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.
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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…
6 Ways Project Teams Sabotage Their Training
May 4, 2015 by
Key skill sets, best practices, available technology tools, and project management thought leadership are constantly advancing. To keep pace, PMP®s must make ongoing training a top priority. Unfortunately, too many project teams unknowingly undermine their educational endeavors and spend training dollars (and their time) inefficiently. If you want to be sure your team is getting…
AVOID THESE CONTINGENCY PLANNING MISTAKES
January 24, 2015 by
Developing and working with contingency plans is a routine part of project management. Additional funds, alternate material or equipment options, revised workflows, and shifted timeframes may all be part of contingency planning efforts, and a well-crafted plan can enable a project team to be extremely nimble while ensuring the project’s success.
10 DAYS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT
December 15, 2014 by
Now that we’re in the thick of the gift-giving season, it seems like a good time to put together a list of gifts every project management professional would love to receive. But rather than focusing on quantity like the holiday songs of yore, we opted instead for quality—gifts that would be truly valuable to PMP®s. We…
DON’T PANIC! STEPS TO STEM THE TIDE OF WORRY
August 21, 2014 by
Panic in a Project Team is a terrible thing. It crushes productivity and saps morale. Helping project team members confront and deal with frightening situations can be difficult, particularly if the senior leadership group is facing the same concerns. Fortunately, a set of baseline steps can bring the team together to address the anxiety in…
KICKING OFF A NEW PROJECT? DO THIS FIRST
August 12, 2014 by
It’s always exciting—as well as hectic—when a new project receives the green light. Last-minute discussions are often held with stakeholders to finalize the details, and as the organization turns its attention to making the project official (usually in the form of assigning capital budget numbers and similar internal machinations) there’s often a lag between when…
COMMUNICATION MISTAKES SMART Project Teams MAKE
August 8, 2014 by
Many project management professionals have a natural flair for communicating. They’re good about sharing meaningful information with stakeholders and they don’t have any trouble interacting with others on the team. Unfortunately, even strong communicators sometimes stumble now and then. This becomes particularly problematic when schedules are tight, when resources are lean, and when there are…
TECHNOLOGY CAN INCREASE Project Team PRODUCTIVITY AND IMPROVE PROJECT RESULTS
July 18, 2014 by
Technology has done wonders for the field of project management. From enabling our penchant for anytime, anywhere communications to the need to track burgeoning sets of detailed benchmarking data, technology tools help teams boost productivity and improve results. But there are still areas where technology isn’t always used to its maximum potential. See if your…
