric and is usually automated, but still needs a manager to deal with it in order to ensure it works properly.

There should always be at least one person responsible for each activity in a process. Similarly, there must always be at least one person responsible for each task.

There cannot be more than one person responsible for the same process activity.

In the same activity, however, there may be several people consulted and informed.

Read more about the meaning and definition of stakeholders and shareholders in organisations here.

 How to create a RACI matrix

Now that we know the meaning of the letters of the word RACI, it is time to understand how to create a RACI matrix. Here are the basic steps:

• Make a list of all the activities of a process.
• Make another list, this time of all people involved in the process.
• Assemble a table with a row reserved for each process activity.
• In the same table, create columns corresponding to each person involved in the process.
• Analyze each activity and mark it with one of the letters that are part of the initials RACI.

A Statement of Work (aka S.O.W.), is one of the most important documents in project management as it outlines everything that must be part of a project.

Project management processes comprise many different documents, regardless of the industry, but in the SOW you can find a complete description of what the project will be.

Not only data sheets and forecast numbers, but a proper narration of the project work. Activities to be carried out, results to be obtained and deadlines, but also prices, conditions and project governance will be described.

Basically the Statement of Work is the most comprehensive document of the project to have an overview of what we are going to achieve and when and how we intend to do it.

Let’s take a closer look at what this article is about.

What is a Statement of Work?

A SOW is a formal project management document that is aimed at defining the entire scope of work of the project and clarifying results, costs and deadlines.

This keeps both the project requirements and the necessary resources under control, avoiding confusion or overlapping of competencies.

This type of document is used where projects require suppliers and external collaborators and is generally created as part of a contract. This contract is often in the form of a framework service agreement, so as to establish clear rules between the parties.

Project managers should pay sufficient attention to provide a comprehensive SOW to all stakeholders to avoid conflicts regarding results, budget or deadlines.

A Statement of Work is practically “the Bible” for the work that the project aims to achieve, a key governance tool, whether it is used to direct work for a supplier or contractor, or to direct work internally.

The work included in this document is part of the contractual obligation, while activities not contained herein will only be executed if mutually agreed upon or introduced into the project through a modification request.

When is a SOW needed?

The importance of a SOW lies in its capability to acquire all the elements of work and critical activities of the project and is particularly useful in two situations:

• When a contract with an external supplier or consultant is signed
• As an intermediate planning phase for a large and complex project where the work is carried out internally.

You don’t need a Statement of Work when the project is small and straightforward enough to perform.

When should the SOW be drafted?

The SOW must be drafted after the scope statement, so during the planning phase of the project.

Notably, the scope statement should capture, albeit in very general terms, the product of the project.

For example, if you want to launch a project to develop software to capture and track orders, the scope statement should include a list of users used to place orders, software engineers and employees who send orders.

Furthermore, you could also include features desirable in the system, e.g. whether it is available on the Internet, what information it should store about every order, how the system will collect the payment for the order, etc.

The scope statement, in a nutshell, will provide information about what needs to be produced or built through the project.

Once you have determined what you are building, you need to capture the details of how it will be built; then you prepare the SOW.

The Statement of Work defines what needs to be done and must therefore be written before the work can be scheduled or a division of labour created.

What is included in the Statement of Work?

All elements included in the project scope statement should also be included in the SOW.

This should contain information on the final results at a more detailed level.

For example, if the scope statement includes an order acquisition and management system, this can be broken down into a database to acquire, store and track information, a front-end to interface with users, and a reporting system to manage reports.

Here is a list of categories of information that are usually included in the SOW:

• Introduction: begin with an explanation of the work carried out. In addition, state who is involved in the project.
• What is the goal of the project, what are the results, objectives and return on investment.
• Goal of the work: which activities should be carried out in the project and which processes? This includes results, time needed and even the general steps needed to achieve this goal.
• Where the work will be executed: will the team work at a central facility or remotely? However, in this part it is necessary to detail it, as well as specify where the hardware and software used will be located.
• Duties: adopt the general steps outlined in the scope document and divide them into more detailed assignments. If desired, break down the activities into milestones or phases.
• Milestones: define the expected time period for the completion of the project, from the suggested start date to the proposed end date. Specify billable hours per week and month and everything else related to project scheduling, e.g. if there is a maximum number of billable hours per supplier and/or contract.
• Results: explain what is due and when is due. Describe it in detail, such as quantity, size, color and everything that might be relevant.
• Planning: include a detailed list of when the final results must be presented, from which supplier will be chosen, the execution period, the review phase, development, implementation, testing, project closure, etc.
• Standards and tests: If there are industry standards that must be met, list them. Also, if testing of the product is planned, list who will be involved in this process, what equipment is needed and other resources.
• Define success: write down what the sponsor and/or stakeholders expect for the successful completion of the project.
• Requirements: list any other equipment needed to complete the project and whether a degree or certification is required for team members.
• Payments: If the budget has been set, you can list terms of payment related to the project and how they will be made – in advance, over time or after completion.
• Other: if there are parts of the project that cannot be traced back to the above categories, you can add them at this stage so that everything is covered.
• Conclusion: Determine how the final results will be accepted and who will deliver, review and sign the acceptance. Additionally, this part also includes specifications on the final administrative functions, such as confirmation that everything is signed, closed and archived.

