If there is only one foundational part of project management, it would have to be breaking down the project into manageable parts. Those parts are called phases and tasks. Everything else is built upon that foundation, so it should not be taken lightly. Although it seems trivial, it is one of the most important parts of a project manager's job. Example … [Read more...]
The Project Management Institute (PMI) defines a portfolio as a collection of projects, programs, subsidiary portfolios, and operations managed as a group to achieve strategic objectives. Portfolio Management, then, is the discipline of managing this portfolio to achieve organizational goals. The components of the portfolio can be projects, programs (series of projects … [Read more...]
A program is a group of interrelated projects, subsidiary programs, and program activities that are managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually. Program management is often confused with Portfolio management. The main difference is that a program has a defined end point, since it is a series of related projects each … [Read more...]
One of the elements of Agile project management that makes it truly high performance is the Sprint Retrospective meeting. It takes place at the end of a sprint (project iteration) and its goal is to improve the processes being used by the project. Sprint Retrospectives are the secret that makes the agile project management system so effective in increasing productivity … [Read more...]
Sprint Review meetings represent the finish line of the sprint. It's a great feeling to finish a project iteration. In a sprint review meeting, finished product is presented to the product owner and the stage is set for the next iteration. In agile project management, a sprint review meeting is conducted at the conclusion of each 1-4 week long "sprint" … [Read more...]
The universe of Agile project management certifications is truly mind blowing. There are at least 27 different designations, with different letters after your name, from three major certifying bodies. In contrast, doctors, lawyers, and engineers only have one certification body in any location, and you can perform your education and practical requirements anywhere, … [Read more...]
The Agile project management revolution has affected planning more than anything else. Whereas project managers used to create a complex plan of the entire project and then hope to stick with the plan, today project management consists of iterations, or sprints, which adjust themselves to new project realities at each iteration. But that's not to say that planning has … [Read more...]
In agile project management, the roadmap is the guiding document that provides the overall project plan. It is not equivalent to a traditional project schedule (gantt chart) because it is not a carved-in-stone plan whose exact execution is directly linked to project success. Because priorities change, the product roadmap is updated throughout the project, and this … [Read more...]
Since the beginning of civilization, sprinting has been one of man's most prominent pursuits. Being the fastest runner is an accomplishment worthy of praise and admiration. This ultimate form of achievement has many parallels to project management, where progress and pursuit of an end goal is a daily focus. The sprint is the basic building block of scrum, a … [Read more...]
Scrum has ushered in a revolution in project management. Although the revolution is most often attributed to agile, the Agile Manifesto and Agile Principles do not specify the day to day processes and methods to be used to implement Agile. That's the job of scrum, and as the most popular Agile framework, it's safe to say that Scrum deserves most of the … [Read more...]
