Author name: Aditi Malhotra

PMP certification focus on applying best practices for managing project but no it is not mandatory to apply all the rules and a project manager needs to use his own judgement what to follow in real world. Difference between Project, Program & Portfolio As per PMBOK fifth edition project is a temporary endeavour with a start and end date, it provides a unique output. Reasons for a need a project: Market Demand Customer Requirement Environment or Regulatory conditions Business case to achieve cost efficiency Sometimes we may need to execute a series of projects; program is a collection of related projects. A […]

Risks can be foreseen or expected resulting in contingencies built into your project plan. A good project manager is able to identify the issue at the earliest, work out a solution to mitigate the problem and align the expectation of the stakeholders. Some of the risk can be Natural calamities. Major requirement or design/architectural changes in the middle of the project. Impacts to project in terms of Cost and/or schedule due to change in business priority. Replacement wiring installed and old wiring not removed caused the ceiling to collapse overnight and shut down all terminal access in the offices except in central

Project Managers must develop certain skills that allow them to have a good relationship with both their staff and prospective customers. This would significantly assist in building better relationships, motivating teams, negotiating and managing change which can augment the chances of a project’s success. What it mean is that the emotions have to be considered in the 2 ways: from the Project Manager to others and from others to oneself. As far as the assessment of a successful project is concerned, it is difficult to identify the correct parameter to judge. Engagement of Project Manager with project team and key stakeholders

It is important for every individual to understand the need and what outcome the top management is looking to achieve with the implementation of governance. And then find out the cracks and how PMO (Project Management Office) can successfully build projects & process to fix them. As per the international standards (ISOs) relating to projects and project management you will see references to the commitment and active involvement of top management which emphasizes this organization-wide context. Project governance must be go down to project level where Project Steering Groups or Project Boards have responsibility. The successful way is to first

Many companies have policies, procedures, and training for a uniform approach to project management. One of the major reasons for poor project uniformity is the proposal which is the foundation for the project. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced project manager, project management standards and procedures, if followed consistently would benefit you to achieve your objectives better. However some revisions are required for better control of the project. Some project management ideas that needs amendment are The idea that “all projects are like mine”. Project management is applicable in software development projects only. Manage the project by email.

Testing and quality control are essential part of every project and it is recommended to add that doing your best to “do it right the first time” to reduce the number of defects that will be found during testing and subsequent re-work (quality assurance) may be even more important. The idea that a project would release software, for example, released without complete testing is preposterous for those who were brought up to manage projects properly and to deliver a professional result. If the problem is quite significant or if the problem is in design itself then it is a matter of

A project manager should not define a project based on budget, size or duration. A good definition of a project is that it is a temporary work effort made over a finite period of time to create a unique product, service or result. The work effort is also a series of interconnected dependent activities with a start and end date. This definition stands for all projects and all organizations. Any organizations using a definition that is significantly different from this, is using an improper definition. It is worthwhile to assign a project manager, a team and follow a methodology to

Meetings (and the agenda that drives them) should always be arranged in priority sequence. This ensures that important “stuff” is dealt with and lower priority stuff can be handled at a more convenient time, if necessary. Invite only people that are necessary. If some of the people are needed only for a small portion of the meeting then it is better to split one large meeting into two small ones with different group of people invited to each meeting. As meetings become more concise and productive, people learn that being late means they are going to miss a lot of important

Succession planning in a project context depends on the nature of the project; its goals, objectives, and planned duration will determine the necessity of the ‘succession-focused’ objective. If you’re a contractor or consultant you begin “succession planning the instant you start the project, no matter how long it is one month or 5 years. If you are an employee of the company, you start succession planning as soon as your part of the plan begins. Considerable effort should be expended on this. Some reasons why team members may leave a long term project: They get bored with it – especially if

Earlier “Iron Triangle” was used as Time, Cost and Output(scope), but it was dropped from the PMBOK® Guide 4th edition onwards. The basic Scope, Time, and Cost gained Quality, then Risk, and later Resources. It no longer fits neatly into a triangle.  Is the Iron Triangle still relevant? People will always try to embellish it but the fundamental problem of balancing what you want, when you want it and how much you are prepared to pay for it always remains. The Iron Triangle just puts the same problem in project context. When the triangle is expanded to include all manner