Sometimes, the SOW can be developed according to a performance-based approach, focusing mainly on clear objectives and quality criteria rather than on a fixed set of tasks. Even in this case, it remains crucial to precisely define roles and responsibilities to avoid misunderstandings or delays.

As you can see, there is plenty of information that needs to be included in a SOW.

This must be specific and clearly defined so as to avoid any confusion later in the project when communication errors or disputes cannot be afforded.

Including visual elements in the SOW, graphics or other illustrations, can help to better focus the objective on various aspects of the project.

After writing the SOW down in detail, the final and crucial step is to get it approved.

For this, the project manager must make sure that those responsible have signed the Statement of Work; in case of disputes in the future, it will be possible to show the signed document in support of their actions.

Ultimately, the SOW therefore helps project managers by providing them with a support on which project plans can be built.

The document also helps to avoid conflicts during the project life cycle and keeps everyone involved on the same page as well as helping to reduce confusion to a minimum.

Relying on one of the best project management software such as Twproject, which translates the SOW into day-to-day actions, is a further step to ensure project success.

With a well-defined SOW and an effective management tool, it is possible to keep to schedules, budgets and quality criteria, while keeping all stakeholders perfectly aligned on common goals.

In our hectic routine, we often find ourselves overwhelmed with tasks and deadlines, feeling we lack time for everything.

A problem that we often experience is poor prioritization.

Having many things to do does not mean being productive.

Therefore, knowing how to prioritize effectively and focusing on what is really important and urgent is critical.

People prioritize urgent tasks over any other activity, whatever the long-term benefits.

By learning to differentiate between urgent and important tasks, you can focus more time and energy on the things that matter most.

The Eisenhower Matrix helps to do just that.

In this article we will take a look at the Eisenhower Matrix, a straightforward and practical way to organize our activities and better manage our time.

What is the Eisenhower matrix?

The Eisenhower Matrix, also known as the Priority Matrix or the Eisenhower Method, is a tool that assists in sorting tasks by urgency and importance so that you can prioritize work that matters.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, introduced the first idea that would later lead to the Eisenhower Matrix.

In a 1954 speech, Eisenhower stated: “I have two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.”

Drawing inspiration from President Eisenhower’s words, Stephen Covey developed what has become a popular tool for managing priorities: the Eisenhower matrix, also known as the time management matrix.

The Eisenhower matrix can help when:

• You spend your day solving issues that arise every day instead of focusing on activities that make sense to complete to achieve a particular goal.
• You are always busy, but you feel that your work has little impact.
• You aren’t making progress on long-term goals.
• You experience procrastination.
• You are struggling to delegate tasks.

 The four quadrants of the Eisenhower matrix

The Eisenhower matrix features four quadrants that rank each activity and assign an action to be taken.

Let’s see what they are in detail:

Quadrant 1: urgent and important tasks – to be undertaken immediately

The first quadrant covers all urgent tasks that require immediate care. These tasks must be accomplished as soon as possible; otherwise, there may be negative consequences. They cannot be delegated.

Examples of urgent and vital tasks may include emergencies, impending deadlines, or problems that require immediate solutions.

Quadrant 2: non-urgent but essential tasks – to be done later

Activities in the second quadrant are not urgent, although they are essential for achieving long-term goals.

Planning your time for these activities increases the likelihood of achieving them. Planning also lessens the chances of running into distractions or forgetting them altogether. If these tasks are ignored, they will end up moving to quadrant 1.

Some examples include strategic planning, staff and professional training, and networking.

Quadrant 3: urgent but unimportant tasks – to be delegated immediately

Activities in quadrant 3 require immediate care but may not contribute to long-term goals.

Spending time on quadrant 3 activities will only divert time and energy at the expense of what matters. Since these tasks are still urgent, nonetheless, the answer is to delegate them immediately.

Examples may include disruptions, non-important phone calls, or non-essential meetings.

 

Quadrant 4: non-urgent and unimportant tasks – not to be done at all

Tasks that do not contribute to goals and do not require immediate action belong to quadrant 4, the waste quadrant.

These tasks often divert your concentration from what is important. Your best bet is to avoid these tasks or, even better, eliminate them from your to-do list.

Examples of these activities include social media, online games, or watching low-value television programs.

These four quadrants are key to differentiating between urgency and importance, allowing you to manage your time better and increase productivity by focusing on what really matters.

Difference between urgent and important tasks

The basic principle underlying the Eisenhower matrix is the differentiation between important and urgent tasks.

An urgent task requires immediate attention.

These tasks may be reactive, such as answering a phone call to fix a problem for a customer, or they may be needed to achieve a goal, such as finishing a document to meet a deadline.

