PMcrunch

Deciding takes some muscle. Developing those muscles takes practice – and the right kind of practice. Making decisions is tough, and when I think about it, a couple of things stand out as all important to me – and one is PRIORITIZATION.

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Oftentimes, as[tag-dir]project managers[/tag-dir] and leaders, we are called upon to compare a variety of potential solutions and to either recommend or choose the best one for our situation. There are a variety of ways to do this. It is important for us to recognize that the answer we come up with is very closely related to the questions we ask and how we do the comparison. Many times—perhaps even most of the time—we do this comparisons in a relatively informal way, putting together our own structure. In other cases however, there is a much formalized organizational structure with a formal name such as [/tag-tec]“analysis of alternatives”[tag-dir] that is performed.

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Why bother? The life blood of any business is good customer service. Although you should try and attract new customers good customer service will help generate customer loyalty and encourage repeat business. With each satisfied customer your business is likely to win many more customers through recommendations and remember, if you are not taking care [...]

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At the end of a year and at the beginnning of a new one, we all tend to take some time to look back at the last twelve months and to look forward to the next twelve. This is a good time for us to asses our own performance, strengths, weaknesses, interests, things that we would like more of and things that we would rather do without.

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Many people who consider getting into the project management profession are also considering other options, such as earning a degree perhaps in project management. There are also certificate programs where students earn a certificate in project management. The options for programs like this are many. Earning a certificate could include going to school full time, night school, or various online courses. Another option is simply to take some kind of training in the classroom, or online, or maybe in independent study groups, or some combination of those, and simply earn a certification like the PMP Certification.

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Many project managers wonder if there is a better job for them out there. We are always trying to better ourselves and our situations, but never quite seem to get exactly where we want to be. Much is written about which industries are best, which skills transfer, the benefits of certification, and much more. I would argue that introspection, or a look on the inside, is at least as important as a look to the outside, as this is a personal decision driven more by personal factors than by external considerations.

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Business or organizational strategy is intended to drive all decisions within an organization. It provides a direction, a rallying point, and a litmus test for decisions at all levels. Hence, it only stands to reason that strategy would drive the project portfolio management process.

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There is lots of good talk about project metrics. Much of it centers on project performance. But there is another side to it, organizational metrics, related to how the project is contributing to overall organizational goals. Thinking a little differently and exploring a different perspective can provide better focus and produce more positive impact.

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There are some key factors that must be in place in order to put Earned Value Management into practice. These ‘key factors’ are all good project management practices. Indeed, part of the benefit of practicing earned value management is the disciplined process that earned value demands up front! In other words, you cannot implement earned value management without practicing good project management!

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Engineering and Management, as disciplines, were ‘married’ a long time ago! It only makes sense, as every engineering effort must be managed. There are some key differences between managing the engieering work and manageing the engineering project.

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