Project management

The management of change requests refers to the tools and processes used to manage changes within a project and its team. In the context of project management, the change is all that transforms or influences projects, activities, processes, structures or even work functions. INDICE DEI CONTENUTI The triple constraint in the management of project change … Continue reading "Management of change requests"

Analizing the quality and trying to improve it, is probably the main purpose behind improving 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. TABLE OF CONTENT What is the Deming Cycle The phases of the Deming Cycle: Planning … Continue reading "The Deming Cycle (PDCA) and the constant improvement of quality"

Project Portfolio Management is the continuous process of selection and management of project-oriented initiatives that offer the best in terms of business value or return on investment. TABLE OF CONTENTS The gathering of essential information for the portfolio management process The Portfolio Management process Portfolio Management: The inventory phase Portfolio Management: The evaluation phase Portfolio … Continue reading "Portfolio management: some suggestions for managing the project portfolio"

One of the critical success factors for any project is the presence and participation of an effective project sponsor. TABLE OF CONTENT The key attributes of a project sponsor Roles and responsibilities of project sponsors Challenges in working with a project sponsor Four key steps to work with the project sponsor 1. Set expectations 2. … Continue reading "Managing a project sponsor"

The approval by the client describes the acceptance by the client or the contractor of the result obtained at the end of a project. It denotes the successful delivery of the product – goods or services – which meets the requirements established at the beginning of the project. TABLE OF CONTENT Verification and approval as … Continue reading "Verifications with the client and project approval documents"

The delivery plan of project deliverables is a strategic element for every Project Manager. The goal of every project is, in fact, to produce a result that serves a specific purpose. With the word „purpose“, we can mean the most disparate goals: a software program, a chair, a building, a translation, etc. TABLE OF CONTENT … Continue reading "The delivery plan of project deliverables"

When dealing with a project, risks are always on the agenda. Even the most carefully planned project can encounter problems and unexpected events. Team members may fall ill or resign, other resources may be unavailable or insufficient, the budget may fail to cover an expense, etc. Does this mean that we must give up when … Continue reading "Risk response strategies: mitigation, transfer, avoidance, acceptance"

A project manager assistant is generally someone who, as the title says, assists the project manager. This person generally has some education or experience in project management and is probably aiming for a career as a project manager. TABLE OF CONTENT What are the tasks of a project manager assistant? The qualities of a project … Continue reading "What is a Project Manager Assistant"

In Project Management, Brainstorming is a technique that can produce innumerable advantages for the Project Manager. At the start of a project or at a particular stage, project managers inevitably want to get as many ideas as possible. This is where brainstorming comes in handy. TABLE OF CONTENTS Brainstorming and clichés How to plan the … Continue reading "Brainstorming Techniques: When Unity Is Strength"

Project variance analysis is an important technique that allows project teams to constantly compare planned performance with actual project data. This analysis also assists the project manager and the project team in identifying and understanding the deviations in the project performances. TABLE OF CONTENTS The steps of the variance analysis Analysis of deviations in Project … Continue reading "The analysis of project deviations"

Being able to manage project meetings is a feature that every successful Project Manager should have. Each project requires periodic meetings where stakeholders meet to discuss goals, assigned tasks, and progress of the project. TABLE OF CONTENTS The phases of a project meeting and how to manage them Managing a project meeting: Things to do … Continue reading "The management of project meetings"

At the end of any project, a final report must be presented. This means that every project must have an official conclusion. The drafting of the project final report is the moment in which it is officially communicated that the project has come to an end and that the funds and resources will no longer … Continue reading "The Final Report"

The escalation procedures are the ways in which the PM communicates certain changes, with respect to the project forecasts, at the board of directors of the company. The projects can fail for the most disparate reasons, but probably the main one is the failure to correctly monitor the project. Beyond the risk management plan and … Continue reading "The escalation procedures: when the risk gets big"

The functional organizational structure is a particular type of organization in which a company can decide to organize itself. The structure of an organization determines how employees, teams, and work responsibilities are organized in order to meet final needs and goals. In a functional organizational structure, the employees are divided into departments characterized by the … Continue reading "The functional organizational structures and the Project Managers"

Project Portfolio Management, also known as PPM, is a term used to describe how the – often confused – mix of dependent and connected projects within an organization is managed. Projects are often seen as independent units, but in reality individual projects are rarely isolated. The reality is that the projects within an organization are … Continue reading "Portfolio Management"