Implementing Our Duration-Driven® Methodology

PMAlliance’s project management solutions succeed because we follow a proven process – our proprietary Duration-Driven® methodology, which is central to all of the services we provide.

 

Step One

First we start with trained team members and employ expert facilitators to drive team member commitment to elapsed-time activity durations.

Step Two

Project activities must have single point of responsibility and an appropriate level of granularity (too much detail is just as bad as not enough). This also requires having an expert facilitator in order to drive decisions about appropriate level of detail while fostering team member accountability.

Step Three

We utilize planning tools that support a duration-based approach. Specifically, we want activity durations to represent total elapsed time and to be provided directly by team members – not calculated by the project management software tool.

Step Four

We follow a dynamic planning process that uses activity durations in combination with activity precedence relationships to calculate the expected finish date for the project and the critical path.

Step Five

We employ a team-based schedule compression process that utilizes the critical path to align the calculated expected finish date of the project with the targeted finish date without sacrificing team member commitment and accountability.

Step Six

We utilize a schedule update process and tools that support team member near-term commitments and duration-based estimates of activity completion. Specifically, we want team members to commit to starting their unstarted activities according to schedule and finishing their in-progress activities by a specific date instead of providing ambiguous estimates of percent complete or hours of effort expended

Step Seven

We employ a dynamic control process that recalculates the expected finish date of the project based on activity updates and requires the team to take specific actions when the calculated expected finish date does not align with the targeted finish date of the project.

In Summary

This comprehensive, logical and repeatable project management planning and control methodology combines the core PMI® processes with proven, hands-on project management practices, project management software add-in tools, and project management training. We’re able to adapt the methodology to your industry, your project and your business scenario.

Duration-Driven® drives teamwork and communication – two essential elements of a successful project management process. Your project team will perform better under Duration-Driven® because the project plans are based on team participation, individual commitment and personal accountability. Our methodology promotes a healthy, less stressful project environment for all your stakeholders. In addition, you’ll have the tools, reports and facilitating techniques to keep all members of the team informed, with an eye on the big picture while focusing on near-term deliverables.

The concepts of Duration-Driven® are cost-effective, simple to understand, and easy to put into immediate use by project teams. The bottom line: Duration-Driven® drives successful projects.

 

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PMAlliance, Inc offers project management consultingproject management training and project portfolio management services.

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