Furthermore, urgent tasks have negative consequences if they are not addressed immediately. Failing to call the customer could result in negative reviews for your store, and failing to finish your document before the deadline could result in losing funding.

On the other hand, an important task aligns with personal values and contributes to completing the goal. Although this type of task does not call for immediate action, devoting time will allow progress toward important goals.

For example, creating an online portfolio can help a freelancer land a new job.

Furthermore, postponing important activities for a relatively long time may cause them to become urgent tasks that can no longer be ignored.

Examples of urgent and important tasks

To better understand the difference between these types of activities, we will consider some specific examples:

• Urgent and important tasks: Solving a technical problem that halts production at a factory, attending an emergency meeting with a key customer, and filling out a critical report for an upcoming deadline.
• Urgent but unimportant tasks: Replying to emails that require an immediate but non-critical response, handling interruptions or non-critical phone calls, and attending routine meetings that do not provide significant value to the project.
• Non-urgent but important tasks: Planning a long-term strategy for company growth, developing skills through continuous training, fostering professional relationships, and networking.
• Non-urgent and unimportant tasks: Watching funny videos online during working hours, browsing social media without a specific purpose, and attending social events irrelevant to your work.

Using Twproject for developing your Eisenhower matrix

Making an orderly to-do list is the most challenging part of the Eisenhower matrix, although, with automation, it is no longer necessary to perform this task manually.

Using project management software such as Twproject, you can determine which tasks have the highest priority.

With this tool, you can categorize and color-code your different tasks.  

Twproject is not a static document like an Eisenhower matrix. It allows you to always have a comprehensive snapshot of the tasks in real time and thus properly organize and prioritize them.

Correctly prioritizing tasks is just the beginning. Twproject allows you to monitor your team’s progress and work, ensuring the project’s success.

Information and data are automatically acquired and displayed in customizable, easy-to-read charts and graphs for a high-level overview.

In today’s day and age, it’s tough to spend a day without hearing or seeing some messages about sustainability, and in this regard, Project Sustainability Management is picking up steam.

For project managers, this means seeing a project with a new perspective, and making the right decisions for the company, its people, and society as a whole.

Basically, it’s all about doing the right thing.

Successful project management is already challenging enough in itself because it revolves around balancing three constraints: cost, time and scope.

The integration of sustainability adds even more complexity to the mix.

Let’s explore why sustainable project management is important and how you can do it in this article.

What is Project Sustainability Management?

The 71% of the world’s leading 500 companies are publicly disclosing their GHG emissions alongside several other energy metrics.

Sustainability has become a corporate goal for all industries, and organizations now recognize that it is just irresponsible not to tackle the issue.

Moreover, the pandemic has brought to light new challenges and emergencies, revealing that sustainability is the only way forward.

Boston Consulting Group reported that 70% of people have become more aware of the impact that human activity has on the climate since the Covid-19 outbreak.

However, sustainable project management isn’t just a matter of being green and tackling climate change.

Being responsible is about ensuring that resources are used wisely, that people are treated equally and paid a fair wage, and that communities are factored into business decisions.

A great way to make sure the project continues to be sustainable is to have this goal in mind from the outset of the project.

Once it is built into the project vision, it cannot be forgotten.

Just having sustainability relevant in all areas of the project will ensure that environmental damage is at a minimum.

As a result, project managers working in this area must take a holistic approach, weighing environmental, social, and economic factors

We have to completely redefine the way we conceive the production of goods and products, learning to consider sustainability of projects not as an obligation, but as an opportunity.

The four aspects of Project Sustainability Management

Specifically, sustainability involves balancing four different areas that include:

• Environment, such as climate change
• Economy, such as accessibility
• Society, such as community
• Management, such as health and safety

Taking them all into account is the key to building truly sustainable projects.

Let’s explore them in more detail:

Environmental sustainability means employing sustainable resources, preventing pollution, and reducing climate change impacts. This involves assessing equipment, resources used for a project, industry standards, and purchasing practices. Fair trade is one of the best options to ensure sustainability as it is an agreement designed to help producers in growing countries achieve fair trade relationships.

This is connected to economic sustainability, by thinking beyond  return on investment and ensuring that the project fits into the overall strategy of the organization by analyzing how much it adds and how feasible it is in the long term.

Beside the environmental and economic areas of an organization, the less debated, but equally important, are the social and managerial elements. Ensuring that the organization is socially sustainable means assessing how sustainable its culture, structure, and human resource practices are. The organization must ensure that it provides fair working conditions and have sound health and safety measures in place. This part is often tied to HR, which is why they are often considered the sustainability agent in certain organizations.

The HR department must ensure that there is no discrimination against vulnerable groups and that civil and fundamental rights are met. They are also responsible for employee training and skill development and overall community engagement, both of which are significant social areas.

How do we place sustainability at the very core of every project?

Project Managers have the responsibility of overseeing the project delivery and support processes.

Both will strive to ensure that the client is satisfied while motivating their team to provide excellence.

This is the essence of a project management job.

