The attached workbook is useful for these many projects out there where no costing data can be used--or is not available--so the classic Earned Value Technique cannot be applied. It provides not only a progress tracking mechanism but also effort based project forecasting based on the above consideration.
How can Earned Value Management help you predict the future? Here we look at how EVM can help you forecast where your project will be at completion, as well as assisting in decisions around extra resources that may be required.
This webinar provides an overview of key principles and practices for effective Agile project estimating and planning that have helped many Construx customers greatly increase the accuracy of their project forecasts, enabling them to make better go/no-go decisions, increase the predictability of their projects, and deliver their projects successfully... on time, within budget constraints, and with the desired functionality.
CMMI provides several models that organizations can use to identify best practices and organizational improvements. Studying the maturity models and researching earned value management readiness reveals a series of baby steps for organizations to adopt EVM.
Scope management changes can be divisive. The project manager must recognize change requests for what they are and not let that requirements line in the sand be moved without a complete understanding and agreement among all parties--and a documented change that identifies how the project budget and hours are going to be affected.
Use this plan in conjunction with the effort-based project forecasting article and workbook.
Collaboration software provider Daptiv predicts that the role of project management offices will expand into business strategy, social software will be used even more to engage project teams and stakeholders, and PPM systems will play a greater role as a business intelligence source.
Here are four false (but surprisingly common) assumptions about managing project budgets, and how to avoid their dire consequences.
How do we ensure that we aren’t running around reprimanding team members and shouting “No!” to everything that comes out of the customer’s mouth? Here are three steps to set scope management in motion and ensure that it’s a positive for the project.
How do you keep your team focused on your project as its primary priority? This writer has found that following these four practical steps and processes works well at keeping his project at the forefront of his team members' minds.
2010 saw Cloud Computing advance in popularity and in controversy. While the allure of reduced investments in infrastructure grows, so do the issues related to security and control over information. So what does the future of Cloud Computing look like?
Use this presentation for help with forecasting support resources and cost.
We’ve all had projects that experienced bumps in the road. If you find yourself with major challenges, there are six key questions and actions to consider to make sure you’ve covered all of your bases.
Seems almost impossible that 2015 is a mere five years away. Ever stop to think how information technology will change in five simple years? Our esteemed writer pondered that idea, did some research and here is what he learned…
Does your project need outside help? You’ll need to consider a few things before making your pitch to the necessary senior leadership and actually bringing in an outside consultant. Here, we cover some key considerations.
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?
The combination of the two companies creates a major player in the $1.3 billion project and portfolio management software market, with more than 500 customers and 150,000 users worldwide.
This document gives you a view of a standard project lifecycle from a high level. This may be useful in the initial planning of a project. It compares such forecasting elements as resource usage, probability for success and allocation of key planning activities across the stages.
Here's a discounted cash flow model for a complete business. Find out fast the market value of company assets.
New benchmark study on project management offices shows consistent, two-year trend in delivering quantifiable value, with upwards of $400,000 in savings per project.
Does your PPM solution help you understand the cost of IT operations or just your projects and portfolios? Technology Business Management is an emerging category of software solutions designed to help CIOs and IT executives manage and communicate the cost, quality and value of IT Services.
When missed task deadlines start to become a problem, it’s often due to one or more of four reasons. Examining these key possibilities can help get to the root of the problem--and get the project team back on track toward on-time delivery of critical project tasks.
Your management and your clients often have different criteria for judging project success, but the budget is going to get attention from both sides. Here are five ways to keep your project's budget in line with the expectations of both your management and your customers.
HarperCollins needed an intuitive solution that could manage and track its Digital Technology Services work for over 100 global users. With Innotas’ on-demand IT Governance solution, the publisher was able to manage both strategic projects and sprints with the same tool.
This comprehensive project plan proposes a Rapid Application Development (RAD) approach to implementing a complete customer business service system (processing of customer contacts, accounts, billing, etc.). It reports the findings of a six-week planning/investigative phase and forecasts the analysis, design, construction and testing phases of the project.
The ezEVA template is a historical earned value tracking tool used to measure current progress and forecast future project performance. Use this in tandem with our EVA series of articles.
