Though some teams wouldn’t consider starting a project without a workable and realistic master plan, other groups routinely begin executing tasks before their overall strategy has been finalized and communicated. For PMs wondering why a project team would start work before having a high-level plan in place, the reasons can often be traced to a…
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Resolve Your Project Priority Conflicts
August 26, 2019 by
For a project to reach a successful completion, the entire team needs to be on same page. Creating a cohesive environment takes work and prior planning, particularly when the project is complex or when it involves stakeholders from multiple functional areas. While it isn’t unusual to encounter a range of opinions and preferences when so…
What’s Stopping You from Adding Agile to Your Project Mix?
July 16, 2019 by
More companies are considering adding Agile to their project management strategy, and for good reason. Given the increasingly quick pace of business today, a blended approach can bring valuable flexibility to complex efforts. Teams are better able to incorporate testing or iterative releases, for example—activities that are sometimes difficult to forecast or schedule a long…
The Importance of Culture in Project Management Success
July 8, 2019 by
Every organization has a unique company culture. Even a business that appears very similar to others in the marketplace has its own blend of corporate values, maturity, and personality that set it apart. Culture wields wide influence, from shaping the company’s workforce to determining how collaborations are formed. Company culture also has a heavy hand…
4 Signs Your Project Team Needs Better Training
July 3, 2019 by
Issues that are of immediate importance consume much of a PM’s time. This is especially true when the schedule is busy with active projects and additional initiatives are waiting in the wings to launch. Near-term problems such as schedule delays and funding concerns are just a few of the items vying for attention. As a…
3 Benefits of an Accurate Project Portfolio View
July 25, 2018 by
If your company hasn’t yet implemented a solid project portfolio methodology, you may not be getting the most out of your project investments. You might be missing important data points, trends, risks, and opportunities simply because you don’t have the insight you need to spot them. You may also recognize your organization could be doing…
Alert Executives to Project Problems
July 12, 2018 by
Project teams have deep insight into their initiatives’ inner workings, but unless executives are involved with projects on a daily basis, they likely don’t have the same level of familiarity. Senior staff members may not know where projects are in terms of progress or resource consumption, or even how one project’s metrics compare to others…
The Impacts of Testing & QC on Manufacturing Projects
May 9, 2017 by
Testing and QC programs are a useful and necessary part of the manufacturing sector, but PMs need to be ready to address the significant impacts these activities can have on projects that are already in progress. Once the results of a testing or QC program are released, the effects on the project can range from delays in downstream activities to changes in the project’s scope. Successfully executing tasks in spite of these impacts—sticking to the target completion date and approved budget—can be tricky. But while juggling mid-project changes is often challenging, there are strategies organizations can use to ensure that testing and QC efforts don’t put the project’s success in jeopardy.
5 Stakeholder Questions Project Teams Don’t Want to Hear
November 17, 2016 by
PMP®s are the source of knowledge for anyone curious about the project’s planning and execution details, and it’s normal for the team to field a steady stream of questions from stakeholders. Queries commonly cover a range of areas, including the expected sequence and timing of activities, vendor selection criteria and contract status, work disruption impacts—it’s…
Avoid the End-of-Project Rush
October 11, 2016 by
Has your project team found its members frantically trying to pull together loose ends and searching for wayward information as a project winds down? Even when milestone tasks have been completed per the plan, PMP®s could discover that vital activities still stand in the way of reaching the project’s goals and satisfying its stakeholders. The…