By leveraging benchmarking tools such as the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), project managers can compare the impacts of their plans.

The idea underlying the use of benchmarking tools is to integrate sustainability throughout the entire project lifecycle.

Therefore, project managers can ensure that any development improves, or at least preserves, the environment and the livelihood of those who inhabit it.

Project Sustainability Management requires a more holistic approach.

It takes into consideration how resources are used, climate change mitigation, property rights, community involvement, and human rights.

The project manager’s goal is to create value and deliver a project both on time and on budget, but also to execute it in an ethical and fair manner.

Part of the complexity of sustainable project management lies in its intertemporal nature.

Therefore, a sustainable project’s lifecycle should not end at the completion stage; environmental and social impacts must also be monitored and controlled afterwards.

Managers must therefore arm themselves with new indicators for monitoring and overseeing these environmental and social aspects, e.g. ISO, SA and others.

In brief, projects are a medium to achieve change, provide new products and services, and thus shape society.

As such, sustainability should not just be an afterthought, but rather should be one of the key goals for every project.

Twproject and the measurement of sustainability

While it is therefore clear that companies should aim for purpose and no longer just for profit, the main challenge at the moment is to understand how to do this, what strategies to apply.

The key is to include sustainability among the parameters to be considered in the project itself.

Software such as Twproject, which offers statistics and overviews to suit every need, can help to easily measure factors such as the impact of projects.

In addition, its accurate and precise cost-benefit management enables the precise calculation of risks and extra costs associated with sustainability actions, which, however, turn into opportunities if carefully planned.

If in fact the budget for contingencies related to environmental impact is calculated beforehand, this is much more cost effective than an unforeseen eventuality.

You can try Twproject for free for 15 days and discover how many useful tools it offers you to improve internal and external sustainability.

The project baseline is an “instant photo” of the project taken at its initial moment.

The goal of the project baseline is to see how far actual results have deviated from the initial reference plan.

In project management, it is essential to establish a baseline with clearly defined requirements, an accurate cost structure, and planning estimates, before the project execution and monitoring start.

All this must be completely defined and documented before the actual activities of the project begin.

In the baseline, the following elements of a project are included:

• Scope
• Timelines
• Costs
• Resources
• Risks
• Quality

Project Manager and project baseline

The project manager must examine the deviations from the project baseline when the work is done and throughout the project life cycle.

After the planning process is completed, this plan is agreed by all stakeholders and everyone expects the actual results to match the planned ones.

The role of the project manager is to verify during the execution of the project, if there is any variation from the baseline, in any element mentioned above.

If an event occurs that causes the project budget to be exceeded, for example, or if there is a risk that will cause the project to be delayed, corrective and preventive actions must be taken.

The project baseline can be changed, but it is not an easy process. These changes can be complex and require careful consideration.

In fact, the baseline should allow to verify how much the project is in line with the initial planning.

If a baseline changes too frequently and there are too many deviations from it, this can be considered misleading.

Therefore, in the real world, the baseline of the project is generally modified only if an important request for modification is approved and only with the recognition of the sponsor of the project.

These changes are considered and approved through a specific process, in which the impacts on the project are assessed.

If a change is approved by the control committee, first its impacts are reported in the project plan and, next, the modification can be implemented.

Deviations from the project baseline are often due to incomplete or incorrect risk identification.

There may be a deviation from the baseline of the project, for example, if the cost of an activity or article exceeds the planned values, or if an activity takes more time than the planned duration.

Why is the project baseline important?

Establishing a baseline allows the project manager to evaluate performance and resource optimisation for the duration of a project.

If a project is behind schedule or above budget, it is time to make changes to the baseline or add more resources.

A technique often used by project managers to measure and compare the performance of a project with its baseline, is the following calculation:

Planned Value (PV) = The estimated cost of the planned work

Actual Value (AV) = Actual cost of work done up to the current date

Effective Value (EV) = Planned Value (PV) x % of project completion

Schedule Performance Index (SPI) = EV / PV , measures progress made up to the current date with respect to the initially planned progress.

When SPI <1, less work than expected has been done.

When SPI> 1, more work than expected has been done.

Cost Performance Index (CPI) = EV / AV , measures the value of completed work compared to the planned labor cost.

Finally, baseline determination helps with the accuracy of future estimations. This allows the project manager to get a better idea of how long it will take to complete the project and at what costs.

Estimated at Completion (EAC) = (total project budget) / CPI

EAC is a forecast of how much the overall project will cost, so that it is possible to approximate the correct allocation of resources.

Maintaining an accurate record of current project estimates and actual results allows estimates to be applied to similar future projects.

How to check the status of the baseline

 The check of the progress of the project with respect to the baseline, must follow specific procedures that are established even before starting the execution of the project.

Effective control is possible when these elements are defined:

• Performance assessment standards and criteria
• Data collection system
• Frequency of monitoring, ie. when the checks must be carried out
• Frequency of reporting
• Approval process for the new programming
• Stakholders communication plan.

