PMcrunch

As project and program managers we all know that stakeholders are central to the success of any project or program. We know that we must listen to stakeholders and that, in the end, we must satisfy stakeholders in order to have a successful project. We need to gather stakeholder input, listen to stakeholder concerns, and obtain stakeholder feedback throughout our projects. The question in my mind right now is “what can we expect realistically of our stakeholders?”

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Basic project management teaches us that quality is defined by meeting requirements, but not exceeding them. If we deliver more than what the customer asked for, it is considered to be gold plating – a bad thing. The premise is that there is a balance as per the triple constraint among quality, cost and schedule, and that it is the job of the project manager to manage that balance. In these tough times, however, how can a project manager produce excellence and in essence exceed customer expectations without gold plating?

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There are many ways to earn the 60 PDUs required to maintain PMP certification. Many PMPs consider this to be a challenge. However, with proper planning (remember, we are PMPs!), earning those PDUs can become a part of your regular professional life and can be a breeze. Here’s how.

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Project Requirements Gathering is a complex and challenging activity. It is also one of the most important activities in project management, as it establishes the baseline against which the product of the project is measured. Here are some thoughts and ideas on effective requirements gathering for any project.

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Sometimes – more often than we like – a “circular reference” enters the scene, and it can threaten the success of your project – or even the success or an entire portfolio or organization. As a Project Manager and leader, you need to stop circular references by intervening strongly and showing the way!

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I recently read a forum entry where someone was looking for advice on PM tools and PM software used across the globe for IT needs. The person mentioned that their company had some general tools like Critical Path, PERT etc., and various models for Estimation. The question was “What would be best software to support all these tools + models and standards like CMMI or ITIL, then support for SEI – indicator template for measurement analysis, Risk Management alerting + Alerting on Change management etc. Also requested were opinions on using lines of code as a metric.

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