Procurement can be one of the most challenging roads that the project manager must travel. The legal implications, documentation, and vendor and supplier management responsibilities can introduce speed bumps that can have a significant impact on project success. We know, because we've been there. In short, project procurement can make or break a project. In that … [Read more...]
Due to expertise or resource constraints, many projects require external resources to complete their work. These resources can come from either the project's parent organization or from external sources. But regardless of how they are obtained, project procurement is one of the most exciting areas of project management but also results in the biggest headeaches for the … [Read more...]
A Statement of Work (SOW) is a project management document which describes the work that is required of an external contractor, vendor, or supplier. It can either be included within the contract documents or simply be a reference for the project management team. Also called Terms of Reference, the more generic Statement of Work is used by the Project Management Body of … [Read more...]
How do large corporations make the decision to proceed with a project? What data or metrics do they consider prior to investing billions into a new plant, a new high rise condo, or major I.T. project? Capital budgeting refers to the financial modelling that evaluates the feasibility and compares potential project investments. At the end of the day, … [Read more...]
A cost benefit analysis is a project selection method in which a common metric is used to compare a project's costs and the benefits it provides. It is used in public projects (like road building) or projects where the end product is not purely monetary. The cost benefit analysis is performed by computing the net present value of the project with the net present … [Read more...]
Discounted cash flow is an project investment valuation method whereby future cash flows are discounted by a rate that accounts for the time value of money. It is used to make decisions between various available projects, or to determine the economic feasibility of a project. For example, when a business is expecting revenue of $250,000 next year, the current … [Read more...]
The internal rate of return (IRR) of a project is the expected growth rate of a project investment. It can be compared to the rate of return obtained by investing the money in the stock market or in other projects. Organizations typically calculate IRR to make decisions between several investment alternatives. It is the discount that results in a net present … [Read more...]
Payback period is the length of time required for an investment to recover its capital. It is the amount of time required until the investment is in a break even position. It is generally used for investments that involve a large up front capital outlay, such as the construction of an industrial facility, or development of a software product. The shorter the … [Read more...]
The Terms of Reference (TOR) is a description of the technical work involved in a project, or part of a project. Specifically, it is used to specify the work required by an external consultant, contractor, or supplier. It is the technical part of the bidding documents. Typically, a project manager develops a Terms of Reference which is included within the … [Read more...]
Many projects and organizations purchase external goods, services, consultants, contractors and suppliers in a process called procurement. Although it's a very efficient and capable way to deliver project work, it has its own limitations that must be recognized in order for the procurements to go smoothly. A procurement strategy establishes the methods and … [Read more...]