Practices to follow for optimal calculation and good control of the project baseline

 Let’s see the “modus operandi” to set, track and maintain an optimal project baseline.

 1. Setting of the original baseline

At the beginning of any project, it is very important to set a baseline that represents the starting point of the work. This is a useful method to document the change of various parameters of a project. The goal of setting a baseline is to avoid rewriting its parameters, but eventually just adding new ones. The experience of the project manager in this operation has a very important role.

2. Keep track of previous baselines

As the project progresses, surely the project manager will have to make changes. However, before any change, it is important to save a history of the previous baselines so that it is possible to access the previous baselines for comparisons and restore changes, if necessary.

3. Maintenance of a baseline

Once a change has been approved, it is time to update the forecast by adding the new scope, deadlines, and approved changes. Keeping an accurate record of updates and changes to the baseline allows the project manager to keep the project in line with the new requirements.

In order for the project to be successful, a structured control system becomes fundamental, as well as a good initial planning.

In addition, a project manager must be able to manage contingencies and any changes that may occur during the life cycle of a project.

The control must not only be limited to reporting the changes and rescheduling the activities planned for the future. Instead, control must be a proactive process in which project managers try to anticipate problems.

The project manager must therefore have a continuous and detailed view of the project and must communicate continuously with the project team and with stakeholders.

Managing the project baseline with project management software

Managing projects with a project management software is clearly simpler, but if the software also manages the baselines, even the subsequent analysis will be simpler.
Twproject records every change on your project and allows you to scroll through the whole story in a simple and visually impactful way, thanks to its timeline, managing to get to the starting point to analyze everything that has happened: every time the budget has been exceeded, the hours estimate, time, any correction and advancement.

Thanks to this, a project manager can refer to different baselines and it is important that he has an adequate control system available.

A good project software like Twproject that keeps track of project timings and deliverables, can certainly give a big help in the control of the project baseline, too.

A project SWOT analysis is a strategic planning technique that project managers can use to assess the strengths and weaknesses of their projects.

In addition, this analysis will allow for the identification of opportunities and threats that may need to be addressed during the project life cycle.

Incorporating SWOT analysis into project management can help improve planning, reduce risk, and increase overall project success.

What does SWOT mean?

A SWOT analysis is a technique that companies often use to evaluate four critical aspects of their organization.

This analysis can help companies better understand how successful they are likely to be and what areas they should improve.

Just as entrepreneurs and executives use a SWOT analysis to evaluate their company, project managers can use the same technique to assess their projects.

Here is an overview of the four areas of interest that make up the SWOT acronym and how they apply to project management:

• S – Strengths: These are internal factors, i.e., factors that can generally be controlled, that determine the success of a project. An example might be good project management software or experienced team members.
• W – Weaknesses: Weaknesses are internal factors that can make it difficult for a project to succeed. For example, when the team has never worked together, and several members are new and inexperienced. Other internal weaknesses could be disengaged stakeholders or lack of project funding.
• O – Opportunities: Opportunities are external, uncontrollable factors that could help the project succeed. These opportunities may be current but not yet exploited or future. An example might be a discount on goods from a supplier.
• T – Threats: These are external factors that could harm the project if they occur. As with opportunities, they can be current or future threats. For example, a threat could be the failure of a major supplier or customer, or increased costs of supplies, materials, or contractors.

What is the purpose of a SWOT analysis?

SWOT-analysis helps the project manager plan the project and considers the factors that can help or hinder its success.

In fact, the goal is to find risk areas and controllable factors that need to be paid attention to and monitored throughout the project.

When you fully understand a project’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, you can plan a successful strategy that addresses these four factors.

Conducting a SWOT analysis can help produce new ideas for leveraging what the project manager and team do best and potential opportunities.

In addition, SWOT analysis also helps increase awareness of weaknesses and potential threats to the project so that you can defend against them.

Who should do a SWOT analysis?

For a SWOT analysis to be effective, you need complete, accurate, and unbiased information.

Depending on the project’s scope, the team conducting the analysis should have a good overview of the organization and the business.

A project with a larger scope usually should involve a project leader with a higher position or an outside expert to perform the analysis.

In addition, a project with a greater impact on the entire company should involve multiple participants in different departments of the organization.

In general, creating a team with diverse perspectives is essential for a more accurate assessment.

Advantages of SWOT analysis

Companies should perform a SWOT analysis before committing to any action or project plan.

In this way, they can answer questions such as “is it possible to do the project?” or “should we do the project?”.

SWOT analysis provides teams and organizations with the following benefits:

• Create honest assessments of their strengths and weaknesses.
• Provides new perspectives on the company and its business.
• Provides information on how to maximize what is available, address limitations, make additional investments, and avoid risk.
• Create supporting documents for the project plan.
• Provides an effective strategic planning tool when performed regularly.

Examples of SWOT analysis

A medical startup wants to develop and commercialize a noninvasive, optically-based blood glucose monitor in this example.

