Outlook | why do we treat email differently to snail mail

Someone posed this question to me the other day 'why is it we treat email so radically differently to how we treat snail mail?'

What did they mean, well let's have a look. If I got up in the morning and went down to my letterbox at the front of my house, opened it up and took out my mail. Then while standing in front of my mailbox opened up my mail and read it, then when I had finished reading it out it back in the envelope and put them back in the mailbox or one of the 15 other mailboxes nailed to my fence that people woul think I was insane. And probably rightly so.

However don't we do this every single day with our email. Don't we deal with it in exactly the same place that it comes in.

My question to everyone then is why do we do this with email when we are not willing to do it with paper mail.

Project Management | Getting it all Organised

 

I have been thinking a lot recently about organisation, about i guess having all of as my Father used to say ‘My T’s crosses and my I’s dotted.’  I have come to realise that for a lot of people both in personal and professional terms this is something that we do not do well.   With Projects and Project Management not getting these organisational things done and checked off can be disastrous.

 

In too many projects this is simply not done, assumptions are made about a whole range of things. We expect that other people are thinking about things in the same way we are and that everyone is operating on the same page. Of course this can only happen when there is communication and we know all of the things that we need to know about the project and of course the only way to achieve this is through communication.

 

That’s  right I have said it before and I will say it again Communication is the most important and vital skill that any Project Manager can develop and cultivate.  Without good communication skills a project manager will struggle to make their projects effective.

 

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Project Management | Everyday project management

 

Project management is perceived as something for professionals in big corporate companies. But reality is that project management is really something that most of us should be aware of and at least a bit educated in.
Project management is the management of projects. It is true that the big projects are found in big companies and it is also true that most people go to study project management and get certified as project management professionals do it in order to get jobs in such companies. Project management is a general skill. Projects can be anything from software projects to building a building. Projects can be long or short expensive or cheap. There are common aspects to managing any project. Basically project management is really the management of resources the tracking of progress and the decision making during that process in order to make the right compromises that will bring the project to a successful end.

But projects are found not only in big or small companies. In fact many things that we do in our private lives are projects as well although most of us do not think of them as such and do not treat or manage them as projects. There are endless examples to such projects. For example assume that you have decided to buy a new television. Although you might not treat it as a project in fact it is. You have limited resources which are your budget the time you have to spend on the project and your ability to shop in a certain distance from your home or maybe shop online. You have a deadline maybe you did not set a specific date for it but more likely than not you have an idea of when is the latest you want to get that television. You might have other human resources that you need to use for example maybe you have friends you would like to get ideas and information from or maybe you need to find someone to help you with hauling the television. If you have an old television you might need to sell it before the new television arrives which is something else to coordinate.
Treating your private projects like buying a new television as a project that needs to be managed might sounds like an overhead that is not needed. But in fact reality shows that managing even such small projects results in savings in time money and frustration. Spending a short time writing down a plan for your buying a new television project putting a schedule listing the resources and having milestones to make sure you are on track will end up saving more than you would spend on such preparation. It is proven that managing that project will result in you getting the new television faster and cheaper. This should be intuitively understood by people since why what is right for big companies projects would not be true for smaller home projects? One thing that is different is that home private projects can be managed more loosely. You do not need to take a class in project management for such projects. Applying common sense and just being more diligent about your plans and actions is enough.

 

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Planning, planning, planning

Planning is an integral part of project management but it is almost always the part that is most neglected by both project managers and their sponsors.

Not having a project plan is like trying to find you way through a maze at midnight. If you don't know how you are going to get to your destination it is highly unlikely that you will manage to take the shortest, most efficient route. If this is the case however why do so many project managers and sponsors neglect it.

The biggest reason I think for this is that in particular sponsors want to see results as soon as possible from their projects they want to see tangible results, to see that things are moving forward. For this reason there tends to be pressure placed on project managers to get the project started as soon as possible.

As project managers we need to resist this pressure as strongly as we can. We need to work with our sponsors and ensure that they can see that even in the early stages of the project that things are moving forward. We need to show them the value in developing a plan, perhaps even get them involved in the process as much as possible so that they can see the value of it. If we don't we ring the risk of rushing into our projects and risk them running over time and buget all for the lack of solid planning at the begining.

Project Management | Writing a project initiation document

Many people perceive that generating reams of documentation such as plans and reports are the key to delivering a successful project.. As experienced Project Managers will tell you, this is rarely the case except when it comes to the creation of one piece of project documentation; namely the Project Initiation Document.
Essentially the Project Initiation Document is the key reference document for a project. Think of it as the project “Bible” which will be constantly referred to throughout the project lifecycle when questions of scope and delivery approach are raised.

It is a project document in which is detailed everything related to the project such as:
Project Definition
Business Case which details why the project should be done
Scope of what the Project is delivering
Strategy to deliver the project
Project Team structure and Governance
Communications Plan
Quality Plan
Project Risks, Issues and Assumptions
Project Controls
Project Budget
High Level Project Plan
Project Exceptions criteria
External observers often think that Project Manager’s fears about project scope are overdone, but scope creep is without a doubt one of the major reasons why projects fail. Anyone who has experienced a flood of Project Change Requests throughout a project will attest to that!
However having a detailed and accurate Project Initiation Document tends to stop the majority of such problems for the simple reason that when Business Stakeholders try to change Scope, it is easy to refer them back to the Project Initiation Document. Further since this document will have been formally Approved by the Project Stakeholders and other interested parties, it is hard for anyone to say that they didn’t know what the project was going to be delivering.
It is for this reason that a Project Manager should spend time on what is admittedly not a straightforward nor simple document to write. The problem is that all too often Project Managers are tempted to skim over this document in their desire to get the project started as soon as possible to meet extremely tight deadlines. However by doing this they are simply storing up problems for the future and the very real possibility that they are initiating a project which will have no chance of succeeding.
So to give a project the best chance of successfully delivering, it pays to devote time to getting the Project Initiation Document written correctly and approved by all the Project Stakeholders to ensure the project approach and scope is agreed upfront.

 

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Project Management | What is a project management methodology

 

Many Project Managers believe that to enjoy total project management success, you need to manage projects using a formal project management methodology. They say it helps give you direction, it saves you time and it improves the quality of your deliverables. But does it?
Most good managers use a methodology of sorts, whether it be written on post-it notes stuck to their screen, documented in a stack of procedures on their desk, or included in software that they have bought. Regardless of the type of methodology used, there is one common theme - that it typically helps them to manage projects and therefore improve their project success.

What is a Methodology?
A methodology is "a set of methods, processes and practices that are repeatedly carried out to deliver projects". The key concept is that you repeat the same steps for every project you undertake, and by doing that, you will gain efficiencies in your approach.
What is a Standard?
So what is the difference between a methodology and a standard? A standard is "a collection of knowledge areas that are generally accepted as best practice in the industry".
Standards give you industry guidance, whereas methodologies give you practical processes for managing projects. Standards are not methodologies, and vice versa. The two most popular standards are PMBOK and Prince2.
What should be included?
When you buy a project methodology, it should give you:
- A core set of processes to follow for delivering projects;
- A set of templates to help you build deliverables quickly;
- A suite of case studies to help you learn from past projects;
- An option for customizing the methodology provided;
- The ability to import your existing processes into it.
What a Methodology will not do
A Methodology is not a silver bullet. It will not fix projects by itself or guarantee success and an efficient, effective experienced project manager is still required to deliver projects successfully. Remember that the finest carpenter's tool-box will only be as good as the carpenter.
No methodology will be 100% applicable to every type of project. So you will need to customise any methodology you purchase to ensure that it perfectly fits your project management environment.
Why use a Methodology?
While a methodology is not a silver bullet for projects, it should help you by giving you a clear process for managing projects. After you have customised it to perfectly fit your environment, your methodology should tell your team what has to be completed to deliver your project, how it should be done, in which order and by when.
Using a methodology you can:
- Create a project roadmap;
- Monitor time, cost and quality;
- Control change and scope;
- Minimise risks and issues;
- Manage staff and suppliers.
Of course, you will need to use the elements of the methodology that are most suitable to each project you undertake. When managing smaller projects, you will only want to apply lightweight processes to your project and when managing large projects, you should apply the heavyweight processes to monitor and control every element of your project in depth.
But if you can manage every project you undertake in the same way, then you will gain efficiencies with your approach, work smarter and reduce your stress. You will also give your team a clear understanding of what you expect from them and boost your chances of success.
If you want a methodology to help improve the way you manage projects, you are likely to want:
1) A core set of processes to follow for delivering projects;
2) A set of templates to help you build deliverables quickly;
3) A suite of case studies to help you learn from past projects;
4) An option for customising the methodology provided;
5) The ability to import your existing processes into it.

