Project managers excel at managing the project schedule, but many of us are not accustomed to revisiting the original premise of a project. There are four very simple and practical “perception” risk mitigation techniques that PMs and teams can implement.
Changing the plan? Then plan the change! Change management is not about minimizing impact on the project team; it’s about maximizing benefits to the organization.
Why are project managers afraid to stop projects? So often after being assigned to a project, project managers try to run before they walk. This is especially common when the project is already in progress. You can quickly get caught up in the momentum of work and forget to question whether the work is justified. If this is truly the case, shouldn’t more projects be stopped? What if it means losing your job?
Once we share a ballpark estimation, there will be a follow-up question: “How did you get these numbers?” Then we need justification. Is there any easy and simple way to get this done? Yes! Use this article in conjunction with the Project Estimation Calculator template.
Sometimes the temptation to work on an exciting project—and other times the pressure from the business executives to get the business—leads to agreement on unrealistic expectations. This article discusses the mistake of agreeing to unrealistic timelines and suggests a few ways on how this can be avoided—and the project kept under reasonable control.
The Olympic rings are five intertwined circles that represent the elaborate and complex Games. Similarly, project managers can bring five rings of discipline together to manage very complex projects. Each of these rings builds upon the other--and they give the project manager a taxonomy by which to manage Olympian efforts
Our bias toward comfortable processes hides the root cause of failure. One of the root causes on experienced teams? The misalignment of purpose and process. Here, the author provides an easy-to-implement, purpose-driven organizational methodology that helps eliminate this risk.
Agile methods deliver many benefits in terms of their flexibility to cope with changing requirements and priorities. However, this adaptability and reluctance to be tied down on scope can create contract problems when trying to form supplier agreements or outsource work. Part 1 of our two-part series covers the challenges of agile contracting and offers some of the packaged solutions created so far.
With less emphasis on upfront specs and higher rates of change, how are agile projects contracted? Part 2 of this article outlines building blocks for creating agile contracts.
Making a transition from what you’re currently doing to an effective agile process is a project in itself--but it can easily be worth it. Let’s look at what we can gain by adjusting our approach--our concluding installment looks at interpreting requirements and tracking progress, and offers some further caution and advice.
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"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain |
