Project Management 2.0

Happy February & thank you again for being Members of the ProjectManagement.com community!

This month, in addition to our usual "template release", we are including 5 NEW templates from our friends at PMI as well as 3 of our own new templates!

Download these quick before they're back in the PREMIUM library! These are all examples of premium content available 24/7 to our Premium Members. However, they are free to every registered member through Friday, March 14th. We hope these make your life a bit easier – helping us fulfill our mission of making YOU more successful. If you are not already a Premium Plus member but would like to be, Premium Plus membership is available at a $50 discount using the code "KEEP50".

The following premium templates are available to all ProjectManagement.com members until 3/14. We hope you find them useful. 

Assumption and Constraint Log (NEW THIS MONTH FROM PMI!)
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
You can incorporate this log into the Scope Statement, or let it stand alone. For planning purposes, assumptions are factors that are considered to be true or real without proof; while constraints are an applicable restriction or limitation (internal or external to a project) that will affect the performance of the project or process. 

Project Scope Statement (NEW THIS MONTH FROM PMI!)
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
The project scope statement details your project's deliverables and describes the major objectives, which includes measurable criteria for success. Use this template to document the six essential elements. 

Project Charter (NEW THIS MONTH FROM PMI!)
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
The Project Charter formally authorizes a project or phase. It defines the reason for the project and assigns a project manager--and the PM's authority level. The content of the Charter should describe the project in high-level terms. 

Stakeholder Management Plan (NEW THIS MONTH FROM PMI!)
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
The Stakeholder Management Plan is part of the Project Management Plan and identifies ways to effectively engage stakeholders. This template allows you to track each stakeholder and formulate a plan to work and communicate with each of them. 

Inter-Requirements Traceability Matrix (NEW THIS MONTH FROM PMI!)
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
One way to use a requirements traceability matrix is to trace the relationship between categories of requirements. An Inter-Requirements Traceability Matrix can be used to capture this information. 

Process Development Plan Template (NEW THIS MONTH!)
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
This template provides a step-by-step guide to developing a new organizational process. It is intended to be completed in conjunction with the development of the process and serves as a checklist for the completion of the work. 

Stakeholder Management Strategy (NEW THIS MONTH!)
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
This template helps the owner of a stakeholder relationship to determine the best approach to managing that stakeholder. This template may not be appropriate for all stakeholders, but should be used for major ones. 

Stakeholder Management Register (NEW THIS MONTH!)
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
How important is the stakeholder? Can they drive change, cancel it, approve budgets? This template is a simple stakeholder register for identifying and scoring stakeholders based on importance and influence, and also has fields for major concerns and relationship owner. 

Project Plan/Project Definition
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
Behind every successful project is a rock-solid, detailed project plan. This template defines every aspect of your project. The final product can be used to make what you are doing clear to all project stakeholders. 

User Story Template
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
User stories can help you efficiently and effectively describe what knowledge management should look like for your unique organization. This template provides insight on how to use user stories to help you define your KM universe. 

Methodology Implementation Project Charter
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
This is a high-level example of a Project Charter for implementing a methodology, but the structure and approach will work for many projects. This example is heavy on risks and assumptions, light on budgeting, role descriptions and conflict resolution. 

ezEVA Template
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
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. 

Risk Reviewer Job Qualification and Candidate Evaluation Checklist
PREMIUM CHECKLIST
Are you staffing your risk management team? This candidate evaluation matrix (Excel) coupled with the sample job description document (Word) will point you in the right direction for finding the ideal risk reviewer. 

Project Sizing Template
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
The purpose of project sizing analysis is to determine the appropriate level of formality for a project in regard to structure and tools based on four key criteria: Stakeholder Impact, Risk, Project Responsibility Level and Organizational Level Impacted. It is inspired by the article Determining the Appropriate Level of Formal Documentation with Project Sizing. 

Sample Project: Effort-Based Project Forecasting
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
Use this plan in conjunction with the effort-based project forecasting article and workbook. 