 

 

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Project Management | Prince2 v Pmbok

 

One key criticism with PMBOK is it indirectly provides an image of the project manager as a ‘superman/superwoman’. This may be the case for construction projects (PMBOK’s origins is in the construction industry) but for business type projects such as projects with IT based solutions our experience is that the functional and/or financial authority to make key decisions is actually with senior management and not the project manager.
Project managers also need advice and guidance from senior management and it is them that are best placed to make the key decisions. In PRINCE2 the responsibility for the project is with senior management both customer and supplier. But this does not mean that Senior Management need to get involved in a project on a day to day basis, as PRINCE2 makes use of ‘management by exception’ tools.

One key criticism of PRINCE2 is that it misses the importance of the ‘soft skills’ needed by a project manager and is light in the knowledge areas such as scope management & contract management and others which PMBOK provides guidance on.
The recent spread of PRINCE2 across the world (and there are predictions PRINCE2 will easily surpass the number of PMBOK qualified people within the next few years), is because PRINCE2 provides a SINGLE STANDARD APPROACH for the management of a project, whereas PMBOK gives each project manager the freedom to decide on their approach. Many government and global organizations have preference for a single standard approach to be used for all their projects and are adopting PRINCE2 as a result. The other advantage is that people with limited experience can use PRINCE2 whereas PMBOK requires a level of experience to apply its knowledge areas appropriately.
In summary, in addition to other required competencies a ‘skilled’ project manager is one that has the ability to apply the guidance of PMBOK with the assistance of PRINCE2. A ‘highly skilled’ project manager also has the ‘know – how’ to apply PMBOK & PRINCE2 appropriate to the risk, complexity and nature of the project but can also adapt it for those fast moving projects. Development of this competency comes with experience.

 

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Project Management | Programme Management explained

Programme Management can be defined as A set of related projects with a common strategic goal or aim. This is not to confuse Programme Management with Portfolio Management, which describes the management of a set of not-necessarily-related projects, which are more usually united by shared resources than by a common strategic goal.

Programme Management is the practice of transmuting leadership ‘vision’ into visible outcome, through the implementation of multiple, interrelated projects. While the component projects are intended to deliver specific products or outputs (for example: a new advertising strategy, redevelopment of a curriculum or training program), the overarching programme delivers outcomes – for example, the benefits that a new advertising strategy is intended to provide.

When is Programme Management necessary?
Programme Management is a branch of Change Management, concerned purely with proactive (as opposed to reactive) change. According to the OCG (the Office of Government Commerce), one of the primary benefits of MSP, the Programme Management methodology, is “the effective delivery of changes ... planned and implemented in an integrated way” with a constant focus on the business interests and change objectives of the organisation.

Programme Management enables leaders to articulate a vision of the future state of the organisation, and then to work backwards from this vision to develop a strategy of changes required for its fulfilment. Once the necessary changes have been identified, a programme (or programmes) are devised with specific business outcomes in mind. These programmes then become the initiation for Project Mandates, the document that kick-starts an individual project.

What are the advantages of Programme Management?
The advantage of Programme Management is that it ensures all projects and project tasks are channelled towards achieving the programme goal. This ‘streamlining’ prevents any project being carried forward for its own sake, instead requiring Programme Managers to ‘murder their darlings’ (the individual projects) for the greater good (the programme).

One of the greatest benefits of using a structured framework for Programme Management, such as MSP, is that it reduces the potential for going off-track, and helps Programme Managers to remain focused on the strategy behind the programme and the vision that it is meant to achieve.

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Project Management | 10 project management tips

 

There are a number of significant principles which determine success in any project. These are simple and well known principles, however they are difficult to apply and are quite frequently ignored in practice.

1. Precise Business Needs
Successful projects are business driven. This represents the 'why' of the project, and it is important because it provides the basis for all decision making.

2. Defined Benefits
Projects are about translating the business need into the business benefit. In addition to the business need, the 'bottom line' benefits must also be well defined in terms of source, timing and quantity.

3. Explicit Plans
Effective planning, allows people to work together in a co-ordinated way in order to achieve the project objectives. Effective planning is dependent on being at an appropriate level of detail and being presented in an appropriate way.

4. Agreed Deliverables
Quite simply a 'deliverable' is an unambiguous way of defining responsibilities in terms of outputs rather than inputs. Each phase, area and task within the project plan should have a tangible deliverable associated with it, ie. something that one can see, touch, or otherwise validate.

5. Pro-Active Decision Making
Project work has little momentum of its own, unlike routine work. All parties involved are therefore required to take the initiative and actively look for ways of driving and improving the project outcome.

