The Critical Chain approach to executing projects has been compared to Lean, which also shares common ground with Agile-related techniques such as Kanban. Is there untapped synergy between Critical Chain and Agile methods? A recent conference helped to shine light on their similarities and key differences.
An equipment manufacturer is turning away new business. An airline is delaying flights due to maintenance issues. A homebuilder is struggling with a regulatory-driven software implementation. Here is a look at how three companies turned to Critical Chain to fix debilitating project management problems.
The purpose of this document is to develop a project inventory matrix which includes the major projects. The matrix would further help document the planned application architecture and facilitate the design of the future IT and application landscape.
The statement of work (SOW) encompasses the goals, scope, deliverables, cost and schedule estimates, stakeholder roles, chain of command and communication guidelines for a project. Learn how to put a quality SOW together by studying its components.
As more organizations achieve bottom-line benefits from Critical Chain, the execution management approach is moving from high concept to best practice, and adoption is on the rise. But even proponents acknowledge that its hard focus on faster results is not for every project environment. Here’s a closer look at where and why critical chain is working.
On new development projects, the production stage can be the point of no return. Before it’s too late, a rigorous gating process can help to ensure that development activities, teamwide input and critical stakeholder priorities are all aligned with the overall project vision.
If you need a refresher--or a first-time orientation--on supply chain management and e-procurement and how they work together to benefit your company, this is a good place to start.
From R&D to post-sales customer service, every group in an organization is critical to a new product’s success. PPM systems can unite all the elements that drive new product development — and squeeze more profits out of these projects.
An effective contingent work team can be procured more easily when you get involved in development of the SOW. Your non-involvement may result in a costly Emergency Executive Intervention.
What is a data warehouse, how do I use it, and what's in it for me? How should you instruct and inform your data warehouse users on these subjects? Here is an informative paper on the inner workings of a data warehouse that was built to perform category management analysis for a retail grocery chain.
Improved deliverable! Who am I? Where do I fit in the scheme of things? These soul-searching philosophical questions can be answered by reading Schopenhauer or by looking at your enterprise's organization chart. Here's a typical project team structure chart for an interactive web development project, along with glossary pages of who does what.
The developer of Theory of Constraints and Critical Chain Project Management, Goldratt’s influence was deepest in manufacturing and military sectors, and his ideas were widely discussed in project management circles.
In the first two parts, we made a provocative case for adding value to the PMP by complementing it with specific packages of credentials. In this part, we will continue the journey of discovering more such logical combos that you should consider.
The big trend in business today is digital, but how do you know if tackling the Internet is the best thing for you and your business? Consider your goals and options and build a real strategy before blindly surfing the technology wave.
Thinking about asking for a raise? This is the time to build a case for yourself--timing is everything, and this New Year period is an ideal time to make your move. Just make sure you go about it the right way.
These days, a successful project is all about bringing value to the business. This attitude change for survival in the digital business world is skillfully roadmapped in a Powerpoint presentation.
Want to go fast, but keep getting interrupted? What you need is a smart way to manage these interruptions without all the stopping and starting.
In the ever-increasing speed trip down the ramp of badly made cost-cutting decisions, many mainstream manufacturers are compromising on the quality of their products. To help address this, we all need to more carefully monitor the quality of our supplier goods.
Most people are very familiar with Winston Churchill but may not be familiar with his agile approach to project management and his skills as a PM in the summer of 1940. This article looks at the fourth area of the overall project, command and control of the whole system. This was the final piece in the jigsaw, a command center at the heart of the solution.
Don't get stunned by the onslaught of face-paced change to your business. New technologies and new business methods are part of e-commerce growth. You can handle it if you have the right information and preparation.
The first decade of the new millennium brought agile software development to the fore. What was learned and what does the future hold? Agile innovator and observer David A. Thomas offers his opinions.
In the history of organizations trying to implement and get some value from project management, there has been a string of buzzwords that have captured the hearts, minds and budget approvals of senior executives. Why doesn't the hype of portfolio management seem to measure up in real life?
Ever stop to ponder all the different PM frameworks that have been developed over the years and which one you should be using in your organization? Is there really one best framework out there? The options are dizzying, so here we take a look at four of them in depth. What can they do for you? Remember, one size does not fit all...
The use of supplier relationship management (SRM) can be considered symbiotic in nature, since the mutually beneficial aspects of having such a two-way dependent/supportive partnership can make each party’s success tied to the other’s. Can we relate?
Improve your e-mail communications and delegation by deadheading this annoyance wherever you find it.
