Project Management Knowledge Corner

Project Manager at University: Speaking Skills - Beginning 

Whether writing or speaking to an audience you can use the following useful phrases in a presentation.

Beginning

• I would like to start by…
• First of all…
• I would like to introduce ... myself. I’m…
• I would like to introduce ... ... you to…

Feel free to comment or add your phrase.

All comments are modified from Alida Bedford www.Port.AC.UC/ASK, 2015 to reflect project manager point of view.  This post is not intended to add anything new but to share great insights obtained from University Background that might be helpful to other Project Managers.

Project Manager at University: Organization and Time Management

For some people Organization and Time Management is an ongoing part of the independent learning skills developed prior to starting working as project manager; for others, it can feel like a big step-up from previous experience in prior learning.

"Self-discipline is definitely key at university as it can be extremely easy to fall into the role of student bum!"

"You may have several deadlines in a short amount of time… [this] requires you to organize your time effectively."

"It is not your Sponsor or your SME's who will remind you of deadlines or collect work from you… It is your responsibility to meet the deadline because no-one will chase your work for you."

As a Project Manager It is a really good idea to use a wall-planner (or a reliable electronic equivalent) to be constantly aware of multiple deadlines and work out in advance which bits of which tasks will be done at what times. Other task- and time-management skills, such as prioritizing projects and being able to break scope and tasks down into manageable pieces, are equally important.

"I think the most important thing to remember is that although project deadlines seem far away at university, your time flies by, and you don’t want to expect your schedule to be open up and controlled the night before your project end date."

"…if you need help in your project, you have to seek it. Help will not come and find you." Escalate whatever is needed"

All comments are modified from Martin Hampton www.Port.AC.UC/ASK, 2015 to reflect project manager point of view.

Taking from the "MODULE: PMO Mission, Goals, and Objectives: Business Driven vs. Theory Driven PMOs" of PMUniversity.

1. Murphy’s Law:
2. Parkinson’s Law:
3. Student Syndrome:
4. Entropy:
5. Game Theory:
6. Pyrrhic Victory:
7. Winner’s Curse:
8. Mexican Stand-off:
9. Pavlov’s Law:
10. The Peter Principle:
11. Peter’s Corollary:
12. The Dilbert Principle:
13. Goodhart’s Law:
14. Pareto Principle (the 80/20 rule):
15. Hanlon’s Razor:

a) Never attribute to intentional malice that which can be explained by sheer stupidity
b) Multiple opponents with weapons aimed at each other will not fire the first shot
c) If anything can go wrong, it will
d) An individual’s success in making choices depends on the choices of others (i.e., Nash Equilibrium, Prisoner’s Dilemma)
e) Work will expand to fill the time available for its completion
f) When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure
g) A victory with a devastating and perilous cost to the victor
h) People will only start to fully apply themselves to a task just before its deadline
i) It is a natural tendency to move from order to disorder
j) In an auction, the winner will tend to overpay
k) 80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the causes
l) Repetitive event conditioning can trigger automatic prevent responses
m) In a hierarchical organization, employees will tend to rise to their own level of incompetence
n) Ineffective workers are moved to the place where they can do the least amount of damage
o) In time, every position tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to do the job

I've just read the article "Don’t Break Your Back Over Scheduling! Quality Checks for the PMO" which you can find in http://www.pmo-journal.com/2016/07/14/dont-break-your-back-over-scheduling-quality-checks-for-the-pmo/

I found it to be very interesting, so read and feel free to comment and share, especially for us that are master schedulers.

I quote "A schedule is more than matching dates with tasks. A schedule is the backbone that supports the project, and one weak component can cause the whole skeleton to collapse."  (pmo-journal.com, 2016/07/14/)

You can view the full article here: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/it-consultant/14-quality-checks-for-your-it-project-schedule/

Project Stakeholder Management includes the processes required to identify the people, groups, or organizations that could impact or be impacted by the project, to analyze stakeholder expectations and their impact on the project, and to develop appropriate management strategies for effectively engaging stakeholders in project decisions and execution. Stakeholder management also focuses on continuous communication with stakeholders to understand their needs and expectations, addressing issues as they occur, managing conflicting interests and fostering appropriate stakeholder engagement in project decisions and activities. Stakeholder satisfaction should be managed as a key project objective.
(from PMBOK® Guide, Fifth Edition)

For you that are new to Project Management, how should you approach studying this Knowledge Area?
It’s recommended to have quick review of what it is and how it interacts with other knowledge areas, and then an in-depth study of all its components and interactions.

In the comments section Add your own important questions you need to ask yourself when studying this area.

This knowledge are is composed of the following processes:

• Identify Stakeholders—The process of identifying the people, groups, or organizations that could impact or be impacted by a decision, activity, or outcome of the project; and analyzing and documenting relevant information regarding their interests, involvement, interdependencies, influence, and potential impact on project success.
• Plan Stakeholder Management—The process of developing appropriate management strategies to effectively engage stakeholders throughout the project life cycle, based on the analysis of their needs, interests, and potential impact on project success.
• Manage Stakeholder Engagement—The process of communicating and working with stakeholders to meet their needs/expectations, address issues as they occur, and foster appropriate stakeholder engagement in project activities throughout the project life cycle.

(from PMBOK® Guide, Fifth Edition)

Every project will have stakeholders who are impacted by or can impact the project in a positive or negative way. While some stakeholders may have a limited ability to influence the project, others may have significant influence on the project and its expected outcomes. The ability of the project manager to correctly identify and manage these stakeholders in an appropriate manner can mean the difference between success and failure.
(from PMBOK® Guide, Fifth Edition)

Please post your answers/inquiries about this subject….