6. Single Point Responsibility
In business tasks are only completed successfully when people have unambiguous accountabilities. 'Single point responsibility' for results is of the very essence. The Project Manager is ultimately responsible for making the project happen.

7. Active Follow-Up
Plans have practical value only when they are used to help people do their daily work. They are similarly used as a means of identifying problems while there is still time to overcome them. Plans must therefore be used throughout the entire project in order to allocate tasks and monitor achievement.

8. Open Communications
Time must be invested in communication as it is the key to a successful project. By effectively communicating the project and issues everyone involved has the opportunity to take the initiative and contribute fully with ideas and decisions.

9. Good Teamwork
Teamwork in projects is absolutely critical but does not happen automatically. Project work involves people from different parts of the organisation, often with competing priorities and different perspectives, which can make teamwork all the more difficult to achieve. Teams must therefore be actively developed by the Project Manager.

10. Strong Leadership
Successful projects are usually led by an individual who is committed to the project objectives, and who has a completely clear view of where the project is going and how they intend to get there. The leadership qualities of the Project Manager are as important as their technical management skills.

 

Priority Management can help with all your project management training needs.

 

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A view from Higher Up | Time Management And Productivity In Business

One of the most common complaints shared by owners of businesses of any size is the lack of time. There never seems to be enough time to get everything done in a day and tomorrow starts with a negative time balance the minute they walk in the door in the morning. However, one of the things many business owners seem to forget is that they own their time and if it is wasted, it can be blamed on no one but themselves.
Owners with employees have the opportunity to share some of the workload but for one reason or another are reluctant to do so. The easiest to determine if they are getting the most out of their effort is to calculate how much their time is worth and then look at the work they are performing to decide if they are overpaying to get many of the tasks completed. For example, a business paying themselves $50,000 a year, if calculated at 40 hours per week, would be paying $25 an hour for their labor.
Everyone knows they will probably make less and work many more hours when they first start their business, but for the sake of round numbers, $25 an hour will be used. If you are the one putting all the files away, writing letters and making trips to the post office you are paying a premium wage for someone to do basic clerical duties. Besides, would not the talents of the business owner be better served looking for new business prospects and working on developing new angles for the business?
Of course, business owners that have no employees will simply be doing everything anyway, and making the compatible earnings for all the tasks they perform, but this is just an example of how business owners sometimes allow routine jobs to get in the way of aggressively seeking new income streams. Other ways a business owner, or a supervisor allows themselves to be sidetracked is by allowing other people to delegate up within the organization.
For example, a subordinate or employee walks in and complains they are having trouble finding information on a certain subject, some supervisors simply tell them they will find it and let them know when they have it. Now, the task assigned to this person now becomes the responsibility of the supervisor, added to their already filled plate. Additionally, that employee, being dedicated to their job with an understanding of follow up returns later to ask how the search for the information is coming along.
What should have happened, is the business owner or supervisor should have made a suggestion on where to look for the information instead of allowing that responsibility to fall onto their back. Suggest places to look and have them get back to them on their continued progress. Asking for guidance of the boss is one thing, manipulating employees can often eat chunks of the boss time by delegating upwards in the chain, freeing them to do other things they may be more comfortable performing.

 

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Project Management | Key Goals of Advanced Project Management Training

 

 

Even the most expert of professional project managers admit that there remains so much to learn about the industry that cannot be learned by experience alone, or by academic study alone. Experience is a powerful tool in successful and effective project management, but it cannot be denied that knowledge of theory and structure is a key pillar. Earning a program management certification is not the end-all of the development process; the question is, how can professional project managers further advance what they know?
Improvement and Skill Building, One Step At A Time
We, as individuals, need to employ the principle of continuous improvement. We have a broad culture of self-help and personal improvement, but not everyone has adopted the approach, and almost everyone could do even better. Just as so many practice personal self-improvement with the assistance of self-improvement books, motivational materials, attending motivational seminars, and more, it is virtually the same thing in the realm of project management skills. Advanced project management skills simply are taking everything we know, and then some, to the next level by becoming aware of new ideas and incorporating them into our own best practices.

