The idea that customer service is part of a project manager’s job description is not much in debate. So why is it so often relegated to an afterthought when planning a project and gauging its ultimate success or failure? For better or worse, we’re only as successful as our last customer thinks we are.
Is "consultant" a dirty word? Many consultants get a bad name from the fact that they become indistinguishable from the organizational employees that they work alongside. How do you know that hiring a consultant is a good idea?
It’s frustrating to work on projects when the client or the customer keeps moving the target you're trying to hit--whether that be requirements, a date or even the vision for the project. How does a project manager fight this moving target and still deliver on time?
Not every project failure is the result of inadequate performance by the project team. Sometimes the fault lies outside the project, with misplaced or moving targets. But if we want more successful projects, there are some simple techniques we can use to ensure that we hit the target first time, every time.
In this article, we will explore how IT projects can benefit from cloud technologies, both in traditional and agile projects. Online project tools are widely available for usage (team spaces, office software, etc.), but IT projects can take this a step further and save time and costs—and reduce risks when the infrastructure goes cloud.
Decisions on IT Governance are easy when your company has ample resources and infrastructure to implement and support it. As companies get smaller, however, those decisions get much more difficult. Here are some guidelines to help you evaluate and prioritize your needs to build a strategy for getting the maximum benefit while staying within your means.
In fixed bid projects, effective project selection, vendor management, a good contract, organizational change management and project management all play a role in ensuring a positive outcome. In this article, the author discusses how to manage fixed bid IT projects with a focus on the vendor's perspective. The crucial phases in the lifecycle of a fixed bid project and how to effectively navigate them are examined.
The road to successful requirements management begins with a quality requirements discovery process. Learn why this process can help you avoid costly mistakes, scope creep and even project failure.
Faced with a project that had no defined scope and no project manager, this practitioner took on the role. Since then, he has completed dozens of similar projects and worked out a reliable general process with five steps.
Are your solutions meeting business goals, needs and targets? This article sets out a tried-and-tested way of using enterprise architecture as a road map for the business analyst when liaising between stakeholders to understand the structure, policies and operations of an organization.
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