Design Milestones Review Checklists
PREMIUM CHECKLIST
This Design Milestones Review Checklist contains four worksheets: Design Milestones, High-Level Pre-Design, Technical Requirements, and Documentation and User Interface. 

According to the recently released 2014 PMI Pulse of the Profession report, only 63% of projects have active sponsors. However, Active Project Sponsorship was again listed as the TOP DRIVER for project success.

Just in case you are having some issues (or just want to tune things up), here are a few resources on the site that could help:

• Peter Taylor's blog post "The Campaign for Real Sponsors", gives you a list of job responsibilities for Project Sponsors. You can easily use this list to do a quick gap analysis, then politely suggest changes to your Sponsor.
• If you want to dive a little deeper, our Sponsor & Change Agent Toolkit gives you a number of awesome resources to help transform your Sponsor into a Change Agent. That helps you AND could help further their career. Bringing them this toolkit might score you some serious brownie points!
• There's also quite a bit of practical insight in the Enroll Sponsor section of Project Headway (our PM Process), including questions you would ask yourself when identifying your sponsor in the first place.

Best of luck and may you have better sponsorship than a European soccer player.

Happy December & thank you again for being Members of the ProjectManagement.com community!

Download these quick before they're back in the PREMIUM library! These are all examples of premium content available 24/7 to our Premium Members. However, they are free to every registered member through Wednesday, December 18th. We hope these make your life a bit easier – helping us fulfill our mission of making YOU more successful. If you are not already a Premium Plus member but would like to be, Premium Plus membership is available at a $50 discount using the code "KEEP50".

The following premium templates are available to all ProjectManagement.com members until 12/18. We hope you find them useful. 

Project Sizing Template (NEW THIS MONTH!)
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
The purpose of project sizing analysis is to determine the appropriate level of formality for a project in regard to structure and tools based on four key criteria: Stakeholder Impact, Risk, Project Responsibility Level and Organizational Level Impacted. It is inspired by the article Determining the Appropriate Level of Formal Documentation with Project Sizing.

PMO Business Planning Template (NEW THIS MONTH!)
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
This template is intended to help the PMO produce its annual business plan. Ultimately, your organization likely has its own template that you need to comply with, but this template is intended to help with the thought process and ensure that all of the key elements have been identified. It is inspired by the article PMO Business Planning.

Business Case Review (NEW THIS MONTH!)
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
This document is intended to help individuals generating business cases to validate their work using historic project information. It is inspired by the article BI and the Portfolio: Improving Annual Planning.

PMO Justification Checklist
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
If your company has a lot of projects going on, it's a good idea to have a central Project Management Office (PMO) to coordinate project teams and make sure everything gets done properly and on time. Use this checklist initially to assess whether you need a PMO. As projects progress, it can also be used to ensure that the PMO is effective.

Meetings Checklist
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
If you're working on a project, you're going to hold meetings. Use this checklist to help you keep yourself and everyone else focused on the business at hand.

Quality Assurance Program Checklist
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
Quality assurance is a big part of successful software development. Use this checklist of eight questions to make sure you're producing quality work.

Project Continuation Checkpoint Checklist
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
Is your project accomplishing its objectives? Perhaps it's off track. Don't waste resources and money. Instead, use this checklist to see if it should continue into the next phase and what you need to do to ensure its success.

Sample Project Risk Register Template and Guide
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
The risk register records details of all the risks identified at the start and during the life of the project, their grading in terms of likelihood of occurring and seriousness of impact on the project, initial plans for mitigating each high level risk and subsequent results.

Are You A Valuable Team Member?
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
Every project manager wants a dream team of competent, pleasant, reliable people who can be counted on to produce and work independently. Give your team members this checklist to monitor their own performance and inspire them to meet the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards of doing the project well. (That includes pleasing you!)

Issue Tracking and Resolution Form
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
Use this form to formally identify, track and resolve an issue related to a project. Complete directions are included.

The Seven Win Conditions
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
Win Conditions address how success will be measured. How do you stack up when it comes to stakeholder satisfaction, your schedule, scope, quality, budget, ROI and team satisfaction? This templatehelps you rank priorities, and provides areas for metrics and descriptions.

