It is surprisingly easy to forget about a minor project stakeholder who then exercises a disproportionately large influence on the project's success after they feel like they haven't been adequately consulted. It happens on countless projects every day. For this reason, project stakeholder management is used to obtain, or maintain, stakeholder support for the project. … [Read more...]
Guide to Project Resource Management
One of the most important jobs of the project manager is that of project resource management. Like a carpenter using a saw, like a pilot landing an airplane, like a programmer writing code, ask any project manager and they will tell you that managing the project resources is the day to day work they spend most of their time on. Project resources include everything … [Read more...]
How to Produce a Detailed Estimate
Estimating a project is one of the most important aspects of project management. Projects are by definition temporary endeavors with a defined beginning and end, hence stakeholders need to know how much expenditure they are committing to. Thus, project estimates tend to start before the project even begins and are usually updated throughout the project life … [Read more...]
The Rough Order of Magnitude Estimate
Project estimating is one of the most important aspects of project management. By their very nature, projects have fixed budgets and their owners want to know how much they will cost. Hence, project estimating begins prior to project initiation and estimates are usually updated at important project milestones. A Rough Order of Magnitude estimate, often called ROM … [Read more...]
What is a Rough Cost Estimate?
A Rough Cost Estimate is an initial estimate that uses prior experience (and other non-project data) to estimate the cost of a project. It is also called a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimate, or a Conceptual Estimate. The Rough Cost Estimate is used for project screening, or deciding which among several projects to proceed with. The project definition is … [Read more...]
11 Types of Estimates
Almost every project requires an estimate. Since a project is, by definition, temporary, somebody must approve a budget for it. Which means they must know how much to approve. The available types of estimates can be categorized into the following groups: Accuracy Source of Data Estimating techniques Accuracy In many industries, project estimates start … [Read more...]
4 Types of Project Offices
In most organizations, if nobody is responsible for maintaining project management practices they will fade away and become just another fad. For this reason, we have seen the rise of the project office. Project offices come in a variety of forms, but can be loosely broken into the categories of duties and authority. Each type of project office provides a different … [Read more...]
Guide to Project Document Control
Document control, in project management, is a function that involves the tracking of project documents to ensure confidence in their accuracy and fitness for use. Projects of all sizes use document control to track the important technical documents that the project depends on the accomplish its objectives. Although we focus more on the project's technical documents … [Read more...]
10 Roles and Responsibilities of a PMO
There is much confusion over what roles a project management office (PMO) plays, and indeed the term is quite broad. But PMO's have undergone significant development in recent years and their roles have become more standardized. So whether you're considering establishing a new PMO or wondering what roles your existing PMO should play, use this comprehensive list to … [Read more...]
What is a Project Management Office?
A Project Management Office, usually abbreviated PMO, is an organizational project support function which assists project managers in the management of projects. There is no single definition of a PMO, and the roles and responsibilities vary quite widely. It depends mostly on the organization's project support needs. Some PMO's perform project management tasks, … [Read more...]