The project deadlines are firm but the resources are occupied. The deadlines have been tightened but the quality must stay the same. The customer wants the highest quality product at the lowest cost. These are some of the many issues a project manager must deal with on a daily basis. On a foundational level, the project manager must balance the cost-quality-time … [Read more...]
If there is only one foundational part of project management, it would have to be breaking down the project into manageable parts. Those parts are called phases and tasks. Everything else is built upon that foundation, so it should not be taken lightly. Although it seems trivial, it is one of the most important parts of a project manager's job. Example Activity … [Read more...]
With little exception, missing deadlines reflects poorly on the project manager and sometimes has financial consequences too. Because projects are by definition temporary, someone has authorized the project and expects its deliverables in a timely fashion. To meet the deadlines, a schedule management plan is produced which is a subset of the project management plan. … [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...]
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...]
If I asked you how far behind your project was, could you tell me in quantitative terms? Most people know the basic status of various tasks: "Well, that report was a week behind and Johnny should've finished his analysis by yesterday." But that's not good enough. Project management standards dictate that the project manager knows how far behind (or ahead) the … [Read more...]
If I told you to change a light bulb and you had two hours to do it, you would probably spend most of the two hours. You'd assume I thought you needed to go the store, or that I wanted it done a certain way, and that I've thought hard enough about it that you should take the two hours. In project management, this human phenomenon, that work tends to fit into the space … [Read more...]
Have you ever been involved in a project where unexpected issues outside of the control of the project team cause the project schedule to change? Never? I didn't think so, you're way too good for that. But for the rest of us mere mortals, keeping projects on track is an important consideration. Actually, I think larger projects are more likely to see schedule hiccups … [Read more...]
Managing the project schedule can be one of the most formidable parts of project management. I've seen more damaged client relationships through this area of project management than any other. Time management is essential to attaining successful projects. The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) developed by the Project Management Institute (PMI) contains … [Read more...]