Project HEADWAY Resource Management Plan
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
Estimating resources on a project, be it people, equipment or materials, can often be a difficult challenge for a project manager. The purpose of this template is to allow the project manager to identify, document and estimate the specific resource needs of the project along with detailing how those resources will be managed.

Project Viability Checklist
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
This checklist will help you decide whether your project is an idea whose time has come--or something better left undone. Call it a reality check!

Self-Assessment Checklist for Managers
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
It's time to be brutally honest with yourself and see where you can improve your skills as a manager. Take the test and see how you measure up. Go ahead, no one is looking.

How to Put Together a Zero-Based Budget
PREMIUM DELIVERABLE
Use a zero-based budget (ZBB) to establish priorities and the bottom line for a changing project. Of course, we'll walk you through how to do this.

Have a wonderful holiday season & thank you again for being a ProjectManagement.com member! We sincerely appreciate your support and are completely committed to your success. If we can help with anything project related, please let us know at contactus@projectmanagement.com. 
 

I just stepped out of Bill Richardson's session at the PMI GC, called "The Power of Promise:What Every Project Manager Need to Know About Personal Branding". It was a great session because it was less about "why you should do it" and more about "how".

He began by describing what your personal brand looks like and walking you through each component. Here are the five things you need to know about your personal brand. For the sake of brevity I'm just listing the elements out here, but if you take a moment to think about each one - I think you'll get a lot out of it.

1. It all begins with a unique promise of value. What do you bring to the world that no one else does?

2. There are 3 aspects of your brand:

• Capability (Mindset, skill set and tool set)
• Character (beleifs, traits and values)
• Commitment (learning, mastery, and growth)

3. These imply questions that you should understand the answers to:

• What are you known for?
• What do you stand for?
• What are you capable of?

The answers here can be positive or negative, but you should know what they are.

4. These then map to your Conviction, Potential, and Reputation. These are the outer layer that people see most.

5. Your brand is a promise of value and it's an asset [that you must care for and cultivate].

So what do you do with that?

You begin by writing down your Brand Profile, which looks like this:

1. Vision
2. Mission
3. Needs
4. Values
5. Interests and passion
6. Strengths
7. Personality attributes
8. Goals
9. Unique Promise of value
10. Brand Statement

Then You Grow Your Brand

- Focus narrow and deep (making yourself more "special")

- No failure, just feedback (view your experiences this way)

And Protect Your Brand

- Confront Reality

- know Your KPIs

- Adapt or Die

Finally Promote Your Brand

- Share What You Know

- Pay Attention to What People Value and Need

- Express Yourself

- Deliver Change that Works

He closed the session with a really great statement, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." So once you've established a brand and are passionate about it - let people know how much you care and they will too.

I always say that if I can get one \good point out of a hour long conference session, it was worth going. I'm at the PMI Global Congress in New Orleans this morning. About 15 minutes late, I popped into the Agile UNConference session and was immediately asked to facilitate a breakout on "Tools and Techniques for Communication in an Agile Environment."  I held rapid-fire 10-minute sessions with three groups and talked about a lot of things that you might expect.

Part of each discussion was about software and I wanted to share two high-value points with you on which there was universal agreement. The first is about starting well. The second is about delivering status in a high-trust way.

The WAY you train the team on the software makes all of the difference
There is only one effective way to train people on tools. It’s using the tool, methods, and actual project data all at the same time (in a training environment where you can check understanding – not just on the job).  The folks who were anti-tool in these groups admitted they hadn’t done it that way. Those who did seemed to be universally successful.

So if you do this, you’ll know in intimate detail how the software, relates to the work you are actually trying to get done. If you have that level of understanding of what’s going on, then the next point makes a lot of sense…

Use the software to communicate with executives (don’t add another layer)
Use the actual Agile Software or Project Room Board (if there’s no software) to present to senior management. It’s what is really going on, versus yet another interpretation of what’s going on. This not only creates a window into the actual work that inspires trust from management, but also eliminates additional documentation (status reporting) to a large degree.

Have you found these to be true as well? Please share any experiences you might have...