Continuous Improvement
Let's look at an example of how we can improve our ability to run meetings. We all know that the best way to do this is to practice, but, then again, it must be good practice. While practice makes perfect, it is really "perfect practice" that makes perfect. If we find ourselves in meetings on a regular basis, the best way to improve those skills and become a more "advanced project manager" is to try to raise our awareness, apply, adopt, and internalize one or two new ideas for continuous improvement on a daily basis.
For example, in meetings, setting a time limit for the meeting is a good technique. If you have not been doing that, or if you are not satisfied with how effectively you have been doing it, simply try to adopt this one single technique, master it, and integrate it into your common best practices. You might then want to tackle the idea of improving something like facilitation skills to enable everyone to contribute in an optimal way in solving problems in meetings. The key is to mark an area for improvement, to seek information on it to acquire one or two practical objectives, and to begin to put into practice.

Advanced project management training can help greatly in this process of personal and professional continuous improvement. First, it can make us aware of many various aspects of handling specific types of problems. It can heighten our awareness of what happens in certain situations and how to cope. It would help to not just familiarize, but, actually, practice the different aspects of our soft skills in various everyday project management experiences.
Getting beyond meetings, project managers may identify any of the following areas and more for self improvement in the journey to more advanced project management skills:

1. Improve understanding of project and organizational finance.
2. Learn more techniques for communicating with people from different cultures.
3. Develop a deeper understanding of the unique perspectives of the various workforce generations that might make up your team.
4. Identify opportunities for leveraging outsourcing on projects, and also identify the risks and pitfalls of the outsourcing approach.
5. Adopt a more thorough understanding of issues surrounding telecommuting, and techniques and pitfalls in this evolving environment.
6. Build more advanced consultative skills for working as an external consultant, having worked within a single company for many years.
7. Become more effective at managing technical employees, a unique workplace challenge.
8. Broaden your scope of understanding of project management by expiring related methodologies, Bodies of Knowledge (BOKs), and frameworks, such as PRINCE2 or Six Sigma.
9. Seek to better understand the evolving field of knowledge management in organizations.
10. Develop a formal understanding of the strategic planning process, which provides the input to portfolio management and guide project and program selection.

This list of 10 possibilities for advancing one's project and program management skills is actually a short one. When it comes to advancing project management skills, the sky is the limit, and the opportunities are virtually endless. There are a nearly infinite number of different types of challenges that a project or program manager faces, and whether by reading books, listening to selected speakers, taking classroom or online courses, and even hiring a coach, there is a lot of opportunity to improve, and many ways to do it.

 

Priority Management provides Project Management Training across a wide range of skill levels.

 

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Project Management | Tips for more effective Project Management

 

Project management is the process of applying one's know-how or knowledge in overseeing and managing a project of whatever magnitude. Do not think that project management is required only by big projects. Small projects can also benefit from an effective project management. Knowing how to use and apply the knowledge you have acquired in all areas will be helpful in the implementation and accomplishment of any project.

Scope of project management
Project management covers all the areas necessary to see a project into completion such a finances, administrative work, communication and public relations. Project management includes but is not limited to:

1. The development of a project plan- The project manager must talk to the project creator before accepting or starting a project. They must agree on specific terms of the project so as to avoid conflicts and unreasonable delay in the future. Make sure you know what needs to be done and in what time frame. Ask for specific results that the creator wants to arrive at so you would know what to expect and you will have a gauge as to whether or not the project was managed properly.

2. Definition of the scope of the plan- Once the terms of reference has been agreed upon, the project manager must make a project plan which contains all the things necessary to start and complete the project. List down all the resources and logistics you need and the available human resources. Make a map of the project, from start to finish. Make the map realistic so you can avoid problems later on.

3. Creation of a project schedule-A timeframe for your project would help you map out the exact schedule required to start and end the project. Create specific time schedules for each step of the project so that would know if you are ahead of your schedule or whether you need to hasten things up to meet the desired schedule.

4. Acquisition of human resources- Aside form good planning. A good project management relies on the acquisition of efficient and able human resources. The project leader may be doing all things possible but if he is surrounded by an inept staff, then he will have more problems than he can handle. A project's human resources must be informed of the project schedule and deadline so they will know what is expected of them. Try to motivate your staff and praise each accomplishment no matter how small.

5. Development of a communication plan and good public relations- Project management includes the creation of a good communication plan which will enable the efficient flow of information from the leaders to the staff and to the stakeholders. The communication plan must make sure that all information related and affecting the project are relayed to the proper person or office as soon as possible to avoid delays and misunderstanding.

A good public relations plan should also be put into place, particularly if the project has a positive or negative impact to the community. So many projects have been stopped in the middle due to pressure from the public. It is better to inform the public on the advantages and disadvantages of the project at the start of the plan so as to avoid conflicts later on.

Proper project management is not really complicated but it requires had work and proper planning to make everything smooth, from the start to the completion of the project.