A single poor quality deliverable can create a cycle of low performance, creating an environment where quality is not valued and people do not put in the extra effort to deliver high quality products. Likewise, controlling the quality of a project’s deliverables can be the silver bullet that makes everything else feel easy. Fortunately, the Project Management Body of … [Read more...]
Project quality assurance is one out of three parts of a larger project quality system that ensures the project deliverables meet the planned quality standards. The other two are the Plan Quality Management process and Quality Control. Notice that the goal is not to produce the highest quality deliverables, only that the deliverables meet the quality standards in the … [Read more...]
It's not hard to find projects which were delivered on time and budget with stakeholders satisfied in every other respect except for the quality of the project's deliverables. Usually, this factor alone causes projects to be considered a failure. Thus, strong project management demands a strong knowledge of project quality management. But how do you ensure that the … [Read more...]
Before a project even begins, a project charter is a document that incorporates the project and appoints the project manager. Many projects operate without a project charter, even multimillion dollar projects. But the formal authorization of the project by the performing organization can be important to ensure the lines of authority are clear and identify what the … [Read more...]
Just like a surgeon is always monitoring the vital signs of their patient, project managers need to monitor their projects to make sure they do not veer off the plan. If the data ever shows that the project is deviating from the plan, swift action is usually the best medicine. Luckily, project management fundamentals provide plenty of assistance to project managers to … [Read more...]
Although it is the phase of project management that is most often shortened (or skipped altogether) due to budget availability, project closure is also one of the most visible project phases to senior managers and executives. Virtually all projects need some sort of closure phase to finalize the project and prepare its data for future reference. Project Closure … [Read more...]
Assigning work is relatively easy, but how do you ensure that the deadlines will be met, the project will come in under budget, or that the quality level will be acceptable to the stakeholders? Fortunately, project management fundamentals contain techniques which are used to track and control the project. Earned Value Analysis Any discussion of project control … [Read more...]
Project scheduling is the key to ensuring the original project plan and final project outcome are at least close enough to call the project a success. It's the map that guides the ship. Good project managers look at the schedule constantly, sometimes on a daily basis, and take the actions necessary to stay on track. Because the definition of a project requires it to … [Read more...]
Although it isn't in the dictionary, the project management industry uses the term deliverables almost daily. I, for one am tired of MS Word underlining it as a spelling mistake. Deliverables are the products, services, and results that a project produces. Thus, they are the cornerstone to project success. Every project has to produce something. If you don't have any … [Read more...]
The Critical Chain Method is a relatively new concept in project management. It was developed and popularized by Dr. Elihayu M. Goldratt in his book Critical Chain (1997), which is written as a novel but outlines the methods used to ensure that projects complete on time. Critical Chain vs. Critical Path The Critical Chain method is similar to the Critical Path Method … [Read more...]