Successful business execution is dependent upon having timely and accurate financial information. But too often, little thought is put into how to present the data in a meaningful way. From a project or portfolio perspective, what does a C-Level executive expect to see from the PMO for actionable decision-making?
In the concluding installment of our “5 Questions PMs Must Ask” series, we explore the fifth and final question: how do we know we are making progress? The answer requires measures of effectiveness and performance stated in tangible units that are meaningful to all stakeholders.
The relationship forged with strategic providers can make the difference between success and failure within the organization. Here, the value proposition they represent is often based more on their service and support levels than price. In essence, SPs become de facto stakeholders with the organization--and thus require special consideration in terms of how the relationship is cultivated and managed.
Numerous studies over the years have shown that achieving business/IT alignment can lead to a unifying direction for a company, better leveraging of IT, improved communications, more efficient allocation of resources and increased competitive advantage. Yet, other studies reveal that few companies actually achieve alignment between their business and their most strategic weapon, technology. What they need is an integrated product management process that provides both vertical and horizontal alignment for developing products, systems or services.
Earned value analysis is an excellent technique to assess project health and apply metrics to manage your project. Use this presentation to conduct an earned value orientation for your team members.
The purist view of BPI is that it is a quantum leap rather than a step-change for businesses. Radical transformation is BPI's intent, but it often falls short of that goal. Even when they face possible corporate demise, many businesses do not really have the appetite for radical transformation, and settle for the half-way house of process re-engineering instead. But this does not have to be considered a failure...
This article looks at how Lord Beaverbrook focused on the problems of fighter production and took an unorthodox approach that brought in ideas and best practices from other industries.
How do you make a fixed-price contract work? This article investigates the reasons why IT projects tend to overrun the budget--and the mitigating actions that can be applied.
Stakeholders don’t like suprises, especially when it comes to project costs. It’s worth taking the time to carefully estimate the business analysis phase of the project. Here are five tips.
Companies that pursue business intelligence through a technology-driven approach get lots of cool graphs, but not information that allows them to make actionable decisions. Here's the right way to approach this all-important process.
During the last few decades, many quality management programs have delivered real benefits to many organizations across the world in a number of areas including cost control, process improvement, customer retention and product development. That is why organizations have embraced the concept of quality management as a key business enabler and a critical success factor.
How two interactivive games help Agile coach Portia Tung explain theory, principles and common pitfalls, from defining project goals to removing constraints.
The American retail giant can credit much of its success to innovation, project management and a visionary's eye to smartsourcing.
Agile project management and software development techniques like Scrum and Extreme Programming continue to gain popularity, but not all projects are suited to a purely agile approach. By helping to define value, eliminate waste and prevent defects, the principles of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma can also be used to improve the effectiveness of traditional project management processes.
Recent alliances, acquisitions and implementations in the world of project and portfolio management.
New research publication from the Project Management Institute focuses on the impact of related disciplines such as human resources and supply chain management on trends in the project management field.
ITIL brings with it tremendous potential to transform an organization. However, it requires unwavering persistence and commitment to leverage the transformation potential.
To achieve meaningful portfolio management benefits, both application and project portfolios should be considered.
Agile methods are all about delivering value. We work on the high-value items first and prioritize the backlog based on business value. Everything is value driven, aiming to maximize value delivered. Risks, on the other hand, are like anti-value--they have potential for value-robbing down time, rework and even project failures. Here we look at how to use Risk-Adjusted Backlogs and Risk Burndowns to illustrate and prioritize risk within agile projects.
Being able to accurately describe what impact a project will have on a company’s bottom line is absolutely critical in securing financial buy-in and project approval. If you don't have an MBA, fear not...here's some help in demystifing the writing of a project business case.
All organizations face significant challenges in planning for and managing their IT portfolios. These challenges can be addressed, in part, by the use of systematic processes for selecting and evaluating IT investments. Based on a framework created for federal agencies, here are some key components to consider including in your project portfolio-scoring model.
Are you ready for a revolution? Not so fast. Agile is, quite simply, a qualitatively different way of developing software. And those differentiating qualities are what the Agile Manifesto carefully delineates.
The BP oil spill instantly became a crisis management disaster with devastating repercussions. What went wrong, and what lessons can we take from the tragedy? As our two-part article concludes, we look at more of the major management mistakes.
Many a project manager has said the job feels like they’re always putting out fires. Well, projects are like fires in fundamental ways: no two are exactly the same, and conditions can change at any time, requiring corrective actions. From training to communication, here are some shared principles that hold true for fighting fires and managing projects.
Based on the best practices of winners and finalist from PM Solutions’ annual PMO of the Year award, a new book offers tips, insights and checklists for people management, performance measurement, strategic alignment, organization design and more.