This will be the first in a series of articles that will look to provide the background of issues involved with managing an agile software development project under a traditionally linear and sequential project procurement process. Software development has been deliberately chosen for the example industry since that’s the domain for which agile is most typically used, but for those using agile in other industry domains, the general issues and proposed solution should work equally well within your industry.
Here’s our February 2011 roundup of the latest technology solutions for project leaders, teams and organizations, including social-based requirements management … security-focused PPM … enterprise-level Agile integration … software lifecycle management … and more.
It is clear that both roles are essential and integral to the success of a project, but often on small projects the manager and administrator role are combined. Regardless of which role you are playing in your organization, it is important to understand the distinctions and the need for both.
Agile and earned value are inherently different approaches to managing projects, but they can complement each other in support of flexibility and bottom-line value. Here are three practical tips to help you bridge the gap between an agile approach and the earned value reports and measurements many organizations require.
Developing software for delivery? Need a plan for the whole project? Here's a descriptive framework that spells out the key ingredients for planning and controlling your project.
The value proposition of software as a service is gaining more visibility and traction in the marketplace. What does this transition in the marketplace mean to a project manager (or projects, for that matter)? This article explores the role and opportunities of a project manager for cloud-based technology projects.
Are you signing a contract to outsource a software development project to a vendor? Ask these questions to make sure you know what you're getting and are getting what you are paying for.
In Part 1 of our review of trends and technologies that will impact the project manager in 2009, I described a period of financial tightness, energy dislocations, lessened globalization, and an increasingly unstable geo-political environment where small and medium-sized business will see growth because of their adaptability. I also anticipate increasing use of web mashups, digital convergence and unified communications, presence/video surveillance-based security, and collaborative technologies in economic activity.
The acquisition of Bluenova acquisition will increase Daptiv's company revenue by about10 percent and position it to capitalize on the fast-growing market for PPM solutions in the Asia Pacific region
Outsourcing your software development project is risky, but it can be a cost-effective business move if you select your outsourcing partners very carefully. Use this checklist of criteria to evaluate a candidate vendor's reputation, stability, capability, cost and overall ability to deliver.
Last month we looked at how agile methods provide multiple opportunities for embracing proactive risk management. This month’s article extends risk management beyond the project manager role and introduces the benefits of making it more of a collaborative team exercise.
Recent alliances, acquisitions and implementations in the world of project and portfolio management.
The year is almost half over, so it's time to think about needs and objectives for next year. Follow these planning guidelines for CIOs to make sure you have all your business bases covered.
It appears that although the global economic recovery has been sluggish, IT departments are bouncing back even more slowly. Why the lag? It has something to do with high expectations and low confidence. As usual, it's up to the mighty CIO to bridge that widening gap.
It's easy to get lost in the Cloud if you are unsure who the major players are out there. This overview will examine several Cloud frameworks and identify the who's who of the big-league Cloud riders.
After declining 8.2 percent in 2009, IT spending in the United States will grow 6.6 percent in 2010 to $568 billion, according to a new report by Forrester.
Earned Value Management is recognized within the project management domain as an effective cost and risk management technique. The formulas are not difficult to understand. So if EV isn’t difficult to calculate, why isn’t it more prevalent?
So much for 2011 being the year of recovery. Next year should be much like the last. Some recent developments may impact your success as a CIO. What trends are likely to impact your organization from an IT perspective? What strategies and actions will yield the best outcomes for CIOs and their companies?
Microsoft hopes a beta release feature pack that integrates Project Server and Visual Studio Team Foundation Server will bridge project managers, software developers and different methodologies by simplifying data exchange.
It takes much more than consistent paperwork and status meetings to satisfy a demanding customer. You certainly have to deliver the basics — timely reports and revisions, updated schedules, revised issues and risks lists — but sometimes that’s just not enough.
A wide variety of technology solutions and services are available to help organizations implement, customize and improve their project portfolio management processes. Here is our April roundup of recent announcements from Daptiv, HP, Oracle, Planview and PowerSteering.
Recent alliances, acquisitions and implementations in the world of project and portfolio management.
Industry leaders join forces to address need for better workforce and capacity planning for strategic forecasting.
Instead of measuring quality, Agile enterprises commit to it by investing in integration and testing, developing a common language around quality, and nurturing motivated, disciplined teams. Ultimately, quality reigns when organizations value it as much as profitability and protect the agile processes that support it.