This company wants to offer patients a better way to monitor and manage their blood sugar levels without painfully pricking their fingers using traditional home electronic glucose meters.

So, let’s see what the SWOT analysis looks like in this case.

Strengths:

• The company has patents on its optical blood glucose monitor technology.
• The technology and device are FDA approved.
• The company has the support of industry experts with extensive experience regarding technology, including medicine, optics, electronics, and manufacturing.

Weaknesses:

• The company has no funding.
• As a startup, the company does not have a distribution network.
• The device is expensive to build.

Opportunities:

• There is an untapped market for noninvasive blood glucose monitors.
• Due to endemic diabetes, the demand for monitors increases each year.
• Leading scientific institutions and organizations are expressing interest in conducting joint research.

Threats:

• Existing competitive and emerging products have a strong market presence.
• Device prices are dropping.

Actions to be taken:

This company should consider getting capital from interested investors such as venture capitalists or angel investors from the SWOT analysis.

Also, the company must quickly build relationships with medical device distributors by attending conferences and developing distributor incentives.

The company can also benefit from joint research and publications with institutions and companies with existing distributor networks.

Another example of a decision a company might be faced with: hiring an intern for the summer?

Strengths

• Energetic and hardworking person
• Knows the latest technologies
• Convenient

Opportunities

• Could become a new full-time employee

Weaknesses

• Investing time in training
• Must return to college at the end of summer

Threats

• Could use the training he received to get hired at a rival company

Also, SWOT analysis can also be used to make decisions regarding personal life, e.g., jogging after work.

Strengths

• Burn Calories
• Breathe fresh air
• Sense of accomplishment

Opportunities

• Meet your future better half
• Discover new landscapes of your city

Weaknesses

• Sweaty clothes
• Muscle pain
• Fatigue

Threats

• Attacked by a dog
• Suffer an injury

Bottom line

In conclusion, SWOT analysis doesn’t so much help determine what to do as it does determine whether or not to do something.

The ultimate goal of SWOT analysis is to match strengths with opportunities to determine a clear path to success. Or also, to uncover weaknesses that could be exploited in a way that could be avoided in organizational strategy.

If you plan from the outset using project management software such as Twproject, the various elements of the SWOT analysis will be evident at a glance.

Twproject guides you in analysing and kicking off your projects, following you step by step.

Thanks to its advanced functionalities, Twproject guides you through the entire project management process, from the initial analysis to the execution phase. You will be able to:

• Map essential information: enter the details of your project to create a detailed SWOT matrix, highlighting the key factors impacting success.
• Monitor risks and opportunities: track the evolution of your project with real-time reports that help you make informed decisions.
• Collaborate with your team: Twproject simplifies communication and data sharing, ensuring that all team members have access to critical information.Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Test your project data now for free and discover all the launch opportunities and possible risks to avoid.

A master plan is a long-term dynamic planning document that provides a conceptual framework to drive project development and growth.

Successful project managers are masters at creating comprehensive project plans that define project scope, cost, planning, activities and resources.

A Master Plan reflects a vision set in the early stages of a project and aims to bring everyone on the same page and move everyone in the same direction.

A master plan outlines the expectations for everything that will be achieved during the project lifecycle.

However, some people do not believe that the master plan holds real value and consider it more of a luxury rather than a necessity, especially in these times when we try to maximize our work schedule.

However, a good master plan is key to any long-term project. This is why:

• The master planning provides a road map for all future project development decisions.
• Even if seen by some as an additional cost, a master plan can eventually lead to savings in the long run.
• It allows the involvement of all parties concerned in advance and sets out expectations on how the various activities and tasks will be developed.
• A master plan approval creates “buy-ins” by the main stakeholders in a project. If everyone gives their “blessing” at the outset, there will be much less chance to ask questions or step back later.
• A master plan allows you to estimate costs before the actual work begins. This also allows you to raise funds for a longer period of time to fund your project.
• General planning can create visibility and credibility for a project. If a project’s vision can be presented to its potential users, it often generates excitement about its potential and this often drives a project and helps it to happen sooner.
• Projects that have a planned master plan generally have a higher completion rate than unplanned projects.

Master plan development process

Here are some typical elements for a good project master plan:

Feasibility study

A feasibility study is an objective review of the options available for a project development.

Indica l’obiettivo previsto è raggiungibile, tenendo conto degli aspetti finanziari, sociali e ambientali.

The feasibility study is important for:

• Identifying risks and opportunities
• Providing a basis for making informed decisions
• Helping plan and allocate resources efficiently
• Improving the chances of obtaining funding and support from stakeholders
  

Strategic framework

The strategic framework goes hand in hand with the master plan and sets the basis for establishing basic information about possible opportunities and constraints.

In the strategic planning phase, the team also determines what key competencies are fundamental to develop the project in general.

Project scope

A project master plan is designed to ensure that the project scope baseline is maintained and consistent.

The established scope shall not be inadvertently altered or modified.

Although the goal is to make minimal or no changes to the project scope, some changes may still be necessary.

In this case, changes will be determined through the change control process set out in the master plan.

