Corrective and preventive actions are processes used to identify, record, and address defects, deficiencies, and nonconformities. CONTENT What is the CAPA? What does corrective action mean? Corrective Process Steps What is preventive action? Popular – yet wrong – ideas about CAPA These are also called “CAPA” (“Corrective Actions Preventive Actions”) and constitute an organization’s immune … Continue reading “Preventive and corrective actions in project quality”

Strategic thinking and its importance is what elevates a project manager to the next level. Project managers are definitely accountable for a project’s timely delivery, but it’s their skill in crafting a strategy that makes the difference. CONTENT Strategic thinking and how to strengthen it in the business scenario Shifting from tactical to strategic project … Continue reading “Strategic thinking and its relevance for a successful project manager”

Organizational transformation within a company is typically undertaken because it is believed that the transition will enable a firm to work at a higher level. The aim is to become more efficient, productive, in short, to transform the company into innovative and more profitable. CONTENT What is organizational change? Why does a company change? Tips … Continue reading “Company organizational change: change management process and project manager’s role”

How do direct and indirect costs impact projects? This is the good question a fellow reader asked us and we would like to answer it in this article. Cost classification is an important concept in budgeting, accounting and project management (you may find this article about project management tools). CONTENT What are direct costs? Definition … Continue reading “Direct and indirect costs impact in projects”

Lead time and cycle time are widely used terms in the Kanban world. CONTENT What is Cycle Time? What is Lead Time? Lead Time and Cycle Time Example How can you reduce the gap between lead time and cycle time? However, quite often, people get confused when trying to understand the difference between them and … Continue reading “Cycle Time to Lead Time Ratio”

Configuration Management is a technical management discipline that is used to track changes in complex systems development, and was originally introduced during the 1950s by the U.S. Department of Defense. CONTENT What is the goal of project configuration management? How to run project configuration management How to run configuration management: Be ready from the get-go … Continue reading “Configuration Management”

Gap Analysis is one of the most powerful tools available to Project Managers and more. If used correctly, in fact, it can really help a company correct its course and avoid catastrophic mistakes. CONTENT What is a gap analysis? Benefits of performing a gap analysis Benefits of Gap Analysis: Product Portfolio Opportunities Benefits of Gap … Continue reading “Gap Analysis: what it is and how to perform it correctly”

In this article we will examine the project activities, their role and characteristics. CONTENT What defines a project? 1. Clarify project goals and scope 2. Develop a work breakdown structure 3. Deliver a realistic schedule 4. Create a project risk plan 5. Manage change requests Project activities: planning and development 1. Setting up project activities … Continue reading “Project activities: role and characteristics”

Knowing how to engage your project team is certainly one of the key drivers for running a successful business. CONTENT What is project team engagement? How do you measure Team members’ engagement? How to engage the project team Engaging the Project Team: Bottom Line A project manager wants their employees to feel proud of what … Continue reading “Engaging the Project Team”

A product’s life cycle (which should not be mistaken with a project’s life cycle) bears a strategic relevance for the company that produces it. CONTENT What is product life cycle management? The four phases of a product’s life cycle and related business strategies 1. Introduction 2. Growth 3. Maturity 4. Decline Product life cycle: bottom … Continue reading “Product life cycle and its relevance in business strategies”

Project quality is a major factor in achieving client satisfaction, which in turn is a key component in project success. Therefore, nothing about quality should be taken lightly, but more importantly, quality control should not be something improvised or done afterwards. CONTENT Planning and identification of parameters to be monitored for quality Parameters to monitor … Continue reading “Project quality control: which parameters should be monitored”

CONTENT Corporate governance role Corporate governance: 7 questions to understand it Governance duties and responsibilities Management’s role Corporate governance vs management: Conclusions Corporate governance and management are not the same thing, although some people might think so. Actually, they are two very different things. Let’s make it clear in this article where we will look … Continue reading “Corporate governance vs management”