Practical Project Management

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Document templates - the project manager's 'Tools of the Trade.'
"What can we do without them?" Some ask. Others ask "What do we do with them?"
Well the answer maybe the project management template suite from Method123. 

Book review: Project Management of Complex and Embedded Systems: Ensuring Product Integrity and Program Quality

 Authors: Kim H Pries, Jon M Quigley

Approx 340 pages
ISBN 978-1-4200-7205-1 (hardcover)

This book is a refreshing look at how generally accepted project management processes are deployed in the development of embedded systems in the automotive industry.

As if there isn’t enough project management ‘models’, the authors, Pries and Quigley, introduce their own ‘QP Model’ of project management. They assert that project management in the automotive industry is a ‘control process’ and done effectively these processes should be self-regulating. The QP Model promotes this idea and that the recommended planning activities and organisational procedures define the feedback and control loops. 

Either you have been missing something, or nothing has really been going on.

Welcome back to the world of ‘Productive Laziness’, a world that will help you focus on what really matters and still deliver the results that you and your sponsor demands.
Here we explore the often forgotten part of the project, the very end, that point in time that is usually rushed or ignored in favour of far more attractive offerings in the shape of ‘the next big project’.

But this is a point in time for one last effort, to make life easier in the future.

The Lazy Project Manager’s Theory of Projects, from a Productive Laziness aspect states:
'All projects are thick at one end, much, much thinner in the middle and then thick again at the far end.'

Now is not the time to declare the project a success and rush off for a Bloody Mary  at the bar. ¹
No, now is the time that you can apply a small and final amount of effort but gain enormous amounts of knowledge so that future projects are likely to be even more successful and potentially with even less effort. And by less effort we know that means so much more time in the ‘comfy chair’ being lazy but in a productive way.

‘The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning.’ Ivy Baker Priest

ALPHA CONSULTORIA wins PMI Continuing Professional Education Product of the Year Award

The best of the best in project management was celebrated during PMI’s annual awards ceremony held during the PMI® Global Congress—North America in Orlando, Florida, USA.

The purpose of this specific award is to recognize and honor provider who has demonstrated exceptional professional development instruction and/or training material for project management students, trainees or practitioners.

Okay, so maybe you have the large projects nailed in Microsoft Project, but what about the smaller ones that, in reality, make up the bulk of your portfolio?  Are you just "winging" those, using status emails and Excel spreadsheets to manage them?  If so, you could be making a great mistake.

Small projects, while often overlooked, are still crucial to a company's success.  Since they might not involve large sums of money, many companies do not worry as much about them, but all of these small projects can add up to some major costs if managed improperly.

Communication is one of the most significant manageable risks in any project – large or small. KPMG research shows that 20% of projects fail due to poor communication.

Other studies and experience show that failure to communicate effectively - internally, with suppliers, the community and customers will affect the both the outcomes of projects and the bottom line of companies.

Project communication is an all-encompassing discipline, but communication specialists are a relatively new addition to project teams. In part this is because communication is so fundamental that project leaders have taken it as a given. People talk to each other all the time, send e-mails, memos and reports, while notice boards are festooned with important stuff. In many projects, most of this just seemed to happen.

Everyone uses sports analogies at times. FedEx even ran a series of TV commercials poking fun at football analogies in business. This article takes the analogy process a step or two farther (admittedly farther into the absurd at times), and takes a somewhat lighthearted look at how project management is like a number of sports. Some are pretty obvious (like relating the PM to a quarterback) and some are a stretch. While this isn’t a serious comparison, there are grains of truth scattered throughout and might even give you something to think about.

When choosing a development life cycle, don't just trust your feelings. Decide based on factors that really matter.

Which life cycle will work best for your project?

This is an important strategic question because making the wrong choice could lead to disastrous results of catastrophic proportions. Think about delayed deliveries, unhappy clients, project overruns, and canceled projects.

During the 80’s and early 90’s, the waterfall model was the de-facto in project delivery. With the rapid pace in software development and popular use of the Internet, many companies started shifting to more flexible life cycles such as the iterative, incremental, spiral, and agile.

These new life cycle methods provide more flexibility and support fast-paced development, giving companies the edge in delivering “the first” in the industry. To date, there are dozens of life cycle methods available to choose from, each having its own advantages and disadvantages.

Circa 2009

Tassc's Circa 2009 helps software companies save time and money

Tassc recently announced the availability of a major new release of Circa.
This release features significant performance enhancements providing support for estimating and planning large-scale software projects.
Circa is now more configurable allowing users to refine and adjust the built-in metrics to produce ever more accurate estimates in order to control budgets and schedules.

Journyx recently announced that Stock & Option Solutions (SOS) – a leading provider of stock plan administration, management and equity consulting services – has saved the equivalent of one full-time employee by implementing Journyx Timesheet for all employee time tracking, including internal projects.
 

Timesheet also helps SOS determine scope and budget for future projects by providing historical project data.
Journyx Timesheet is a timesheet and expense management solution that enables organizations to automate management of employee time and expenses for project control, customer invoicing, and payroll processing.