Work Breakdown Structure

The Work Breakdown Structure, WBS, is a hierarchical breakdown of the work and activities that the team needs to execute in order to achieve project objectives and create the required deliverables.

The WBS organizes and defines the total scope of the project and splits the work into smaller, more manageable parts.

The WBS simplifies project management in several ways:

By dividing the project into manageable components, the WBS makes it easier to assign responsibilities and monitor progress.

Each work package is has specific objectives, and this helps the team focus on critical activities. This approach improves transparency and focus, making it easier to estimate the costs associated with each project item and monitor expenses during project execution.

The WBS also helps identify the resources required for each work package, facilitating efficient allocation of human and material resources.

With a well-organised structure, it is easier to track project progress and identify any delays or problems. In addition, the WBS serves as a basis for managing changes to the project, assessing the impact of each change proposed.

With Twproject, for instance, teams can easily create and manage a WBS, dividing the project into manageable tasks and subtasks.

The platform organises these activities in a clear hierarchical structure, improving understanding and communication among team members, which is particularly useful in complex projects.

Twproject also allows you to clearly assign responsibilities, monitor progress in real time and effectively manage resources.

It facilitates change management by evaluating and approving requests in a structured manner, thus improving project planning, execution and control, ensuring success and on-time completion.

Phases closure and lessons learned

At the end of each phase of the project life cycle, the project manager will draft a report detailing the lessons learned.

This includes an analysis of the project objectives achieved and the success of each completed phase.

We can use these best practices for other similar projects and identify areas for process improvement.

Closing activities include reviewing all of the goals and objectives of the phase and closing problems and related risks.

Conclusions

Ultimately, we can say that the master planning is the first key step in any design process; it is the creation of a framework in which the work of the entire project will be embedded.

In large-scale projects, collaboration between several people and teams can become complex and lead to confusions that jeopardise the success of the project.

A well-developed master plan with advanced tools such as Twproject eliminates these obstacles by providing a single point of reference that everyone can follow.

This approach not only facilitates communication and collaboration, but also significantly increases the likelihood of success by ensuring that all team members are aligned and working towards a common goal.

Knowledge management in project management has become a key mainstay for successful projects.

But what is it exactly?

It is a systematic process for collecting, organizing, and sharing information and knowledge within an organization.

This process helps project managers make informed decisions and improve their teams’ efficiency.

Benefits of Knowledge Management in Project Management

Implementing knowledge management strategies yields many benefits, including workflow optimization, corporate knowledge preservation, and the ability to generate new knowledge.

In the case of project managers, it means having access to the information they need at the right time, thereby improving decision-making and team effectiveness.

Adopting effective knowledge management strategies offers many significant benefits that can transform the way projects are managed and brought to success. Here are some of the key benefits:

• Improved decision-making process:

Access to relevant information: Knowledge management provides project managers quick and easy access to crucial information, reducing time spent searching for data.

Data-driven decisions: Having a broad knowledge base at hand, project managers can make more informed decisions based on historical data, trends, and analysis.

• Operational efficiency:

Reduced search time: An effective knowledge management system cuts the time teams spend searching for information, allowing them to focus on more productive tasks.

Process standardization: Sharing standard operating procedures and best practices helps standardize processes, reducing errors and inconsistencies.

• Risk management:

Error prevention: Learning from experience and sharing this knowledge helps prevent recurring mistakes.

Proactive risk identification: Collective knowledge can help identify potential risks before they become critical.

• Innovation and growth:

Incentive for innovation: Sharing ideas and solutions can foster innovation within teams.

Professional development: project managers and their teams can take advantage of continuous learning, improving their skills and knowledge.

• Collaboration improvement:

Knowledge sharing: Knowledge management tools make it easy to share information among team members, regardless of their geographic location.

Positive business culture: Knowledge sharing helps establish a corporate culture based on collaboration and mutual support.

• Long-term sustainability:

Corporate knowledge preservation: Knowledge management helps to retain critical knowledge within the organization, even when employees leave the company.

Adaptability and flexibility: Organizations that manage knowledge effectively adapt better to market changes and new challenges.

Knowledge Management Techniques in Project Management

There are many knowledge management techniques in project management that project managers can employ to improve the effectiveness of their projects.

These techniques not only make information management better but also optimize collaboration and innovation within teams.

Let’s take a look at some of them:

Knowledge collection and preservation

One of the major challenges involved in knowledge management is to collect and store knowledge effectively.

• Procedure Operative Standard (SOP): SOPs are comprehensive documents that outline processes and practices for performing specific tasks. In project management, SOPs help ensure consistency and efficiency by providing clear direction on how to deal with recurring tasks.
• Guidelines and Reports: Guidelines provide general instructions on how to perform particular activities. By creating detailed guidelines and regular reports, experiences and lessons learned can be documented. These documents become treasured resources for project managers and teams, providing insight and references for future projects.
• Databases: Use centralized databases to store documents, reports, guidelines, and other important information. This ensures that knowledge is easily accessible and efficiently organized.

