Project management

Lead and lag indicators are often used in performance management. But what exactly do they mean? Lead and lag indicators are two types of measurements used in performance evaluation in a company or an organization. A lead indicator is a predictive measure, such as the percentage of people wearing helmets on a building site. A … Continue reading "Lead and lag indicator in the scheduling activity"

Project scheduling compression techniques are applied during the development of the planning process if a project is lagging behind its plan. The goal of scheduling compression is to try to compress the schedule without changing the scope of the project. If the scope of the project has not changed and if the project is delayed, … Continue reading "Key aspects for the project schedule compression"

A root cause analysis is a project management methodology that attempts to get to the root of a problem in order to eliminate it. Even if the perfect design plan was realized and if it was executed in an exemplary manner, this would not eliminate all the risks that could arise from the execution of … Continue reading "Root cause analysis"

During project management, the temptation to solve problems in a simple and “silent” manner is frequent. Solve “silently” without, of course, informing stakeholders. But is it really the right choice? Is it worth hiding the truth while managing projects? The temptation, for the Project Manager (as for any human being), is often to take the … Continue reading "Project Management and Truth: an inscendable binom"

Carefully planning the project right from the start is the key to a successful outcome. The creation of a project plan is, in fact, the first thing that should be done in the case of any project, especially if this is new. Often, however, this activity is ignored and the focus is straight away on … Continue reading "How to plan a new project"

Managing conflicts in groups is a conditio “sine qua non” of the team. Avoiding conflicts is a pure utopia. A conflict is practically inevitable while working with others. People have different points of view, and when these perceptions add up, these differences can turn into conflict. However, the way in which the conflict is managed … Continue reading "Conflict management in project teams"

Why is understanding how to motivate the project team so important? All experienced project managers know that there are times when Gantt diagrams, flowcharts, Work Breakdown Structure, or any other tool are not enough. None of those in those moments will help the project team members to advance towards the finish line. These are times … Continue reading "How to motivate a project team: 8 fundamental aspects"

A project management software can increase the efficiency and productivity of the project, but its implementation is not always simple. It is often the case that organizations start the process of inserting a new software without a clear understanding of how to deal with its implementation. The implementation of a project management software is important, … Continue reading "How to implement a project management software from scratch: 8 errors to avoid"

Work Life Balance has been a key concept in recent years, a goal for many. Many managers and entrepreneurs have taken the path described by this concept, attempting a real balance between work and private life. The intent was to try to distribute the time equally between work and personal activities. Currently, the concept of … Continue reading "The integration of Work Life Balance: Work Life Integration is born"

Before starting to talk about the Organizational Process Assets, we want to spend some words in order to “contextualize” the topic. As the 6th version of the Italian PMBOK highlights, the projects exist and operate in environments that may have influence on them. Such influences can have a favorable or unfavorable impact on the project and … Continue reading "Organizational process assets and the project environment"

Creating a work team is a delicate but strategic phase for any project manager. The outcome of the project will really depend on the choices made here. Stephen Covey, famous writer and author of the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” states: “Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success” … Continue reading "Create the project team: 7 tips for identifying, approving and supplying it at the best"

When the concept of Emotional Intelligence entered the mainstream for the first time, the skeptics labeled it as a temporary fashion that would soon be forgotten. However, since the publication in 1995 of Daniel Goleman’s book “Emotional Intelligence”, emotional intelligence has increased its credibility in the business world more and more, becoming an important skill … Continue reading "Emotional intelligence and project management"

The Scope Management of a project is the set of processes necessary to ensure that the scope of a project is precisely defined and mapped. Project scope management techniques enable project managers to assign the right amount of work required in order to successfully complete a project, particularly by controlling what is and what is … Continue reading "Scope Management: managing the project scope"

People often confuse projects with processes. Some might argue that this is only a question of semantics and that saying “project” rather than “process” does not change much. CONTENT INDEX Project vs. process: the definition Project vs. process: the common points Project vs. process: the differences Further differences between process and project Projects, projects and … Continue reading "Process or project? What differences? What goals?"

The Earned Schedule (ES) is a rather recent methodology. It was first introduced in 2003 and it is a method of analysis that extends and completes the benefits of the Earned Value Management. Currently, the Earned Schedule method is used globally in projects of any type and size. This method is taught in academics, is … Continue reading "Earned Schedule"