Customer-Facing Ground Rules

Customer-facing project teams are the face of the organization, and that has to mean something. We need to help project teams understand the ground rules that they are operating within--and what is expected of them.

The Vendor-Client Conundrum

What each vendor and client might think is black and white about their project can actually be gray. Just recognizing and accepting this is a conundrum--and resolving it requires aligning perspectives for the good of the project. Do you have the flexibility to change, collaborate and communicate?

Command and Control: How can project managers prevent scope creep?

Nearly every project falls victim to scope creep. This article features five project professionals discussing how scope creep can be prevented. In doing so, it cites the difference between change and creep. It also explores how change management and intermediate control of work can allow project managers to control the project scope.

Effective Project Scope Management

In the real world, scope changes can be expected during the life cycles of most projects. Scope changes implemented once work has begun will have a greater effect on the project schedule and cost than changes implemented during the project initiation or planning phase; therefore, it is imperative that the project scope be well defined before the project work begins. The purpose of this paper is to help the reader better define project scope, give examples of some of the difficulties of managing project scope and the consequences and recommendations for dealing with those difficulties.

Matching Scope and Benefits

You won’t get the right benefits unless you start with the right scope. As project managers are increasingly asked to become involved in the business side of project execution, many elements they previously didn't have to worry about are now becoming relevant.

Stakeholder Strategy: Finding the Pulse and the Power

Most of the strategy and technique that need to be developed in the critical area of stakeholder management will come as part of the practitioner’s experience negotiating real-world project issues. However, it is always a good idea to pay heed to some proven practical pointers that can come in good stead.

Scope Management: Not Always Saying 'No'

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.

Manage the Requirements, and Let the Project Manage Itself

Are you making the same mistakes over and over again? Managing the requirements well is critical for project success. Do this, and you will succeed. Fail to do this, and you'll suffer the consequences.

Stakeholder Engagement, Not Stakeholder Management

Few project managers discuss stakeholders without in some way referencing the need to employ "stakeholder management". Not only have we invented a dehumanizing four-syllable word for "person", we've also now implied that they are people that need to be managed. Luckily, there's a simple solution here. Read about three letters that make a lot of difference.

Controlling Mid-Stream Change

There are times when a customer or a stakeholder demands that you change your process or method of managing something on the project. How can you cope with their demands without getting swept overboard? Keep these four things in mind.

Change Order Cost in a Hospital Construction Project: A Lessons Learned Study

Change orders are unavoidable in construction projects but they can be controlled and reduced by applying appropriate project planning tools and processes. In this study, the author focuses on the change order cost in a recently completed construction management at risk (CMR) project in order to examine the types of change orders, the magnitude and numbers of change orders, and conclude the lessons learned.

How do I manage changes to my project?

How do I establish the scope of my project?

When should scope change?