Knowledge sharing

Knowledge sharing is an important step in knowledge management. Knowledge sharing empowers people to learn from each other, improve their skills, and collaborate more effectively.

• Meetings and presentations: Hold regular meetings and presentations where team members can share experiences, ideas and best practices. This promotes a continuous learning environment and fosters knowledge sharing.
• Training courses: Implement training programs that allow team members to learn new skills and share their know-how. This improves individual skills and enriches the team’s knowledge pool.
• Community of practice: Create communities of practice within your organization where professionals can share ideas, solutions, and common challenges. In these communities, people meet to share knowledge and experiences on a particular topic. They can be used to share tacit knowledge, which is often more difficult to document and share.

Knowledge use

Shared knowledge should be used to improve processes, make decisions, and solve problems. Project managers can use collected and shared knowledge to:

• Improve planning: Use knowledge gained to hone project planning processes. Analyze historical data and lessons learned to anticipate challenges and identify best practices.
• Improve execution: Apply knowledge during project execution to optimize resources, manage time, and improve work quality.
• Improve control: Use knowledge management systems to monitor progress and adapt real-time strategies. This helps keep projects on track and respond promptly to deviations.

By integrating these techniques, project managers can become better at managing their projects and build a solid knowledge base that will benefit their entire organization.

This proactive approach to knowledge management ensures that information is retained, shared, and leveraged effectively, leading to more informed decisions, more successful projects, and a more collaborative and innovative work environment.

Looking ahead: knowledge management and Technological innovations

In the dynamic world of project management, looking ahead means understanding how knowledge management is intertwined with technological innovations.

Technological progress redefines how knowledge is collected, stored, shared, and used, leading to a significant evolution in project management practices.

AI and machine learning integration

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are now revolutionizing knowledge management.

This includes the implementation of generative AI apps that can summarize complex documents or even generate potential project risk scenarios.

These technologies can analyze big data, identify patterns, and provide valuable insights that might otherwise be missed.

What this means for project managers is more informed decisions based on predictive and prescriptive analytics. For example, AI can predict project delays by analyzing historical trends and helping managers mitigate risks before they occur.

Cloud Computing and collaboration

Cloud computing has transformed the way information is stored and shared. Cloud-based platforms provide easy and secure access to information, regardless of geographic location.

This makes it easier for teams distributed globally to collaborate in an unprecedented way, enabling project managers to manage projects more flexibly and efficiently. Moreover, the cloud offers scalability and agility, enabling organizations to adapt quickly to changing business needs.

Big Data and analytics

Big data and analytics tools are now playing a crucial role in providing thorough, real-time insights.

These tools enable project managers to analyze vast data sets to identify trends, assess project performance, and make evidence-based decisions. Data analytics can also help predict potential problems and identify opportunities for constant improvement.

Automation and efficiency

Automation is becoming ever more important in knowledge management. Automated tools like all in one CRM can handle repetitive duties, freeing project managers and their teams so they can focus on more strategic tasks.

This improves efficiency and the quality of work, reducing errors and inconsistencies.

Implementation of connected and smart workplaces

Lastly, the evolution toward connected and smart work environments is changing how teams interact and collaborate. Technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and user-friendly UI are forging new ways of interacting with information and among team members, making collaboration more engaging and productive.

Still, the future of knowledge management in project management is inherently related to technological innovations. These technologies empower project managers with more advanced tools and open new frontiers for efficiency, innovation, and collaboration.

Adapting to and embracing these technologies will be crucial to staying competitive and managing projects successfully in the digital era.

Twproject’s Role in Knowledge Management

Twproject stands out as a key solution in the applied knowledge management environment. This tool is tailored to meet the specific needs of project managers, offering a flexible and integrated platform that facilitates the collection, sharing, and use of knowledge within organizations.  

Here’s how Twproject plays a crucial role in this domain:

Field	Twproject’s Role
Knowledge Collection and Preservation	Twproject centralizes all information and knowledge in a single place, providing convenient access and search. It provides secure and organized storage for documents, reports, SOPs, and other critical resources. It also facilitates effective documentation of processes and best practices, ensuring that information is delivered consistently to all team members.
Knowledge Sharing	The platform supports internal communication through discussion forums, group chats, and messaging systems, making ideas and information sharing straightforward. It also allows easy sharing of documents and resources, ensuring all team members can access the necessary information. Twproject promotes a collaborative culture, where sharing knowledge and experience adds value to the organization.
Knowledge Use	Twproject supports data-driven planning, using collected and stored knowledge to improve project planning. It helps improve project execution by ensuring operational decisions are based on robust data and proven best practices. It also features tools to monitor project progress and adjust strategies based on acquired knowledge, keeping projects on track and quickly identifying areas requiring attention.

Iniziare con Twproject significa fare un passo fondamentale verso una gestione del knowledge management più efficace e integrata. 

Questi vantaggi si traducono in progetti più riusciti, team più soddisfatti e clienti più felici.