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...]
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...]
The project sponsor is a very important part of the project management organizational chart. In fact, every project has a sponsor. The project sponsor is one, and only one, level above the project manager. They do not manage the day to day operations of the project but they ensure the resources are in place, promote the project, and hold overall responsibility for the … [Read more...]
Virtual teams are groups of people with a shared goal who fulfill their roles with little or no time spent meeting face to face. In recent years the availability of communication technology such as email, audio conferencing, social media, web-based media, and video conferencing has made virtual teams feasible for many projects in places where it wasn't … [Read more...]
Project team management is the process of tracking team member performance, providing feedback, resolving issues, and managing project resources to optimize project performance. It is one of the central cogs in the wheel of project management, and also one of the most difficult. No wonder why many books have been written about it from many perspectives. But … [Read more...]
In project management, the project team is the component of the project organizational chart that carries out the project's technical work. The project team reports to the project manager. For small projects, the project team and the project manager can be the same person. But this does not invalidate the presence of the separate roles. The main project … [Read more...]
Resource utilization is a metric that measures the uptime of a project resource. It is one of the most important business metrics for service companies such as engineering, software, or consulting firms. Even non-service companies can benefit from the calculation and tracking of the utilization rate. It is a very simple metric that speaks volumes of … [Read more...]
A RACI Chart (pronounced "racy") is a visual representation of the responsibilities of a project. RACI stands for Responsible - Accountable - Consulted - Informed. It is an excellent way to communicate what the responsibilities of each member of the project team are. In a RACI chart, each project task is assigned to each project member within the project … [Read more...]
Resource allocation is the process of assigning and scheduling resources to project tasks. Resources are the life blood of project management. Resources are used to carry out the project, and are returned to their owners if not consumed by the project. There are 6 steps to performing a proper resource allocation: Divide the Project into Tasks Assign the … [Read more...]
Like a carpenter without a hammer. Like programmer without a computer. Like a speaker without a microphone. Resource planning is an indispensable component of project management. In fact, it's so important that the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) dedicates a full knowledge area to resource management. In order to effectively manage … [Read more...]
