PMcrunch

Often it is hard to decide to what to do first, or what to do next. In fact, in my experience, it is often easier to make such decisions on large projects than smaller projects. The Theory of Constraints is a neat concept that can help.

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We all want to learn more and indeed [tag-tec]“speed learning”[/tag-tec] is a requirement in today’s fast paced world. I recently heard an interesting quote from an entrepreneur who said that he looks it what he has learned as an entrepreneur and he realized that he already been taught that in business school but he wasn’t paying attention.

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To make the most of your time you need to be focused on what it is you want to achieve. Being focused on the smaller picture rather than the big one will throw you off course. You should sit down and review your time management  and where your time gets used up. When we talk [...]

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I am struck by one common thing called Integration Across Disciplines. I think this is one of the most important concepts in project management, and even more so in program management.

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Managing large projects and programs is challenging and most agree that one of the best approaches is to break large projects and programs down into smaller readily manageable projects.

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Frequently, in our projects, especially those of technical nature, we are confronted with the opportunity to analyze various possible solutions. In this process, it is critically important to understand all aspects of cost related to each alternative. A potential trap is to simply compare price. Oftentimes, price is only one very small aspect of the cost of going with a particular product or service.

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These tough times are different from past recessions in that “visibility is low”. What I mean by that is that it is not just a matter of seeing that sales had declined a certain amount, or that certain costs had reached a certain amount; it is not just that there is a general slimming or pruning of weaker competitors across the board. The problem is that it is very hard to predict with any reasonable level of certainty what is going to happen next and, thus, we find ourselves driving through our challenges “with low visibility”.

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While many project and program managers work on large multi-year projects, many of us also work on small to medium sized projects. In fact, while many of these small to medium sized projects last anywhere from weeks to months, larger projects and programs consist of a series of these small to medium sized projects. Let’s take a look at one of the most common problem solving techniques available for getting into rapid-action mode on these fast-moving projects.

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Project status reporting is important because it keeps many of our stakeholders informed as to the status on the project. The challenge is to keep project reporting from being a project unto itself. This can be achieved by integrating the normal day to day processes within the project with the project reporting, so that it virtually happens on its own.

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Personality is an important consideration in team building. Think about how people have different individual work styles and how they work differently in a group differs! Understanding how you and your team members tend to work can help each of us to work together more effectively. One popular way to discover personalities and its effect work styles is the use of the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

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