Blog
6 strategic projects any business can implement in 2016
To define business objectives, most large organizations host strategic planning sessions to set roadmaps to allocate budgets and resources for specific projects in the new year. Here are six strategic projects any business, regardless of size, should plan to implement in 2016.As 2016 begins, now is the time for businesses (regardless of industry, size, product or service offering, or location) to take stock of all resources and initiatives, and plan strategy-centric projects to implement in [...]
5 trends that will transform project management
The project management landscape may look different in 2016. As clients, stakeholders, businesses, government and environmental expectations change, the need for PM certifications, technical knowledge and training will be in higher demand – but that’s not all. A transformation is taking place in the project management field as the result of changes to business practices, requirements and expectations. It’s putting a sharper focus on the people, processes and technologies needed to successfully execute projects. It [...]
4 ways good project leaders create cultures of success
Recognizing why or how people impact overall project success is important, but determining what you can do to unlock your team’s full potential is the tricky part. People are not machines. They can’t be programmed to simply do as they’re expected. People are complex, dynamic and intuitive, and they bring education, experience and emotions to work every day — all of which plays a role in their interactions and contributions. These factors have [...]
How to hire a rock star project manager
When hiring a PM, the knee-jerk tendency seems to be to hire the person with the most technical knowledge, when other, broader skills are more likely to get the results you're really after. A great project manager (PM) can mean more than just the difference between project success and failure (which is important enough). With a rock star PM on your team, you can enjoy some peace of mind knowing that projects and [...]
Project management glossary
CIO.com’s project management glossary provides definitions and information for many common – and not so common – terms used in the complex field of project leadership and management.As in many specialized fields, there is a host of terms that hold a specific meaning, and the world of project management (PM) is no exception. Although project management professionals have an understanding of these specific complex PM terms, the vernacular may not be as intuitive for professionals [...]
12 questions project managers should be prepared for in a job interview
Project management job interviews can be more stressful than the new job itself. Most candidates expect to talk about their strengths, weaknesses, skills and methodology as a PM. But to truly be prepared when walking into that next PM interview, be ready to answer these difficult questions.By itself, the title of project manager can be a bit misleading in terms of the responsibilities and level of accountability involved. Make no mistake about it, though, a [...]
How to pick the best requirements management tool
Identifying and managing business requirements is among the most critical steps in ensuring project deliverables are on point. Here are the top tools to help you execute your requirements management plan.Your team’s ability to navigate business requirements plays a pivotal role in project success. To provide stakeholders with the high-quality deliverables they expect, you must understand and manage their requirements. Here, requirements management tools can help your team accurately capture, prioritize, track, and report what [...]
8 project management skills in high demand
By 2020, reports estimate that there will 700,000 new project management jobs in the United States. Do you have what employers will be looking for?When you think of project managers, what skills come to mind? View Moira Alexander’s article as it’s published on Source link
8 challenges affecting software project management
Software development isn’t easy. Managing software development projects might be even harder.Managing projects of all sizes and levels of complexities is part of business, regardless of what vertical industry you’re talking about. Software development is no different. New in-house software development and implementations, infrastructure related projects, enhancements or upgrades, and the increasing development of web-based solutions and mobile apps are a constant within the software industry. View Moira Alexander’s article as it’s published on Source [...]
Using KPIs to measure a project team's effectiveness
Key performance indicators play an indispensable role in project management and aid in measuring the success or failure of project activities. Understanding KPIs and selecting the ones that are best-suited to measuring a specific project team’s performance is not always easy. Key performance indicators (KPI) serve an essential role as a key measure of how effectively a project has performed in relation to identified, required and agreed-upon strategic objectives. Without KPIs, determining the success of [...]
6 tips to ensure you meet project deliverables dates
Deliverables are the life's blood of project management so it only makes sense to do what you can to safeguard against the most common pitfalls.Whether you're talking about internal or external project management goals, successfully meeting client deliverables is a primary objective. Those deliverables may be different for each project depending on industry, nature of the project, project size, company strategy and a host of other variables. However, there are multiple shared factors that can [...]
8 quick ways to increase your PM knowledge
If you’re a project manager, crammed schedules, overflowing to-do lists and restricted budgets can limit your chances of pursuing formal training. Here are eight ways to learn more about project management without breaking the bank or disrupting your busy schedule.With 10 interconnected knowledge areas that incorporate the use of 47 processes organized into five process groups, project management can be a multifaceted maze to navigate. Developing a deeper understanding of this discipline can be an [...]
6 proven project management team communication strategies
Projects succeed only if your team is strong, and project teams are strong only if they have effective communication strategies. Project teams are in a constant state of communication via email, videoconferences, telephone calls, texts, face-to-face discussions and even nonverbal interactions. Whatever media they use, project teams will increase their chances of achieving their goals if they develop successful strategies for keeping everyone informed about what’s going on. View Moira Alexander’s article as it’s published [...]
Improve business outcomes by aligning project management and CRM
It comes as no surprise to hear that CRM is a primary factor in managing projects, but just how should these areas interrelate to achieve optimal client satisfaction?In most companies, individual departments or teams believe they hold the key to understanding customer needs more than other areas of the business. But the reality is that different departments simply have a different view into customer expectations and none has an all-encompassing view. View Moira Alexander’s article [...]
6 proven project team communication strategies
Projects succeed only if your team is strong, and project teams are strong only if they have effective communication strategies. Project teams are in a constant state of communication via email, videoconferences, telephone calls, texts, face-to-face discussions and even nonverbal interactions. Whatever media they use, project teams will increase their chances of achieving their goals if they develop successful strategies for keeping everyone informed about what’s going on. View Moira Alexander’s article as it’s published [...]
How project managers can master transformational change
Although change management and project management can be mutually exclusive disciplines, the combined efforts of both can create a powerful instrument for creating transformational change that produces more successful business outcomes (includes infographic). Before you can help implement change management, you need to understand what this broadly used term in the context of project management. Change management is a discipline that allows businesses to effectively and precisely identify and document anticipated changes to the business [...]
9 things great project leaders do every day
Every project leader is different, from their thought processes to their daily interactions, but there are a few things that great ones do every day that just might set them apart from the rest. View Moira Alexander’s article as it’s published on Source link
The risky side of project management
A significant part of successfully navigating projects is how effectively you manage risk, but how much of the risk should fall on the shoulders of the project manager, and what can you do to sufficiently mitigate those risks? Risks are dependant on a multitude of things and serve as triggers. These dependencies help to identify and measure the impact of the risks; here are just a few of these dependencies. View Moira Alexander’s [...]
How to spot signs your project is about to fail
There are many possible reasons a project is headed for problems. While some are easy to spot and correct, others may signify more deep-rooted issues that can derail even the best-laid plans.Project management has many facets and anyone of them could derail even the best-laid plans. Recognizing the signs of an impending disaster can give a project manager the "heads up" before it happens. To help you spot the telltale signs, here are some of [...]
Project management: To debrief or not to debrief
If you're a project manager or part of a project team, you know all about the hurried pace of this field. Once projects near their close, is debriefing useful or a waste of time?Many project managers may view the end of a project as a perfect opportunity to debrief, while others are onto their next project with very little time dedicated to debriefing. Some swear by the debriefing process and others simply bypass it altogether. [...]