The project sponsor is an integral part of the project management organizational chart. In fact, every project has a sponsor in one form or another. It is a central cog in the wheel in the existence of a project. The project sponsor is NOT a personal financial contributor to the project. Think of it this way. They are one, and only one, level above the project … [Read more...]
Project Management for Small Projects
Studies show that over 85% of projects have a value below $100,000. These are projects where the bulk of the work happens within only a few weeks to a month. Because of their short duration, these types of projects have their own unique set of circumstances that warrant a slight adaptation of project management methodologies. Googling project management search terms … [Read more...]
Project Management Steps
Like many things in life, project management is an art form as well as a science. But fortunately also like most things in life, a strong knowledge of the science helps you practice the art form with considerably more skill. Some people are naturally good at the art side of things, and if that's you then excellent. But even it's not I believe that most people can become … [Read more...]
Project Management Documents
Many documents are created in the profession of project management. Some of these are critical to the successful completion of the project, and others are merely intended for organizing the work flow. But the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) outlines many documents that have an integral place within the structure of project management, and the following list … [Read more...]
Phases of a Project
According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), projects are divided into five phases. These phases are: Initiating. The project is authorized, funded and defined. This phase occurs on the organizational level (i.e. above the project). The organization defines a business need the project is meant to satisfy. Planning. The project manager develops … [Read more...]
Effective Project Monitoring
I think someone needs to pay closer attention to road! In order to make sure that disasters like this never happen, the project manager should institute a strong system of project monitoring. Fortunately, there is plenty of information within the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) for this. If done right, it can save your project from disaster. In fact, … [Read more...]
Closing a Project in Style
It amazes me that project closure is one of the most visible aspects of a project to senior managers and executives, yet it is also the phase that is most often skipped or shortened. I realize that project budgets are often used up (or seriously stretched) in the final phases and skipping closing activities is an easy to way to cut the losses. But closing the project … [Read more...]
Introduction to Project Management
Project Management is a unique field in that people generally don't choose it as an initial career path. They enter via the back door through a technical field, or they want to learn project management theory with the goal of advancing into the role. For this reason, many people who practice project management are not well equipped with project management … [Read more...]
The Generic Project Organization Chart
Although projects span a huge spectrum from big to small, innovative to routine, and technical to repetitive, there is in fact a standard project organization chart within which all projects fall. With the exception of a few variable parts all project fit into a standard mold. According to project management theory, each member of a project is, in fact, very well … [Read more...]
Planning a Project
Project planning is immensely underrated. Everyone has a story of how they could have planned better to avoid a disaster, even if they didn’t look back and realise it. The Project Management Institute suggests that planning should ideally consist of about 20 – 30% of the time required to perform the project work. This is substantially more than most project managers … [Read more...]