The difference between a successful project and an unsuccessful one can usually be narrowed down to one word: Planning. The Project Management Institute (PMI) reports that only 64% of projects meet their intended goals, and from my experience working for a large engineering company, this is probably not too far out. But there is a solution. Even the smallest of … [Read more...]
Many people become project managers simply by receiving additional responsibility or via promotion into the role. As such, project management fundamentals are often unknown to the very people who manage projects. To make matters worse, the Project Management Institute's Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is a very structured, analytical outline of a somewhat … [Read more...]
Few projects go off without a hitch, especially when client/sponsor relationships are not strong. That's why I would argue that risk management is one of the most important components of project management. When unexpected events occur, it is clear that the identification and analysis of risks is a central cog in the wheel preventing small mishaps from morphing into … [Read more...]
Your project team is the single biggest factor in the successful completion of your project. When everything is stripped away, a project is nothing more than teams of people doing some work, and the quality of the final products will only be as good as the people producing them. So how do determine who to pick for your project, and what can you do to ensure the people … [Read more...]
A project manager's roadmap and guiding document is called a project management plan. It puts all the pieces of project management together into one coherent place. Rather than holding all the pieces of the project in your head (like alot of project managers I know) it's incredibly helpful to organize them on paper and to have a plan. To be a rock star project manager, … [Read more...]
Risk management,as a subset of project management, is not a new concept but has been growing momentum as of late. Project managers are expected to know the risks inherent in their projects, and give them the appropriate level of scrutiny. Definition Project risk is defined by the Project Management Institute as an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a … [Read more...]
A common problem we used to have on many of our projects was with a certain regulatory body. They were very slow, and you never knew how long the project would be delayed before they even began their review. The frustrating thing wasn't even so much when they came back with required changes or additional information, but when they didn't! I mean, you'd wait an … [Read more...]
Since many people become project managers via promotion from a technical role, "flying by the seat of your pants" is often the norm. You might know the progress and delivery date of various tasks, the deadline date for the overall project, and you might be on top of the overall project progress. But today I will show you the right way to monitor project progress to … [Read more...]
Not too long ago I was presiding over the tender opening for a small bridge replacement project. I had recently heard of some stories from another, unrelated, government contact that a certain contractor had ended up in court with them, and it turned out that after opening several tenders that this particular contractor was the low bidder (so far). I was holding my … [Read more...]
In my industry, timelines are rarely met. I would guess that 20% of all projects meet their original completion dates. And yet, it is one of the most, if not the most, important criteria specified by the various levels of government when measuring project performance. (If anyone in the highways industry reads this, please leave your comments below - I'd like to know … [Read more...]
